Zotac Expands its GTX 285 Lineup, Uses Accelero Xtreme Cooler
Zotac has yet another GeForce GTX 285 SKU in the making. This time, it plans to use its own-designed GTX 285 PCB with an Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme GPU cooler. Zotac isn't using the entire kit, as the NVIO2 and VRM heatsinks aren't compatible with this PCB design. Other manufacturers using this cooler for similar graphics cards include Galaxy, which uses it for its GTX 285 2 GB, and Inno3D, which uses the entire kit for its GTX 280 accelerator.
With the new PCB design, Zotac rearranged the card's VRM area. The design differs from another PCB design for the GTX 285 Zotac designed earlier (read here). The card uses 6 vGPU + 3 vMem power phases. Ferrite-core chokes are made use of, and an extra vGPU phase has been added for redundancy and stability (angled chokes next to the power connectors, pictured below). 1 GB memory across a 512-bit interface is present, with the company making use of Hynix N3C 0.77 ns GDDR3 chips. The clock speeds on this card adhere to NVIDIA's specifications: 648/1476/1242 MHz (core/shader/memory). The SKU is almost ready to be announced.
Source: Expreview
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GeCube Pairs Radeon HD 4670 with GDDR4 Memory
Following Sapphire's move to create a Radeon HD 4670 SKU with GDDR4 memory, GeCube has one of its own, ready for launch. The RV730-based graphics card has 512 MB of GDDR4 memory, across a 128-bit wide memory interface. It uses a simplistic design for its PCB and cooler. The card draws all its power from the PCI-Express slot.
The clock speeds on this card differ from the reference ATI specifications. The core is clocked at 750 MHz, with the GDDR4 memory at 2200 MHz. With the memory speed on offer not much higher than what GDDR3 offers, the inclusion of GDDR4 looks more like a dressing to the SKU. It remains to be seen if the memory benefits from overclocking, to overcome the bottlenecks of the narrow memory bus. Rest of its specifications are standard: 320 stream processors, DirectX 10.1 compliance, and support for ATI CrossFireX technology. It is yet to be priced.
Source: DonanimHaber
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NVIDIA Convinced by Board Partners Not to Rename 9800 GT to GTS 240
Following the news we covered just last month of NVIDIA's plans to rename the 9800 GT to GTS 240, despite the fact the 9800 GT was little more than a renamed 8800 GT, it seems the GPU board partners have managed to convince NVIDIA not to follow through with this name change. There had been much controversy over NVIDIA's renaming scheme even here on our forums, but in a confidential email seen by DailyTech, NVIDIA has cancelled plans to rename the chip yet again. Instead there will now be three versions of the 9800 GT, one of which includes the feature updates due to be present in the GTS 240. There will be the green edition, which we had already heard news of some time ago, which has no need for external power connectors, there will be the standard version, and then an OC version, which although details are not yet confirmed, one would imagine the card would be clocked at the GTS 240 expected speeds of 675/1688/2200 MHz.
Source: DailyTech
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(PR) Futuremark Launches Peacekeeper Web Browser Benchmark
Futuremark Corporation today unveiled Peacekeeper, a free online benchmarking tool for measuring and comparing the performance of common internet browsers. Competition between browsers has never been as hotly contested, nor have internet users had as many choices as they do now. The big five: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera, see regular releases of new and innovative features and each camp's fans keep many a forum and blog busy. So far, words have been the only shots fired in the long-running browser wars. Now, with Peacekeeper web users finally have an easy to use, impartial tool for measuring and comparing the performance of different web browsers. Peacekeeper is a new online benchmark from Futuremark that realistically simulates the load placed on the browser by common JavaScript functions as used by popular, modern websites. For users who prioritize speed and performance, Peacekeeper helps answer the question of which browser is best for them.
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(PR) Re-engineered Battery Material Could Lead to Rapid Recharging of Many Devices
MIT engineers have created a kind of beltway that allows for the rapid transit of electrical energy through a well-known battery material, an advance that could usher in smaller, lighter batteries -- for cell phones and other devices -- that could recharge in seconds rather than hours. The work could also allow for the quick recharging of batteries in electric cars, although that particular application would be limited by the amount of power available to a homeowner through the electric grid.
The work, led by Gerbrand Ceder, the Richard P. Simmons Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, is reported in the March 12 issue of Nature. Because the material involved is not new -- the researchers have simply changed the way they make it -- Ceder believes the work could make it into the marketplace within two to three years.
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(PR) Spire Introduces BlackMoon Power Supplies Series
Spire today launched the BlackMoon PSU Series. Aimed squarely at the gaming community the BlackMoon series of power supplies are a great selection for extreme power demand. Fashioned in neat black steel enclosures and equipped with the signature Spire 120mm Silent Blue LED fan, keeping air flowing and your system running cool. Trust the brand with the industry leading specifications and award winning service program, Spire - Powered by
Innovation.
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(PR) New VIA VX855 Media System Processor Brings Power-Efficiency to 1080p HD Playback
VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA VX855 Media System Processor (MSP) – an ultra power efficient, all-in-one chipset that addresses the key performance and entertainment requirements of today’s small form factor and mobile PC systems.
Increasingly, content is being filmed in high-definition (HD), with movies, TV shows and sporting events taking advantage of the smooth playback, extraordinary picture clarity, and brilliant colors that HD video offers. However, until now the high bit-rates associated with quality HD video have posed a real challenge to the processing capabilities of power efficient PC systems such as those found in small form factor and mobile devices.
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Crytek CryENGINE 3 to be On Display at This Year's GDC Expo
Crytek has announced that CryENGINE 3 is ready and will be on display from March 25th to March 27th at this year's Game Developers Conference or GDC Expo in San Francisco. In contrast to the previous engine, CryENGINE 3 will support all major upcoming platforms as well as current platforms including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, MMO, and PC's DX9/DX10. Carl Jones, director of business development, refused to give more information. He was very brief in his statement:
Be prepared for additional info at the end of the month.
CryENGINE 3 is a revolutionary change from our previous PC-only engines آ– and we're applying a similar revolution to the service we provide to developers using the software to create extraordinary games. CryENGINE 3 will set the benchmark for complete game engine solutions in performance, and services to game engine licensees and their players. We've been preparing a long time for CryENGINE on consoles and we're confident that Crytek will again amaze developers at GDC.
Source: Tom's Hardware
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Report: ASUS Plans Merger of Eee PC and Notebook Departments
Although company officials decline to comment on the story, third party informers claim that ASUSTeK is considering consolidating its Eee PC and notebook departments to help increase efficiency and decrease the management costs for the two departments. With no official information to work with, details are sketchy, but at least we know something is going on. If not, you'll be the first to know.
Source: DigiTimes
Asustek Computer is considering consolidating its Eee PC and notebook departments to help increase efficiency and decrease the management costs for the two departments, according to market sources. The sources have noted that Asustek has already sent out documents of the merger plan to all related department personnel and will work out a schedule in the near future.
Asustek president Jerry Shen has declined to comment on the sources' claims.
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(PR) Apricorn Introduces the Largest Capacity 1.8-inch Pocket Drive on the Market
Apricorn, the leader in personal storage, announced today the 240 GB capacity enhancement for the Aegis Mini, making it the largest capacity 1.8" external drive available on the market. Small enough to slip in a shirt pocket, Aegis Mini is an ultra-portable 1.8-inch external drive with USB 2.0 or FireWire connection. With added capacity, users can now hold up to 60,000 songs, 50,000 photos or 300 hours of video, a 50 percent increase in capacity from its 160GB predecessor.
Smaller than a deck of cards and weighing in at a mere 3.7g, Apricorn's tiny portable drive offers simplicity and convenience. Its compact design centers around a 16-point omni-directional shock-mounted 1.8" hard drive, protecting the drive from the rigors of travel. With extremely low power demands the Aegis Mini is able to power on a single USB connection, helping to conserve notebook battery life and ensuring that the drive powers on all notebooks, including newer more power efficient models.
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EVGA Announces Loaner Program for US and Canada Citizens
As of yesterday, EVGA is promoting its Loaner Program which gives you the opportunity to test out the latest EVGA hardware for two weeks right in your home for free. Here's how it works. First you need a free registration (free), then you need to choose the product you want to receive. The company will randomly select participants and then send out the product you wished for at no cost. Once your two weeks with the product are up, you simply pay the shipping cost to the next person on the list selected by EVGA. There's one more catch, you need to be living the US or Canada to be eligible for the program. For now the only two products available in the Loaner Program are the EVGA X58 Classified motherboard, and a 22" Samsung monithor with 3D Vision Glasses. If you meet the requirements, you can sign up for them at any time here.
Source: EVGA
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(PR) Micron Announces Industryآ’s Highest Density Block Abstracted NAND Flash Memory
Micron Technology, today announced its high-density portfolio of block abstracted (BA) NAND flash memory for use in personal media players and other applications. Utilizing Micron's industry-leading 34nm process technology, BA NAND is a single-package solution-combining MLC NAND with a memory controller that eliminates the need for controllers/systems to undergo arduous re-designs in order to adopt successive generations of NAND.
Currently, most NAND flash memory host controllers are tasked with managing critical NAND functions such as block management and wear-leveling algorithms, and providing adequate error correction code (ECC) coverage to assure system reliability. However, because these features are becoming more advanced with every generation of NAND, designers are required to keep up with the latest innovations in order for their chipsets to properly manage NAND and assure reliable system operation.
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Dell Launches Multi-Touch Studio One 19 PC in Japan
Dell today debuted its new multi-touch Studio One 19 PC in Japan. The all-in-one "entertainment PC" comes in a variety of colors to match your kitchen's main accent. The best you can put in the Studio One 19 is an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, 4 GB of memory, 750 GB hard disk, 6x USB, integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, and NVIDIA GeForce 9400 graphics, and a Blu-ray player. Of course, you can choose from a number of other parts, and make the final price more affordable. All configurations ship with the same 18.5-inch 16:9 (1366x768) HD display. It is up to you to decide whether you want it with multi-touch capabilities or you want the normal glossy screen. Starting price of the Studio One 19 is آ¥149,800 or around US $1,538.
Source: Engadget
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EVGA X58 Classified Ready for Launch
EVGA is set to announce the X58 Classified motherboard. The Intel Core i7 compatible motherboard is set to be one of the most feature-rich and expensive LGA-1366 motherboards till date. The design focus of this motherboard is based on the power-circuitry that fuels its various components. A 1.33 MHz 10-phase digital PWM circuitry with dual 8-pin 12V inputs, along with 4-phase circuit for the DDR3 memory, and 3-phase NB power. Four PCI-E x16 slots driven by the Intel X58 chipset in conjuction with NVIDIA's nForce BR-03 chipset adds 3-way SLI + an additional slot for a GeForce accelerator dedicated to process PhysX. Elaborate heatpipe-driven coolers over the board's northbridge and VRM areas keep temperatures under check. The X58 Classified is priced at US $449, and will start selling shortly. The product has made it to EVGA's catalogues and its product page online. A demonstration video of the product by EVGA can be viewed here.
Source: EVGA
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(PR) MSI Introduces VR430 Notebook
Combining Color Film Print Technology with ocean wave patterns in design, MSI VR430 incorporates a brand new aesthetic concept to the personal laptop computers. Moreover, VR430 features MSI exclusive ECO Engine, the outstanding and unique power saving function invented by MSI Notebook, as the power management function to extend the battery running time while performing different tasks. With attractive appearance and excellent computing capacity, VR430 is your perfect choice for a fancy but also powerful NB.
With 1280x800 high resolution, perfect length and width ratio for the 14.1" LCD monitor, VR430 can liven up your presentations and briefings at work with impressive and vivid colors. On the other hand, it is also capable of displaying DVD caliber images to enhance your viewing pleasures. What's more, slim design along with a weight of at most 2.2kg is much more portable in the market, making it the suitable choice for business consumers on the run. With built-in 1.3 mega pixel webcam and internal microphone, VR430 enables you to engage in real-time sharing and live-video, such as participating in videoconferencing in order to enhance your work efficiency. Additionally, VR430 has a 4-in-1 card reader and 3 well distributed USB 2.0 ports, facilitates connection with various types of computer peripherals. The VR430 is ideal for any environment, whether home, office, or school.
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(PR) Fusion-io Announces the ioDrive Duo - The World's Fastest and Most Innovative SSD
Fusion-io, the leader in solid-state architecture and high-performance I/O solutions, today announced the ioDrive Duo, which doubles the slot capacity of Fusion-io's successful PCI Express-based ioDrive storage solution. The new ioDrive Duo is the market's fastest and most innovative server-based solid-state storage solution.
With the ioDrive Duo, it is now possible for application, database and system administrators to get previously unheard-of levels of performance, protection and capacity utilization from a single server. Performance for multiple ioDrive Duos scales linearly, allowing any enterprise to scale performance to six gigabytes per-second (Gbytes/sec) of read bandwidth and over 500,000 read IOPS by using just four ioDrive Duos.
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Klipsch Annouces Image S4 and S2 Series In-Ear Headphones
Stepping up competition in the mid-range in-ear headphones market, Klipsch today announced its Image S4 and S2 models. The series holds the most affordable in-ear headphones in Klipsch's lineup. The Image S4 and S2 are priced at US $79 and $49 respectively. Despite its market placement, the headphones come with bundles that add value, with the critically acclaimed oval "ear-gels", and a carrying case.
The Image S4 boasts of the first dual-magnet micro-speakers, which should yield better bass responsiveness according to the company. The Image S2 has near-identical specifications except for that it carries angled nozzles and a standard driver. For the Image S4, the frequency-response is ranged at 10 Hz to 20 KHz. Its sensitivity is measured at 110 db SPL/mW, and nominal impedance at 18 ohm. A standard 3.5 mm stereo jack serves as its input.
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Apple Launches the 3rd-Generation iPod Shuffle with 4 GB Internal Storage
Apple today introduced the all-new iPod shuffle. The world's smallest music player, the 3rd-generation iPod shuffle is nearly half the size of the previous model. To control it, you use the new earphone cord. Best of all, it talks to you. Thanks to the new VoiceOver feature, iPod shuffle speaks your song titles, artists, and playlist names. The player comes only with 4 GB internal flash drive, no other capacities are available, but four gigabytes are enough to hold up to 1000 songs. Available today in silver or black, the Apple iPod shuffle 3rd gen costs just $79. Find more info here.
Source: Apple
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Buffalo Designs Stylish New External HDD
Storage and peripherals specialist Buffalo announced the HD-PEU2-RD external hard drive. It is designed to woo the fairer sex with its glossy coloured shells, available in red, white and black. The 81 (W) x 16 (H) x 130 (D) mm shell houses a 2.5 inch hard drive, which comes in capacities starting from 250 GB to 500 GB. The unit tips scales at 190 g. The drive uses USB 2.0 to connect to any PC or Mac. Depending on the capacity of the hard drive, the HD-PEU2-RD is priced between $95 for the 250 GB model, and $171 for the 500 GB model.
Source: Akihabara News
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CrossOver to Bring DirectX 10 Support to Linux and Mac
Codeweavers, the company behind CrossOver, a software that allows Linux and Mac users to run Windows applications, is readying support for Microsoft's DirectX 10 API on in upcoming versions of CrossOver Games. CrossOver Games is a variant of the software specifically designed to run games for Windows with near-complete software API support.
In his blog, Jeremy White, a lead developer for CrossOver products reviewed how much they had achieved on the goals they set eight months ago in the development roadmap. "We've just shipped a lot of those "under the hood" improvements for games out in CrossOver Games 7.2. We're really pushing Direct X 9 support pretty far along, and getting ready to move on DirectX 10." said White.
Source: Codeweavers
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(PR) AMD Announces Shipment of the 50 Millionth Graphics Processor for Wii From Nintendo
AMD announced that the 50 millionth ATI ‘Hollywood’ graphics processor for the Wii game console from Nintendo shipped today. With 50 million units delivered, the ATI graphics processor code-named ‘Hollywood’ becomes the most successful AMD game console chip to date in terms of unit sales.
“Nintendo values its ongoing relationship with AMD. AMD’s graphics technology expertise as displayed in the ATI ‘Hollywood’ chip is a great part of the momentum of Wii. Our combined efforts help deliver entertaining experiences to create many smiling faces in living rooms around the world,” said Genyo Takeda, general manager of Integrated Research and Development, Nintendo Co., Ltd.
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(PR) New Company - Caustic Graphics - Breaks Barriers in 3D Graphics
Caustic Graphics, a new 3D computer graphics company, launches today with a fundamental breakthrough in raytracing acceleration that is set to define a new era in professional 3D production and interactive consumer graphics. Raytracing, the gold-standard for creating 3D imagery, duplicates the natural physics of light, creating stunning images by meticulously tracing the path of light to and throughout any given scene.
Caustic's first-generation technology will deliver an average 20X increase in the speed used to create stunning, realistic 3D imagery for film and video, game development, as well as automotive and consumer product design. The second generation of Caustic's technology, due early next year, is expected to gain an additional order of magnitude in performance, offering 200X speed over today's state-of-the-art graphics products. This massive speed jump is due to Caustic's patent-pending raytracing algorithms implemented in a semiconductor design.
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A-DATA's New 2.5-inch SSD 300 Plus to Offer 250 MB/sec, 160 MB/sec Transfer Speeds
A-DATA Technology, a worldwide leader in high-performance RAM products and Data Storage, announced today its new 2.5-inch SATA 3.0Gbps SSD 300 Plus, a next generation solid-state drive with performance significantly increased. Adopting some latest SSD controller design with 64 MB SDRAM of data buffer, the new 300 Plus SSD is able to read data at 250 MB/sec and write at 160 MB/sec. A-DATA will ship 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB models of the drives, sometime this year.
Source: SlashGear
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GALAXY Prepares Custom GeForce GTX 285 with 2 GB Memory
NVIDIA graphics partner GALAXY Microsystems is in preparation of a new custom designed GeForce GTX 285 video card with 2 GB of onboard GDDR3 (0.8ns) memory. The tricked out card will feature Arctic Cooling's Accelero EXTREME triple fan heatsink and stock clock speeds that can be changed at any time - 648 MHz core/ 1476 MHz shader/ 2484 MHz memory. The card comes with a digital PWM design whereas the reference design comes with 6 phase analog power. Two BIOS chips are also presented on the blue PCB of the card. It is also compatible with GALAXY's Xtreme Tuner Utility software, that allows users to manipulate things like BIOS recovery, fan speed, and clock settings.
Source: VR-Zone
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Dell Adds Three New Laser Printers to its Portfolio
Dell today added three laser printers to its printer product line. The printers introduced today are the two color multifunction models 1235cn and 2145cn, and the budget-priced offering in the black & white category - 2230d. Each printer is Energy Star certified and RoHS compliant.
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MSI Intros the VX600 15.4-inch Laptop
Micro Star International (MSI) on Tuesday announced the VX600 15.4-inch notebook. This portable device runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD3410 graphics, up to 4 GB memory, up to 320 GB HDD, and comes with a 15.4-inch (1280x800) LCD display. Full specs are listed below. In addition, the VX600 comes with an ECO Engine Power Management System, that allows switching between 5 different modes - Gaming mode, Movie mode, Presentation mode, Office mode, and Turbo Battery mode - with single touch of a button. No price or availability date were announced.
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Correction: GeForce GTX 260 In For Yet Another Price Cut
Information from an industry source was misinterpreted by VR-Zone yesterday, which wrote in its original report that the ATI Radeon HD 4870 1 GB was going to get a price-cut from $199 down to $179. In reality, it is the GeForce GTX 260 that is expected to get the price cut, sending its price down to $179.
NVIDIA had implemented significant reductions in prices of GeForce GTX 260 accelerators as recently as today, setting its price to $199. AMD may react to this move with its own new pricing scales for the competitive Radeon HD 4870 accelerator. There is no word on when the new pricing would be implemented.
Source: VR-Zone
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(PR) Sharkoon Unveils FireGlider Gaming Mouse
Sharkoon has expanded its Rush gamer line with a new, high-quality laser mouse. The Sharkoon FireGlider Gaming Mouse features an ergonomically formed body, six programmable buttons, weight tuning system and a stylish high-gloss flame design. The black thumb pad features a no-slip grip with angled slits to provide excellent stability even in the most frantic of situations.
The high-quality ADNS-6010 sensor has a maximum resolution of 3600 DPI (7080 fps) and can handle acceleration speeds of up to 20 Gs. The refresh rate can be adjusted on the fly from 600 - 3600 DPI, and multi-colour LEDs show users what the current rate is. Super fast Teflon mouse feet allow for ultra-smooth movement on hard surfaces.
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NVIDIA Preparing GeForce GTX 275, RV790XT in Sights
AMD is on the course of releasing a new line of high performance products based on its upcoming RV790 graphics processor. The high-end single GPU SKU, Radeon HD 4890 is expected to be competitive with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 260 (216 SP). NVIDIA on the other end of the field, is planning a retaliation to the RV790. The GPU giant is carving out a new SKU based on the 55 nm G200b: GeForce GTX 275.
The new SKU will be placed in the US $225~275 range. While the specifications are not known at this point in time, there are two theories: G200b with 216 stream processors and a 512-bit memory interface, and the other theory suggesting 240 stream processors with the existing 448-bit memory interface on GTX 260. The latter looks inexpensive as the former would step up manufacturing costs due to the addition of two memory chips.
Source: VR-Zone
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Although ATI reduced the price of its Radeon HD 4870 last week to better compete with Nvidia's GTS 250 rebranding, apparently ATI's partners don't think the price reduction is such a good idea. 
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is the latest real-time strategy game for the PC based upon the very successful Games Workship tabletop wargame franchise. 
With a chassis made of ballistic armor and the DoD's seal of approval on heat, wind and shock, the Dell Latitude E6400 XFR could be the toughest laptop on the block. 
By now, the Internet has been abuzz with a new marketing video from Samsung. In it, a group of intrepid Samsung marketers take the company's new 256 GB solid-state drive and hook it up to 23 of its closest friends. But how do they achieve their results? 
