IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (techPowerUp) 17/08/2012

(PR) Graphics Shipments in Q2 Increased 2.5% Over Last Quarter and 5.5% Over Last Year
Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, announced estimated graphics chip shipments and suppliers' market share for Q2'12.

The news was good, for most. Intel had gains in both desktop (13.6%) and notebook (3.8%) led mostly by Sandy Bridge. Nvidia gained in the notebook discrete segment (6%), and AMD saw gains in the discrete desktop category (2.5%).

(PR) CyberpowerPC Announces New Desktop Gaming PCs Paired with GeForce GTX 660 Ti
CyberPower Inc. www.cyberpowerpc.com, a global manufacturer of custom gaming machines, today announced it will integrate NVIDIA's powerful next generation Kepler-powered GeForce GTX 660 Ti graphics card into its line of midrange to high-end desktop gaming PCs. The GeForce GTX 660 Ti adds a new dimension to the GeForce Kepler architecture by delivering the ideal fusion of power, performance and affordability.

CyberpowerPC customers can expect up to six times the performance over older systems based on DirectX 10 cards and experience richer environments brought to life by the latest NVIDIA enhancements like the new temporal antialiasing (TXAA) technique, which minimizes jaggies for exceptional image quality and performance in today's demanding games.

Colorful Announces GeForce GTX 660 Ti iGame Graphics Card
Colorful announced the GeForce GTX 660 Ti iGame. The new graphics card is designed for overclockers, and includes an elaborate cooling solution with detachable heatsink shards. Colorful did not confirm clock speeds, but judging by its record, the GTX 660 Ti iGame is most likely a reference-clocked graphics card with a large overclocking headroom, and the features to let you take advantage of that, with your own skills. The GTX 660 Ti iGame cooler uses a large main heatsink, to which additional heatsinks can be attached using heat pipes. The cooler is ventilated by a pair of 80 mm fans, and a set of shark fin-inspired vents that guide in fresh air. The card is expected to be available in Asia and EU.

(PR) Mad Catz Announces TRITTON PRO+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset
Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") announced today the TRITTON PRO+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset, the upgrade to the award winning TRITTON AX Pro. Compatible with both the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system from Sony, the TRITTON PRO+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset is expected to ship in September 2012.

The PRO+ features a number of key enhancements designed to offer superior performance and comfort. Featuring true Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound via eight separate Neodynium drivers (four in each earcup), the PRO+ produces superior surround sound separation and improved bass response thanks to newly repositioned speaker placement inside the earcups. In addition, the PRO+ features a redesigned in-line Remote and Selectable Voice Monitoring (SVM), allowing users to choose if they hear their own voice in the headset. The PRO+ sports a lightweight and flexible design, ideal for extended playing sessions and replete in an eye-catching gloss white finish.

GIGABYTE Unveils GeForce GTX 660 Ti WindForce 2X Graphics Card
GIGABYTE unveiled the GeForce GTX 660 Ti WindForce 2X series. The series consists of a base model which sticks to NVIDIA-reference clock speeds of 915 MHz core, 980 MHz GPU Boost, and 6.00 GHz memory (GDDR5 effective); and the OC Edition variant, which features 980 MHz core, 1058 MHz GPU Boost, and 6.00 GHz memory. The cards are identical in design to the recently-launched GV-N670WF2-2GD GeForce GTX 670 graphics card, utilizing the same WindForce 2X cooling solution and compact PCB, with the exception of its memory configuration of 2 GB over 192-bit memory interface.

(PR) Acer Announces Veriton 6620G Series Commercial Desktops
Acer America today unveiled new commercial desktop PCs specified for corporate customers, government agencies and educational institutions. Multi-monitor support, significant power and expandability make the new Veriton 6620G Series desktops well-suited for enterprise environments.

The Acer Veriton X6620G, a small form factor (SFF) desktop and the Acer Veriton M6620G, a mini tower, offer a three-year warranty(1) and support up to a third-generation Intel Core i7 processor with significant application and graphics performance benefits when compared to prior generations.

ASUS Announces GeForce GTX 660 Ti DirectCu II Graphics Cards
ASUS announced as many as five GeForce GTX 660 Ti graphics card models. The cards are based on the company's dual-slot DirectCu II cooling solution, and a PCB design that's similar to that of the GeForce GTX 670 DirectCu series. Among the five models are the GTX660 TI-DC2-2GD5, the base model that sticks to NVIDIA reference clock speeds of 915/980/6008 MHz (core/boost/memory); the GTX660 TI-DC2O-2GD5, with a mild level of factory-overclocking, at 967/1058/6008 MHz; GTX660 TI-DC2T-2GD5, or TOP variant, with 1059/1377/6008 MHz; and variants of the GTX660 TI-DC2O-2GD5 and GTX660 TI-DC2T-2GD5 that feature Steam coupons to Borderlands 2 game.

Based on the 28 nm GK104 silicon, the GeForce GTX 660 Ti packs 1344 CUDA cores, 112 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and a 192-bit wide memory interface, holding 2 GB of memory. ASUS' cards uses two 6-pin PCIe power connectors to draw power. Display outputs include a pair of dual-link DVI, and one each of HDMI and DisplayPort. The cards are 3-way SLI capable. The DirectCu II cooler uses a compound heatsink to which heat is fed by a number of copper heat pipes, which make direct contact with the GPU. ASUS plans 3 GB variants of the same models, in which six 2 Gbit memory chips make up 3072 MB of memory, with 144 GB/s memory bandwidth.

(PR) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti is Available Now in all ORIGIN Desktops
ORIGIN PC is thrilled to announce the launch of the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti graphics card in their award-winning line of desktops for gamers, enthusiasts, artists and professionals. The GeForce GTX 660 Ti is built using the latest Kepler architecture to deliver higher performance, smoother gameplay, and a more lifelike experience in the latest PC games. With a perfect combination of performance, power efficiency, and affordability, the GeForce GTX 660 Ti represents the ultimate "sweet-spot" for all ORIGIN PC customers looking to upgrade or purchase the latest graphics cards on the market today.

(PR) KFA2 Launches GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB and 3GB Editions
KFA2 announced today the GeForce GTX 660 Ti EX OC 2GB and GTX 660 Ti EX OC 3GB graphics cards, each with its own ground-up fully customized design offering unique performance advantages.

The KFA2 GeForce GTX 660 Ti EX OC 2GB edition is fitted with a newly designed twin fan cooler built on quad nickel plated heat pipes with an aluminum base. This new cooler delivers outstanding airflow with minimal noise levels and overall a more enjoyable gaming experience.

(PR) Club 3D Announces its GeForce GTX 660 Ti Graphics Card
Club 3D GeForce GTX graphic cards are the standard for amazing graphics, introducing today the latest addition to its GeForce 600 series. The GeForce GTX 660Ti adds a new dimension to the game-changing Kepler-power family of graphic cards by delivering the ideal combination of performance, power efficiency, and affordability. It's a must-have upgrade for today's hottest and most demanding games.

Get game-changing DirectX 11 performance with the GeForce GTX 660Ti, featuring the next-gen Kepler architecture for a fast, more realistic gaming experience, highly detailed, lifelike characters and environments with full DirectX 11 support. Upgrade from your old DirectX 10 graphic card and boost performance by up to 6x* and get twice the power efficiency as previous generation** GeForce graphic cards.

(PR) EVGA Announces its GeForce GTX 660 Ti Series
Introducing the weapon of choice for gamers – the EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti. It adds a new dimension to the NVIDIA Kepler-powered family of graphics cards by delivering the ideal fusion of power, performance, and affordability. Experience faster, smoother, richer gaming with innovative NVIDIA technologies like TXAA antialiasing, Adaptive Vertical Sync, and PhysX.

(PR) MSI Announces GeForce GTX 660 Ti Power Edition Graphics Card
Leading mainboard and graphics card maker MSI announces the release of the GTX 660 Ti Power Edition (MKT Name: N660Ti PE 2GD5/OC & N660Ti PE 2GD5) graphics card. The new graphics card incorporates MSI's exclusive Triple Overvoltage technology and Enhanced PWM Design architecture to boost overclocking potential by up to 18.2%. Perfect cooling is supplied by of the new Twin Frozr IV Thermal Design and exclusive Dust Removal technology automatically removes dust from the heat sink module and maintains optimum cooling performance.

Propeller Blade technology increases airflow by 20% compared to conventional fans, effectively reducing the temperature by up to 14℃ and operating noise by 17.1dB. The GTX 660 Ti Power Edition also features Military Class III components, emphasizing on high quality and stability to provide gamers with a smooth and dependable working environment during overclocking or gaming. The MSI GTX 660 Ti Power Edition incorporates proprietary features and technologies in the power supply, cooling and materials that exceed the specifications of the reference board. The superior overclockability and stability make it the ideal choice among its class.

(PR) ZOTAC Announces its GeForce GTX 660 Ti Graphics Card
ZOTAC International, a global innovator and channel manufacturer of graphics cards, mainboards and mini-PCs, today unleashes a new generation of performance class graphics with the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Ti and GeForce GTX 660 Ti AMP! Edition graphics cards. The new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Ti duo introduces NVIDIA's latest architecture to value-conscious gamers seeking the best performance and features.

New to the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Ti series is the exclusive Dual Silencer cooling solution that delivers temperatures 10-degree (Celsius) cooler and a 10dB noise reduction under full load for a superior gaming experience compared to competitors. The ZOTAC Dual Silencer provides the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 660 Ti AMP! Edition with the thermal headroom necessary to push the limits and extract an extra 10-percent performance boost for higher frame rates and smoother game play.

NVIDIA Announces the GeForce GTX 660 Ti
NVIDIA launched the GeForce GTX 660 Ti graphics processor. The new chip is designed to let NVIDIA capture a key sub-$350 price-point, and is designed to offer high performance per Dollar in its market segment. Its rival from the red camp is the Radeon HD 7950. Based on the same GK104 silicon as most other high-end GeForce GTX 600 series graphics cards, the GTX 660 Ti packs 1344 CUDA cores, 112 TMUs, 24 ROPs, and a 192-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, holding 2 GB of memory. Most GeForce GTX 660 Ti graphics cards being launched today are of custom-design with prices ranging between $299 and $349.

AMD Catalyst 12.8 WHQL Software Suite Released
AMD released the first WHQL-signed Catalyst drivers since June. Catalyst 12.8 WHQL is the first unified Catalyst driver certified for Windows 8, its release follows the RTM version of the operating system being available to enterprise and industry customers, ahead of the October 26 consumer retail launch. The driver introduces target-independent rasterization (TIR), an efficient new Direct3D rendering path. The driver also works to improve GPU power consumption. A suite of Windows 8-exclusive features, including native stereo 3D support and unified video API are included. Catalyst 12.8 WHQL also introduces performance-improvements specific to games, including up to 25% performance increase in Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, 10% in Dirt 3, 6% in Batman: Arkham City, and 3% in Battlefield 3. Several game-specific bugs were patched.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 12.8 WHQL for Windows Vista, 7 and 8 (64-bit), Windows Vista, 7 and 8 (32-bit), Windows XP (32-bit), Windows XP (64-bit)

The change-log follows.

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(PR) Kingston Technology Expands HyperX Memory Family
Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the launch of the new Kingston HyperX Predator. The new high-performance DRAM module complements the HyperX product range with the fastest speeds, lowest latencies and highest capacities. HyperX Predator is aimed at extreme enthusiasts and overclockers looking to push their systems to the maximum with the fastest speeds and highest performance hardware.

With its new heatspreader, HyperX Predator offers a more aggressive design, which accompanies the look and design of the latest PC hardware, and provides great heat dissipation to optimize memory reliability. The memory is Intel XMP certified and has been fully tested and validated on a top range of motherboards currently available on the market. End users can easily overclock their systems by simply selecting a profile in BIOS with no need for manual adjustments.

(PR) Creative Unleashes Sound Blaster Tactic3D Rage Gaming Headsets
Creative Technology Ltd today announced the Sound Blaster Tactic3D Rage Wireless gaming headset for PC and Mac, featuring state-of-the-art wireless audio technology and hassle-free connectivity. Creative also announced the new Sound Blaster Tactic3D Rage USB wired gaming headset. Both headsets feature customizable SBX Pro Studio sound and voice audio technologies to arm gamers with the competitive advantage of the most immersive and accurate 3D acoustic environment.

The Sound Blaster Tactic3D Rage Wireless gaming headset connects quickly and easily via a USB dongle, for uncompressed 2.4 GHz, latency-free wireless audio playback. In both the wireless and wired models of the headset, best-in-class sound quality pumps through 50 mm Full Spectrum drivers, with frequency response of 20Hz ~ 20KHz. The TacticProfile audio interface on the PC or Mac enables customization of EQ and audio preferences, which gamers can export and share with others.

(PR) Creative Introduces the Sound Blaster Z-Series Sound Cards
Creative Technology Ltd today announced its new ultra high-performance Z-Series of Sound Blaster PCI-Express sound cards, elevating the standards of technology and performance for the future of gaming and entertainment on the PC. Creative will preview the new Sound Blaster ZxR, Sound Blaster Zx and Sound Blaster Z at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany from 15-19 August 2012.

"The audio landscape for gaming and entertainment on the PC has changed. As content creation and consumption evolves with the interactivity of the Internet, our vision is to enable the best listening experiences for music, video and games, and to transcend the basic concept of sound quality as a specification with enabling technologies that allow users to completely customize their PC audio," said Low Long Chye, Director of Product Marketing for Audio. "For audio playback, we use studio-grade components to deliver outstanding fidelity, and then greatly enhance the listening experience by implementing our SBX Pro Studio suite of audio technologies. This enables complete customization of audio playback, uniquely catered to suit individual tastes. Our mixture of outstanding components and proprietary technologies also enables us to provide the highest quality recording experience for audio creation, which today expands beyond just music recording to include user interaction and creation with YouTube, eSports, and more."

(PR) AMD and PowerColor Launch HD7950 Boost State Edition
TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, today releases an advanced edition of HD7950: the PowerColor HD7950 Boost State Edition. Compatible with all the latest technology, the powerful upgrade delivers the best gaming experience to blow up enthusiast gamers' mind.

The PowerColor HD7950 Boost State Edition clocks at 850 MHz core speed and 1250 MHz memory speed, by taking advantage of AMD PowerTune with boost, enabling the core speed dynamically overclocked up to 925 MHz-breaking out the limitation and delivering the unparalleled gaming speed. Furthermore, with 3.3 teraFLOPS computing power, it'll easily accelerate the PC to boost up the performance like never before.

(PR) Cisco Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2012 Earnings
Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate, today reported its fourth quarter and fiscal year results for the period ended July 28, 2012. Cisco reported fourth quarter net sales of $11.7 billion, net income on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis of $1.9 billion or $0.36 per share, and non-GAAP net income of $2.5 billion or $0.47 per share.

"As a result of our strong performance, continued execution on our plan to deliver profitable growth, and commitment to shareholders, for the full fiscal year, we delivered revenue growth of 7% as well as a record year in revenue and earnings per share," stated Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers.

(PR) Game Longer In Extreme Comfort With The Razer Kraken Pro Gaming Headset
Razer, the world leader in high performance gaming hardware, unveiled two new products at GamesCom today: the Razer Kraken Pro Gaming Headset and Razer Kraken Music & Gaming Headphones. Both audio products were ergonomically designed to give gamers the best combination of comfort over extensive use and phenomenal gaming audio, whether they're starting up an eight-hour guild raid or plugging into an MP3 player for tunes on the go.

Just like the many popular Razer headsets before it, the Razer Kraken Pro Gaming Headset was field-tested by countless professional gamers and athletes to determine optimal weight for extended gaming sessions and snugness. Gamers won't find a more comfortable headset on the market, period.

(PR) Razer Announces the DeathStalker Ultimate - The World's Smartest Keyboard
Razer, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, set a technological benchmark today with the release of its new Razer DeathStalker Ultimate gaming keyboard, featuring Razer's award-winning Switchblade User Interface (UI).

The Switchblade UI on the Razer DeathStalker Ultimate is the same acclaimed, customizable LCD trackpad and LED keypad combo introduced on the Razer Switchblade concept, which can currently be found in production on the Razer Blade gaming laptop and the Star Wars: The Old Republic gaming keyboard. This unique interface transforms gaming keyboard functionality into a customizable control panel with 10 dynamic, adaptive tactile keys that can be used to bind commands, macros, skills and spells for an unparalleled in-game competitive advantage. Each key can display any image by using Razer's Synapse 2.0 software, offering gamers the smartest keyboard on the market.

(PR) OWC Announces Mercury Aura Pro, First SSD Upgrade for MacBook Pro with Retina Display
Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today the OWC Mercury Aura Pro as the industry's first high-performance Solid State Drive upgrade for 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display (rMBP) computers. Available in 480 GB capacity, the 6G (6Gb/s) SandForce Driven Mercury Aura Pro offers rMBP owners 87.5 percent more capacity than the factory 256GB model. Additionally, customers buying the $579.99 MSRP Aura Pro direct from OWC until September 30, 2012, will later receive the OWC Envoy Pro USB 3.0 bus-powered portable enclosure (a $59.95 value) for re-tasking the rMBP's factory flash module as an external drive at no additional cost.

(PR) Hauppauge Introduces HD PVR 2 Game Recorder
Hauppauge Digital, Inc., the world's leading developer and manufacturer of TV tuners and HD video recorders, has launched their latest high definition video game recorder, HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition at the Gamescom, Cologne, Germany. HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition will have a list price of £159.99 and features high definition HDMI and Component video recording up to 1080p/30, plus HDMI 'no delay pass-through' so gamers can record their game play while playing on a TV monitor.

The HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition is a complete kit for gamers who want to record their Sony PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 game-play in high definition. HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition has near perfect video quality and records HD video from either HDMI or Component video at up to 1080p/30. Gamers can share their best video game-play with friends on YouTube by using the included Showbiz application to record and then upload videos to YouTube. HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition allows any user to produce their own video movies from their game-play. All cables necessary to record game-play, including HDMI in and out cables plus a special PS3 Component video cable are included.

(PR) Genius Announces EasyPen M406WE Wireless Graphics-Design Tablet
Genius today releases its EasyPen M406WE. This wireless graphics-design tablet with a 4" x 6" working area is bundled with Corel Painter Essentials 4 making it easy to create, paint and edit photos on both Windows and Mac.

When using the EasyPen M406WE, users can create and paint on the couch, on the floor, or across the room thanks to this Genius tablet's 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity. If the included three AAA rechargeable batteries run out of power when in use, users can simply plug in the micro USB cable for a quick recharge.

(PR) Razer Unveils e-Sports editions of DeathAdder mouse and Goliathus mouse mat
Razer, one of the world's pioneering supporters of e-Sports, along with Counter Logic Gaming, MOBA pro-gaming juggernauts, are releasing a special edition Razer DeathAdder mouse and Razer Goliathus mouse mat. Emblazoned in the team's iconic logo and colors, fans of the fearsome elite team will get the same game performance boosting features CLG pro-gamers use to cinch countless victories.

Counter Logic Gaming's massive contributions to the e-Sports scene in recent years, including exciting live-streamed matches, a well-managed online platform and serious ownage in tournament circuits, have made them immensely popular amongst e-Sports fans. Counter Logic Gaming was crowned Razer Team of the Year 2011 after a voting amongst the Razer community, a title not easily awarded in a pool of more than 30 top competitive e-Sports teams.

(PR) Corsair Acquires Raptor Gaming
Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the acquisition of certain assets of Raptor Gaming, a maker of high-performance PC gaming peripherals headquartered in Heinsberg, Germany. Established in 2004, Raptor Gaming has a strong retail presence in Germany, the largest market for video gaming in Europe, with products widely available in major chains including Media Markt, Saturn, Real, Kaufland, and Conrad.

As part of this transaction, Corsair receives Raptor Gaming's full product portfolio of keyboards, mice, headsets, and accessories, which will form a new series of gaming products alongside Corsair's existing award-winning line of Vengeance PC gaming products. Raptor Gaming executives CEO Dirk Schunk and COO Heinz-Dieter Ludwig will remain engaged with Corsair to facilitate a smooth transition.

(PR) Toshiba Releases Canvio Desk External Hard Drive and Solid State Drive PC Upgrade Kit
Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the Canvio Desk Desktop External Hard Drive and the Solid State Drive (SSD) PC Upgrade Kit, both available now on Toshiba Direct starting at $119.99 MSRP and $109.99 MSRP, respectively.

"With personal storage becoming increasingly prevalent, the need for varying solutions grows and we're proud to introduce new devices that help round out our already robust line-up," said Maciek Brzeski, vice president of product marketing and development, Branded Storage Products, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "Our new desktop drive and SSD Upgrade Kit are providing our users with the high level of power and performance they've come to expect from Toshiba storage solutions."

(PR) Mad Catz Intros S.T.R.I.K.E.7 Professional Gaming Keyboard
Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. announced today the S.T.R.I.K.E.7 Professional Gaming Keyboard for PC. Designed to deliver the highest levels of customization and performance, the S.T.R.I.K.E.7 features a unique modular design and the V.E.N.O.M. touch screen interface. The S.T.R.I.K.E.7 ships worldwide today. The unique V.E.N.O.M. touch screen interface enables the gamer to take control of their gaming environment, launch games or applications at the swipe of a finger, deploy custom macro commands, program chat, game, media settings and more.

(PR) Acer America Introduces the TravelMate P243
Designed for professionals seeking a solid business notebook that delivers robust productivity, manageability, security and reliability features, Acer America today introduced the new TravelMate P243 notebook PC for U.S. customers.

"Today's mobile business executive needs a PC that is robust enough to run intensive business applications while still fitting into strict budget guidelines," said Gregg Prendergast, vice president of commercial sales for Acer America. "The TravelMate P243 notebook is an important addition to our professional notebook portfolio as it combines everything today's road warrior requires, including exceptional performance, enterprise-level security, durability and manageability for a best-in-class mobile experience."

(PR) Imation Expands Line of High-Capacity, High-Security, Hardware Encrypted USB HDDs
Imation Corp., a global scalable storage and data security company, today announced the expansion of its secure USB hard drive line with capacities of up to 1 terabyte (TB), optional biometric fingerprint authentication, and a uniquely comprehensive set of options for secure USB hard drive management.

"Enterprise and government organizations increasingly need manageable USB devices in order to provide mobile workers with the tools necessary to work where and when they want, and access the data they need in the most secure way possible," said Lawrence Reusing, Imation's general manager for Mobile Security. "People are increasingly turning to USB hard drives to transport large data sets. Our expanding secure hard drive offerings are in response to our customers needing increased capacity without compromising control over the devices and data."

(PR) IDT to Present on NVM Express Standard for PCIe SSDs
Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT), the Analog and Digital Company delivering essential mixed-signal semiconductor solutions, today announced that it will be presenting on the NVM Express (NVMe) specification as well as exhibiting its latest enterprise flash controller products in booth #707 at the Flash Memory Summit, held in Santa Clara, CA on August 21-23.

Peter Onufryk, director of engineering in the Enterprise Computing Division at IDT, will present "How the Streamlined Architecture of NVM Express Enables High Performance PCIe SSDs." The presentation will provide an overview of NVM Express along with a detailed outline of the specification's performance features.

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(PR) Giada Announces i35G Series Mini PC
Giada, a brand of Jehe Technology Inc., (JEHE) is pleased to announce the i35G mini PC series. The i35G series is built on the powerful Intel Atom D2500 series processor, and with the NVIDIA GT610 GPU this mini PC can offer impressive system performance in consumer and digital signage applications.

Supporting 1080p Full High Definition graphics, the i35G series has up to 2GB of DDR3 memory with 512MB of VRAM on board. The i35G keeps power consumption to a minimum at 35W, while still having the flexibility to provide high performance solutions for digital signage for advertising, hospitality, brand promotion and digital menu boards as well as for consumers looking for a compact work station that also allows for light gaming.

SSD TRIM Command on RAID 0 Possible - With A Few Riders
Intel made it possible for SSDs to utilize the TRIM command feature when striped in RAID 0, provided a few meaty requirements are met. The TRIM command feature works to minimize write performance degradation on SSDs, but thus far it has been impossible to enable the feature on any other host controller mode than standalone AHCI, due to the manner in which the feature works at a physical level.

According to a report, TRIM over RAID 0 will be made possible with Windows 8 operating system, provided the system is running an Intel 7-series chipset (such as Z77 Express), has RAID BIOS (Option ROM) version 11.5 or higher, and Rapid Storage Technology (RST) device driver version 11.5 or higher. While obtaining the required Windows and driver versions is relatively easy, the RAID Option ROM version is in the hands of motherboard manufacturers, who have to release motherboard BIOS updates that include the required RAID Option ROM updates.

Sources: TweakTown, Real World Labs

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AMD Updates Radeon HD 7950 to Thwart GeForce GTX 660 Ti
AMD is preparing to update the specifications of its Radeon HD 7950 graphics processor to make it more competitive in the sub-$400 market segment, particularly against NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX 660 Ti graphics processor. The update is much like that of the Radeon HD 7750, which got its core frequency increased from 800 to 900 MHz in a specifications update. The company released a new BIOS ROM image file which works on all AMD reference design Radeon HD 7950 graphics cards, which implements the new specifications.

The new specifications sees the GPU core frequency increased to 850 MHz (from 800 MHz), and introduces PowerTune with Boost, which sends the GPU clock speed up to 925 MHz, when applications demand it. The memory frequency stays unchanged, at 1250 MHz, and so do the physical specifications of the GPU, such as stream processor, TMU, and ROP counts. All Radeon HD 7950 graphics cards manufactured from mid-August will feature the new specifications, prices will remain unchanged. If you're familiar with manually updating the BIOS, you can check it out (at your own risk) from our VGA BIOS Database. Set your card's BIOS selector switch to "1" (if available), and update the BIOS. It works only with AMD reference-design HD 7950 cards.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon HD 7950 Specifications Update BIOS

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(PR) HIS Introduces Radeon HD 7970 X Graphics Card
Hightech Information System (HIS) today introduces HIS 7970 X. The card is not only of HIS top class but is also the best of the best among 7970 cards. The 4-way crossfire HIS 7970 X achieved the number 1 world records on both 3dMark Vantage and 3Dmark 11 with 84669 and 29937 marks respectively. The card also won the ASRock Z77 Overclocking Competition on 3Dmark.com

HIS 7970 X is overflown with special features such as X elements, IceQ X², iTurbo, PowerTune with Boost, OC equipment and more. The card carries the special X elements, including the extra 18+1+1 PWM phrases, LED indicators, outputs that support both Eyefinity 5 & Eyefinity 6, making HIS 7970 X one of the most luxurious cards in the market.

Samsung Plans Series 7 Gamer Notebook Refresh
Samsung, in its latest company blog post, unveiled plans to refresh the specifications of its first gamer-centric notebook, the Series 7. The new specs sheets shows NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M replaced with AMD Radeon HD 7870M graphics processor, and a new 14.3-inch SuperBright 3D LED screen, with a maximum brightness of 400 nit. The notebook's two 2.5-inch SATA 6 Gb/s drive bays are occupied by a 128 GB SSD and 1 TB HDD. Slated for Tuesday (14th Aug), the new Series 7 Gamer notebook will be available in Korea for 2.99 million Won (US $2,643).

Source: Engadget

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(PR) ARM and GLOBALFOUNDRIES Collaborate to Enable Devices on 20 nm and FinFET
GLOBALFOUNDRIES and ARM today announced a multi-year agreement to jointly deliver optimized system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for ARM processor designs on GLOBALFOUNDRIES' 20-nanometer (nm) and FinFET process technologies. The new agreement also extends the long-standing collaboration to include graphics processors, which are becoming an increasingly critical component in mobile devices. As part of the agreement, ARM will develop a full platform of ARM Artisan Physical IP, including standard cell libraries, memory compilers and POP IP solutions. The results will help enable a new level of system performance and power-efficiency for a range of mobile applications, from smartphones to tablets to ultra-thin notebooks.

The companies have been collaborating for several years to jointly optimize ARM Cortex-A series processors, including multiple demonstrations of performance and power-efficiency benefits on 28nm as well as a 20nm test-chip implementation currently running through GLOBALFOUNDRIES fab in Malta, N.Y. This agreement extends the prior efforts by driving production IP platforms that will enable customer designs on 20nm and promote rapid migration to three-dimensional FinFET transistor technology. This joint development will enable a faster time to delivering SoC solutions for customers using next-generation ARM CPUs and GPUs in mobile devices.

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MSI Intros B75IA-E33 Mini-ITX Motherboard
MSI introduced the B75IA-E33, a socket LGA1155 motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, based on Intel's business-oriented B75 Express chipset. The board has sufficient connectivity for space-saving business PCs, featuring Intel Small Business Advantage. The board also bears the Windows 8 compatibility label. It draws power from conventional 24-pin ATX and 4-pin CPU power connectors. The LGA1155 socket is powered by a 4-phase VRM. It is wired to two DIMM slots, supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory; and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot.

The Intel B75 PCH gives out one SATA 6 Gb/s, and three SATA 3 Gb/s internal ports on the B75IA-E33. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. Other connectivity options include 6-channel HD audio with 7.1-channel optical SPDIF (TOSLINK) output, four USB 3.0 ports (two the rear panel, two by headers), gigabit Ethernet, a number of USB 2.0 ports, and mouse/keyboard combo PS/2 port. The board is driven by UEFI firmware. MSI did not give out pricing information.

(PR) Thecus Announces N7510 7-Bay NAS
Great news NAS lovers, a new high-value 7-bay NAS is now available on the market! Thecus put their hands together and added a new tower to the Vision series. Equipped with an Intel Atom processor, 2 GB of DDR3 RAM, HDMI output and offering incomparable data protection with the McAfee antivirus, this NAS will offer lots of power and lots of storage capacity without spending lots of money. With the 2-bay N2800, 4-bay N4800 and N4510U and the 5-bay N5550, the 7-bay N7510 completes the Vision series of Intel Atom NAS from Thecus.

RAIDON Announces Runner R2420-B3 Dual 2.5-inch USB 3.0 External Enclosure
RAIDON announced the Runner R2420-B3, a dual 2.5-inch SATA external enclosure. It can enclose two 9.5 mm-thick 2.5-inch SATA hard drives or solid-state drives, and offers RAID capabilities. The two drives are held in place by caddies that eject the drive when the lid is opened (push to eject).

The SATA 3 Gb/s controller offers RAID JBOD, RAID 0 (performance) and RAID 1 (redundancy) modes, which can be configured by setting a pair of DIP switches on the back of the enclosure. The controller connects to the host using USB 3.0 interface. The enclosure draws power from an external 5V AC adapter. Measuring 174 mm x 105 mm x 33 mm (L x W x H), its dry-weight is about 490 g. The company did not give out pricing information.

Zalman Announces Ultra-Slim NC2000 NT Cooler for 17-inch Notebooks
Zalman announced its newest notebook cooler, the Ultra-Slim ZM-NC2000NT. Designed for notebooks as big as 17-inch, the ZM-NC2000NT stays slim thanks to its two 60 mm lateral-flow fans. The fans, which draw power from a single USB connection, spin at speeds ranging 1,100 to 1,700 RPM, with noise output ranging 17 to 23.5 dBA. A simple rheostat fan speed control is available. The cooler also doubles up as a 3-port USB 2.0 hub. Measuring 303 mm x 418 mm x 38 mm (W x H x D), the ZM-NC2000NT is made of aluminum and ABS plastic, it weighs about 1 kg. It is available in silver and black color options.

Source: Hermitage Akihabara

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Friday, August 17, 2012

IT News Head Lines (techPowerUp) 17/08/2012

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