AMD releases Catalyst 9.12 :: Posted by THRASHER2
Vantage likes it
AMD has released the last iteration of its Catalyst drivers for this year, the Catalyst 9.12. The new pack features support for Radeon HD 2000, 3000, 4000 and of course HD 5000 series of graphics cards and brings a handful of performance improvements and new features.
The new Catalyst 9.12 driver pack comes with v8.681 graphics driver, and features support for DirectCompute 10.1 for the HD 4800 series and HD 4700 series in both single and CrossfireX configurations. Another new feature is support for OpenGL 3.2 extensions for the entire lineup.
As we noted, there is a handful of performance improvements which include 3DMark Vantage of up to 9 percent for ATI Radeon HD 5800 and HD 5700 series as well as small performance improvement in STALKER Call of Pripyat.
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You can find the new Catalyst and the release notes link
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Gulftown Core i7 980X to start selling in March :: Posted by THRASHER2
To big accounts
We got a few additional details on Intel's first desktop six core CPU codenamed Gulftown. This is Intel's first six-core developed in 32nm Westmere architecture and it will be clocked at 3.33GHz.
This is the same frequency as Core i7 975 and even the Turbo clock on these two CPUs is same, as Core i7 980X will overclock to 3.6GHz. Its QPI speed is set to a well known 6.4GB/sec and the CPU can take care of twelve threads via its support for Hyperthreading.
We already wrote that good old socket 1366 should be enough to fit this six core CPU and one disappointing part of the spec is that triple channel memory is again limited to 1066MHz memory, at least officially.
The CPU has 12MB of cache and a TDP of 130W. According to the latest information we got, it should debut in Intel's March price list for $999.
Despite being listed for the price list in March, it doesnآ’t mean that end users will be able to get one.
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Asus X77 gets Mobility HD 5730, Core i5 430M :: Posted by THRASHER2
17 inches of state of the art
While looking for some holiday gifts we stumbled upon a new Asus notebook powered by a brand new Intel CPU and a fresh ATI GPU. Sadly, it won't be available in time for Christmas, but it is a sign of things to come, post CES.
The 17.3-inch Asus X77 has been around for a while, but a retailer recently listed a new SKU based on Intel's Core i5-430M, a 32nm Arrandale dual-core. In addition to the new processor, the revamped X77 will also feature an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730. We still don't have the exact specs for this particular GPU, but there is a good chance it will feature DDR3 memory, rather than DDR5 used on 5750 and 5770 cards.
The rest of the spec has been refreshed, too. With two 500GB hard drives, 4GB of memory, eSATA, HDMI and a 1600x900 LED screen and reasonably powerful graphics, it sounds like a pretty good desktop replacement.
No word on pricing or availability yet, but it should show up in mid January, at around آ€1000.
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Asus claims longer battery life on new Seashells :: Posted by THRASHER2
Up to 14hrs thanks to Super Hybrid Engine
Asus has also issued a press release about its recently revealed, Pinetrail based, Asus Eee PC Seashell 1005P, 1005PE and 1001P models and their awesome battery life touted to be good for up to 14hrs. According to Asus, the company-quoted battery life is possible thanks to Asus' Super Hybrid Engine technology and the new Intel Pinetrail platform.
All three new Seashells are based on Intel Atom N450 CPU and feature Asus SHE (Super Hybrid Engine) which adjusts power consumption according to the "task at hand". We are still not sure what does "SHE" actually do to reduce power consumption but we suspect that it decreases the clocks or even plays with voltages, although that is something that we are yet to see.
In addition to the Windows 7, these new Seashells will also feature Asus Express Gate, which should boot up in eight seconds and provide you with you basics like surfing, photo browsing, chat and some games, practically everything that Atom is capable of doing.
The 14hrs sounds pretty good even for company-quoted battery life and it is something that we would gladly see with our own eyes.
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Intel's new SSDs are codenamed Lyndonville :: Posted by THRASHER2
100, 200 and 400GB
Intel's desktop division plans a lot of SSD refreshes in Q4 2010 and one of them will bring new X-25 E drives codenamed Lyndonville. These drives are supposed to replace X25-E 32GB and 64GB that are currently among the fastest drives around, but in Q4 2010 these drives will get a significant capacity boost.
Intel plans three SKUs, where the lowest-capacity drive will end up at 100GB, the second one is cozily sitting in the middle with a capacity of 200GB and the biggest one will end up at 400GB.
They are all based on 34nm MLC process whereas current X25-E drives are based on 40nm SLC, the fastest technology available today.
So, lets see if these new Lyndonville drives will be able to have similar speeds to current SLC X25-E. Furthermore, with codenames such as these, we're guessing that Lyndonville codenam will be followed by Smallville.
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MSI's GTX 275 Lightning likes LN2 :: Posted by THRASHER2
MSI has always claimed that their Lightning GTX 275 is something special and although it did look cool the price and the end result were good but not great, but when paired with some LN2, it is clear that this one is made for record breaking.
The guys from Madshrimps.be did a review of the card and after some talking with MSI they went for LN2 as well, and that's when previous 3DMark records became just a piece of history. Of course, you must note that this one was in hands of "massman", the guy that is well known within the overclocking crowd, and actually one of the owners of HWBOT.org.
The card managed to score an incredible P20460 result, and it was working at even more incredible 1375MHz for the core, 1435MHz for 1792MB of GDDR3 memory and 2757MHz for shaders. Bare in mind that the reference MSI GTX 275 Lightning works at 700/1150/1404MHz, which makes this overclock even more impressive.
The one fact that made this overclock even more interesting is the fact that the fastest Geforce GTX 285 scores around P16956, and the previous world record with GTX 275 was set at P18833 with a card overclocked to 1200MHz for the GPU.
You can find the entire overclocking review over at Madshrimps.be and we included some pictures below just in case you want to see the setup.
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NZXT shows its Hades case :: Posted by THRASHER2
Trying to take part in the holiday shopping season, NZXT has launched a new mid-tower case in its Crafted series, the Hades. The full steel Hades has all the features that enthusiasts would look in a case including bunch of well positioned coolers, pre-drilled holes for water cooling, enough room for decent cable management, and an eye-catching design.
As far as the specs go, the Hades has a total of nine 5.25-inch bays, four internal 3.5-inch drive mounts, support for 30cm graphics cards, a total of five fans, dual 8W fan controller for two 200mm fans, a small display for temperature monitoring, motherboard punched holes for cable management and CPU backplate mounting, support for top mounted dual fan water-cooling radiator and much more.
The entire cooling is done by front mounted 200mm red LED fan in front, 200mm side fan, 120mm exhaust rear fan, and one 140mm on the top. It has room for additional 120/140mm fan on the top but that one isn't included with the case.
The dimensions of this steel mid-tower Hades are 200 X 430 X 501 mm and it weighs 6.59kg. The entire case is made out of black painted steel except for the front panel which is made out of plastic.
The design is something that you either like or not and it is purely subjective so you can judge by yourself from those pictures below. With the US $89.99 and آ€69.99 price tag, it certainly sounds appealing.
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Intel's NDA worthless :: Posted by THRASHER2
Digitimes claims that Intel's NDA is worthless after its upcoming H55 and H57 (Ibex Peak) chipsets were spotted available for sale in Taiwan.
Asustek and Intel's own-brand motherboards are being flogged by Taiwan retailers despite the fact motherboard makers were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) prohibiting such activities before the scheduled chipset launch on January 7. Motherboard makers are mightily miffed because Intel had gone to the trouble of making them sign an NDA prohibiting the release of any information about the chipsets before Intel's official launch announcement. Normally makers are not required to sign this type of NDA.
Intel claimed it was jumpy because they are the first Nehalem platforms targeting the mainstream market. They are also the first to introduce support for Flexible Display Interface (FDI), Intel's new architecture which will see integrated graphics moved from the chipset and onto the CPU.
Asustek is likely to have just pushed its luck by breaking the embargo. It claims that it abides by its agreement with Intel and has not authorised any of its agents to make H55 and H57 products available for sale. However there is no explanation for the Intel branded products also being sold.
After all if Intel cannot police its own channel, why should vendors worry about it. Intel told Digitimes that there is a lot of interest and excitement around its new technologies before the official launch. Intel motherboards have since disappeared from display in channel retail shops in Taipei.
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Foxconn intros two Pineview boards :: Posted by THRASHER2
Foxconn has launched two mITX boards based on Intel's new Pineview Atom CPUs with integrated graphics and memory controller.
The D51S features a dual-core Atom D510 processor, 2 DDR2 slots and 1 PCI slot. Two SATA II ports are on board, as well as gigabit Ethernet, 5.1 channel audio and 8 USB 2.0 ports. The board features an active cooler, although we're not sure why, as new Atoms should be cool enough to sport passive coolers. You can find the full spec here.
The D41S has a similar spec sheet, but it packs a single core Atom D410 and passive cooling. You can find the product page link
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Lite-On iHES208 Blu-ray reviewed :: Posted by THRASHER2
On hand is the Lite-On iHES208 8X Blu-ray Disc Reader with DVD Writer Combo, provided to us from the companyآ’s headquarters in Fremont, California. In perspective, the drive is loaded with 2009آ’s greatest technological advancements in the field of Blu-ray, DVD and CD optical reading capabilities and features a compelling specs sheet to undergo our approval. The drive is a half-height internal Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD reader with support for BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-R DL, BD-RE SL, BD-RE DL, BD DVD-ROM, DVD آ± R, DVD آ± RW, DVD آ± DL, DVD-RAM, DVD+R9, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM XA, CD-PLUS, CD-I and CD-DA.
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Kingston teases with water cooled kit :: Posted by THRASHER2
Water cooling ready HyperX modules
Kingston has released a couple of pictures of what appears to be a new HyperX kit that can be hooked up to a water cooling system, which implies that we might see a kit that is designed for overclockers.
In general, Kingston HyperX kits are quite good, and as far as it can be seen from these first pictures this DDR3 kit will probably be targeting high-performance LGA 1156 and AM3 setups. We doubt that Kingston will pair its new water cooling heatsink with some low-performance or even mid-range kits, and we guess that we might see the 2133MHz kit overclocked beyond anything we've seen so far.
The kit has yet to be detailed, but we are sure that Kingston will show it at CES 2010, so more details should be available then
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Titan Fenrir TTC-NK85TZ CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews :: Posted by THRASHER2
"Today's review of the Fenrir cooler will test to see whether this is a good, great, or excellent cooler both aesthetically and through benchmarking on a Intel I7 965 Extreme Edition processor pushed to full load. The Fenrir cooler is a little more flashy than most of the competition, but at around US$50, is this more form than function, or will it pull through to be a cooler we at Tweaknews will recommend."
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NVIDIA GeForce GT 240 512MB Review @ 3DChip :: Posted by THRASHER2
"Just before Christmas we release our last graphics card-review of the year 2009 and we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. While ATi is already selling DirectX-11 cards, nVidia bridges the time, until theirs are going to be released, with midrange-videocards and DirectX-10.1 support. One of these cards found its way into our editorial office and we put it through his paces. That was a GT240, the fastest DirectX-10.1-videocard from nVidia. In this case we had a sample from Gigabyte with a memory size of 512 MB."
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Site Info: www.3dchip.com
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XFX 850W Black Edition Power Supply Review @ Legit Reviews :: Posted by THRASHER2
"With the fan out of the way we can get a look at the heat sinks and capacitors inside the XFX 850W Black Edition Power Supply. All of the capacitors are high quality Nippon Chemi-Con. Those who are really into power supplies just "ah ha". For those of us who are not, what we are looking at is Seasonic M12D guts in an XFX wrapper. This same platform drives the PC Power and Cooling Silencer 910 as well. With this many names of big companies known for quality parts this should be one sturdy PSU."
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Snell Acoustics IC-K7 Review @ Digital Trends :: Posted by THRASHER2
"Among audiophiles, Snell Acoustics is both well-known and well-respected for producing some of the best-sounding speakers ever made in the U.S.A. The manufacturer's zero-compromise approach to speaker design and enthusiasm for using the best available materials has resulted in a lineage of high-end speakers usually sold through hi-fi specialty stores. As such, the firm's popularity has remained confined to the more enthusiastic amongst us audio fans. However, we think that the new IC(in cabinet)-K7 bookshelf speaker may nudge Snell into a new category that will have a whole new audience enjoying its products and their exceptional sound. With the IC-K7, Snell has designed a new high-performance, lower cost and quite handsome cabinet to house the same drivers and crossover components as their K7 bookshelf speaker. The result is a versatile, unassuming speaker that sounds just as incredible in a cabinet or on a bookshelf as it does sitting on a speaker stand."
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Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6 Motherboard Review @ Benchmark Reviews :: Posted by THRASHER2
Computer hardware always evolves, and in the interest of making lives more productive technology continues to advance. Gigabyte has recently launched their P55-A series of motherboards on the Intel P55-Express chipset, which incorporate a new 3-3-3 theme of features: Super-Speed USB 3.0 and 3x the USB power output, as well as SATA-3.0 for 6Gbps bandwidth. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6 and inspects the new SATA-6G functionality in-depth. Performance will be measured between the Intel Core i7-860 fitted to the LGA1156 socket on the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6 motherboard and the Core i7-920 equipped GA-EX58-UD4P. Testing a Core i7-860 against an i7-920 might not seem fair, and it's a little biased to compare P55 against X58, but the final outcome might just surprise you.
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x264 HD Benchmark 3.04 :: Posted by THRASHER2
The new x264 HD Benchmark 3.0 is here!
This is the improved version of the x264 HD Benchmark 2.0 benchmark which has become a standard CPU benchmark for Tech ARP as well as many other hardware enthusiasts.
The new x264 HD Benchmark 3.0 ups the ante by using the latest r1342 x264 encoder as well as other changes under the hood. This makes the x264 HD Benchmark 3.0 the new best tool for testing the full capabilities of modern multi-core processors.
Do note that due to the changes, the results from x264 HD Benchmark 3.0 are NOT comparable with results from older versions of the benchmark.
In addition to the release of the benchmark, we will be compiling benchmark results for this new version. So please contribute your new benchmark results to this project!
In this update, we added :
- the Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition desktop processor.
- the improved results of the Intel Core i7-920 desktop processor.
- the improved results of the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 desktop processor.
- the Intel Core 2 Duo T6670 mobile processor.
- the Intel Pentium III EB (1.0 GHz) desktop processor.
Check out the latest results!
Link : http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=520
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QNAP TS-439U-RP Rackmount NAS Review :: Posted by THRASHER2
آ“QNAPآ’s network attached storage devices are known for stability, versatile features, and great support from the few-year-old Taiwanese company. This time around, weآ’re reviewing TS-439U-RP, a 1U rackmount, dual power supply, dual NIC, dual OS, and four bay NAS aimed at the small business and corporate sector. It can serve up files via SMB, AFP, NFS, FTP, and a variety of other alphabet-soup protocols. It can stream audio and video to gaming consoles, backup to cloud services, and so much more. ThinkComputers has the review."
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Belkin Washable Travel Mouse and Pouch Pad :: Posted by THRASHER2
"Today for review I've got a rather unique mouse, one that you can wash with soap and water! It's a product that might be considered a gimmick, but it comes from a rather well known company. Actually it's two products the Washable Travel Mouse and Pouch Pad from Belkin. Since it's washable there's no scroll wheel for obvious reasons, it's been replaced by a unique touch sensitive strip. So continue on to learn more about it... "
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Wireless Phone Charging With PowerMat Review :: Posted by THRASHER2
"For those that haven't seen the commercials on TV, the Powermat is a charging mat that allows you to wirelessly charge up to 3 electronic devices simultaneously. It also allows you to reduce the number of cords needed for charging and is a great conversation piece as you are charging your devices wirelessly. "
Quote: "After using the Powermat wireless charging products for a couple weeks now we have to admit that we are torn on how to feel about them. We can see that this wireless charging technology is the way of the future. We can envision a future where furniture and kitchen counters have these 'pads' built in and you can just place your phone or toaster on the counter and it just magically works without any plugs. Without a doubt the Powermat is ahead of its time and is a conversation starter to say the least. The product works and it works just as good as any wired charger, which speaks volumes...."
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Zalman CNPS10X Extreme CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews :: Posted by THRASHER2
"The Zalman CNPS10X Extreme cpu cooler is the best built processor cooler I have had on my test bench to date. With top notch materials, build quality, feature set coupled with excellent performance, this great looking cooler should be on any buyer's short list. There really isn't more you could add onto a processor cooler without ruining the overall package."
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Seasonic S12D 850W power supply report @ APH Networks :: Posted by THRASHER2
-------- SEASONIC S12D 850W POWER SUPPLY REPORT @ APH NETWORKS ---------------
Dear Media friends,
APH Networks has published a new review that your readers might enjoy. A post
in your site's news section would be greatly appreciated!
* Title: Seasonic S12D 850W power supply report @ APH Networks
* Description: Seasonic power supplies have been favorites amongst APH
Networks editors for quite a while now. Every Seasonic power supply is made
to deliver absolutely flawless power in a reliable manner to every component
in the system, designed with near-flawless engineering implementation, has
unsurpassed quality in almost every component used, and with a level of
refinement that's simply unmatched by any other manufacturer. Not only that
-- Seasonic also designs power supplies that are also one of the most
efficient and quietest around. For these reasons and beyond, it's definitely
no surprise why so many enthusiasts -- us included -- embrace Seasonic as
their power supply of choice. However, they have always had one problem:
Seasonic PSUs in the past have always been relatively modest in terms of
power output rating. While the Seasonic M12II 500W we wrote about in mid-2008
is beyond capable of powering my overclocked Core 2 Extreme QX9650 machine
back in the days, and an average computer uses no more than 300W under full
load (No joke), there are always those people with a series of extremely
power hungry components who require power output beyond that of an average
user. If you are in that situation and want Tier-1 Seasonic units, you're
pretty much out of luck. But times have changed. With the release of the
Seasonic M12D 750W and 850W power supplies late last year, the company
promises to deliver higher power output products, while retaining the traits
that defined their presence in so many enthusiast's hearts. Earlier this
year, the M/D-series power supplies were complimented by the release of the
S/D-series -- the non-modular version of its M/D-series counterpart at a
reduced cost. Will the S12D continue the tradition of Seasonic's excellent
products? We cracked open the 850W model today to find out for you.
* Link: http://aphnetworks.com/reports/seasonic_s12d_850w
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ioSafe Solo Disaster-Proof External HDD :: Posted by THRASHER2
It goes without saying that data security is important, because let's face it... it's not unusual for a hard drive to crash. But what about taking measures to prevent a drive from dying from things other than a simple crash, such as a fire, flood, or receiving a good beating? After tackling those exact scenarios, we can say that this product is a winner.
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Thermaltake TR2 RX 750W Modular Power Supply Review :: Posted by THRASHER2
آ“Not everyone needs a particularly flashy or super powerful power supply unit. The Thermaltake TR2 series caters to users who need functionality, but have no need for bells and whistles beyond modular cabling and 80PLUS certification. The TR2 RX subseries delivers the modular cable management savvy users expect these days. ThinkComputers checks out the TR2 RX 750W in this review."
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ASRock ION 330HT-BD @ techPowerUp :: Posted by THRASHER2
The ASRock ION 330HT-BD packs a BluRay drive along with a few other unique features usually absent from an ION platform. We pull the unit apart to see what makes it tick and even kick it into overdrive - yes we even overclocked this puppy.
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Gigabyte GTX 260 OC Review :: Posted by THRASHER2
Gigabyte GTX 260 OC Review @ TecCentral.de
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Igloo 5710 Plus Silent and F101 PWM Coolers :: Posted by THRASHER2
Today we are going to talk about two new cooling solutions from GlacialTech. They turned out completely different not only in exterior design and configuration, but also in price and cooling efficiency.
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"Two Times Two": ATI Radeon HD 5770 and HD 5750 in :: Posted by THRASHER2
Can a pair of budget graphics cards compete against a single Hi-End solution and what are the pros and cons of configurations like that آ– all these answers in our todayآ’s article!
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Choosing DDR3 SDRAM for LGA1156 Platform :: Posted by THRASHER2
Even an experienced user may be taken aback by the diversity of dual-channel DDR3 SDRAM kits for Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3 processors. Letآ’s try figure out how memory frequency and timings can affect the performance of LGA1156 systems.
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Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme GTX Pro @ Hardwareoverclock :: Posted by THRASHER2
آ“As an upgraded version of acclaimed Accelero XTREME GTX 280, the Accelero XTREME GTX Pro is a multi-compatible cooler for nVIDIA GTX series. This 3-fan cooling solution is also equipped with 5 heatpipes and an optimised heatsink to provide exceptional temperature reduction performance. Together with ARCTIC COOLING patented acoustic design, the Accelero XTREME GTX Pro is an ideal cooler for enthusiasts to boost overclock potentialآ…آ”
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Nexus RX-6300 PSU @ Rbmods :: Posted by THRASHER2
We've reviewed quite a few Nexus powersupplies in the past. This time we will take a look at their newest product RX-6300, which is a 630W power supply cooled with a single 135mm fan. Let's have a look how it succeeds in our tests.
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