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R700 to launch after RV770
2008-05-19 09:01:00
Fudzilla - R700 to launch after RV770: "We've learned that R700, a dual RV770 product, won't launch alongside with RV770 products. As we've said before, both RV770 are scheduled for late June launch, and it looks like the dual chip card won't launch simultaneously.R700 will launch at least one month later, and you can probably blame the complicated design and drivers for such inconvenient timing.The way it looks now, GT200 based cards will launch first and then will AMD follow with its high-end card."
More About: Launch

More MSI Wind information revealed
2008-05-19 08:57:00
Fudzilla - More MSI Wind information revealed: "Laptop Magazine has scored a whole bunch of missing information about the MSI Wind mini-note, although we've already covered most of the hardware, but apart from having revealed the various SKUs that will be available in the U.S. Along side pricing, they also have an interview with Andy Tung, the Director of Sales for MSI in the U.S.The base version will retail at US$399 and it will become available on June 3rd, along with a more expensive model with Windows XP for US$549. The extra $150 upgrades the memory from 512MB to 1GB and adds Bluetooth; apart from that there doesn't seem to be any major differences between the two models.There might be a cheaper Windows XP model as well for around $500, but no information was given on what he difference between this and the more expensive model would be. However, interestingly, MSI will only offer the 10-inch model in the U.S., while there will be an 8.9-inch model in some markets."
More About: Information

AMD announces low-power quad-cores
2008-05-19 08:57:00
Fudzilla - AMD announces low-power quad-cores: "These days, AMD seems to be concentrating on their new Opteron line, possibly in hopes to revitalize their server bussiness. Furthermore, these new quad-core processors' power consumption should be lower by as much as 43%.These processors will feature integrated memory controllers and a 55 Watt ACP thermal envelope. They'll be available in 2300 and 8300 series for two-, four-, and eight-way rack and blade servers.The prices are already posted on AMD's site, but there's a catch. Apparently, AMD uses different metrics for consumption measuring, so their numbers might not be as impressive as they'd like to make us think."
More About: Power , Cores , Quad

OCZ Announces 15.4" DIY Gaming Notebook
2008-05-15 08:46:00
DailyTech - OCZ Announces 15.4" DIY Gaming Notebook : "OCZ hopes to branch out even further with the announcement of a new do-it-yourself (DIY) gaming notebook. End-users will be able to purchase the DIY notebook barebones and add components to the machine to build an entire system. OCZ venders, however, will be able to spec the notebooks however they see fit.Each notebook comes from OCZ standard with a 15.4' WXGA display, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 512MB GPU, Intel PM965 northbridge/ICH8M southbridge, SATA support for HDDs or SSDs, 8x dual-layer DVD burner, four USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard 34/54 slot, and a fingerprint reader. Optional components will include Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, a TV tuner, and a Intel 4965AGN 802.11a/g/n wireless adapter.OCZ's DIY gaming notebook is no lightweight, however, and weighs in at hefty 7 pounds with a 9-cell battery pack. External dimensions for the machine ring in at 14.25' x 11.25' x 1.5'.'For years consumers have wanted to build their own mobile comp...

GT200 is 65nm or 55nm
2008-05-15 08:33:00
Fudzilla - GT200 is 65nm or 55nm: "From what we know, Nvidia has placed orders for 65nm and 55nm versions of the GT200 chip and there is a big reason why. Nvidia is simply playing it safe and it doesn’t want any delays.Nvidia traditionally migrates from bigger transistors to smaller in the entry-level, less complicated chips and then tries this in the higher end. Usually this works well, and you can remember that Nvidia went from 80nm to 65nm in this order.As it’s pressured by time it will try to make even its biggest chip in 55nm. If it fails, it will have a 65 nm version of the chip ready to take its place. 55nm means that the chips will run a bit cooler and that you can crack the clocks a bit higher and we will probably learn if the fastest version of GT200 will end up at 55nm.Taping out two chips means doubling the cost and this will likely increase Nvidia's operating cost, but at least it will help the company to keep up in the high-end market.It might happen that GTX vers...

GT200 to retail for $499
2008-05-15 08:31:00
Fudzilla - GT200 to retail for $499: "It looks like the GT200 or D10U card will sell for US$499 and it will be the perfect replacement for the Geforce 9800GTX. We are not sure about the name. Many people have suggested Geforce 9900GTX and GT brands, but we are not sure if these will really be the final names.The cards based on the GT200 will sell for $499 and the cards are sampled and work well. Nvidia plans to show the cards to journalists in the last week of May and it’s highly likely to see the launch in June, with retail availability.It will be fun to see if the GT200 will end up faster than the GX2, and if this single big chip can actually beat a dual chip card. We have a feeling it should."
More About: Retail

RV770 to launch in the last week of June
2008-05-15 08:31:00
Fudzilla - RV770 to launch in the last week of June : "AMD plans to show off its RV770XT and PRO cards at Computex, but it won't launch them until late June.We've learned that AMD plans a launch and retail /e-tail availability of RV770XT and PRO-based products in the last week of June.We've told you before that the real retail availability is planned for Q3 2008, and Q3, as you might know, will start on the first day of July. If AMD decided to launch the card at Computex, the retail cards would follow after three weeks and the company doesn’t want that."
More About: Launch , Week

55nm GeForce 9800 GT Final Clocks
2008-05-15 08:28:00
VR-Zone - 55nm GeForce 9800 GT Final Clocks : "Nvidia is getting ready to launch the GeForce 9800 GT on 55nm G92 core soon and the release schedule might be pushed forward to June instead. Apparently, Nvidia plans to clocked the 9800 GT card at 600MHz, like the 8800 GT and same goes to the memory clock at 900MHz and shader clock at 1500MHz. The VGPU is at 1.05-1.1V and on G3-256 package. As we have said before, there will be two versions; one is on 55nm and the other is on 65nm, both same clocks. So how do you tell it is 55nm? Look out for G92-280-B1/H markings on the GPU or look out for 0×0605 device ID in Windows."
More About: Geforce

Microsoft Places Restrictions on Continued Sale of Windows XP Home
2008-05-15 08:25:00
DailyTech - Microsoft Places Restrictions on Continued Sale of Windows XP Home : "In early April, Microsoft made a lot of OEM and consumers happy with the announcement that Windows XP Home would live on in ultra-low-cost PCs (ULPCs) until June 30, 2010. The rise of such low-cost machines as the ASUS Eee PC -- which primarily runs on a Linux-based operating system -- led to Microsoft's decision to offer Windows XP to OEMs past the already established June 30, 2008 cutoff date.At the time of the announcement, the only restriction seemingly placed on the reprieve for Windows XP Home seemed to be that the operating system could only be sold on ULPCs. IDG News, however, came into possession of an internal document to OEMs which detail the full extent of the restrictions.In an effort to protect its Windows Vista operating system, Microsoft is requiring OEMs to abide by the following rules: * HDDs can be no larger than 80GB. * The screen size for the ULPCs can be no larger than 10.2'. ...

EVGA announces USB display cards
2008-05-13 15:49:00
Fudzilla - EVGA announces USB display cards: "For those that are craving for additional displays, EVGA has announced its UV Plus+ lineup of USB display adapters. These two display adapters branded as UV12 and UV16 will use a USB to connect to PC in order to give support for additional displays.Both UV12 and UV16 feature DVI and VGA support, and come with the so-called GPU-less design. This design uses a virtual driver and high-performance DDR memory, which gives it enough juice to run Windows Vista Aero and do high resolutions.The UV12 will be able to produce up to 1440x900 resolution at 60Hz of refresh rate, while its bigger named brother, UV16, will be able to give up to 1680x1050 at the same 60Hz. The design is stackable so you are basically limited by the number of USB ports.These new USB display adapters should be available sometime during this week at the suggested retail/e-tail price of €79. Both devices are based on Display Link chips and they will be definitely good for ...
More About: Cards

Watch out for Burnout Paradise on the PC!
2008-05-13 15:47:00
Techtree - Watch out for Burnout Paradise on the PC!: "Criterion Studios has announced a new version of 'Burnout Paradise ' exclusively for the PC. This is the first 'Burnout' title ever made for the PC, the company said.Earlier available only for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, 'Burnout Paradise' for the PC has been customized with expanded multi-player, better online features, and community-driven content.In a release, Criterion said, 'Burnout Paradise will combine all the open-world racing, intense speed, and action of the original game with new game play for the PC version.'"

RV770PRO supports 256-bit memory
2008-05-13 15:47:00
Fudzilla - RV770PRO supports 256-bit memory: "We wrote that RV770XT supports 512-bit here and now we have learned that the slower RV770PRO will only support 256-bit and it will use GDDR3.It looks that the current GDDR5 design sticks with 512-bit memory interface and that RV770PRO will use 256-bit GDDR3 memory. The RV770PRO will need a smaller cooler, as it is definitely going to end up the cheaper of two, and you can bet on a sub-$200 price.RV770PRO will also end up with a slower clock than RV770XT, but we still don’t know what the current speed plan. It is sampled and it works, at least the RV770PRO with 256-bit GDDR3 does."
More About: Memory

GT200 is 512-bit
2008-05-13 15:43:00
Fudzilla - GT200 is 512-bit: "We finally managed to confirm a few details about GT200. This is without a doubt a single chip card, and as we said before, it's quite a big one.The second important detail is that the chip supports 512-bit memory, and at least on the memory side it is ready to fight RV770XT.We know that GT200 is a high-performance part and it will certainly be faster than RV770XT; but we are not sure if it will be faster than R700, a dual chip card. At this time, no one knows the answer to that.It needs a dual slot cooler and it will dissipate quite a lot of heat, but it promises great performance."

More Nehalem details emerge
2008-05-13 15:42:00
Fudzilla: "Expreview has scored some more information about Intel's Nehalem processor and if the slide they've posted is indeed genuine, then it looks like triple-channel DDR3 will provide a 32GB/s memory bandwith, which isn't amazingly much better than the X48's 25.6GB/s in dual-channel.Although this is using DDR3 1,333MHz modules while the X48 is using DDR3 1,600MHz, so there should be enough head room for the Nehalem to improve these numbers using faster memory. However, Intel seems to have decided to stop at DDR3 1,600MHz, although this might change by the time the processors launch.The X58 chipset should handle up to four graphics cards in CrossFireX mode, but don't expect to see more than 32 PCIe lanes in this chipset. The X58 will retain the soon-to-be-launched ICH10, which will interface with the X58 via Intel's DMI interface.One interesting thing on the slide is that Intel is talking about physics engine scaling, which might have something to do with Intel's purchase...
More About: Details , Emerge

AMD cuts quad core power
2008-05-13 15:37:00
AMD cuts quad core power - The INQUIRER: "TROUBLED CHIP FIRM AMD this morning launched five low power quad core server processors. The company reckons manufacturers will use its chips in both rack mounted as well as blade servers.AMD’s x86 Opteron HE processors runs on only 55 Watts of AC power, and comes in 2300 and 8300 product lines for two, four, and eight way rack server blades.Randy Allen, corporate vice president and general manager for AMD said in a press release that AMD’s new quad core Opteron HE processors “were designed to help data center managers who see power consumption and virtualisation as the keys to solving their overall performance equation'.He added that the new processors with their souped up power management and virtualisation capabilities “offer a compelling platform for power-conscious datacenter managers who are changing the way they think about performance.”"
More About: Power , Core , Quad-core , Quad , Cuts

GeForce 9900 GTX Card Design Exposed
2008-05-13 15:31:00
VR-Zone - GeForce 9900 GTX Card Design Exposed: "We saw some mechanical designs on GT200 card leaked out on the internet and we can confirm it is not fake as we got the same file earlier last week from our reliable sources. The D10U card has a total of 16 memory chips onboard up to 1GB GDDR3 memories, in line with rumored 512-bit memory interface which we are hearing a while back. Other information we have revealed earlier is the card is 10.5' long and dual slot with CoolerMaster TM71 cooler. There are evidences suggesting that GT200 could be on both 55nm and 65nm process technology, a similar approach that Nvidia is going to take with their current G9x series. GT200 is currently on A2 revision and there is a high possibility that Nvidia might launch GT200 on 65nm first then move to 55nm at a later stage. CJ told us GT200 could have 8 ROP partitions connected with 64-bit each making up the 512-bit memory interface and up to 10 clusters of 24 SPs = 240 stream processors. You can thi...
More About: Geforce

GeForce 9500 Series On 55nm Process
2008-05-13 15:30:00
VR-Zone - GeForce 9500 Series On 55nm Process : "Nvidia is preparing two new mainstream cards, the GeForce 9500 GT and 9500 GS based on the new 55nm G96 cores. However, there will be a mixture of 65nm and 55nm G96 cores as revision A1 will be 65nm and revision B1 & C1 will be 55nm. GeForce 9500 GT codenamed D9M-30 will be clocked at 550MHz core and 800MHz GDDR3 on 128-bit memory interface while GeForce 9500 GS codenamed D9M-25 will be clocked at 550MHz core and 500MHz GDDR2 on 128-bit memory interface. There is a new package naming known as GB1 for mainstream and in this case it is called GB1-128. For 55nm G92 package is called G3-256."
More About: Geforce

Biostar TPower N750 Hybrid SLI Board
2008-05-13 15:28:00
Biostar TPower N750 Hybrid SLI Board : "BIOSTAR TPower N750 With NVIDIA Hybrid SLI®BIOSTAR TPower N750 offers cutting-edge Hybrid SLI technology, based on industry-leading SLI technology, delivers multi-GPU benefits when a TPower N750 motherboard GPU is combined with an NVIDIA discrete GPU. BIOSTAR TPower N750 Hybrid SLI increases graphics performance with GeForce® Boost and provides intelligent power management with HybridPower™.GeForce® BoostGeForce® Boost turbocharges the performance of NVIDIA discrete GPUs when combined with TPower N750 motherboard GPUs. Plug any NVIDIA Hybrid SLI-enabled GPU into BIOSTAR TPower Hybrid SLI-enabled motherboard to enjoy additive performance and more value for your money.HybridPowerTPower N750 also gets HybridPower™ to unleash graphics performance when needed and switches to quiet, low-power quiet operation for everyday computing. Plug any NVIDIA Hybrid SLI-enabled GPU into BIOSTAR TPower N750 Hybrid SLI-enabled motherboard for the ultimate ...
More About: Biostar

How Intel did the overclock lock on LGA1160
2008-05-10 18:49:00
Fudzilla - How Intel did the overclock lock on LGA1160: "As we told you some time ago, Intel has put in what can only be called an overclocking lock in the upcoming LGA1160 processors which are currently going under the codenames of Lynnfield and Havendale.Until now we didn't know how this had been implemented, but we've learned some more about it and it looks like there is no easy work around. As these processors have the memory controller and a few more bits integrated into the CPU itself, Intel suddenly has a lot more control than it has had with past designs that utilized a separate chipset which contains the memory controller.As Intel seems to want to push the much more expensive Bloomfield platform to overclockers, the company implemented a lock that prevents these new processors from being overclocked by adding two PLL clock generators, one inside the CPU itself and one in the PCH.This might not sound like it's a big problem in itself, but what Intel has done is that these...
More About: Overclock , Lock

RV770 GDDR5 supports 512-bit
2008-05-10 08:21:00
Fudzilla: "The fastest of ATI's two upcoming chips, the RV770XT, will offer support for two cool memory marchitectures. One is GDDR5, a very fast memory, and the second is 512-bit memory interface.We are getting back to the memory controller of R600, but possibly significantly improved, and this time the chip can cope with GDDR5 while the previous controller could only cope with GDDR3 and GDDR4.As GDDR4 didn’t really get these cards any faster, ATI decided to go for GDDR5. We believe this is the future and this definitely makes the RV770 a bit bigger than the RV670 and this will be the most significant difference between the chips.The launch date still remains June, with volume availability in July and onward."

Xbox 360 "Jasper" 65nm GPU in Production
2008-05-10 08:15:00
DailyTech - Xbox 360 "Jasper " 65nm GPU in Production : "Chip process evolution is a usual thing in a console’s lifecycle, but rarely has it been as important as in the case of the Xbox 360 .Known for its relatively hardware fragility, the original design of the Xbox 360 would frequently fall to the “Red Ring of Death” failure, which Microsoft terms as the three flashing red lights. While improvements in cooling and a CPU die shrink to 65nm in the Falcon revision have surely improved the situation, the problematic GPU still sits with its 90nm process.The 65nm drop for the GPU in the Xbox 360 revision codenamed Jasper isn’t expected until August, a time frame backed up by a report from CENS. Microsoft has contracted Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE) and Nanya PCB Corp. to build the chips that will ship with the Jasper consoles later this summer.TSMC will produce the 65nm chips, ASE will package and test them, and Nanya w...

AMD 12-core uses MCM
2008-05-10 08:12:00
Fudzilla - AMD 12-core uses MCM: "Yesterday we wrote a bit about AMD's upcoming twelve-core Opteron here and we learned a few more details about it.Both twelve-core Magny-Cours and six-core Sao Paolo will use socket G34 and this socket and Maranello platform can accommodate DDR3.The twelve-core Magny-Cours is a multi-chip module and is also known by its MCM abbreviation. This means you will have two six-cores on a single chip and it should look very much like Kentsfiend and Yorkfield, just much bigger.The 12-core CPU at 45nm will have to be quiet and big, and both new six and twelve-cores are scheduled for first half of 2010; we just hope that this includes a real availability at the same time."
More About: Core

AMD Quad-core Suzuka supports DDR3
2008-05-10 08:12:00
Fudzilla: "AMD plans to unveil its first DDR3 processor in Q2 2009. This is the current plan, but if something goes bad, it can be delayed.The new 45nm quad-core is codenamed Suzuka and it has 6MB L3 memory 1xHT3 and AMD-V support. The big difference between Shanghai and Suzuka is the memory support and the use of a different socket. Suzuka will be AMD’s first CPU to support DDR3 memory.Suzuka will work with AMD RS780 Northbridge and SB700S Southbridge, but we heavily suspect that it will use Socket AM3. This CPU is planned for Server and UP Platforms -1000 series and the platform is codenamed Catalunya. We just hope that this Spanish codename will work better than the Barcelona.As AMD's memory support is inside the CPU, the currently available AMD RS780 chipset that is commercially known as AMD 780G will support DDR3."
More About: Core , Quad-core , Quad

AMD 6-core Istanbul to arrive in 2H 2009
2008-05-10 08:12:00
Fudzilla - AMD 6-core Istanbul to arrive in 2H 2009: "We've seen an updated server roadmap where AMD places its six-core Istanbul processor for the second half of 2009. At first, AMD internally said that there will be some samples in late 2008, but 2H 2009 is the time of volume production.The new six-core CPU will have 6MB L3 cache and DDR2 support, powered by HT-3 and AMD Virtualization support. Of course, this CPU will be developed in 45nm and it looks just like Shanghai 45nm CPU but with two additional cores.Istanbul fits in the current socket F1 (1207) and it will be available for 2P and above configurations: OEMs shouldn’t have much trouble to make it work in existing servers.In 2009 AMD’s chipset of choice for the server market is Nvidia Nforce 3600/3050 with Broadcom HT-2100/1000; while that will change in 2010 for AMD’s own chipset. We would be scared if we were Nvidia’s chipset manager, as it lost a lot of AMD market and you can bet that it will be even worse for I...
More About: Core

SP3 for XP is available again
2008-05-10 08:01:00
Fudzilla - SP3 for XP is available again: "Service Pack 3 for Windows XP is once again available for download. It was pulled from being available for download after Microsoft discovered what can best be described as a small glitch with users that are using Microsoft’s own Dynamics Retail Management System, running systems that have Windows XP installed.Those users/customers that have Dynamics Retail Management System installed on systems running Windows XP will need to first download and install just released hotfix prior to installing Service Pack 3.You can download the Dynamics Retail Management System hotfix here.Those needing to deploy Service Pack 3 to multiple systems can download SP 3 here.All other users can get Service Pack 3 for Windows XP by using Windows Update."

Asus P5Q3 Deluxe P45 motherboard tested
2008-05-10 07:58:00
Fudzilla - Asus P5Q3 Deluxe P45 motherboard tested: "NordicHardware scored an exclusive review of the Asus P5Q3 Deluxe motherboad and they seem to like it a lot. Although they didn't have time to test every aspect of the board, the P45 chipset seems to be working properly on all accounts now, and this is indeed good news, as it's less than a month until the official launch.The new chipset doesn't add much in terms of performance, although it seems to be very close to Intel's X48 chipset in most of the benchmarks on test, which could potentially be bad news for Intel, as people might choose to go for the cheaper chipset due to the small performance differences.The P5Q3 Deluxe supports DDR3 memory and comes with Asus' USB 802.11 pre-N WiFi card, has a pair of dual x16 PCIe 2.0 slots, although as per all P45 motherboards these are limited to x8 bandwidth when both slots are being used. This is also the first motherboard we know of that features a 16-phase PWM, which seems somewhat...
More About: Motherboard , Tested

Xbox 360 With Blu-ray Disc Underway from Asus Subsidiary
2008-05-10 07:43:00
DailyTech - Report: Xbox 360 With Blu-ray Disc Underway from Asus Subsidiary: "Although Microsoft has continually denied the development of a Blu-ray Disc enabled Xbox 360 , reports slowly trickle in from Asian OEMs working on such an upgraded console.According to a recent report by the DigiTimes, which cites Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) newspaper, Pegatron Technology, an OEM subsidiary of Asustek Computer, has won the order to make Xbox 360 consoles equipped with a Blu-ray Disc drive.Previous interpretations of Blu-ray Disc on Xbox 360 figured an add-on device similar to the HD DVD drive, but this latest report points strictly at a new SKU that would incorporate a BD-ROM drive internally to match up with the PlayStation 3.Shipments of such a console are supposed to commence in the third quarter of this year, likely making it a product that Microsoft will promote heavily during the holiday season against Sony’s console."

E8600 3.33GHz dual core to launch in Q3
2008-05-10 07:39:00
Fudzilla - 3.33GHz dual core to launch in Q3: "Back on the first day of February we confirmed the existence of E8600, a Core 2 Duo CPU based on 45nm and we wrote that the new CPU will work at 3.33GHZ, have 6MB of cache memory and fit into socket 775.Intel's latest roadmaps reveal that this CPU comes in Q3, but it didn’t say anything more precise than that. At the same time, Intel will cut the prices of existing Core 2 Duo E8500 and E8400 processorsCore 2 Duo E8600 will cost $266 if you buy thousands of them, and in retail you can count with a little bit on top of that.That will officially be the fastest 45nm processor that will be introduced, as currently both dual and quad-cores stop at 3.2GHz."
More About: Dual Core , Launch , Dual

Q9650 will have multiplier locked
2008-05-10 07:35:00
Fudzilla - Q9650 will have multiplier locked: "We wrote about Intel’s new Q9650 CPU here and this 45nm Yorkfield-based CPU will start selling in Q3 for $525. We got quite a few emails with an interesting question: what is the difference between Core 2 Quad Q9650 and the already available Core 2 Extreme QX9650?Both CPUs work at 3GHz, have 12MB cache, operate under FSB1333 and they fit in socket 775. There will be two things that will differentiate these two. As you might know, Extreme in the name means that the CPU is unlocked and you can overclock it as much as you like; and Core 2 Quad Q9650 means you will get a plain, multiplier locked 3GHz CPU.The bigger issue will be the price, as Core 2 Extreme QX9650 will continue to sell for at least $990 and Core 2 Quad Q9650 will start selling for a much more reasonable $525."
More About: Locked

Xbox 360 Price Cut in Asia up to 20 Percent
2008-05-10 07:34:00
DailyTech - Xbox 360 Price Cut in Asia up to 20 Percent: "Earlier this week, Microsoft dropped the price of the Xbox 360 by up to one-fifth in four Asian markets. New prices are effective in South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.The bundle which includes the 20 GB hard disk drive dropped 20 percent in Singapore (S$499; US$366), 17 percent in Taiwan (NT$10,360 ; US340), 11 percent in Hong Kong and 5.1 percent in South Korea (369,000 won; US$369).'This price drop is part of Microsoft's ongoing strategy to bring Xbox's high-definition gaming and entertainment experience to an even wider user base,' Microsoft said in a statement.Japanese game companies Nintendo and Sony appear to hold greater mindshare in the buyer’s market in Asia. Microsoft hopes that the latest price drops will help spur demand to better compete with the Wii and PlayStation 3.In March, Microsoft dropped the price of its console in Europe by margins great enough to drop below the Wii’s price. In Februar...