RumorTT: AMD to release Radeon HD 7970 "GHz Edition" to combat the GEFORCE GTX 680/690 GPUs
NVIDIA right now own the performance crown for their GEFORCE GTX 680, and GTX 690 GPUs, but AMD aren't just going to lie down and take it. The latest rumor spinning onto the Internet is that we should expect AMD to ramp up the Radeon HD 7970 reference core clock from 925MHz to 1GHz so that they can reclaim the single-GPU performance spot.
AtomicMPC had AMD explain that "yields are now better, their average voltage required to hit 925MHz is much lower than it was on early ES revisions, and most chips are happily hitting 1250MHz now". Is this enough for AMD to win back the performance crown? Or would NVIDIA just do the same thing and crank up their clock speeds once AMD do it? The competition is about to heat up, peeps.
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The Avengers smashes all-time domestic box office opening weekend record
I saw The Avengers on the day of release here in South Australia, and I thought to myself half way through 'why am I smiling so much?' It was just that good. Unbelievably good. I kept my expectations of the movie low, and it just smashed them all away.
The last record holder before The Avengers was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. The Avengers is the fastest film to ever hit the $200 million mark, and has made a mind-blowing $650 million internationally in just 12 days. Now we have to start wondering what's the next movie that could topple The Avengers for raking in that much cash in an opening weekend. The Dark Knight Rises arrives in just under two months time, but I really think it'll have a hard time beating The Avengers.
What did you think of the movie? Did you love it? Did you hate it? I hope Joss Whedon comes back for the sequel!
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LeakedTT: Nintendo Wii U launch title list
A very naughty Blockbuster UK employee has leaked out a screenshot that shows off the Nintendo Wii U launch title list. The screenshot is from the Blockbuster UK stock system search screen, where it shows a list of 25 games and 2 consoles when searching for the "WiiU" in their systems.
- Aliens: Colonial Marines
- Assassin's Creed
- Batman: Arkham City
- Darksiders II
- Dirt 3
- Formula 1 All Stars
- Game Party
- Ghost Recon Online
- Just Dance 4
- Killer Freaks from Outer Space
- Marvel Super Heroes
- Metro: Last Light
- Monsters Party
- New Super Mario Brothers Mii
- Ninja Gaiden 3
- Pikmin
- Rabbids Party Land
- Raving Rabbids
- Rayman Legends
- Shield Pose
- Splinter Cell 6
- Sports Connection
- Tekken
- Your Shape 2013
- Zombie
On another note, Nintendo will have to smash this one out of the park, considering they had their first loss in 25 years. The Wii was super-successful at launch, but hasn't really had any killer apps like the other consoles have enjoyed. This list does look good though, and if that new whiz bang controller is as good as Nintendo are making it out to be, we should be in for quite the treat!
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Star Wars: The Old Republic has lost close to 25% of its subscribers in two months
EA and BioWare's MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic launched in late-2011 to surprisingly strong numbers, but EA have released an earnings report today that might shock you. EA have announced that the game currently has 1.3 million subscribers, which is down roughly 25-percent from its peak of 1.7 million subscribers in March.
Gibeau has said that the subscriber drop isn't from the "core MMO users", as they are sticking to the game in good numbers, but seems to be coming from the expanded audience of non-MMO-obsessed Star Wars fans attracted by a title like The Old Republic. Gibeau continues:
As the service evolves, some of those initial casual customers have gone through a billing cycle and decided not to subscribe.Don't fret, though, EA CEO John Riccitiello has said that The Old Republic could continue to be profitable with as little as 500,000 subscribers.
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Seagate nearly ready to unveil its first 12Gbps drive, dubbed Pulsar.2
It wasn't even a week ago that HGST, a division of Western Digital, announced they were working on a new, super-fast storage drive in the form of a 12Gbps-capable SAS SSD. But, don't think for one minute that rival Seagate weren't waiting for the bell to ring on their oven, where they too were baking their own 12Gbps-capable SSD.
There isn't much more information on the drive, but Seagate are making noise about the fact that using SAS 12Gbps drives versus PCI Express-based SSDs allows for better scalability and serviceability. Seagate have also said that the SAS 12Gbps standard should be finalized by the end of 2012, but no products are expected to hit the market until next year, and most likely 2H of 2013. These products are server-grade, and won't hit consumer markets until then. Still nice to dream, though.
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Corsair Obsidian 550D Mid-Tower Chassis Review
Introduction
In my opinion Corsair set the bar so high with what the 800D offered and how sleek and sexy it looked sitting anywhere, that it was a real shame it came before all of the other cases I mentioned. Now the hot swap bays are gone and of course we are now speaking of a mid-tower chassis, but in the simplest of terms, this is what I would expect to come from all the handy things that evolved over the line of Corsair cases.
This yet keeping enough of the original in materials and aesthetic appeal and yet still finds a way to keep on giving with a few innovative and "now why did I think about that" aspects for other companies to try and copy. I guarantee that is going to happen to one feature in particular and that is the ingenious, yet simple solution to most cases with a front door on them and that's that they don't swing in the right direction for every situation.
I don't want to give away too much before you get to see the images along with what I am discussing. As I mentioned, some of the features may not be so "new" to the market, but it is more about the total package in this design. Yes, you have seen a few of these things before, but not like this. Nor do they have the attention to the fine details that the Corsair 550D from the Obsidian series seems to be able to pack into one design.
Get comfortable because this mid-tower has a ton to offer and I am going to cover it all. Hopefully by the end of this review you will see why I am starting off so strongly with this chassis. I know if I were in the buyer's market, this chassis has a lot of offer any builder out there and with the options housed within it, this is a chassis that if you do buy it, it will be part of your decor for years to come.
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Micron Announces Its First Fully Functional DDR4 DRAM Module
Micron Technology, Inc., one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced development of its first fully functional DDR4 DRAM module. The company has begun sampling and has received feedback from major customers to support quick implementation for applications in 2013.
Codeveloped by Nanya and based on Micron's 30-nanometer (nm) technology, the 4-gigabit (Gb) DDR4 x8 part is the first piece of what is expected to be the industry's most complete portfolio of DDR4-based modules, which will include RDIMMs, LRDIMMs, 3DS, SODIMMs and UDIMMs (standard and ECC). For the soldered down space, x8, x16, and x32 components will also be available, with initial speeds up to 2400 megatransfers per second (MT/s), increasing to the JEDEC-defined 3200 MT/s.
"With the JEDEC definition for DDR4 very near finalization, we've put significant effort into ensuring that our first DDR4 product is as JEDEC-compatible as it can be at this final stage of its development," said Brian Shirley, vice president for Micron's DRAM Solutions Group. "We've provided samples to key partners in the market place with confidence that the die we give them now is the same die we will take into mass production."
As JEDEC finalizes the DDR4 specifications, Micron is positioned to quickly become fully compliant with its 30 nm 4 Gb DDR4 part. Full sampling to key partners began earlier this year and volume production is planned for 4Q12.
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Company of Heroes 2 Invades the Eastern Front
THQ Inc. today announced that a sequel to its critically acclaimed strategy game Company of Heroes is scheduled to be taking gamers to the frozen frontlines of war in Russia in early 2013.
As a true sequel, this game moves the battle away from the common Western Front focus of World War II and refocuses on some of history's most brutal and devastating conflicts on the Eastern Front, challenging players to take command of the iconic Red Army and repel the Nazi invaders from the very gates of Moscow.
Greg Wilson, Producer at Relic Entertainment commented, "Company of Heroes 2 is a true successor, introducing a new front, new protagonists and new technology while retaining the unique mix of strategic gameplay and competitive multiplayer that made the original Company of Heroes such a success."
Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President of Core Games commented, "We are excited to announce a sequel to one of THQ's best loved properties. Company of Heroes 2 will deliver an amazing strategy experience along with a strong post-launch digital content plan that enhances and expands the product's lifecycle."
The original Company of Heroes was released in 2006 to critical acclaim and is currently the highest rated strategy title on Gamerankings.com (with more than five reviews) with an average of 93.82% based on 56 reviews. The game features similar acclaim on Metacritic.com with a Metascore of 93% based on 55 reviews.
Company of Heroes 2 is scheduled to be available for PC in early 2013. For more information, visit the Company of Heroes website.
Premise
It is 1941 and the beginning of what will become the most brutal conflict of World War II, as Germany launches a full-scale invasion of the frozen tundra of the Soviet Union which would result in over 14 million military casualties. Take command of the iconic Soviet Red Army in brutal frontline warfare to free Mother Russia from the invading Nazis. Your strategic skills and tactical expertise hold the power to tip the very balance of this conflict in the sequel to the critically acclaimed and multi award-winning Company of Heroes. Engage in visceral tactical combat that will define you as a military leader and challenge you to wield the might of the Soviet Empire as you smash your way to Berlin.
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Seagate To Demonstrate 12 Gb/s Drives At SCSI Trade Association's Technical Showcase
Seagate will demonstrate a variety of technologies at the SCSI Trade Association (STA) Technology Showcase this week aimed at improving the performance of servers, datacenters and cloud computing applications, including the first public demonstration of solid-state drives operating at 12 gigabits per second.
Faster data throughput paves the way for drives and storage systems that can deliver larger amounts of data more rapidly to servers and processors. This provides improved overall performance and efficiency for cloud services and other enterprise applications throughout all tiers of data storage. As the enterprise market leader and strategic storage partner enabling these enterprise systems, Seagate continues to drive the industry in developing the standard in the INCITS T10 Committee and is collaborating with other STA members to bring it to market.
While Seagate will first demonstrate the technology on its solid-state drives to optimize the high performance benefits of SSDs, the 12 Gb/s SAS standard is also compatible with high-performance and high-capacity hard disk drives. These can be seamlessly integrated within existing infrastructures using 6 Gb/s SAS because the new faster SAS standard is backwards compatible with all previous generations of SAS speeds. Seagate's implementation of 12 Gb/s SAS is fully compatible with controllers and other technologies from PMC-Sierra and LSI, two of the leading Host Bus Adapter and Expander vendors.
The 12 Gb/s SAS standard is currently stable and expected to be finalized by the end of the year. Products based on the 12 Gb/s standard will start to hit in the market in 2013 with general availability in the second half of the year.
Seagate subject matter experts will be on hand at the event to discuss all the new and future advancements in SAS and SCSI based storage including the recently announced SCSI Express initiative. These advancements ensure that SAS and SCSI based storage will remain at the leading edge of providing performance, reliability and efficiency well into the future.
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Intel Announces Increase in Quarterly Cash Dividend
Intel Corporation today announced that its board of directors has approved a 7 percent increase in the quarterly cash dividend to 22.5 cents per share (90 cents per share on an annual basis), beginning with the dividend that will be declared in the third quarter of 2012.
"2012 is expected to be another year of record revenues for Intel, with strong demand in our core business and significant progress in smartphones and other new growth areas," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "This latest dividend increase is one more example of our commitment to return cash to our stockholders as we continue to generate strong cash flow fueled by the global growth of computing."
Taken together since their inception, Intel's dividends and stock buyback program have returned approximately $112 billion to stockholders.
Risk Factors
- The above statements and any others in this document that refer to plans and expectations for the second, third and fourth quarters, the year and the future are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should" and their variations identify forward-looking statements. Statements that refer to or are based on projections, uncertain events or assumptions also identify forward-looking statements. Many factors could affect Intel's actual results, and variances from Intel's current expectations regarding such factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Intel presently considers the following to be the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's expectations.
- Dividend declarations and the dividend rate are at the discretion of Intel's board of directors, and plans for future dividends may be revised by the board. Intel's dividend program could be affected by changes in Intel's operating results, its capital spending programs, changes in its cash flows and changes in the tax laws, as well as by the level and timing of acquisition and investment activity.
- Demand could be different from Intel's expectations due to factors including changes in business and economic conditions, including supply constraints and other disruptions affecting customers; customer acceptance of Intel's and competitors' products; changes in customer order patterns including order cancellations; and changes in the level of inventory at customers. Uncertainty in global economic and financial conditions poses a risk that consumers and businesses may defer purchases in response to negative financial events, which could negatively affect product demand and other related matters.
- Intel operates in intensely competitive industries that are characterized by a high percentage of costs that are fixed or difficult to reduce in the short term and product demand that is highly variable and difficult to forecast. Revenue and the gross margin percentage are affected by the timing of Intel product introductions and the demand for and market acceptance of Intel's products; actions taken by Intel's competitors, including product offerings and introductions, marketing programs and pricing pressures and Intel's response to such actions; and Intel's ability to respond quickly to technological developments and to incorporate new features into its products.
- Intel is in the process of transitioning to its next generation of products on 22nm process technology, and there could be execution and timing issues associated with these changes, including products defects and errata and lower than anticipated manufacturing yields.
- The gross margin percentage could vary significantly from expectations based on capacity utilization; variations in inventory valuation, including variations related to the timing of qualifying products for sale; changes in revenue levels; segment product mix; the timing and execution of the manufacturing ramp and associated costs; start-up costs; excess or obsolete inventory; changes in unit costs; defects or disruptions in the supply of materials or resources; product manufacturing quality/yields; and impairments of long-lived assets, including manufacturing, assembly/test and intangible assets.
- The tax rate expectation is based on current tax law and current expected income. The tax rate may be affected by the jurisdictions in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed; changes in the estimates of credits, benefits and deductions; the resolution of issues arising from tax audits with various tax authorities, including payment of interest and penalties; and the ability to realize deferred tax assets.
- Gains or losses from equity securities and interest and other could vary from expectations depending on gains or losses on the sale, exchange, change in the fair value or impairments of debt and equity investments; interest rates; cash balances; and changes in fair value of derivative instruments.
- The majority of Intel's non-marketable equity investment portfolio balance is concentrated in companies in the flash memory market segment, and declines in this market segment or changes in management's plans with respect to Intel's investments in this market segment could result in significant impairment charges, impacting restructuring charges as well as gains/losses on equity investments and interest and other.
- Intel's results could be affected by adverse economic, social, political and physical/infrastructure conditions in countries where Intel, its customers or its suppliers operate, including military conflict and other security risks, natural disasters, infrastructure disruptions, health concerns and fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
- Expenses, particularly certain marketing and compensation expenses, as well as restructuring and asset impairment charges, vary depending on the level of demand for Intel's products and the level of revenue and profits.
- Intel's results could be affected by the timing of closing of acquisitions and divestitures.
- Intel's results could be affected by adverse effects associated with product defects and errata (deviations from published specifications), and by litigation or regulatory matters involving intellectual property, stockholder, consumer, antitrust, disclosure and other issues, such as the litigation and regulatory matters described in Intel's SEC reports. An unfavorable ruling could include monetary damages or an injunction prohibiting Intel from manufacturing or selling one or more products, precluding particular business practices, impacting Intel's ability to design its products, or requiring other remedies such as compulsory licensing of intellectual property.
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