PCI-Express 2.0 has been here for us for what seems like an eternity in the tech world - so much moving past us in terms of cores on a CPU, the amount of system ram and at the moment the apocolyptic GPU wars between the great AMD and NVIDIA.
PCI-Express 3.0 is the next gen champion to be on your motherboard. It is rumored to be clashing it's hammer with the Sandy Bridge E 'Patsburg' on LGA2011 which is slated for 2011. Depending on whether the LGA2011 becomes the consumer-targetted replacement. The closest definite for PCI-Express 3.0 is for early 2012 when Ivy Bridge hits.
What will it bring us you say? We see a doubling in speed from PCI-Express 2.0's bandwidth of 4Gbps to a next-gen of 8Gbps, a 100% increase - also remember that is per lane in each direction which means the total bandwidth going to the next gen is going to be 32Gbps. This gives it a huge upgrade to allow GPU's to start running laps around their current high end VGA cards.
In order to get a doubling in speed from the current PCI-Express 2.0 standard - PCI-SIG (the guys behind the spec) have also lessened the encoding overheads to make faster transfers even more efficient.
It's kryptonite? Currently signalling bus devices (like PCI-Express 2.0) use an '8b/10b' encoding - which means ten bits are transferred for eight bits (one byte) of actual data. Obviously this isn't optimal, 10bits used for only 8bits of actual data - which is quite a considerable amount (20 percent). To get out of this issue PCI-Express 3.0 encodes the data in a much larger amount, a 128b/130b amount to be exact.
Following that is 'a known polynomial is applied to a data stream in a feedback topology', with an 'inverse polynomial' sat at the other end to decode the data. In non-nerd speek it's a hardcoded mathematical function that is designed more efficiency for the handling of 0s and 1s - so they don't interfere with each other when transferred. The technique is called 'scrambling'.
The results of this are instead of 5GT/sec of PCI-e 2.0 increasing to 10GT/sec, PCI-Express will only require an 8GT/sec transfer - as the data is also transferring at a great efficiency (think a long drive uses less petrol in a car, then running it around town constantly). This result also uses less power - as it doesn't have to involve higher grade materials, in turn making the product cheaper to make. It's pure genius.
While this is both good and bad news - PCI-Express 3.0 provides not much more power than it's predecessor, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Having >300W drawn from each PCI-E 3.0 port is expensive to make, it would increase the thickness of copper traces on the motherboard. Manufactures such as Asus and Gigabyte could possibly need to add extra layers to try and route the high power traces and their associated electromagnetic interference away from sensitive data traces.
Sounds complicated? Well, it means that with greater effiency, comes less power consumption. In a world of GPU's getting to boiling point at a stated 2xxW part, where it and many others reach 300W quite easily - it's a step in a better direction.
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Zamzee will offer prizes for getting more active
Sure, it feels like most game console makers are looking to get your butt off the couch and into motion when it comes to gaming. PS Move, Kinect, the Wii; active gaming is becoming all the rage. But prizes for getting active? That will definitely grab some attention. HopeLab, a non-profit game lab founded by Pam Omidyar, has introduced Zamzee; a point based system designed to track your amount of activity and give you points that can be redeemed for virtual goods or real world goodies like gift cards.
Zamzee, which is looking towards a beta launch in Q2 next year, is providing a game that tracks how much activity the wearer has been through during their day. The more active you are, the more points you score. ZamzeeÂ’s early research is showing a 30% increase in activity for Zamzee users which they state is the equivalent of running an extra marathon in a month. ItÂ’s an interesting idea; kind of like a pedometer that pays you back? Check out TechCrunchÂ’s interview Richard Tait of HopeLabs at the Source Link for more info.
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Intel shows off Kinect Style camera tech
Obviously Kinect hacks have been the new "cool thing" to do - the applications they're being used in at the moment is expanding quite rapidly, which is great. Intel on the other hand has something new from their Seattle research lab - they have been working on a range of projects using what it describes as "Kinect-style" cameras.
There's an augmented reality video below which shows Intel bringing Lego to life - while the second video shows a whole new degree of interactivity with everyday objects. This tech is very new, but with the right nurturing - it could become tomorrow's technology very easily, especially with Windows 8 approaching in the next two years.
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iPhone so big in Japan competitors turn to the Dark Side for help
Things have obviously changed since 2008, when surveys stated that around 90% of Japanese consumers would not buy an iPhone. The iPhone 4 seems to have changed opinions and has become a big hit in the tech-savvy country and for mobile carrier Softbank. ItÂ’s become such a hit that rival NTT DoCoMo, the countryÂ’s largest mobile carrier, has turned to Darth Vader in their latest anti-iPhone campaign.
Yes, that Darth Vader. Vader’s signing bonus for promoting the Galaxy S phone was undisclosed, but in one commercial he waves his hand and states, “there is no iPhone.” It’s quite a battle being fought, as The Wall Street Journal’s Japan Realtime blog as stated that “The iPhone accounts for about two-thirds of the domestic smartphone market, making DoCoMo’s efforts even more challenging in image-conscious Japan, where the iPhone is starting to become a must-have personal accessory among many young people.” Funny; you’d have thought Apple would be the company resorting the the Force Choke to get people to buy their products.
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Ubuntu CEO considering daily updates
People who are in the know when it comes to Ubuntu are familiar with their fairly regular alphabetical bi-yearly updates. This all may be changing as UbuntuÂ’s founder and CEO Mark Shuttleworth is reportedly pondering daily updates to the operating system.
During a conference call last month, Shuttleworth is quoted as stating that daily updates would help Ubuntu "keep pace with an increasingly complex software and platform ecosystem as Ubuntu goes on more devices and syncs up Android and iPhones." Daily updates, while a ton of work for the developers, may also keep the OS up to date as more and more mobile platforms take advantage of the simple and lightweight functionality of Ubuntu.
Shuttlesworth went on to state, "In an Internet-oriented world, we need to be able to release something every day. That's an area we will put a lot of work into in the next five years."
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Crytek announce Warface a PC exclusive multiplayer shooter
Well - just as I was losing faith in the high end PC phenomenon, my socks have just been blown off and my hair looks like I've just stuck a fork in an electricity socket. Crytek have announced "Warface" - it will use Crytek's proprietry graphics engine, CryEngine 3 and will be a PC exclusive multiplayer shooter.
Coop missions will be a key-feature, right now there's no mention of a single player campaign. More interesting though - is that they plan to release Warface as a free-to-play shooter and is looking to target the Korean and Asian markets specifically.
'Our passion is to always deliver the best gaming experience possible,' said Crytek CEO, Cevat Yerli. 'That's why we opened our Crytek Korea office in 2008, which today enables us to offer a game that is tailored to suit its market. We're excited to debut with Warface in South Korea and to deliver a compelling and truly unique experience soon.'
Right now, Warface doesn't have a release date - and Crytek have not confirmed how the game would make profits, but advertising and micro-transactions would be an obvious route. Crytek did add that the game will feature customisable player classes though.
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AMD responds to NVIDIA's IQ complaints
When things get hard (not being able to supply stock for a popular card) tactics change - things get nasty. There have been complaints of AMD lowering Image Quality in certain games to gain extra frame rates (and in turn, making their cards seem like they're performing better than the competitions cards).
But, most people either forget, or remember back in 2003 NVIDIA pulled the same stunt by tuning drivers to perform better in benchmarks.
A representative from AMD has stepped forward to set the record straight. AMD denies any accusations and underhanded tactics and has reaffirmed it's commitment to the PC gaming community. The rep who stepped forward also pointed out that the default IQ settings in the Catalyst drivers had recently been revisited and they were what AMD deemed "on-par" with NVIDIA's default IQ settings.
The statement pointed out that AMD takes "great care in determining the default settings of Catalyst drivers" and that the current defaults "deliver a very good gaming experience".
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Google Chrome extension allows Kinect to control the browser with gestures
I really love Google Chrome - and more so now, a group of students from MIT Media Lab Fluid Interfaces Group have turned the Kinect motion controller into a tool for browsing the internet.
They have written an extension for Chrome called DepthJS - which allows you to use the internet with gestures. Interestingly, making a fist is used for selecting while a swatting motion is used for scrolling.
There was also a video showing a Munich-based company called Evoluce - they show off Windows 7 applications being controlled through Kinect - pretty amazing results this early on in the game.
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RumorTT: ARM to buy NVIDIA?
I've posted previously about this, but the rumors aren't dying... obviously there could be something happening, but until it does it stays in rumor land for now.
NVIDIA don't have a CPU, they only have dedicated GPU's/Tegra range - this puts them between a rock and a very, very hard place come next year when AMD launches their Fusion APU range. With the integrated graphics exploding like there's no tomorrow, it is paving the way for a completely different market than we're used to.
Kitguru have a pretty big article on the rumor, I would suggest if you're a fan of GPU's or NVIDIA, to give it a good read.
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Intel X25-M 120GB Retail Solid State Drive
Introduction
Until Marvell and SandForce released their first solid state drives Intel had a performance lead on all of their competitors. Unfortunately in our testing we found the 80GB Postville SSD lacked capacity and at the time the 160GB version cost substantially more than most consumers were willing to spend. IntelÂ’s ten channel controller was revolutionary, but forced Intel to release drives in odd capacity sizes.
A lot has changed since we last looked at the X25-M Series products. SandForce has released odd capacity sizes, 80GB being one of them. In order to do this each channel uses less flash and it has an effect on performance. Other manufacturers have also gone as far as reducing the number of active channels to achieve smaller drives, Intel being one of them. When this happens performance is lost due to the number of parallel reads and writes being reduced. At first we thought Intel had used this method to deliver a 120GB SSD, making it from a reduced channel 160GB drive, but that was not the case.
The Intel X25-M 120GB drive uses a new method to deliver different capacities, one that keeps the controller at its full channel capacity and keeps the performance very high. The new 120GB model uses five flash modules from the 160GB drive and five from the 80GB drive. In this review we will see what effect this has on performance while at the same time comparing IntelÂ’s latest SSD market entry to drives using SandForce, Marvell and Indilinx controllers.
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Quick Review: Dell XPS 14 Notebook
While IÂ’m a notebook owner, IÂ’m not sure I would consider myself a notebook user. Over two years ago I wrote an editorial about Entering the Notebook World and while I do use my notebook daily, itÂ’s in the capacity of me VNCing into it and checking my email on it.
The XPS M1330 has served me extremely well, but itÂ’s going to be interesting to see how the XPS line up has changed over the years. I wonder if the quality continues to be there and if this is a notebook we should be recommending.
Specifications on the XPS 14 from Dell we’re looking at include the Intel i7 720QM processor which carries four cores and a stock clock of 1.6GHz. We’ve got 4GB of DDR3 1333MHz DDR memory and video is being offered via an NVIDIA GT 425M. Storage comes in the form of a 500GB 2.5” drive and the sample we’ve got today comes with the expensive Blu-ray burner option which really stretches the price out. You can see the specifications in more detail at the CPU-Z validation page here.
The Standard battery is a 6-Cell one, but weÂ’ve got the 9-Cell which is a fair bit bigger and doubles as a bit of a stand, helping angle the laptop towards you. If you donÂ’t mind the added thickness, itÂ’s a nice upgrade from the standard 6-Cell one.
Other goodies include the Intel 6200 Wireless N card along with Bluetooth support. Connectivity is strong with a card reader, eSATA and Gigabit network port being offered on the right side. The left side offers us a USB 2.0 port along with some audio jacks with one that doubles as a S/PDIF port. The back gives us another USB 2.0 port, power port and some video out options via HDMI and mini-DisplayPort.
WeÂ’ve also got a camera that sits just above the screen. Something a little different, though, is the fact that this is a Skype Certified laptop. ThatÂ’ll no doubt be a nice feature for regulars of Skype, as youÂ’ll be able to buy with confidence.
Once you start using the XPS 14 you notice some really nice features that arenÂ’t really covered in the specifications. The most stand-out would be the backlit keyboard which is an option from Dell. It looks fantastic and as someone whoÂ’s been using the G series of keyboards from Logitech for a while on their personal PC, the backlit inclusion is nice.
The WLED screen looks good with a native resolution of 1366 x 768, which is a little higher than 720P HD (1280 x 720). While the screen is nice on the eyes, what really stands out are the speakers and how nice theyÂ’re on the ears. Using JBL speakers, the XPS 14 offers some serious sound quality; much higher than youÂ’ll see from most other notebooks, especially ones in this size.
Out of the box weÂ’ve got Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit on our machine and it runs smooth, which is no doubt due to the i7 processor and 4GB of DDR3. The normal array of bloat ware doesnÂ’t seem as heavy and while thereÂ’s a few things present that you can uninstall straight away, the machine was running great with the default Dell apps installed.
To test out the gaming capabilities of the XPS 14 we fired up the Far Cry 2 Benchmark and ran it at the high pre-set at the native resolution. We ended up getting a minimum off 23 FPS and average of 43 FPS. While the minimum is a little lower than we would like, if you watch the actual benchmark it doesnÂ’t look too bad and runs quite smooth since the drop to less than 30 FPS only rarely happens.
The GT 425M doesnÂ’t do too bad a job handling Far Cry 2 and you could easily drop detail a little lower to lift those frames. You really shouldnÂ’t have too much of an issue playing some games at medium detail at the native resolution.
While we ran the benchmark, we managed to get 62.4watt which sits roughly in the middle when compared to other notebooks. Using Battery Eater Pro, weÂ’re able to simulate battery drain in a worst case scenario. With the notebook set to High Performance we managed 97 Minutes out of the battery.
Firing up a 720p MKV, video playback was extremely smooth which is great to know if youÂ’re looking at running some HD video content on the XPS 14. During playback we drew only 54.3 watt which is lower than gaming, which means youÂ’re going to get slightly more battery life when watching movies versus gaming. ItÂ’s here you also see the WLED screen colours pop in something like Family Guy and again appreciate the audio quality that the JBL speakers offer.
The XPS 14 is quite feature packed and offers some really nice features. The two stand outs would be the simple things; the backlit keyboard is really nice and just adds something new to the mix, while the biggest surprise of the package was the audio. The JBL speakers sound great from music to movies and really were a surprise.
The XPS line has changed over the last few years, especially since I got my M1330, and while theyÂ’re a little chunkier now, theyÂ’re more feature packed and the smaller models also carry better video cards, making gaming a lot more possible.
Starting at $899.99 youÂ’re getting yourself something thatÂ’s packing quite a bit of punch. As tested today youÂ’re looking at just over $1,700, but $450 of that is the Blu-ray Burner which of course doesnÂ’t impact performance in any way. Decked out with a 256GB SSD, 8GB of DDR3, TV Tuner and a 1.86GHz i7 840QM is going to set you back closer to $2900.
Gripes with the XPS 14 are few and far between. Something a little frustrating is the HDD activity and battery indicator LED sits behind the screen when open, which makes it impossible to see outside of turning the laptop around or standing up and looking over. Of course, on the one weÂ’ve got as well the Blu-ray burner is an expensive option which most people will probably avoid.
The overall quality is strong, the speakers are fantastic and the video card seems like itÂ’s up to the task. Depending what you want to spend and exactly what you want to do will determine the price you pay, but drop the Blu-ray burner to save some serious money and youÂ’ve got a really well placed notebook.
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