IT News HeadLines (AnandTech) 25/11/2010

ASUS EeePC 1215N: Bringing NG-ION to the 1201

When we first looked at the ASUS Eee PC 1201N last year, we thought it was a unique take on the netbook idea, and possibly one of the first acceptably performing netbooks on the market. Fast forward to 2010, and we have the Eee PC 1215N, basically an updated 1201 with a dual-core Atom D525 and Next-Generation ION. But with the release of the dual-core Atom N550 for netbooks and smaller netbooks releasing with NG-ION in tow, does the $499 1215N still have enough appeal to capture the niche market it had before? Read on to find out.

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10G Ethernet: More Than a Big Pipe
If you are looking to improve your virtualized datacenter, 10Gb Ethernet really deserves your attention. It delivers more than twice as much bandwidth as quad-port gigabit, lower latency, lower power per gigabit, and the ability to greatly simplify your network infrastructure--especially with virtualized servers. 10GbE is a game changer for I/O virtualization; it is much more than “a bigger pipe” for your (virtualized) network traffic. That is the good news.

The bad news is that you have to take quite a few hurdles before I/O virtualization does it's magic. One bad decision and you end up with a power gobbling, CPU hogging monster. We gathered two modern 10GbE NICs, one from Solarflare and one from Neterion, and checked if they are really an improvement compared to the typical Intel 82598 NIC. This article is not a simple throughput and latency benchmarking review, but turned out to be a story about how virtualization technologies like VT-d, IOMMU, Netqueue, SR-IOV and I/O convergence can make sense in the modern datacenter.

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Quick Look: Kingston HyperX MAX 3.0, A USB 3.0 V+100 SSD
Although OCZ was first on the market with a USB 3.0 enabled SSD with its Enyo drive, competitors are knocking down the doors and bridging the gap. We saw the first lower cost USB 3.0 SSD with Kingston's DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0, however the JMicron JMF612 controller it was based on didn't really impress. The only thing the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 had going for it was a lower total cost for the smaller capacity versions.

Hot on the heels of the release of its unusually potent V+100 SSD, Kingston aims its sights at the high end with its second USB 3.0 SSD: the HyperX MAX 3.0. Borrowing a brand from Kingston's enthusiast memory line, the HyperX MAX 3.0 is literally a SSDNow V+100 SSD paired with a SATA to USB 3.0 bridge PCB.
Read on for a quick look at the drive's performance and behavior over time.

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Jason's Holiday Guide Pt I - Home Theater on a Mid-Range Budget
You can get a pretty darn good home theater setup for around $3K-$4K
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Nexus S, Android "Gingerbread" Pictured
XDA gets some blurry shots of the Nexus S
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Nerve Toxins Destroyed by Plant-Derived Bioscavenging Molecules
Bioscavenging molecule BChE hunts and kills (or neutralizes) harmful organophosphates like pesticides, preventing them from harming the body
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Brandon's Holiday Gift Guide
I don't ask for a lot... I promise
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Chevy Volt Rated at 93 MPG on Battery Power, 60 MPG Combined
93 mpg on battery power, 37 mpg on gasoline power
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Tiffany's Holiday Gift Guide
All the necessary gadgets needed for my new place, as well as a few items I'd just like to have
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Environmental Toxin "Acrolein" May Help Cause Multiple Sclerosis
Researchers use hydralazine to counter it
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Shane's Holiday Gift Guide
Dear Santa, I want it all. Thanks.
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Mac Shipments Grow in Q3 Amid Reporting Controversy
IDC used numbers in its esitmates that differed from Apple's own reports
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TSA Defends Its Right to Pat Downs, Nude Scans in Light of Protests
The public is not happy about increasingly invasive "enhanced" searches and scans
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