| XFX Daily Power Supply Giveaway |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: June 7, 2011 - 8:01 AM PST |
| Category: Power |
| More Info: http://xfxforce.com/en-us/Features/PSUContest.aspx |
XFX will give a power supply every day from June 6 to June 17. For those interested, go to XFX website and register (from 12:01 AM to 12:00 PM) with your personal information. XFX will select one registrant from that day to win. Each registration is only good for that one day, so come back every day to register for a new chance to win a power supply. This contest is open to North America residents only. See the prizes below: Date | Prize | 6/6/2011 | XFX 850W PSU Core Edition | 6/7/2011 | XFX 750W PSU Core Edition | 6/8/2011 | XFX 650W PSU Core Edition | 6/9/2011 | XFX 850W PSU XXX Edition | 6/10/2011 | XFX 750W PSU XXX Edition | 6/13/2011 | XFX 850W PSU Core Edition | 6/14/2011 | XFX 750W PSU Core Edition | 6/15/2011 | XFX 650W PSU Core Edition | 6/16/2011 | XFX 850W PSU XXX Edition | 6/17/2011 | XFX 750W PSU XXX Edition |
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| Computex 2011: Thermaltake Announces Surge Protector with Remote Wireless Sensor |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 6, 2011 - 8:29 AM PST |
| Category: Power |
| More Info: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com |
As you may know, most electronic products still consume power when they are “turned off.” (Read our article How Much Power Do Electronic Equipment Consume When in Standby Mode? for an in-depth analysis of this problem.) Some manufacturers have launched products to solve this issue, like the Belkin Conserve line of surge protectors and the PC TrickleSaver. Belkin offers a mode with a wireless remote control, however, you have to manually turn the switch on or off. The PC TrickleSaver has a USB sensor to automatically detect when you turned off your computer in order to remove the power supply entirely from the power grid, but this solution requires a wire to be connected at one of the computer’s USB ports. Also, it only comes with one AC outlet. The Thermaltake surge protector addresses all these issues. It has a USB wireless sensor, so there is no cable running from your computer to the device. And it has four outlets that are turned off remotely by the sensor, so you are able to connect your computer, printer, video monitor, and other external peripherals without having to use any adapter. It also has two outlets that are always turned on and two USB ports for you to charge USB devices such as MP3 players. The surge protector is rated at 1080 joules. 
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| Computex 2011: Zalman Displays Prototype of Case with L-shaped Side Panel |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 6, 2011 - 8:13 AM PST |
| Category: Case |
| More Info: http://www.zalman.com |
Zalman displayed at Computex a very early prototype of an all-aluminum case with an L-shaped side panel. The idea was to collect feedback from their customers and the media about the idea to see if it is viable, so they can decide whether they will move this idea ahead or not. See pictures below. 
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| Computex 2011: Promise Demos Thunderbold-based DAS Boxes |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 4, 2011 - 4:31 PM PST |
| Category: Storage |
| More Info: http://www.promise.com/storage/raid_series.aspx?region=en-US&m=574... |
DAS (Direct Attached Storage) and NAS (Network Attached Storage) boxes are external storage devices, supporting RAID for higher performance and/or higher reliability. DAS boxes are connected to the computer using a dedicated communication channel, while NAS boxes are connected to computers using a network. During this Computex, Promise was demonstrating two DAS boxes that use the latest Lightbolt technology, formerly known as Light Peak, a communication protocol that allows transfer rates of up to 10 Gbps, i.e., ten times faster than the Gigabit Ethernet connection and two times faster than USB 3.0. The Pegasus R4 is a four-bay DAS box, and the Pegasus R6 is a six-bay DAS box. In the demo, Promise was playing simultaneously seven uncompressed 1080p videos stored in a Pegasus R6 box. The average transfer rate was around 850 MB/s, which is impressive. At the moment, these boxes are targeted at Mac computers for video editing applications. 
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| Computex 2011: CPU Cooler Prototypes from Noctua |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 4, 2011 - 4:24 PM PST |
| Category: Cooling |
| More Info: http://www.noctua.at/images/computex_2011/noctua_computex_2011_press_k... |
Austrian CPU cooler manufacturer Noctua displayed several prototypes during this Computex. We show some of them below. The first prototype is a low-profile solution for small form factor (SFF) and home theater PCs (HTPCs) that uses one 92 mm fan below the main heatsink and allows you to install a 120 mm fan on top of the heatsink. When only the 92 mm fan is installed, the cooler is only 2.6” (66 mm) tall. With the two fans installed, the cooler is 3.6” (91 mm) tall. It features six heatpipes. 
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The next prototype is a huge drawdraft model supporting two 120 mm fans, with seven heatpipes and 20% more surface area than the NH-D14. It allows you to have memory modules up to 2.8” (70 mm) tall. Noctua is still working on this design. This prototype weighs 4.4 lbs (2 kg)! 
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Finally, the third prototype about which we want to talk is a solution with three heatsinks and two 120 mm or 140 mm fans between them. It has eight heatpipes and 20% more surface area than the NH-D14. It also allows you to have memory modules up to 2.8” (70 mm) tall. 
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| Computex 2011: Enermax 80 Plus Gold and Platinum Power Supplies |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 4, 2011 - 4:19 PM PST |
| Category: Power |
| More Info: http://www.enermax.com/ |
Enermax is another company that displayed its forthcoming 80 Plus Gold and 80 Plus Platinum power supplies. Enermax already has an 80 Plus Gold series, the MODU87+ (also sold under their LEPA brand as G series), but the new series, called MaxRevo, will have the same internal design as the new Platimax series. Enermax showed us the internals of these new series and explained what is new to us. These units will use a phase-shift, full-bridge topology in the switching section, and a synchronous rectification with DC-DC conversion in the secondary. According to Enermax, this topology is better than the resonant switching they used on the MODU87+ product line because it generates less ripple. However, the production cost is around 15% higher. The secondary transistors, although soldered to the main printed circuit board, use a small printed circuit board to route the driver signal to their gate terminal. The transformer is a special model, with a square shape to increase the area of its hysteresis (a.k.a. B-H) curve. Translation: a lower power loss, meaning higher efficiency. The MaxRevo series will have 1200 W, 1350 W, and 1500 W models, while the Platimax series will have models from 600 W to 1200 W. Below you can see the printed circuit board these units will use. The transformer was removed. 
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| Computex 2011: Several Socket 2011, Intel X79 Motherboards Spotted |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 4, 2011 - 4:13 PM PST |
| Category: Motherboard |
| More Info: http://www.intel.com |
During this Computex, we could see some socket 2011 motherboards based on the Intel X79 chipset, which will be targeted at the forthcoming enthusiast-grade “Sandy Bridge-E” processor. All manufacturers made it clear that the boards displayed are early mock-ups, and that the final specifications for the products may be different, which is why we won’t publish the specifications for each individual motherboard. From what we could see, socket 2011 motherboards based on the Intel X79 chipset will come with support for a four-channel memory configuration, making the memory to be accessed as a 256-bit device and proving double the bandwidth as compared to the dual-channel configuration and 33% more bandwidth than the triple-channel configuration. The socket 2011 will have a dual-latch mechanism system, as we show below. These are the motherboards we saw during Computex: - ASUS: CIX79, CIX79 Deluxe, CIX79 EVO, CIX79 LE, CIX79 Plus, and CIX79 Pro
- ASRock: X79 Extreme4
- ECS: X79R-A
- Gigabyte: GA-X79A-UD3
- MSI: X79A-GD65, X79A-GD70, and X79A-GD80
- Sapphire: PB-CI7X79N
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| Computex 2011: MSI Launches Video Card with Color-Changing Fan Blades |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 3, 2011 - 6:30 AM PST |
| Category: Video |
| More Info: http://www.msi.com/product/vga/N580GTX-Lightning-Xtreme-Edition.html |
The new N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition from MSI is a video card based on the GeForce GTX 580 GPU running at 832 MHz (7.8% above the default clock rate of 772 MHz) and featuring 3 GB GDDR5 (twice the default amount) running at 4.2 GHz (5% above the default clock rate of 4 GHz). The highlights of this video card include the presence of a fan where the blades change their color from blue to white depending on the temperature, and which spins in the opposite direction for the first 30 seconds after the computer is turned on, in order to clean the fan from dust. Other features include a 16-phase voltage regulator circuit with active-phase switching (i.e., the video card will turn off unnecessary phases in order to save energy), military-grade components, voltage measuring points, and two BIOS chips. The presence of a second BIOS chip allows you to upgrade the video card BIOS in order to make your overclocking settings permanent, with the ability to switch back to the default BIOS without the need to reprogram the main BIOS chip. 
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| Computex 2011: FSP to Launch More 80 Plus Gold Models |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 3, 2011 - 6:26 AM PST |
| Category: Power |
| More Info: http://www.fspgroupusa.com |
FSP will expand its offering of 80 Plus Gold power supplies with the introduction of two new series, the Aurum Pro and the Aurum Fanless. The first is a version of the Aurum series with a modular cabling system, while the second is a fanless version of the Aurum series. FSP should release 850 W, 1000 W, and 1200 W versions of the Aurum Pro. The Aurum Fanless will initially have a 500 W model, with the possibility of a 600 W model later on. The 80 Plus gold units from FSP use a unique switching system called “active clamp reset forward,” which costs less to implement than traditional designs, and that is why 80 Plus Gold units from FSP are cheaper than competing units from other manufacturers. Read our review of the Aurum 700 W for more information. 
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| Computex 2011: SilverStone Demos Case with 19 Slots |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 2, 2011 - 5:45 AM PST |
| Category: Case |
| More Info: http://www.silverstonetek.com/ |
During this Computex, SilverStone displayed the prototype of a case with 19 expansion slots, support for four power supplies, and 12 SSD units. The Tejmin TJ12 prototype has three 180 mm fans at the bottom, which can be replaced with ten 120 mm models, and an aluminum body, except on the top structure, which is made of stainless steel in order to support the weight of the video cards. In order to accommodate so many video cards, SilverStone was using PCI Express slots connected through a ribbon cable (the metallic part in the third picture below). The top panel is modular, allowing you to reconfigure the case depending on the number of video cards and where you want to install the additional power supplies. 
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| Computex 2011: AMD Launches 9-series Chipset |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: June 2, 2011 - 5:33 AM PST |
| Category: Motherboard |
| More Info: http://www.amd.com/us/press-releases/Pages/desktop-9-series-chipsets20... |
Usually, as a brand-new processor is launched, a new series of chipsets is also launched to support it. But in the case of AMD’s first CPUs based on the Bulldozer microarchitecture (codename Zambezi), things were a little different. The chipset was launched first and the Bulldozer-based processor is expected to be launched in a couple of months. The recently-launched AMD 9-series chipsets support today’s socket AM3 processors and the upcoming socket AM3+ CPUs based on the Bulldozer microarchitecture. It means that you can buy a motherboard based on an AMD 9-Series chipset, and install an existing socket AM3 CPU (such as Phenom II, Athlon II etc.), but you won’t be able to install a Bulldozer processor on a current socket AM3 motherboard. The AMD 9-series family is comprised with the following models: - AMD 990FX
- AMD 990X
- AMD 970
Technically speaking, the AMD 9-series is identical to the AMD 8-series. The new name is just to clarify compatibility with Bulldozer-based processors, i.e., users can easily know that motherboards using a 9-series chipset are a socket AM3+ model. Several manufacturers have launched motherboards based on this new chipset, as you can see below.
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| Computex 2011: PowerColor Demos Radeon HD 6970 x2 and Radeon HD 6870 x2 |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 2, 2011 - 4:57 AM PST |
| Category: Video |
| More Info: http://www.powercolor.com |
PowerColor is developing a Radeon HD 6970 and a Radeon HD 6870 with two graphics chips each. These are custom solutions, meaning that it is not AMD that is sponsoring these unique configurations. Each video card uses a LucidLogix LT22102 Hydra 200 chip. The Radeon HD 6970 x2 will have 4 GB GDDR5 (2 GB per chip), with the chips running at the default clock rate of 880 MHz and the memory chips also running at the default clock rate (5.5 GHz). The Radeon HD 6870 x2 will have 2 GB GDDR5 (1 GB per chip), with the chips also running at their default clock rates (900 MHz for the GPUs and 4.2 GHz for the memory). 
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| Computex 2011: Extreme CPU Cooler Prototypes from Thermaltake |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 2, 2011 - 4:46 AM PST |
| Category: Cooling |
| More Info: http://www.thermaltake.com |
Thermaltake displayed in its booth prototypes for two extreme performance CPU coolers. The Frio Extreme has a thermal dissipation of 250 W, two 140 mm fans rotating between 1,200 rpm and 1,800 rpm, and a fan speed controller with an analog knob and a switch for easily making the fans spin at their highest speed. Each fan is attached to a separate radiator, and the radiators are interconnected using six nickel-plated copper heatpipes. The Frio GT is the prototype for a CPU cooler designed exclusively for the Thermaltake Level 10 GT case. It is a monster featuring four 120 mm fans, 10 nickel-plated copper heatpipes, and two huge radiators. This monster is capable of dissipating 300 W. Because they are prototypes, there is no guarantee that these products will reach the market. 
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| Computex 2011: XFX to Launch 80 Plus Platinum and Gold Power Supplies |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 2, 2011 - 4:29 AM PST |
| Category: Power |
| More Info: http://www.xfxforce.com |
During this Computex, XFX launched its latest power supply series, the Black Edition Limited. The highlight of this series is the 80 Plus Platinum certification, which means efficiency of at least 90% at light load (20% load), 92% at typical load (50% load), and 89% at full load (100% load). Two models were released, 900 W and 1000 W, both with a full modular cabling system and a “hybrid fan control,” which is a switch at the back of the unit that allows the fan to be off until the load is above 20% or the power supply temperature reaches 25º C, in order to make the power supply completely silent when a high load is not being demanded by the computer. In addition, the company has released an 80 Plus Gold series, the Black Edition Full Modular, also with full modular cabling and “hybrid fan control.” The models released include 950 W, 1050 W, and 1250 W versions. Units from XFX continue to be manufactured by Seasonic. 
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| Computex 2011: Gigabyte Releases Z68 Motherboard With On-Board SSD |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: June 1, 2011 - 7:57 AM PST |
| Category: Motherboard |
| More Info: http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3896#ov |
Gigabyte released four motherboards based on the Intel Z68 chipset with an mSATA socket, allowing you to install an SSD unit that is based on this form factor. With this SSD installed, you are able to use Intel Smart Response Technology, which uses the SSD to store most-frequently accessed programs and data, improving the hard disk drive performance. Click here to read our review on this technology. One of these models, the GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD, comes with an Intel 311 Series 20 GB SSD already installed on the motherboard, making it easier for users who want to use the Intel Smart Response Technology. Also, Gigabyte is proving a program called EZ Smart Response Utility, which allows you to migrate your existing hard drive to the SRT configuration without losing your existing programs and data, since to install SRT you must set the SSD and hard drive in RAID 0, which makes the existing contents of your hard drive inaccessible. Below, you see pictures of the GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD. Other features include two PCI Express x16 slots supporting both SLI and CrossFireX modes, four USB 3.0 ports, four SATA-600 ports, two FireWire ports, professional-level audio (Realtek ALC889 codec, 108 dB signal-to-noise ratio) and one HDMI port. This motherboard supports LucidLogix Virtu technology, which makes the computer switch between a video card and the CPU integrated graphics, depending on the task you are doing. 
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