Intel MeeGo for Tablets panels UI captured on video at MWC 2011
MWC 2011 - Nicole Scott is back on the show floor today at MWC 2011 in Barcelona for us and she found herself at the Intel booth checking out one of Intel's big announcements at the show which is MeeGo for Tablets or the Tablet User Experience (UX) as Intel are calling it.
Refresher on MeeGo? It was an idea first started by Nokia (the Maemo project) and Intel (the Moblin project) who joined together to create MeeGo, an open source Linux operating system for mobile devices. Nokia has since removed itself from the project, but according to everyone at MWC 2011, MeeGo is still going full steam ahead at this stage of the game.
MeeGo for Tablets is really quite simple as the name suggests - MeeGo designed intentionally for tablet computers. It relies on panels which can be loaded with various different widgets and apps to bring a full viewing experience to people on larger mobile devices such as of course tablets. Nicole saw the new tablet user interface on a Pegatron 11.6-inch tablet running an Intel Atom N450 processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory and a 32GB SSD.
The Intel AppUp store is not ready for the new tablet OS at this stage, but it should be coming soon. Intel will of course want to get that on there ASAP to increase the richness of apps for it. MeeGo for tablets is expected to be released to the general public for download before MWC 2011 ends, which is February 17. You don't have long to wait if you are keen to try it out.
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Download of the Day: uTorrent 2.2.1 Beta 24649
Our Download of the Day today is uTorrent 2.2.1 Beta 24649.
µTorrent is a small and incredibly popular BitTorrent client.
Micro-Sized Yet Feature Filled
Most of the features present in other BitTorrent clients are present in µTorrent, including bandwidth prioritization, scheduling, RSS auto-downloading and Mainline DHT (compatible with BitComet). Additionally, µTorrent supports the Protocol Encryption joint specification (compatible with Azureus 2.4.0.0 and above, BitComet 0.63 and above) and peer exchange.
Resource-Friendly
µTorrent was written with efficiency in mind. Unlike many torrent clients, it does not hog valuable system resources - typically using less than 6MB of memory, allowing you to use the computer as if it weren't there at all. Additionally, the program itself is contained within a single executable less than 220 KB in size.
Skinnable and Localized
Various icon, toolbar graphic and status icon replacements are available, and creating your own is very simple. µTorrent also has support for localization, and with a language file present, will automatically switch to your system language. If your language isn't available, you can easily add your own, or edit other existing translations to improve them!
Actively Developed and Improved
The developer puts in a lot of time working on features and making things more user-friendly. Releases only come out when they're ready, with no schedule pressures, so the few bugs that appear are quickly addressed and fixed.
The latest version includes the following changes:
Changes in Version 2.2.1 Beta 24649
- Change: use 11 asterixes instead of 6 for hashed passwords in settings dialog (in the hope to reduce confusion)
- Fix: systray icon not showing up when starting up minimized, and systray icon is not always on
- Fix: don't delete files when 'download to' and 'move to' directories are the same
- Feature: Support apps bundled with torrent file and install when source column clicked
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Deal of the Day: Kodak Zi8 Pocket 1080p HD Video Camera for $97.95 with FREE Shipping!
Our Deal of the Day today is the Abes of Maine - Kodak Zi8 Pocket 1080p HD Video Camera for $97.95 with FREE Shipping!.
Offer: This tiny, pocket-sized 1080p capable (also capable of 720p at 60fps, so it's good for action) camcorder features 5MP still picture capabilities, a 2.5" color LCD, 128MB internal memory, SD/SDHC expansion slot, LiOh rechargeable battery, macro capabilities, and more. Just place it in your cart to see the $97.95 price.
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Sapphire contest - win a Radeon HD6000-series based card!
Sapphire are feeling generous and have a competition where you could win one of three of the latest and greatest AMD Radeon HD6000-series based GPU's! Enter today for your change to win a Sapphire Radeon HD 6970, Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 VaporX or Sapphire HD6850 video card!
The contest is open to residents in Australia, Canada, the Member States of the European Union and the USA. The contest closes on Monday, February 28, 2011 at 11:59PM EST. As with any contest, read the terms and conditions before entry.
Enter now!
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HiCookie hits 7GHz with 990X CPU on upcoming X58A-OC
A new video has just been posted to YouTube which shows off the upcoming GIGABYTE X58A-OC, a motherboard dedicated solely to overclocking. It has many unnecessary features stripped from the board creating a platform that is ideal for ultra high clock speeds.
HiCookie, resident extreme overclocker at GIGABYTE, posted the above video which showcases his upcoming X58A-OC. Teamed up with Intel's latest 990X Extreme Edition processor and LN2 he managed to go past 7GHz all without using a keyboard or mouse. Demonstrated was the OC Touch feature which utilizes buttons on the motherboard to increase the bus speed of processor.
Suffice to say, if you are an overclocker trying to hit extreme speeds, the X58A-OC is looking like the motherboard for you.
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RumorTT: AMD is up for sale?
Rumor has it AMD is for sale, with the rumors circling around AMD's stock rose by roughly 5-percent on Monday. Wedbush Securities analyst Patrick Wang said "there is no management team there" and he is right. CEO Dirk Meyer was forced out last month, COO Bob Rivet and strategy chief Marty Seyer last week.
That's quite the loss for AMD all at once which leaves AMD with a large buyout target on it's back. Adding to the rumor-mill is Dell are interested in AMD. Dell could do with the acquisition as it would distance itself from the cold, corporate world that is Hewlett Packard, Lenovo and other rival system-builders.
It would also piss Intel off quite a bit as Dell is quite a large partner of theirs, but it's a long shot as AMD has $6.5 billion of enterprise value before buyout premiums.
Thanks to dukkie for this news!
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NVIDIA Tegra roadmap includes Superman, Batman, Wolverine and Iron Man
NVIDIA is really pushing their Tegra line and for a good reason - it quite simply kicks arse. NVIDIA's currently sampling a quad-core Tegra chip that is going by an internal name of Kal-El (otherwise known as The Son of Krypton, aka, Superman).
Kal-El will most likely turn into NVIDIA's Tegra 3 once it hits the market, but is capable of quite a bit of muscle. It was shown off by NVIDIA running a 2560 x 1440 stream that was being decoded on a developmental device, scaled down to the slate's native resolution of 1366 x 768 and also displayed on a 30-inch display pushing 2560 x 1600 - the workload was being handled in real time, all by Kal-El.
Going by NVIDIA's own estimations, Kal-El is capable of providing double the processing power of Tegra 2 whilst also giving a 300-percent jump in graphics capability. In a second demonstration by NVIDIA, Kal-El was running a demo of Great Battles Medieval which was running at 720p with 650 enemy soldiers being rendered - quite the task for a mobile chip!
This is all made possible by Kal-El's 12 GPU cores, NVIDIA are claiming that it's much more efficient in battery life given the CPU and GPU power included by saying it should provide up to 12 hours of HD playback under the right circumstances.
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Crytek CEO: PC is still important to us
In amongst the leak of Crysis 2 and the inevitable tears of rage Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli would've had this week, he has stepped out into the spotlight that is the internet to release a statement.
He assures everyone that PC gaming is still very important and will always be important to Crytek (that must be why the Xbox 360 had an exclusive multiplayer demo) and that they are still focused on delivering a great gaming experience to our true and honest fans. He says that he hopes everyone enjoys Crysis 2 as they think it's their best PC game yet.
Let's wait for some final DirectX 11 gameplay for our opinion.
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Twitter CEO rejects idea of Twitter-branded smartphone
INQ and HTC are hard at it releasing "Facebook phones" but Twitter will not be joining the fight with their own "Twitter-branded" phone. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo said at the Mobile World Congress that although 40-percent of all tweets come from mobile phones, Twitter does not want it's own handset.
Costolo said he'd like to see deeper Twitter integration on mobiles, but at somewhat of a limit: "I believe there is a need [to better integrate] Twitter in existing platforms for phones, but not for a Twitter-branded smartphone," he told an audience of people more used to seeing operators, handset makers and network vendors than they are social media juggernauts keynoting the event.
As for the definition of his "deeper integration", Costolo pointed out that on an Android-based phone a person can take a picture and automatically send it in a tweet to their followers. He said there needs to be more of that removal of complexity. "What I would like are more single sign-on experiences, more apps that can tweet without having to go to another app."
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AMD Catalyst 11.2 drivers are out
February has rolled along and with it comes another driver release from AMD for their Radeon graphics cards. AMD has changed its Catalyst AI texture filtering scheme as well as some new tessellation controls for 5000 and 6000-series Radeon cards.
AMD haven't stopped there, Radeon HD 5000-series owners are now able to access morphological anti-aliasing. AMD has also let users have the chance to change video quality settings for Blu-ray 3D media playback on 6000-series GPU's. COD: Black Ops performance is also increased for 5000-series owners, by 11% with anti-aliasing and anistrophic filtering enabled. Disabling anti-aliasing and anistrophic filtering will gain 4-percent in performance for Batman: Arkham Asylum.
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TweakTown System Builders Guides updated - Intel 990X and speakers
For the second week in a row, the TweakTown System Builders Guides have been updated with some pretty significant changes.
Besides the usual round of price updates for the products that don't have their prices updated automatically, the TweakTown Sub-lieutenant PC ($1000 USD) is the first to get the treatment. Out is the OCZ memory since it is out of stock and may never return due to the recent announcement of OCZ quitting the RAM business during CES. In its place is a Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Dual Channel Kit. Yes, 8GB of RAM now in the TweakTown Sub-lieutenant PC!
Moving onto the TweakTown Commander PC ($2000 USD), the previous set of Logitech speakers have been removed since they are no longer being sold and in place of them is the Logitech Z506 75 watts RMS 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers. A really solid choice considering the price range we have to play with in this system for this component.
And finally we meet up again with the TweakTown Admiral PC (Unlimited Cost). Intel quietly released its newest processor this week, the Core i7-990X Extreme Edition 3.46GHz Six-Core. It runs more expensive than the previous 980X CPU which was used and of course comes with a higher clock speed.
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Download of the Day: WinPatrol 20.0.2011.0
Our Download of the Day today is WinPatrol 20.0.2011.0.
WinPatrol alerts you to hijackings, malware attacks and critical changes made to your computer without your permission. As a multipurpose support utility, WinPatrol replaces multiple system utilities with its enhanced functionality.
WinPatrol was the pioneer in using a heuristic behavioral approach to detecting attacks and violations of your computing environment. Traditional security programs scan your hard drive searching for previously identified threats. WinPatrol takes snapshots of your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that occur without your knowledge.
You'll be removing dangerous new programs while others prepare to update their definition/signature data files.
The latest version includes the following changes:
Changes in Version 20.0.2011.0
* Active Task
You'll notice more information available on our list of Active Tasks. Sorting on the module ID you'll be able to see which DLL files are used by running tasks. You'll find two new columns and on newer versions of Windows with additional information. Over the years this has been a popular request and we will continue to add information which is useful to all users. Active Tasks is usually the first place you'll check to remove any unwanted programs from reappearing so the more information the better.
* ZeroDay Alerts
WinPatrol 2011 responds far better to repeating alerts from unknown sources. These infiltrations can happen to anyone just having a vulnerable application on their computer. Files which are repeating alerts are also tracked to provide quicker creation of PLUS Info for new threats.
* Delayed Start
This new feature is proving to be very popular with new users. We fixed a bug on 64 bit systems when moving programs from the Startup Programs list to Delayed Start.
* Services
Display bug fixed when changing startup status. Fixed bug in 64 bit Windows when displaying non-Microsoft Services only.
* Activation
Corrected Internet error message when trying to activate PLUS features. We obviously want to make it as easy as possible to upgrade from the Free Edition to WinPatrol PLUS. We continue to make it a great deal even for folks short on cash and the future of WinPatrol really depends on continued support from our PLUS members.
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Deal of the Day: 2TB Fantom GD2000EU32 GreenDrive eSATA/USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $89.99 with FREE Shipping!
Our Deal of the Day today is the Buy.com - 2TB Fantom GD2000EU32 GreenDrive eSATA/USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $89.99 with FREE Shipping!.
Offer: Buy.com has the Fantom GD2000EU32 GreenDrive 2TB eSATA/USB 2.0 external hard drive with 32MB cache and 2 year warranty for just $89.99 with FREE shipping. There's no rebate to send in this time too.
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HTC Flyer 7-inch tablet Video Hands-On from MWC 2011
MWC 2011 - Today HTC announced its first tablet at MWC called "Flyer". It is a 7-inch tablet with a 1024 x 600 display running Android and maybe most notably with HTC Sense for Tablets. Many will know HTC Sense on HTC's range of mobile phones, a kind of overlay on the OS which includes a range of easy to use widgets and such. HTC Sense for Tablets is much of the same thing, but has been optimized for the larger screen.
Next up is HTC Scribe Technology which implemented a "scribble" feature which allows the user to jot down notes or mark certain sections in books or even on Facebook and other applications that they want to remember or to easily show to a friend. Using the included multi-function pen, you can select different pen thicknesses and colors and just start writing in many different areas. If you want to make changes, you can adjust the pen setting and use it as an eraser.
From the looks of things, you use the pen to tap in a certain area of the screen and it quickly snaps a screenshot and launches the "Scribble" application. Basically, it seems like you are editing a saved screenshot image in a very simple graphics editor. Then if you like you can share the Scribble image using a range of different methods.
Also included is a new feature called HTC Watch. It allows you to quickly and easy buy or rent movies. From the sounds of it, this service will be available to consumers all around the world, and not just in the United States. OnLive is a service that is also supported on the Flyer, although unfortunately we couldn't see it in action. Once ready, it will add some extra spice to your tablet by allowing you to play games such as Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, NBA 2K11 and Lego Harry Potter without the need of physically downloading the titles or worrying about the tablet being powerful enough to run the games due to the nature of the OnLive technology, which renders everything in the cloud on their servers.
The HTC Flyer will go on sale to customers globally between April and June this year. It should be a strong competitor to Samsung's Galaxy Tab. You can see the extensive list of specs over at this page.
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Samsung Galaxy S II (GT-I9100) Video Hands-On from MWC 2011
MWC 2011 - The next product stop for Miss Scooter after checking out the 10.1-inch tablet from Samsung was the latest smartphone to be introduced by Samsung, the Galaxy S II (GT-I9100).
This is yet another Google Android device based on Gingerbread 2.3. Different from the first Galaxy S is the new and slightly larger 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen which has a better contrast ratio and .3-inch more of screen to enjoy. Other hardware specs to change is the inclusion of a dual-core 1GHz processor which is said to provide the key advantage of offering mobile download speeds of up to 21MBit/s compared to 7.2MBit/s on the original Galaxy.
On the back of the device is a very impressive 8 megapixel camera with a flash which provides video recording at 1080p as well as playback at 1080p. In the video above we get a demo of the Readers app where you can download over 2000 newspapers from around the world. You get full page views of each page and then you simply tap on a headline to read each story in its own view.
Nicole quizzed the Samsung rep on when it might be going on sale, but lips were sealed and we do not know when it will be going on sale. Looks pretty darn impressive, though!
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Video Hands-On from MWC 2011
MWC 2011 - Nicole Scott is on the ground for us at MWC 2011 in Barcelona, Spain covering the big show that focuses on all things phones and tablets.
Her first stop was by the Samsung booth like many others where she got some hands-on time with the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer. Many will probably be familiar with the previous Samsung Tab, the 10.1 comes with a faster dual-core Tegra 2 processor from NVIDIA, of course a larger TFT screen and Android 3.0 aka Honeycomb.
Are you going to be buying the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1? First impressions look pretty good to me, but I'll have to give it a try out in person myself before deciding on buying it, especially with the iPad 2 supposedly not too far away. Let us know in the comments.
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Corsair Performance 3 Next Gen SATA III SSD Available Now
Yesterday I told you that Plextor has their new Marvell controlled, SATA III M2 Series SSD available but we have yet to find one in the wild as of today. We did learn that Corsair managed to beat both Plextor and Crucial to market with their new Marvell drive. The Corsair Performance 3 is now in stock and shipping from Newegg.
Prices are as follows, 64GB (164.99), 128GB (319.99) and the massive 256GB (749.99 USD). The Performance 3 Series carries a price premium over the SandForce based Force Series but the Performance 3 drives are a lot faster on paper (we have yet to test a retail unit). The Force Series delivered 285MB/s read and 275MB/s write speeds. The new Performance 3 Series is capable of delivering 430MB/s read and 320MB/s write when a 256GB drive is used.
In a few days we will have a big announcement from SandForce. 2011 is going to be a great year for solid state drives, stay tuned!
Hit the source link to go to Newegg's Performance 3 listings.
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Qualcomm announce quad core 2.5ghz Snapdragon, APQ8064
Qualcomm are riding the wave of smartphone and tablets by announcing a new quad core chip at the World Congress event, capable of running at 2.5GHz and is designed for next-gen tablets. The new chip will go head to head with NVIDIA's Tegra 3 system on a chip.
The new chip, APQ8064 has the same design as the APQ8060 but has ramped the speed up to 2.5GHz and doubles the processing cores to four. It is based on a 28nm design and is featured in a new family of upcoming Snapdragon chips based on the "Krait" codename. APQ8064 also includes a new quad core Adrenos 320 graphics processor with up to 15 times more performance than the current Adreno GPU that it will replace.
If the numbers are right, Qualcomm will have 12 times more performance while using 75-percent less power when compared to their current chips. Qualcomm's Luis Pinesa has said "We're excited about the new, innovative devices the APQ8064 will enable in the market, With its Wi-Fi integration and ability to seamlessly interface with Qualcomm's 3G and LTE modules, the APQ8064 will provide OEM's with a flexible, cost-efficient and fast time to market platform that can meet all of their design configuration needs for tablets and next generation computing and consumer electronic devices."
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Killzone 3 has been leaked
A full, final version of Killzone 3 has hit the internet a full two weeks before it's planned launch. The download is a whopping 41.5GB and is reportedly genuine and even includes Killzone 3's 3D mode. There's also a 'half-fat' version without the 3D support.
Killzone 3 is the second AAA title to be leaked after last weeks crisis which involved the leak of Crysis 2 on PC. The Killzone 3 download will only work on hacked PlayStation 3's which should halt a fair amount of people from playing it before the release.
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Intel releases the Core i7 990X CPU, also slashes i7-970 and i7-960 pricing
Intel has updated it's high end range with the introduction of the hexa-core based Intel Core i7 990X. The 990X is clocked at 3.46GHz (compared to the 980's clock speed of 3.33GHz) and still keeps its unlocked multiplier. The 990X has a price tag of $999.
Intel have not only released a new top-end CPU but they have slashed prices on two LGA1366-based chips, the i7-960 and i7-970. The i7-960 has seen a reduction from $562 to $294 while the i7-970 drops from $885 to $583. Not bad at all. This new pricing has put them nearly level with the new second-generation Core range CPU offerings.
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Valve is more profitable per head than Google or Apple
Valve's digital distribution platform, Steam, has been rumored to control between 50 and 70-percent of the entire downloadable PC games market. The digital distribution market on PC is said to be worth $4 billion USD.
Newell talked to Forbes as part of a company profile and said that Valve was "tremendously profitable", but would not give specific figures. Valve is a private company after all and does not release financial reports publicly either. Newell did say that Valve's 200 percent year-on-year growth and relatively small headcount of just 250 employees made the company more profitable than Google or Apple.
Forbes has also claimed through various sources that Valve are valued at between $2 billion and $4 billion USD with an estimated 2010 revenue in the 'high hundreds of millions'. Steam's on-going success could be that Steam publishers earn a gross margin of 70 percent, compared to that of retail that offer a meager 30 percent.
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Quick Review: G.Skill Ripjaws Series PC3-16000 8GB Kit
Today we're looking at another kit of RAM from G.Skill and this one doesn't carry the new "X" tag at the end of the "Ripjaws" name, which means it isn't quite as hard core as the previous 2133MHz DDR kit we looked at. Instead, this kit carries with it a 2000MHz DDR clock, but is twice as large with the two modules coming in at 4GB each.
This isn't the first time we've looked at a 2000MHz DDR kit on our new P67 platform; we recently looked at an OCZ kit and while the kit is indeed good, the divider options on the P67 mean that 2000MHz DDR can't be set without the BCLK moving. Of course, the P67 has also brought with it very limited adjustment when it comes to the BCLK, which on a whole has made overclocking a little different for most.
Checking out the package, there's nothing going on except for the modules themselves which carry a 9-10-9-28-2T @ 1.55v setup. These timings are a little more relaxed than some of the other kits we've seen, but the biggest difference in the timings would be the 2T command rate.
The overall design of the modules isn't anything new with us having looked at the Ripjaws series in the past. You're not really seeing anything too different here with the main difference between particular modules being the color of the heatsink that G.Skill use; the heatsink is slightly different to the Ripjaws-X modules, though.
With the modules installed it was time to get into the BIOS and see what we could make happen. We set the timings manually, but initially forgot to change our Command Rate from 1T to 2T. We moved to the 2133MHz DDR divider and then pushed the BCLK down to 95 which results in a memory clock of just over 2000MHz DDR.
Like the OCZ kit we tested, the machine didn't want to boot up. It really seems like the lower BCLK isn't something that the P67 platform loves. Double checking the timings, we realized that we were running at 1T and took a second to change it to 2T. Unfortunately it didn't impact our system and again it refused to post. So we went back into the BIOS and pushed our divider down to 1866MHz DDR and pushed the BCLK up to 104. This resulted in a memory clock of 1942MHz DDR and we got into Windows with no trouble utilizing a 1T command rate. You can see that CPU-Z validation here. So with that running all good, it was time to see how the modules performed in some of our memory benchmarks.
Under AIDA64 we ended up with Read / Write numbers of 20,804 MB/s / 18,662 MB/s, Copy speed of 22,683 MB/s and latency of 42ns. Looking at SiSoftware Sandra, our memory bandwidth numbers are 25,360 MB/s for Integer and 25,390 MB/s for Float.
Overall performance didn't really hold any surprises with it performing very similar to the OCZ kit we tested at the same speed.
With that done, it was time to get into the BIOS again and see if we could move our BCLK a little more north to get closer to that default clock.
Again, we unfortunately didn't have any luck with 104 being about the maximum our 2600K likes to do, even if we're able to achieve a much higher clock with the multiplier. The worst thing at the moment is the immaturity of the chipset; performance is extremely strong, but it's clear some motherboard companies are still figuring stuff out with BIOS revisions coming in thick and fast.
At $159.99 US, which is a price similar to the Ripjaws-X kit, we've clearly got a decision to make when it comes to deciding what to buy. You could opt for the super aggressive Cas 7 2133MHz DDR kit which we achieved 2198MHz DDR out of at the same timings, or you could double the amount of memory while shaving off some memory bandwidth.
The main question is, why buy this over an 1866MHz DDR kit for your P67 platform? And to be honest, I didn't really have an answer for this initially. Thinking about it a little more, though, there are some good reasons. For starters, the price difference between 1866MHz DDR and 2000MHz DDR is very similar. While timings are also similar for the cheaper kits, more aggressive timed 1866MHz DDR modules will actually set you back a little more.
If you wanted to just aim for 1866MHz DDR and push the multiplier up, you would work with the timings and more than likely be a bit more aggressive with a 2000MHz kit down clocked. Even just 58MHz DDR below 2000MHz DDR we managed to run 1T with no dramas. The main reason, though, is if you've got a CPU that can push a higher BCLK, closer to 106 or 107, you're going to have an 8GB kit that will run those speeds.
2000MHz DDR continues to be a weird number for memory and I'll be focusing more on 1866MHz DDR and 2133MHz DDR kits in the future, but they clearly have their place, especially when you can't get 2133MHz 8GB kits.
At the end of it all, most users would also prefer to have the 8GB of memory at a slightly lower clocked speed than the 4GB at the higher clocked speeds. It's an important comparison as well when you consider the fact that both are priced at a similar level. While not as aggressive overall as the 2133MHz Ripjaws-X kit, if you don't mind dropping the MHz back a little, you'll probably enjoy what that extra 4GB does for you in Windows.
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ASUS RT-N56U Dual Band Gigabit Wireless N Router Review
Introduction
The home networking market is one that is booming with technology, but is quite stagnant in terms of aesthetics. If you look things over you really are getting the same shell even if you get more features or more speed from your choice of router. It has gotten so bad lately that many people are not bothering to worry about "what it looks like" anymore.
For us it has become like trying to describe cereal boxes. It is very difficult to find something new with each product we test. True, sometimes you get a flashy LCD screen, or different color lights, but that is about it.
Enter the ASUS RT-N56U; this new product from ASUS is like no other networking product I have seen. In fact, at first glance you would never know it was a Gigabit, N-Spec, Dual Band wireless router with two USB 2.0 ports that can be used for networking, printing or to connect a USB HDD for network storage.
It is also hard to believe that you get all of this for only $129.99 from Newegg.com. So now all we have to do is see if it performs as good as it looks. Here we go!
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Quick Review: Patriot Memory Supersonic USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Companies are starting to come out of the wood work with USB 3.0 storage products, many of which were released at CES 2011. We've been testing USB 3.0 portable storage enclosures since November 2009 when we hosted the very first USB 3.0 product review online. Since then we've seen large and small devices, but the trend is leading to smaller and more compact storage that mates us to the 5G USB 3.0 protocol.
In an effort to continue the progression of smaller, faster storage products, Patriot Memory has sourced the world's first native USB 3.0 to flash controller. By eliminating a bridge chip the new Patriot Supersonic is smaller than any other USB 3.0 thumb drive we've tested and offers less latency as well. Patriot claims the new Supersonic is able to achieve read speeds of up to 100MB/s and write speeds of up to 70MB/s. These numbers are much lower than the high end SSD based storage enclosures we've reviewed like the OCZ Technology Enyo, but the Supersonic is also much smaller and can be had at a much lower price point.
When it comes to pricing we found the Patriot Supersonic selling for as low as 112.00 USD for the 32GB model and 209.99 USD for the massive 64GB drive. This is around twice the cost of the Patriot Xporter XT RAGE, a USB 2.0 quad channel thumb drive. You are paying a premium for the USB 3.0 model even though they are both quad channel designs.
Physically the Supersonic looks like many of the traditional flash drives we've seen for the last few years. There aren't any belt clips, blinky lights or gimmicks, just a standard size metal flash drive with a cap. This leads us to one thing we really don't like with many of these types of flash drives, they don't have a place to put the cap when you have the drive in use. Patriot also omitted a lanyard with the Supersonic, an accessory that was included with the Magnum.
Users spending over 100 USD on a flash drive aren't looking for anything that can be called standard, ordinary or plain. The outside of the Supersonic can be called all of those things, but the performance offered by the drive is nothing short of exceptional.
In our testing we achieved a maximum read speed in HD Tune of over 121MB/s. The ATTO scores shown at the bottom of the first column were a little more conservative, but still managed a 96MB/s read speed. The write speed in ATTO was 67MB/s; very close to Patriot's claimed 70MB/s.
One place where I was caught off guard after testing several USB thumb drives for many years was the 4K read performance offered by the Patriot Supersonic. In Crystal Disk Mark the Supersonic achieved over 7MB/s while reading 4K block size data. That means we should see some very good file transfer speeds when reading back small files that are part of a larger package, i.e. transferring uncompressed programs and Microsoft Office files.
To put that theory to the test, we used AS SSD's Copy Benchmark that transfers files to and from a target. The Copy Benchmark transfers large ISO files, small Program files and a mix between the two in the Game test. In the past we've seen very good large file transfers from thumb drives, but the small file size tests would drive the scores down to unacceptable levels. The Patriot Supersonic quad channel design undoubtedly plays a large role in the 17.52MB/s Program score we achieved. To put things into perspective, the Super Talent Express RAM Cache was 10MB/s slower and it took more than 100 seconds longer to transfer the same file.
Looking at the performance data from these two new USB 3.0 drives, the real world performance differences are very clear. The Patriot managed to transfer the ISO file at 44.61MB/s taking just 24.07 seconds and the Super Talent Express RAM Cache did the same test at 14.97MB/s at 71.73 seconds. The mixed file size Game test offered even more insight into how these two compare against one another. The Patriot Supersonic in this test transferred the data at 32.36MB/s and the Super Talent Express RAM Cache only delivered 11.37MB/s. The time difference between the two was right around 80 seconds. The Patriot Supersonic was just faster across the board in all our testing.
Patriot was late to the USB 3.0 game and let the competition get a head start. But that was last year. In 2011 Patriot is off to a great start with the Supersonic. The Patriot Supersonic is much faster than many of the USB 3.0 thumb drives I've seen to date and the native USB 3.0 design keeps the drive cool. This also adds to notebook battery life when you are on the go; something that is often overlooked.
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IN WIN Dragon Rider Full Tower Chassis
Introduction
IN WIN is a company of which I have seen many cases from its lineup, and up to now, really none of them have been a case that would find a permanent home on my desk. It isn't that the cases were lacking in any department. IN WIN tends to think out internal designs and feature sets that rival some of the top tiered chassis' that require quite a bit more money to attain said features. My real issue with most of the previous cases was based purely on aesthetics. With this chassis we are about to have a look at, a new leaf has been turned in IN WIN designing, and I hope it's a trend that continues.
This chassis is not only a real looker in my book, but it offers all the things we are used to in an IN WIN chassis. Things like a tool-less assembly to hold in the expansion cards, an almost endless supply of slides for the various drives to be placed inside the chassis, and it even carries a flood of blue LED lighting that we have seen from them before. Two major things have changed. One, I finally got a full tower chassis worth its salt, and secondly, the theme of the chassis may be a bit mythological, but translates into a stellar looking chassis with everything you would want to see in a full tower chassis.
The full tower chassis we are going to be looking at is the Dragon Rider. Keeping the name in mind, the case doesn't look like a dragon. Rather, it takes styling cues from things like riveted steel, and chainmail armor. At this point I suggest you saddle up and prepare to fly as I bring you the details of the Dragon Rider. At that point we can dig into the belly of the beast and see just what this new chassis has to offer.
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Top PC Makers Launch Desktop PCs with AMD Radeon™ HD 6450, HD 6570 and HD 6670 Discrete Graphics Cards
Top PC Makers Launch Desktop PCs with AMD Radeon™ HD 6450, HD 6570 and HD 6670 Discrete Graphics Cards
-New desktop PCs from Dell, HP and more pack the latest graphics punch from AMD, accelerating many everyday applications, supporting new levels of realism in the latest games, and enabling the ultimate desktop workspaces with AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology-
SUNNYVALE, Calif. —2/16/2011 AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that many of the industry's top PC makers are choosing AMD Radeon™ discrete graphics to help customers unlock new levels of realism made possible by the company's second generation of DirectX® 11-capable graphics, as well as enable acceleration of many everyday applications with AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology. Additionally, AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology makes it possible to combine two or more monitors into one large workspace, allowing faster access to applications and enhanced productivity.1 New desktop PCs featuring the AMD Radeon™ HD 6450, AMD Radeon™ HD 6570 and AMD Radeon™ HD 6670 graphics cards are available today from Dell, HP, and other leading PC manufacturers.
"Today more than ever, users' computing experiences need to be visually appealing, supporting compelling HD content and unparalleled realism in games," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, GPU Division, AMD. "In response, PC makers are including AMD Radeon™ HD 6450, AMD Radeon™ HD 6570 and AMD Radeon™ HD 6670 graphics cards in their latest desktop designs. With AMD Radeon graphics, including the industry's only second generation of DirectX 11-capable graphics and AMD Eyefinity technology, customers know they are getting the uncompromising premium experience they deserve."
Desktop PC models with AMD Radeon™ HD 6450, HD 6570 and HD 6670 graphics cards are available today online and at major retailers worldwide. Partners are scheduled to begin shipping add-in board versions of the AMD Radeon™ HD 6450, HD 6570 and HD 6670 graphics cards as early as Q2 2011.
"Dell OptiPlex commercial desktops are designed for organizations that require maximum productivity and collaboration from their workforce," said Mike Basore, marketing director, Client Product Group, Dell. "Graphically rich applications, HD content, multimedia training modules, and diverse types of digital content are now an everyday part of business. Using the AMD Radeon HD 6670 in the recently announced Dell OptiPlex desktop, ensures our customers have the graphics horsepower and image quality for an optimal computing experience."
The new PCs powered by the latest AMD Radeon™ cards offer an incredibly vivid computing experience, made possible by:
- AMD EyeSpeed Visual acceleration technology, for smooth playback and superb quality 3D Blu-ray™, online streaming video, and other HD content, as well as acceleration of everyday applications such as Internet Explorer 9, Google Chrome, Adobe Flash Player 10.2 and other entertainment and productivity applications made possible through AMD APP technology.2
- AMD Eyefinity technology, for expanded desktop real estate across up to three displays that enables consumers to see more data, open more applications and view more information all at once.3
- The industry's only second generation DirectX® 11-capable graphics, enabling consumers to play the latest games with the most realistic visuals and superior game performance.
About AMD
AMD (NYSE: AMD) is a semiconductor design innovator leading the next era of vivid digital experiences with its ground-breaking AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). AMD's graphics and computing technologies power a variety of devices including PCs, game consoles and the powerful computers that drive the Internet and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.
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Corsair Announces New Line of Power Supplies
Corsair Announces New Line of Power Supplies
- Enthusiast Series TX V2 PSUs offer increased energy efficiency, ErP compliancy, and tighter voltage regulation -
FREMONT, California — February 16th, 2011 — Corsair®, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the Enthusiast Series™ TX V2 power supplies.
The Enthusiast Series TX V2 is the successor to the award-winning Enthusiast Series TX power supplies, which have won dozens of awards worldwide and received widespread critical and customer acclaim. The TX V2 PSUs offer improved energy efficiency, with 80 PLUS® Bronze certification and European Commission Energy-Related Product (ErP) directive compliance. The improved efficiency results in lower noise levels than the original TX PSUs under typical usage conditions, and a new DC-to-DC converter design provides tighter voltage regulation, with measurably lower ripple and noise. Features carried over from the acclaimed TX PSUs include the use of Japanese capacitors, enthusiast-grade performance, and a comprehensive fixed cable set that accomodates tall PC chassis and multiple-GPU installations.
"For years, the Enthusiast Series TX PSUs have been a favorite of gamers, high-performance PC enthusiasts, and anybody who requires reliable, low-noise power delivery," said Ruben Mookerjee, VP and General Manager for Components at Corsair. "The new TX V2 power supplies are quieter and even more energy efficient, while providing the same legendary reliability, flexibility, and value that customers have loved about the original TX PSUs."
Images can be downloaded here.
Corsair Enthusiast Series TX V2 power supplies are now available from Corsair-authorized retailers in the Americas and Europe, and will be available in Asia in March. The TX850 V2 is available for a US suggested retail price of $139 USD. The TX750 V2 is available for $119 USD, and the TX650 V2 is available for $99 USD. For more information on Corsair Enthusiast Series PSUs, please visit the Corsair web site.
About Corsair
Founded in 1994, Corsair supplies high performance products purchased primarily by PC gaming enthusiasts who build their own PCs or buy pre-assembled customized systems. The company's award-winning products include DRAM memory modules, USB flash drives, power supply units, solid-state drives, PC headsets and speaker systems, cooling systems and computer cases.
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Shuttle Announces Mini-PCs for 2nd Generation Intel Core Processors
Shuttle Announces Mini-PCs for 2nd Generation Intel Core Processors
Shuttle Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of multi-form-factor solutions such as the world-famous XPC Mini-PC Barebones, showcases two models for Intel's new 32 nm-technology processor generation (code name: Sandy Bridge) at CeBIT 2011.
Shuttle, as the Mini-PC pioneer, is set to launch the XPC Barebone SH67H3 and SH67H7 at the end of March 2011. Both are based on the Intel H67 Express chipset and boast extremely impressive technical features to support all Intel Core 2nd generation i3, i5 and i7 processors with LGA1155. There are four DIMM slots that enable DDR3 memory support with a maximum capacity of 16 GB.
Furthermore, these Mini-PCs are able to accommodate two 3.5" drives and one 5.35" drive with the motherboard offering 2x SATA 6 Gbit/s and 2x SATA 3 Gbit/s. Additional drives can be connected externally via eSATA or via an array of USB ports. On the front and rear of the SH67H3 and SH67H7 models there are for the first time 4x USB 3.0 and 4x USB 2.0 ports as well as 2x eSATA/USB combo ports. A Gigabit-LAN interface is also provided for fast network access and data transfer.
All second-generation Intel Core processors have a built-in graphics function. At the rear of both SH67 models are two digital monitor outputs. With both HDMI and DVI-I connections, the user can run two monitors and enjoy seamless playback of HD content. The Mini-PCs deliver audio signals via S/PDIF or HDMI.
Additional graphics performance is provided by the PCI-Express 2.0 x16 port which is compatible with the latest dual-slot graphics cards. If a single-slot graphics card is used, one PCI-Express 2.0 x1 port is then available for expansion cards. The third expansion option is the Mini-PCIe port, which can be used for various applications, e.g. a WLAN module.
A 300 W, 80-PLUS-certified power supply unit ensures the compact PC is able to deliver high performance. The overall system is cooled by means of a heatpipe with a large speed-regulated fan.
"With one machine available in two different designs, consumers are able to choose their preferred option. The H3 design is more traditional and all connectors are directly available. The H7 on the other hand has a more elegant look and all connectors are elegantly hidden from view behind drive doors," states Tom Seiffert, Head of Marketing & PR at Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH. "With these new models, we are responding to the commonly expressed wish of our customers to go back to aluminium as the material for the chassis and case cover."
Shuttle's recommended retail price for the Barebone SH67H3 is EUR 239.00. For the XPC Barebone SH67H7 the recommended retail price is set to EUR 251.00 (both prices ex VAT).
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Prolimatech Unveil Genesis CPU-Cooler – the Origin of Maximum Cooling Power
Prolimatech Unveil Genesis CPU-Cooler - the Origin of Maximum Cooling Power
Prolimatech, the master of cooling is going a step further after the success of the Prolimatech Megahalems by presenting another revolution in CPU cooling with the Prolimatech Genesis. Besides the immaculate quality - which is present across their entire product line-up - the Genesis sets new standards in cooling capability.
Prolimatech continues the trend set forth by the Megahalems and Super Mega by utilizing two separate towers, but instead of placing them next to each other, they have been rearranged for maximum performance. The large array of cooling fins can hold up to three 120 or 140 mm fans, two of which can be installed right out of the box with the included mounting materials. Besides keeping the CPU cool, the construction allows for direct air flow across critical areas like the memory and power phases of the system.
Due to the innovative construction, Prolimatech manages to raise the bar and cool down the CPU even more. Adding to the excellent performance, Prolimatech has included additional black mounting screws to add further contact pressure, which translates into even lower operational temperatures. The use of these screws is intended for experienced users, which aim to get the most out of the cooling solution, as the pressure surpasses the Intel specifications.
Overclockers will be happy to hear that Prolimatech continues the trend and allows for complete choice of fans, as none are supplied with the cooler. This enables every user, regardless of their preferences or needs, to select the right models to equip the Genesis. Even when only using a single 120 or 140 mm fan, the Genesis manages to cool the CPU and keep the noise level at a minimum. To make the selection as easy as possible, Caseking offers various Genesis bundles with specific fans and set pricing.
The Prolimatech Genesis also features broad compatibility as it ships with an AMD mounting kit intended for all modern sockets like AM2, AM2+ and AM3. Intel users will also be able to mount the cooler with the included kit for Socket 775, 1155, 1156 and 1366. To enable the most efficient transfer of heat between the CPU and Genesis cooler, Prolimatech supplies their high-performance PK-1 thermal paste, while a sturdy backplate guarantees a stable hold, taking the strain off the mainboard and socket.
The Prolimatech Genesis CPU cooler will be available from March 4th 2011 for 59.90 Euro at www.caseking.de and is available for pre-order immediately. Additional bundles consisting of the Genesis and two 120 or 140 mm fans start at 64.90 Euro. An list of coolers can be viewed on here. A video presentation of the Prolimatech Genesis is also available on Caseking.tv.
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MSI Launches NGTX580 Lightning and R6970 Lightning
MSI Launches NGTX580 Lightning and R6970 Lightning
Are you ready for the next instalment in the award-winning Lightning series?
MSI is releasing two powerhouse performance graphics card at once, the Nvidia GTX 580 Lightning and the AMD R6970 Lightning. Both these cards adopt MSI's Power4 Architecture , the world's most powerful design, allowing for immense overclocking capabilities. The Power4 architecture consists of a 2x Phase PWM design which doubles the GPUs normal power supply, Independent memory power, the best mosfet in CopperMOS and, Proadlizer, a next generation capacitor which provides the most stable and sufficient power for overclocking.
To ensure these monster cards receive the cooling they need, the Lightning Series uses MSI's own Twin Frozr III thermal management design which thanks to the introduction of advanced Propeller Blade technology, brings 20% more airflow and covers more area on PCB for the best heat dissipation. To make sure that you are able squeeze out the potential that these cards contain, together with the tremendous power support and the advanced thermal design and Military Class II Components that MSI provide, through MSI Afterburner the Lightning series also utilizes a Triple Overvoltage Function, that allows you to unleash the cards total overclocking potential. These extreme overclocking functions are exclusive to MSI and are included to bring the best overclocking convenience to overclockers.
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AMD and ViVu Showcase Wireless HD Content Streaming Solution Powered by AMD Fusion APUs
AMD and ViVu Showcase Wireless HD Content Streaming Solution Powered by AMD Fusion APUs
SUNNYVALE, Calif. —2/16/2011
AMD (NYSE: AMD) and ViVu recently demonstrated for the first time a next-generation, high-definition (HD) content streaming solution powered by AMD technology. The demonstration, which first took place at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), featured 720p HD video streaming wirelessly from an AMD-powered notebook PC to a flat panel display and two tablet devices all at once without any additional hardware. The demonstrated technology is based on standards-compliant 802.11n wireless technology, the Adobe Flash Player and a prototype software solution from ViVu, a leader in desktop videoconferencing solutions.
"Consumers want to stream from their PCs onto their TVs but don't want to pay a huge premium to do so, nor do they want to choose between a growing number of conflicting ways to do it," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle Group. "ViVu turns virtually any AMD Fusion powered-PC into a potential low latency streaming device, and most of the current generation of smart TVs into receivers of this content without adding any additional hardware cost. As a result, ViVu successfully addresses both the need to stream a user's media to their smart TV and the requirement that it also be inexpensive and easy."
With settings that can be easily adjusted for a number of different devices (TVs, tablets, projectors) and content formats, including videos, presentations and documents, the ViVu solution is ideally suited to harness the power of AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) and AMD discrete GPUs for a variety of applications from home entertainment and gaming, to enterprise video collaboration and remote presentations.
"Leading-edge video applications, such as those developed by ViVu, are exactly the type of immersive experiences we designed AMD Fusion APUs to enable," said Manju Hegde, corporate vice president, AMD Fusion Experience Program. "Until now, streaming of HD telepresence-quality video was not possible without additional cables or hardware. We received an overwhelmingly positive response to our collaboration with ViVu at CES, and look forward to seeing this solution in market to the clear benefit of consumers and businesses alike in the near future."
"At ViVu, we fully realize the future of the computing market is becoming more visual and engaging, and delivering HD quality video to virtually any device from virtually anywhere is an incredibly important part of that," said Sudha Valluru, chief executive officer and founder, ViVu. "To meet the needs of this booming market, sophisticated hardware and software are required, which makes AMD the ideal technology partner for us. AMD Fusion APUs combine the best of CPU and GPU technology, and working together we are helping to deliver completely new and exciting experiences."
The ViVu wireless HD video streaming solution is expected to be available later in 2011.
About AMD
AMD (NYSE: AMD) is a semiconductor design innovator leading the next era of vivid digital experiences with its ground-breaking AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). AMD's graphics and computing technologies power a variety of devices including PCs, game consoles and the powerful computers that drive the Internet and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.
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OCZ Technology the First Solid State Drive Manufacturer to Announce the Successful Transition to 2Xnm NAND Flash for Consumer SSD Products
OCZ Technology the First Solid State Drive Manufacturer to Announce the Successful Transition to 2Xnm NAND Flash for Consumer SSD Products
New Die-Shrink Lowers Prices of OCZ SSD Solutions making them more accessible to Customers
SAN JOSE, CA—February 15, 2011—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announces it is the first SSD manufacturer to successfully complete the transition to 2Xnm NAND flash-based storage solutions with the goal of significantly driving down the cost of client SSDs.
"OCZ is constantly exploring ways to not just advance solid state drive design but also make the technology more affordable, while maintaining high performance and reliability standards" said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group. "We are excited to complete the transition to the next generation 2Xnm NAND components which reiterates our strategy of producing high performance SSDs at the most attractive price point available for consumer applications."
As the industry transitions to a 2Xnm fabrication process, OCZ remains focused on delivering a high-performance solution at a lower price point, continuing to pave the way for SSDs to become more accessible to the complete range of consumers, and to ultimately replace traditional mechanical hard drives over the next few years.
OCZ continues to lead the way by reducing the cost of SSDs by the use of 2Xnm technology, but will continue to offer the older flash technology in select SSD products with a higher price per gigabyte. OCZ's 2Xnm?based SSDs carry the same warranty as the earlier 3Xnm versions, and it is the Company's objective is to continue to deliver the very best balance of affordability, performance, and capacity to ensure an optimal computing experience.
About OCZ Technology Group, Inc.
Founded in 2002, San Jose, CA-based OCZ Technology Group, Inc. ("OCZ"), is a leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of high performance and reliable Solid-State Drives (SSDs) and premium computer components. OCZ has built on its expertise in high-speed memory to become a leader in the SSD market, a technology that competes with traditional rotating magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs). SSDs are faster, more reliable, generate less heat and use significantly less power than the HDDs used in the majority of computers today. In addition to SSD technology, OCZ also offers high performance components for computing devices and systems, including enterprise-class power management products as well as leading-edge computer gaming solutions. For more information, please visit: www.ocztechnology.com.
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TYAN Launches Quad Socket G34 Server for AMD® Opteron™ 6100 Series Processors
TYAN Launches Quad Socket G34 Server for AMD® Opteron™ 6100 Series Processors
VMware Certified, Supports Up to 48 Processor Cores to Deliver Leading Performance for Virtualization and HPC Applications
Specifications: S8812WGM3NR, B8812F48W8HR
Images
Video
Fremont, California - February, 15th, 2011 - TYAN, an industry-leading server platform manufacturer, and a subsidiary of MiTAC International Corp., today launched a new 4U server system designed for CPU-intensive and HPC applications that supports four AMD® Opteron™ 6100 series processors. TYAN offers both the 4-way S8812WGM3NR motherboard, as well as the B8821F48W8R server platform.
Quad Socket G34 Motherboard - S8812WGM3NR
The TYAN S8812WGM3NR server motherboard is based on the AMD SR5690 chipset and supports up to four twelve/eight-core Opteron 6100 series processors. The four processors share data via HyperTransport™ (HT3) links at 6.4 GT/s. The S8812WGM3NR also supports four-channel memory with eight DIMM slots per processor to provide up to 512 GB of registered DDR3 memory. Both 1.5V and 1.35V (low power) memory modules are supported. An on-board LSI SAS2008 controller provides up to eight 6Gb/s SAS ports for server-class storage connectivity. Other features include four PCI-E 2.0 slots, three 1-GbE network ports, and integrated IPMI 2.0 support via an AST2050 BMC controller.
Barebone Server System - B8812F48W8HR
"Our newest 4-way server supports up to 48 processing cores in a single system, providing the most powerful High-Performance Computing (HPC) platform TYAN has offered to date. We designed this system specifically to provide best-of-class performance for processor-intensive HPC applications," stated TYAN's Director of Product Marketing, Kevin Hart. The barebone system includes a 4U enclosure, dual 770W power supplies, and the S8812WGM3NR motherboard. The system supports eight hot-swappable 3.5" hard disks, along with three 5.25" drive bays, and is cooled by six redundant 120mm fans that are automatically controlled by thermal sensors to save power and reduce noise.
The S8812WGM3NR motherboard has received VMware certification. Both products are available now through TYAN distributors worldwide. OEM pricing is available on request.
AMD and Opteron are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
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About MiTAC
MiTAC Group (TSE:2315) operating IDMS(Innovation, Design, Manufacture, Service)business approaches for offering consolidate service to customers and users. MiTAC Groups is consisted of four important business unit, including CSBU (Consumer system Biz Unit), ESBU (Enterprise system Biz Unit), MBU (Mobil Communication Devices Biz Unit) and TBU (TYAN Business Unit). TYAN officially merged by MiTAC International Corporation in 2007 and has become one of the core business units of MiTAC, named TBU (TYAN Business Unit). MiTAC is heading to server platforms and Storage device industry with emerging MiTAC strength in IT industry with R&D, engineering, manufacturing, supplying chain, RMA and TYAN strength in R&D in high end server territory.
About TYAN
TYAN, as a leading server brand under MiTAC Group, designs, manufactures and markets advanced x86 and x86-64 server/workstation board technology platforms and server solution products. Its products are sold to OEMs, VARs, System Integrators, and Resellers worldwide for a wide range of applications. TYAN enables its customers to be technology leaders by providing scalable, highly-integrated, reliable products for a wide range of applications such as server appliances and solutions for high-performance computing, and server/workstation usage in markets such as CAD, DCC, E&P and HPC. For more information, visit MiTAC website at http://www.mitac.com or TYAN brand website at http://www.tyan.com
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New WinZip® System Utilities Suite Restores Computer Performance
New WinZip® System Utilities Suite Restores Computer Performance
WinZip Expands its Offering with PC Utilities to Optimize and Speed Up Your PC
February 14, 2011: WinZip Computing, a Corel company, today announced that WinZip is expanding its product portfolio beyond compression and encryption with the debut of the WinZip® System Utilities Suite - a complete collection of easy-to-use and affordable PC utilities that helps keep computers stable and running at peak performance. WinZip System Utilities Suite offers powerful system tools to fix common problems, improve system stability and rev up your computer's speed. Designed for easy, automated operation, WinZip System Utilities Suite provides everything you need to restore the zip to your PC.
Continuing its commitment to help customers safeguard important data and files, WinZip's System Utilities Suite automatically performs regular maintenance, reducing the likelihood of common problems like crashes, system errors and reduced speed. Over time, Windows registry errors, drive fragmentation, incorrect or out-dated device drivers, and unnecessary software components result in a slow PC. WinZip System Utilities Suite addresses all of these PC performance issues.
WinZip System Utilities Suite: The Complete Solution to Clean, Protect and Optimize Your PC
• Clean: System cleaners remove obsolete system files, correct registry errors, remove duplicate files, and free unused memory for improved performance.
• Protect: Security and privacy tools clean hidden privacy-exposing traces, permanently delete private data, encrypt and protect sensitive personal files, back up important files and documents, and automatically recover accidentally deleted data.
• Optimize: System optimizer tools organize your system to run smoothly and efficiently by updating drivers, defragmenting the hard disk, checking hard drives for file system and disk errors, and removing unnecessary programs.
"Customers know and trust WinZip with their file compression, encryption and sharing needs. With WinZip System Utilities Suite, we're expanding our product line and taking the next step in our mission to offer solutions that clean, protect and optimize the performance of your PC," said Patrick Nichols, President of WinZip. "Waiting until something goes wrong and then trying to fix it can be a costly, time-consuming and stressful situation that everyone would rather avoid. With the introduction of our new System Utilities Suite, WinZip makes it effortless to maintain your computer and get the optimal performance you need to accomplish all your business and personal computing tasks."
For more than 20 years, customers have trusted WinZip to help them get the most from their computers with file compression, sharing, encryption, and data backup. With the addition of WinZip System Utilities Suite, WinZip is now also a trusted source for complete PC optimization and performance.
Pricing and Availability
Designed for Windows® XP, Windows Vista® and Windows® 7, WinZip System Utilities Suite is now available direct from www.winzip.com for $39.95 (USD) for a single license. Volume license discounts are available.
For a free scan, customers can download the WinZip System Utilities Suite from www.winzip.com to identify issues that may be affecting the performance and reliability of their PC.
WinZip® Driver Updater and WinZip® Registry Optimizer, included in the WinZip System Utilities Suite, can also be purchased separately as standalone utilities. Each is available direct from www.winzip.com for $29.95 for a single license. Volume license discounts are also available.
For more information about WinZip System Utilities Suite, WinZip Driver Updater, and WinZip Registry Optimizer, please visit http://www.winzip.com.
About WinZip Computing
Since its introduction in 1991, WinZip Computing has been recognized as the world's leading provider of file compression technology. Acquired by Corel Corporation in 2006, WinZip Computing offers the world's most popular zip utility, WinZip®, along with WinZip® Courier™, WinZip® Self-Extractor and WinZip® Mac Edition.
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Sapphire Announces the Edge-HD Mini PC
Sapphire Announces the Edge-HD Mini PC
SAPPHIRE Technology - the world leading manufacturer and supplier of PC graphics cards and mainboards has just introduced the first in a new line of lifestyle computer products - the SAPPHIRE Edge-HD Mini PC. The Sapphire EDGE-HD Mini PC is believed to be the smallest PC in the world with its slim, stylish outline. At less than half a litre in volume, it is slimmer and smaller than most wireless access points - in fact around the size of a paperback book! Its stylish design and simple pedestal mount make it equally at home next to a TV or business monitor whilst unobtrusively occupying the minimum of desk or shelf space.
But don't let its size fool you - it is a fully featured PC for home, education or business use. Specifications include a second generation 1.66GHz dual core processor, 2GB of memory, a 250GB hard drive and built in wireless connectivity as well as high speed LAN port and four USB ports. It provides high resolution graphics output with a full HD (1920x1080) HDMI interface (HDMI cable and HDMI-DVI adaptors supplied) as well as a VGA monitor output and it has built-in audio with mic-in and line-out sockets. All of this makes it more than capable of handling day to day Office tasks as well as streaming video or browsing the Internet.
Another way in which the Mini PC is a top scorer is in power efficiency. Consuming only around 22W under load, the SAPPHIRE Edge-HD Mini PC uses around 10 times less power than a typical desktop PC - and less than most notebooks - making it one of the Greenest PC solutions available. Power and space savings alone can justify switching to Mini PC for many businesses*.
The SAPPHIRE Edge-HD Mini PC is ideal for integration into an office or education environment. The user or system integrator has a free choice of design for keyboard or mouse, which can be either wireless or USB connected. The Edge-HD is supplied pre-installed with FREE DOS - ready for the reseller or end user to install the preferred choice of operating system. It is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows7, Vista or Windows XP. All appropriate drivers are supplied on a USB memory stick.
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Kingston Digital Debuts First Secure USB Flash Drive Managed by SafeConsole
Kingston Digital Debuts First Secure USB Flash Drive Managed by SafeConsole
The first product to be released from the partnership between Kingston Digital, Inc., and BlockMaster is presented today at the opening of the annual RSA conference in San Francisco. The SafeConsole Ready hardware-encrypted secure USB drive DataTraveler Vault — Privacy Managed (DTVPM) from Kingston is mandatory managed by the central management server SafeConsole from BlockMaster.
Kingston, the independent world leader in memory products, is making the secure USB flash drive hardware highly available in its strong distribution channels globally. The high quality DTVPM device is mandatory managed by the leading SafeConsole management server from BlockMaster. The solution will let enterprise customers avoid data loss and get them on the fast track to more productive use of secure USB flash drives.
"The partnership with Kingston offers customers more choice when it comes to hardware. Several device types managed by the same system are in strong demand and we are happy to now be able to service even more customers," says Anders Kjellander CSO at BlockMaster.
"Kingston's relationship with security software leader BlockMaster enhances our ability to offer enterprise customers the most robust and versatile centrally managed secure USB solution available on the market," says John Terpening, secure USB business manager at Kingston.
The DTVPM secure USB drive is the first SafeConsoleReady Device released from Kingston. The full SafeConsoleReady technology program from BlockMaster will also be presented at the RSA conference.
The SafeConsoleReady brand and program will ensure that BlockMaster partner products work efficiently with SafeConsole management tools and are able to offer customers all the security and management benefits of SafeConsole.
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IndustryÂ’s ''Best CPU'' Speeds Up, Stays Cool, Outperforms Competition: AMD
Industry's ''Best CPU'' Speeds Up, Stays Cool, Outperforms Competition: AMD
AMD today announced the immediate availability of five new members of the AMD Opteron 6100 Series processor family that specifically address rising demand for low-power, balanced systems for SMBs and increased performance-per-dollar-per-watt for enterprise and public sector environments. Key partners including Acer, Dell and HP are launching new or refreshed AMD Opteron 6000 Series platform-based systems this quarter, powered by these new 12- and 8-core AMD Opteron processors.
"These new server CPUs deliver greater performance than we've ever had before," said Patrick Patla, vice president and general manager, Server Business, AMD. "When we launched the AMD Opteron 6000 Series platforms last year, we eliminated the '4P tax' and met market demands for higher performance-per-dollar-per-watt. Our customers' benchmarks and testimonials bear out these improvements, and these five new parts—and the rave reviews—prove that we continue to deliver on our vision."
• The two new AMD Opteron HE processors meet market demand for highly scalable, power-efficient systems that are especially well suited for Web serving, virtualization and cloud computing workloads.
• The new AMD Opteron SE processor enables increased performance in key environments such as HPC, financial services, database and newly virtualized datacenters.
• These processors are socket-compatible with the AMD Opteron 6000 Series platform, as will be AMD's upcoming 16-core "Bulldozer"-based Opteron processors.
• AMD Opteron 6000 Series platform-based systems powered by the new AMD Opteron processors are available now from OEMs and system builders, including Acer, Appro, Cray Inc., Colfax, Dawning, Dell, HP, Microway, NCS Technologies, Inc., Nor-Tech, Penguin, SGI, Silicon Mechanics and ZT Systems.
• Servers using the AMD Opteron 6000 Series platforms are delivering excellent performance, value, and energy efficiency, outperforming Intel Xeon processor-based servers on numerous key server benchmarks, including SPECint_rate2006, SPECfp_rate2006, and TPC-C Value (Price/tpmC). Learn more about server benchmarks here.
o Two-processor servers using these latest AMD Opteron processors outperform Intel Xeon 5680 ("Westmere") processor-based servers on eight key server benchmarks.
o SPECint_rate2006
o SPECint_rate_base2006
o SPECfp_rate2006
o SPECfp_rate_base20061
o SPECjbb 2005
o TPC-C Value (Price/TpmC)
o TPC-H Value (Price/QphH)
o SPECpower_ssj2008 power consumption
• The AMD Opteron 6000 Series platform's core scalability and efficient architecture helped enable the new Dell PowerEdge C6145 server to set a new performance record for 2U servers. The Dell PowerEdge C6145 has more than doubled the previous record for SPECfp_rate2006 performance in a 2U server.
Recent accolades for AMD's server CPUs include third-party organizations naming the AMD Opteron 6100 Series processor "Best CPU" of 2011 for parallel processing, calling out the AMD Opteron powered Dell PowerEdge R815 as 2010 Server of the Year and awarding it a Silver Award for Server Hardware.
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Innergie already offers new EU mobile power standard
Innergie already offers new EU mobile power standard
Hoofddorp, February 11, 2011. On February 8, 2011 Antonio Tajani, EU industry commissioner, in Brussels officially presented the new standard for charging any mobile phone. The new standard is based on a voluntary agreement with all major mobile phone manufacturers and will substitute the existing maze of dozens of different and non compatible chargers in the market. The future unified charger will be based on a Micro USB connection. A dedicated website (http://www.onechargerforall.eu) has been created to inform EU citizens.
Owners of Innergie's "Magic Cable" do not have to worry: This retractable USB Cable offers Mini USB and Micro USB. In combination with either an Innergie mMini DC 10 adaptor or any of the award winning mobile chargers in the Innergie line up which all have one or two USB outputs the future mobile phones can be charged, in addition to many other portable devices like notebooks, MP3 player, tablet PCs, and more.
All Innergie universal power adapters have an industry-leading 3-year limited warranty.
About Innergie
Innergie is the Power Specialist that creates innovative lifestyle energy products for an ever-changing world. Founded in 2008, Innergie's technological superiority is backed by a team of professionals with more than 20 years experience in the power supply industry. With its expertise in compact power technology, Innergie provides the world's smallest, most efficient universal power adapter and innovative power solutions. Innergie maintains operations in the United States, India, Romania, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and The Netherlands. To learn more about Innergie and its line of lifestyle energy products, visit www.myinnergie.com
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Silicon Power Whole New SSD series V20 Gives You the Best of Both Worlds
Silicon Power Whole New SSD series V20 Gives You the Best of Both Worlds
Challenging Limits of Performance and Endurance
Taipei, Taiwan, February 15, 2011 ~ World leading flash memory manufacturer Silicon Power today announces the new Velox V20 series Solid State Drive (SSD). Instantly boosting PC performances, it uses the latest SandForce controller, featuring a maximum read-speed of 285MB/s and write-speed of 275MB/s so enthusiasts can sit back and enjoy the speedy transfer rates!
Tremendous Write-Speed Improvement
Silicon Power's V20 SSD uses the latest SandForce controller, it boasts a continuous read / write speed up to 285MB/ 275MB per second, respectively. An actual test using a 40GB V20 required only 13 seconds to boot into Windows and open up a program. It is the perfect enterprise office PC storage solution or the ideal boot-up disk in any PC! In addition, V20 SSD also supports TRIM Command and Garbage Collection technology to counter performance drop issues due to long period of use and continuous write actions.
Significantly Extending Lifespan
Using SandForce controller's patented DuraClass technology, it can extend the SSD lifespan up to 5 years! The DuraWrite technology optimizes the to-be written data to a reserved 7% flash memory storage block that acts as an intermediate station before data are written with an amplification less than 1 to their final storage blocks. This vastly reduces the occurrences of bad sectors and thus extending the lifespan.
Silicon Power's V20 SSD comes with a 3-year warranty and a 2.5inch to 3.5inch adapter bracket for you to install into a desktop PC to boost performances!
Features:
- Excellent data transfer rate
- Support TRIM Command
- AES-128 encryption
- Available capacities: 40GB/60GB/120GB/240GB
- Conforms to 2.5" SATA interface and hard drive dimensions (SATA SSD)
- Come with a 3.5" adapter bracket to install V20 into a desktop PC.
- Built-in ECC to guarantee data reliability
- Has "Wear-Leveling" technology to extend its lifespan
- In compliance with strict European RoHS directives, meeting the green environment trend
- Has excellent performance and stability
- Low power consumption
- Shock and vibration proof
- Noiseless operation, no latency delay and no seek error
- 3-year warranty
Specifications:
- Durability: pull/ plug test ~ at least 10,000 times
- Operating voltage: 4.5V~5.5V
- Vibration resistance test: 20G peak-to-peak max
- Shock resistance test: 1500G Max
- Transfer rate: maximum read ~ 285MB/s; maximum write ~ 275MB/s*
- Dimension: 100x 69.85 x 9.4mm
- Weight: 70g
*NOTE: Performances may vary due to platform differences
About Silicon Power
Silicon Power Computer & Communications Inc., founded in 2003 by a group of enthusiastic specialists of flash data storage industry. Well dedicated in brand image and product quality, Silicon Power has been recognized and well accepted by millions of end-users in more than 100 countries, becomes the world's leading manufacturer of flash memory cards, USB flash drives, card readers, DRAM modules, solid state disks, and portable hard drives in less than a decade. Headquartered in Taipei, we continuously established various branches throughout the world including Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Mainland China and other emerging market. With superior quality and innovative design, our products stood out in several competitions and awarded Taiwan Excellence and COMPUTEX Design & Innovation Award in 2009 and 2010. Winning trust of global consumers, Silicon Power holds a record of successive double-digit revenue growth for last seven years. For Silicon Power, the product we introduced is not only a digital storage device but also a real promise to create and preserve your most valuable memory in every moment.
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Compro and Seedonk partner to launch wireless network video monitoring cameras
Compro and Seedonk partner to launch wireless network video monitoring cameras
New Compro Network Cameras Target Home, Pet and Baby Monitoring
Compro Technology (http://www.comprosecurity.com), a leading manufacturer of PC-TV, digital audio/video, and IP security products for the IT and consumer markets and Seedonk (http://www.seedonk.com), a platform for viewing, managing and sharing camera feed over the Internet, announced today a partnership that will provide consumers with the latest line of high-quality, high-definition wireless network cameras for video monitoring. The Compro wireless network cameras powered by Seedonk, are targeted primarily at these consumer applications - home, pet, and baby monitoring. Key features of these wireless network cameras include day/night functionality, megapixel resolution, H.264 compression, pan/tilt/zoom, and more.
Differentiators of these cameras from other wireless network cameras include:
• Speedy and effortless installation - no more router configuration and port forwarding setup; the camera can be ready to go in 5 minutes.
• Friendly camera management - use one master ID/password to log on to and manage multiple cameras, sans the need to remember each camera's web address.
• Optimized mobile experience - free iPhone and Android App offers optimized video performance and viewing experience as well as anywhere, anytime mobile surveillance.
• Safe and secure - the cameras feature multiple layers of security and encryption (using online banking standards), along with Seedonk's smartConnect technology to keep your camera protected inside your home firewall and not publicly exposed to the Internet.
The partnership represents both companies' commitment to continuous innovation. "By offering the Seedonk server solution on mobile devices, we are making it incredibly easy for people to set up and monitor their network cameras, at anytime and from anywhere. The Seedonk technology will drive a new generation of surveillance innovations on the cloud computing platform," said Alice Ko, Marketing Director of Compro Technology.
Herman Yau, CEO of Seedonk, was thrilled about the synergies brought by the partnership. "We are so excited to bring to consumers the high quality, easy-to-use video monitoring solution they've been waiting for - a truly safe and secure wireless camera system that anyone can set up. With our new partnership with Compro, we are able to stand true to our commitment to continue to create and innovate the best-in-class solutions for consumers," said Herman.
About Compro
Founded in 1988, Compro Technology Inc, based in Taipei, Taiwan, is a leading manufacture of PC-TV, digital audio/video, and IP security products for the IT and consumer markets. Through innovative, reliable products and services, motivated and talented staff, responsible approach to the business, and collaboration with business partners and customers, Compro Technology is pleased to introduce an exciting new digital lifestyle to make the world a better and safer place. For more information, please visit www.comprosecurity.com.
About Seedonk
Seedonk makes video monitoring and sharing easy, safe, and fun for everyone. Seedonk powers products such as the Imogen StudioR Bambino, a wireless Internet baby monitor, and See Daycare, a daycare monitoring service offering mobile viewing for parents. Seedonk is a consumer platform for viewing, managing and sharing cameras over the internet. With the Seedonk IM, the Seedonk iPhone App, the Seedonk Android App, and the Seedonk Facebook App, Seedonk helps people view and share their cameras from wherever they might be whether on-the-go or on the social web. For more information, please visit www.seedonk.com.
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CyberPower Loads New Intel Core i7-990X “King of Desktop Processors” into its Lineup of Extreme Gaming Systems
CyberPower Loads New Intel Core i7-990X "King of Desktop Processors" into its Lineup of Extreme Gaming Systems
BALDWIN PARK, CA (February 14, 2011) - The new king of processors has arrived and CyberPower, Inc. is quick to honor it. CyberPower (www.cyberpowerpc.com) today announced a new family of desktop gaming PCs based on Intel's new six Core i7-990X Extreme Edition CPU. The world's fastest CPU will be incorporated into CyberPower's top-of-the-line Fang EVO Black Mamba, Cobra, Viper, and all X58-chipset Gamer Xtreme systems.
The Core i7-990X is Intel's fastest six-core CPU based on the 32nm manufacturing process. It is designed to tackle the most intensive workloads users can throw at it. Clocked at 3.46GHz, with CyberPower Venom Boost overclocking available, you will be able to fly through everything you do on your PC - from playing intense 3D games to creating and editing digital video, music, and photos.
With the high performance platform capabilities of Intel X58 Express Chipset, along with faster, intelligent multi-core technology that applies processing power dynamically when its needed most, CyberPower systems based on the Intel Core i7-990X processor Extreme Edition deliver incredible performance with a rich feature set.
With CyberPower's Black Mamba system powered by the new Intel CPU you will be wield the ultimate gaming weapon for greater performance in 3D gaming applications. You will also be able to experience smoother and more realistic gaming by distributing AI, physics, and rendering across six cores and 12 threads. Digital content creation achieves a new level for photo retouching and photo editing.
CyberPower users can unlock the full potential with Intel's top-of-the-line desktop processor and experience total creative freedom that's limited only by their imagination. Systems based on the new Intel Core i7 990X CPU will be incorporated into CyberPower's high-end gaming rigs from the Gamer Xtreme FTW to its flagship Fang EVO Black Mamba with prices from near $1,000 to $4,465.
CyberPower Black Mamba
CPU Intel Core i7-990X XE @ 3.46 GHz
Motherboard Intel X58 Chipset
Memory 12 GB DDR3
Video Card 2x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (SLI)
HDD 64 GB SSD, 2TB SATA 6.0 Gb/s
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit w/ Service Pack 1
Price $4,465.00
All CyberPower systems based on the Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition processor can be easily customized with a number of hard drive and/or SSD, optical drive, high performance memory, and other peripheral component options at the company website.
CyberPower loads every system with Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit with Service Pack 1 to enhance your gaming and multimedia experience and includes an industry-best 3-year limited warranty and free lifetime phone support.
About CyberPower Inc.
CyberPower Inc. www.cyberpowerpc.com was founded in 1998 and has emerged as one of the leading custom computer system manufacturers. Headquartered in Baldwin Park in Southern California, CyberPower manufacturers and distributes a complete line of custom built gaming desktops, gaming notebooks and high performance workstations to meet the unique needs of gamers, businesses, government agencies, educational institutions and other end-users. For more information contact: Sales (800) 707-0393; Email cyberpower@cyberpowerpc.com.
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