IT News HeadLines (AnandTech) 04/03/2011

ASUS G73SW + SNB: Third Time’s the Charm?
With the Cougar Point chipset glitch starting to fade away, we’re starting to get Sandy Bridge systems in for testing. ASUS sent us over an earlier version of their updated G73, the G73SW with i7-2630QM and GTX 460M—still with the B2 chipset stepping, but it won’t matter for our testing, and the B3 versions should be shipping any time now. If you’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on a new gaming notebook, there are a lot of fast, new offerings to choose from.

We’ve already looked at the G73 chassis twice now, and the latest version only makes a few minor tweaks other than the CPU/chipset. We’ve also previewed the same hardware combination with MSI’s GT680R. This is going to be a somewhat shorter review, then, but we did take some time to do a bit of extra stress testing, and we’re happy to entertain other requests at this point. Read on for the full rundown.

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Balancing Power, Price, and Performance in the Server CPU World
Our last comprehensive server and server CPU review focused on some of the best and fastest x86 servers on the market. This time, we focus on more humble servers. Performance is not necessarily priority one for many businesses; chances are that low power and budget are higher on the list. So we did our best to get the most interesting power sipping and inexpensive CPUs in the lab.

We selected three AMD Opterons and two Intel Xeons. On the Intel platform we test with the older but very cheap Xeon E5506 and the newer but more expensive low power Xeon L5630. AMD sent us three different Opterons: the low power Opteron 4162 EE, the performance/watt balancing Opteron 4170 HE, and the ultra cheap Opteron 4122. Read on to find out which of the five CPUs make sense in which situation. As always we use very realistisic benchmarking and power measurments to find out.

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Human Astrocytes Used to Repair Spinal Cord Injuries in Rats
Researchers are working to apply the cells to human models
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UPDATE: EADS Will Not Protest Boeing's USAF Tanker Win
Sources say EADS will not appeal win
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Report: Microsoft Won't Release Dedicated Tablet OS Until 2012
Microsoft looks to arrive VERY late to the tablet game
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Apple, Record Companies Discuss Changes to iTunes Service
A new service plan could allow iTunes customers to permanently backup music they purchased, and link downloads to multiple devices like the iPod, iPad and iPhone on one iTunes account
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IPad 2's Thinness Takes Android Tablet Maker Samsung by Surprise
Company says it's hard at work trying to make the changes necessary to stay competitive
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T-Mobile Offers Discounted Samsung Phones for Sidekick Users
Select Samsung devices can be had for half off, and the carrier is waiving ETFs
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Apple Posts iOS 4.3 Gold Master for Developers
Finalized version of iOS 4.3 is now available to developers
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Report: Humans in the Midst of Causing Planet's Sixth Mass Extinction
Evolution will likely overcome the role of humanity, but pressure is unlike any in history
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Army Wikileaker Manning Faces Possible Death Penalty With New Charges
Private specialist is subject to 22 new charges, including aiding the enemy
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UPDATE: Mitsubishi to Kill Evo, Will Focus on Electric Cars
Mitsubishi's long-running Evo line is coming to an end
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