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:: PC Perspective . News Archive
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.:News Archive ( 6/2010 )
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: 3DCenter | Subject: Case and Cooling
Killowatt class PSUs are becoming common now that we are seeing CPU and GPU combinations that truly require that much power and that amount of power is not simply overkill or for bragging rights. Kingwin's Lazer Gold 1000W Power Supply reflects the new power conscious focus of the tech industry, providing 1000W of power and rated at an 80+ Gold level. [H]ard|OCP put it through their usual torturous testing to see how much this PSU could take and it walked out of their tests the most efficient kilowatt class PSU they've tested yet. As a high end system builder you owe it to yourself to see just why this PSU picked up a Silver Award.
"1000 watts of Gold Rated 80 Plus+ power is not something that you find in the PSU market every day, but with the new GPUs swallowing mass amounts of power, the PSU guys are going to have to step up with better units. Kingwin does exactly that with its new "Lazer" unit, the LZG-1000." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Overclockers HQ | Subject: General Tech
When you get sick of having lousy audio on recordings you make for live broadcast or for prosperity, and start researching good audio solutions one particular style of microphone will come to your attention. The Audio-Technica ATR 6550
is a good example of a shotgun mic, a style of mic that is a little more directionally accurate than its name might suggest. As far as a these mics go, the ATR 6550 is very well priced and offers several features to take your audio recordings to the next level. Take a listen to OverclockersHQ's review to get more detailed information.
"Video making has come a long way from your good ol' family videos of drunken uncle Bobs speech and your sister's wedding. Professional or rather pro-sumer grade equipment is becoming readily available for a much broader audience than it ever was before. This drop in the price of quality equipment has made it possible for people with talent and little budget to create things that were in the past out of their reach. One thing that I have personally appreciated about new budget cameras is adding something as simple as an audio input took the quality of a basic video up a serious notch by being able to use a more professional quality shotgun mic to get the sound quality needed for a much less amateur approach to filmmaking. Audio-Technica is one such Company to jump on this band wagon with the Audio-Technica ATR 6550 Shotgun Video Mic. Let's take a look at it." Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: TECHGAGE | Subject: General Tech
Blur: Twisted Metal has been making news for a while now as a mix of Need for Speed and Twisted Metal, combining a racing game with a bit of good old destructive mayhem. Most of the destruction is based off of on track pickups, five different weapons and three car power-ups
are available and none stack so don't bother picking up multiples. It lacks the realism of many racing games and while the destruction is a little more extreme than Mario Cart, overall Techgage found it lacking in both areas.
On the other hand, it does offer a nice way to make your friends suffer.
"Are you craving a racing game but can't ignore your innate desire to just blow things up? If so, Bizarre Creations' Blur might be just what you're looking for. It two awesome things, destruction and speed, and results in a title that's full of eye candy, a good online mode, and a difficulty level that's sure to challenge even the most hardcore racer." Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Slashdot | Subject: General Tech
The Flash versus HTML5 debate, started before Jobs or the pr0n industry spurned Flash, rages on. For the most part we hear about the problems Flash is so good at creating and the benefits that HTML5 offers, but one should wonder why it is that Flash has had such staying power. YouTube spoke out recently about that, covering the benefits that Flash currently offers over HTML5, though considering the general youth of HTML5 they do not mean to imply that these features can never be incorporated into HTML5, these are the things it cannot do currently. Follow the link from Slashdot to learn about ActionScript, the Flash Platform's RTMPE security, full screen display and the ability to make Flash video participatory.
"There's been a lot of discussion lately about whether or not the HTML5 video tag is
going to replace Flash Player for video distribution on the web. We’ve been excited about
the HTML5 effort and video tag for quite a while now, and most YouTube videos can now be
played via our HTML5 player. This work has shown us that, while the video tag is a big
step forward for open standards, the Adobe Flash Platform will continue to play a critical
role in video distribution."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Thecus | Subject: Storage
06/30/2010 – The age of USB 3.0 is almost here. Today, storage leader Thecus Technology is proud to announce its first portable storage device featuring the new USB 3.0 standard – the D0204. With massive storage capacity in a tiny package no larger than a paperback book, the D0204 delivers impressive data security and performance with an integrated USB 3.0 port, making it the most powerful and versatile portable DAS on the market. 
The D0204 is a small and compact direct attached storage (DAS) device. Wrapped in a housing measuring a mere 86mm x 55.3mm x 132mm, the D0204 may appear to be a mere portable hard disk at first glance, but peering inside this tiny form factor reveals a powerful storage unit. Headlining is its integrated USB 3.0 port at the back of the unit, which grants the D0204 data transfer speeds of up to 5Gb/s – ten times the speed of USB 2.0. With USB 3.0 built-in, users can transfer files to and from the device at unprecedented speeds with a USB 3.0-enabled computer. Of course, the D0204 is fully backward-compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 standards, which means you can use it with virtually any USB-equipped device. Users can install up to two SATA hard disks using the D0204’s two 2.5” SATA bays, which means a total storage capacity of up to 2 terabytes! The D0204 even accepts the latest solid state drives (SSDs), offering users impressive data performance with no moving parts that could break or malfunction. Users can even swap hard disks while the device is running thanks to the D0204’s hot-swappable drive bays. Of course, the Thecus D0204 is a complete storage solution that’s also easy to use. To manage all of this storage, users can choose between RAID 0, 1, and Large to further enhance data security or performance. All of the D0204’s features can be administrated through its intuitive Windows Utility. With this utility, D0204 users can both set up and manage their D0204, making this powerful storage device also one of the friendliest around.
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Overclockers Club | Subject: Case and Cooling
The new $69 Cooler Master V6GT
is targeted at overclockers with big cases, it weighs in at 939g and stands 131 x 120 x 165mm. There is nothing game changing about the design, V shaped heatpipes help pull the heat away from your CPU and a single 120mm fan pulls the heat away from the heatsink. However, the design does offer some nice performance improvements as Overclockers Club saw some serious cooling power from this heatsink. It didn't do so well as a passive cooler though, so stick with the high flow fan.
"To say the least, the Cooler Master V6GT is a fantastic heatsink. It outperformed all of the other comparison heatsinks in every test but one, and pulled even further ahead in the load tests. The large size of the V6GT is made up for by its heat capacity and these tests show it." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Graphics Card
It has been a long time coming but we finally get a chance to see nVIDIA do 3DVision in surround and the news is both good and bad. The bad news is that there are limits on the possible monitor setups you can use for 3DVision, in essence you will run 3 landscape monitors as any other permutation will not support 3DVision. On the plus side the list of compatible cards is rather impressive, not only the GeForce GTX 480, GTX 470 and GTX 465 support this, older GeForce GTX 285/280/270/260 all support it as well as the GTX295 in certain cases.
Ryan saw some rather impressive fps numbers when testing a pair of GTX480's in SLI in 2D mode, besting a pair of HD5870's in Crossfire and when he tested the 3DVision he saw frame rates cut in half in some games and what is best described as serious performance bugs in others. Towards the end of his review you can see a few of the games in action and a look at how the prices of the two multiple monitor solutions add up.
"NVIDIA's initial foray into multi-display gaming with NVIDIA Surround and 3D Vision
Surround seems to be a great counter to AMD's release of the technology for gamers' use
back in September of 2009. NVIDIA is finally nearing parity with AMD's 5000-series of
graphics cards with DX11 support multi-monitor gaming though they are nine months behind.
Better late than never as the saying goes and maybe AMD has created a market that NVIDIA
can swing in and take over...? We still aren't sure that will be the case but NVIDIA
Surround is definitely a differentiating and compelling option for the PC gamer and
enthusiast."
Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: MAKE: Blog | Subject: Editorial
Back in the 1950's Russell Kirsch was working as a scientist at the National Bureau of Standards and figured out a way to scan a picture of his infant son into the experimental computer (SEAC) that he was working with into a 176 by 176 grid of black and white squares. He now apologizes for that, as that action contributed to the birth of the square pixel we all know and try to antialias out of existence. He is now working with a technique to overlay a grid of 6 pixels and then testing for contrast when the large pixel is split into a mask of two rough triangles or two rough rectangles. From there the two masks are rotated and tested until the greatest contrast are found and then the filter moves onto the next pixel. The picture at MAKE:Blog shows you what a difference this can make for regular rendering and scanning though a likely area this technology will first be applied is in the medical scans, sharpening MRIs and other scans.
"Russell Kirsch says he's sorry. More than 50 years ago, Kirsch took a picture of his infant son and scanned it into a computer. It was the first digital image: a grainy, black-and-white baby picture that literally changed the way we view the world. With it, the smoothness of images captured on film was shattered to bits. The square pixel became the norm, thanks in part to Kirsch, and the world got a little bit rougher around the edges." Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Jonathan Hung | Source: Digitimes | Subject: Mobile
Toshiba and Lenovo are readying their fall launch of Google Android based netbooks.
Toshiba will be launching their new Dynabook line of products featuring NVIDIA Tegra 250 processor, Android, and a 10.1" glass. Also, Toshiba is readying two ARM based tablet PCs at the end of 2010 and will be manufactured by Pegatron (who is also manufacturing Asus' EeePad ARM tablet). One of these may be the dual-screen Libretto W100. 
Toshiba Libretto W100 tablet coming this August. For Lenovo, this means finally releasing the eagerly awaited IdeaPad U1 which was debuted at Computex 2010 in January, then delayed to make the switch from Lenovo's Skylight OS to Android. The specs have also been solidified with the new Qualcomm dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor. Are you ready for the slate PC deluge? Are you getting one, or will you wait and see?
Related News:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: 3DCenter | Subject: Case and Cooling
There are three models of the Scythe USB Foot Switch, single, double and triple pedal. They will look familiar to anyone who has seen an effects pedal for an electric instrument or has invested money in a high end game sim setup. They range from $20 to $50, making them affordable for a gamer looking to map a few more quickly accessible buttons or the devoted sim player who wants to use foot pedals. Pop on over to Pro-Clockers to decide if they are just a gimmick or a great idea for yourself.
"Scythe’s latest gadget will give your wandering feet something useful to do when sitting in first of the PC. The USB Foot Switch will not replace the mouse or keyboard but it will allow you to assign tasks to a particular application and let your feet do some of the clicking while the finger rest for a few seconds. The USB Foot Switch comes in three different variations: one, two and three pedals." Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: X-Bit Labs | Subject: Motherboard
X-Bit Labs have chosen two boards to represent the upper echelons of the 890FX based motherboard market, the Asus Crosshair IV Formula and Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7, both sporting a price similar to an average X58 board. Although both motherboards are targeted at the same market, the companies have gone with very different approaches. In Gigabyte's case they focused on the peripherals that will be added, both legacy and new technology whereas ASUS has focused on the boards BIOS for most of their energy. Drop by X-Bit to see which fits your needs, or if both boards are priced beyond your target budget.
"Our today’s article is devoted to a comparison between two top mainboards based on the latest and highly functional AMD 890FX chipset. We are going to study their features, investigate CPU and memory overclocking potential, compare performance, USB 3.0 speed and power consumption." Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: OCZ Technology | Subject: Storage
As Allyn has become a past master at testing SSDs to destruction and was not interested in PCIe flash storage solutions that could not be used as a boot drive, OCZ has decided to merge the two into one killer product, the RevoDrive. In this case it is the OCZ RevoDrive 240GB PCIe SSD, sold at an MSRP of $639.99 or $2.66/GB. It is impressive, beating traditional SSDs easily and while not matching the performance of the FusionIO, it is bootable and it uses far less resources than that particular PCIe SSD. Check out his full review and be prepared to drool.
"The RevoDrive is an absolute breath of fresh air to the PCIe SSD field. While the raw performance has a hard time besting the likes of FusionIO, it is less demanding on system resources and remains an outstanding performer for its price point. Cost/GB is matched to that of conventional SandForce driven SATA SSD's, making this unit extremely competitive on price. If you're considering a pair SandForce SSD's for use in RAID and have a free PCIe 4x slot available, the RevoDrive is the best way to go." Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: engadget | Subject: General Tech
There is a sneak peek over at Engadget of some of the features that will be included in the new version of Windows. There is little information on what improvements will be made to the kernel or the file system but they do have some goodies to share. USB 3 and Bluetooth 3 are more integrated, facial recognition will be the norm and new states like logoff and hibernate will appear. There will even be more leeway for OEMs to customize the version of Windows they put on their machines. Follow the links back to the source to get all of the info.
"Sure, Microsoft might be selling seven copies of Windows 7 a second, but that doesn't mean Redmond isn't planning for the future: the software giant is purportedly beginning to prep ODMs on Windows 8, if these leaked slides are to be believed. It doesn't look like anything is nailed down just yet, but some interesting larger themes are being discussed, like improving startup and and wake-from-sleep times to be nearly instantaneous, the addition of higher-speed interconnects like USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0, hard drive encryption, ambient light sensitivity, and facial recognition login / out." Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: OCZ Technology | Subject: Storage
SAN JOSE, CA—June 29, 2010—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, releases the RevoDrive PCI-Express SSD, an innovative storage solution that focuses on both performance and affordability for consumers. The new RevoDrive was developed to push the limits of economical SSD technology to deliver a revolutionary product with a remarkable price point. Moving beyond the bottleneck of SATA II (3Gbps), the OCZ RevoDrive features a PCIe interface to deliver superior speeds over 500MB/s reads and random small file writes up to 80,000 IOPS, nearly twice the speed of other consumer SSDs. Thanks to a proprietary RAID 0 design, the RevoDrive maximizes data access and bandwidth to promote a faster, more responsive PC experience compared to not only hard drives, but other SSDs on the market. “The RevoDrive is the first PCIe SSD that delivers both performance and affordability and radically alters the SSD landscape,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. “Up to this point PCIe SSDs have been reserved for enterprise applications and priced out of the range of many consumers, the bootable RevoDrive SSD changes the game by delivering a PCIe based solution that costs as low as $3 per gigabyte, exceptional small file write IOPS of over 80K, which is the most available in any low-cost solution.” Unlike competing PCIe solutions, the RevoDrive is bootable, ensuring the satisfaction of quicker boot-ups, load times, and computing, all while promoting cooler, quieter, and more energy efficient conditions compared to traditional mechanical hard drives. Offering ample storage for the latest operating systems, game titles, and applications, the OCZ RevoDrive will be initially available in 120GB and 240GB capacities, with MSRPs of $389.99 and $699.99. 
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: PC Perspective Forums | Subject: General Tech
As PC Perspective's Forums age, like a fine blue cheese, it is nice to be reminded of past posts that are still solving problems for people today. There is of course Ned's world famous AHCI post but
recently a newcomer was asking about improving their routers signal strength which revived an old thread that details how to build a directional antenna to extend the range of your WiFi. Of course, there are always new problems and there will be new posts detailing solutions as well.
Also, as promised you have a fresh podcast to watch, number 110.
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Gizmodo | Subject: Display
The Monster Vision Max 3D glasses are a bit of a work around for the problem that 3D displays have with compatibility. Currently you can purchase a variety of 3D glasses but the hitch is that those glasses will only work on a very limited number of displays. You won't be able to mix and match glasses and displays, instead you currently need to buy different glasses for each display you want to use. Monster will sell you their glasses along with a base station that can adjust the timing of the glasses to match a variety of different displays. A nice idea, if only a work around, but Gizmodo was less than impressed by the price.
"3D is a bit of a mess in itself, but to make matters more complicated, a pair of shutter glasses that work with your Samsung TV won't work with your Panasonic TV...well...not very well. Monster is changing that, almost." Here are some more Display articles from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: InsideHW | Subject: Mobile
If you are looking for something like the iPad or one of the many similar products that have recently hit the market but haven't found one that you like enough to pick up then Lenovo might have something for you. It looks like your average Atom powered netbook, but the IdeaPad S10 has some tricks hidden inside. The screen is capable of rotation, to the point where it can completely cover the keyboard, which is not an issue as this tablet-like machine has a touch screen. Take a quick peek at this newly announced Lenovo product at InsideHW.
"Whenever it seems that 10“-diagonal netbooks have nothing left to offer, a manufacturer appears who convinces us otherwise. Although netbooks sales are slowly decreasing worldwide, they still sell remarkably well and take up a sizeable portion of the market. Still, each new model is presented with the problem of the number of truly new things it has to offer, since 10” netbooks are more or less generic: prices varying between 250 and 350 euros, the usual hardware platform, display ergonomics, its size and resolution. We still hope to see more ION 2-based netbooks, since they would bring true refreshment to the netbook scene. In the meantime, certain brands are attempting to gain buyer attention via famous designer names, such as Karim Rashid, Vivienne Tam etc. While we’re waiting for something truly new, Lenovo has tried to cheer us up with a model which, alongside all netbook characteristics, also contains features which place it in the tablet category, most of all - a touchscreen…" Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: [H]ard|OCP | Subject: Graphics Card
If you are familiar with MSI you have probably encountered their Lightning branded GeForce cards and now they have expanded their series to include an HD5870. They have kept the same design, with a custom cooling solution, solid state chokes, Hi-C capacitors and the famous Proadlizer. Unfortunately [H]ard|OCP could not find a reason to justify the $90 premium over a stock HD5870. The technology that went into the card is solid, but the factory overclock was small and they couldn't get much more out of the GPU when they tried manually overclocking the card.
"One of the new features of the HD5xxxx series of video cards is Eyefinity, the technique that allows you to hook up several monitors to the video card and have the OS see it as one big monitor. While regular HD5xxx cards can support up to 3 monitors the ultimate Eyefinity experience can only be had with a HD5870 Eyefinity6 Edition video card which, as its name implies, supports up to 6 monitors at the same time. AMD was kind enough to lend us 6 monitors so we could test one of these cards and in today’s review we test to see if the XFX HD5870 Eyefinity6 Edition video card together with 6 nice Dell monitors indeed does deliver the ultimate gaming experience." Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: The Inquirer | Subject: General Tech
Earlier this month we learned that quite a few of Adobe's products come bearing an unwelcome gift, no matter which OS you use. A critical vulnerability that is already being used in attacks. The vulnerability would allow specially crafted pdfs and flash content to either crash your computer or in some cases allow an attacker to take control of your system. Adobe has bumped up their patching schedule and will now release a fix for this next Wednesday and have already dealt with the flash vulnerability with the release of the new Flash Player. Take The Inquirer's advice and update as soon as the patches are released.
"NEXT WEEK Adobe will rush out patches for its PDF software products two weeks early, after critical vulnerabilities were found in Flash. Usually Adobe follows a Microsoft-style quarterly patch cycle, but this problem has been deemed so serious that it will be bringing out updates originally scheduled for July 13 on June 29." Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Ryan Shrout | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: General Tech
I know that some people are all excited about the lines wrapping around city blocks for some Apple device that was released today, I wanted to show our unbiased coverage of the tech world with this EXCLUSIVE video of the opening of Microsoft store in San Diego! There were literally TENS OF PEOPLE on site waiting for the ribbon cutting and the confetti to enter.
Take THAT Apple iPhone!! Actually, according to people that viewed the event, it actually is quite a big crowd with celebrities like professional skateboarder Paul Rodriguez.
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Phoronix | Subject: General Tech
Phoronix has grabbed five of the latest and greatest versions of Linux to see how they compare and which is best at various tasks. Most of their testing compares the performance of common tasks in Linux, such as compressing and uncompressing as well as taking a look at multimedia performance. As some of these distros are sepcifically designed with certain task in mind it seems that choosing the distro that fits your desired usage makes more sense than just grabbing the most popular ones.
"With many Linux distributions receiving major updates in recent weeks and months we have carried out a five-way Linux distribution comparison of openSUSE, Ubuntu, Fedora, PCLinuxOS, and Arch Linux. We have quite a number of tests comparing the 32-bit performance of these popular Linux distributions on older PC hardware."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Jonathan Hung | Source: Business Wire | Subject: Mobile
Gateway has announced today two new Intel Core i3 / i5 slim 14" and 15" notebooks called the ID series. Both the 14" ID49 and 15" ID59 will feature aluminum lids and just a 1" thickness.
NVIDIA Optimus will be available on certain models of ID49 and use NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPUs. The GT 330M is a departure from the typical GT 310M used in most Optimus enabled notebooks available today and will feature better 3D performance, but at the cost of higher power consumption (14 TDP on the 310M vs. 23 TDP on the 330M). Both ID49 and ID59 will have 1366x768 LED displays, HDMI output, and Dolby Home Theater v3 audio. Based on this press release, my money is on the ID49 which is smaller, lighter, and can have Optimus. The ID59, however, was not singled out for NVIDIA's power management technology, and it features a somewhat disappointing 1366x768 resolution. The 14" ID49 will start at $679.99 and the 15.6" ID59 will start at $799.99. 
Jonathan Hung | Source: Digitimes | Subject: Mobile
 Intel is updating their current line-up of mobile CPUs across the whole range of processor classes. Coming out first are new Core i7-940XM, i7-840QM, and i7-740QM processors for $1054, $546, and $364 USD respectively for 1000 part trays.
Being released in July and September respectively are Core i7-680UM and i5-560UM parts which help push down the price of mid range CPUs. The i7-660LM low-voltage CPU is also expected to be released in September. On the low-entry side, new Celeron P4600 and Pentium T3500 are coming in September. A new dual-core Atom N550 sporting a 1.5GHz frequency will be out sometime in the 3rd quarter. Digitimes also reports that Intel's next mobile platform, Huron River, will be launched in January 2011 consisting of the 32nm Sandy Bridge and the Cougar Point chipset. Looking at these releases, it follows closely to the Intel roadmap leaked to media back in May 2010. 
Image Source: Engadget.
Jonathan Hung | Source: Maingear | Subject: Mobile
MAINGEAR, the makers of custom high-end gaming PCs and notebooks has released a new 17" model: the eX-L 17. What makes this system so special is that for the first time, you have the choice between NVIDIA and AMD DirectX 11 mobile GPU parts.
The eX-L 17 can be outfitted with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870, GeForce GTX480M 2GB, and even an NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M. Like all other MAINGEAR systems, you get a choice of Intel CPUs, RAM, and hard drive configurations (including SSDs). USB 3.0 is also available, but only if you get the GTX480M model... so more incentive to dive into NVIDIA's latest mobile GPU. Go check out MAINGEAR and configure your own system to meet your needs. 
MAINGEAR's eX-L 17 features the Intel® CoreTM i5 and i7 mobile processors, ATI® Mobility RadeonTM HD 5870 with 1 GB of dedicated memory, NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX480M with 2GB of GDDR5 memory NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 2800M featuring the NVIDIA ®CUDATM Architecture 38-bit color accuracy for creative professionals. The eX-L 17 has full vibrant 1080p resolution all on a glare-free full LED backlit display (1920x 1080) that comes with a dead pixel warranty.
The eX-L 17 is a perfect combination of functionality and design with built-in biometrics security via fingerprint reader for security, touch sensitive hotkeys for executing customizable macros and applications, and five different MAINGEAR's M.A.R.C. laser engraving to choose from that offers a clean and elegant design. "The launch of the eX-L 17 reiterates the passion and commitment we have for our customers: choice." said Wallace Santos, CEO and Founder of MAINGEAR. "With the multitude of options available on this notebook, we are offering the performance and quality of our outstanding desktops in the convenience of mobility." "MAINGEAR's eX-L17 notebook goes hand in hand with Intel's Core i7 mobile processor and Intel Turbo Boost technology," said Greg Baur, Director of Sales, CESG East, Intel Americas Inc. "MAINGEAR understands users that need accelerated performance for demanding applications prefer the Intel Core 2010 processor family , and we're pleased to provide MAINGEAR as well as their customers with this solid solution." Technical Specification:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Hardware Secrets | Subject: Case and Cooling
Antec's new lineup, called the Dark Fleet, consists of three models. Two are mid-towers but the one that Hardware Secrets received for review is their flagship full sized case, the DF-85. It is definitely a case that wants to be seen, from the ominous black finish to the decorative covers for the 5.25" drive bays. Antec didn't skimp on cooling, the case has 7 fans all of which have fan controllers and space for more if you need them. It has almost every feature you have seen incorporated into a case inside of it, barring a removable motherboard tray though that is rendered moot by a conveniently
place hole allowing access to the backplate of an installed heatsink. Drop by for a look at a rather impressive addition to Antec's enclosures.
"Antec has just released a new series of cases, Dark Fleet, comprised of three models, DF -30, DF-35 and DF-85. While the first two are mid-tower units, DF-85 is a high-end full- tower case." Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: newegg | Subject: General Tech
NewEgg has some deals on that you should be aware of, especially the 100GB OCZ Vertex that is available for $259 all told!
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Overclockers Club | Subject: Memory
The Patriot Viper II Sector 5 PC3 20000 4GB kit will set you back almost $350 but if you are looking for RAM speced at 2500MHz you already know you are going to be paying a steep entry fee. The timings look a little odd at first glance, 9-11-9-27 is not a usual set of timings but then again that does hint that there is some room to manoeuvre when you are adjusting your final clock settings. For instance, in testing OCC hit 7-9-7-24 @ 1800MHz and compared it to the 9-11-9-27 @ 2490MHz and did notice a difference in benchmarks. The number of motherboards that can support this speed are limited, as are the processors so read through the list of hardware that has been tested to support it and a bclock of 209MHz.
"When it came time to overclock the modules, the system was tapped out at 2500MHz on air. Maybe some sub-zero cooling could help these modules scale a bit higher. These modules will, however, run at lower speeds with tighter timings. Cas 6 was run at up to 1940MHz, Cas 7 to 2058 and surprisingly Cas 8 to 2490MHz. The only problem is to get the modules to scale, you need to bump up the TRCD setting in the memory sub-timings." Here are some more Memory articles from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Beyond3D | Subject: General Tech
id Tech 5 is the name of the engine that will drive Rage and the new instalment of the DOOM franchise and there has been some speculation as to whether that game engine will favour the XBox or the PlayStation. The specific concern has to do with hitting the magical 60fps and keeping the game at that rate throughout the players experience. John Carmack has spoken with Beyond3D and has assured them that while the challenges these two consoles differ, there is a solution for both. The PC version's performance will of course depend on the hardware and graphical settings and as of yet we are still unsure when the Mac version shall arrive. "There are a few questions regarding Rage, the next game by id Software, that are left to answer. Ever since the game was announced for XBOX 360, PS3, PC and Mac (though at E3 2010 id wasn't sure if a Mac version will come out), one of the more frequent ones has been which of the two consoles will offer the best experience, either feature-wise or framerate. Our very own Rangers shot that question over to John Carmack and here's what id's Technical Director and part time rocket scientist had to say." Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: Linux.com | Subject: General Tech
VideoLAN has released a new version of their popular VLC Player, an open source and very flexible media player. It became popular for its versatility in being able to play just about any media file it came across and has built quite a name for its self on the online community. This new version brings extends support to Blu-ray MPEG-4 lossless and VP8 and it also incorporated GPU decoding on Windows Vista and 7, using DxVA2 for H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2. On Linux it handles the GPU decoding with VAAPI for H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2.
All is not well however, as NGOHQ had pointed out to them by a VLC developer, the GPU acceleration only works on nVIDIA and several legacy GPUs. Intel has not let anyone on the team at the Intel HD integrated graphics so they cannot program to take advantage of that GPU and they describe AMD's drivers as broken. Still, the new codec support is nice. "The good news today on the application front is that the VideoLAN Project has released version 1.1 of the open source VLC Media Player. The new version supports GPU and DSP decoding on a number of platforms, many more video and audio codes, new extensions and has many interface improvements. If you, like me, favor VLC Media Player over all competitors, definitely download the new version." Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
Jeremy Hellstrom | Source: AnandTech | Subject: Mobile
In one corner is the $500 Acer Aspire 5542 with a dual core AMD Athlon II M300 CPU, the chipset is the AMD RS880M and the SB710 and the graphics are powered by the ATI Radeon HD 4200. In the other corner is the $550 Gateway NV5933u with Intel's dual core i3-330M, the Intel HM55 chipset
and Intel's new HD Graphics. It is not just the internals that they tested, as LCD quality and battery life also play a big part in determining a winner. Can Intel's new integrated graphics push their performance closer to AMD's and does AMD's new chipset bring anything new to their mobile platform? Find out here.
"It's been ten months since our last comparison between the latest AMD and Intel mobile platforms. Since then AMD has updated their mobile chips to 45nm process technology with a K10-derived architecture. Intel hasn't been sitting idle either, with plenty of 32nm Arrandale laptops readily available. The last time we looked at the two platforms, Intel came out with a clear lead in battery life and CPU performance, but AMD provided a more affordable platform with a substantially better IGP. Now we're ready to compare the latest Intel and AMD offerings, but there are a few caveats." Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:
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