IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 7/11/2013

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 7/11/2013

TweakTown

Square Enix announces special "Art Book" collectors edition for those who pre-order Final Fantasy X and X2 Remaster
Earlier today, Luke Icenhower of Square Enix announced that those who preorder the upcoming FINAL FANTASY X|X-2 HD Remaster for the PlayStation 3 will receive a free upgrade to the limited-edition "Art Book" package.

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This upgrade will land customers several pieces of original concept art from the early development phases of Final Fantasy X and X-2. Additionally, the book will contain closing commentary from several of the original members of the development team and a special message from producer Yoshinori Kitase. Everything will come in a beautiful 24-page art book package and will be bundled with the $39.99 FINAL FANTASY X|X-2 HD Game Bundle.

GIGABYTE unveils new FORCE K7 Stealth gaming keyboard
This morning, GIGABYTE announced the arrival of a new addition to its gaming keyboard lineup. The FORCE K7 Stealth Gaming Keyboard is touted as having the embodiment of a Stealth fighter with its scissor-key structure and slim solid body. The keyboard features an extremely short actuation distance for accurate and stable key presses in addition to a switchable three-color backlighting system.

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The new gaming keyboard also features anti-ghosting capabilities that surround the WASD cluster that guarantees that the general gaming combination keys are registered and executed without conflict. Just like other models in the line, the keyboard features a twin wheel design that offers prompt control of keyboard backlighting and volume levels during intense gaming sessions.
Below is a quote from GIGABYTE on the features of the new FORCE K7 Stealth Gaming Keyboard:

Scissor-key structure comfort gamers with the best tactile feedback:
Built with slim scissor-key structure, FORCE K7 ensures extreme short actuation distance and stable key presses. Ultra-slim keycaps also minimize the typing effort in keyboarding.
Anti-ghosting capability around WASD Cluster:
Anti-ghosting capability around the WASD cluster on FORCE K7 guarantees the general gaming combination keys are registered and executed without conflict. Never have to worry about the missing signal failure during you press multiple keys simultaneously for the gaming commands. FORCE K7 supports up to 7 simultaneous key-presses without conflict including Q, W, A, S, D, left shift and space.
3-color backlight illumination & dynamic volume and backlit controller:
Lighting up in the darkness, FORCE K7 offers 3 switchable illumination color options, blue, green and cyan. Furthermore, gamers can stepless adjust the backlit to find the optimum brightness level based on your background conditions. FORCE K7 features with intuitive wheel based volume and backlit illumination controller for easy hassle-free adjustments during intense gaming sessions.
Windows lock functionality & hot-link function keys:
The Win-lock key with independent indicator allows you to disable the Windows key and prevent accidental activation of the Windows Start function during gaming session. Gamers will never be worried about throwing your game by hitting the wrong keys. The convenient function keys, F1 to F12, offer you a quick and easy access to the most common functions and social networking sites

LeakedTT: LG Optimus G2 gets detailed in massive photo leak
More details have surfaced on LG's upcoming flagship smartphone, the Optimus G2. Engadget has just posted several leaked photos of a new LG device that is said to be the company's new flagship smartphone. The phone takes some design cues from LG's Nexus 4 with rounded corners and an almost edge-to-edge screen.

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The phone features no hardware buttons and looks significantly more sloped without the Nexus 4's hard edges. According to Engadget, the G2 is significantly larger than the Nexus 4 due to it featuring a 5.2-inch 1080p screen. LG has revealed in the past that the next generation Optimus G phone will feature a QUALCOMM Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.3GHz.

The phone will feature 2 GB of RAM and will sport a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera. Most notable is that LG has chosen to place the volume rocker buttons on the back of the phone below the rear camera. The reasoning behind LG's decision to do this is unknown and quite frankly, I think it is a horrible idea. Rumors are circulating that we could see the G2 launched on August 7 at a press event LG has been sending out invitations for. All images are courtesy Engadget.com.

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GIGABYTE announces new GeForce GTX 760 4GB WindForce OC edition GPU
This morning, GIGABYTE announced its premium GeForce GTX 760 4GB WindForce OC edition graphics card. Sporting the model number GV-N760OC-4GD, the card features 4GB of memory, a factory overclocked core speed of 1085MHz, GPU Boost of 1150MHz, and memory timing of 6GHz.

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The card features GIGABYTE's new WindForce cooling solution which is capable of dissipating up to 450W of thermal energy. The GTX 760 WindForce OC is based on the same PCB as the company's GTX 770 WindForce OC which requires power input from one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCIe power connector. The card is expected to be priced at around $300 and will be available in all major electronics retailers.

Newegg is launching in Taiwan and might be coming to the UK as well
When it comes to US electronics resellers, Newegg only comes in second to retail giant Amazon. Up until now, The Egg, as is affectionately known, has only been available in the US, Canada, and China. That is about to change as the company has just announced an expansion into Taiwan that will take place between July and August of this year.

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Newegg already operates an office of around 200 people in Taiwan and is expected to expand their employment to around 300 to 400 employees in the next few weeks. The company says that it will initially offer its existing range of products and will eventually expand to incorporate more local goods as time progresses.
Website Bit-Tech.net is also reporting that its sources have confirmed that Newegg will begin expanding into the UK shortly as well. Their sources, however, state that the UK expansion will take place before the Taiwanese launch which means that we should see a Newegg.co.uk domain pop up any day now.

NVIDIA says it will bundle Splinter Cell Blacklist with GTX boards
NVIDIA announced today its latest plans to compete in the ongoing bundling war with graphics rival AMD. The company has partnered with Ubisoft to bundle Splinter Cell Blacklist with the company's GeForce GTX graphics cards. Additionally, the company will include a bonus copy of the 2010 release of Splinter Cell Conviction.

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NVIDIA engineers are working closely with the Ubisoft Toronto development team to incorporate an array of cutting-edge gaming technologies for Splinter Cell Blacklist including DirectX tessellation, NVIDIA HBAO+, TXAA antialiasing, and surround technologies to ensure gamers can experience smooth frame rates and awesome visuals in all of their covert missions.
Due to launch on the August 23, the game is to be made free to anyone buying an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660, GTX 660 Ti, GTX 670, GTX 680, GTX 760, GTX 770 or GTX 780 from the usual participating retail partners from now until December 31. In Splinter Cell Blacklist, Sam Fisher returns as leader of 4th Echelon, an elite counter-terrorism unit armed with a new mandate to hunt down the masterminds behind The Blacklist, a series of deadly escalating attacks on U.S. interests. To stop the Blacklist countdown, gamers will choose the best way to face any challenge by tapping into Sam's arsenal of lethal skills and training.

Dota 2 officially exits beta and moves into production
Earlier today, Steam updated the page for Dota 2 to reflect that its beta program has finally come to a close. The page directed players to check out various links which did not work and featured a graphic stating "The Beta Is Over." Also listed is a launch date of July 9 for the production version of the game.

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Unfortunately, Steam has since removed the page but according to Valve, the disappearing act is the result of some technical difficulties. Below is a quote that can be found on the new Steam page:

Notice: Dota 2 is officially launching. In order to ensure the best possible experience for new and existing players, there may be a short wait for you to download the game. Visit the Dota 2 Launch page for more information about how the release process works.

Samsung breaks ground on massive new Silicon Valley campus
The time has finally come for Samsung to begin constructing its new campus in Silicon Valley. The company will break ground this week on its brand-new headquarters for research and development. The building was designed by renowned architectural firm NBBJ.

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The 1.1 million square foot campus will consist of a 10-story central building with two completely open-air floors. The glass covered exterior will be contrasted by a white metal, while a parking garage with a folding green wall will also be present. Following in other Silicon Valley giants footsteps, the facility will house cafÃ©s, a gym, and even gardens for employees to rest and relax in. Samsung says that the campus will be built to LEED Gold standards meaning the entire footprint will be greener than its gardens.

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n a statement on the matter, Samsung said "there is little surprise that most of their employees are based in South Korea where the company is headquartered. But the company also realizes that innovation is by no means geographically limited and as such, they are continuing to expand the extent of their operations elsewhere."

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Active goes on sale in the UK - will lighten your wallet by £495
Samsung has just released the water-friendly Galaxy S4 Active into the retail jungle in the UK. The SIM-free, unlocked, waterproof smartphone will set UK consumers back Â£495 off contract. This price brings us close to the launch prize of its older brother, the Galaxy S4.

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Some of you might remember seeing the Galaxy S4 Active a few weeks ago during the launch event held in London in which the MC proceeded to toss the phone into a bath of water, which it survived. Specs on the S4 Active include a 5-inch 1080x1920 display, a quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage.
At the moment, the stock Galaxy S4 is a bit cheaper, but the ability to take this phone with you anywhere including trips where you want to take photos under very shallow water make the extra few pounds worth it.

Samsungs Galaxy S4 Active goes on sale in the UK - will lighten your wallet by £495
Samsung has just released the water-friendly Galaxy S4 Active into the retail jungle in the UK. The SIM-free, unlocked, waterproof smartphone will set UK consumers back Â£495 off contract. This price brings us close to the launch prize of its older brother, the Galaxy S4.

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Some of you might remember seeing the Galaxy S4 Active a few weeks ago during the launch event held in London in which the MC proceeded to toss the phone into a bath of water, which it survived. Specs on the S4 Active include a 5-inch 1080x1920 display, a quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage.
At the moment, the stock Galaxy S4 is a bit cheaper, but the ability to take this phone with you anywhere including trips where you want to take photos under very shallow water make the extra few pounds worth it.

Pandora pushes out update to its iOS app, adds AutoPause and improves buffering
Pandora has just pushed out a new update to their iOS app that brings it more inline with other streaming services. The update brings forth an AutoPause feature that will pause the service if headphones come unplugged and also improves buffering to make things more efficient.

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This update is not just for user comfort; Pandora pays out over half of its revenue to music labels due to an antiquated licensing system that was enacted by congress. The new AutoPause feature is expected to help reduce the number of songs that are played when nobody is around to hear them, thus reducing royalty fees.

Security firm finds massive vulnerability in Android kernel, Google begins issuing patches
Recently a new security hole was found in the Android kernel by security firm BlueBox Security. The vulnerability opens up a hole that allows hackers to change mobile applications' codes without breaking the cryptographic signature that is used to verify and an app's legitimacy.

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In layman's terms, the security issue could give hackers free reign to transform any app into malware. This means that even apps such as the official Google Play Store app could be reconfigured as a virus. BlueBox says that this problem has existed since at least Android 1.6 and that almost every modern Android device in use today is susceptible to the attack.
Users don't need to fear as Google has identified and solved the problem and has sent out a security patch to its OEM partners that should permanently close the hole once and for all. Unfortunately, there are literally hundreds of OEMs out there and, let's face it, many of them are not quick to publish updates to their core operating systems. Samsung device owners appear to be the first to get the update and we're sure the other large manufacturers will follow suit shortly.

Sennheiser unveils new Momentum Headphones skinned in high-end Alcantara materials
This morning, Sennheiser announced the addition of a new model headphone to its Momentum line. The new headphones are slightly more compact and come in four different colors. Designed to work with Apple's mobile product line, the new Momentum headphones feature a built-in line microphone and remote control.

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The headset will, however, work with other devices with the exclusion of the remote control functionality. Sennheiser says that the new headphones were developed by an "international team of design experts and trend scouts," but still feature a high-performance transducers Sennheiser is known for.
The new Momentum headphones feature a headband and ear pads that are skinned in Alcantara, a high-grade material that is featured in high-end cars and boats. At the moment, the new headphones are only available in the UK at a price point of Â£170 with US availability expected in the coming weeks.

Breaking News just in from CNN: Edward Snowden accepts Venezuelan asylum offer
News has just come in that Edward Snowden has accepted a Venezuelan asylum offer. This morning, CNN is confirming that Snowden will be headed to Venezuela after weeks of asylum request rejections.

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Snowden is the whistleblower who blew the top off of the NSA's PRISM operative. On Sunday, June 23, 2013, Snowden landed in one of Moscow's international airports and applied for asylum in Russia, which was denied by Russian president Puten. Snowden was detained at the airport and he proceeded to apply for asylum to several countries including Cuba, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
Stay tuned to TweakTown for all the latest up-to-the-minute coverage on the Snowden saga. We will bring you more information as it becomes available.

San Andreas comes alive in official Grand Theft Auto V gameplay video
Over the last month or so, we have seen a wealth of new games announced. While they are all quite spectacular in their own right, none of them come as highly anticipated as Grand Theft Auto V. GTA V has to be the most talked about game of the year and RockStar is doing a good job at keeping the anticipation levels high.

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This morning, RockStar Games released a new trailer video of actual in-game footage that takes us on a more in-depth look at the reimagined San Andreas. We learn more about the game's three leading characters, which are all playable on-the-fly during gameplay. This means that you can switch to each of the three during missions to provide new vantage points to shoot from, or even to handle different parts of the mission such as flying the escape helicopter while the other two characters hang onto a rope.

The video also shows off old and new features such as the ability to deeply customize vehicles in customization shops, a playable stock market system, investing in and selling real estate, and even playing a round of golf. Traditional features such as getting a tattoo, buying clothing, and flying planes also make a comeback for what is almost guaranteed to be the most thrilling GTA ever.
At the end of the video, RockStar dropped a major bomb on the show by announcing a new GTA Online mode that appeared to be much more fun looking than the multiplayer we saw in GTA 4. Not much else was said other than the revelation that we will get a more in-depth look later down the road. As a long time GTA fan, my only issue with GTA V is that RockStar is still keeping quiet on an official PC release. I urge them to reconsider and port the game over to PC.

RumorTT: Apple has began cutting iPhone 5 production
This morning, reports are coming in that Apple has began to cut production on its iPhone 5 model. The report comes from Brian Blair of Wedge Partners, an analyst who closely follows Apple's production numbers. Apple's core suppliers are said to be expecting a cut as large as 20 percent for orders of components that make up the iPhone 5.

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"So, when they make a dramatic change in their forecast, they need to let their suppliers know," Blair said. "And this is coming from some of our supply-chain work out of China and Taiwan that has let us know, not exactly, but that there's been roughly this kind of a change in their forecast for the period from June to December, about a 20 percent cut in what they've been telling their suppliers to be ready for."
Industry insiders say that Apple has cut iPhone sales forecast down from 115 million units to about 90 million units. Cutting back production is usually seen as an indication that Apple is getting ready to release its next generation in the iPhone series, so maybe we will begin hearing a solid release date for the iPhone 5S as well as that low-cost, budget level iPhone as well.

Target begins offering gift cards with every iOS device purchase
Retail giant Target has begun offering gift cards in varying amounts for the purchase of iOS devices. The gift cards range from $50 all the way down to $10 and are available for Apple devices ranging from the current iPad models, iPod touch, Apple TV, and iPhone 5.

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Purchasing a 16 GB full-sized Wi-Fi equipped iPad for $500 will net you a $50 gift card, while the $330 16 GB iPad mini with Wi-Fi will see a $40 gift card find its way into your pocket. Apple's $100 TV unit will score consumers a shiny new $10 gift card, with a $229 16 GB iPod touch coming with $20 free dollars from Target.
A $150 16GB iPhone 5 will reward you with a $25 gift card and can be activated on AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint. It is unclear why Target is offering these discounts, but it might be safe to assume that Target is looking to clear the existing warehouse stock to make room for upcoming new devices for the holiday season.

Facebook rolls out Android app update, adds folders to Facebook Home
Facebook Home appears to be nothing more than a novelty for most Android users, with many reverting back to their stock Android skins just after a few hours after installing the service. One of the biggest gripes I have heard is the lack of folders for the home screen.

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Today, Facebook has answered the cries echoed by so many in an update that was pushed out to the Google Play Store. The new update brings folder support which allows smartphone owners to drag one app on top of another to start a folder. Folders can be named, moved, and added to a person's application drawer for even faster access.
"An improved launcher is the most requested item Facebook has received since the launch of Home, and the team continues to make updates to Home in order to provide consumers with the best experience," a Facebook spokesperson told CNET. "For example, last month, Facebook added a dock to the Home launcher and the team is currently working on widget support that will put Home's launcher on par with stock Android launchers."

Windows 8.1 official release to ship to vendors in August
This morning, Windows chief Tami Reller announced that the company's PC and tablet vendor partners will receive a "near-final" version of Windows 8.1 in late August. Why August? This will give PC OEMs and system builders enough time with the software to prepare devices for the upcoming 2013 holiday season.

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With Windows 8.1, users will notice the return of a start button, enhancements to the desktop mode, and changes to the start screen. Multitasking enhancements also make their way into the operating system as well as the inclusion of several long-sought after features such as Facebook for Windows 8.

LeakedTT: Droid Ultra Specs and Image leaked, will officially be announced later this week
In a day that can only be described as "Leak Day," a new image of Motorola and Verizon's upcoming Droid Ultra has arose from everyone's favorite leaker @evleaks. Unlike previously thought, the Droid Ultra will become Verizon's flagship Android device for the second half of 2013 and the Droid MAXX will become the mid-high grade offering.

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The Droid Ultra is said to feature a full 1080p 5-inch display, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, and 2GB of RAM. A 10-megapixel rear camera will handle the imaging duties, which is said to be comprised of a super high-end imaging sensor that handles low light situations exceptionally well. Motorola is expected to host press events later this week on July 10 and 11 at Google's Mountain View headquarters and we are anticipating that the entire new Droid lineup will be unveiled then.

Samsung to launch four different versions of Galaxy Note III by year's end
Today, a Korean news outlet is reporting that Samsung's Galaxy Note III will come in three flavors when it launches later this year. The phablet will be joined by two siblings that, as far as hardware is concerned, will be the same device.

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The differences will arise with different configurations of displays, cameras, and cases in a bid to appease different segments of the market. The premium Galaxy Note III S is said to feature a flexible display and an all metal chassis. A midrange device will feature a 1080p non-flexible display with the same metal case. A lower resolution 720p variant could make an appearance and feature a plastic case.
As with all rumors, you should take this information with a healthy dose of salt, but as we've seen with the Galaxy S4 line, Samsung loves creating variants of their flagship devices. We can expect to see the official reveal of the Galaxy Note III during the IFA trade show in Berlin later this month.

Google teams up with Maker Faire for the second year of Maker Camp
Google announced today that it has once again teamed up with Maker Faire to produce the second year of its online summer camp called Maker Camp. The online summer camp teaches teens how to build, hack, and explore over a six week period in which Google hosts virtual field trips to NASA, Cern, and Disney Imagineering.

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Each day attendees of Maker Camp join counselors on a new project or field trip which utilize Google hangouts to get advice and share their experiences. Teens are able to join from their desktops, mobile devices, and as of this year, visit a local Maker Camp affiliate site, such as a library or hacker space, where they can assemble in person.

Projects include things such as making a tensile strength tower, glowing candy, and potato cannons. At the kickoff event today at San Francisco's Exploratorium, campers raced boats that were built from 2-liter soda bottles which taught them important facts about fluid dynamics and rotor technology. Anyone interested in following along with Maker Camp can visit Source #1 below to join in all the fun.

MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Twin Frozr Gaming OC Overclocked Video Card Review

Introduction

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As we roll through our review samples, we find ourselves today pulling another video card out of the pile. The new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 700 series has done a good job of impressing us so far thanks to the strong performance we're seeing along with an aggressive price point.
The fact that AMD continue to be quiet on the video card front also means that NVIDIA have really been able to suck up the lime light the last few months. While we thought it would become a little quiet after Computex, NVIDIA turned around and released the GTX 760 bringing a new mid-range model to the market as well.
Today, though, we're looking at something a little higher-end than that. The highest model under the new GTX 700 series, the GTX 780, sits as the second fastest model in the NVIDIA line up. The GTX TITAN continues to sit at the top of the list. As much as we love that model, though, it's hardly the best representative of value.
Today we're checking out the GTX 780. This particular one is from the folks over at MSI and falls under the new Gaming Series which is something we've seen them use under both the motherboard and video card category so far. We've mentioned before and we'll quickly say it again, it's great to see MSI create some unity between the video card and motherboard department. This is something that's been missing and we're hoping that it works for them as we're really liking what we're seeing so far. Let's get into just what exactly we're dealing with today.

Package

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Checking out the box you can see the design is under the new Gaming Series and it looks great. The front of the box has got the model and the series name, while the bottom left corner shows we're dealing with an OC Edition video card. Looking at the back of the box you can see some of the main features with one of the big ones being the Twin Frozr IV cooler, along with the Military Class 4 feature.

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Moving inside the box you can see it's a pretty standard setup with the quick User Guide, driver CD, DVI to VGA connector, dual Molex to 6-pin PCIe power connector, along with a 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe power connector.
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GIGABYTE Z87X-UD3H (Intel Z87) Motherboard Review

Introduction

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We continue to work our way through the collection of Z87 boards that have piled up and today's offering comes from our friends over from GIGABYTE under the much known UD3H name. Today, though, we've been fortunate enough to get our hands on a new i7 4770k chip which we've been told will overclock better than our previous chip.
Due to that we're really looking forward to the overclocking side of things to see just what we're able to do today. Of course there's a couple of things we need to do before we get to that area.
So, with that said let's get into the package and move forward to see what GIGABYTE is bringing to the table with the new Z87X-UD3H motherboard.

Package

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Taking a look at the box you can see we've got an awesome black design. The brand and model are seen clearly on the front and a big push is being made for Ultra Durable 5 Plus, which is of course one of the main features promoted by GIGABYTE. Turning the box over you can see we've got a picture of the board and a ton of detail in regards to some of the main features that are offered.
Looking at some of the main ones you can see we've got Durable Black Solid Caps, 15u gold Plated CPU Socket and all IR Digital Power Design to help keep the power strong and stable throughout. Extras include the Gaming Headphone Amplifier for an enhanced audio experience, 2x Copper PCB and UEFI DualBIOS to name a few more. We've got a couple more that are highlighted, but we'll take a closer look at them when we move onto the board.

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Being a UD3H offering means we don't have a massive bundle. Looking above you can see the standard paperwork and driver CD along with four SATA cables, rear I/O back plate and a single SLI bridge.
... Read the rest in your browser!

HGST Ultrastar SSD800MM Enterprise 12Gb/s SSD Review

Introduction

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The release of the Ultrastar SSD800MM dual-port 12Gb/s SSD is the culmination of a long process of research and development, interoperability testing and qualification from HGST. Releasing a new storage product with a new interface is a lengthy process, evidenced by the demos that we have seen for nearly two years at a wide range of storage trade shows of the HGST SSD800MM.
HGST, a Western Digital company, has a long history of innovation in the SAS space. Developing the next generation of 12Gb/s SSDs also requires the other end of the hardware to be in place, such as an HBA or RAID controller. LSI and HGST have been working hand-in-hand and we are using the still-under-development LSI SAS 9300-8e to test the performance of the SSD800MM.
The SSD800MM is the middle child in a family of three Tier-0 12Gb/s SSDs from HGST, with each member providing a different level of endurance. The top-level offering is the High Endurance Ultrastar SSD800MH. The MH version features sequential throughput of 1,200/750 MB/s read/write, and 145,000/100,000 sustained read/write IOPS, respectively. This SSD provides the highest endurance with up to 25 DW/D (Drive Writes per Day) for the toughest workloads, such as HFT and OLTP environments.
The Read Intensive Ultrastar SSD1000MR brings up the low-end of the endurance pyramid, and features sequential speeds of 1,200/700 MB/s read/write and 145,000/70,000 read/write IOPS, respectively. With an endurance rating of 2 DW/D, this SSD is clearly intended for the write-once, read-many class of applications, such as audio/video streaming, cloud computing and other internet applications. While the other models top out at a capacity of 800GB, the SSD1000MR offers a larger 1TB capacity point.
The Mainstream Endurance Ultrastar SSD800MM in the lab today is for the middle ground, with up to 10 DW/D of endurance on tap. The SSD800MM brings blistering sequential throughput of 1,200/700 MB/s read/write, and 145,000/70,000 sustained read/write IOPS. This mid-level of SSD endurance is well suited for Big Data, online gaming and cloud computing applications.
The previous generation Ultrastar products employed varying types of flash as endurance technology has improved. The SSD400S utilized ultra-rugged 34nm SLC, and as NAND processes shrunk the SSD400S.B made the switch to 25nm SLC. The SSD400M brought about the inclusion of eMLC into the Ultrastar family, providing a lower level of endurance, but a more palatable price point as well.
The SSD800MM utilizes 'enterprise grade' 25nm MLC. eMLC brings higher endurance than standard consumer-grade MLC, yet still provides a much lower price point than SLC NAND. The eMLC provides up to 36.5 PB of endurance in the highest capacity SSD800MH, providing an excellent amount of endurance from MLC. The SSD800MM features 14.6 PB of endurance for the 800GB model.
HGST and Intel have enjoyed a great partnership over the years, with the jointly developed HGST/Intel DB29AA11AB0 controller and firmware powering the HGST enterprise SSDs. The strategic collaboration leverages Intel's industry leadership in core NAND and controller technologies and HGST's vast experience with the SAS interface.

hgst_ultrastar_ssd800mm_enterprise_12gb_s_ssd_review

To test the 12Gb/s HGST Ultrastar SSD800MM, we utilized LSI's newest 12Gb/s SAS 9300-8e HBA. The 9300-8e is currently unavailable to the public and is not utilizing production-level firmware. Even though the 9300-8e is still rough around the edges, it provides more than enough performance to test the SSD800MM.
The LSI SAS 9300-8e is built around the Fusion-MPT LSI SAS 3008 Fury controller. The 9300-8e provides eight ports of 12Gb/s connectivity that communicates via a x8 PCIe 3.0 interface. The 9300-8e supports RAID 0, 1 and 10 and utilizes the new Mini-SAS HD SFF-8644 external connectors. We will cover the new connectors and 12Gb/s SAS enhancements on the following pages.
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