IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (techPowerUp) 08/03/2013

(PR) ADATA Launches Premier Series UHS-I Memory Cards
ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash storage application products, today introduced its Premier series SDHC, SDXC and microSDHC ,microSDXC memory cards, all of which implement the UHS-I U1 (compatible with SDA 2.0 speed Class 10) specification. The new cards are designed especially to economically meet the performance needs of the most commonly used portable electronics.

With the increasing expectations for smart phones and tablet computers to handle high definition media recording and playback, the memory cards used with these devices require higher read and write speeds than ever before. The Premier series targets those who are looking for a cost-effective entry solution to extend their device's capacity and speed.

MSI Z87A Gaming Series Motherboard Prototype Pictured
MSI displayed its upcoming Z87A Gaming Series motherboard. The company is yet to begin work on cosmetic details such as PCB color, heatsinks, component color scheme, etc., but a bulk of its development is complete. To begin with, the board uses a strong 16-phase VRM to power the CPU, which draws power from two 8-pin EPS connectors. The CPU is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory; and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots in x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4 configurations, depending on how they're populated. Four x1 slots make for the rest of its all-PCIe expansion slot area.

Storage connectivity on the Z87A Gaming Series includes eight SATA 6 Gb/s slots, two of which are driven by a third-party controller. 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, eight USB 3.0 ports (six on the rear panel, two by header), dual-HDMI and DisplayPort display outputs; effectively make for the rest of the board. The same exact PCB could be used to create two SKUs, the Z87A Gaming Series, and the Z87A-GD65. Apart from a swankier color scheme and heatsink design, the Gaming Series variant could feature a few additional overclocking features.

Source: Lab501.ro

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(PR) Futuremark and Galaxy Announce Overclocking Contests
Futuremark and GALAXY announced the start today of GALAXY Ice Storm, the first official overclocking contest using the new version of 3DMark released in February. For the next four weeks, overclockers worldwide can win more than $16,000 USD in prizes by submitting the highest scores in the new 3DMark Ice Storm, Cloud Gate and Fire Strike benchmark tests. The competition is open to all overclockers using GALAXY or KFA2 brand graphics cards. For details of how to enter, please visit the competition website.

OCZ Vector PCIe 960GB Tested, Belts Out 930 MB/s
What's better than an OCZ Vector SSD? Two of them in RAID 0, on a PCIe add-on card. The SSD may use two SSD subunits in RAID, yet it's backed by OCZ's VCA 2.0 (virtualized controller architecture), which lends it TRIM support, even in high-performance RAID 0 modes. At CeBIT, the company ran live benchmarks of the drive. These include tests that are generally lenient on the drives (sequential tests), yet the results are impressive.

To begin with, the Vector PCIe 960 GB belts out up to 929.96 MB/s sequential read speeds, 883.94 MB/s sequential writes; and a comfortable 4K 64-thread read performance of 544.71 MB/s, 486.19 MB/s writes. It scrapes the 1000 MB/s mark in ATTO. In synthetic tests that replicate real-world scenarios, such as ISO file copy, program access, and game resource access, the drive managed to stay above 396 MB/s. The drive has advertised read/write speeds of 1000 MB/s, and random access performance as high as 140,000 IOPS.

Source: Lab501.ro

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Trio of GIGABYTE Z87 Motherboards Detailed
The Z87X-OC may be reserved for people who seldom patronize the PC case industry; but for everyone else, GIGABYTE has three options based on Intel's Z87 Express chipset, which supports overclocking on 4th generation Core "Haswell" K-series processors (detailed here). Leading the trio is the feature-rich Z87X-UD5H, followed by the fairly well-equipped Z87X-UD3H, and trailed by the most affordable of the three, Z87X-D3H.

The Z87X-UD5H packs a massive 16-phase CPU VRM, even if it's not backed by the Z87X-OC's voltage-control/monitoring paraphernalia. The CPU is wired to three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4), three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI. The board features a total of ten SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports, six of which are driven by the Z87 PCH, four by third-party controllers. Display connectivity includes two HDMI ports, and one each of dual-link DVI and DisplayPort. 8-channel HD audio with TOSLINK digital output, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, eight USB 3.0 ports (six rear, two by header), make for the rest of it.

(PR) Patriot Introduces the Supersonic Mini USB 3.0 Drive
Patriot, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, flash products, storage, and mobile accessories today announces the next evolution in ultra-portable USB 3.0 performance, the Supersonic Mini. Providing one of the smallest USB 3.0 form factors, the Supersonic Mini's pint-sized performance of up to 80 MB/s delivers some serious punch when working with large file transfers.

Offering best in class protection from the elements and heavy mobile use, the Supersonic Mini is housed in an extremely durable rubberized casing. Available in 16 GB and 32 GB capacities, the Supersonic Mini is plug-and-play ready providing a no hassle solution for those who demand great performance when it counts.

GA-Z87X-OC To Lead GIGABYTE's LGA1150 Motherboard Pack
At a private media unveiling held on the sidelines of CeBIT, GIGABYTE disclosed its next-generation flagship motherboard, the Z87X-OC. Like most socket LGA1150 motherboards unveiled this week, this one is still under development, and the company is yet to finalize color-scheme and heatsinks for the PCH and VRM, so don't judge it by its looks just yet. The Z87X-OC is designed primarily for overclockers.

The LGA1150 socket is powered by an 8-phase VRM, which draws power from a combination of 4-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS, in addition to the board's 24-pin ATX connector. To stabilize the board's various power domains, you can optionally plug in a 6-pin PCIe power connector. The board gives overclockers a high degree of physical on-the-fly voltage control, and measurement points. One of the chipset's four USB 3.0 ports are wired out as a type-A port on-board, letting you install and run your Windows 7/8 installation off a USB 3.0 flash-drive.

Enermax Shows Off Fanless 650W Platinum PSU
At CeBIT, Enermax showed off its premium Fanless 650W Platinum PSU. Relying entirely on passive cooling, this box offers 100% modular cabling (including the 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors), a dynamic hybrid topology, and DC-to-DC switching. To sweeten the deal for those concerned with its 650W capacity, the PSU is 80 Plus Platinum-compliant, with over 94 percent efficiency. It appears to include sufficient cabling for a gaming PC build with up to two graphics cards (a total of four 6+2 pin PCIe connectors).

Source: Lab501.ro

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(PR) Razer and Riot Games Launch League of Legends Collectors' Edition Products
Razer, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, today announced a partnership with Riot Games to produce official Collector's Edition peripherals for League of Legends, the world's premiere PC gaming title.

As the only mouse on the planet optimized for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) gaming, the Razer Naga Hex features six large, mechanical thumb buttons and a custom League of Legends logo and detailed rune script on its scroll wheel. Gamers can pair the mouse with a League of Legends-branded Razer Goliathus mouse mat designed to enhance swift movements during the fast-paced lane wars across the Summoner's Rift. Both products come with an in-box code to unlock one of the game's champions and skin, and they are now available from here.

(PR) Tt eSports Level 10 M Headset Makes First Public Appearance
Trendsetting ideas for e-Sports, technology and digital lifestyle, providing fun and entertainment for people on the go are being introduced by Thermaltake Group with its three brands － Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 at the CeBIT 2013 during 5th to 9th of March in Hannover, Germany (Booth number: F12 in Hall 15). The highlight of the opening day today was the debut of the "Level 10 M headset", which is celebrating its world premier with BMW Designworks USA.

With the new "Level 10 M headset", Tt eSPORTS, the division of Thermaltake Group is entering a new era, its continuous design history goes all the way back to the Level 10 case in 2009 and the Level 10 M mouse launched last year at CeBIT2012, could in fact tackle the future in a stylistically and technologically advanced design.

(PR) Axiomtek Announces the eBOX623-831-FL Fanless Embedded PC
Axiomtek ultra low-power fanless embedded system with Intel Cedar Trail platform and dual display interfaces, the eBOX623-831-FL, is available now! It provides advanced graphics processing capability via the new dual core Intel Atom Cedarview processor N2600 at 1.6 GHz or D2550 1.86 GHz in 45nm technology with Intel NM10 Express chipset. This slim yet compact embedded system supports system memory of one 204-pin DDR3 800 MHz maximum up to 2 GB with N2500 and DDR3 1066/1333 MHz maximum up to 4 GB with D2550. By adopting the new Intel Cedar Trail platform, fanless eBOX623-831-FL boosts graphics performance and power efficiency. With the optimized graphics capability and dual view support (VGA and DisplayPort), the rugged unit is an ideal fit for automatic optical inspection, digital signage appliance (DSA), POS/Kiosk, embedded controller, factory automation and more applications.

BIOSTAR Unveils a Trio of Socket LGA1150 Motherboards
BIOSTAR unveiled a trio of socket LGA1150 motherboards at CeBIT. Unlike ASRock's creations, its boards appear more complete, with heatsinks and finalized board color scheme. All three feature the company's Puro HiFi technology, a high-quality on-board audio with a focus on physically improving audio quality, rather than artificially. Among the boards are the HiFi-B85S2, the HiFi-Z87X3D, and the HiFi-H87S3+.

To begin with, the HiFi-H87S3+ features the micro-ATX form-factor, which still leaves room for four DDR3 DIMM slots, a simple 4-phase VRM to power the CPU, one each of PCI-Express 3.0 x16 and legacy PCI, two PCI-Express 2.0 x1; 6-channel Puro HiFi audio, DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI display outputs; a pair of USB 3.0 ports, and six internal SATA 6 Gb/s connectors. It is based on the H87 chipset. The HiFi-B85S2 features a slim ATX form-factor, is based on the B85 Express chipset, features just the two DDR3 DIMM slots, a PCI-Express 3.0 x16, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4) wired to the PCH; two each of PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and legacy PCI; six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, 6-channel Puro HiFi audio, gigabit Ethernet, four USB 3.0 ports, and a display connectivity loadout of DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI.

First ASRock Socket LGA1150 Motherboards Shown Off at CeBIT
Here is the first selection of ASRock socket LGA1150 motherboards, pictured at the 2013 CeBIT expo being held in Hanover, Germany. Intel's 4th generation Core "Haswell" desktop processor family introduces the new 1150-pin LGA socket and Intel 8-series chipset, to form the platform. An upgrade to to "Haswell" processors should hence also involve buying new motherboards. Top-two motherboard manufacturers ASUS and GIGABYTE reportedly lack booths at CeBIT, leaving only the rest to show off their LGA1150 goods. This first compilation includes boards by ASRock and BIOSTAR. The boards are also a little rough on the edges, as their component/PCB color schemes, heatsinks, etc., haven't been finalized.

ASRock unveiled two LGA1150 motherboard models, the entry-level B85M, and the high-end Z87-Extreme6 (pictured in that order). The B85M, based on the chipset that succeeds today's small business-optimized B75 chipset, is a compact micro-ATX motherboard. It features just the two DDR3 DIMM slots, an expansion area with a PCI-Express 3.0 x16, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4), and two legacy PCI slots. Connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, 8-channel HD audio, four USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet; DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI display outputs, legacy connections such as COM/LPT over headers, and PS/2 mouse/keyboard connectors.

EVGA Gives Away New 3DMark with Performance thru High-End Graphics Cards
EVGA is giving away Advanced Edition licenses of the new 3DMark benchmark suite with all its performance thru high-end graphics cards; which includes GeForce GTX 660 series and above. With eligible EVGA graphics cards purchased on or after 4th March 2013, EVGA will include an unlock the Advanced Edition, which is tailored for most gamers and enthusiasts, letting you run all three test suites with custom settings, and view scores locally. Buyers who meet the criteria can log in with their EVGA account, register their EVGA graphics card, and redeem the offer from this page.

(PR) Genius Announces X-G510 Gaming Mouse
Genius presents its new Gaming mouse the Genius X-G510. The Full-size design with its rubber coated grip fits great in both hand and it offer the highest level of comfort for gamers who like to play for hours on end.

It has a size button design and can be customized to conquer any gaming challenge so one is always playing at a level above the competition. The DPI button instantly shifts multiple sensitivity levels between 500~2000DPI. Plus one can toggle rapidly between buttons using the profile switch and always know immediately which settings on is using.

(PR) TRENDnet Launches Powerline 200 AV Nano Adapter
TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the Powerline 200 AV Nano Adapter, model TPL-308E, and the Powerline 200 AV Nano Adapter Kit, model TPL-308E2K, which comes with two TPL-308E adapters. The adapter's ultra-compact form factor saves space around crowded electrical outlets and is about half the size of standard Powerline 200 units. The Powerline 200 AV Nano Adapter Kit, model TPL-308E2K, uses electrical outlets to create a secure high speed network. Connect the first adapter to your network and plug the second adapter into an outlet on your electrical system for instant high speed network access.

(PR) NVIDIA Sets New Standard for Workstation Performance and Reliability
NVIDIA today unveiled a range of NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics products that offer unprecedented workstation performance and capabilities for professionals in manufacturing, engineering, medical, architectural, and media and entertainment companies.

"With NVIDIA Kepler GPUs, we can create fully ray-trace rendered images of a bike before we actually build it," said Nick Schoeps, senior engineer at MotoCzysz, a Portland, Ore., engineering firm that designs, builds and races custom electric motorcycles. "Previously we'd rely only on still renders or low-fidelity motion during design reviews. With Quadro Kepler, we can work with highest quality settings always on. That's a huge advantage and something we hadn't been able to do before."

(PR) Seagate Ships New Hybrid Hard Drives
Building on the momentum of its current line of solid state hybrid drives (SSHD), Seagate Technology plc today announced it will begin shipping its third-generation of SSHD products. Featuring the Seagate Laptop SSHD, 7 mm-high Seagate Laptop Thin SSHD designed for the thinnest and lightest laptops in the industry, and the all-new Seagate Desktop SSHD, the line of drives will deliver blazing-fast performance and high-capacity at an affordable price.

Boasting solid state drive (SSD) like speed and hard disk drive capacity, the new Seagate Laptop and Laptop Thin SSHDs are the most affordable way to increase your laptop performance. With storage performance up to 40 percent faster than previous generations, the Laptop and Laptop Thin SSHDs can add as much as 30 percent to total system performance – regardless of the processor inside the system. These products also enable system builders to build high-performance, high-capacity systems, including new thin and light laptops, at mass-market price points.

(PR) OCZ Technology Launches New VXL 1.3 Software at CeBIT 2013
OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the general availability of the next release of its popular VXL Cache and Virtualization Software. VXL 1.3 has evolved its synchronous data mirroring capabilities and automatic server failover mechanisms to enable 'SAN-less,' highly available, fault tolerant environments based entirely on virtualized host flash. The ability to provide uninterrupted service for business-critical applications even during severe system failures is a requirement for IT managers of any sized data center, and ideally suited for virtualized database deployments, email servers, or cloud computing applications.

Another innovation in this new version of VXL allows IT managers to pre-load the cache with critical data at pre-determined schedules to ensure that important data is available on SSD flash at the precise time it is required by the application.

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(PR) ZOTAC Announces StreamBox and RAIDbox Storage Enclosures
ZOTAC International, a global innovator and leading manufacturer of graphics cards, mainboards and mini-PCs, today embarks on a new era of digital media sharing with the StreamBox and RAIDbox accessories that eases sharing digital audio, video and image files. The ZOTAC StreamBox bridges the gap between mobile devices and television sets to enable easy broadcasting of audio, video and image files from Android smartphones, tablets and notebooks via the industry standard DLNA protocol. Display mirroring capabilities are available for select Android mobile devices via Miracast compatibility.

"We focused on making the ZOTAC StreamBox easy to use for users of all skill levels. All a user needs to do is connect to the ZOTAC StreamBox via WiFi and launch a DLNA-compatible application such as the free Realtek AirFun app and begin sharing your music, movies and images," said Carsten Berger, senior director, ZOTAC International. "Advanced users can take advantage of screen mirroring features found on select devices too."

(PR) TYAN's New 1U Server and 4 GPU Compatible 2U Server Announced
TYAN, an industry-leading server platform design manufacturer and subsidiary of MiTAC International Corp, launched the TYAN TA77-B7061, its latest and flexible 2U GPU supported platform; the S7042, entry-level dual socket motherboard; GT62A-B5512 and the GT20A-B7040, the cost-effective 1U server during the CeBIT. TYAN welcomes customers to visit the TYAN website for more detail product information during CeBIT or experience the latest products at ISS EMEA in Dublin, Ireland from April, 10-12.

TYAN TA77-B7061 is the ideal platform designed for users who are looking for accelerated data-processing and efficient computing performance. Supporting up to four GPUs in a 2U server chassis, it is a high performance option that also offers outstanding computing density, saving both time and server/rack space in conjunction with industry-leading companies' GPU products such as Intel Xeon Phi processors, NVIDIA Tesla K20 Series and ATI FirePro. The non-compromised TA77-B7061 will be displayed at TYAN booth at ISS EMEA (Intel Solution Summit) in Dublin, Ireland from April, 10-12. TYAN TA77-B7061 supports (2) Intel Xeon E5-2600 Series Processors, (8+8) DDR-III R/U/LR-DIMM, (4) PCI-E x16 G3 slots, (1) PCI-E x8 G3 slots, (2) GbE ports and (8) 2.5" HDDs. Customers could enjoy more flexible and upgradeable computing performance to tailor to their own computing environment with TYAN's TA77-B7061 server platform.

(PR) EK Unveils a New Line of Water Cooling Kits
EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is excited to introduce the new line of EK-KIT L series value orientated water cooling kits. These new and improved kits are direct successors of world renown EK-KIT H3O Supreme LTX series kits. EK Water Blocks has prepared three differently sized models: EK-KIT L120, -L240 and -L360, the only difference between them being the size of the radiator and the number of accompanied fans.

The EK-KIT L series water cooling kit is a basic kit for all users that seek simple, yet quality and efficient all-in-one solution, assembled from selected market proven components.

(PR) Patriot Announces AERO Mobile Hard Drive
Patriot, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage, and mobile accessories today announces the next generation in its ecosystem of wireless storage solutions, the AERO wireless mobile hard drive.

Load up, go mobile, and share. With the ever expanding tablet and smartphone landscape, the AERO is the definitive mobile storage solution that allows you to take your full media collection on the go and stream to any tablet, smartphone, or laptop. The Patriot AERO truly lets you share content to your mobile devices like never before, even if you don't have access to the internet or cloud storage.

(PR) AMD and Crystal Dynamics Collaboration Delivers "Tomb Raider" with TressFX
AMD today announced a collaboration with Crystal Dynamics following the launch of "Tomb Raider," one of the most highly anticipated PC games of 2013, and part of the AMD Gaming Evolved program. AMD and Crystal Dynamics worked together extensively on the development of "Tomb Raider," most notably with TressFX Hair, the world's first in-game implementation of a real-time, per-strand hair physics system. This leading-edge technology imparts one of the most iconic video game characters, Lara Croft, with an astonishingly lifelike appearance. With AMD Radeon graphics, gamers can unleash the full potential of this next-generation technology.

"With the launch of 'Tomb Raider' and TressFX Hair, AMD and Crystal Dynamics have radically pushed the boundaries of realism in the PC gaming experience," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, AMD Graphics. "Over the past several months, AMD has proven that the Gaming Evolved program is set to full throttle, and today's launch is a testament to AMD's ingenuity and innovation. Our team is working with the finest game developers in the world to ensure AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series graphics deliver the ultimate PC gaming experience."

(PR) Synology Launches DiskStation Manager (DSM) 4.2
Synology today released the official version of DiskStation Manager (DSM) 4.2. "Synology has once again pushed the possibilities of NAS servers to new dimensions by releasing DSM 4.2," said Vic Hsu, CEO of Synology Inc. "It helps businesses achieve agility as well as productivity in big data storage, and reshapes users' multimedia experience with a suite of advanced features." DSM 4.2 delivers:

DSM 4.2 features LUN Snapshot and Clone to provide up to 256 snapshots per LUN and near-instant duplication of virtual copies of a LUN, with no impact on system performance and minimal extra storage space. Synology High Availability (SHA) now supports more DiskStation/RackStation, and together with Global hot spare disks, ensures business continuity across enterprise and SMB environments. Two-step verification reinforces security with a pre-defined password and a one-time six-digit code.

(PR) Thecus Announces the Intelligent N2520 (2-bay) and N4520 (4-bay) NAS
Thecus releases an all new 2-bay N2520 and 4-bay N4520 NAS server to lead the competition. The latest 2 and 4 bay NAS are designed to offer a revolutionary experience to the NAS industry. It utilizes the latest Intel Atom processor with 1GB RAM (N2520) and 2GB RAM (N4520). In addition, superspeed USB 3.0 fosters quick transfers, HDMI output is convenient for multimedia playback and McAfee Antivirus protection is to keep your NAS operating smoothly. The past proves merit; innovative technologies have been utilized to develop the new N2520/N4520 NAS to serve one single purpose: improve user experience and satisfaction.

"The integration of the new Intel Atom processor CE5315 and Thecus award-winning NAS is truly a revolution. We are proud to be the initial storage manufacture to embed Intel's first SoC storage dedicated chip, said Florence Shih, General Manager of Thecus. This pairing is phenomenal because it offers a new energy efficient, multimedia powerhouse and performance driven NAS solution to the storage industry."

(PR) Aqua Computer Intros Kryographics Full-Coverage Water Block for GeForce GTX Titan
To efficiently cool down the GeForce GTX TITAN graphics card, Aqua Computer offers the new Kryographics series full cover blocks. Other than the old aquagrafx series the new blocks feature wider openings at the side of the copper base and a revised connection terminal to optimize the flow rate.

The 10 mm thick copper base covers the GPU, RAM and voltage regulators. All surfaces with contact to the card are highly polised to 1/1000mm. The top is made of stainless steel and comes with a laser engraved logo. Above the GPU the block uses a 0.25mm micro structure which results in a delta of 10°C between the GPU and water in our internal tests with Furmark. Due to the precise CNC production process the RAM chips can be used with thermal grease which offers a much better heat transfer over thermal pads.

XIGMATEK Also Announces Xi-3 HDT Thermal Compound
In addition to the Dark Knight Frostbourne Edition CPU cooler, XIGMATEK announced the new Xi-3 HDT thermal compound optimized for CPU coolers with heatpipe direct touch (HDT) bases. In such a base, heatpipes of the cooler make direct contact with the CPU, and are nested inside grooves of the base. Gaps between the base and the heat pipes tend to reduce surface area of contact between the cooler and the CPU. By design, HDT bases are less "polished," it helps to have a thermal compound that can seep into to surface irregularities better.

The Xi-3 HDT from XIGMATEK is advertised to have smaller particle size, while making up with higher density. The company didn't specify the composition of the compound, but detailed its characteristics. Its viscosity is rated at 104 Pa·s, specific gravity at 2.5 g/cm³, and an impressive 9.1 W/mK thermal conductivity. As with most performance TIMs on the market, it features an anti-bleed composition, isn't electrically conductive, and has an applied life rated at 10 years. It is sold in 4 g syringes, the company did not reveal pricing.

XIGMATEK Dark Knight Frostbourne Edition CPU Cooler Announced
After giving its Dark Knight SD1283 a pitch-black color-scheme with the Nighthawk Edition released last April, XIGMATEK announced availability of its polar opposite color scheme, the Frostbourne Edition. The aluminum-alloy fin tower-type heatsink's fins, three 8 mm-thick U-shaped heatpipes that make direct contact with the CPU, and the included fan, bear a matte white finish. The fins feature XIGMATEK's Stealth ceramic coating, which works to increase surface area for heat dissipation. The cooler is designed to handle TDP of up to 160W.

Measuring 120 x 50 x 159 mm (WxDxH) heatsink-only, and weighing 406 g, the Dark Knight SD1283 Frostbourne Edition includes an XOF-F1251 120 mm fan with 4-pin PWM connector. It spins in the range of 800 and 1,400 RPM, pushing up to 60 CFM of air, with a company rated noise output under 16 dBA. The cooler supports nearly all modern client CPU socket types, including Intel LGA2011, LGA1155/LGA1156, LGA775; AMD AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2, and FM2/FM1. The Dark Knight SD1283 is expected to be priced around the $50 mark.

(PR) Logitech Realigns Organization with Strategic Priorities
Logitech International today announced an organizational alignment to the strategic priorities outlined by newly appointed CEO Bracken P. Darrell last month. These priorities include increasing focus on mobility products, improving profitability in PC-related products and enhancing global operational efficiencies. This alignment to the strategic priorities creates incremental cost savings of approximately $16 to $18 million in operating expenses in Fiscal Year 2014, a result of a workforce reduction. This is in addition to the previously announced $80 million savings in annual operating costs (operating expenses plus costs of goods sold) for Fiscal Year 2014 related to the Company's April 2012 restructuring.

"As we align the organization with our strategy to become a faster, more profitable company, we have also created opportunities to become more focused, improve operational effectiveness and even deliver additional cost savings that will contribute to improved profitability," said Bracken P. Darrell, Logitech president and chief executive officer. "These actions support our goals to develop outstanding mobility- and PC-related products, streamline our cost structure and achieve faster times to market."

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(PR) Thermaltake Announces the Urban S21 Chassis
Thermaltake, an industry leader in computer chassis, thermal solution, and power supply unit recently reveals Urban S21 mainstream mid-tower, one of the members of Thermaltake newest chassis series – Urban Series. The entire series has a simple and elegant aesthetic look; designed for users who looks for powerful performance and high expandability but a flamboyantly appearance or more simple and sophisticated look.

Urban S21 built with metal brushed front door panel to mask the extrusive drive devices ( 3 ODD and 6 HDD drive bays), not only unify the appearance, but also provide a simple yet elegant aesthetic; the sophisticated look can also be part of decoration at home to enhance living quality. The Front-top panel has implemented two of latest data transfer SuperSpeed USB 3.0, a HD microphone and headset jacks, to grand direct access when needed, and a side window opening panel to take an instant glance of the interior.

MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming and GeForce GTX 670 Gaming Teased Some More
We've known since a little earlier this week that MSI has been working on a new product line targeting gamers, which builds on the success of its Gaming Series notebooks; that the company has been working on a variant of the Z77A-GD65 motherboard based on the series; and that the series could also include graphics cards and gaming-grade all-in-one desktops. MSI revealed a few more byte ahead of its big CeBIT unveiling.

To begin with, our suspicious voiced last week are true, the company's first Gaming Series motherboard is in fact a variant of the Z77A-GD65, with a few changes: an overhauled VRM and chipset heatsink design inspired by the dragon-head logo; a black+red color scheme, Bigfoot Killer E2200 low-latency network controller, and possibly Creative Sound Blaster Cinema audio. Moving on, we're hearing that the first graphics card in the Gaming Series will be based on GeForce GTX 670. It could be positioned above the company's fastest GTX 670, the Power Edition/OC. In addition to a slightly new cooling solution, the card could feature an improved VRM.

(PR) HGST Reaches 10-Nanometer Patterned-Bit Milestone
HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and now a Western Digital company, NASDAQ: WDC) is leading the disk drive industry to the forefront in nanolithography, long the exclusive purview of semiconductor manufacturers, by creating and replicating minute features that will allow the doubling of hard disk drive (HDD) density in future disk drives.

HGST Labs announced today they have combined two innovative nanotechnologies -- self-assembling molecules and nanoimprinting -- to create large areas of dense patterns of magnetic islands only 10 billionths of a meter (10 nanometers) wide. These features are only about 50 atoms wide and some 100,000 times thinner than a human hair.

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(PR) 3DMark 11 v1.0.4 Released, Now Fully Compatible with Windows 8
Futuremark updated 3DMark 11 to version 1.0.4, which makes the benchmark fully compatible with Windows 8. The update also addresses other compatibility issues and a few uncommon bugs. Benchmark scores are not affected and scores from this new version can be compared with scores from the previous version 3DMark 11 v1.0.3.

DOWNLOAD: 3DMark 11 v1.0.4

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(PR) Sharkoon Announces SHA350M Bronze 350 Watt Semi-Modular PSU
Sharkoon introduces a new power supply series for PC users and gamers, designed for budget-conscious customers looking to score points within the price-performance range. Starting off is the SHA350M Bronze 350 Watt PC power supply. Models in 450 Watt and 550 Watt will follow shortly. The Sharkoon SHA350M Bronze is equipped with a modular connector system, complies with ATX specification ATX 12V V2.3 and also supports the latest Intel and AMD processor systems. It provides an effectiveness of over 80 percent and is 80 PLUS Bronze? certified.

In addition to the two firmly soldered 40+4-pin motherboard connector and motherboard power supply (4+4-pin), the SHA350M Bronze provides altogether six connection possibilities for modular connectors. The power supply has two PCIe (6 and 6+2-pin), six SATA ports and seven peripheral device connectors and a floppy connector.

AMD Working On Stripped-Down PlayStation 4 SoC for PCs
Ahead of its unveiling last week, it was expected that Sony's PlayStation 4 console would be driven by little more than an AMD A-Series "Trinity" APU. It ended up being a lot more than that. The custom-design SoC that drives the next-generation console is a joint effort between AMD and Sony, which integrates an 8-core x86-64 CPU based on the company's new "Jaguar" micro-architecture; a GPU based on its Graphics CoreNext technology; a GDDR5 integrated memory controller, and certain enhancements by Sony. In an interview with The Inquirer, the company hinted that it's interested in porting the SoC over to the PC platform, minus Sony's share of the development.

(PR) Astro Gaming Announces PC Editions of A30 & A40 Gaming Headsets
ASTRO Gaming, a division of Skullcandy, Inc. (Nasdaq: SKUL), and creators of premium video gaming equipment for professional and hardcore gamers, today announced a major update to two more of brand's most innovative and best-selling products with the 2013 PC Editions of the ASTRO A30 Cross-Gaming Headset and the ASTRO A40 Pro-Gaming Headset. The PC Editions of the ASTRO A30 and ASTRO A40 are standalone headsets designed for use while gaming on a PC, Mac or mobile phone. ASTRO Gaming also announced significant permanent price reductions for both of the new 2013 PC Edition products: the ASTRO A30 Cross Gaming Headset will drop from $129.99 to $99.99; while the ASTRO A40 Pro-Gaming Headset will be reduced from $199.99 to $149.99.

The 2013 PC Editions of the ASTRO A30 and ASTRO A40 Headsets feature an update to the company's highly popular Quick Disconnect Cabling System as well as re-tuned drivers and enclosures that make the audiophile-grade headsets the most accurate and detailed ASTRO Gaming has ever produced, with improved low-end response and less distortion at peak volume.

Prolimatech Intros MK-26 Black Series GPU Heatsink
Prolimatech introduced the Black Series variant of its MK-26 GPU heatsink that went on sale last September. The variant features matte black anodized aluminum fins, while retaining the chrome finished nickel-plated copper heat pipes that produce a nice contrast. Designed to handle thermal loads as high as 320W, the MK-26 is a dual aluminum fin-stack heatsink, which uses six heat pipes to convey heat from a nickel-plated copper block. A pair of 140 mm fans (not included) can be attached to the heatsink. individual heatsinks for memory and VRM components are included; as are thermal pads and a tube of TIM. Prolimatech updated the GPU compatibility list of the MK-26 to include the recently launched GeForce GTX TITAN. The company did not release pricing or availability details.

(PR) Spire Announces Diablo Entry-Level Gaming PC Chassis
The Spire Diablo PC case is a versatile ATX chassis with a modest gamer look. This tower structure is contemporary and cost effective. The meshed aluminum front panel allows unrestricted fresh air intake which is mandatory for today's extremely hot Micro-processors, Graphic cards and Data Drives. The internal design provides enough room for hardware assembly, supports up to six (6) 3.5-inch & three (3) 5.25-inch drive devices. The 5.25 bezels are tool-free and easy to remove. You can also install a 3.5 inch device such as a multifunctional card-reader. The chassis structure is all black and prepared for decent cooling, there is space for 1* 92mm fan at the rear and 1* 80mm fan on the side panel for additional VGA cooling.

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

IT News Head Lines (techPowerUp) 08/03/2013

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