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:: PC Perspective . News Archive
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.:News Archive ( 12/2008 )
Ryan Shrout | Source: Digitimes | Subject: Processor
A source at Digitimes is reporting that VIA plans to have upgraded Nano processors ready late in 2009 and in early 2010. Apparently the Nano 3000 series will be released in Q3 of 2009 and will add support for SSE4 instructions and dual-core Nano 3000-based processors should begin mass production in Q1 2010. While this is definitely good news, we had really been hoping to dual-core processors from VIA much ealier than that in order to keep Intel's line of products in check.
As we saw in our looks at the VIA Nano technology, the processor core itself has some solid potential but VIA's dependency on TSMC and other third-party fabs may be holding it back. VIA Technologies has recently notified its partners that the company plans to launch the next-generation Nano 3000 series CPU in the third quarter of 2009, while engineering samples of a dual-core Nano CPU will be ready in the second half of 2009 with mass production scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2009 or the first quarter of 2010, according to sources at PC makers. Engineering samples of Nano 3000 series CPUs will be completed in the first quarter next year. The CPU will be manufactured under Fujitsu Electronics' 65nm process. The Nano 3000 CPU's specification is similar to that of Nano 1000 and 2000 with the major difference being that the CPU will support SSE4 instructions. As for the dual-core Nano CPUs, VIA is currently evaluating either to use Fujitsu's 45nm process or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC's) 40nm process, added the sources.
Ryan Shrout | Source: Digitimes | Subject: Mobile
We have posted a fewnews bits over the past weeks about NVIDIA's Ion platform and the company's attempt to get into the world of netbooks by offering up a new chipset solution for more graphics-savvy mobile computing. While the technology is compelling, at least a few sources are saying that Intel is preventing NVIDIA from entering the market by forcing OEMs to buy Intel's core logic chipsets as well as the Atom CPU in a bundle.
HP is asking Intel to relax restrictions on the Atom platform claiming they want to use larger sized screens - something that Intel requires the purchase of faster components to do strictly from a business perspective. As big as Intel is, HP has some weight to throw around and you never know what opportunistic lawyer might have his ear to the tech world either and we KNOW that Intel loves to hear about anti-trust legalities. Hewlett-Packard (HP) is in negotiations with Intel seeking a slackening of its current restrictions which limit the use of Atom series processors only in netbook PCs with up to 10.2-inch panels, according to Taiwan-based notebook makers. HP hopes to use Atom in new mini-note PC models with larger screen sizes In light of competition from Asustek Computer and Acer in promoting netbook PCs, HP's 2009 roadmap shows that the company hopes to enhance its netbook lineup by offering an 11.6-inch model in the second quarter of 2009 and an 13.3-inch model in June 2009, the sources pointed out. Negotiations between HP and Intel are expected to reach a conclusion at the end of January 2009, the sources noted. With its brand image and high volumes, HP stands a chance of obtaining consent from Intel, the sources analyzed.
Ryan Shrout | Source: Mad Penguin | Subject: Mobile
Color me confused, but I just don't get all the excitement I am seeing online today for the announcement of the new "hybrid" storage solution Wind U115 netbook. The system is nice enough:
All this new option does for MSI is allow them to use the SSD for the OS and apps and have storage space for music, movies and large files on the regular hard drive. The Wind has proven to be popular with many netbook fans and in October of 2008 MSI announced that it had the successor to the Wind U100 netbook in the works. MSI has now made the specifications for the U100's new sibling public. The MSI Wind U115 is the world's first hybrid storage notebook. The machine uses an SSD for the OS to get the benefits of fast booting and data access with an internal HDD to provide more storage space for documents, music, and other data. The U115 uses what MSI calls ECO mode to provide increased battery life. A 10-inch LCD is shared in common with the U100 Wind and the resolution is 1024x600. LED backlighting is used on the U115 to improve color and battery life. Inside the U115 hides an Intel Atom Z530 running at 1.6GHz and the netbook runs Windows XP Home. The chipset is the Intel Poulsbo US15W and the machine ships with 1GB of DDR2 533MHz, but can support 2GB of RAM. Two models will be offered that only differ in storage capacity. The lower-end model has an 8GB SSD and a 120GB HDD while the high-end model has a 16GB SSD and a 160GB HDD. The stock battery is a 3-cell unit with a 6-cell option. Wi-Fi offerings include 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth is optional. The stock webcam is a 1.3-megapixel unit with a 2-megapixel option.
Ryan Shrout | Source: Daily Tech | Subject: General Tech
As CES approaches, more and more companies are going to start "leaking" information about what will be on display at their booths attempting to drum up some enthusiasm. One such "leak" comes from the gang at Dailytech that is reporting that many TVs will be on display that use the Intel and Yahoo technology first demonstrated back at IDF in September.
The idea is that Yahoo! widgets will be available on your TV to allow for a much more interactive experience while watching TV. I first showed you some shots from IDF of the technology in my keynote live blogs (see the day 2 keynote on the first page there) including Flickr, Twitter and on-demand movie trailers all from an easy to navigate menu system. 
Yahoo and Intel are trying to bring a new way to provide information and ads to TV. The Yahoo Widget Channel will be the first piece of software to take advantage of a new processor that Intel hopes to see integrated into the vast majority of TV sets being sold called the Intel Media Processor CE 3100. Both of the companies are keen for consumers to understand that this is not another attempt to turn their TVsinto computers. Intel tried that approach already with its failed Viiv brand. What the Yahoo Widget Channel will do is cater to the TV viewer by allowing them to connect with other people, find more information about actors or shows they are watching and more. The technology will be integrated into a number of TVs that will be seen at CES 2009 next month. Major electronics makers including Samsung, Toshiba, and others will be showing TVs at CES 2009 that integrate Intel's new technology. Yahoo and Intel both say that they are confident in the new technology and fully expect it to catch on, mostly due to the very low licensing requirements they demand for the technology. Patrick Berry, VP of Yahoo's Connected TV Initiative told CNET, "We do not see it [Yahoo Widget Channel] as a niche offering in a few high-end models. We see this as moving into the mainstream. In 2009, we're going to see good penetration into the product lineups of the consumer electronics companies. Beginning in 2010, I think, you're going to see Internet-connected consumer electronics devices dominating the lineup."
Ryan Shrout | Source: engadget | Subject: General Tech
Powerline networking is still getting a lot of attention in various segments of the market and even I have been smitten by the idea of no-new-wires communication that is more reliable and than traditional Wi-Fi. However, my previous experiences with the latest powerline networking technology from Cisco/Linksys were pretty disappointing and I would be hesitant to actually recommend it to anyone.
That isn't stopping Panasonic from offering up some new powerline technologies at CES in a couple weeks that might be interesting. As engadget reports, Panasonic is working on a way for electric cars to be connected to the networking grid while charging as well as providing security cameras that simply use the power connection for data transfer as well.
Panasonic already has a few powerline networking products to call its
own (including the adapters pictured at right), but it looks like it's
going to be expanding things in a fairly big way at CES next month,
with it even set to bring some electric cars into the mix. That latter
bit comes in the form of a prototype networking system that promises to
let a variety of devices connect to an electric vehicle as it charges
in the garage, letting you ensure that everything is set just right for
when you drive out the next day. Other devices apparently on tap
include an HD-PLC adapter for a security camera, and an electrical
monitoring system of some sort. As you might expect, however, details
on any of them are pretty light at the moment, but you can be sure that
we'll be digging up what we can as soon as Panasonic officially takes
the wraps off 'em.
Ryan Shrout | Source: Digitimes | Subject: Mobile
An interesting report over at Digitimes, quoting a Chinese tech news source, claims that VIA accounts for as much as 10-15% of the technology shipped in netbooks through 2008. That's pretty much all there is to the news - but I am personally surprised to see this number so high and yet VIA's profits have continued to fall into the red over the last sevaral quarters.
VIA's platform will account for 10-15% of the total netbook shipments this year, according to a Chinese language Apply Daily report cited sources at VIA. Power saving is VIA's major direction for CPU development continuing into next year; the company's CPU size and power consumption were reduced by 30% and 33%, respectively in 2008, and the company expects the values to see further drops of 25% and 41% in 2009, added the paper.
Ryan Shrout | Source: Daily Tech | Subject: General Tech
As if there was any other way this would pan out... Microsoft gave out copies of an early build of Windows 7 to developers and media this month and now, *gasp*, copies of the OS have found their way online at torrent sites, etc. What? No way?
Either way, this means that if you are gutsy you can try out the future OS from Microsoft on your system if you have the means. I strongly recommend you install this on another hard drive to avoid any potential crashes and data losses. 
Microsoft made news yesterday when the very-significant first beta of Windows 7 leaked to torrentsas an ISO file. The beta won't be released to testers until next
month, but those eager to try it out can catch it on torrent for now.
Overall, Microsoft has gone the OS X route for its Windows 7 development, thus far, delivering a smoother user interface, prettier graphics, improved security, and a major drive to improve compatibility. The result is an OS that will please many.
Josh Walrath | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: General Tech
With the Holiday Season winding down, the word on the street is that sales were far lower than even the some of the worst estimates. Luckily we are all still afloat, and what is about to happen could benefit a lot of us. Already prices on computer parts have taken a small dive, and we can expect them to go even lower as retailers look to get rid of excess stock before the typically slow Q1 and Q2 quarters.
AMD processors look like they are the parts inching down the furthest/fastest, and picking up a 2.3 GHz quad core Phenom is now gonna set you back around $99. As mentioned before, the new dual core Phenom "Athlon X2 7750" is down $5 from the starting $79.99 price it was initially offered at. The Phenom 9950 has been harder to find than usual, which is not exactly unexpected (new product coming down the line shortly), but it is back in stock in multiple places for around $165. This makes it still cheaper than the lowest end Intel Core 2 Quad, and considering the differences in clockspeed the performance of the 9950 is slightly higher than that of the older Q6600 and the newer Q8200 processors that are around $20 more expensive. The Intel side does not look like it has slipped much as compared to AMD, but these products are not going to be immune to the cuts that we will be seeing coming this next quarter. Intel is still introducing the i7 series of chips, and because the only motherboard platform available for this product is the X58 chipset, uptake has been predictably slow. It will not be until later in Q2 where we will see the more midrange based offerings in both processors and more importantly motherboards and chipsets that the Nehalem based products will really take off. For now the Core 2 Duo and Quads are the flagbearers for Intel, and happily there are a variety of motherboards and chipsets that these have available for very good prices. The P45 based boards are now quite reasonable, and higher end products like the X38/X48 are a lot more widely available at competitive pricepoints. Throw in the NVIDIA motherboard offerings and the choices are about as close to infinite as a person could reasonably get. Ok, perhaps that is an exageration, but the number of prospective motherboards just waiting to serve a users needs on the Intel side are monstrous. And as compared to the Intel processors, the prices on these motherboards do appear to be taking a nice dip right after Christmas. Users can now pick up a solid P45 based board for well under $100 after rebate (in some cases a pretty high end P45 board can go for $76 after rebate). One area not to forget is that video cards are perhaps the single fastest product having its prices reduced. A full GeForce GTX 280 is now going for around $330, the Radeon 4780 1 GB edition is as low as $230, and the 4870 512 MB version can be had $165. The amount of power that any of the aforementioned cards, as well as the GTX 260+ and Radeon 4850/4830 cards give in their price range is simply astounding. As we get closer to the new year, I am sure we will see further dips in prices. While the memory manufacturers have curtailed their production, it is doubtful they will see any rise in price (if at all) due to there being significant current unsold stock. Picking up 4 GB of good DDR-2 1066 memory will set a buyer back around $54. There should be no reason whatsoever for any person who can actually use DDR-2 memory to not have at least 2 GB in their machine, much less 4 GB. DDR-3 prices are still about double the price of DDR-2, but the higher end kits (like the new triple kits for i7) are keeping memory makers happy by staying around the $150+ mark. So do yourself and retailers a favor, and go out and buy some of this deeply discounted stock. It will help your computing experience, and it will certainly help these businesses stay in business!
Josh Walrath | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Processor
After its rather quiet release two weeks ago, the Athlon X2 7750 is now available from several online retailers (Newegg and Mwave). I was expecting these products to be available right at launch, but that was not to be the case. Perhaps the Christmas rush was causing the orders to be pushed back a bit? Regardless, there are now products on shelves and the pricing is hitting right where expected. Mwave has the 7750 for $79 while Newegg is offering it for $74.99. Undoubtedly these prices will further erode, and all of AMD's dual core offerings are very nicely priced. It is quite likely that the 7750 is AMD's fastest overall dual core product, beating out the 3.1 GHz X2 (Brisbane core). It does suck up the power though at 95 watts, but the Phenom architecture and the 2 MB of L3 cache shared between only 2 cores certainly makes it one of the faster gaming processors out there.
Reports are pretty consistent that this product overclocks to 3.0 GHz with minimal voltage increases, and users are seeing a max of 3.3 GHz to 3.4 GHz overall with ACC enabled on a SB750 based motherboard and good cooling. So far, I have not heard if anyone has taken the time to give the LN treatment to the 7750, but the results of that might be interesting. The lifespan of the 7750 might be limited, as it is a rather large die with two disabled cores just sitting there. But for the time being it is a seemingly great value for the price, and pairing it with a decent 790GX board certainly seems the way to go. AMD does not look to have a dual core 45 nm replacement until later in 2009, likely at the end of Q2 at the earliest. So, users looking to buy a very inexpensive dual core processor without going the Intel route will want to take a good look at this processor. It might not be the best product for a home/office scenario due to its power draw, in which case one of the 65 nm X2s would probably be better (most office applications barely stress modern dual core processors from either side). But for the budget enthusiast and gamer, this is likely one of the faster overall dual cores on the gaming market, and the price certainly can't be beat.
Ryan Shrout | Source: Digitimes | Subject: Processor
A new post on Digitimes has some interesting information about AMD's upcoming CPU schedule for 2009. First, the post claims to know that AMD will offer six 45nm processors under the Athlon brand including the X4 615 and 605 as well as a triple core Athlon X3 420 and 410 - frequencies are not listed.
What is most interesting is a note that the AM2-based Phenom II processor will have a last-order date of May 2009 - and since the CPU hasn't even officially be released yet, that gives the part only 5 months of active lifespan. We knew that the AM3 version of the CPU - with support for DDR3 and new HyperTransport speeds - was going to be coming soon behind the AM2 model but I didn't think it would push the AM2 socket out of the market so quickly. If true, this could be bad news for AM2 users looking to upgrade - get in fast! 
There is also EOL (end of life) information about current generation Phenom parts, listed below. AMD plans to launch six 45nm CPUs under its Athlon line including the quad-core Athlon X4 615 and 605 and triple-core Athlon X3 420 and 410 in April next year and dual-core Athlon X2 240 and 235 in June, according to sources at motherboard makers. Last order notice for the company's upcoming 45nm AM2+ Phenom II X4 920 and 940 Black Edition CPUs, will be issued in May next year, while AMD has already stopped taking orders for its quad-core Phenom X4 9650 this month. AMD's Phenom X4 9950 (140W) and 9850 (125W) will have their last order notice issued in March next year, and Phenom X4 9750, 9850 (95W) and 9950 (125W) will be in June. AMD's triple-core Phenom X3 8450 and 8550 CPUs have started phasing out of the market, while the Phenom X3 8650 is scheduled to have its last order notice issued in March next year followed by the Phenom X3 8850 and 8750 in June. AMD's low-power Athlon X2 4450e CPU will have its last order notice issued in March next year.
Ryan Shrout | Source: engadget | Subject: Mobile
Earlier in the week we posted a new story looking at the NVIDIA Ion platform, an attempt by NVIDIA to enter the netbook market with a low power version of their GeForce 9300M chipset. However, rumors are persisting that Intel was preventing that partnership by forcing companies to buy a 945 chipset along with every Atom processor sold, effectively locking out NVIDIA from getting a foot in the door.
On a story over at engadget, Intel is denying that claim and says that they are more than willing to sell anyone just an Atom processor and allows them to use the NVIDIA Ion platform if they desire. The real question is if this is just lip service or not: if Intel is actually charging $20 for a CPU and then only $5 for the chipset when "bundled" then that makes the $20 CPU and $20 chipset from NVIDIA a much more difficult choice for any vendor. (All these numbers are just made for example purposes.) The real proof will come when at least one partner joins in with NVIDIA and releases a system with Ion platform at its core. I for one am eagerly awaiting just such an example.
A nasty rumor had been making the rounds about Intel, something along
the lines of it wouldn't sell its Atom CPUs to netbook vendors without
its 945 chipset in tow. If true, the move would essentially act to
block graphical entrants such as NVIDIA from making a move into the netbook GPU space. An unnamed Intel spokesman chimed in on the whispers today by outrightly denying the claims, telling InternetNewsthat "there is nothing preventing vendors from using [NVIDIA's] Ion
platform; [Intel] sells Atom as a standalone processor, or as a package
with chipset." 'Course, it's not like Intel hasn't pulled similar
tricks before, and to say that the chip maker's relationship with NVIDIA has been dysphoric is understating things dramatically. Still, it sounds as if the company's in the clear here, but we're still waiting to see a wicked Atom + Ion combo in a shipping product before we believe the hatchet is entirely buried.
Ryan Shrout | Source: Digitimes | Subject: Motherboard
According to a story at Digitimes ECS is going through a restructuring in the new year that will allow it to focus on the channel portion (retail) of its motherboard business as well as there consumer PC and notebook divisions. An executive from Foxconn will be taking over control of the motherboard division. What will this mean for their products? Maybe a stark increase in overall quality we can hope!?!
Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) is reported to have started reorganizing its motherboard business and is planning to hire an ex-assistant president from Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) to handle its global channel sales business, according to motherboard industry sources. The company has already separated its motherboard OEM and channel sales businesses and will throw more resources into its channel business in 2009 to build its brand image. In addition to motherboards, ECS will also reorganize its notebook and desktop PC businesses, as well as focusing on improving efficiency at its PCB and manufacturing plants in China. The company will also develop netbook and Mobile Internet Device (MID) products in 2009.
Ryan Shrout | Source: 3DCenter | Subject: Case and Cooling
I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday - regardless of what you celebrate! We will be taking the day off most likely, though I will be beavering away at some behind the scenes programming that needs to be done later in the evening.
Thank you to all of our readers for making PC Perspective and its community so great!
Ryan Shrout | Source: Fudzilla | Subject: Graphics Card
Fudzilla is reporting that some lucky person has gotten a hold of a pair of the new GeForce GTX 295 cards (dual-GPU solution, we tested it earlier this month here) in Quad SLI to get a 3DMark Vantage score of over 32,500. Wow.
Nothing else interesting here, just though some of you would like to see a score like that. :)
The guys over at XFastesthave managed to give the enthusiast world a welcome preview of Nvidia
GeForce GTX 295 Quad-SLI performance on the Core i7 / X58 platform. As
stated before, these cards are clocked at a 576MHz core, 1242MHz
shaders, and consist of 240 x 2 stream processors with 896MB x 2 of
GDDR3 memory clocked at 1998MHz.
Many people tend to believe this card is the equivalent of two GTX 260 Core 216s joined together. In reality however, because this card is composed of the shader count on a GTX 280 but the clock speeds of a GTX 260 Core 216, it is more reasonable to assume that it is essentially the brainchild of two hypothetical "GTX 270s" coupled together. As we already said on numerous occasions, 55nm GT200b cards will not be rebranded. Nvidia will stick with the GTX260 designation as it has a lot of 65nm parts in stock and rebranding the new 55nm card would have a negative impact on 65nm GTX260 sales.
Ryan Shrout | Source: Digitimes | Subject: Graphics Card
According to this story over at Digitimes, AMD has already taped out (completed design and circuit testing) on the next generation graphics core known as the RV740. It is built on TSMC's newest 40nm process technology and I must say I was surprised to find the technology was mature enough to actually compete a design from ATI before 2009.
There is also a report in the same story that NVIDIA's GT212 GPU will utilize the 40nm process sometime in mid-2009. Tape-out of AMD's 40nm RV740 GPU is reported complete and the company will start mass production by the end of first quarter next year at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report. In other news, Nvidia's 40nm GT212 GPU is expected to complete its tape-out at the beginning of 2009, and mass production is scheduled for the second quarter. Nvidia's next-generation GT216 and GT300 GPUs will also transition to a 40nm process in mid or late 2009, added the paper.
Ryan Shrout | Source: General | Subject: General Tech
You have to love statistics when they are put into a frame like this: by reaching 11.5 million registered users, World of Warcraft has now surpassed the population of the state of Ohio. Maybe now Azeroth will get the duly deserved Electoral Votes to help move this country forward.
Blizzard Entertainment announced today that World of Warcraft has reached 11.5 million subscribers, meaning Azeroth has surpassed the great state of Ohio's population. Clearly people were clamoring to see the Lich King's wrath, as the game's second expansion sold 2.8 million copies in 24 hours, and went on to sell over 4 million copies in its first month.
Blizzard also stated it's currently hiring more staff to keep pace with the game. With all the layoffs going around the industry, hopefully some folks can find a relatively stable job over at Blizzard's compound -- we hear it's made of gold and diamonds.
Ryan Shrout | Source: engadget | Subject: System
If you were on the look out for a tiny new computer, maybe something along the lines of the ASUS Eee Box, then perhaps you should take a gander at what HP has just announced: the Firebird 803 infused with "Voodoo DNA" or something like that. What in fact we are seeing is a tiny replica of the HP Blackbird 002 chassis infused with a small form factor PC that is has impressive specs and is damn sexy to look at.
Specs on the PC NVIDIA 760i chipset, Intel Q9550 processor, a Blu-ray drive, dual mobility GeForce 9800GS GPUs, room for two hard drives and more!! Engadget has several more pics and details over at their site.
One last question: can it support 200 lbs?
We always loved us that Voodoo-designed HP Blackbird 002,
but it was certainly a behemoth. Now it looks like the duo are going
for a more realistic size -- and hopefully pricepoint -- with the
all-new HP Firebird PC 803 that just fell in our lap, a gaming tower
which flips the disc drive and most other components on their sides to
save on space. The resulting kit seems to have more in common with
gaming consoles than desktop PCs in terms of design, with very little
configurability or expansion available, but the leaked specs are still
quite palatable to the modern PC gamer:
Ryan Shrout | Source: engadget | Subject: Mobile
Okay, I really can't justify this one at all, but damn if it isn't freaking cool! Lenovo has made official plans for the W700ds notebook that includes both a 17" primary display as well as a 10.6" secondary display that slides out of the primary monitor. I'm not making this up:
There is even a video of a (hopefully pre-production) unit demonstrating the secondary monitor:
Awesome.
We caught wind of this dual-screened ThinkPad
last week, but now we've got some more details to get your mouths
watering -- and your wallets running for cover. The W700ds comes with
your choice of Intel Core 2 Quad processors and combined with the NVIDIA
Quadro FX 3700M GPU. RAM maxes out at 8GB and you can stuff a total of
960GB of SSD / HDD storage into this bad boy. The primary 17-inch
screen is supposedly the brightest on the market, and if there wasn't
already enough to make you drool, it packs an integrated WACOM
digitizer as well (like its single-screened sister, the W700).
However, this 11 pound package starts at $3,600, so you'd better be
ready to break out the piggy bank come January when this beast is set
to ship. Don't pout though, it probably wouldn't have fit under the
tree anyway. Check out two more pics after the break.
Ryan Shrout | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Storage
If you thought the idea of shelling out nearly $600 for one of the impressive-looking Intel X25-M 80GB solid state drives was a holiday wish that wouldn't be met, wait until you hear the latest news: Intel has started shipping the 160GB version as well. No official word on pricing yet, and its not actually for sale anywhere I could find, but expect to write that check for $1000+.
Intel is expanding its award-winning Intel® X25-M and X18-M SATA
Solid-State Drive (SSD) family by announcing the production release of
a 160 gigabyte (GB) capacity drive in a 2.5-inch form factor. The
product is shipping now, and a 1.8-inch 160GB version will begin
shipping next month. Get more information and product details.
Ryan Shrout | Source: [H]ard|OCP | Subject: Processor
A curious thread over at HardOCP seems to indicate that at least one lucky fellow was able to buy an AMD Phenom II processor a bit earlier than he was supposed to. Luckily for you, he has posted some specifications, benchmarks and just general impressions of the product over there as well, so check it out.
Sorry for making another thread, not sure if it is the right thing to
do but anyways, here is what I have for a system to test things on.
Cooler -OCZ vendetta 2 CPU - Phenom II 940 Ram - 2x2gb Mushkin redline mobo - MSI K9A2 plat video - 2x 4870, 4x4850 (installed right now is 1x 4870) H/D - WD5000AAKS PSU - Corsair HX1000 O/S vista ultimate 64bit I have super pi runs done now and will do some 3dmark 06 in a few min
Ryan Shrout | Source: Ars Technica | Subject: System
After our correct assertion that Apple would adopt the NVIDIA GeForce 9400/9300 chipsets in the newest MacBook and MacBook Pro, it seems more and more likely that NVIDIA will dig itself further into the world of Apple. This time around it looks like the Mac Mini and the iMacs are the most likely rumored products to transition to NVIDIA-based chipsets.
It makes sense to me and I think we'll find that at the Macworld 2009 show some interesting new products will see the light of day. The most likely culprits according to my information is that we'll see a 20" and 24" iMac update with near immediate availability and possible the announcing of a Tylersberg, Nehalem-based 28" iMac as well. The Mac Mini is also slated for an update as well using an NVIDIA chipset. I'll be sure to post up our own speculative rumor news later this holiday. :)
As we get closer to Macworld 2009 and possible updates to one or
more of Apple's desktop models, more details about the upcoming
releases are being revealed. According to the latest news from the InsanelyMac forums,
references to new iMac and Mac minis found in a system file suggest
that both lines will use the same NVIDIA graphics platform as Apple's
notebooks.
In an earlier report on Mac mini rumors, our own Chris Foresman suggested that the new minis would likely usethe NVIDIA 9400M chipset, and this new information lends even more support to that idea. After doing a bit of digging in the kernel extension files included with the latest Apple notebook, one InsanelyMac member discovered sections with the identifiers "Macmini3,1" and "iMac9,1," both of which are one version higher than current models' identifiers. The sections for the two new models also include a reference to "CFG_MCP79," which appears to be the NVIDIA MCP79 chipset used in Apple's notebooks. Use of same platform could indicate that Apple is planning to use the same 9400M chipset for the mini, although I suspect the iMac might get a bit of a beefier discrete graphics card. The new model sections also have lines in them that read "Mini-FL-2008" and "iMac-FL-2008" which suggest that the new desktops were originally meant for a Fall 2008 release, as was first reported. It's unclear why Apple may have delayed the introduction of these machines, although my guesses would be either the general state of the economy, or issues related to drivers for the new NVIDIA graphics hardware.
Josh Walrath | Source: AMD | Subject: Graphics Card
While NVIDIA is pushing Badaboom! as the GPU accelerated video encoder of choice, AMD did provide a new converter of their own for free. While free is nice, the converter has a handful of issues that are simply showstoppers for some users. AMD has recognized this, and has compiled a list of questions and answers that will hopefully help the user decide to either use this product, or look elsewhere. AMD is also continuing to improve upon the product, but nobody is quite sure when we will see updated version (hopefully updates with every new version of Catalyst drivers!).
Jay Marsden was kind enough to forward these Q&As as well as provide a bit of an introduction: I just wanted to do a quick follow up in response to our ATI AVIVO Converter. We have received some feedback in regards to our initial release and I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to some of this feedback and give you an idea of where we are going. We recieved a lot of feedback in regards to features, quality and performance that we wanted to address. For answers to our most common questions, we are providing the below Q&A. Q&A Q: What are the specific issues users of ATI Video Converter may encounter? A: Users running 32-bit software on 64-bit systems are encountering issues getting quality output from the encoder and 32-bit users have also experienced some anomalies in the playback. It was not released for support on 64-bit operating systems. Our engineering teams have been alerted of the 32-bit issues and are currently working to address them. We have a defined roadmap for the application and plan to add new baseline functionality, ease-of-use and stability in coming versions. Q: Why are reviewers seeing so little GPU processing during transcoding? A: The ATI Video Converter uses the GPU for only a portion of the video encoding. Specifically, the GPU currently offloads only the motion estimation portion of the encoding pipeline which is the most compute intensive part of the encoder. The GPU is particularly well-suited for this task. Given that a fixed workload is being offloaded to the GPU the load on the GPU may be relatively low or high based on the specific model of GPU. Q: When will the stability and quality of the ATI Video Converter improve in a new release? A: We have a defined roadmap for the application and plan to add new baseline functionality, ease-of-use and stability in coming versions. We are evaluating now when we can most quickly offer those improvements, and will update you as soon as we have more information. Q: Why did AMD release such a buggy software application into the market? A: The ATI Video Converter is a basic utility that introduces users of Catalyst to the capabilities of Stream processing on 32-bit operating systems. While it isn’t perfect, The level of functionality and quality is appropriate for maximizing the conversion speed on the most widely used video formats. Improvements are already being made and users can expect to have a much higher quality experience with future revisions. Q: Why does ATI Video Converter not work on 64-bit operating systems when so many PCs are moving in that direction? A: While the move to 64-bit is well underway, 32-bit OS’s satisfy the mainstream consumer and the ATI Video Converter was to fill that segment first. We are evaluating our roadmap for future improvements, including the possibility of offering a 64-bit solution.
Ryan Shrout | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Case and Cooling
Do you like free stuff? Do you want some? Thermaltake has some things they would like to just HAND TO YOU and all you have to do in return is run through a simple survey asking such difficult questions as "Name", "Gender" and "Age". Can you handle THAT?
If so, here are the prizes that could await you:
Please take a few moments to
complete our Thermaltake Survey 2009. Your feedback is important to us.
Your responses will help us to address any issues that you may have as
well as to better target our products and services to meet your needs.
Your responses will be kept confidential and will not be used for any
purpose other than research conducted by Thermaltake.
START DATE: DECEMBER 18th, 2008 12:01am PST END DATE: JANUARY 19th, 2009 11:59pm PST
Ryan Shrout | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Memory
OCZ sent over word that they have launched a new series of DDR3 memory modules called "Blade" that will offer DDR3 memory speeds of 2000 MHz with timings of CL 7-8-7. The kit will come with three modules for triple channel goodness and top performance with Intel's Core i7 processors.
You can get more information over at OCZ's website - no word on prices yet but we'll keep you updated. The modules and kits should be available soon after CES in January. Sunnyvale, Calif.—December 18, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today introduced the Blade Series Triple Channel Memory kit, the latest maximum-performance RAM designed specifically for the Intel® Core™ i7 processor / Intel® X58 Express Chipset. At DDR3-2000 CL 7-8-7, the Blade Series harnesses industry-leading speeds at the low voltage required to safely run Core i7’s triple channel mode. With the ideal combination of all the factors that formulate the ultimate memory solution— density, speed, latency, and an effective new cooling design—the Blade 2000 kit is guaranteed to please enthusiasts looking to take the hottest Intel platform to new heights. “Within any extreme performance computer, the memory subsystem holds a key position for storing and delivering the data to the processor in the fastest possible manner,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “Using a triple channel configuration custom tailored towards Intel’s Core i7 platform, the latest OCZ Blade Series kits epitomize the pinnacle of memory technology by delivering 2000MHz data rate for an available bandwidth of 35GB/sec to satisfy even the most data-hungry processor in the current marketplace.” The Blade Series heatspreader aims to enhance heat dissipation to improve the longevity and stability of the modules while keeping a sleek, low profile. The new propriety design has numerous channels that increase the surface area to more efficiently offload heat away from the memory chips and PCB. Push your gaming or overclocking rig to the extreme with the superior thermal solution and unmatched speeds of the high-end Blade Series memory modules. Blade 2000 modules will be showcased at the upcoming CES 2009 show, and will be available shortly afterwards. OCZ continues to expand its extensive product offerings and deliver the landmark speeds called for by the enthusiast community. OCZ’s Blade 2000 Triple Channel kits are 100% hand-tested for quality assurance and compatibility with the latest Intel Core i7 motherboards, and are backed by the industry leading OCZ Lifetime Warranty and technical support for unparalleled peace of mind.
Ryan Shrout | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Graphics Card
You might have heard about this new NVIDIA technology called "Ion" - which is interesting because I hadn't. Apparently this is NVIDIA's answer the world of netbooks and Intel's Atom processor - NVIDIA is pushing Intel's partners to push Intel to allow third party chipsets as thus allowing NVIDIA to make a push into these systems.
The goal is simple: take the existing NVIDIA GeForce 9400M mobility chipset used in the recent MacBook update and put it in a small form factor PC. The results are a netbook-style computer that can be used for gaming and HD video with power to spare. According to this write up over at Anandtech, NVIDIA claims that there is no change in battery either which I find not only surprising but doubtful. 
The Pico-ITX motherboard they showed off to Anandtech is really incredible though and getting that kind of compute power in such small (and ugly) PC is impressive. NVIDIA has been arguing that the GPU is more important than the CPU and with Ion is the chance to prove its case. Intel’sslowest CPU paired with a more expensive graphics solution than what Intel would rather you buy with Atom. My opinion has always been that you need a balanced approach, but the Ion platform should open up some interesting usage models: netbooks that can transcode and play HD video? It's an interesting move, one that simply makes sense. If the prices of SSDs would drop to where they could be an affordable alternative to a regular hard disk you could actually build a very quick and quite portable PC out of Ion. One thing is for sure: NVIDIA just raised the bar for the minimum level of performance you can expect from PCs in 2009, regardless of price point.
Ryan Shrout | Source: [H]ard|OCP | Subject: Case and Cooling
Yesterday Corsair sent out word that a new power supply with the TX branding was being announced, the TX850W. Try and guess how many watts its rated at? 650? No, you're fired.
The TX850W offers 850 watts of power and a dedicated 70A on a single +12V rail. Both CrossFire and SLI are supported with four 6+2-pin PCIe cables and the unit offers more than 80% energy efficiency. 
Today, our friends over at HardOCP posted a review of this very same power supply - and the results were pretty dang good. Couple that with a sub-$150 price point and the TX850W should continue Corsair's success in the field.
The Corsair TX850W comes in at a power level that fills a perceived
vacancy in Corsair's product lineup and relies on the same basic design
as their TX750W. However, at this power level previously we have had
issues with other brands using this model, but today was a new day upon
the shining seas. Corsair has seemingly righted the ship that is the
PSH850 for the most part by providing a power supply with good voltage
regulation, a very good build quality, is reasonably quiet, and has in
specification DC output quality making this a solid 850 watt PSU choice.
Ryan Shrout | Source: 3DCenter | Subject: Processor
Intel's upcoming Lynnfield core is based on the Nehalem architecture but adds in an integrated PCI Express 2.0 hub thereby officially nixing the north bridge from the world of PCs going forward. The PCIe configuration can be setup as a single x16 connection or a pair of x8 ports for SLI and CrossFire solutions. Lynnfield will still feature quad-cores running with HyperThreading to support eight total threads but the memory controller will be limited to dual-channel DDR3 rather than the triple-channel control we know of on the Core i7 parts.
Expreview.com got some hands on time with an early sample running at 2.13 GHz and was able to sneak out some performance numbers - take these with a grain of salt considering the source but its always fun to speculate. You can see a collection of random benchmarks at that site or just gander at the one I posted below:
Intel is about to launch Lynnfield in Q3 2009 for mainstream market under $200. A friend from Taiwan ever unveiled some pictures of Lynnfield, and now the test finally emerges thanks to a Chinese website. This test chooses 2.13G Lynnfield, DDR3-1066 (4G+2G) memory for laptops, ST 7200.2 160G HDD, PCI-E X1 NVS290 VGA Card and Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit OS.
Ryan Shrout | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Graphics Card
Though we already posted about NVIDIA's announcement to start supporting drivers for notebook computers, I pinged NVIDIA for some more information and they provided us with the following document that provides quite a bit more information on the topic. Read on if you have or are thinking about buying that gaming notebook.
NVIDIA Notebook Driver Release Q: What are you announcing today? A: NVIDIA is offering notebook end-users the option of graphics driver upgrades direct from NVIDIA.COM for the first time. The driver update from NVIDIA will offer new features, improved application compatibility, and performance optimizations. The first web driver update from NVIDIA will extend NVIDIA CUDA™ technology to notebook graphics processing units (GPUs). CUDA technology also moves physics processing to the GPU for new levels of realism in games and virtual worlds based on the market leading PhysX API. Q: Why is NVIDIA offering driver support direct from NVIDIA.com for OEM notebooks after 8 years of not doing it? What has changed? A: Notebook manufacturers have historically only allowed graphics drivers to be offered directly from them. This was due to the fact that the drivers had to be customized in order to maintain unique implementations of dedicated hotkeys, power management, and smooth suspend/resume. NVIDIA has worked diligently over the past year to modularize its driver architecture and develop a unified driver install package that will not only work with laptops from all manufacturers but also maintain all of their specific model customizations such as hotkeys and suspend and resume functionality. Consumer demand for timely driver updates has outgrown the rate at which drivers are currently supplied to the market. Customers need new drivers in order to be able to take full advantage of the latest visual computing applications. Q: How do I know if my system will support the new driver? A: The December beta release will support GeForce 8, GeForce 9, and DirectX 10-class Quadro NVS branded notebooks. The intelligent installer for the update driver will check which GPU is installed in your notebook and install only on supported systems. Notebooks with earlier GPUs, motherboard GPUs, or with Quadro FX GPUs, will be added early next year. Q: How far back to previous-generation GPUs does the driver go? A: The December beta release will support GeForce 8, GeForce 9, and Quadro NVS branded notebooks. Q: What GPUs are supported by this driver? A: The December beta release will support most GeForce 8, GeForce 9, and DX10 class Quadro NVS branded notebooks. There are some exceptions so customers should refer to the driver page to make sure their notebook is supported. Q: How do your OEMs feel about you releasing drivers for their products now? A: We expect that our OEM partners would experience fewer customer support issues as a result of providing an updated driver with improved features, performance, and application testing. But we should defer to our OEM partners for their perspective. Q: Have any OEMs asked you not to support their products in this driver? A: Most OEMs have agreed to this release. There are some exceptions so customers should refer to the driver page to make sure their notebook is supported. Q: Does this driver tie in to the special features and modes that OEMs add to their notebook (IE. Power saving stuff, etc..)? A: Yes, NVIDIA has invested in new technologies in order to deliver notebook driver updates to end users, while allowing them to maintain important notebook customizations like hotkeys, power management, and smooth suspend/resume. Q: How often do you plan to release drivers? A: Quarterly. Q: Are these drivers for Quadro mobile GPUs as well? A: We are supporting Quadro NVS with this December release and Quadro FX notebook GPUs with another driver release in the new year. Q: Does using this driver void the OEMs warranty or nullify their free technical support? A: NVIDIA recommends that you check with your notebook manufacturer’s warranty terms. Q: Why are you just now adding CUDA support for mobile GPUs? A: Before today, notebook customers that wanted CUDA support had to download a driver that did not account for the customizations in all OEM notebooks. Now that mainstream retail applications like Badaboom, Cyberlink PowerDirector 8, and Pegasys TMPG have CUDA versions, NVIDIA felt the time is right to ensure that everyone that invested in a GeForce 8400M GPU (or better) should be able to use the GPU for more than just great game experience. Q: Will there be a WHQL version of this driver? A: Yes, the current beta driver update is being qualified now for production notebooks from most OEMs that will ship with WHQL certified CUDA enabled drivers for their new systems. Q: How does WHQL work for this driver? Is it WHQLed on only one system or on a variety of systems? A: NVIDIA will have a reference WHQL certification for this driver. System WHQL certification is done by OEMs only. Q: Will this driver disengage all my hot keys? A: Our new nvidia.com notebook drivers have been designed to support all of your hotkeys and other platform customizations supported in the original shipping configuration of your notebook. Q: Is this December release optimized for the latest Holiday games? A: Yes. The driver should provide a great gaming experience on today’s hottest games. Q: Does this driver support Macbooks/Macbook Pro? A: Yes, these XP and Vista drivers can be used with Boot Camp. Q: Can I go back to my old driver if I want to? A: Yes, please follow the instructions on the driver page to create a restore point for your system before installing the driver. Q: Does the update process differ on NB vs. Desktop? A: No. Q: Where can customers leave feedback on BETA drivers? A: Customers are encouraged to leave feedback here: http://surveys.nvidia.com/index.jsp?pi=50aa59cdf782d18a4d043cdd3baa920a
Ryan Shrout | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Graphics Card
Long the bane of mobile gaming's existence, NVIDIA has taken the first step in allowing all users of notebook computers that want to the best possible gaming performance access to NVIDIA updated drivers. Why is this news? Since the beginning of time, users that wanted an updated graphics driver for their laptop had to wait for their hardware vendor to update it on its own support site. This happened fairly infrequently and often times not at all.
Well starting today, if you have a GeForce 8-series or 9-series or Quadro NVS-based notebook you can access beta drivers from nvidia.com directly, by passing the bureaucracy of hardware vendors. Could this be the first step required to notebook-based gaming finally on par with the desktop experience? Have fun!! SANTA CLARA, CA—DECEMBER 18, 2008—Users with notebooks equipped with NVIDIA® graphics processing units (GPUs) now have the added flexibility of downloading upgradeable graphics drivers directly from NVIDIA.com so they can immediately take advantage of new features, improved application compatibility, and performance optimizations. The first graphics driver release from NVIDIA will extend the NVIDIA CUDA™ architecture to notebook GPUs, enabling the growing number of consumers moving to a notebook-only lifestyle to immediately experience the wide range of CUDA-based applications—from heart-stopping GPU-accelerated game physics to GPU-accelerated video conversion. “Epic and NVIDIA invest an incredible amount of time and energy into ensuring that customers get an amazing experience with our software out-of-the-box,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. “The only way to ensure that this value-add is realized by customers is for them to have access to timely driver updates. I congratulate NVIDIA for being the first to offer their customers a choice for notebook driver updates.” “NVIDIA is committed to giving the rapidly growing number of customers using notebook GPUs the same performance optimizations and innovative graphics features that desktop customers have grown accustomed to,” said Dwight Diercks, vice president of software engineering at NVIDIA. “To accomplish this, we have worked diligently over the past year to modularize our driver architecture and develop a unified driver install package that will not only work with notebooks from all manufacturers but also maintain all of their specific model customizations such as hotkeys and suspend and resume functionality.” GPUs have long been essential platforms for rendering real-time images to computer screens, but software developers and system manufacturers have recently begun using their parallel processing power to deliver a new level of performance for a variety of visual computing applications. The new NVIDIA notebook drivers enable customers to experience the growing number of applications that use the power of NVIDIA GPUs. Video applications such as Badaboom from Elemental Technologies, Power Director 7 from Cyberlink, TMPGEnc from Pegasys Software, and TotalMedia Theaterfrom Arcsoft are all seeing significant performance benefits by transferring the workload from the CPU to the more efficient GPU. Distributing computing applications such as Folding@home, Einstein@home, GPUGRID and SETI@home have also seen performance improve by orders of magnitude through NVIDIA CUDA technology. Recently Adobe Creative Suite 4 became the latest application to speed up performance and enhance features by moving processing to the GPU. With NVIDIA PhysX™ technology, GeForce® GPUs bring games to life with explosions full of dust and debris, characters that move with lifelike motion, or cloth that drapes and tears naturally. PhysX technology harnesses the power of NVIDIA GeForce 8 Series or higher GPUs, allowing games to deliver 10-20 times more visual complexity on screen. NVIDIA PhysX technology is the development platform of industry leading publishers such as Electronic Arts (EA) and 2K Games and is the physics engine in the blockbuster title Mirror’s Edge from EA. Starting today, customers with GeForce® 8 and 9-series GPUs or Quadro NVS-equipped notebooks can download a BETA version of the drivers from www.nvidia.com. Customers will be able to download a WHQL-certified version supporting all GeForce 7, 8, and 9 series and Quadro NVS series notebook GPUs early next year.
Ryan Shrout | Source: PC Perspective | Subject: Processor
Today VIA is promoting a new platform of their own design with the hope of targeting budget desktop, netbook and embedded markets with an ALL-VIA solution. Included in the mix is the VIA Nano processor, which we have discussed a few times here, the VIA VX800 chipset and S3 on-board graphics that includes DX10.1 support, HDMI output and HD content decode acceleration.
A fancy new logo graces the platform as well:
You can read more about what VIA is hoping to do with Trinity at the company's site as well; we here at PC Perspective are desperately hoping this initiative leads to more/some Nano-based products finally reaching the mainstream audience. VIA Trinity Platform Brings Hi-Def to Small SpacesTriple-punch combination of a VIA processor, VIA media system processor and S3 Graphics discrete GPU delivers DirectX 10.1, Hi-Def video, Blu-ray and Windows Vista to the SFF desktop, notebook and embedded marketsTaipei, Taiwan, 18 December 2008 - VIA Technologies, Inc., a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced a powerful new 3-chip silicon platform that brings HD performance to ultra compact systems for a far richer user experience. While desktop PCs, notebooks and embedded devices are getting smaller and thinner, demands on system resources are growing by the day, with higher definition video content, richer Internet resources and increasingly complex image manipulation requiring more powerful processing, video and graphics capabilities. Codenamed "VIA Trinity", the new platform meets all these performance requirements using much less board real estate than traditional 4-chip platforms, yet still within a comparably low power envelope. The VIA Trinity platform couples a power efficient VIA processor like the VIA Nano™ processor with one of VIA's highly integrated unified digital media chipsets, and adds the power of an onboard S3 Graphics PCI Express discrete GPU to bring the latest in x86 technologies to even smaller spaces. VIA's focus on power efficiency at the silicon level has enabled the integration of all chipset core logic, memory control, IGP, peripheral and networking connectivity, and multimedia functionality into a single-chip solution, such as the VIA VX800 media system processor, allowing for the addition of a discrete graphics accelerator without blowing the space or power budget. This enables OEMs to offer systems with superior computing, 3D graphics and HD video performance over current nettops, netbooks and embedded devices. "With Mini-ITX 2.0, we declared that small form factor meant no compromise on essential technologies or performance. The VIA Trinity platform is a natural extension of that philosophy for ultra compact systems," said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "This platform leverages VIA's long-standing expertise in shrinking the form factor to deliver a truly high definition experience in small devices, perfect for a variety of lifestyles and applications." |
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