i4memory.com - different look at memory http://i4memory.com/ en Sat, 25 May 2013 20:08:57 GMT vBulletin 30 http://cdn2.i4memory.info/images/vbseo_skin_2.0/misc/rss.jpg i4memory.com - different look at memory http://i4memory.com/ <![CDATA[[Bit-tech.net] Don’t be fooled by Laptop CPUs]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/bit-tech-net-don-t-fooled-laptop-cpus-45262/ Sat, 25 May 2013 16:55:18 GMT Image: http://images.bit-tech.net/blog/2013/05/don-t-be-fooled-by-laptop-cpus/featured_double.jpg (http://www.bit-tech.net/blog/2013/05/25/don-t-be-fooled-by-laptop-cpus/)I was speaking to a friend recently and we started discussing laptops. Specifically, he wanted something to replace his desktop... I was speaking to a friend recently and we started discussing laptops. Specifically, he wanted something to replace his desktop PC, which sported an Intel Core-i3 2100 Sandy Bridge CPU.

He was moving to a flat and didn’t have the space for a PC, but still wanted something with some grunt to edit photos and videos. He’d clearly given it some consideration, but I was shocked when he started quoting laptop specs and how he thought they’d be twice or even three times as fast as his PC.


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/bit-tech-net-don-t-fooled-laptop-cpus-45262/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Asus PB278Q LED WQHD PLS Monitor Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-pb278q-led-wqhd-pls-monitor-review-45261/ Sat, 25 May 2013 16:55:18 GMT

For some time, I've been looking to upgrade the Dell U2311H IPS LCD that served as my primary work monitor at the office with something that has more vertical real estate (1080p just doesn't cut it for serious productivity) and better colour reproduction. Enter Asus's PB278Q, a 27" 2560x1440 PLS display with a rather flexible stand. Does it cut the mustard?



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-pb278q-led-wqhd-pls-monitor-review-45261/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Android 4.3 leaked in video, brings new camera UI]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-android-4-3-leaked-video-brings-new-camera-ui-45260/ Sat, 25 May 2013 06:38:35 GMT

Android Community reports new features seen in a video featuring Google's unreleased Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-android-4-3-leaked-video-brings-new-camera-ui-45260/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] The Kabini Deal: Can AMD Improve the Quality of Mainstream PCs with Its Latest APU?]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-kabini-deal-can-amd-improve-quality-mainstream-pcs-its-latest-apu-45259/ Sat, 25 May 2013 04:50:20 GMT There are two non-negotiables in building a PC these days: the cost of Intel silicon and the cost of the Windows license. You can play with everything else but Intel and Microsoft are going to get their share. Those two relatively fixed costs in the PC bill of materials can do one of two things:... There are two non-negotiables in building a PC these days: the cost of Intel silicon and the cost of the Windows license. You can play with everything else but Intel and Microsoft are going to get their share. Those two relatively fixed costs in the PC bill of materials can do one of two things: encourage OEMs to skimp on component cost elsewhere, or drive the entire ecosystem to supply higher quality components at lower prices. If you&rsquo;ve been following the PC industry for the past decade, I think we&rsquo;ve seen more of the former and less of the latter.

Apple occupying the high-end of the notebook PC space has forced many OEMs to reconsider their approach, but that&rsquo;s a more recent change. What AMD seems to offer is an easier path. AMD will take less of the BoM, allowing OEMs to invest those savings elsewhere - a move Intel will never make. Given how much pressure the PC OEMs have been under for the past few years, AMD&rsquo;s bargain is more appealing now than it has ever been.

With Llano and Trinity, AMD&rsquo;s story was about giving up CPU performance for GPU performance. With Kabini, the deal is more palatable. You only give up CPU performance compared to higher priced parts (you gain performance compared to Atom), and you get much lower power silicon that can run in thinner/lighter notebooks. Typically at the price points Kabini is targeting (sub-$400 notebooks), you don&rsquo;t get pretty form factors with amazing battery life. AMD hopes to change that.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-kabini-deal-can-amd-improve-quality-mainstream-pcs-its-latest-apu-45259/ <![CDATA[[Techreport.com] AMD's A4-5000 'Kabini' APU reviewed]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techreport-com-amds-a4-5000-kabini-apu-reviewed-45258/ Sat, 25 May 2013 04:50:20 GMT AMD has been surrounded by a fair amount of gloom for the past couple of years, but the firm's low-cost and low-power Brazos platform has been a consistent bright spot in spite of everything. The E-series APUs based on Brazos have saturated the low end of the laptop market, helping to send traditional, functionally hobbled netbooks to their doom. AMD's new leadership has repeatedly spoken about the virtues of Brazos as a business. They like it because it's high-volume—you tend to move a lot of chips when you sell 'em cheap—and because Intel hasn't competed vigorously against Brazos, apparently for fear of eating into its low-end Core i3 business.

The follow-up to Brazos is a single chip, known by the twin code names Kabini and Temash, that packs four CPU cores, a miniature Radeon graphics processor, and everything else you need for a functional PC onto a tiny slice of silicon. The true competition from Intel will be the Bay Trail part based on the Silvermont architecture , but it's not slated to arrive until later this year. In the meantime, AMD will have something truly distinctive ...

Read more...



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techreport-com-amds-a4-5000-kabini-apu-reviewed-45258/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Japan's space programme plans for two missions this August]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-japans-space-programme-plans-two-missions-august-45257/ Fri, 24 May 2013 20:25:56 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.net/uploads/20436/epsilon.png Japanese space agency JAXA plans to launch two different rockets of different payloads and mission objectives on the same month, August 2013. More......

Japanese space agency JAXA plans to launch two different rockets of different payloads and mission objectives on the same month, August 2013.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-japans-space-programme-plans-two-missions-august-45257/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Come see top overclockers break records at G.Skill's Computex Taipei showcase]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-come-see-top-overclockers-break-records-g-skills-computex-taipei-showcase-45256/ Fri, 24 May 2013 20:25:56 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.net/uploads/20439/image005.jpg The upcoming Intel Haswell CPUs will purportedly come with increased core and memory frequency headroom over the previous generations, especially under extreme subzero cooling. At the upcoming G.Skill Computex showcase, top...

The upcoming Intel Haswell CPUs will purportedly come with increased core and memory frequency headroom over the previous generations, especially under extreme subzero cooling. At the upcoming G.Skill Computex showcase, top overclockers representing the major motherboard manufacturers will be looking to raise the bar once again on the performance frontiers.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-come-see-top-overclockers-break-records-g-skills-computex-taipei-showcase-45256/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Asus launches GTX 780 and HD 7990 in Singapore]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-launches-gtx-780-hd-7990-singapore-45255/ Fri, 24 May 2013 20:25:56 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.net/uploads/20441/weekend.jpg Feeling the itch to do a major GPU upgrade for your gaming rig this holiday weekend? Asus Singapore has you covered with recently launched offerings from both the green and red camp. Prices and specs of the reference cards after the...

Feeling the itch to do a major GPU upgrade for your gaming rig this holiday weekend? Asus Singapore has you covered with recently launched offerings from both the green and red camp. Prices and specs of the reference cards after the break



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-launches-gtx-780-hd-7990-singapore-45255/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Asus preparing VivoBook refresh with Haswell in tow]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-preparing-vivobook-refresh-haswell-tow-45254/ Fri, 24 May 2013 20:25:56 GMT

Asus is currently readying a refresh to their entry level line of ultrabooks that will include Intel's latest Haswell processors.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-preparing-vivobook-refresh-haswell-tow-45254/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] $189,000 GRID 2: Mono Edition is the most expensive video game ever, comes with a custom-made ...]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-189-000-grid-2-mono-edition-most-expensive-video-game-ever-comes-custom-made-45253/ Fri, 24 May 2013 20:25:56 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.net/uploads/20448/GRID2MonoEdition2.jpg Yes, you read that correctly. Codemasters has announced a $189,000 version of their upcoming racing game GRID 2. It comes with all sorts of extras including a supercar. More......

Yes, you read that correctly. Codemasters has announced a $189,000 version of their upcoming racing game GRID 2. It comes with all sorts of extras including a supercar.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-189-000-grid-2-mono-edition-most-expensive-video-game-ever-comes-custom-made-45253/ <![CDATA[[Legitreviews.com] Fractal Design Node 605 Silent HTPC Case Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-fractal-design-node-605-silent-htpc-case-review-45252/ Fri, 24 May 2013 20:25:56 GMT Today we take a look at Fractal Design's latest silent home theater computer case, the Node 605. This is a large HTPC case and offers a ton of flexibility in terms of configuration options. It also fits a standard ATX power supply, but you have to use a slim optical drive. Dive in to see if this case is worthy of being a showcase item in your personal home theater setup!



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-fractal-design-node-605-silent-htpc-case-review-45252/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] NVIDIA GeForce 320.18 WHQL Drivers Released]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-nvidia-geforce-320-18-whql-drivers-released-45251/ Fri, 24 May 2013 20:25:56 GMT NVIDIA backed up its grand GeForce GTX 780 launch with GeForce 320.18 WHQL drivers, supporting all its modern GPUs. It's also being recommended as a 'day-of-launch' WHQL driver for the GTX 780. The driver introduces game-specific performance improvements for Tomb Raider (by up to 20%), DiRT Showdown (up to 20%), Metro: Last Light (up to 10%), Assassin's Creed III (up to 8%), Far Cry 3 (up to 6%), Bioshock: Infinite (up to 5%). The driver also addresses game-specific performance issues with Metro: Last Light, Dead Island: Riptide, D&D: Neverwinter, and Star Trek: The Videogame.

SLI profiles are added or improved for a number of titles, including Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, Dead Island: Riptide, Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter, Euro Truck Simulator 2, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, GRID 2, Remember Me, Natural Selection 2, Resident Evil 6, and TrackMania² Canyon.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 320.18 WHQL for Windows 8/7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 8/7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-nvidia-geforce-320-18-whql-drivers-released-45251/ <![CDATA[[Bit-tech.net] NZXT H630 Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/bit-tech-net-nzxt-h630-review-45250/ Fri, 24 May 2013 16:49:09 GMT The NZXT H630 'Ultra-Tower' is designed to be quiet and a water-cooler's best friend.

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/bit-tech-net-nzxt-h630-review-45250/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] Xbox One Chip Slower Than PlayStation 4]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-xbox-one-chip-slower-than-playstation-4-a-45249/ Fri, 24 May 2013 10:21:05 GMT After bagging chip supply deals for all three new-generation consoles -- Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U, things are looking up for AMD. While Wii U uses older-generation hardware technologies, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 use the very latest AMD has to offer -- "Jaguar" 64-bit x86 CPU micro-architecture, and Graphics CoreNext GPU architecture. Chips that run the two consoles have a lot in common, but also a few less-than-subtle differences.

PlayStation 4 chip, which came to light this February, is truly an engineer's fantasy. It combines eight "Jaguar" 64-bit x86 cores clocked at 1.60 GHz, with a fairly well spec'd Radeon GPU, which features 1,156 stream processors, 32 ROPs; and a 256-bit wide unified GDDR5 memory interface, clocked at 5.50 GHz. At these speeds, the system gets a memory bandwidth of 176 GB/s. Memory isn't handled like UMA (unified memory architecture), there's no partition between system- and graphics-memory. The two are treated as items on the same 8 GB of memory, and either can use up a majority of it.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-xbox-one-chip-slower-than-playstation-4-a-45249/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] Mythlogic Callisto 1512 (Clevo W550EU) Ultrabook Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-mythlogic-callisto-1512-clevo-w550eu-ultrabook-review-45248/ Fri, 24 May 2013 04:47:06 GMT Major OEMs are producing ultrabooks at a breakneck pace, but vendors like Clevo are making sure boutiques can get in on the market, too. Mythlogic sent us their Callisto 1512 based on the Clevo W550EU for testing. More...... Major OEMs are producing ultrabooks at a breakneck pace, but vendors like Clevo are making sure boutiques can get in on the market, too. Mythlogic sent us their Callisto 1512 based on the Clevo W550EU for testing.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-mythlogic-callisto-1512-clevo-w550eu-ultrabook-review-45248/ <![CDATA[[TechArp.com] The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Tech Report]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techarp-com-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-tech-report-45247/ Fri, 24 May 2013 00:16:39 GMT Today, exactly fourteen months after the GeForce GTX 680's launch, NVIDIA follows up with the new GeForce GTX 780, which slots in right under the GeForce TITAN. Let's take a look.

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techarp-com-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-tech-report-45247/ <![CDATA[[Legitreviews.com] AMD Kabini Mainstream APU Notebook Platform Preview]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-amd-kabini-mainstream-apu-notebook-platform-preview-45246/ Fri, 24 May 2013 00:16:39 GMT Image: http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/2197/icon.jpg (http://www.legitreviews.com/article/2197/1/)AMD today launched three new additions to its 2013 A-Series and E-Series Mobile Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) lineup. We take a look at the AMD A4-5000 APU with AMD Radeon HD 8330... AMD today launched three new additions to its 2013 A-Series and E-Series Mobile Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) lineup. We take a look at the AMD A4-5000 APU with AMD Radeon HD 8330 graphics in the Kabini reference design notebook. Read on to see how this new entry-level notebook platform does against the original AMD Brazos platform and some Intel Ultrabooks.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-amd-kabini-mainstream-apu-notebook-platform-preview-45246/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Velocity Micro Announces Desktops Powered by the GeForce GTX 780]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-velocity-micro-announces-desktops-powered-geforce-gtx-780-a-45245/ Fri, 24 May 2013 00:16:39 GMT Velocity Micro, the premier builder of award winning enthusiast desktops, laptops, peripherals, and Cruz tablets announces the immediate availability of custom desktops powered by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780. With 2,304 total cores and 3 GB of GDDR5 memory, this bleeding-edge card offers Velocity... Velocity Micro, the premier builder of award winning enthusiast desktops, laptops, peripherals, and Cruz tablets announces the immediate availability of custom desktops powered by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780. With 2,304 total cores and 3 GB of GDDR5 memory, this bleeding-edge card offers Velocity Micro customers not only extreme performance, but improved thermals and acoustics and acoustics as well. The GTX 780 will be available on the Edge Z55, Raptor Z90, Raptor Signature Edition, and Overdrive PC BigBlock.GTX starting at $2,249.

"Since our first Editors' Choice award in 2002, we've seen PC hardware come a long way. NVIDIA has always led the way in that innovation," said Randy Copeland, President and CEO of Velocity Micro. "After spending a few days testing the GeForce GTX 780, all I can say is WOW - they've done it again. This is seriously fast hardware and a must have for enthusiasts."
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-velocity-micro-announces-desktops-powered-geforce-gtx-780-a-45245/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) CYBERPOWERPC Releases the Zeus EVO Storm with GeForce GTX 780]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-cyberpowerpc-releases-zeus-evo-storm-geforce-gtx-780-a-45244/ Fri, 24 May 2013 00:16:39 GMT CyberPower Inc. (www.cyberpowerpc.com), a global manufacturer of custom gaming PCs, today unleashes the Zeus EVO Storm, a series of performance desktop gaming PCs based on NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 780 extreme performance GPU.

CYBERPOWERPC gaming systems powered by the new GeForce GTX 780 GPU will allow users to ding their gaming rivals without putting a dent in their wallet. The new GPU delivers the ultimate combination of performance, efficiency, control, power savings, and acoustics that PC gamers and enthusiasts demand.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-cyberpowerpc-releases-zeus-evo-storm-geforce-gtx-780-a-45244/ <![CDATA[[Overclock3D.net] Gigabyte GTX780 Windforce Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-gigabyte-gtx780-windforce-review-45243/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT The second of our GTX780 reviews looks at the Windforce cooled model from Gigabyte, including overclocking the GTX780. More... (http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/gigabyte_gtx780_windforce_review/1) The second of our GTX780 reviews looks at the Windforce cooled model from Gigabyte, including overclocking the GTX780.

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-gigabyte-gtx780-windforce-review-45243/ <![CDATA[[Overclock3D.net] nVidia GTX780 Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-nvidia-gtx780-review-45242/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT The GTX780 is finally here, the review all the Titan owners should be worried about. We get to grips with nVidia's first 700 series release.

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-nvidia-gtx780-review-45242/ <![CDATA[[Bit-tech.net] Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/bit-tech-net-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-3gb-review-45241/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT Nvidia unveil's its latest GPU, boasting a GK110 GPU similar to that of GTX Titan

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/bit-tech-net-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-3gb-review-45241/ <![CDATA[[Bjorn3d.com] AMD ?Kabini? and ?Temash? APU?s]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/bjorn3d-com-amd-kabini-temash-apu-s-45240/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT Categories: AMD (http://www.bjorn3d.com/category/reviews-articles/hardware/video-cardsgraphics-cards/amd/), AMD (http://www.bjorn3d.com/category/reviews-articles/hardware/cpuprocessors/amd-cpuprocessors/), Articles (http://www.bjorn3d.com/category/reviews-articles/articles/), CPU/Processors... Categories: AMD, AMD, Articles, CPU/Processors, Hardware, Reviews & Articles, Video Cards/Graphics Cards

Tags: A Sereis, A10, A4, A6, A8, AMD, APU, E Sereis, Kabini, mobile, Richland, Temash


AMD has officially released its entire mobile platform for the year 2013. Today the company released the Kabini SoC for the ultrathin notebooks and the Temash SoC for tablets. Built on the 28nm process, Temash and the Kabini are expected to deliver up to 20% better CPU performance, 75% GPU performance and longer battery life.*



Back in January at CES 2013, AMD unveiled the company’s product line up for 2013.… Read More


<b>( ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/bjorn3d-com-amd-kabini-temash-apu-s-45240/ <![CDATA[[Bjorn3d.com] Nvidia GeForce GTX 780: The Next Step in GeForce]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/bjorn3d-com-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-next-step-geforce-45239/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT Categories: Hardware, NVIDIA, Reviews & Articles, Video Cards/Graphics Cards

Tags: 3.0, 680, 690, 700, 780, experience, GeForce, gk110, kepler, pcie, Series, TITAN

*

The next step in the evolution of GeForce has arrived. Let’s meet the first member of the GTX 700 series: the GeForce GTX 780.



Nvidia GeForce GTX 780

Last year around March we took our first look into the new Kepler based architecture. The GTX 680 was launched to much fanfare from the enthusiast crowd. The launch saw the introduction of several new technologies, and a huge boost in graphics computing power from the 580 series due in part to the introduction of the new Kepler architecture.… Read More

(Read more...)



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/bjorn3d-com-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-next-step-geforce-45239/ <![CDATA[[Bjorn3d.com] Zotac GeForce GTX-780]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/bjorn3d-com-zotac-geforce-gtx-780-a-45238/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT Categories: Hardware, NVIDIA, Reviews & Articles, Video Cards/Graphics Cards

Tags: GeForce, gtx780, Nvidia, ZOTAC



Hot on the heels of the GTX Titan comes the new GTX780 that uses the same type of GPU as we see in the GTX Titan. Zotac of course is one of the companies coming out with their own GTX780 card and we have taken it for a spin to see how it fares compared to the GTX 680 as well as the Zotac GTX Titan AMP!… Read More

(Read more...)



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/bjorn3d-com-zotac-geforce-gtx-780-a-45238/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] AMD Kabini APUs Detailed]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amd-kabini-apus-detailed-45237/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT Image: http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6975/Kabini_Die_angled_575px.jpg (http://www.anandtech.com/show/6975/amd-kabini-apus-detailed) AMD has a three-pronged assault going out today: at the bottom (in terms of performance) is their 2013 AMD Elite Mobility Platform, formerly codenamed Temash....

AMD has a three-pronged assault going out today: at the bottom (in terms of performance) is their 2013 AMD Elite Mobility Platform, formerly codenamed Temash. Next up is the newly christened 2013 AMD Mainstream APU Platform, aka Kabini. And at the higher end of the spectrum we&rsquo;re also getting the Richland update to Trinity, which AMD is calling their 2013 Elite Performance APU Platform. We&rsquo;ll cover all of these with individual Pipeline pieces, starting with Kabini. Here&rsquo;s the overview of the Kabini parts:


In total there are five new Kabini APUs launching: one 25W part, three 15W parts, and one 9W offering. The hardware is the same from the architectural side of things, with the A-Series parts coming with four Jaguar CPU cores and supporting DDR3L-1600 while the E-Series will be dual-core with DDR3L-1333 on two of the models and DDR3L-1600 on the highest performance option. The GPUs in all cases will be fully enabled 128 core GCN architecture parts, but clock speeds range from 300MHz on the 9W part up to 600MHz on the 25W part, with the 15W parts filling in at clocks of 400-500MHz.

You can see how the A4-5000 performs in our full Kabini review, and Anand has also gone into the architectural details of Temash/Kabini. On higher performance laptops, the A6-5200 should provide a tangibly faster experience thanks to the 500MHz higher CPU clocks and 100MHz higher GPU clock. Kabini certainly isn't designed to run heavy PC games at high frame rates, but tablet-style games should work very well. The A6-5200 may also be enough to close the game between Kabini and Ivy Bridge in terms of graphics performance, though of course Haswell is right around the corner and will raise the bar once more.

AMD provided plenty of material to discuss, and as usual there&rsquo;s a lot of marketing material that we don&rsquo;t need to get into too much. For those of you that want to see the original AMD slides, though, here&rsquo;s the full Kabini slide gallery.

Gallery: AMD Kabini APUs Detailed







More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amd-kabini-apus-detailed-45237/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] A Closer Look at the Kabini Die]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-closer-look-kabini-die-45236/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT

With our review done I did the one thing I've been keeping myself from doing for the past week: I pulled the heatsink off my Kabini review notebook and grabbed a shot of the SoC.

I guess this is technically the world's first consumer quad-core x86 SoC. Haswell will come in a single-chip solution as well but only as a dual-core part. Kabini needs no companion platform/IO controller chip, everything is integrated on this single piece of silicon. There are also two GCN compute units in there.

I'm sure AMD will have more accurate numbers shortly, but using my completely unimpressive calipers I measured the die at 10.35mm x 10.35mm (107mm^2). I figure the actual number will be somewhere in the range of 104 - 112mm^2. AMD's 40nm Zacate by comparison (Brazos platform) was a 75mm^2 die, but that's not including the Hudson FCH (Fusion Controller Hub) which was around another 28mm^2. If you add those two up you get roughly the die area of a quad-core Kabini. The beauty of Moore's Law is that although die sizes may be similar, Kabini is appreciably quicker than Zacate.





More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-closer-look-kabini-die-45236/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] AMDâ??s 2013 Elite Mobility Platform, aka Temash]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amda-s-2013-elite-mobility-platform-aka-temash-45235/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT Image: http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6978/Slide09_575px.jpg (http://www.anandtech.com/show/6978/amds-2013-elite-mobility-platform-aka-temash) AMD has a bunch of APUs launching today, and while the only hardware we have on hand for testing right now consists of a Kabini laptop...

AMD has a bunch of APUs launching today, and while the only hardware we have on hand for testing right now consists of a Kabini laptop, we wanted to at least briefly discuss the two other APUs. Temash is essentially the same APU as Kabini, only with a lower TDP target, which also means reduced clock speeds. Where Kabini is destined for ultraportable laptops and hybrid devices, or perhaps a larger tablet, Temash is very much targeted at &ldquo;true&rdquo; tablets. The Temash family currently consists of three APUs with three different TDPs:


At the top of the product stack is the A6-1450, a true quad-core APU with a 1.4GHz maximum Turbo Core clock and a base 1.0GHz clock. It has an 8W TDP, and like all of the currently announced Kabini/Temash parts it features a GCN-based GPU with 128 Radeon cores. Clock speeds on both the CPU and GPU are lower than the A4-5000M Kabini we looked at today, but in the world of tablets the A6-1450 should prove quite formidable. What&rsquo;s interesting (or perhaps &ldquo;odd&rdquo; is a better word) is that the A6-1450 may have a lower TDP than the next APU, the A4-1250.

The A4-1250 drops to a dual-core CPU and skips out on Turbo Core. With those two changes, one would expect it to consume less power than the A6 model, but it ends up at the same 8W. (Note: I have another slide from AMD that shows 9W; this might simply be a typo, but the above slide shows 8W.) That could mean the A4-1250 is either die-harvested or, more likely, it&rsquo;s from a part of the wafer that wasn&rsquo;t able to reach the TDP/clock speed requirements to be in a lower power part. I&rsquo;d guess that the A4-1250 shouldn't have to throttle much, but we'll see.

The final chip is the same configuration as the A4-1250, but the A4-1200 has a reduced GPU clock and it has a 3.9W TDP. This is the chip that will go up against the current fastest ARM SoCs like Apple&rsquo;s A6 in the 4th generation iPad 4 and Qualcomm&rsquo;s Krait. Based on what we&rsquo;ve seen from Kabini, at 225MHz the A4-1200 should be roughly comparable to the A6 GPU, though Apple has of course been shipping for a while now whereas we&rsquo;ve yet to see a Temash tablet.

AMD provided the usual collection of marketing material, which we&rsquo;ve included in the gallery below.

Gallery: AMDâ??s 2013 Elite Mobility Platform, aka Temash







More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amda-s-2013-elite-mobility-platform-aka-temash-45235/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] 2013 AMD Elite Performance APU Platform (Mobile Richland)]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-2013-amd-elite-performance-apu-platform-mobile-richland-45234/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT Image: http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6979/Slide24_575px.jpg (http://www.anandtech.com/show/6979/2013-amd-elite-performance-apu-platform-mobile-richland) Somehow or another, we missed covering the Richland APU launch. With AMD launching Kabini...

Somehow or another, we missed covering the Richland APU launch. With AMD launching Kabini and Temash today and reiterating the features and parts in the Richland APU lineup, we felt it was a good time to quickly go over what Richland offers. Note that AMD is not yet announcing the desktop Richland parts, so we&rsquo;re looking at the mobile offerings for now. Here&rsquo;s the list of the Richland APU models, with three standard voltage parts and four LV/ULV offerings:


Fundamentally, Richland is a tweaked version of last year&rsquo;s Trinity APU, with slightly higher CPU and GPU clocks. There&rsquo;s reportedly some tuning to help Richland reach higher Turbo Core speeds more often, but we have not yet tested a Richland APU so we&rsquo;re not sure how much of an improvement we&rsquo;ll see in the real world; we&rsquo;ve heard 5-25%, depending on the specific application.

The top performing A10-5757M model improves on performance offered by the A10-4600M, with the CPU core clocked at 2.5-3.5GHz and the GPU clocked at 600-720MHz. That gives the GPU a base clock that&rsquo;s 103MHz higher than its Trinity predecessor, with a maximum clock that&rsquo;s 34MHz higher. Meanwhile, the CPU cores have a base clock that&rsquo;s 200MHz higher and a maximum Turbo clock that&rsquo;s 300MHz higher. Depending on the task and the actual clock speeds of Trinity and Richland, the minimum performance increase should be at least 5% while maximum performance could increase by as much as 25%&mdash;all within the same 35W TDP.

The next step down is the A8-5557M, taking over for the outgoing A8-4500M. As with Trinity, the A8 model gets cut to 256 Radeon cores, but the GPU clocks remain roughly the same as the above A10 (720MHz maximum, but a lower 554MHz base clock). On the CPU side, the A8-5557M is also clocked 200MHz higher on the base clock with a maximum Turbo Core 3.0 clock that&rsquo;s 300MHz higher (2.1-3.1GHz). Again, depending on the task, the Richland A8 APU should be anywhere from 5% to perhaps as much as 25% faster than the Trinity A8 APU.

The two low-voltage A8/A10 APUs feature a fully enabled GPU with 384 cores, and performance should be noticeably improved over the LV Trinity parts. The A10-5745M could be up to 50% faster than the previous A10-4655M (base GPU clock of 533 compared to 360), and maximum GPU clock is likewise a healthy 25% higher. The A8-5545M also has a base GPU clock increase of 40% compared to the A8-4555M with a maximum Turbo that&rsquo;s 30% higher.

The above pattern of moderately improved CPU clocks with larger improvements in GPU clocks continues with the remaining A6 and A4 offerings. Unlike the A8 and A10 models, the A4 and A6 models feature two CPU cores and 192 or 128 Radeon cores. All three models look to improve performance relative to Trinity by the same 5-25%, depending on what you&rsquo;re doing.

While the above improvements are generally impressive, at least on paper, it&rsquo;s worth mention that Trinity in general had plenty of headroom, particularly on the GPU. Using MSI Afterburner for instance, I&rsquo;ve been able to clock my Trinity prototype laptop at 750MHz on the GPU core and still run reliably. The limiting factor is often the cooling of the laptop rather than the silicon&mdash;not surprising considering the desktop APUs are basically the same chips at higher TDPs and significantly higher clocks. But regardless of headroom on Trinity, Richland brings better performance to all of the associated APUs.

Several laptops with Richland APUs have already been announced, and we hope to have hardware for testing in the next month. As before, the associated slides from AMD&rsquo;s presentation are available in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2013 AMD Elite Performance APU Platform (Mobile Richland)







More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-2013-amd-elite-performance-apu-platform-mobile-richland-45234/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Review: The New High End]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-review-new-high-end-45233/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT Launching today is NVIDIA's latest entry in the world of high end video cards and the first member of the GeForce 700 family, the GeForce GTX 780. Based on the same GK110 GPU as GeForce GTX Titan, it stands to be a powerful card. But is the new high end going to make sense for everyone? We'll find out.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-review-new-high-end-45233/ <![CDATA[[Techreport.com] Nvidia's GeForce GTX 780 graphics card reviewed]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techreport-com-nvidias-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-card-reviewed-45232/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT When Nvidia unleashed the GeForce GTX Titan a few months ago, that card's combination of world-beating performance and an eye-popping $1K price tag pretty much immediately ignited speculation about what would come next. Surely a somewhat trimmed-down version of this same GPU would be used to power a less expensive product before long, right?

Well, yep. We're gathered here today to say hello to the GeForce GTX 780, which is a GeForce Titan that's gotten an incredibly close haircut. The result is a card that closely resembles the Titan, only with a few ...

Read more...



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techreport-com-nvidias-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-card-reviewed-45232/ <![CDATA[[Hothardware.com] AMD 2013 A & E-Series Kabini and Temash APUs]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-amd-2013-e-series-kabini-temash-apus-45231/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT AMD has been pretty open about discussing certain products in the roadmap. In fact, we&rsquo;ve disclosed a number of details regarding the main products we&rsquo;ll be talking about in this article--Kabini, Temash, and Richland--over the last few months. It was all the way back at CES that we first showed you Kabini, Temash, and Richland-based...

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-amd-2013-e-series-kabini-temash-apus-45231/ <![CDATA[[Hothardware.com] NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-review-45230/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT Image: http://hothardware.com/thumbnail/gtx-780-thumb.jpg (http://hothardware.com/Reviews/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-780-Review/)When NVIDIA introduced the GeForce GTX Titan a few months back, the company created a huge gap in its single-GPU product line-up. With its GK110 GPU and massive 6GB frame... When NVIDIA introduced the GeForce GTX Titan a few months back, the company created a huge gap in its single-GPU product line-up. With its GK110 GPU and massive 6GB frame buffer, the GeForce GTX Titan was easily able to outrun the GK104-based GeForce GTX 680 and it hung with the dual-GPU powered GeForce GTX 690 as well. That gap between the...

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-review-45230/ <![CDATA[[Hothardware.com] OCZ Vertex 450 Solid State Drive Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-ocz-vertex-450-solid-state-drive-review-45229/ Thu, 23 May 2013 16:40:14 GMT OCZ already offers a wide array of popular, high performance SSDs, but to the company&rsquo;s credit, it&rsquo;s not resting on its laurels. After employing SandForce controllers on some of the earlier Vertex SSDs, OCZ snapped up Indilinx and is using what is now its own proprietary silicon in many of its drives. Thus, the brand new OCZ Vertex...

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-ocz-vertex-450-solid-state-drive-review-45229/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] PlayStation 4 packs 50% more graphics firepower than the Xbox One]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-playstation-4-packs-50-more-graphics-firepower-than-xbox-one-45228/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT

With Microsoft finally revealing details about what's under the hood of their next generation Xbox One (can't call it gaming only) console, we do a quick analysis of how its raw processing power stacks up against the Sony PlayStation 4.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-playstation-4-packs-50-more-graphics-firepower-than-xbox-one-45228/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Asus K005 (MeMo Pad Smart 2) gets FCC's stamp of approval, packs Qualcomm's S4 Pro SoC]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-k005-memo-pad-smart-2-gets-fccs-stamp-approval-packs-qualcomms-s4-pro-soc-45227/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.net/uploads/20402/Asus-MeMO-Pad-Smart.jpg An Asus tablet going by the K005 codename has been spotted getting FCC certified very recently with a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU beneath the hood. The device will likely be marketed as the MeMo Pad Smart 2. ...

An Asus tablet going by the K005 codename has been spotted getting FCC certified very recently with a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU beneath the hood. The device will likely be marketed as the MeMo Pad Smart 2.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-k005-memo-pad-smart-2-gets-fccs-stamp-approval-packs-qualcomms-s4-pro-soc-45227/ <![CDATA[[Legitreviews.com] OCZ Vertex 450 256GB SSD Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-ocz-vertex-450-256gb-ssd-review-45226/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT Finally, OCZ has ditched the faux (Marvell controller & OCZ firmware) Indilinx controlled Vertex 4 and replaced it with the splendid Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller we first had a look at in the impressive Vector series drive. They've paired it with 20nm flash hardware and a smaller form factor for what we'd consider a major product improvement. It's known as the Vertex 4.50 and it may just be your next SSD.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-ocz-vertex-450-256gb-ssd-review-45226/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) OCZ Launches the Vertex 450 Series Solid State Drives]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-ocz-launches-vertex-450-series-solid-state-drives-45225/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the release of the Vertex 450 SATA III SSD Series featuring the company's proprietary Indilinx Barefoot 3 M10 Series controller. As part of the leading-edge Vertex series, Vertex 450 lives up to its name and bridges the gap between high performance and mainstream solid-state storage. With advanced storage performance, reliability, and quality, the Vertex 450 utilizes 20 nm process geometry NAND flash to meet the needs of today's high-end consumer and client applications.

"As one of the industry's most highly awarded SSD Series to date, the Vertex name has become synonymous with the latest and greatest in flash-based storage providing an exceptional balance of performance and cost efficiency," said Daryl Lang, Senior Vice President of Product Management for OCZ Technology. "The Vertex 450 marks the first time this popular OCZ series utilizes in-house ASIC technology delivering an even greater level of speed, reliability and value for our customers."Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-ocz-launches-vertex-450-series-solid-state-drives-45225/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] NVIDIA Announces the GeForce GTX 780 Graphics Card]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-nvidia-announces-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-card-45224/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT NVIDIA announced the GeForce GTX 780, the first addition to its desktop GeForce GTX 700 series. Pictured below, the card is as close as it gets to owning a GeForce GTX TITAN, at two-thirds the price. It's based on the same 28 nm GK110 chip, but configured with 2,304 CUDA cores and 192 TMUs, compared to the 2,688 cores and 224 TMUs of the GTX TITAN. The card retains the 384-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, but holds 3 GB of memory. In that sense, all its key faculties are an exact 50 percent increase over is predecessor, the GeForce GTX 680.

NVIDIA completely recycled the design of GeForce GTX TITAN, down to the PCB and cooler. The only way you can make the two cards out is the lack of memory chips on the GTX 780's back. The card features GPU Boost 2.0, a technology that debuted with the GTX TITAN, boosts clocks and voltage, taking temperatures into account. The GPU core is clocked at 863 MHz, GPU Boost at 900 MHz, and memory at 6.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective). NVIDIA is allowing its partners to launch products with custom design air cooling solutions. Prices should start at $649.99.

Read our reviews:
More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-nvidia-announces-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-card-45224/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) KFA2 Launches its GeForce GTX 780 3GB Graphics Card]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-kfa2-launches-its-geforce-gtx-780-3gb-graphics-card-45223/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT KFA2 announced today the launch of the new KFA2 GeForce GTX 780, built with latest generation of the NVIDIA Kepler GPU featuring 3GB of GDDR5 and a staggering 2304 cores 50% more than its predecessor. The GTX 780 leverages this raw power with GPU Boost 2.0, which dynamically increases clock speeds... KFA2 announced today the launch of the new KFA2 GeForce GTX 780, built with latest generation of the NVIDIA Kepler GPU featuring 3GB of GDDR5 and a staggering 2304 cores 50% more than its predecessor. The GTX 780 leverages this raw power with GPU Boost 2.0, which dynamically increases clock speeds while allowing greater customization and overclocking options. Gamers can set temperature targets, adjust fan controls, and take advantage of extra overvoltage headroom along with optimizations for water-cooling solutions to push performance to the absolute maximum.

Great performance needs an equally impressive cooling solution, and the GTX 780 sets a new standard with a whisper quiet experience just 32dB even during the heaviest use. Including support for Microsoft DirectX 11.1, NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround, TXAA, Adaptive Vertical Sync, and PhysX. Gamers can combine up to three cards in SLI on capable systems to further increase performance to as much as triple that of a single GPU.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-kfa2-launches-its-geforce-gtx-780-3gb-graphics-card-45223/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] MSI Launches its GeForce GTX 780 Graphics Card]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-msi-launches-its-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-card-45222/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT MSI rolled out its GeForce GTX 780 graphics, which we're sure won't be its last, given NVIDIA's laxed policy on custom-designs. MSI's card sticks to NVIDIA reference design, featuring reference-design clock speeds of 863 MHz core, 900 MHz GPU Boost, and 6.00 GHz memory. It tucks in 3 GB of GDDR5 memory. Based on the 28 nm GK110 silicon, GeForce GTX 780 features 2,304 CUDA cores, 192 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and a 384-bit wide memory interface. The card draws power from a combination of 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors. Display outputs include two DVI, and one each of HDMI and DisplayPort. Expect the card to be priced at $649.99.


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-msi-launches-its-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-card-45222/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) ZOTAC Introduces GeForce GTX 780]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-zotac-introduces-geforce-gtx-780-a-45221/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT ZOTAC International, a global innovator and leading manufacturer of graphics cards, mainboards, mini-PCs and accessories, today introduces the first GeForce 700-series graphics card. The new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 780 delivers a gaming evolution with insanely fast, smooth and whisper-quiet performance... ZOTAC International, a global innovator and leading manufacturer of graphics cards, mainboards, mini-PCs and accessories, today introduces the first GeForce 700-series graphics card. The new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 780 delivers a gaming evolution with insanely fast, smooth and whisper-quiet performance perfect for current and next-generation titles.

"ZOTAC continues to refine the PC gaming experience. The new generation GeForce GTX 780 is our latest evolutionary upgrade that packs the massively powerful next-generation NVIDIA Kepler GPU into a dual-slot card that decimates the competition," says Carsten Berger, senior director, ZOTAC International. "Hardware enthusiasts and extreme PC gamers seeking one of the best graphics cards available will be very satisfied with the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 780."
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-zotac-introduces-geforce-gtx-780-a-45221/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) ASUS Launches the GeForce GTX 780 Graphics Card]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-asus-launches-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-card-45220/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT ASUS today announced the GeForce GTX 780 graphics card, featuring the 28nm NVIDIA GK 110-300 GPU with 2304 CUDA cores and 3GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit memory interface. The core is clocked at 902MHz, while the video memory runs a 6008MHz frequency. At approximately 50% more compute power than a GTX 680,... ASUS today announced the GeForce GTX 780 graphics card, featuring the 28nm NVIDIA GK 110-300 GPU with 2304 CUDA cores and 3GB GDDR5 on a 384-bit memory interface. The core is clocked at 902MHz, while the video memory runs a 6008MHz frequency. At approximately 50% more compute power than a GTX 680, the GeForce GTX 780 offers highest-end DirectX 11 gaming and multimedia. It supports TXAA and FXAA advanced anti-aliasing for better image quality and sharper game graphics.

In addition to award-winning quality, ASUS ensures customers can make the most of the card with the accessible GPU Tweak graphics tuning utility, as performance and power savings are finely balanced thanks to NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0 smart graphics processor frequency management. ASUS will also be showcasing GeForce GTX 780 DirectCU II graphics cards with a completely redesigned cooler at Computex Taipei 2013.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-asus-launches-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-card-45220/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] GIGABYTE Announces a Pair of GeForce GTX 780 Graphics Cards]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-gigabyte-announces-pair-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-cards-45219/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT GIGABYTE kicked off its GeForce GTX 780 lineup with a pair of graphics card, the reference-design based GV-N780D5-3GD-B, and the custom-design GTX 780 WindForce OC (GV-N780OC-3GD). The former sticks to NVIDIA-reference clock speeds of 863 MHz core, 900 MHz GPU Boost, and 6.00 GHz memory; while the... GIGABYTE kicked off its GeForce GTX 780 lineup with a pair of graphics card, the reference-design based GV-N780D5-3GD-B, and the custom-design GTX 780 WindForce OC (GV-N780OC-3GD). The former sticks to NVIDIA-reference clock speeds of 863 MHz core, 900 MHz GPU Boost, and 6.00 GHz memory; while the WindForce OC leverages a high-performance cooler designed in-house by GIGABYTE, to belt out 954 MHz core and 1006 MHz GPU Boost. Both cards run an NVIDIA-reference PCB. The WindForce 3X cooler uses a refreshing new cooler shroud design, while appearing to retain the fan and heatsink design from its proven predecessors. Both cards are priced around $650.


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-gigabyte-announces-pair-geforce-gtx-780-graphics-cards-45219/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) GALAXY Launches its GeForce GTX 780]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-galaxy-launches-its-geforce-gtx-780-a-45218/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT Galaxy Microsystems, a leading manufacturer of the world's best performing NVIDIA graphics cards, announced today the Galaxy GeForce GTX 780, built with latest generation of the NVIDIA Kepler GPU featuring 3GB of GDDR5 and a staggering 2304 cores-50% more than its predecessor. The GTX 780 leverages this raw power with GPU Boost 2.0, which dynamically increases clock speeds while allowing greater customization and overclocking options. Gamers can set temperature targets, adjust fan controls, and take advantage of extra overvoltage headroom along with optimizations for water-cooling solutions to push performance to the absolute maximum.

Great performance needs an equally impressive cooling solution, and the GTX 780 sets a new standard with a whisper quiet experience-just 32dB-even during the heaviest use. The full amassment of gameplay enhancing graphics technologies is here as well, including support for Microsoft DirectX 11.1, NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround, TXAA, Adaptive Vertical Sync, and PhysX. Gamers can combine up to three cards in SLI on capable systems to further increase performance to as much as triple that of a single GPU.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-galaxy-launches-its-geforce-gtx-780-a-45218/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Origin PC Launches Gaming Desktops with GeForce GTX 780]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-origin-pc-launches-gaming-desktops-geforce-gtx-780-a-45217/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT ORIGIN PC is thrilled to announce the launch of the NVIDIAGeForce GTX 780 GPU to their award-winning desktops for gamers, professionals, artists andenthusiasts. The new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 marks an evolution in gaming performance by providing an insanely fast, smooth, and whisper-quiet gaming... ORIGIN PC is thrilled to announce the launch of the NVIDIAGeForce GTX 780 GPU to their award-winning desktops for gamers, professionals, artists andenthusiasts. The new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 marks an evolution in gaming performance by providing an insanely fast, smooth, and whisper-quiet gaming experiences like never before. Featuring a powerful NVIDIA Kepler GPU with 2,304 cores, 3GB of high-speed GDDR5 memory and NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0 technology, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 provides the performance capabilities needed to game at the most extreme settings. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 is perfectly tuned for today's advanced gaming technologies with features such as GeForce Experience for one-click driver and settings optimization, plus NVIDIA PhysX and TXAA for smooth, crisp graphics on any ORIGIN PC desktop system.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-origin-pc-launches-gaming-desktops-geforce-gtx-780-a-45217/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) EVGA Kicks Off GeForce GTX 780 with Seven Models]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-evga-kicks-off-geforce-gtx-780-seven-models-45216/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:12:08 GMT The EVGA GeForce GTX 780 marks an evolution in gaming performance - an insanely fast, smooth, and whisper-quiet experience, every time. EVGA is also introducing a brand new cooling design; the EVGA ACX Cooler. This double ball bearing design redefines traditional enthusiast coolers. Starting with a... The EVGA GeForce GTX 780 marks an evolution in gaming performance - an insanely fast, smooth, and whisper-quiet experience, every time. EVGA is also introducing a brand new cooling design; the EVGA ACX Cooler. This double ball bearing design redefines traditional enthusiast coolers. Starting with a 40% increase in heatsink volume, the EVGA ACX is more efficient at dissipating heat, allowing for 15% lower GPU temperatures. A reinforcement baseplate maintains a straight PCB, and helps lower mosfet temperatures by 7% and memory temperatures by 15%.

EVGA also spent time to ensure that even the fan blades were of the highest quality; with a 700% increase in strength, and 25% lower weight when compared to competitors dual fan designs. This makes the fans 20% more efficient by requiring lower power levels. Of course, EVGA is also using double ball bearing fans which offer a 12 year lifespan; this is 4X longer when compared to competitors! Get pure performance today with the EVGA GeForce GTX 780 with ACX Cooling.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-evga-kicks-off-geforce-gtx-780-seven-models-45216/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] Haswell Z87 Motherboard Preview: 50+ Motherboards from ASUS, Gigabyte, ASRock, MSI, ECS, Biostar and EVG]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-haswell-z87-motherboard-preview-50-motherboards-asus-gigabyte-asrock-msi-ecs-biostar-evg-45215/ Thu, 23 May 2013 04:33:40 GMT With time quickly approaching the launch of Haswell, leaks on both motherboards and CPU performance are coming out of the woodworks. Similar to our advance Ivy Bridge coverage, here is a current roundup of everything we were allowed to show or is currently in the public domain. ... With time quickly approaching the launch of Haswell, leaks on both motherboards and CPU performance are coming out of the woodworks. Similar to our advance Ivy Bridge coverage, here is a current roundup of everything we were allowed to show or is currently in the public domain.






More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-haswell-z87-motherboard-preview-50-motherboards-asus-gigabyte-asrock-msi-ecs-biostar-evg-45215/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] The AMD Kabini Review: A4-5000 APU Tested]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amd-kabini-review-a4-5000-apu-tested-45214/ Thu, 23 May 2013 04:33:40 GMT How does Kabini perform compared to existing hardware? Armed with a prototype laptop sporting AMD&rsquo;s latest APU, we put it through an extensive suite of benchmarks and see what&rsquo;s changed since Brazos, how Kabini stacks up against Intel&rsquo;s current ULV offerings, and where it falls relative to ARM offerings and Clover Trail.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amd-kabini-review-a4-5000-apu-tested-45214/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] AMDâ??s Jaguar Architecture: The CPU Powering Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Kabini & Temash]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amda-s-jaguar-architecture-cpu-powering-xbox-one-playstation-4-kabini-temash-45213/ Thu, 23 May 2013 04:33:40 GMT Microprocessor architectures these days are largely limited, and thus defined, by power consumption. When it comes to designing an architecture around a power envelope the rule of thumb is any given microprocessor architecture can scale to target an order of magnitude of TDPs. For example,... Microprocessor architectures these days are largely limited, and thus defined, by power consumption. When it comes to designing an architecture around a power envelope the rule of thumb is any given microprocessor architecture can scale to target an order of magnitude of TDPs. For example, Intel&rsquo;s Core architectures (Sandy/Ivy Bridge) effectively target the 13W - 130W range. They can surely be used in parts that consume less or more power, but at those extremes it&rsquo;s more efficient to build another microarchitecture to target those TDPs instead.

Both AMD and Intel feel similarly about this order of magnitude rule, and thus both have two independent microprocessor architectures that they leverage to build chips for the computing continuum. From Intel we have Atom for low power, and Core for high performance. In 2010 AMD gave us Bobcat for its low power roadmap, and Bulldozer for high performance.

Both the Bobcat and Bulldozer lines would see annual updates. In 2011 we saw Bobcat used in Ontario and Zacate SoCs, as a part of the Brazos platform. Last year AMD announced Brazos 2.0, using slightly updated versions of those very same Bobcat based SoCs. Today AMD officially launches Kabini and Temash, APUs based on the first major architectural update to Bobcat: the Jaguar core.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amda-s-jaguar-architecture-cpu-powering-xbox-one-playstation-4-kabini-temash-45213/ <![CDATA[[Hothardware.com] AMD 2013 A & E-Series Kabini and Temash APUs]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-amd-2013-e-series-kabini-temash-apus-45212/ Thu, 23 May 2013 04:33:40 GMT AMD has been pretty open about discussing certain product in the roadmap. In fact, we&rsquo;ve disclosed a number of details regarding the main products we&rsquo;ll be talking about in this article, Kabini, Temash, and Richland over the last few months. It was all the way back at CES that we first showed you Kabini, Temash, and Richland-based...

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-amd-2013-e-series-kabini-temash-apus-45212/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) NVIDIA GRID Unleashes Graphics for Virtualized Desktops]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-nvidia-grid-unleashes-graphics-virtualized-desktops-45211/ Thu, 23 May 2013 04:10:41 GMT NVIDIA today announced that it is unleashing the full graphics potential of enterprise desktop virtualization with the availability of NVIDIA GRID vGPU integrated into Citrix XenDesktop 7. NVIDIA GRID vGPU technology addresses a challenge that has grown in recent years with the rise of employees... NVIDIA today announced that it is unleashing the full graphics potential of enterprise desktop virtualization with the availability of NVIDIA GRID vGPU integrated into Citrix XenDesktop 7. NVIDIA GRID vGPU technology addresses a challenge that has grown in recent years with the rise of employees using their own notebooks and portable devices for work. These workers have increasingly relied on desktop virtualization technologies for anytime access to computing resources, but until now this was generally used for the more standard enterprise applications. Performance and compatibility constraints had made it difficult for applications such as building information management (BIM), product-lifecycle management (PLM) and video-photo editing.

Two decades ago hardware-based graphics replaced software emulation. Desktop virtualization solutions stood alone as the only modern computing form without dedicated graphics hardware. As a result, an already busy virtualized CPU limited performance and software emulation hampered application compatibility. The situation began to improve a year ago with the introduction of the non-virtualized GPU in Citrix XenServer. But efficiency gains were limited because each user still required a dedicated GPU.Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-nvidia-grid-unleashes-graphics-virtualized-desktops-45211/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] The Xbox One: Hardware Analysis & Comparison to PlayStation 4]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-xbox-one-hardware-analysis-comparison-playstation-4-a-45209/ Wed, 22 May 2013 16:19:35 GMT It&rsquo;s that time of decade again. Time for a new Xbox. It took four years for Microsoft to go from the original Xbox to the Xbox 360. The transition from Xbox 360 to the newly announced Xbox One will take right around 8 years, and the 360 won&rsquo;t be going away anytime soon either. The console business demands long upgrade cycles in order to make early investments in hardware (often sold at a loss) worthwhile. This last round was much longer that it ever should have been, so the Xbox One arrives to a very welcoming crowd.

Yesterday Microsoft finally took the covers off the new Xbox, what it hopes will last for many years to come. While Microsoft was light on technical details, I believe we have enough to put together some decent analysis. Let&rsquo;s get to it.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-xbox-one-hardware-analysis-comparison-playstation-4-a-45209/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Asus PadFone Infinity debuts in Singapore next month (June)]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-padfone-infinity-debuts-singapore-next-month-june-45208/ Wed, 22 May 2013 15:40:56 GMT

Want a high-end smartphone that's not Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One? Showcased at MWC 2013 earlier this year, the Asus PadFone Infinity (successor to last year's PadFone 2) is yet another quad-core Snapdragon 600 based Android 4.1 offering, with the added benefit of a tablet dock companion.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-asus-padfone-infinity-debuts-singapore-next-month-june-45208/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] GIGABYTE Also Unveils Z87X-UD4H and Z87X-UD5H Motherboards]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-gigabyte-also-unveils-z87x-ud4h-z87x-ud5h-motherboards-45207/ Wed, 22 May 2013 15:40:56 GMT In addition to the Z87N-WiFi mini-ITX motherboard, GIGABYTE showed off a couple of its top ATX products from its mainline Z87X series, the Z87X-UD4H and Z87X-UD5H. The two mark GIGABYTE's complete breakaway from the blue color scheme, and lack the color even on their heatsinks. The Z87X-UD4H features a hot-rod red+silver+black color-scheme, while the Z87X-UD5H features gold+silver+black. Both boards are based on the company's Ultra Durable 5 construction. Both boards appear to offer overclocker-friendly features that are reserved for the high-end, such as redundant BIOS, diagnostic LEDs and measurement points for each power domain, and high-grade electrical components.

The Z87X-UD4H offers a 16-phase CPU power supply, three each of PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x16/x8/x4), PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI. It offers eight internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, two eSATA 6 Gb/s, ten USB 3.0 ports (six on the rear panel, four by headers), 8-channel HD audio, and display outputs that include DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. The Z87X-UD5H, on the other hand, offers the same 16-phase CPU VRM and the same expansion slot layout as its sibling, but tops it up with ten internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, dual gigabit Ethernet, a second DVI connector instead of D-Sub, and FireWire (by header). The two will most likely be part of GIGABYTE's first wave of socket LGA1150 motherboards, and could be priced above $150.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-gigabyte-also-unveils-z87x-ud4h-z87x-ud5h-motherboards-45207/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) EK Water Blocks Announces EK-SF3D Inflection Point EVO Evaporator]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-ek-water-blocks-announces-ek-sf3d-inflection-point-evo-evaporator-45206/ Wed, 22 May 2013 15:40:56 GMT EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce EK-SF3D Inflection Point EVO, company's second product from the line of liquid nitrogen (LN2) evaporation coolers for competitive overclockers.

EK-SF3D Inflection Point EVO is a high performance universal CPU liquid nitrogen evaporation cooler, the result of a joint venture between Petri 'SF3D' Korhonen, legendary overclocker and extreme evaporation cooler designer from Finland, and EK design & engineering team. The product is made of electrolytic grade nickel plated copper in order to provide the necessary mass to even out the temperature fluctuation. Excellent weight to surface area ratio ensures confident controll over temperatures. Precise and rapid response at any working temperature is what this product is all about - even when cooling the hottest CPUs on the market. Top extension is made from black anodized high quality aluminium alloy.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-ek-water-blocks-announces-ek-sf3d-inflection-point-evo-evaporator-45206/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Innodisk Releases World's First Industrial-Embedded SATA µSSD ? nanoSSD]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-innodisk-releases-worlds-first-industrial-embedded-sata-aussd-nanossd-45205/ Wed, 22 May 2013 15:40:56 GMT Innodisk, a designer and manufacturer of SSDs for commercial and industrial applications, announces a release of the industrial-embedded industry's first SATA device in accordance to SATA µSSD standards - nanoSSD.

Through the integration of a control chip, flash memory and peripheral power components into a single ball grid array (BGA) package, Innodisk has managed to reduce the size of the nanoSSD to approximately 1% the size of a 2.5" SSD. With dimensions of only 16 x 20 x 2 mm (WxLxH), a weight of only 1.5g, SATA III support, capacities ranging from 4 to 64 GB and both x86 and ARM compatibility, nanoSSD can be incorporated into a wide variety of applications where a small form-factor and high transfer rates are important, including industrial mobile devices, embedded systems, tablets, high-end smart phones and Ultrabooks.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-innodisk-releases-worlds-first-industrial-embedded-sata-aussd-nanossd-45205/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] GeForce GTX 780 Pricing Revealed]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-geforce-gtx-780-pricing-revealed-45204/ Wed, 22 May 2013 15:40:56 GMT Ahead of its launch just a little later this week, online retailers appear to be stocking up on NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX 780 graphics card. An EVGA-branded card is being offered by distributor SYNNEX to retailers at US $644.44. This is the price that retailers (eg: Newegg, TigerDirect, NCIX, etc.) have to pay distributors per unit. We estimate that after retailers add their margins, the card could be priced anywhere between $650-700. Thankfully, we won't have to wait too long to find out.

The screenshot of the SKU page below also confirms key specifications, such as CUDA core count of 2,304, 3 GB of memory, GPU Boost 2.0 technology, and a design that's nearly identical to the GTX TITAN. The SKU page can't be linked to, since it's non-public, and is visible only on retailers' authentication. TechPowerUp doesn't vouch for the authenticity of this information.


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-geforce-gtx-780-pricing-revealed-45204/ <![CDATA[[Legitreviews.com] Gigabyte Shows Off Upcoming Intel Z87 Motherboards]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-gigabyte-shows-off-upcoming-intel-z87-motherboards-45203/ Wed, 22 May 2013 05:32:07 GMT Image: http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/2195/icon.jpg (http://www.legitreviews.com/article/2195/1/)Gigabyte recently invited Legit Reviews to come out and take a look at some of their upcoming Intel Z87 motherboards and that is an offer that we could resist. Gigabyte has roughly 30 Intel... Gigabyte recently invited Legit Reviews to come out and take a look at some of their upcoming Intel Z87 motherboards and that is an offer that we could resist. Gigabyte has roughly 30 Intel 7 series motherboards and expects to have about the same number of boards for the Intel 8 series. Gigabyte expects to have around 15 boards at launch, which is too many for any one site to cover. Today we'll be covering a handful of their upcoming Intel Z87 motherboards and going over some of the key features of those boards.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-gigabyte-shows-off-upcoming-intel-z87-motherboards-45203/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) TRENDnet Ships Next Generation AC1200 Dual Band Wireless Router]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-trendnet-ships-next-generation-ac1200-dual-band-wireless-router-45202/ Wed, 22 May 2013 05:32:07 GMT TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the AC1200 Dual Band Wireless Router, model TEW-811DRU which is designed to easily handle multiple HD streams in a busy connected home. The TEW-811DRU generates an ultra-high performance 867... TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the AC1200 Dual Band Wireless Router, model TEW-811DRU which is designed to easily handle multiple HD streams in a busy connected home. The TEW-811DRU generates an ultra-high performance 867 Mbps Wireless AC network and a 300 Mbps Wireless N network to connect mobile devices and computers to the internet. Beamforming technology boosts connectivity by directing the strongest signal to the location of each connected device.

Plug in a USB flash or network attached storage drive to share HD videos and music across the network. Gigabit ports on the back of the router maintain high speed wired connections. Create a secure isolated guest network for guest internet access. Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) connects other WPS supported wireless adapters at the touch of a button. Manage access to websites and file types with advanced access controls.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-trendnet-ships-next-generation-ac1200-dual-band-wireless-router-45202/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) MSI Unveils World's First AMD Richland A10 Powered Gaming Laptops]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-msi-unveils-worlds-first-amd-richland-a10-powered-gaming-laptops-45201/ Wed, 22 May 2013 05:32:07 GMT MSI Computer Corp, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, unveils the new and refreshed GX70 and GX60, the world's first AMD Richland A10-5750M powered gaming laptops.

Part of MSI's award-winning G Series gaming laptops, the all-new GX70 and GX60 are now upgraded with AMD's newest processor, which promises an increase in visual performance by up to 40 percent over previous generations. The new processor also increases battery life and CPU performance, resulting in longer gaming sessions with crisper, brighter and a more realistic visual experience.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-msi-unveils-worlds-first-amd-richland-a10-powered-gaming-laptops-45201/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Rosewill Expands RPLC Powerline Networking Series]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-rosewill-expands-rplc-powerline-networking-series-45200/ Wed, 22 May 2013 05:32:07 GMT Rosewill, the leading brand of PC Components and Peripherals and award-winning power supplies, computer cases, and gaming keyboards, is expanding its offering of powerline networking members due to the success of their RPLC-200KIT and RPLC-500KIT adapters. Joining Rosewill's growing family of wireless routers, switches, wireless adapters, network adapters, and powerline adapters, Rosewill is proud to present 3 additional members to join the line-up of networking products for all networking needs.

The RPLC-201KIT, a 200Mbps Powerline AV mini Wall-Plug Adapter which utilizes HomePlug AV technology, RPLC-201PKIT, a 200Mbps Powerline AV Wall-Plug Adapter with pass-through, allows the expanding of high speed networks to multiple rooms through any home wall power outlet, and the RPLC-200PKIT AV+ Premium, command a 30% speed improvement over a standard AV200 powerline. The RPLC-201KIT, RPLC-201PKIT, and RPLC-200PKIT Powerline adapters includes a Built-in Noise filter to reduce power interference and enhance data transmission quality, secures data with a 128-bit AES Encryption, and QoS support. The built-in QoS allows prioritization of services and ensure lag free use of VoIP, video streaming, media streaming, or online gaming. All units feature a power savings feature to power down and idle when not in use.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-rosewill-expands-rplc-powerline-networking-series-45200/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Fractal Design Announces Node 304 White Chassis]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-fractal-design-announces-node-304-white-chassis-45199/ Wed, 22 May 2013 05:32:07 GMT Fractal Design brings you the Node 304 in white. The Node 304 features a unique modular interior for outstanding configurability. The Node 304 accommodates up to six hard drives. Unused mounting brackets can removed to allow for long graphic cards, additional airflow or more space for organizing... Fractal Design brings you the Node 304 in white. The Node 304 features a unique modular interior for outstanding configurability. The Node 304 accommodates up to six hard drives. Unused mounting brackets can removed to allow for long graphic cards, additional airflow or more space for organizing cables. Additionally, it is equipped with three hydraulic bearing fans, easy-to-clean air filters in all intakes and two front USB 3.0 ports.

Featuring hybrid functionality, the Node 304 case is ideally used as a cool-running file server, a stylish and quiet home theatre PC or a powerful gaming system highlighting minimalistic and stunning Scandinavian design and maximum functionality.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-fractal-design-announces-node-304-white-chassis-45199/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] GIGABYTE Shows Off First Z87 Mini-ITX Motherboard]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-gigabyte-shows-off-first-z87-mini-itx-motherboard-45198/ Wed, 22 May 2013 05:32:07 GMT GIGABYTE unveiled the first mini-ITX motherboard based on Intel's upcoming Z87 Express chipset, ready for 4th generation Core "Haswell" processors in the LGA1150 package. The Z87N-WiFi from GIGABYTE takes advantage of the smaller package size of the Z87 PCH, to cram in every feature you'll need, on the space constrained form-factor. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin and 4-pin ATX connectors. It uses a 4-phase power supply for the CPU, which is wired to a pair of DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel memory, and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The only other expansion slot is an mPCIe, populated by the board's WiFi card. Storage connectivity on the Z87N-WiFi includes four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, all from the PCH. A pair of HDMI connectors, and dual-link DVI make for its display connectivity. Two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF, six USB 3.0 ports (four rear, two by header), and 802.11ac WLAN make for the rest of it. The Z87N-WiFi could be part of the first wave of LGA1150 motherboards by GIGABYTE.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-gigabyte-shows-off-first-z87-mini-itx-motherboard-45198/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] Puget Systems Genesis II Quiet Workstation Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-puget-systems-genesis-ii-quiet-workstation-review-45197/ Wed, 22 May 2013 04:15:31 GMT As a boutique, Puget Systems has been able to produce some of the quietest towers we've ever tested, but can they work their magic with a pair of octal-core Xeons?



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-puget-systems-genesis-ii-quiet-workstation-review-45197/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Samsung Galaxy S4 Active stars in sneak peek video, comes with dual-core CPU after all?]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-samsung-galaxy-s4-active-stars-sneak-peek-video-comes-dual-core-cpu-after-all-45196/ Tue, 21 May 2013 19:01:56 GMT

The still unofficial Samsung Galaxy S4 Active stars in a short sneak peek video which confirms its existence once and for all. However, the processor uncertainty continues, with the phone's handler claiming there's a dual-core chip beneath the thing's hood and not a quad-core, as suspected before.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-samsung-galaxy-s4-active-stars-sneak-peek-video-comes-dual-core-cpu-after-all-45196/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Sony Entertainment Network is testing new video streaming technology]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-sony-entertainment-network-testing-new-video-streaming-technology-45195/ Tue, 21 May 2013 19:01:56 GMT

Sony is testing out some new video streaming tech and they want your help. They've also discounted some movie titles to encourage people to test it out.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-sony-entertainment-network-testing-new-video-streaming-technology-45195/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Thermaltake Power Supplies Units Ready for Intel Haswell CPUs]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-thermaltake-power-supplies-units-ready-intel-haswell-cpus-45194/ Tue, 21 May 2013 19:01:56 GMT Intel will soon introduce the new 4th generation Intel Core processors, code-named "Haswell", the new technology for reducing power consumption of the CPU in sleep mode. The new C6 and C7 states are able to reduce the CPU power consumption to just 0.05A (0.6W) while previous Ivy Bridge processors draw up to ten times more minimum power. As this resulting from the deep sleep state, when most other 12V devices are either turned off or in low power state, this significantly decreases the 12V load on the power supply.

Thermaltake, being an industry leader in computer chassis, thermal solutions, and power supply units announces the latest news that most high-end power supplies of Thermaltake are fully compatible with Haswell CPUs. All current high-end and mainstream PSUs from Thermaltake are already prepared for the new Intel processors to deliver stable voltages to achieve maximum energy savings.


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-thermaltake-power-supplies-units-ready-intel-haswell-cpus-45194/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) All Current Be Quiet! Power Supplies Haswell-ready]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-all-current-quiet-power-supplies-haswell-ready-45193/ Tue, 21 May 2013 19:01:56 GMT Be Quiet!, market leader with power supplies in Germany for seven consecutive years, confirms that all of it's current PSU models support Intel's fourth generation of Core processors (Codename Haswell). Intel's upcoming Haswell CPUs impose stricter requirements on the power supply regarding energy saving features. To lower the power consumption of current computers even more, the new processors feature new sleep states called C6 and C7. In these states, the processor is nearly shut off completely, bringing down the power consumption close to zero.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-all-current-quiet-power-supplies-haswell-ready-45193/ <![CDATA[[Overclock3D.net] MSI Z87 MPOWER MAX Hands-On Preview]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-msi-z87-mpower-max-hands-preview-45192/ Tue, 21 May 2013 14:51:50 GMT Today we take a quick look at one of MSI's top upcoming motherboards. Will it stack up to the competition? - let's see!

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-msi-z87-mpower-max-hands-preview-45192/ <![CDATA[[Overclock3D.net] MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming Hands-On Preview!]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-msi-z87-gd65-gaming-hands-preview-45191/ Tue, 21 May 2013 14:51:50 GMT We take another quick look at one of MSI's upcoming Z87 motherboards from their gaming range.

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-msi-z87-gd65-gaming-hands-preview-45191/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Engineer prints functional Liberator hand gun using $25 worth of plastic [VIDEO]]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-engineer-prints-functional-liberator-hand-gun-using-25-worth-plastic-video-45190/ Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:27 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.net/uploads/20325/lulz_liberator_gun.png Ever since Defense Distributed made available the blue print for its Liberator plastic hand gun, thousands have nabbed the schematics despite not owning any type of 3D printing equipment. Even so, it was only a matter of...

Ever since Defense Distributed made available the blue print for its Liberator plastic hand gun, thousands have nabbed the schematics despite not owning any type of 3D printing equipment. Even so, it was only a matter of time before DIY enthusiasts with 3D printing equipment followed through with printing out their own hand gun, which is exactly what a Wisconsin engineer did using this $1,725 Lulzbot A0-101 consumer 3D printer.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-engineer-prints-functional-liberator-hand-gun-using-25-worth-plastic-video-45190/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Samsung Now Producing High-Performance SSD for Servers and Data Centers]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-samsung-now-producing-high-performance-ssd-servers-data-centers-45189/ Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:27 GMT Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it is now supplying its solid state drive (SSD), the SM843T, for use in high-performance servers and storage in next-generation data centers, including Big Data systems.

"Samsung Green SSD products are widely acknowledged for their superior performance and quality design having contributed to data center system improvements and operational cost savings," said Young-Hyun Jun, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics. "In response to customer demand, we are accelerating the growth of the flash storage market with new SSD offerings this year like the SM843T, while reinforcing our competitive edge in next-generation SSD products and solutions."
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-samsung-now-producing-high-performance-ssd-servers-data-centers-45189/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Fractal Design Announces Full Compatibility of its PSUs with Haswell]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-fractal-design-announces-full-compatibility-its-psus-haswell-45188/ Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:27 GMT With the new 4th generation Intel Core processors, code-named "Haswell", Intel introduces new technologies for reducing the power consumption of the CPU during sleep. The new deepest sleep state, called C7, will be able to reduce the power consumption of the CPU to only 0.05A (0.6W). As this occurs in the deep sleep state, when most other 12V devices are either in low-power states or turned off, this can reduce the 12V load on the power supply significantly. For some power supplies this low load can cause voltage regulation issues, if combined with high loads on the minor rails (3.3V and 5V).
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-fractal-design-announces-full-compatibility-its-psus-haswell-45188/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) SanDisk Advances Its Industry-Leading Manufacturing Technology]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-sandisk-advances-its-industry-leading-manufacturing-technology-45187/ Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:27 GMT SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced it has begun customer sampling of flash memory products based on its industry-leading 1Ynm process technology, which represents its second generation 19 nanometer (nm) manufacturing technology. SanDisk's achievement of this breakthrough in semiconductor manufacturing takes its memory cell size from 19nm-by-26nm to 19nm-by-19.5nm, delivering a 25 percent reduction of the memory cell area and allowing SanDisk to continue leading the industry in building smaller, more powerful flash memory products.

SanDisk's second-generation 19nm memory die uses the most sophisticated flash memory technology node to-date, including advanced process innovations and cell-design solutions. SanDisk's All-Bit-Line (ABL) architecture with proprietary programming algorithms and multi-level data storage management schemes help yield multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory chips that do not sacrifice performance or reliability. In addition, SanDisk's three bits per cell X3 technology, implemented in the second-generation 19nm node will deliver the lowest-cost flash solutions to address multiple growing end-markets for flash memory.Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-sandisk-advances-its-industry-leading-manufacturing-technology-45187/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) HGST Launches the Highest Capacity Hard Drive for the Mainstream Mobile Market]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-hgst-launches-highest-capacity-hard-drive-mainstream-mobile-market-45186/ Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:27 GMT HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and now a Western Digital company,) continues to push technology innovation by offering the highest storage density (MB/mm³) of any hard disk drive (HDD) today. The new Travelstar 5K1500 is the industry's first 9.5 mm, 1.5 TB mobile hard drive and features the industry's highest capacity in a standard 9.5 mm design. Built on HGST's proven platform for quality and reliability, the Travelstar 5K1500 delivers high shock protection, low power and solid performance to meet the growing demands for a variety of market segments, including notebooks, external hard drives, gaming consoles and all-in-one desktop PCs.

The HGST three-platter Travelstar 5K1500 offers 50 percent more capacity than currently shipping 1 TB 2.5-inch 9.5 mm HDDs and 200 percent more capacity than single-disk 500 GB 7 mm or 5 mm 2.5-inch HDDs, making them ideal for capacity-hungry devices. With better PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7 performance than currently shipping two-platter HGST 5,400 RPM models, all Travelstar 5K1500 drives ship with a 32 MB cache buffer and 6 Gbps SATA interface.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-hgst-launches-highest-capacity-hard-drive-mainstream-mobile-market-45186/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Toshiba to Start Mass Production of Next Generation NAND Flash Memory]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-toshiba-start-mass-production-next-generation-nand-flash-memory-45185/ Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:27 GMT Toshiba Corporation today announced that the company has developed second generation 19 nanometer process technology that it will apply to mass production of 2-bit-per-cell 64 gigabit NAND memory chips later this month.

Toshiba has used the new generation technology to develop the world's smallest 2-bit per-cell 64 gigabit NAND memory chips, with an area of only 94 square millimeters. Using a unique high speed writing method, the next generation chips can achieve a write speed of up to 25 megabytes a second - the world's fastest class* in 2-bit-per-cell chips.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-toshiba-start-mass-production-next-generation-nand-flash-memory-45185/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) ENERMAX Launches Five New Fan Models]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-enermax-launches-five-new-fan-models-45184/ Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:27 GMT ENERMAX is pleased to launch their latest five fan models along with their new patented technology, APS (Adjustable Peak Speed) Control. As the name implies, the peak speed of these fans can be adjusted as you prefer, and the speed will be regulated automatically by pulse-width modulation (PWM) or... ENERMAX is pleased to launch their latest five fan models along with their new patented technology, APS (Adjustable Peak Speed) Control. As the name implies, the peak speed of these fans can be adjusted as you prefer, and the speed will be regulated automatically by pulse-width modulation (PWM) or by an integrated thermal sensor after selecting the particular RPM range.

While the current Twister Series have been introduced into the market for more than 5 years, ENERMAX decided to refresh the series by adding the new Twister Advance series offering three different RPM modes which can be selected with a small switch at the fan hub. Users can then easily adapt the ENERMAX fans for various applications. For instance, the new Cluster Advance 12cm version fan runs within the ranges of 500 to 1200, 500 to 1500 or 500 to 1800 RPM, so that users can select the best combination for their chassis. Other features such as the patented Twister Bearing, carved halo frame and batwing blades are still retained to offer users the best cooling performance.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-enermax-launches-five-new-fan-models-45184/ <![CDATA[[Jonnyguru.com Review] FSP Hexa HE-400 400W]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/jonnyguru-com-review-fsp-hexa-he-400-400w-45183/ Tue, 21 May 2013 02:46:30 GMT Most of the time, we test the big guns... the power supplies everyone wants. Nearly all of these units cost a fair bit of cash to get one, though. What happens when you only have a couple of twenty dollar bills in your pocket left, and you absolutely need a power supply today? FSP wants to help you... Most of the time, we test the big guns... the power supplies everyone wants. Nearly all of these units cost a fair bit of cash to get one, though. What happens when you only have a couple of twenty dollar bills in your pocket left, and you absolutely need a power supply today? FSP wants to help you out, there. Traditionally, FSP has always been the leader of the "cheap but still good" market. Today, I'm looking at a budget unit of theirs targeted at markets in the eastern hemisphere, the Hexa 400W. This is a 230V only unit not available in North America. Let's see if FSP's budget units from overseas stand up to our test methods.

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/jonnyguru-com-review-fsp-hexa-he-400-400w-45183/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] AMD Continues Assembling Dream Team: Sean Pelletier from NVIDIA Tech Marketing to Join]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amd-continues-assembling-dream-team-sean-pelletier-nvidia-tech-marketing-join-45182/ Tue, 21 May 2013 02:46:30 GMT

Last year AMD was hemorrhaging talent. While we don't have a good indication of the extent of the talent exodus, Qualcomm seemed to benefit quite a bit from the tough times that had fallen on AMD. AMD PR mounted the beginnings of a turnaround with the announcement that Jim Keller, former K8 architect and chip-head at Apple had rejoined the company. Then came John Gustafson and last month, we got word that Raja Koduri rejoined as well - also after a multi-year stint at Apple.

Today I just got word from a couple of very accurate and trusted sources that my old friend Sean Pelletier will be joining AMD as well. Sean will abandon his role as Senior Technical Marketing Manager at NVIDIA to assume a similar role at AMD, initially focusing on GPUs. Reporting on individual hires doesn't actually tell you a lot about talent within a company, but it can give insight into whether or not a company is viable. Not too long ago, leaving Apple, NVIDIA or pretty much any other tech company to join AMD sounded like a career death sentence. The fact that smart folks from all paths are considering AMD as an option for long term employment tells us a lot about how things have changed.





More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-amd-continues-assembling-dream-team-sean-pelletier-nvidia-tech-marketing-join-45182/ <![CDATA[[Hothardware.com] HOT Raspberry Pi DIY Mini Desktop PC Build]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-hot-raspberry-pi-diy-mini-desktop-pc-build-45181/ Tue, 21 May 2013 02:46:30 GMT Image: http://hothardware.com/thumbnail/HOT-Pi-Mini-Desktop-thmb.jpg (http://hothardware.com/Reviews/HOT-Raspberry-Pi-DIY-Mini-Desktop-PC-Build/)We recently set out to design a mini desktop computer with the wildly popular Raspberry Pi single board computer. The Raspberry Pi is a Linux-driven, ARM... We recently set out to design a mini desktop computer with the wildly popular Raspberry Pi single board computer. The Raspberry Pi is a Linux-driven, ARM processor-based micro computer that is known for its low cost and small size. People use the device for a variety of projects, from micro-servers to low cost media players. Basically, our...

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/hothardware-com-hot-raspberry-pi-diy-mini-desktop-pc-build-45181/ <![CDATA[[TechArp.com] ED#153 : Intel's Generation Today Campaign]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techarp-com-ed-153-intels-generation-today-campaign-45180/ Mon, 20 May 2013 22:55:04 GMT Today, Intel officially announced their PC Refresh campaign for 2013, called 'Generation Today'! If you are already following us on Facebook, you would have already read the key details about this campaign. Here are the full detailsâ?¦

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techarp-com-ed-153-intels-generation-today-campaign-45180/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] HTC One overclocked to 2GHz, shatters previous benchmark records]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-htc-one-overclocked-2ghz-shatters-previous-benchmark-records-45179/ Mon, 20 May 2013 22:55:04 GMT

The HTC One is already among the absolute fastest smartphones on the market, but that hasn&rsquo;t stopped people from trying to make it go even faster.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-htc-one-overclocked-2ghz-shatters-previous-benchmark-records-45179/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] Sony teases with another PS4 promo video, blurry snapshots galore]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-sony-teases-another-ps4-promo-video-blurry-snapshots-galore-45178/ Mon, 20 May 2013 22:55:04 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.net/uploads/20323/ps4_straight_edge.jpg Sony is trying to milk the moment as much as it can with the PlayStation 4. In late February, Sony teased everyone with an overhyped (but also under-delivered) event to officially announce the PS4, but there were no PS4...

Sony is trying to milk the moment as much as it can with the PlayStation 4. In late February, Sony teased everyone with an overhyped (but also under-delivered) event to officially announce the PS4, but there were no PS4 consoles in sight. Instead, the event was merely to announce some developing games, peripherals, and specs of the console.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-sony-teases-another-ps4-promo-video-blurry-snapshots-galore-45178/ <![CDATA[[Legitreviews.com] MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming Series Motherboard Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-msi-z77a-gd65-gaming-series-motherboard-review-45177/ Mon, 20 May 2013 22:55:04 GMT Image: http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/2190/icon.jpg (http://www.legitreviews.com/article/2190/1/)Micro Star International, more commonly known as MSI recently sent us over one of their latest Intel Z77 Gaming motherboards. Part of the recently released Gaming series the MSI Z77A-GD65... Micro Star International, more commonly known as MSI recently sent us over one of their latest Intel Z77 Gaming motherboards. Part of the recently released Gaming series the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming is meant for those looking for top tier gaming performance. The MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming is the top rung of MSI's Gaming Series, and today we will get to spend some time with it and put it through the paces! Read on to see how well it does!



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/legitreviews-com-msi-z77a-gd65-gaming-series-motherboard-review-45177/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Samsung Display Showcasing State-of-the-Art Mobile to Extra-Large-Sized Displays]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-samsung-display-showcasing-state-art-mobile-extra-large-sized-displays-45176/ Mon, 20 May 2013 22:55:04 GMT Samsung Display announced today that it is showcasing several industry-leading technologies and mobile to extra-large-sized display prototypes at the Society for Information Display's Display Week 2013, May 21-23, 2013, in the Vancouver Convention Centre (Booth 700). These include a Full HD (1920x1080) mobile AMOLED display with the world's broadest color gamut, and an 85-inch Ultra HD (3840×2160) LCD TV panel with extremely vivid color and low power consumption.

In addition, Samsung Display shows a unique new Diamond Pixel technology being highlighted at the show, and a featured LCD technology that enables local-dimming control in direct LED-based LCD panels. The world's first mass-produced 4.99-inch Full HD mobile AMOLED display offers the world's broadest color gamut with a 94 percent average rate of reproduction for the Adobe RGB color space. The Adobe RGB standard is about 30 percent broader than general sRGB standards.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-samsung-display-showcasing-state-art-mobile-extra-large-sized-displays-45176/ <![CDATA[[Overclock3D.net] Inno3D GTX650Ti Boost iChill Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-inno3d-gtx650ti-boost-ichill-review-45175/ Mon, 20 May 2013 14:33:21 GMT All the fun of a GTX650Ti Boost, with a serious cooler, the Inno3D iChill gets the OC3D treatment. More... (http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/inno3d_gtx650ti_boost_ichill_review/1) All the fun of a GTX650Ti Boost, with a serious cooler, the Inno3D iChill gets the OC3D treatment.

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-inno3d-gtx650ti-boost-ichill-review-45175/ <![CDATA[[Overclock3D.net] Gigabyte GTX650Ti Boost SLI Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-gigabyte-gtx650ti-boost-sli-review-45174/ Mon, 20 May 2013 14:33:21 GMT The Gigabyte GTX650Ti Boost with Windforce cooler is tested in both single card and SLI configurations. How does it perform? More... (http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/gigabyte_gtx650ti_boost_sli_review/1) The Gigabyte GTX650Ti Boost with Windforce cooler is tested in both single card and SLI configurations. How does it perform?

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/overclock3d-net-gigabyte-gtx650ti-boost-sli-review-45174/ <![CDATA[[Bit-tech.net] Corsair Obsidian 350D Review]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/bit-tech-net-corsair-obsidian-350d-review-45173/ Mon, 20 May 2013 14:33:21 GMT We take a look at Corsair's first Obsidian micro-ATX case.

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/bit-tech-net-corsair-obsidian-350d-review-45173/ <![CDATA[[Bjorn3d.com] G.Skill RipjawsX F3-2133C9D-16GXH]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/bjorn3d-com-g-skill-ripjawsx-f3-2133c9d-16gxh-45172/ Mon, 20 May 2013 14:33:21 GMT Categories: Hardware, Memory, Reviews & Articles

Tags: 16GB, 2133, core i7 3770k, DDR3, F3-2133C9D-16GXH, G.Skill, ivy bridge, ripjawsx


We have the 16GB (2x8GB) G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3-2133 (F3-2133C9D-16GXH) in our lab today, and we’re going to run it through the gauntlet. In addition to just doing a simple review of the RAM modules, we’ll also take the opportunity to examine performance differences against 4GB modules, and test how Core i7 3770K performance impacts on the memory frequency.*



Introduction

Today’s PC with its integrated memory controller means that memory speed has become less of a factor when comes to the overall system performance.… Read More

(Read more...)



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/bjorn3d-com-g-skill-ripjawsx-f3-2133c9d-16gxh-45172/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] Best Business Laptops â?? May 2013]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-best-business-laptops-may-2013-a-45171/ Mon, 20 May 2013 14:33:21 GMT

It&rsquo;s been a couple of weeks since our last &ldquo;best laptop&rdquo; article, mostly because I had concerns about recommending anything with AMD&rsquo;s Richland and Intel&rsquo;s Haswell processors right around the corner. At this point, it looks like Haswell is going to be a relatively small portion of Intel&rsquo;s shipments for the near term, with a heavy focus on higher performance quad-core parts and Ultrabooks&mdash;basically, a focus on the more lucrative markets. AMD&rsquo;s Richland APU on the other hand will be a drop-in replacement for Trinity that offers slightly faster CPU and GPU performance, but nothing earth shattering. That leaves plenty of room for laptop recommendations for the next several months, and today we&rsquo;re going to look at the business sector.

Let&rsquo;s first start by discussing what it means to be a business laptop. My take is that a business laptop needs to offer three things. First, it should be easy to service, so anything with an integrated battery or with memory and/or storage that can&rsquo;t be upgraded is out. Second, warranty support needs to be there, and this mostly means that I&rsquo;m going to look at larger OEMs, specifically Dell, HP, and Lenovo&mdash;sorry, but in my experience as an IT professional, those three brands account for roughly 90% of all business laptops, and for the most part that&rsquo;s with good reason. (Most of the remaining 10% comes from businesses either using Apple products or else trying to cheap out and get by with consumer laptops; since I already cover those areas elsewhere with these guides, we should be okay.) Finally, features and build quality are important&mdash;this can include security features like TPM, remote management solutions, better materials, etc. All things being equal, the laptop with the better features/quality (and/or the lower price) wins out.

Just to quickly go over each OEM, Dell has five different &ldquo;business&rdquo; laptop lines: Vostro, Latitude, Precision, Inspiron, and XPS; however, the last two (Inspiron and XPS) are really just their consumer lines so I&rsquo;m going to leave those out of the running, and the Precision line is more for Enterprise and mobile workstation users&mdash;that&rsquo;s basically limited to the very high end and could almost be a topic for another laptop guide&mdash;leaving us with the Vostro and Latitude lines. Similar to Dell, HP has quite a few laptop product lines; the Pavilion, Envy, Spectre, and Essential Home are all more or less consumer brands, so we&rsquo;ll simply bypass those and focus on the ProBook and EliteBook offerings. There are mobile workstation EliteBook options as well, but like the Dell Precision lines, those are mostly for the highest end users. Finally, Lenovo has IdeaPad and ThinkPad laptops, and our focus here will be on ThinkPad offerings as IdeaPads are mostly for consumers. The ThinkPad consists of several different lines as well, however, with the L-series being more budget friendly and the T, W, and X series focusing on higher build quality and materials.

And with that out of the way, here&rsquo;s a look at what the three primary OEMs have to offer in the way of budget ($500 or so), midrange ($800-$1000), and high-end ($1200+) laptops. While many will shop directly at the OEM site, in general you can find better prices and/or better configurations elsewhere, so I&rsquo;ve done my best to search for good prices as well as configurations. I&rsquo;ll pick what I feel is the best overall laptop for each price range, along with mentioning some alternatives as appropriate.


Business on a Budget

When it comes to budget business laptops, the base level of features for around $500 is similar among all three OEMs: Core i3, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 1366x768 LCD, and the various other typical accessories. I ended up narrowing down the field to three choices, the Dell Vostro 3460, HP&rsquo;s ProBook 4440s, and the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E430 (even the budget L-series from Lenovo ends up starting at closer to $700). There are 15.6&rdquo; options that are priced similarly as well (Vostro 3560 and ProBook 4540s), but I&rsquo;m biased towards 14&rdquo; business laptops at this price point.

Budget Business Laptop: Vostro 3460 ($539)


Ultimately, my pick goes to the Dell Vostro 3460, because I like the &ldquo;boring&rdquo; aesthetic it offers, but the ProBook 4440s is a very close second. The Vostro 3460 gives you 4GB RAM, i3-3120M CPU, and a 500GB 7200RPM hard drive for $539&mdash;nothing spectacular, but not too bad all considered. Other features include a fingerprint reader, four USB 3.0 ports, a DVDRW, and an 8-in-1 flash card reader. The 3460 isn&rsquo;t quite what I would call a &ldquo;thin and light&rdquo;, but it weight just under five pounds and measures 13.6&rdquo;x9.61&rdquo;x1.1&rdquo; so it&rsquo;s at least somewhat close. While Dell ships the 3460 with 4GB RAM on most models in a single-channel configuration and the specs page lists a single DIMM slot, but there are in fact two SO-DIMM slots so upgrading to 8GB total RAM is easily accomplished (and maximum RAM support tops out at the usual 16GB). You can also upgrade to a larger/faster HDD/SSD without trouble, and the internals are quickly accessed by removing one screw and the pulling off the back plate. Sadly, only the most expensive 3460 allows you to choose a different color, as I&rsquo;d otherwise like the red Vostro!

Mainstream Business Users

This is really the sweet spot for business laptops, and not surprisingly it's what most companies buy for their employees. For my midrange business laptop recommendation, I really wanted to get a better display&mdash;at least 1600x900, if not 1080p. Almost all of the OEMs fail to deliver a compelling price for such a configuration if you shop directly at their respective web sites (e.g. I think the Dell Vostro 3560 $999 model is the only option with such a display priced under $1000 that I could find), but a bit of searching via Google turns up plenty of retail outlets with preconfigured models at reasonable prices. (Update: Dell does have 900p and 1080p panels on their Latitude E5430, E5530, E6430, and E6530, if you look at the right model. In all four cases, the least expensive base configuration lists LCD upgrade options, so feel free to shop accordingly.) 1080p tended to be a bit too expensive in most cases, so I settled on 1600x900 LCDs and came up with the Dell Latitude E6430 and Latitude E6530, the HP EliteBook 8470p and EliteBook 8570p, and the Lenovo ThinkPad T430 and ThinkPad T530. A quick look at those prices should tell you why I ended up with another alternative that ends up being from the Mobile Workstation crowd: the EliteBook 8570w.

Midrange Business Laptop: HP EliteBook 8570w ($950)


Dustin reviewed a higher-end model of the 8570w last December, and the biggest concerns were the cost as well as throttling under heavy sustained loads. Well, without the DreamColor LCD and some other pricey upgrades, the 8570w can be had for $950; what&rsquo;s more, the dual-core i5-3360M isn&rsquo;t likely to trigger thermal throttling in a chassis designed for quad-core CPUs, and you still get a Quadro K1000M GPU as a bonus&mdash;all for less than any of the other &ldquo;midrange&rdquo; business options that include a decent LCD. There are a few drawbacks, however, most notably the size and weight: measuring 15&rdquo;x10.1&rdquo;x1.5&rdquo; and weighing 6.8 lbs, the 8570w is substantially larger than other alternatives.

So, if you don&rsquo;t need the extra power or girth, my secondary pick would be the ThinkPad T430, which for some will be their primary pick. Whichever way you go, the Latitude, EliteBook, and ThinkPad T lines are all high quality machines that are built to last. I think today&rsquo;s models may actually be less durable than those of a few years back, thanks to concessions towards aesthetics and weight, but they&rsquo;re still far more durable than the typical consumer laptop.

Straddling the line between the mainstream class of laptops and the Ultrabook and high-end categories, there is one other laptop that deserves a mention: the Lenovo ThinkPad X230. It's a bit too thick to qualify as an Ultrabook, and it has a lower resolution 1366x768 LCD, but that LCD is IPS at least, and that counts for a lot. I'd love to pick a model that comes standard with 8GB RAM and an SSD, but pricing for such builds ends up being in the $1500+ range, and you can perform those upgrades on your own. For $1030, you can get a 4GB/500GB HDD laptop with an i5-3210M processor (faster than any similar size Ultrabook), then upgrade the RAM and storage for another $300 and you're still coming in below the price of similarly equipped business Ultrabooks. 1366x768 isn't actually a bad fit for a 12.5" LCD, but I still wish we could get at least 1440x900 in its place; otherwise the X230 is a strong offering, particularly for those that enjoy a more svelte laptop experience.

Ultra-Business with an Ultrabook

Given the problems with getting good screens and all the other extras that I&rsquo;d like to see in a decent laptop, it&rsquo;s no surprise that at the high-end I had to continue sifting through the options before I could find something I really liked. First things first, along with a good LCD, at the high-end having a dedicated SSD for your storage device is absolutely critical. Few users will really notice the difference between a Core i7 and a Core i5 processor, but if you give them a chance to experience an HDD vs. SSD in a laptop it&rsquo;s like night and day. Naturally, that brings Ultrabooks into the equation, and while I don&rsquo;t normally consider Ultrabooks in the non-Ultrabook guides, business Ultrabooks are a bit of a special case. I decided that a 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM was a good target, so let&rsquo;s take the contestants in turn.

In the Ultrabook camp, Dell has the Latitude 6430u, HP has the Folio 9470m, and Lenovo has their ThinkPad Helix and ThinkPad X1 Carbon (the Yoga 13 ends up falling into the &ldquo;consumer&rdquo; classification for me while the ThinkPad T430u lacks a decent LCD, if you&rsquo;re wondering). Dustin recently looked at the Folio 9470m and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and found both were lacking in areas. Thankfully, I&rsquo;m able to eliminate the dire 1366x768 LCD on the Folio from the equation, but it&rsquo;s still not without concerns. The ThinkPad Helix is the most revolutionary of the options, but it&rsquo;s also the most expensive by a sizeable amount, so that&rsquo;s a tough call to make. In the end, I went with the one option that we haven&rsquo;t reviewed, mostly because it looks to have a solid feature set and it's priced well (considering).

Business Ultrabook: Latitude 6430u Ultrabook ($1449)


While most Ultrabooks are often ill suited for IT departments, the 6430u does have most of what they would want: it has a user replaceable battery, two SO-DIMM slots, and only two screws secure the cover that provides access to the internals. Getting such features does make it a bit chunkier, however, as it weighs in at 3.7 lbs (1.69kg) and is 20.9mm thick&mdash;so this is as close to the limit as you can get while still being an Ultrabook. In truth, the specs of the 6430u and the HP 9470m have a ton of overlap, but considering the best price I can find on the HP is a full $200 higher, Dell wins out (again). Keep in mind that HP's Folio does give you an mSATA slot along with a 2.5" drive bay, so for some that can still be the better buy, but unless you absolutely need the extra storage space the cost is pretty steep.

For $1449, you probably expect a lot of computer, and Dell does its best to deliver with a 1600x900 LCD, 8GB RAM, and a 256GB mSATA SSD. The CPU is still at the middle of the ULV spectrum (i5-3437U), but you do get Windows 7 Professional and a TPM (the fingerprint scanner is optional on the 6430u, but the top-end model includes it). The 6430u also comes standard with a 3-year basic on-site warranty, which helps make the price a bit more palatable. I&rsquo;ve found the build quality of Dell&rsquo;s Latitude line to be quite good, and it&rsquo;s definitely part of the reason why Latitude costs more than Vostro, but you pay for the privilege.

Let's See the Mobile Workstations

For the high-end, I really wanted something that could handle everything I could possibly want, which means it needs a quad-core CPU, discrete graphics, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB (or 480GB) SSD. Guess what? Only Dell actually let&rsquo;s you easily configure such a laptop. [Insert frustrated scream here.] HP&rsquo;s EliteBook 8570w is out as we had throttling issues with the quad-core configuration, leaving the EliteBook 8770w as the only possibility&mdash;and it&rsquo;s a notebook with a beautiful LCD option at least; the largest SSD HP will install is only 256GB, unfortunately, though you could put two of them in RAID 0 at a rather astronomical price. Lenovo is in a similar situation with their ThinkPad W530. Thus, Dell basically wins by default, though you still have to decide between the M4700 and the M6700; I opted for the former, mostly because I don&rsquo;t really need or want a 17.3&rdquo; notebook. If you're not opposed to doing upgrades on your own (and you have an employer that allows such things), I'm inclined to go with the Lenovo W530 over the Precision, but opinions on such matters are definitely up for debate. Anyway, let's talk about the M4700.

High-End Business Laptop: Dell Precision M4700 ($2658 on sale)


So how would I configure this bad boy? While some might be tempted to simply max out every component, I&rsquo;m still reasonable, so the I7-3740QM is more than enough CPU. I&rsquo;d stick with Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, while on the memory front 16GB of DDR3-1600 in two DIMMs leaves room for an additional 16GB down the road if I get ambitious. The 1920x1080 Premium Panel is absolutely required (and interestingly only add $34 relative to the default 1366x768 junker panel), and for the GPU I&rsquo;d go for the Quadro K2000M. The SSD is a large expense, and you could potentially stick with a cheap HDD and upgrade on your own to save money, but for simplicity&rsquo;s sake we&rsquo;ll grab the 512GB SSD option. (You can also do a 256GB mSATA SSD and still have room for two 2.5&rdquo; drives if you forego the optical drive.) Add in the backlit keyboard, Centrino 6300 WiFi, and a 9-cell battery and we&rsquo;re done. The &ldquo;starting price&rdquo; comes to over $3900, but Dell has a big sale going right now that brings the final price down to $2658&mdash;not too bad considering the hardware, though still way more than I&rsquo;d actually be able to spend. (That&rsquo;s what your employer is for, right?)

Here&rsquo;s the catch: even if I were in a position to buy a high-end business laptop right now, I&rsquo;d suggest holding off and seeing what Haswell can do next month. It may not matter all that much, and business laptops using Haswell are likely still several months off, but with just a few weeks left to wait there&rsquo;s no sense in jumping the gun at this stage. Dustin also pointed this out in his M6700 review, but the aesthetics of the Dell Precision line are also falling behind&mdash;one more reason to wait and see. For the midrange and budget offerings, Haswell won&rsquo;t have such an immediate impact, since it sounds like we&rsquo;ll see quad-core first and dual-core will come later (similar to what we saw with the Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge launches). Ultrabooks are the exception here, as Haswell Ultrabooks are apparently going to roll out quickly, so that&rsquo;s another category where I&rsquo;d suggest a &ldquo;wait and see&rdquo; approach.





More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-best-business-laptops-may-2013-a-45171/ <![CDATA[[VR-Zone.com] YouTube celebrates eight years of cat videos, rants]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-youtube-celebrates-eight-years-cat-videos-rants-45170/ Mon, 20 May 2013 12:44:52 GMT Image: http://resources.vr-zone.net/uploads/20307/youtube-logo.jpg On its eighth anniversary, YouTube has published some interesting stats about its usage. More... (http://vr-zone.com/articles/youtube-celebrates-eight-years-of-cat-videos-rants/20307.html)

On its eighth anniversary, YouTube has published some interesting stats about its usage.



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/vr-zone-com-youtube-celebrates-eight-years-cat-videos-rants-45170/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) ASRock A-Style Motherboards Offer 802.11ac WLAN and Bluetooth 4.0]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-asrock-style-motherboards-offer-802-11ac-wlan-bluetooth-4-0-a-45169/ Mon, 20 May 2013 12:44:52 GMT Take a good minute to reminisce all the joy and fun you had on the internet. Good times, I tell you. Then take another solid minute to recollect those dark depressing moments when the connection was either slow or unstable. Images turning into rectangles with red crosses, laggy videos that took... Take a good minute to reminisce all the joy and fun you had on the internet. Good times, I tell you. Then take another solid minute to recollect those dark depressing moments when the connection was either slow or unstable. Images turning into rectangles with red crosses, laggy videos that took forever to load, downloads that tragically failed at the last few seconds, and it all seemed like the world was coming to an end. Rest assured that ASRock is bringing better Internet connections to the upcoming Intel 8 Series motherboards with A-Style: 2T2R Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi + Bluetooth v4.0.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-asrock-style-motherboards-offer-802-11ac-wlan-bluetooth-4-0-a-45169/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] EVGA Unveils ACX Graphics Card Cooler, Possible GTX 700 Launch Date?]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-evga-unveils-acx-graphics-card-cooler-possible-gtx-700-launch-date-45168/ Mon, 20 May 2013 12:44:52 GMT NVIDIA's reference-design cooling solutions for its GeForce GTX 690 and GTX TITAN raised the bar with graphics card product-design, especially with the exotic materials, such as magnesium alloys, and vapor-chamber plates used in them, which keep production costs up. With reports of NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX 780 and GTX 770 featuring similar reference-design coolers, graphics card manufacturers wanting to try out lower-cost yet higher-performing custom-design cooling solutions, have their tasks cut out: to design coolers that also look good, and make buyers want to pick them over NVIDIA's reference cooler.

EVGA unveiled a CGI teaser of its upcoming high-end graphics card cooling solution, called ACX, which abbreviates Active Cooling Xtreme. From what little the teaser video reveals, the cooler appears to be a sleek, dual-fan, and air-based. Its shroud features a sporty design with pale-gold highlights, and matte black accenting piano black. The cooler uses a pair of fans to ventilate an aluminum fin-stack, but no other physical features were revealed. The name might indicate some kinds of "smart" features that let users monitor, and tinker with the card's cooling better, perhaps even over proprietary software. Interestingly, it won't be long before we find out more. The cooler is said to be unveiled on the 23rd of this month, and unless EVGA plans to launch it with older GTX 600 series GPUs, 23rd could very well be the day the first GTX 700 series product could be unveiled. Find the video after the break.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-evga-unveils-acx-graphics-card-cooler-possible-gtx-700-launch-date-45168/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] (PR) Gelid Launches GX-7 Rev. 2 CPU Cooler]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-gelid-launches-gx-7-rev-2-cpu-cooler-45167/ Mon, 20 May 2013 12:44:52 GMT Thermal Solutions specialist GELID Solutions reveals the Rev. 2 GX-7 CPU cooler of its GAMER product line. Engineers at GELID Solutions have upgraded the award-winning GX-7 to the Rev. 2 GX-7 by adding the Slim 12 PL Blue fan and the multi award-winning GC-Extreme thermal compound. Contrary to... Thermal Solutions specialist GELID Solutions reveals the Rev. 2 GX-7 CPU cooler of its GAMER product line. Engineers at GELID Solutions have upgraded the award-winning GX-7 to the Rev. 2 GX-7 by adding the Slim 12 PL Blue fan and the multi award-winning GC-Extreme thermal compound. Contrary to traditional heat pipe arrangement the Rev. 2 GX-7 offers a special array of heat pipes to take full advantage of all 7 heat pipes heat transfer capacity. Further V-shaped aluminum fins were used in the center of the heat sink to allow airflow to reach the heat sink more evenly. Openings inside of the heat sink and near the heat pipes let fresh-air flow in from the top and the bottom to the zones where normally poorly ventilated and eliminate the creation of hotspots. The unique heat sink shape supports dual fans.
Read full story


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-google-page-ranking-gelid-launches-gx-7-rev-2-cpu-cooler-45167/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] Futuremark Announces PCMark 8]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-futuremark-announces-pcmark-8-a-45166/ Mon, 20 May 2013 12:44:52 GMT Futuremark announced PCMark 8, the latest entry to its line of benchmark suites that target all PC subsystems. Designed for the new generation of Windows 8 PCs (although it should run fine on Windows 7), PCMark 8 introduces a few new tests transferred from the company's PowerMark suite, which lets you test battery life on notebooks and tablets. It introduces a few new tests that simulate load from popular Adobe and Microsoft creativity and productivity applications. PCMark 8 is developed in collaboration with a number of industry giants, including Acer, AMD, Condusiv Technologies, Dell, HGST, HP, Intel, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Samsung, SanDisk, Seagate and Western Digital. The software can be purchased towards the end of June.


More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-futuremark-announces-pcmark-8-a-45166/ <![CDATA[[Techpowerup.com] GeForce GTX 780 Pictured Some More]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-geforce-gtx-780-pictured-some-more-45165/ Mon, 20 May 2013 12:44:52 GMT It turns out that NVIDIA's upcoming high-end graphics card, the GeForce GTX 780, is indeed based on the GK110 chip, and to the extant of featuring the same reference-design PCB and cooling solution as the GeForce GTX TITAN. Chinese portal IT168 posted press-shots of the card. If you overlook the "GTX 780" embossing on the cooler, half the number of memory chips, and another very subtle difference, you will easily mistake the GTX 780 for a GTX TITAN.

Pictures reveal the card to feature an ASIC bearing the number "GK110-300-A1," which is rumored to feature 2,304 CUDA cores, 192 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and a 384-bit wide memory interface. Given that the card features just twelve 2 Gbit memory chips, the total memory amount should be 3 GB. The card is said to feature clock speeds of 863 MHz core, 902 MHz GPU Boost, and 6.00 GHz memory, which belts out 288 GB/s memory bandwidth. It draws power from a combination of 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The 4-way SLI-capable card gives out display from a pair of dual-link DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort connectors.
Sources: IT168, Videocardz

More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techpowerup-com-geforce-gtx-780-pictured-some-more-45165/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] The Next Version of Android - Some of What's Coming]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-next-version-android-some-whats-coming-45164/ Mon, 20 May 2013 02:28:06 GMT

Google I/O 2013 recently wrapped up, and I&rsquo;ve been spending some time ingesting all the information from sessions during the event, including ones I couldn&rsquo;t directly attend. While Google didn&rsquo;t announce a new version of Android at the event, something nearly everyone speculated would happen, it did directly allude to new upcoming features that will be implemented in this still unnamed upcoming version.

Google allegedly assigns version numbers late in the process, but what is known is that this next release will implement upcoming API level 18. If you follow the progression there&rsquo;s a likelihood this will be Jelly Bean MR2 (Management Release 2), where Android 4.2 was management release 1. Based on some other discussions and sources I also suspect this might be Jelly Bean MR2. All of that is really just semantics however, what really matters are what specific features are coming and which of those Google touched on during I/O.

Bluetooth 4.0 LE Support

In a session on day one, Google announced upcoming support for Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy. Bluetooth low energy has been branded as Bluetooth Smart for low energy only devices, and Smart Ready for devices which support low energy in addition to classic (such as a mobile phone). Bluetooth LE implements a completely different physical layer compared to Bluetooth classic, with lower duty cycles that enable deployment in lower energy devices like proximity tags, sensors, pedometers, and watches which rely on small batteries that go longer than a day between charges. There&rsquo;s a misnomer that implementing Bluetooth LE will magically result in lower power consumption, it simply enables a completely different architecture optimized for different use cases. The Nexus 4 recently went through the Bluetooth SIG with Bluetooth 4.0 certification, the WCN3660 Qualcomm WLAN+BT combo chip inside has in fact always had compatibility for Bluetooth 4.0, it was just a matter of adding the APIs to Android to make it useful.


With Android 4.2, Google changed both NFC and Bluetooth stacks. In the case of Bluetooth, from BlueZ to BlueDroid with an open source disclosure by Broadcom. It&rsquo;s now becoming clear this was done partially with the forward-looking benefit of enabling support for Bluetooth LE and addition to enabling the Android team to rapidly add more features and profiles.


API level 18 Bluetooth LE features will be added to the Android Compatibility Test Suite as well, which means OEMs who have already implemented Bluetooth LE features via their own APIs will have to support their third party APIs and the canonical Google ones in this future version of Android. The API will support the central profile role only, which means both transmit, receive, and the ability to initiate connections plus serve as the master. Peripheral role is not supported.


API level 18 also adds support for AVRCP 1.3 (Audio / Video Remote Control Profile) which essentially enables compatibility with things like a car head unit, AV receiver, or so forth. This enables the device to control commands like play or pause, as well as metadata such as album artwork, artist, name, and status of the music. This enables much better compatibility with car audio and so on. Interestingly on the last slide from this session the date for API level 18 is given as coming in "a few short months."


Graphics

Perhaps the most revealing session was the one I was most interested in on Android Graphics Performance. It was here that we essentially were given a few glimpses of the new platform features which improve the performance of the hardware accelerated 2D rendering pipeline running on a device as well.


First up is intelligent reordering and merging of draw commands for given UI elements. Like elements are reordered and then issued together to take advantage of the GPU in an optimal manner without incurring a change in the shader state to render bitmaps, text, or nine-patches for example. This also minimizes the number of draw calls issued to the GPU for the same equivalent UI.


Google showed an example before and after with the same Google+ UI going from 88 draw calls to 39 after this feature was enabled.


Second is multithreading of additional parts of the hardware accelerated 2D rendering pipeline for some tasks. Rendering operations will now happen automatically on multiple cores if present.


Third, hardware acceleration for non-rectangular clipping was added, previously this was not hardware accelerated. This includes clipping around paths and transformed rects.


There are new developer tools present in this new version as well. In Android 4.2 Google added an on-device overdraw visualization, similar on-device functionality is coming to the rendering profile tool previously added in 4.1 which required a longer tedious workflow.


Toggling the profile GPU rendering option now gives the option to draw frame time (display list, rendering, then buffer swap) with a bar graph or line graph at the bottom of the screen in a persistent fashion instead of off-device in a spreadsheet. There&rsquo;s a handy green line which corresponds to 16ms (60 FPS).


This is a major boon for developers wanting to debug frame render time or occasional hitching. We saw this demonstrated on a device running the new tool and profiling parts of the Android UI, this was the first glimpse of the new Android version running on a device in public I'm aware of.


Systrace also gets a handful of improvements in this unnamed upcoming version of Android with an easier to run command line script invoking it, and the ability to trace each OpenGL call. Systrace is a very powerful tool for looking at what an Android device&rsquo;s underlying hardware is doing during a trace.

Conclusions

Even though we weren&rsquo;t explicitly told there&rsquo;s a new version of Android coming, nor its nickname or version number, there were repeated direct allusions and references to it throughout this year&rsquo;s I/O. Although many lamented it not being directly announced, it was there if you looked for it, including a few direct glimpses.

It&rsquo;s clear that the new version will implement API level 18 and bring further improvements to 2D rendering performance throughout Android as well as support for Bluetooth Smart (LE). These are both things closer to hardware and system which require changing the platform software entirely as opposed to pushing an update out to Google Play Services.





More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-next-version-android-some-whats-coming-45164/ <![CDATA[[Techreport.com] Gigabyte offers early peek at Z87 motherboards]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/techreport-com-gigabyte-offers-early-peek-z87-motherboards-45163/ Mon, 20 May 2013 02:28:06 GMT Intel's next-generation processor isn't due for a couple of weeks, but that isn't stopping motherboard makers from previewing their wares. We've already seen what Asus has in store for Intel's upcoming flagship Z87 platform. Now, it's Gigabyte's turn to show off. We flew down to Los Angeles last week to check out the company's upcoming boards, and we have much to report.

Gigabyte's Z87 boards are split into three main categories: overclocking, gaming, and everything else. The OC models are really designed for the hard-core overclocking*crowd; unless ...

Read more...



More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/techreport-com-gigabyte-offers-early-peek-z87-motherboards-45163/ <![CDATA[[Anandtech.com] The Next Version of Android - Some of What's Coming]]> http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-next-version-android-some-whats-coming-45162/ Sun, 19 May 2013 14:19:08 GMT

Google I/O 2013 recently wrapped up, and I&rsquo;ve been spending some time ingesting all the information from sessions during the event, including ones I couldn&rsquo;t directly attend. While Google didn&rsquo;t announce a new version of Android at the event, something nearly everyone speculated would happen, it did directly allude to new upcoming features that will be implemented in this still unnamed upcoming version.

Google allegedly assigns version numbers late in the process, but what is known is that this next release will implement upcoming API level 18. If you follow the progression there&rsquo;s a likelihood this will be Jelly Bean MR2 (Management Release 2), where Android 4.2 was management release 1. Based on some other discussions and sources I also suspect this will indeed be the Jelly Bean MR2. All of that is really just semantics however, what really matters are what specific features are coming and which of those Google touched on during I/O.

Bluetooth 4.0 LE Support

In a session on day one, Google announced upcoming support for Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy. Bluetooth low energy has been branded as Bluetooth Smart for low energy only devices, and Smart Ready for devices which support low energy in addition to classic (such as a mobile phone). Bluetooth LE implements a completely different physical layer compared to Bluetooth classic, with lower duty cycles that enable deployment in lower energy devices like proximity tags, sensors, pedometers, and watches which rely on small batteries that go longer than a day between charges. There&rsquo;s a misnomer that implementing Bluetooth LE will magically result in lower power consumption, this is actually a misnomer, it simply enables a completely different architecture optimized for different use cases. The Nexus 4 recently went through the Bluetooth SIG with Bluetooth 4.0 certification, the WCN3660 Qualcomm WLAN+BT combo chip inside has in fact always had compatibility for Bluetooth 4.0, it was just a matter of adding the APIs to Android to make it useful.


With Android 4.2, Google changed both NFC and Bluetooth stacks. In the case of Bluetooth, from BlueZ to BlueDroid with an open source disclosure by Broadcom. It&rsquo;s now becoming clear this was done partially with the forward-looking benefit of enabling support for Bluetooth LE and addition to enabling the Android team to rapidly add more features and profiles.


API level 18 Bluetooth LE features will be added to the Android Compatibility Test Suite as well, which means OEMs who have already implemented Bluetooth LE features via their own APIs will have to support their third party APIs and the canonical Google ones in this future version of Android. The API will support the central profile role only, which means both transmit, receive, and the ability to initiate connections plus serve as the master. Peripheral role is not supported.


API level 18 also adds support for AVRCP 1.3 (Audio / Video Remote Control Profile) which essentially enables compatibility with things like a car head unit, AV receiver, or so forth. This enables the device to control commands like play or pause, as well as metadata such as album artwork, artist, name, and status of the music. This enables much better compatibility with car audio and so on. Interestingly on the last slide from this session the date for API level 18 is given as coming in "a few short months."


Graphics

Perhaps the most revealing session was the one I was most interested in on Android Graphics Performance. It was here that we essentially were given a few glimpses of the new platform features which improve the performance of the hardware accelerated 2D rendering pipeline running on a device as well.


First up is intelligent reordering and merging of draw commands for given UI elements. Like elements are reordered and then issued together to take advantage of the GPU in an optimal manner without incurring a change in the shader state to render bitmaps, text, or nine-patches for example. This also minimizes the number of draw calls issued to the GPU for the same equivalent UI.


Google showed an example before and after with the same Google+ UI going from 88 draw calls to 39 after this feature was enabled.


Second is multithreading of additional parts of the hardware accelerated 2D rendering pipeline for some tasks. Rendering operations will now happen automatically on multiple cores if present.


Third, hardware acceleration for non-rectangular clipping was added, previously this was not hardware accelerated. This includes clipping around paths and transformed rects.


There are new developer tools present in this new version as well. In Android 4.2 Google added an on-device overdraw visualization, similar on-device functionality is coming to the rendering profile tool previously added in 4.1 which required a longer tedious workflow.


Toggling the profile GPU rendering option now gives the option to draw frame time (display list, rendering, then buffer swap) with a bar graph or line graph at the bottom of the screen in a persistent fashion instead of off-device in a spreadsheet. There&rsquo;s a handy green line which corresponds to 16ms (60 FPS).


This is a major boon for developers wanting to debug frame render time or occasional hitching. We saw this demonstrated on a device running the new tool and profiling parts of the Android UI, this was the first glimpse of the new Android version running on a device in public I'm aware of.


Systrace also gets a handful of improvements in this unnamed upcoming version of Android with an easier to run command line script invoking it, and the ability to trace each OpenGL call. Systrace is a very powerful tool for looking at what an Android device&rsquo;s underlying hardware is doing during a trace.

Conclusions

Even though we weren&rsquo;t explicitly told there&rsquo;s a new version of Android coming, nor its nickname or version number, there were repeated direct allusions and references to it throughout this year&rsquo;s I/O. Although may lamented it not being directly announced, it was there if you looked for it, including a few direct glimpses.

It&rsquo;s clear that the new version will implement API level 18 and bring further improvements to 2D rendering performance throughout Android as well as support for Bluetooth Smart (LE). These are both things closer to hardware and system which require changing the platform software entirely as opposed to pushing an update out to Google Play Services.

Gallery: The Next Version of Android - Some of What's Coming





More... ]]> News http://i4memory.com/f41/anandtech-com-next-version-android-some-whats-coming-45162/