Sapphire Pure Black X58 Review
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Samsung Sells Two Million Galaxy Tabs, Eighty Million Phones, Breaks Revenue Records for Fourth ...
Samsung has certainly been on a roll lately with data being released on its tablet and phone sales, and now, the fourth quarter results from last year are in. Samsung sold two million Galaxy Tabs, eighty million total phones, and broke revenue records for the fourth quarter of 2010. Samsung also sold just under thirteen million TVs, but the revenue and profit numbers are impressive. Total revenue hit $139 billion, net income hit $14 billion, and operating profit hit $15.5 billion for the entire year which shattered all previous Samsung records, and the fourth quarter alone had contributed $2.7 billion to operating profit. So it seems Samsung certainly has winners on its hands for all of its products, but that doesn't stop the tidbit in Samsung's report that it will debut the successor to the Galaxy S phones in the first half of this year. The successor will have a dual-core processor and a Super AMOLED display, so it looks like Samsung's profits have no where to go but up.
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Thortech Unveils Two New Power Supply Series
Thortech has just announced two new power supply series, the Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt PLUS. Both are being billed as high efficiency gaming PSUs, and with both carrying 80Plus Gold certifications, it is easy to see why. The Thunderbolt series features a quad +12v rail design with modular cables. It will be available in 650, 850, 1000, and 1200W capacities with the 650W having a max of 52 amps, the 850W with 70 amps, the 1000W with 80 amps, and the 1200W with 100 amps. The Thunderbolt series is designed to sustain at 50 degrees C with a full wattage output so it will be interesting to see if that holds true during testing. It is cooled by a 135mm ball bearing fan and features all the necessary protections to ensure the PSU won't be the culprit of any problems in your rig.
The top tier line is the Thunderbolt PLUS series since it features a single +12v rail design. It will come in 850, 1000, and 1200W capacities with the 850W having 65 amps, the 1000W at 80 amps, and the 1200W at 100 amps. A nifty little tool that Thortech is including with the Thunderbolt PLUS series is the iPower Meter which is an external 5.25" device that lets you monitor the efficiency, wattage, temperature, and even control the fan speed of the 135mm fan, among other things. The Thunderbolt PLUS even has an Interleave Active PFC circuit to provide a nearly perfect <0.99 PF value. Both PSUs are covered by a five year warranty and have a MTBF of 120,000 hours.
There was no information on when the Thortech Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt PLUS series would launch or at what price, but both series seem highly promising.
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ASRock Passes MSI and ECS; Becomes World's Third Largest Motherboard Vendor in 2010
ASRock may not be the first name you associate with motherboards, but the Taiwan-based manufacturer has been quietly moving up the ranks. Today it was revealed that ASRock passed Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) and Micro-Star International (MSI) to become third-largest motherboard vendor in 2010, based on branded motherboard shipments. ASRock shipped 8 million branded motherboards, only beaten by ASUSteK and Gigabyte, both shipping 21.6 million and 18 million units respectively. MSI and ECS lost ground to ASRock, moving around 7 million branded motherboards last year, although it is worth noting that both manufacturers maintained approximately 10 million OEM orders during the same period. The market outlook among manufacturers remains modest, with ASUSteK expecting 5% growth this year to about 22.7 million units, ASRock aims to sell 9 million units where as Gigabyte is aiming to maintain its current 18-18.5 million units.
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Razer DeathAdder Black Edition Gaming Mouse
Razer is well known for its gaming mice, and none more so than the original DeathAdder. Since its release five years ago, it has been adopted by more professional gamers than any other gaming mouse on the market. In recognition of this, Razer has released the DeathAdder Black Edition that simplifies the DeathAdder’s form factor design with new non-slip rubber sides for the most comfortable grip and best handling over extended gaming periods.
It's ergonomic, right-handed design features a 3500dpi 3.5G infrared sensor, 1000hz ultrapolling with 1ms response time and zero-acoustic Razer gaming grade ultraslick mouse feet. You also get five independently programmable Hyperesponse buttons and on-the-fly sensitivity adjustments that give you 60 – 120 inches per second and 15g of acceleration all wrapped in a complete-black finish.
The DeathAdder Black Edition is priced at US $59.99/EU €59.99 with immediate availability from Razerzone.com and Razer expects it to be available worldwide in February 2011.
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Tt eSports Unveils Black Element Gaming Mouse
Thermaltake's Tt eSports brand is slowly gaining steam and launching much of the products it unveiled at Computex last year. Now, Tt eSports is getting set to launch a totally new product it is calling the Black Element gaming mouse. This mouse is being designed for MMO and RTS players as it features nine macro buttons and five different profiles. Do the math and that gives you the option of having 45 macros assigned to all five profiles which is pretty staggering for a mouse. The Black Element also has a rubber coating, Omron gaming switches, a 6500DPI laser sensor, and an adjustable weight system. There is even a lighting system with five colors that is user adjustable. Tt eSports has even included 128kB of on-board memory to store all your profiles ensuring you don't need to install any software if you plug your mouse into different computers.
There was no mention of pricing or availability for the Tt eSports Black Element gaming mouse, so expect more information to come.
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PowerColor Announces PCS+ HD6970
PowerColor has announced its take on the AMD HD6970, the PCS+ HD6970. It will feature a core speed of 940MHz, and memory speed of 1425MHz. Delivering nearly 2.9 teraflops of computing power, your gaming needs are sure to be satisfied. Featuring several copper heat pipes and two 92mm fans, the card features temperatures up to 20% better than reference cooling implementations. By using two large fans, they will be able to operate at a lower RPM and therefore produce lower noise while delivering improved cooling. The card features 2GB GDDR5, DirectX 11 support, and several different connection options. Also included is a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
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Microsoft Posts $6.63 Billion Profit for Second Quarter
Microsoft has just released its reports from the second quarter and the numbers certainly are very favorable. The folks in Redmond have posted a $6.63 billion profit on revenues of $19.95 billion for the second quarter, which is about on par with what it did this time last year. Overall it is all good numbers for Microsoft, but the bottom line is changing fast with what makes it the most money. Kinect and Xbox 360 pushed Entertainment and Devices Division's revenue up 55% to $3.6 billion, but Windows and Windows Live revenue fell nearly 30% to $5.05 billion. This means the gap between the two divisions (consumer entertainment and Windows) is now at $1.3 billion when just last year it was a $4.8 billion gap. There wasn't much mention of how Windows Phone 7 is doing so one can gather that it isn't impacting revenue in any big way just yet.
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Sony's Next Generation Portable - Everything You Expected of the PSP2 and More!
For years, rumors surrounding a PSP2 have been swirling around the Internet. Today, we finally learn the truth. Codenamed the Next Generation Portable (NGP), the successor to the PSP features a gorgeous 5" 16:9 OLED touch screen and an additional touch pad on the rear of the device. I'm sure you're all interested in the specifications, so it's probably easier to just list them out for you:
| Size | 182mm x 18.6mm x 83.5mm |
| Screen Size | 5" OLED, 16:9 |
| Resolution | 960x540 (16 million colors) |
| CPU | ARM Corex-A9 core (4-core) |
| GPU | SGX543MP4+ |
| Network | 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth |
| Features | 2x Microphones, 2x Cameras, Built-in GPS |
| Controls | D-Pad, 2x Thumbsticks, Rear Multi Touch Panel, Three-axis Gyroscope, Three-axis Accelerometer, Three-axis Compass, Multi Touch-Screen OLED |
| Buttons | PS, Power, D-Pad, Action (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square), Left and Right Shoulders, Left Stick, Right Stick, Start, Select, Volume |
With every new revision of the PSP, everyone was always clamoring for dual thumbsticks, only to be left disappointed when it didn't happen. Finally, with the NGP, Sony has delivered. According to Kotaku's Brian Ashcraft, who got to test out the NGP, the dual thumbsticks were "fast, responsive and easy to use" and further added that "for those who always felt that the PSP's thumb "nub" never got it right, you'll be more than pleasantly surprised." In addition, though the NGP is slightly larger than the PSP-3000, it's surprisingly light and comfortable to hold.
The other thing you may have noticed in the table above is no mention of a UMD drive. Like Sony's failed PSPgo, the NGP will rely on flash memory cards and digital downloads. The lack of a UMD drive is one of the main reasons the device is so light. It also has a positive effect on battery life. Current NGP development kits are proving to have better battery life than the PSP-3000, which gets around 4-6 hours. It's important to note that the final product may differ, but it certainly looks promising, and is comparable to the less powerful Nintendo 3DS. It's also important to note that the battery will not be removable, as the rear touch pad apparently makes that impossible.
Speaking of the rear touch pad, if you think it's just a gimmick, think again. One of the game demos being shown off was for the upcoming NGP title Little Deviants. In that game, players use the rear touch pad to alter the terrain, manipulating balls around a cartoon landscape (around the :47 mark in the video below). Aside from that, Sony hopes that developers will use the rear touchpad as extra buttons or shortcuts for commands. It certainly opens a wide range of possibilities.
The other title being demoed was a new Uncharted, based off the highly touted PS3 series. Though the NGP doesn't quite have PS3-level graphics, it's apparently very close. Other announced titles included Killzone, Resistance, Call of Duty, LittleBigPlanet, and more.
The NGP definitely looks like the making of a killer portable device, but as of now, a price hasn't been disclosed, which will surely have an impact, as will its game lineup — though big names like Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet and Call of Duty certainly help start things off on the right foot. The NGP is expected to hit stores at the end of this year, hopefully in time for the holidays.
Sources:
Kotaku
Gamespot
PlayStation Blog
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