NVIDIA unleash the GeForce 320.49 Beta drivers, just in time for the GeForce GTX 760 launch
NVIDIA
have released the GeForce 320.49 Beta drivers, which are perfect for
the just-released GeForce GTX 760 GPU. The new beta drivers not only
include support for NVIDIA's latest mid-range GPU, but they include a
bunch of fixes that were reported with previous drivers.
These
fixes include problems with image corruption and artifacting Eve
Online: Retribution, Assassin's Creed III, Battlefield 3 and Call of
Duty: Black Ops 2. The GeForce 320.49 Beta drivers also include, or add
SLI support for a number of titles: Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, Natural
Selection 2, Trackmania 2: Canyon and GRID 2.
You can download the drivers right here.
There's
also a performance boost of up to 20% for GeForce 400/500/600 series
GPU's in a bunch of games compared to the GeForce 314.22 WHQL-certified
drivers. Here's what you could expect:
GeForce GTX 660:
- Up to 20% in Dirt: Showdown
- Up to 18% in Tomb Raider
- Up to 10% in Metro: Last Light
- Up to 10% in Sleeping Dogs
- Up to 8% in StarCraft II
- Up to 6% in Sniper Elite V2
- Up to 6% in Metro 2033
- Up to 6% in Far Cry 3
- Up to 6% in Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- Up to 5% in F1 2012
GeForce GTX 660 SLI:
- Up to 17% in Dirt: Showdown
- Up to 18% in Tomb Raider
- Up to 9% in Metro: Last Light
- Up to 9% in Assassin's Creed III
- Up to 7% in StarCraft II
- Up to 6% in Far Cry 3
- Up to 6% in Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- Up to 6% in Battlefield 3
- Up to 5% in BioShock: Infinite
- Up to 5% in F1 2012
SLI Technology
- Added SLI profile for Alien Fear
- Added SLI profile for Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
- Added SLI profile for Dead Island: Riptide
- Added SLI profile for Dragon Sword
- Added SLI profile for Neverwinter
- Added SLI profile for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
- Added SLI profile for GRID 2
- Added SLI profile for Human Head 2
- Added SLI profile for Remember Me
- Added SLI profile for The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct
- Updated SLI profile for Natural Selection 2
- Updated SLI profile for Resident Evil 6
- Updated SLI profile for Trackmania 2: Canyon
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US Senator introduces new bill to control the amount of spying power the NSA has
NSA's
PRISM system is reading everything you do, say, or whisper by yourself
in a lonely corner - but those powers could soon be dealt a little
kryptonite if US Senator Patrick Leahy's new bill is enacted upon.
Leahy's new bill has been called the "FISA Accountability and Privacy Protection Act of 2013" that aims to "strengthen privacy protections, accountability and oversight related to domestic surveillance."
The bill aims to calm down the PATRIOT Act so that the government is
forced to show evidence that a citizen is linked with a foreign group or
power before surveillance on the citizen even begins.
I
doubt we'll see that, and even if we do and it is enacted upon, how
would you know if this is the way they do it? They could continue
snooping and you would be none the wiser about it - just like most of
the world was until Edward Snowden came onto the scene.
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Over one million Americans have downloaded adware-infected Android apps in the last year
Security
firm Lookout have a new report which is pretty damning for US-based
Android users, where they report that over one million Americans have
download adware-infected Android applications, most of them without even
knowing so.
Worse
than that, is that 6.5% of free applications on the Google Play Store
are infected with adware in some form. Lookout have noted that the most
prevalent app-based mobile threat in the world today is adware, as it
can take user privacy away and take things like personal information
such as e-mail, location data and address lists, all without proper
notification and modifying phone settings without users' consent.
Adware
is a grey area of the market to explain, as there's no defined set of
rules of what adware is exactly. What Lookout did instead, was provide
some guidelines that they use to differentiate an innocent ad from an
adware one. Lookout classify an app that is infected with adware if it
displays advertising that's outside of the normal experience, if it
contains unusual indentifiable information, or if it performs unexpected
actions as a response to ad clicks.
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Windows 8.1 Preview is now available, want to try it out?
Microsoft
unveiled Windows 8.1 Preview at their BUILD 2013 conference on
Wednesday, where it's free and some people can get their hands on it
right now. Microsoft have promised an ISO image of the OS, but for now
it's only available through the Windows Store.
This
means the Preview of Windows 8.1 is currently locked down to those
running Windows 8 and Windows RT - so not me then. Remember, that this
is just a beta - so don't replace your full OS when using it. Maybe
partition your hard drive, or use a spare one (if you have one). The
Windows 8.1 Preview should be unleashed to all of us in the coming days,
and we'll write up a guide on how you can install it in our Tweakipedia section once it goes live in ISO format.
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The NSA has been intercepting SSL traffic too, no one is safe from their technological grip
NSA's
PRISM system is quite the beast indeed, but now it is being revealed
that the US security agency have been intercepting SSL traffic too -
which is meant to be a secure link - after all, it stands for secure
sockets layer.
Obviously
not, as the US security agency have been using their PRISM system to
gather and store huge quantities (see: all) of SSL encrypted data for
later cryptanalysis. Netcraft also reports that this huge volume of data is logged so that if an SSL private key later becomes available, they can be decrypted.
There
are 'legal' methods of getting these private keys: a court order,
social engineering, an attack against the website, or through
cryptanalysis. But, it's the NSA - do you really expect them to use
legal means to break your encrypted data that they weren't meant to take
in the first place? Yeah, I thought so.
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RumorTT: Verizon to acquire Canadian provider Wind Mobile for $800 million
Verizon
is wanting to extend their control of the wireless market, with the new
rumor circling around that they will acquire Canadian wireless provider
Wind Mobile.
Verizon
have reportedly offered Wind Mobile a tentative offer of between $600
million and $800 million with the final price being decided once the
company completes its due diligence. Verizon aren't stopping there,
where they might be whipping out their credit card to acquire rival
wireless startup Moilicity.
The
Canadian government previously flexed their muscle, denying Teleus's
bid to license Mobilicity spectrum. Government officials should okay
this deal though, as it will increase competition in the Canadian
wireless market.
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Windows Phone sees more than 200 million app downloads per month
Microsoft
has announced a discount to its Windows Phone developer program.
Microsoft is offering developers a discount on the fee normally paid to
join the developer program. Instead of the yearly $99 fee, Microsoft is
currently offering it for just $19. In the blog post detailing the
discount, Microsoft also provided some interesting statistics regarding
the Windows Phone platform.
These
numbers are, of course, the good numbers as Microsoft would be unlikely
to report the bad numbers. One of the most interesting and often
tracked numbers is how many apps the platform has. In the blog post,
Microsoft reported that the total number of apps on the Windows Platform
is 160,000. Furthermore, Microsoft said that those apps drive 200
million app downloads each month.
For
comparison, iOS has surpassed the 50 billion download mark. Windows 8
has around 100,000 apps available in its app store. Windows Phone also
experienced the greatest year-over-year increase in marketshare,
doubling its market penetration. To read the whole blog post, head over
to Microsoft's site.
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Google removes all clouds from Earth imagery
Google
has processed hundreds of terabytes of Earth imagery to construct a
cloud-free version of its satellite imagery used in its Maps and Earth
products. The data is also now higher resolution, providing the ability
to see the Earth in greater detail. The new imagery comes from NASA's
and USGS' Landsat 7 satellite. Due to a hardware failure early in life,
this was no easy feat.
Landsat
7's imagery has black stripes in the normal images due to said hardware
failure. Google had to combine multiple images in order to remove those
black stripes. This same process is essentially how they managed to get
a cloudless version of their imagery, even in tropical zones that
almost always have some cloud cover.
Google
has also focused on bringing the new imagery to zones that hadn't been
updated in a while. This means the new imagery focuses on Russia,
Indonesia, and central Africa. Google notes that the new image is over
800,000 megapixels. In other words, it would take a piece of paper the
size of a city block to print it out at the standard 300dpi.
Head on over to Google Maps and turn on the satellite layer to see the updated imagery.
| |
Sony removed PS4 camera to beat Microsoft on price
According
to sources close to Sony, the entertainment giant decided to not bundle
the PlayStation 4 camera with every console so they could beat
Microsoft's $499 price point. But not only did Sony do this to beat
Microsoft on price, they didn't let retail partners know that the price
changed. The only information they provided to retail partners was that
the PS4 camera would no longer be included with the console.
This
might have been a great move. Not only was Sony able to beat Microsoft
on price, but it turns out that people don't like an always-connected
camera in their living room. Sony has been able to avoid accusations
that the device might be spying on its users.
On
the other hand, it will likely cause the PlayStation camera accessory
to see less uptake in the market. By not requiring every user to have
it, game developers will have to deal with a fragmented landscape where
only some gamers have the camera. This means developers are unlikely to
make as much use of the camera, which in turn provides less incentive
for users to buy a camera. It's the classic chicken and egg scenario.
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NVIDIA delays Shield shipping until next month after discovering mechanical issue
NVIDIA
has announced that they have delayed the shipping of their upcoming
handheld gaming console. Project Shield was originally slated to go on
sale tomorrow, but NVIDIA has decided to push that date back to sometime
in July due to a mechanical issue. The issue stems from a third-party
component supplier who's part isn't quite up to NVIDIA's "exacting
standards."
NVIDIA
doesn't have a confirmed shipping date beyond sometime in July, so
we'll let you know as soon as NVIDIA releases a firm ship date. NVIDIA
has also extended apologies to those who preordered Shield and those who
were looking forward to buying the console. NVIDIA believes that the
console will be well worth the wait.
It's
probably better for the company to wait and perfect the device than
release a product that wouldn't garner the reviews and experience that
they want.
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Instagram CEO: Windows Phone and BlackBerry app not coming 'anytime soon', Google Glass app sometime after that
It
looks as though it could still be a long time before Instagram finds
its way onto the Windows Phone and BlackBerry platforms. This fact comes
courtesy of Instagram's CEO, who noted during an interview that Google
Glass is towards the bottom of their list for new platforms. This is
because Instagram considers where its users are and where the growth is.
Shortly
after explaining that a Glass app is towards the bottom of their list,
Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom warned that BlackBerry and Windows Phone
apps may not be coming anytime soon. "I'm just saying that in
order of priority, the way we evaluate where to expand to is really
simply where our users are, and where the growth is," the executive explained. "It took us a very long time to get to Android."
We're
actually quite surprised that Instagram hasn't brought an app to the
other mobile platforms as of yet. Instagram is owned by Facebook, a
massive company that could easily afford to port the application to the
other platforms. If you're planning on using Instagram on Google Glass
just be warned that it could be a very long time until an app is
released for the platform.
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Dish no longer wants Clearwire, withdraws offer after Sprint increases their bid
Sprint
recently sweetened their offer for Clearwire and it was apparently
enough to push Dish away. Dish has announced that they have withdrawn
their offer to acquire Clearwire, citing a "change in recommendation" at
Clearwire. In plain English, this means that shareholders now prefer
Sprint's sweetened offer and are suggesting the board take it instead of
Dish's.
Interestingly
enough, Sprint is about to be acquired by Softbank as soon as it clears
all of the regulatory hurdles. In other words, Softbank will be
acquiring Clearwire and the spectrum that Clearwire owns. It's not clear
what Sprint plans to do with Clearwire after the acquisition, though
they'll likely make use of the spectrum for faster LTE.
| |
Apple seeds new version of OS X 10.8.5 update to developers
Apple
has made an update to OS X 10.8.5 available to developers. Mountain
Lion build 12F13 is now available for developers to try out and look for
bugs. The new operating system can be downloaded through the Mac
Developer Center or through the built-in Mac App Store Software Update
functionality.
The
build contains no known issues, but Apple has asked that developers
continue to focus on Wi-Fi, Graphics, Wake from Sleep, PDF viewing and
Accessibility, and Mobile Device Management during their use. This
software is just an update to Mountain Lion, with the OS X 10.9
Mavericks developer previews having been seeded to developers earlier
this year.
It's not
clear when this update will be made available to the general public,
though it should be sooner rather than later if there are no known
issues with it. We'll let you know when the actual update becomes
available for you to download.
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Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, & Skype hit with Prism data protection complaint in EU
Facebook,
Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, and Skype have been hit with a complaint in
the European Union over data protection issues in relation to the
recently revealed NSA spying program Prism. THe complaint has been
brought by the same group that ran the Europe v Facebook campaign.
Through this latest complaint, they hope to gain clarification on the
laws regarding foreign data passing to US agencies.
These
five companies have been selected specifically because of their
corporate structure. Each has a subsidiary in the European Union, which
should be required to follow EU data protection rights and policies. The
question becomes a bit less straightforward when these companies have
US headquarters, possibly making them be required to comply with US laws
that are in conflict with EU laws. They have an excellent explanation:
If a European subsidiary sends user data to the American parent company, this is considered an "export" of personal data. Under EU law, an export of data is only allowed if the European subsidiary can ensure an "adequate level or protection" in the foreign country. After the recent disclosures on the "PRISM" program such trust in an "adequate level of protection" by the involved companies can hardly be upheld.
There can in no way be an adequate level of protection if they cooperate with the NSA on the other end of the line. Right now an export of data to the US must be seen as illegal if the involved companies cannot disprove the reports on the PRISM program.
You'll
notice that Google and YouTube were not included. This is because they
do not feature a subsidiary in the EU. They do, however, have
datacenters and Evf believes they can use this to file a similar
complaint. We'll be following this complaint closely and let you know as
soon as any major breakthroughs happen.
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Facebook denies allegations that it handed over user data to Turkish government
Facebook
strongly denies allegations that it handed over user data to the
Turkish government in relation to the ongoing protests currently taking
place in Turkey. Facebook notes that they rarely provide any user data
to Turkish law enforcement or government officials, with the only
exception being if there appears to be an immediate threat to life or a
child.
Facebook has not provided user data to Turkish authorities in response to government requests relating to the protests. More generally, we reject all government data requests from Turkish authorities and push them to formal legal channels unless it appears that there is an immediate threat to life or a child, which has been the case in only a small fraction of the requests we have received.
We are concerned about legislative proposals that might purport to require Internet companies to provide user information to Turkish law enforcement authorities more frequently. We will be meeting with representatives of the Turkish government when they visit Silicon Valley this week, and we intend to communicate our strong concerns about these proposals directly at that time.
Reports
of Facebook providing Turkish officials with user data stemmed from an
NPR report that cited a Turkish minister. He claimed that Facebook was
"in cooperation with the state" and that Twitter refused to supply user
data. Facebook and others are worried about pending litigation that
could force them to provide more data to the Turkish government. Some of
Turkey's legislators have called for stronger social media use rules in
light of the protests.
Should Facebook and Twitter be required to cooperate more with the Turkish government?
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Steam introduces Trading Cards, collect and trade these virtual cards to get the whole set
Everyone's
favorite gaming company has just introduced virtual Trading Cards.
These new cards will be given out for playing Steam games, with half of
the set being provided in each game. To collect the other half, you'll
have to collect and trade with other gamers like yourself. These cards
can then be turned into game badges and tradable Steam community items.
The
idea isn't completely new. Other games have provided cards or
collectibles instead of in-game achievements. These cards a bit more
useful than some of the other implementations I've seen. For instance, a
complete set of cards can be turned into a game badge. These game
badges will also come with XP, helping you level up quicker and earn
more rewards for leveling up.
It's
a cool idea that I think will work extremely well with the Steam
community. If you want to learn more about the new program, you can head
over to the page Steam has set up.
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Google editions of Galaxy S4 and HTC One are now available for pre-order in the Google Play Store
A
few weeks ago, we learned that Samsung would be releasing a
stripped-down Nexus-like version of its galaxy S4 which would be called
the Google Edition S4. Shortly thereafter, HTC announced that they would
be doing the same with their flagship smartphone, the HTC One.
Today,
Google has launched both of the stripped-down android smartphones for
preorder in the Google Play Store. Both devices run stock versions of
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and will begin shipping to customers on July 9.
The
Google edition of HTC's One retails for $599.99 while Samsung's Galaxy
S4 Google Edition retails slightly higher at a price of $649.99. For
Android purist, these two phones represent the holy grail of smartphone
technology, but they are not just for those who wish for a pure Android
experience; they represent a way for more consumers to buy high-end
smartphones without a contract and without all the added features that
manufactures normally bloat smartphones with.
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Motorola logo gets updated to reflect Google ownership, now comes with 100% more colors
Just
over a year ago, Google finalize a deal to buy Motorola's Mobility
division, and today we're finally seeing Google officially welcoming
Motorola into the family. The Motorola logo was updated this afternoon
to reflect a more Google-like appearance and inform the whole world that
it is a Google owned company.
The
new logo features the original Motorola "M" but it is now surrounded by
a circular rainbow of colors similar to the ones used in Google
branding. Now that Google has the new logo out-of-the-way, let's hope
they can do the same with the crappy phones Motorola has been releasing
for years now.
I say that because of the news today
surrounding the Motorola X Phone. It appears to be nothing more than
another rehash of the Atrix, Photon 4G, and Razr Max. Those of us who
were loyal to Motorola were really hoping to see something innovative
with the new X phone but it appears that will not be the case.
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Square breaks out of its mobile payments shell and opens Etsy-like online market
When
Square launched a few years ago, they changed the mobile payments
market overnight with their little white plastic device that you to plug
in your smartphone or tablet. Now Square is setting its sights on the
online marketplace as well and is attempting to compete with Etsy,
Amazon, and eBay by launching its own online marketplace called Square
Market.
While
the step from a mobile payment gateway to a online marketplace may seem
a bit odd to some, this is actually part of Square's push for the
company to deliver a product that answers each aspect of online
commerce. At the moment, the company has a mobile wallet for consumers, a
payment app for businesses, a $300 stand that turns your iPad into a
point-of-sale system and it even has a project in the works that will
compete with PayPal known as Square Cash.
"Creating an online marketplace is our next step in making commerce easy for everyone," said Ajit Varma, Square's director of discovery, in a statement. "The
idea behind Square Market is to make local businesses accessible to
Square users nationwide. Creating a storefront on Square Market is free,
and sellers can manage list items, add product photos, manage inventory
and create an online profile for their businesses that the company
hopes will essentially eliminate the need for sellers to have standalone
websites."
The
online storefront itself is free, but transactions aren't. Square will
take a 2.75 percent cut of revenue off each item sold, which is much
less than what Amazon or eBay charges. It is even less than the $0.20
Etsy charges to list an item.
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Facebook finally lands an official app on Windows 8, will default searches to Bing
During
today's Microsoft Build conference, CEO Steve Ballmer announced that
Windows 8 is finally getting an official Facebook app. This announcement
comes almost a year after the new Windows operating system was
announced.
Facebook
and Microsoft have partnered up to build a native app for the company's
flagship operating system, and as a result, Facebook will default
searches to Microsoft's Bing search engine. In return, Microsoft will
deeply integrate Facebook into Windows 8.
There
are also reports coming in that Facebook-owned Instagram will also be
getting a Windows 8 app and that tMicrosoft hopes Twitter's Vine will
follow suit. Ballmer also announced that Windows 8 will be getting an
official version of Flipboard as well as an NFL Fantasy Football App.
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BIWIN debuts Half Slim H6201 embedded SSD
BIWIN
has just announced a new business class SSD that is aimed at the
digital signage market. The new Half Slim H6201is being billed as the
perfect SSD for public and outdoor environments because it is scalable,
efficient, and provides a low maintenance cost.
BIWIN says that the "SATA
II Half-slim SSD H6201's MTBF of 2,000,000 hours is more than doubled
comparing with mechanical hard drives, leading to lower maintenance
costs. H6201 is extremely fast with the ability to handle high I/O data
throughput such as multiple data streams suitable for graphics and video
in a very small package."
The
H6201 comes in several levels of density, including 4GB, 8GB, 16GB,
32GB, 64GB, 128GB, which allows for all signage storage needs. The new
Half Slim SSD is an ideal solution for deployments where heat, cold,
dust, humidity, and even shock and vibration are common.
| |
Good guy Razer is giving their Surround Virtual 7.1 software away for free, asks you to donate to charity if you like it
Razer
has just announced a new software package targeted at gamers that will
allow them to turn their boring old normal headphones into a 7.1 channel
surround beast. Razer Surround, according to the company, goes above
and beyond existing multi-channel simulation packages by giving users a
calibration system that tunes the effect for individual listeners.
The
software is designed as an add-on for the Razer Synapse 2.0 software
package and the company has plans to offer it for sale in 2014 for
$19.99, but the company is offering a pretty sweet deal to early
adopters. Anyone wishing to purchase Razer Surround before January 1,
2014 will receive an unprecedented 100-percent discount.
Razer
simply asked that if you find the software useful that you donate some
cash to the Child's Play charity (source #2). The software is compatible
with Windows Vista and higher and provides preconfigured calibrations
for all razor audio products. Custom configurations can be built to
calibrate for third-party headsets and users will need to register for
Razer Synapse 2.0, so an online connection is needed.
"With the individual calibration of Razer Surround, we're setting a new standard in 7.1 virtual surround sound," wrote Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director, of his company's latest release. "We're
a big believer of giving back to our fans and the gaming community, and
making Razer Surround available free with a donation to Child's Play in
2013 is a testament of our commitment to giving back to current and
future gamers of the world."
I
love the idea of companies giving away software and asking you to
donate money to their favorite charity. This is why the Humble Bundle
works so well and why I have bought it every time. I just downloaded my
copy of Razer Surround and donated $20 to Child's Play and now challenge
you to do the same. For those of you interested in knowing more about
Child's Play, I have posted their "About us" information below.
From Child's Play charity:
Since 2003, we've set up and organized Child's Play, a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in our network of over 70 hospitals worldwide. Over the years, you as a community have answered the call and come together to raise millions of dollars.
Child's Play works in two ways. With the help of hospital staff, we set up gift wish lists full of video games, toys, books, and other fun stuff for kids. By clicking on a hospital location on our map, you can view that hospital's wish list and send a gift.
Child's Play also receives cash donations throughout the year. With those cash donations, we purchase new consoles, peripherals, games, and more for hospitals and therapy facilities. These donations allow for children to enjoy age-appropriate entertainment, interact with their peers, friends, and family, and can provide vital distraction from an otherwise generally unpleasant experience.
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Sony loves developers, proves it by launching indie game channel for PS Vita
Sony
has continued its support of independent game developers by launching a
new indie game channel for its PlayStation Vita handheld gaming
console. This new channel is the direct result of Sony launching a
similar channel on the PlayStation network last month.
With
53 titles already, Sony has begun highlighting new releases such as
Hotline Miami, Thomas Was Alone, and Limbo. Sony says it has plans in
the coming months to showcase highly anticipated Vita-only releases such
as Spelunky, Luftrausers, and Hohokm.
In a blog post Sony said:
At PlayStation, we're proud to support indie development, and our unrestrictive policies make it easier than ever for developers to launch games on PS Vita. We recognize that the unique perspective that indie developers deliver contributes to the success and future of the gaming industry. And we've learned as much from working with talented indie developers over the last several years as (we hope) they have learned from us.
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Maingear unleashes liquid-chilled EPIC series of custom PCs that use EKWB water cooling hardware
This
morning, MAINGEAR announced the launch of an entirely new series of
custom liquid cooled PCs. Knowing that hard-core enthusiast preferred
custom liquid cooling over all-in-one solutions, MAINGEAR teamed up with
EKWB to create the new EPIC series of custom liquid cooled desktop PCs.
The
EPIC series is comprised of the full-tower Force and mid-sized Rush
models that both feature a "BiTurbo" pump design that ensures your
system stays cool in the event one pump should fail. Also present are
Intel's fourth-generation Core i7 or AMD's FX processors. On the
graphics side, the force model can be packed with up to four NVIDIA GTX
Titans or four Radeon HD 7970, with the Rush model only featuring a
maximum of two GPUs.
As
with all other MAINGEAR offerings, a plethora of memory, storage, fans,
lighting, and paint combinations are available. At the moment, no
information has been released on pricing or availability, but you can
expect the prices to be fairly stout based on the hardware
specifications listed above as well as the attention to detail MAINGEAR
puts into every PC it builds. On a side note, how sexy is that Corsair
900D in lime green?
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LeakedTT: Motorola X Phone spotted in the wild while being tested on Sprint's LTE network
Motorola's
X phone just might be the most anticipated phone of the year; after
all, we've been talking about it since before January. We have posted
more than half a dozen leaks on the mystified X Phone and it appears
that this morning we're getting our first real glimpse of what it will
actually look like.
Mobile
device website, Phone Arena, has reportedly received the above photo
from a source who is said to be testing the X Phone on Sprint's LTE
network. This leak comes hot on the heels of the official FCC documents
(source #2) pointing to the phone's application for approval on Sprint's
LTE network.
Surprisingly,
it appears that the phone might arrive with a 4.7-inch 720p screen
which is a really big letdown if true. Hardware-wise we expect a 1.7GHz
QUALCOMM Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of system memory. The
phone does appear to be running Android 4.2.2 and there is still no
official word on a release date or pricing.
Unfortunately,
I have been sort of holding out for the X Phone since it was announced.
I have been a loyal Motorola phone customer since the early 2000s and
currently use a very worn out and glitchy Photon 4G. When Google blasted
Motorola for not being innovative enough and producing boring phones, I
thought that the X Phone would appear as something new, innovative and
awesome. Sadly, it appears that none of that is true and the Motorola X
Phone is just another Atrix, Photon, or Razr in the same boring plastic
case with the same boring colors.
| |
MSI MPOWER MAX (Intel Z87) Motherboard Review
Introduction
Another
day goes by and we take the time to test out another motherboard based
on the latest Z87 chipset form Intel. Today we're looking at an offering
from MSI which is under the newer MPOWER name. This isn't the first
time we've seen MSI use this name, as late last year we saw the company
release the MSI Z77 MPOWER.
The
new series brought with it a strong performing motherboard, along with a
new look for the company. Impressed with what it was offering, we're
looking forward to see what MSI has done with the name on the latest
generation Intel chipset. Recently we've seen the company really try to
show us something a little different and almost try to rebrand itself.
The
new Gaming series brings a feeling of unity between the video card and
motherboard segments of MSI as products under both categories are part
of the one series. The MPOWER name helps differentiate itself by letting
us know that they sit at the top of the pyramid for MSI. We'd really
like to see the company bring something like the "Lightning" series of
video cards under the same MPOWER name and really create some synergy
between both product categories.
The
new "POWER" series of boards from MSI currently consists of three Z87
based models. We've got the Z87 XPOWER, along with the Z87 MPOWER and
MPOWER MAX, with us today looking at the latter.
Package
As
we flip over the "M" you can see we get some information on the actual
motherboard including the Military Class 4 components, which include
Hi-c CAP, Dark CAP, SFC and OC PCB. Some of the other major highlights
included Enhanced Power including a Dual 8-pin CPU Power Connectors,
Enhanced Thermal via a new heatsink designed, Enhanced BIOS including
Click BIOS 4 and OC Essentials which include Direct OC, Easy Button 3
and V-Check Points to name just a few of the features. We'll be checking
some of these out a little more when we move onto the board itself.
As
we move onto the other side you can see we get our first look at the
board. With only part of it being seen via the "M" cut out, though, we
don't get the best look. Turning over to the back you can see we've got
the main specifications at the bottom, a number of logos in regards to
the features that are offered and again some of the main features are
highlighted in the overclocking ability, stability and enhanced PWM
cooling.
Moving
inside the box you can see we've got an absolute ton of paperwork
covering many aspects of the board. You can also see we've got a couple
of discs including drivers and utilities and one of the new "G" Series
case stickers.
Moving
into the cable side of things you can see we've got six SATA cables
along with an eSATA cable and a power cable. Across the bottom you can
see the rear I/O panel and a single SLI bridge.
Other
extras include a pair of USB 3.0 and eSATA headers, Wi-Fi / BT card
along with two antennas, V-Check point cables and a pair of
EZ-Connectors to make hooking up everything that little bit easier. The
bundle from the MSI MPOWER MAX really is quite large and one of the
largest we've seen so far when it comes to the new Z87 platform.
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The Great SSD Flash Shortage of 2013 - EOL 25nm, the pain and the future
Introduction
Within
hours of visiting Crucial at CES, my phone was ringing off the hook.
The people that I consult for wanted to know the inside scoop, 960GB in a
$600 SSD with better than acceptable performance for their needs,
companies wanted to know why and where - they were ready to place
orders. Fast forward six months and they've placed orders, as has
everyone else. Micron needed 20nm flash and it needed it fast. One of
the biggest buyers, the government and over the past few weeks we found
what they need all of this high performance storage for.
This
story doesn't start with Micron or in 2013 for that matter. In a move
to increase prices, last July Toshiba announced plans to cut NAND flash
production by 30%. By September, OCZ Technology warned investors of a
lower forecast citing a shortage of NAND chips used to build storage
devices. In March 2013, Peter K. Hazen, Director of SSD Marketing, NVM
Solutions Group sent a letter to customers with the excerpt below.
Intel
remains very committed to our SSD business. As a leading NAND flash
memory manufacturer with our IM Flash Technologies partner Micron, our
NAND supply continues to grow every quarter and as a result we expect to
have twice the SSD output in 2013 as we did in 2012. Through internal
and industry forecasts, we originally felt this would be sufficient to
meet our customers' demand.
Unfortunately,
even 2x supply growth is not sufficient. Even in the first half of this
year, we expect to ship more than 2x the units in Q1 and Q2 than the
same quarters last year, but it is not enough to meet our aggregate
customer demand. We recognize that this can be disruptive to your
business and we are working with our customers worldwide to minimize the
impact and maximize the output. This will also mean we will not
necessarily be doubling output on every product line, but will focus
output on the datacenter and professional client product lines to help
satisfy demand on products that our customers have designed in, and will
reduce the volume on products for segments that are more transactional
in nature.
Intel
has and will continue to launch new SSD products in 2013 that utilize
the smallest, most cost-effective NAND available (20nm), and these
products are the key to increasing capacity as we are able to ship more
SSDs per wafer than prior generations. Please support the migrations to
these new products as well as take advantage of their greater
performance and new features, while still maintaining industry-leading
quality and endurance.
From
that point, things must have gone horribly wrong or amazingly well
depending on what side of the fence you're on. Let's take a look at what
the NAND flash shortage of 2013 means for manufacturers of consumer
SSDs and what it means to you as well.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card Overclocked
Introduction
NVIDIA just launched the new GTX 760 in both 2GB and 4GB variants and we had a chance to look at the new 2GB version at launch just yesterday
and really found ourselves impressed with what NVIDIA was offering for
just $249. As always, the next thing we do once we've taken the time to
look at the reference card is see how it goes in the overclocking
department.
While we
do have retail models on hand that are overclocked out of the box and
could possibly overclock higher, it's important to find out what a
reference card can do when it comes to overclocking. This means that
when we look at specialized versions of the model from companies like
MSI, EVGA and Palit, we can see just how they differ to what the
reference version offers.
As
always, when it comes to any overclocking article, we don't go into any
detail on the video card itself. If you want to take a closer look at
the card and find out a bit more about the general specifications, we
recommend that you read our launch review that we linked to in the first
paragraph.
Instead
today we just get stuck into the test setup and the overclocking side of
things before looking at performance. So, let's get into it.
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Fractal Design Newton R3 800-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum Power Supply Review
Introduction
If
there is one company that you want to keep your eyes on right now, it
is most certainly Fractal Design. They have come out of the corner
swinging and over the last few years have been delivering quality
products left, right and center. Their cases have been a perfect mix of
both form and function and none have skimped on quality at all.
Earlier in the year, we took a look at the Integra R2 750W from them and were rather happy with what we saw. As en entry-level power supply, it delivered almost perfectly.
This
time around we looking at something on the opposite side of the
spectrum. The Newton R3 series is Fractal Design's flagship line of
power supplies and offers quite a bit more than the no-frills Integra R2
series. The 800W model on the bench today is modular and nearly silent,
along with 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency.
The
Newton R3 800W represents what most want out of a quality 700W-900W
unit, so you'll definitely want to keep reading if you're in the market
for new power supply.
Specifications, Availability and Pricing
Fractal
Design uses a single 12V rail for the Newton R3 800W power supply. It
is rated for 66A or 792W. Both the 3.3V and 5V rails are rated for 20A
each with a combined maximum output of 100W. While this isn't the best
output we've seen for the minor rails, it should be plenty providing
there isn't some heavy overclocking going on. The 5VSB rail is also
rated a tad low for an 800W unit and is capable of 2.5A or 12.5W total.
Maximum combined output for the unit is 800W.
The
Fractal Design Newton R3 800W almost scores green checks across the
board, but misses it by one. The Newton R3 doesn't feature Over
Temperature Protection, but does have SCP, OVP, OCP and OPP. The power
supply features both native and modular cabling. All cables are either
fully sleeved or of the flat ribbon variety. The Newton R3 800W is rated
for 100% continuous output at 50C and is certified for 80 PLUS Platinum
efficiency.
Fractal
Design's Newton R3 has an MSRP of $189. Looking around the web, you
won't find it any cheaper than that. Even so, it is still one of the
cheapest Platinum rated units on the market near that wattage. Fractal
Design backs the Newton R3 800W with a five year warranty.
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Jurassic Park 3D (2013) Blu-ray Review
I remember fondly attending an invitation only premiere of Jurassic Park
in September of 1993, my first screening junket. I was seven years old,
but my mum was edgily apprehensive about my attendance, no doubt
fearing I would end up a serial killer, or otherwise mentally affected. I
was never really a dinosaur kid, but my developing brain told me it was
a great film and everyone around me seemed to agree; soon taking out
the number one spot on Hollywood's highest grossing motion pictures. 20
years later, Jurassic Park returned to its rightful domain - the
big screen, in a remastered 3D conversion by the talented folks at
StereoD, the same studio that painstakingly converted James Cameron's Titanic to great effect in 2012.
Eccentric
Billionaire John Hammond (David Attenborough) has devised a way to
genetically clone dinosaurs, bankrolling a prehistoric preserve on a
remote Costa Rican island. Hammond invites a select group consisting of
paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sadler (Laura Dern),
mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), lawyer Donald Genarro (Martin
Ferrero) and his young niece and nephew to preview the unfinished park
for their seal of approval. But the resurrection of creatures 65 million
years past turns to terror when the parks security system is sabotaged,
leaving the visitors to fend for their lives against the inhabitants
savagely uprooted from their own timeline.
With Jurassic Park,
Spielberg successfully brought photo-realistic digital characters to
the screen for the first time and it's ironic that in a time where
audiences have become jaded by the endless possibilities that digital
filmmaking allows, Jurassic Park returns as a breath of fresh air, a return to a less complex time.
Despite the huge leaps and bounds in digital technology over the intervening two decades, Jurassic Park
still has it. One can see the seams if studied carefully, but for a
film of such vintage that was on the bleeding edge of technology, that
it holds up so well, is testament to the impressive work of Industrial
Light and Magic working in tandem with Stan Winston studios, trail
blazers who changed the face of the industry forever.
Video
Jurassic Park 3D is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MVC MPEG-4 compression.
Fans
with rightfully high expectations were left a little disappointed by
the transfer for the previous Blu-ray release in 2011, what was
essentially an off-the-shelf 2K scan created for HDTV broadcasts. For
the 3D version, Universal have gone back to the 35mm negative and
generated a new 4K scan. What could possibly go wrong? Well, a little
bit.
Spielberg
personally supervised the new transfer, which includes new color timing
that accentuates a golden hue where the film has traditionally had a
blue cast. The new transfer is also much smoother, with video noise and
grain a thing of the past. Sadly, Universal have gone a step too far
with the noise reduction, making the film look a little too waxy and
dissolving some finer details.
Sadly,
there is no option to view the new transfer in 2D at all. You can opt
to watch the film in 2D with the previous Blu-ray included in the pack,
but it's still a stale mate. View the film with with improved color
timing and a more pleasant, updated visual palate in 3D, or with less
noise reduction, but more artificial sharpening from outdated elements
in 2D. In a frustrating and unexpected chain of events, an ideal version
of Jurassic Park on home video is still conspicuous by its absence.
In
regards to the 3D experience, the conversion loses some of its effect
on the small screen, but it's still a fun alternate way to view the
classic. Sequences such as the Raptors in the kitchen, along with other
climactic beats like the T-Rex Jeep attack and vent shaft escape take on
an even more thrilling element. The artisans at StereoD have made 3D a
cohesive and natural progression of the adventure at the heart of Jurassic Park.
Audio
Jurassic Park 3D is presented in DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 at 24 bits.
Jurassic Park
has long been a darling of home theatre aficionadas, the poster child
that introduced the DTS system to theatres and single handedly moved
millions in hi-fi equipment with the laserdisc and DVD iterations.
In
modern terms however, the film was sounding a little long in the tooth
(pun intended), which encouraged sound designer Gary Rydstrom to prepare
a new and updated 7.1 audio mix to nip and tuck a few issues and create
an even more impressive surround experience. This is not to be confused
with the 7.1 mix created for the initial Blu-ray release, which was not
without its critics and assembled without the input of Rydstrom.
In
short, this is simply the best that the film has ever sounded. Dialogue
is clear and audible. The front sound stage supports its fair share of
the effects, be it the subtleties of the Costa Rica jungle or the
ferocious snare of the T-Rex. Low frequency effects have been slightly
boosted, providing more nuanced feedback and tighter performance to the
numerous sequences that call for it.
John William's classic score fares well, a great presentation for one of the most memorable fanfares in cinema history.
Extras
For
the 3D release, Universal have rustled up one new additional feature,
which accounts for very little in the scheme of things, however they
have also included the previously released 2D Blu-ray release, which
houses the rest of the additional features.
The World Of Jurassic Park 3D
is a nine minute featurette which features new interviews with Steven
Spielberg who attempt (rather unnecessarily) to justify the 3D
conversion, including some brief tech talk from the whiz kids at
StereoD.
Then we have the three part Return to Jurassic Park
documentary, which accounts for an hour of footage. Principal actors
Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum contribute newly recorded (circa
2011) interviews, along with Steven Spielberg. With the retrospectively
of two decades, the legacy of the film can truly be appreciated and
much of the documentary deals with the films once pioneering CG effects.
Under the heading of Archival Featurettes can be found The Making of Jurassic Park
which originally featured on the laserdisc release in 1994 and still
has a lot of intrinsic worth as a nice vintage look at the film. Hosted
by James Earl Jones - although having no other relationship with the
film, this runs at nearly 50 minutes. The Original Feature on the Making of the film is a fluffy EPK short and somewhat pointless at just 5 minutes. Steven Spielberg Directs Jurassic Park
is another short piece featuring numerous shots of Spielberg
gesticulating furiously on set with some commentary on his no-nonsense
shooting methods.
Early Pre-Production Meetings
consists of rough camcorder footage of Spielberg chairing a conference
discussing the possible creation of the films effects with key
personnel. The video quality is basic and the sound worse, but it's a
fascinating fly on the wall reveal. Location Scouting at under
two minutes doesn't reveal much, but looks at the filming locations, in
particular the Kauai set. The next two featurettes give a hint at the
abandoned efforts to animate the dinosaurs with go-motion animation - Raptors in the Kitchen and T-Rex Attacks.
Despite ultimately utilizing CG, Spielberg turned to Phil Tippet to
create video animatics of key sequences. Watch out for the wisely
excised Velociraptor tongue flicks. The aptly named ILM and Jurassic Park: Before and After Visual Effects looks at the original background plates before the CG dinosaurs were dropped in. Foley Artists takes a look at the oft ignored but critical production unit that makes all the cool sounds we take for granted.
Finally, we have two promotional pieces; the original Theatrical Trailer and Telltale's Jurassic Park: Making the Game.
| |
After Earth (2013) Cinema Review
It would be easy to dismiss After Earth
as a nepotistic star vehicle for Will Smith's spawn, directed by the
once powerful M. Night Shyamalan, whose career has nosedived into
self-parody, his star making project The Sixth Sense an anomaly in an otherwise meritless career. But After Earth
has some solid entertainment value and although it's not always
reinforced, it well and overcomes the baked-in cynicism and has won over
at least one reviewer.
In
an undefined 'near future', a cataclysm befalls Earth and the
inhabitants flee to the distant planet Nova Prime. The Ranger Corps, an
elite squad of Prime's protectors are dispatched on a mission to a
nearby system, joined by General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) on his final
mission along with his son, Kitai (Jaden Smith), who has been freshly
denied entry to the corps. En route, the ship is damaged by a volley of
asteroids, crash landing on the closest planet - an abandoned Earth,
killing all with the exception of Cypher, Kitai, and an enemy combatant;
a large and highly dangerous alien life form named Ursa.
Unfortunately,
the ships distress beacon is inoperable, Cypher's legs are broken and
is fast losing blood and the only hope for their survival; obtaining the
distress beacon from the tail end of the ship some hundred kilometers
away is a mission that is against the odds. With depleting oxygen
supplies, Kita must battle the environmental threats that have evolved
in man's absence, all the while evading the alien creature Ursa in order
to save his own life, along with that of his father.
I'll
let you in on a dirty little secret. Many reviewers, myself included,
are less than holier than thou. I know - you're shocked! As we become
more jaded and cynical, we can become guilty of entering the cinema with
pre-conceived notions that require winning over. Admittedly, it's hard
not to - we follow movies from conception to delivery and are privy to
behind the scenes battles and word from industry spies and early looks
through promotional materials. Some production noises are so strong it
can lead to the still birth of the product. With this in mind, many
reviewers pre-judged After Earth too harshly. After one too many
disasters, director M. Night Shyamalan is a liability, rather than an
asset to the movie poster and there's always been suspicion of Will
Smith's progeny.
The
genuine surprise is that both Shyamalan and Smith bring their 'A' game.
Smith certainly isn't a new star; he's cut his teeth with leading roles
in remakes of The Karate Kid and The Day The Earth Stood Still,
but with such a huge role in terms of screen time, the film would
clearly live or die by the strength of his performance. And here he's
rather good indeed. Whilst he hasn't yet developed the charisma which
has been crucial to his father's success, he more than makes up for it
in raw energy and believability.
After Earth
is certainly not an instant contemporary sci-fi classic by any stretch,
but it is a competent and sometimes exciting feature which displays
ample visual flair which aids in papering over some bumps in the script
department and helps to solidify the dominance of the Smith family for
some time to come. Whether it can rehabilitate Shyamalan's career
however remains to be seen.
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ASUS Launches GeForce GTX 760 DirectCU Graphics Card Lineup
ASUS
today announced the GeForce GTX 760 DirectCU II, GTX 760 DirectCU II
OC, and GTX 760 DirectCU Mini graphics cards, based on the latest 28nm
NVIDIA GPU technology. They use 1152 CUDA cores, and have 2GB GDDR5 on a
256-bit memory interface. Exclusive DirectCU coolers ensure up to 20%
lower temperatures and twice quieter operation compared to a reference
GTX 760. The DirectCU Mini design has been created especially for small
form factor PCs and other situations where gamers have to consider
interior chassis spacing while demanding fully-fledged performance. It
uses the CoolTech fan for wider heat dissipation and lower in-case
temperatures.
All
cards feature exclusive Super Alloy Power components to enhance high
load endurance and extend graphics card lifespan. They also use Direct
Power architecture to increase stability, lower impedance and power
delivery latency, and reduce PCB heat levels. For user-friendly
overclocking, the GPU Tweak utility enables intuitive adjustment of
graphics card settings.
ASUS GeForce GTX 760 DirectCU II OC: adding to the sweet spot range
Powering
the latest DirectX 11 PC gaming, the GeForce GTX 760 DirectCU II OC
offers customers excellent value. It runs 1072MHz maximum boost on the
core and for video memory uses 2GB of 6008MHz GDDR5.
The
exclusive DirectCU II cooler has direct GPU-contact copper heatpipes to
speed up heat removal, and maintains up to 20% cooler performance than
reference. Its dual 80mm fans have been carefully tested to ensure
minimized noise, running up to twice quieter than reference
requirements. The fans are also dust-proof to reduce debris
accumulation. They retain peak performance over a longer lifespan than
generic fans.
The
card employs exclusive Direct Power architecture, which widens power
delivery to offer greater graphics card stability and improved
performance with diminished power latency and impedance. The PCB also
operates at lower temperatures thanks to better heat spreading, with
power routed through more channels than on traditional graphics card
designs.
Super Alloy
Power components include solid state capacitors, concrete-core chokes,
and MOSFETs that use durable materials to easily withstand high
temperatures and heavy compute loads. They extend average graphics card
longevity by 2.5 times compared to reference.
The
ASUS-exclusive GPU Tweak utility brings customers a unified and
intuitive control center for overclocking and other tuning needs. Users
can set up performance profiles for favorite games, change GPU and
memory speeds, regulate fan operation, and define power consumption and
heat thresholds.
ASUS GeForce GTX 760 DirectCU Mini: first small form factor GTX 760
Custom
ASUS engineering brings the latest NVIDIA GPU technology to small form
factor gaming PCs. The new card follows the successful ASUS GeForce GTX
670 DirectCU Mini, ensuring unabridged performance in a space-saving
design. At only 17cm x 12cm x 4cm, the GeForce GTX 760 DirectCU Mini can
easily fit even very crowded cases, and presents an optimal choice for
mini-ITX discrete graphics. The core runs 1072MHz, with 6008MHz 2GB
GDDR5.
Its DirectCU
shroud uses a vapor chamber thermal design with flattened heatpipes for
faster and more even heat dissipation. The proprietary CoolTech fan
combines axial and flower-type blower operation, ensuring wider
multi-directional airflow and lessened noise emissions.
Direct
Power, Super Alloy Power, and GPU Tweak are included with the GeForce
GTX 760 DirectCU Mini, giving customers the full complement of
ASUS-exclusive features.
| |
ZOTAC Announces its GeForce GTX 760 Series
ZOTAC
International, a global innovator and manufacturer of graphics cards,
mainboards, mini-PCs and accessories, today reveals the new GeForce GTX
760 series graphics cards - the gamers' choice for next gen gaming. The
new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 760 and GTX 760 AMP! Edition enable gamers to
enjoy the best image quality without sacrificing performance.
"PC
games have always pushed the boundaries of visual realism and with the
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 760 series, we can deliver more of the eye candy and
smooth frame rates gamers crave while maintaining high quality game
settings," says Carsten Berger, senior director, ZOTAC International.
The
standard ZOTAC GeForce GTX 760 graphics card ships with a modest GPU
overclock for heightened performance while the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 760
AMP! Edition elevates the engine and memory clock to new extremes for
best-in-class gaming performance.
The
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 760 series is ready for the next advancement in PC
gaming with NVIDIA ShadowPlay that debuts later this summer. NVIDIA
ShadowPlay technology harnesses the hardware-accelerated video
transcoding technology in the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 760 to record the last
20-minutes of gameplay to share or show off epic game matches to friends
without affecting gaming performance.
It's time to play with the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 760 series.
| |
Origin PC Offers GeForce GTX 760 Option on all its Gaming Desktops
ORIGIN
PC announced the availability of the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760
graphics card to their award-winning GENESIS, MILLENNIUM and CHRONOS
desktops. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 is a new powerful graphics card
that gives you faster, smoother and quieter performance in than its
predecessor. Featuring innovative technologies like NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0
for max clock speeds, PhysX and TXAA for great graphics, the GeForce
GTX 760 takes hyper-realistic gameplay to a whole new level inside your
next ORIGIN PC system! Plus, instantly access the latest game-ready
drivers automatically-the day a game launches-and optimize settings with
one click using GeForce Experience.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 Features:
- 1152 NVIDIA CUDA Cores
- 2GB of GDDR5 Graphics Memory
- ORIGIN PC Professional GPU Overclocking
- Supercharged NVIDIA PhysX and NVIDIA TXAA for realistic gameplay experiences
| |
Palit Announces the GeForce GTX 760 JetStream Graphics Card
Palit
Microsystems Ltd, the leading graphics card manufacturer, has unleashed
the GeForce GTX 760 graphics card. A powerful graphics card that gives
you the fast, smooth, quiet gaming you're looking for in all your
favorite titles. It taps into the powerful Kepler architecture to
deliver faster, smoother, richer gaming. It's more than state-of-the-art
technology and features. It's truly game-changing performance.
Following
with Palit JetStream- that introduces innovative custom cooling and
optimized overclocked capabilities to deliver the ultimate gaming
experience, now continuing to represent the exciting new series is the
Palit GeForce GTX 760 JetStream, which offers incredible factory
overclocked performance, low noise emission, as well as a powerful
cooling design for efficient heat dissipation. GTX 760 offers all the
700-family performance features, plus next-gen technology innovations,
engineering, and features that let you crank up settings and resolutions
in today's most graphics-intensive games.
8% Overclocking Performance
When
it comes to overclocked performance, the Palit GeForce GTX 760
JetStream is integrated with DrMOS, which is a suite of optimized
multi-chip power stage modules designed to offer high current circuitry,
low noise levels and low heat emission. And the optimized design that
ensures stable voltage supply, it's no wonder the Palit GeForce GTX 760
JetStream is capable of transforming your PC into a visual powerhouse!
10C Cooler, 5dB Quieter
Worthy
of its JetStream moniker, the Palit GeForce GTX 760 JetStream comes
equipped with two 90mm fans that are strategically placed to draw heat
away from the PCB. All dual TurboFan Blade fans are designed to generate
powerful air stream and air pressure. Though the JetStream series
offers a powerful cooling system, it by no means generates a large
amount of noise. In fact, the Palit GeForce GTX 760 JetStream is 10C
cooler and 5dB quieter when compared to reference cards.
Not
only the GeForce GTX 760 JetStream, Palit also provides another custom
design GeForce GTX 760 with new thermal cooler. Adopted with DrMOS and
its new thermal design, which can ensure the extreme overclocking
performance and stability. Palit GeForce GTX 760 offers gamers
additional outstanding options to experience groundbreaking gaming
performance.
To
optimize the revolutionary features of GeForce Series, Palit has
revealed the enhanced "ThunderMaster" overclocking tool that fully
utilizes NVIDIA GPU Boost technology for intelligent monitoring of clock
speed, ensuring that the GPU runs safely at its peak and the game is at
its highest frame rate. It also offers new levels of customization,
including GPU Temperature Target and Frame Rate Target control. Palit
ThunderMaster allows you to drag the performance to its maximum score!
| |
Gainward GeForce GTX 760 Series Launched
As
the leading brand in enthusiastic graphics market, Gainward proudly
presents the next member of GTX 700 graphics - GTX 760 series. Gainward
GeForce GTX 760 series is powered by the latest generation of
breakthrough NVIDIA Kepler. GeForce GTX 760 is the new weapon of choice
for gamers-a powerful graphics card that gives you the fast, smooth,
quiet gaming you're looking for in all your favorite titles. It's packed
with next-generation features like NVIDIA GeForce Experience and GPU
Boost 2.0 that let you crank up the settings in today's most
graphics-intensive games. The Gainward GTX 760 Series is lead by
Gainward GTX 760 Phantom - factory over-clocked for those 1152 cores at
1137 Mhz boost clock (1072 Mhz base clock) and 2048MB GDDR5 memory at
3100Mhz - 3.2% higher than default speed, provides more memory
bandwidth. Gainward GeForce GTX 760 Phantom illustrates exceptional
gaming performance per Watt, in DirectX 11 gaming performance, it
surpasses up to 60 % than the AMD HD 7970 board and 48% higher in
DirectX 11 benchmark.
The
new Phantom cooler for Gainward GeForce GTX 760 is brand-new design
with "removable fan" - each fan body can be removed to clean if
necessary. Furthermore, four heat pipes soldered by copper base help the
GTX 760 Phantom dissipating the heat away from GPU easily and staying
at very low acoustic level. The "EXPERTool" utility provides hardcore
OCer the ways to trick the board for extremely over-clocking beyond the
factory over-clocked speed.
Gainward
GeForce GTX 760 2GB is also available for customers who have different
requirement. The Gainward GTX 760 series improves on past generations to
deliver significantly improved thermal performance by:
RPM-balancing
filters for stable fan speeds and whisper-quiet acoustics. With the
advanced thermal control, Gainward GTX 760 series can be low-power
operation for a cooler-running PC.
The
implement of the DrMOS is to ensure Gainward GTX 760 series could
handle high current with low energy loss. Furthermore, it generates less
heat under heavy loading operation so the board can keep cool while
over-clocking.
Gainward
GeForce GTX 760 series is not only a powerful, feature-rich card but
also low power and reasonable price. With Gainward superior hardware
design, users will experience blockbuster games with superlative gaming
thrills and enjoy the great C/P value.
| |
Introducing the EVGA GeForce GTX 760 and EVGA ACX Cooler
The
EVGA GeForce GTX 760 is the new weapon of choice for gamers - a
powerful graphics card that gives you the fast, smooth, quiet gaming
you're looking for in all your favorite titles. This series will also
use EVGA's award winning cooler; the EVGA ACX Cooler. This double ball
bearing design redefines traditional enthusiast coolers. Starting with a
40% increase in heatsink volume, the EVGA ACX is more efficient at
dissipating heat, allowing for 15% lower GPU temperatures.
EVGA
also spent time to ensure that even the fan blades were of the highest
quality; with a 700% increase in strength, and 25% lower weight when
compared to competitors dual fan designs. This makes the fans 20% more
efficient by requiring lower power levels. Of course, EVGA is also using
double ball bearing fans which offer a 12 year lifespan; this is 4X
longer when compared to competitors.
Key Features:
- NVIDIA SMX Engine - The new Kepler SMX streaming multiprocessor is twice as efficient as the prior generation and the new geometry engine draws triangles twice as fast. The result is world class performance and the highest image quality in an elegant and power efficient graphics card.
- NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0 - Dynamically maximizes clock speeds to push performance to new levels and bring out the best in every game. Boost 2.0 allows complete control over Temperature Target and Power Target, allowing a new way to customize your overclock. Also, with the new EVGA Precision X, you can increase the voltage for maximum over clock!
- NVIDIA FXAA - Anti-aliasing smoothes out jagged edges but can be demanding on framerates. FXAA is a new antialiasing technology that produces beautiful smooth lines with minimal performance impact. And with Kepler based GPUs, you'll be able to enable FXAA in hundreds of game titles through the NVIDIA Control Panel.
- NVIDIA TXAA - An in-game option that combines MSAA, temporal filtering, and post processing for even higher visual fidelity. Get the image quality of 8X MSAA with the performance hit of only 2X MSAA. This means a smoother gaming experience without the loss in FPS normally associated with this level of eye candy.
- NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync - Nothing is more distracting than framerate stuttering and screen tearing. The first tends to occur when framerates are low, the second when framerates are high. Adaptive V-Sync is a smarter way to render frames. At high framerates, V-sync is enabled to eliminate tearing, at low frame rates, it's disabled to minimize stuttering. It gets rid of distractions so you can get on with gaming.
- Frame Rate Target - Set a target Frame Rate with EVGA Precision X and your card will automatically adjust the power/performance to meet that target. This feature delivers the ultimate in efficient gaming.
- NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround - Imagine expanding your gaming real estate across three displays in full HD 3D for a completely immersive gaming experience. With the EVGA GeForce GTX 760, you can also use award-winning NVIDIA 3D Vision technology to build the world's first multi-display 3D gaming experience on your PC. Additionally, the GeForce GTX 760 supports an accessory display for the ultimate gaming experience!
- PCI Express 3.0 - Offers double the bandwidth of PCI Express 2.0, for the highest data transfer speeds to allow for maximum performance in bandwidth-hungry games and 3D applications. The GTX 760 is still backwards compatible with all existing PCI Express motherboards.
- Pixel Clock Control - Use EVGA Precision X to "overclock" your refresh rate. With the latest EVGA Precision X, you can now increase your pixel clock! This allows for increased refresh rates on select monitors, meaning smoother gameplay and reduced screen tearing
Learn more about the EVGA GeForce GTX 760 here.
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Scythe Mugen 4 CPU Cooler Generally Available
Japanese
cooling expert Scythe, known for its excellent cooling solutions and PC
accessories, is hereby introducing the successor of the very popular
Mugen 3 CPU cooler. Mugen 4 brings a brand new tower-style fin structure
design, an optimized heatsink as well as a greatly improved and
simplified mounting mechanism.
Scythe
engineers improved the Mugen 3 design with special focus on more
compact heatsink dimensions combined with better performance, in order
to elevate the Mugen to the next level. Outcome is a high-end CPU cooler
with the compact dimensions of 130 x 88 x 156,45 mm (W x H x D) and the
weight of 625 grams, allowing the Mugen 4 to be installed in virtually
every computer. Although the heatsink size and weight have been reduced,
the performance could be further boosted compared to the predecessor.
This was achieved thanks to the newly developed T-M.A.P.S.
(Three-dimensional Multiple Airflow Pass-Through Structure) fin
structure, which increases the airflow inside the cooling heatsink,
allowing immensely improved performance.
In
the process of improving the performance, Scythe Glide Stream case fan
series played an important role. Supplied 120 mm model is supporting the
PWM standard, allowing the fan speed to be adjusted individually
according to the CPU temperature by the motherboard. Thanks to this, a
very wide fan speed range from 400 to 1.400 RPM with airflow between
20,7 and 79 CFM (35,16 to 134,2 m³/h) can be utilized. Low noise level
between 5,3 and 28,0 dBA make the Glide Stream case fan even more suited
for the new Mugen 4, allowing it to be more even more silent than the
predecessor. Users, seeking even higher performance are able to use the
second fan clip set, which is supplied, to attach a second fan and
create a "push-pull" configuration.
Feedback
from users and media has been utilized, when improving the mounting
mechanism. Mugen 4 is first to come with the newly developed "Hyper
Precision Mounting System" (H.P.M.S.). Hence makes the mounting
procedure much easier and faster than before. Compatibility to the AMD
sockets AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1 and FM2 as well as the Intel sockets
LGA 775, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011 is assured. In addition, new socket LGA
1150 (Intel ?Haswell") is fully supported. All required mounting clips
and screws are supplied with the Scythe Mugen 4, including one wrench, a
multi-lingual manual and quality thermal grease.
Scythe
Mugen 4 is available on the market as of this week. Suggested MSRP is
36,00 EUR (excl. Taxes). For more information, visit the product page.
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EK Working on New Water Blocks for ASUS (ROG) Hardware
EK
Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manufacturer,
is preparing a a new line of blocks for the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX
based ASUS DirectCU II series graphics cards and ASUS Republic of Gamers
Z87 LGA-1150 motherboards:
- ASUS Republic of Gamers Motherboards:
- ASUS Maximus VI Extreme
- ASUS Maximus VI Formula
- ASUS Maximus VI Hero
- ASUS Maximus VI Gene
- ASUS Maximus VI Impact
Graphics cards:
- ASUS GTX780-DC2-3GD5 GeForce GTX 780 3GB GDDR
EK
Water Blocks will release the water cooling solution for ASUS Maximus
VI Hero and Maximus VI Gene motherboards first (ETA July 22nd) with the
other motherboards to follow as they appear on the market.
Full-cover
water block for ASUS GTX780-DC2 DirectCU II series graphics cards,
which will actively cool the GPU, memory IC as well as VRM, is already
in the works and will most likely be released around the same date as
the motherboard water blocks.
ASUS
GTX770-DC2-2GD5 DirectCU II series graphics card is already supported
by our existing EK-FC680 GTX DCII series water blocks. Nevertheless EK
Water Blocks will be releasing a new variant of the water block
featuring FC Terminal (like the ones used on EK-FC Titan SE &
EK-FC770 GTX water blocks) in the upcoming month.
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