NVIDIA Unveils GeForce GTX 690: Dual GK104 Flagship Launching May 3rd
As we mentioned back on Monday, NVIDIA was going to be making some kind of GeForce announcement this evening at the NVIDA Gaming Festival 2012 in Shanghai, China. NVIDIA’s CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has just finished his speech, announcing NVIDIA’s next ultra-premium video card, the GeForce GTX 690.
Launching later this week, the GeForce GTX 690 will be NVIDIA’s new dual-GPU flagship video card, complementing their existing single-GPU GeForce GTX 680. Equipped with a pair of fully enabled GK104 GPUs, NVIDIA is shooting for GTX 680 SLI performance on a single card, and with GTX 690 they just might get there. We won’t be publishing our review until Thursday, but in the meantime let’s take a look at what we know so far about the GTX 690.
Read More ...
Capsule Review: Sapphire's Radeon HD 7870 Overclock Edition
As AMD’s 28nm allocation has improved so has the selection of cards available on the market. We’re still in the first phase of the Radeon HD 7000 series rollout, with AMD’s partners building semi-custom cards based on AMD’s reference PCB, but even without custom PCBs AMD’s partners have been able to turn out a number of interesting designs. This is particularly the case for the 7800 series, where prices are high enough for partners to experiment with different coolers and TDPs are low enough to allow more than a handful of approaches.
Last month we saw some of those first designs with PowerColor’s PCS+ HD7870 and HIS’s IceQ 7870 Turbo, and today we’ll be looking at a third: Sapphire’s HD 7870 Overclock Edition, their semi-custom factory overclocked 7870. How does Sapphire’s dual-fan entry stand up to the competition? Let’s find out.
Read More ...
Eurocom Monster 1.0: Gaming with Quad-Core IVB and Kepler at 11.6”
The Monster 1.0 isn’t just about stuffing the latest and greatest parts into a small form factor. Intel’s new Ivy Bridge processor is socket compatible with Sandy Bridge chips, and since there are no dual-core IVB offerings right now Eurocom offers the Monster with either dual-core SNB or quad-core IVB—though you’ll have to wait a bit longer for the quad-core IVB option it seems. Since it uses the updated HM76 chipset, you also get native USB 3.0 ports. Let’s run through the supported components and options just to give you a taste of what Eurocom has to offer.
Eurocom Monster 1.0 Configuration Options | |
Processor | Core i7-3720QM (4x2.6-3.6GHz, 6MB L3, 22nm, 45W) Core i7-3610QM (4x2.3-3.3GHz, 6MB L3, 22nm, 45W) Core i7-2620M (2x2.7-3.4GHz, 4MB L3, 32nm, 35W) Core i5-2540M (2x2.6-3.3GHz, 3MB L3, 32nm, 35W) Core i5-2520M (2x2.5-3.2GHz, 3MB L3, 32nm, 35W) Core i5-2410M (2x2.3-2.9GHz, 3MB L3, 32nm, 35W) |
Chipset | Intel HM76 |
Memory | Up to 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 (Two SO-DIMM slots, DDR3-1333 or DDR3-1600) |
Graphics | Intel HD 4000 (16 EUs, DX11) on Ivy Bridge Intel HD 3000 (12 EUs, DX10) on Sandy Bridge NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 2GB DDR3 Optimus (384 CUDA cores, 850/1800MHz Core/Shader/RAM) |
Display | 11.6" Glossy 16:9 768p (1366x768) or 11.6" Matte 16:9 768p (1366x768) (AUO B116XW02) |
Storage | 120GB-600GB SSD (Intel or Micron) 500GB-750GB 7200RPM HDD 1TB 5400RPM HDD |
Optical Drive | N/A |
Networking | Gigabit Ethernet 802.11n WiFi (Intel or Bigfoot Killer) Bluetooth (Optional, depending on WLAN) |
Audio | Stereo speakers Headphone and microphone jacks |
Battery | 6-cell, 62Wh |
Front Side | Memory Card Reader |
Left Side | 2 x USB 3.0 Headphone jack Microphone jack HDMI 1.4a Exhaust vent VGA Gigabit Ethernet |
Right Side | Kensington Lock 1 x USB 2.0 AC Power Connection |
Back Side | N/A |
Operating System | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit |
Dimensions | 11.48" x 8.28" x 0.51-1.48" (WxDxH) (287mm x 207mm x 12.7-37.1mm) |
Weight | 3.96 lbs (1.8kg) |
Extras | 1.3MP Webcam 83-Key Keyboard Flash Reader (MMC/SD/MS Pro) 90W Power Adapter |
Pricing | Starting at $817 with i5-2410M (500GB HDD, 4GB RAM, and 1-year warranty) $2203 for High-End i7-2620M (240GB SSD, 8GB RAM, and 3-year warranty) |
On the CPU front, even dual-core Sandy Bridge is plenty fast for most users, and what’s more Eurocom uses full voltage CPUs. That means even the minimum i5-2410M ought to give Alienware’s M11x a run for the money. (Granted, we haven’t seen any news on the M11x since the R3 version, and while we can still find it on Dell’s site, it’s a bit odd that it doesn’t show up at Alienware’s laptop page.) Looking at the heart of any gaming system, it’s the GPU that’ll really determine what will run well and how high you can crank the settings. With the Monster, NVIDIA’s Kepler GK107 chips look ready for mainstream gaming at the very least.
Pricing isn’t bad either for what we could see; the base model should perform reasonably well, especially if all you want is a petty gaming laptop; the only real upgrade we’d make for sure is on the RAM. We’d also look into the LCD upgrade, but $136 extra for what may or may not be a substantially better panel is a tough pill to swallow. If you need more CPU performance, you’ll have to wait for the Ivy Bridge options to show up, and we’d guess the i7-3720QM will be at least a $300 upgrade, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Given everything listed above, the Monster 1.0 should certainly live up to its name. We’ve requested a review unit and hopefully we can report on the overall experience in the near future. Eurocom did release some preliminary benchmarks, and it looks like the GT 650M DDR3 with a full voltage CPU should improve on the early GT 640M we tested in the Acer TimelineU ultrabook by 30-50%. Eurocom also quotes battery life of up to 410 minutes (though they don’t say what sort of test they used), which should be sufficient for non-gaming use. In the meantime, fans of gaming ultraportables have something new to look forward to.
Read More ...
Codegen P-Case 460W - Low Price, Poor Quality
Today we will review a Codegen PSU. This product is not available in the US as they sell it in some European countries only, but it's still a nice representative of the low-end product range. In fact the P-Case 460W is a part of the Q3335-A2 bundle. They sell it with a good looking case for office use. With less than 30 EUR (about 40 USD; 04-27-2012) it appears to be a good offer, but we will see if they meet one's expectations.
Q3335-A2 bundle
Codegen is a well known brand for inexpensive power supplies. The P-Case 460W has passive PFC (no universal AC input) and no finish since most customers simply don't care how a PSU like this looks like. In addition there is no sleeving for the cables. The delivery contents of the bundle include a power cord and all necessary screws. You'll note that there's no 80 Plus certification on this one, which isn't too surprising considering the target market. Read on to find out if this PSU is still recommendable.Read More ...
iBUYPOWER Erebus GT Review: Ivy Bridge and NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680 in SLI
It was only a month-and-a-half ago that we were able to test the iBUYPOWER Erebus GT, a boutique desktop with a custom water-cooling loop at a very compelling price for what you got. Yet in the intervening period the computing landscape has actually changed fairly drastically, with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680 coming to market and Intel releasing the Ivy Bridge-based Core i7-3000 series processors. Our previous review unit focused more on value proposition with a single AMD Radeon HD 7970 handling graphics duties, but the one we have on hand today is a true war machine.
Read More ...
Clearwire Announces Initial TDD-LTE Network Launch Early 2013
In its earnings report, Clearwire notes that it has already completed the first phase of its network overlay on 8,000 such "hot zone" cell sites, primarily ones where it can offload for future compatible Sprint and Cricket devices. Some 5,000 of such cell sites are in major markets which it is targeting for early 2013 launch, including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle. Clearwire is planning to launch its TDD-LTE network in 31 total markets by mid 2013, though it notes that it will name the specific other markets at a later date.
Source: Clearwire (1), (2)
Read More ...
Verizon Leak: Rezound, RAZR, and Xoom Likely to Get ICS Upgrades
Bionic, Thunderbolt, Revolution, Galaxy Tab 10.1 unlikely to get ICS, but will get mild upgrade
Read More ...
Samsung More Than Quadruples Smartphone Sales; Outsells Nokia, Apple
One in every four phones (of any kind) sold is now a Samsung; company earns $4.45B USD
Read More ...
4/27/2012 Daily Hardware Reviews
DailyTech's roundup of hardware reviews from around the web for Friday
Read More ...
Apple 2012 Sales Expected to Almost Double in China from 2011
Apple's issues in China, like an iPad lawsuit and the lack of cooperation with China's largest mobile carrier, could slow sales after 2012
Read More ...
S&P Joins Fitch in Downgrade of Nokia's Bond Credit to "Junk"
Rating downgrade isn't always fatal -- Ford only escaped "junk" status this week; MSFT only AAA tech comp.
Read More ...
Amazon Reports 34% Revenue Increase, Kindle Fire Nabs Half of Android Tablet Market
ComScore recently released a study showing that the Kindle Fire made up more than half of the Android tablet market with 54.4 percent in February 2012
Read More ...
NHTSA wants to Test Vehicle to Vehicle Communications to Help Save Lives
You car won't rat you out for speeding... yet
Read More ...
House Passes Measure to Detail Government Spending Available Online
The DATA Act would make government spending more transparent
Read More ...
Ron Paul, President Obama in Opposition of Cybersecurity Bill
The President is threatening to veto the bill if it makes it pass the House and Senate
Read More ...
Samsung Reveals Quad-Core Exynos 4 for Galaxy S3 Superphone
New chip is likely to power the Galaxy S3
Read More ...
4/26/2012 Daily Hardware Reviews
DailyTech's roundup of hardware reviews from around the web for Thursday
Read More ...
Irate Former Symbian Chief Trashes Android, Nokia, Microsoft
Former SVP says Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has "No...vision"; argues Android isn't open or functional
Read More ...
Acer Looks Forward to Better 2012, But Challenges Remain
Acer aims to improve
Read More ...
Nintendo Revenue Plummets, Posts Annual Loss for the First Time
Nintendo reported an operating loss of 37.3 billion yen ($460.9 million USD)
Read More ...
Report: Two-Thirds of U.S. Smartphone Users Won't Pay over $50 a Month for Data
$14 billion spent on apps so far this year globally
Read More ...
Kaspersky Labs: Apple's Security 10 Years Behind Microsoft
Kaspersky says Apple needs to change its approach to updates and patches for its machines
Read More ...
Available Tags:NVIDIA , GeForce , GTX , Radeon , Gaming , Ivy Bridge , Xoom , Samsung , Smartphone , Apple , Hardware , Amazon , Kindle , Android , Tablet , Galaxy , Microsoft , Acer , Nintendo , Security ,
No comments:
Post a Comment