| PowerColor Intros PCS+ HD6770 Vortex II Edition |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 12, 2011 - 8:30 AM PST |
| Category: Video |
| More Info: http://www.powercolor.com/Global/News.asp?id=1115 |
PowerColor has announced an AMD Radeon HD 6770 factory-overclocked video card equipped with a Vortex fan, which allows the user to manually adjust the fan a bit further from the card in order to get better airflow. According to the manufacturer, the Vortex cooler can lower the temperature of the video card up to 25 °C when compared to the stock cooler. PowerColor's PCS+ HD6770 Vortex II Edition works internally at 900 MHz (5.88% above the stock clock of 850 MHz), has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 4.9 GHz (2.08% above the stock clock of 4.8 GHz) through a 128-bit interface, and two DVI, one HDMI, and two one DisplayPort video outputs. This card features top-notch components, like solid caps and ferrite chokes. Information on pricing or availability was not provided. 
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| VIA Announces Quad-Core Processor |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 12, 2011 - 8:29 AM PST |
| Category: CPU |
| More Info: http://www.via.com.tw/en/resources/pressroom/pressrelease.jsp?press_re... |
VIA announced today their first quad-core processor, the Nano QuadCore L4700. In fact, this processor features two 40-nm Nano X2 dies on the same package. The Nano QuadCore L4700 is clocked at 1.2 GHz (1.46 GHz through overclocking), has 4 MB of L2 cache, TDP of 27.5 W, and includes virtualization and a technology that enables hardware-based data encryption on the fly. The processor doesn't feature an integrated memory controller or integrated GPU. VIA's QuadCore L4700 is expected to be released in Q3, 2011. 
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| Intel Intros Z68 Express Chipset |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 11, 2011 - 9:58 AM PST |
| Category: Motherboard |
| More Info: http://www.intel.com/products/desktop/chipsets/ec-z68/z68-overview.htm |
Today Intel officially launched their Z68 Express chipset. It is designed for the second generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 CPUs (based on Sandy Bridge architecture), and it combines the best world of both P67 and H67 chipsets. First of all, the Z68 Express chipset allows users to overclock the CPU and/or memory, a feature not present on the H67 chipset. If you wanted to overclock your Sandy Bridge processor, you would need to buy a P67-based motherboard. However, the P67 chipset does not support the Sandy Bridge's integrated GPU. You have to buy a discrete GPU to install on a P67-based motherboard, disabling the integrated GPU. To make things worse, you can’t use Intel's Quick Sync transcode engine if you're using a discrete GPU; you need to use the processor's integrated GPU to take advantage of this technology. However, Intel's Quick Sync technology is supported by the H67 chipset. So, until now you had to decide on either overclocking or Quick Sync, but not both. The Z68 chipset overcomes the limitations mentioned above and combines the best features of both the P67 and H67 chipsets. It supports overclocking and Quick Sync. The Z68 chipset brings two new features: Virtu and Intel Smart Response technologies. The former dynamically switches between the Sandy Bridge's integrated GPU and a discrete GPU based on what you are doing. Simply put, the discrete card will be used only to run 3D games, while the integrated GPU will be used for trivial 2D applications. Intel Smart Response technology is an SSD caching that copies your most commonly used applications from your hard disk drive to your SSD in order to load faster. The Z68 chipset supports one x16 PCI Express lane (or two x8 lanes), RAID (0,1,5,10), 14 USB 2.0 ports, four SATA-300 ports, two SATA-600 ports, eight PCI Express slots, Gigabit Ethernet, and four DDR3-1333 memory sockets. 
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Several manufacturers have launched models based on this new chipset from Intel, as you can see below.
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| Club 3D Announces 1200 W, 80 Plus Silver-certified PSU |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 11, 2011 - 9:48 AM PST |
| Category: Power |
| More Info: http://www.club-3d.com/index.php/news/message.en/items/club3d-new-1200... |
Club 3D has announced their more powerful power supply, a 1,200 W model (CSP-X1200CS) featuring 80 Plus Silver certification, active PFC circuit, four +12 V rails, a 135 mm fan, and protections against OCP (Over Current Protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), OVP (Over Voltage Protection), SCP (Short Circuit Protection), and OPP (Over Power Protection). This unit is compatible with ATX12V V2.3 and EPS12V V2.92 standards and has a modular cabling system. Information on pricing was not provided. 
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| Lian Li Launches Snail-shaped PC Case |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 10, 2011 - 7:28 AM PST |
| Category: Case |
| More Info: http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=573&cl... |
The brand-new Lian Li Special Edition PC-U6 Cowry mid-tower case doesn’t look like a traditional computer case with straight lines. It looks like a giant snail or seashell measuring 8.6 x 19.68 x 16.14 inches or 219 x 500 x 410 mm (W x H x D) and weighing 9.9 lbs (4.5 kg). This unusual case supports micro-ATX or mini-ITX motherboards and comes with a 5.25” external bay and three 3.5”/2.5” internal bays, all of them featuring tool-less installation mechanisms. Four expansion slots are located on the rear panel of the case with enough space to hold video cards up to 12.2” (310 mm) long. The Special Edition PC-U6 Cowry is made from aluminum, its interior and exterior are painted in black, provides two USB 3.0 ports, one eSATA port, two 120 mm fans on the front panel equipped with washable air filters, and holes for liquid cooling systems. For users who wish to add some color to highlight the uniqueness of this case, a 530 mm red LED kit is included and can be mounted easily. The PC-U6 Cowry has a recommended price tag of USD 349 and is expected to reach the market by the end of this month. 
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| EVGA Releases GeForce GTX 580 with 3 GB of Memory |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 10, 2011 - 7:21 AM PST |
| Category: Video |
| More Info: http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=03G-P3-1591-AR&family... |
EVGA has expanded their video card offering with the launch of a GeForce GTX 580 model equipped with a waterblock (piece used on liquid cooling systems) and 3 GB of memory. Dubbed EVGA GTX 580 FTW HydroCopper 2, it works internally at 772 MHz, accesses its GDDR5 memory at 4,008 MHz through a 384-bit interface, and comes with two DVI and one HDMI video outputs. This video card takes up one slot on the computer case and is priced at USD 739.99. EVGA also offers a GeForce GTX 580 FTW HydroCopper 2 video card with 1.5 GB of GDDR5 memory. This one is factory-overclocked (850 MHz for GPU and 4,196 MHz for memory) and is priced at USD 699.99. 
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| ZOTAC Intros StarCraft II Tournament |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 10, 2011 - 7:08 AM PST |
| Category: Video |
| More Info: http://www.zotacusa.com/forum/topic/4585-zotac-kicks-off-dedicated-sta... |
ZOTAC invites North American gamers to get together every Saturday to compete in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty for the title of ZOTAC Cup champion. The prizes include a ZOTAC GeForce GTX 570 AMP! Edition video card and USD 100 for first place, a Kingston SSD and DDR3 memory kit for second place, and a customized Cooler Master case with ZOTAC imagery for third place. The contest begins on Saturday, May 14th at 15:00 PST.
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| Fractal Design Announces Core 1000 Case |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 9, 2011 - 9:01 AM PST |
| Category: Case |
| More Info: http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=61 |
Fractal Design has launched a brand-new computer case, the Core 1000. The product supports mini-ITX and micro-ATX motherboards, measures 6.88 x 13.97 x 16.53 inches (175 x 355 x 420 mm), weighs 9 lbs (4.1 kg), has two 5.25” external bays, two 3.5” internal bays or three 2.5” internal bays, two USB 2.0 ports, and a 120 mm fan (1,200 rpm) located on the front panel. The Core 1000 supports video cards up to 350 mm long and coolers up to 135 mm tall, and its interior and exterior are painted in black. Information on pricing or availability was not provided. 
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| PowerColor Unveils Radeon HD 6990 LCS |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 6, 2011 - 7:28 AM PST |
| Category: Video |
| More Info: http://www.powercolor.com/Global/News.asp?id=1111 |
LCS stands for Liquid Cooling Solution, which means that the newest PowerColor LCS HD 6990 video card comes with a waterblock (piece used on liquid cooling systems) made by EK. According to PowerColor, this cooling solution cools down the GPU temperature up to 30% compared to the reference model. The brand-new PowerColor LCS HD 6990 card features stock clocks (830/880 MHz for GPUs, 5 GHz for memory), 4 GB of GDDR5 memory (2 GB per GPU), one DVI and four mini DisplayPort video outputs, and comes equipped with a Volterra’s digital voltage regulator circuit. An interesting point is that this video card is a single-slot solution, contrary to the reference model that occupies two slots on the computer case. The video card should be available later this month. PowerColor did not mention the card’s price. 
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| AMD Cuts Down Processor Prices |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 6, 2011 - 6:28 AM PST |
| Category: CPU |
| More Info: http://www.amd.com/us/products/pricing/Pages/pricing.aspx |
With the launch of the Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition this week, AMD has slashed the price of several of their desktop processors. In some cases, reduction was up to 25 percent. See below the affected models and their new prices. - Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition: USD 90
- Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition: USD 90
- Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition: USD 102
- Phenom II X4 840: USD 105
- Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition: USD 117
- Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition: USD 135
- Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition: USD 155
- Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition: USD 175
- Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition: USD 185
- Phenom II X6 1055T: USD 165
- Phenom II X6 1065T: USD 185
- Phenom II X6 1075T: USD 181
- Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition: USD 185
- Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition: USD 205
- Phenom II X4 905e: USD100
- Phenom II X4 910e: USD 143
- Athlon II X2 245e: USD 62
- Athlon II X2 250: USD 58
- Athlon II X2 250e: USD 69
- Athlon II X2 255: USD 60
- Athlon II X2 260: USD 64
- Athlon II X3 405e: USD 72
- Athlon II X3 415e: USD 87
- Athlon II X3 420e: USD 97
- Athlon II X3 445: USD 72
- Athlon II X3 455: USD 76
- Athlon II X4 605e: USD 98
- Athlon II X4 610e: USD 122
- Athlon II X4 615e: USD 133
- Athlon II X4 640: USD 98
- Athlon II X4 645: USD 102
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| Intel Announces 3D Transistors |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 5, 2011 - 10:03 AM PST |
| Category: CPU |
| More Info: http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2011/05/04/int... |
Intel’s upcoming 22 nm processors (codename Ivy Bridge; official launch is planned for the first half of 2012) will not use conventional planar (also known as 2D) transistors but rather 3D transistors. According to Intel, 22 nm 3D transistors provide a 37% performance increase at low voltage and consume half the power compared to 32 nm planar transistors. But what’s a transistor, anyway? Inside a CPU there are millions or even billions of tiny components called transistors. A transistor is basically an electronic switch; when it's on, it passes an electrical current, and when it's off, it doesn't. The goal of CPU manufacturers is to put as many transistors as possible within a CPU. In order to do so, manufacturers need to develop technologies to shrink transistors. In the picture below, you can see what Intel has done to shrink transistors since 2003. 
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Figure 1
Up to 2009, all transistors were planar (or 2D), which means that there was only one channel where the electrical current passed through when in the “on” state. 
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Figure 2
3D transistors are similar to planar transistors except for one fundamental change. The electrical current passes through three different channels thanks to a vertical fin structure. You can have several fins to increase performance. 
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Figure 3
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Figure 4
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Figure 5
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Figure 6
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Figure 7
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| Corsair Updates Their Builder Power Supply Series |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 4, 2011 - 9:13 AM PST |
| Category: Power |
| More Info: http://www.corsair.com/pressrelease/corsair-updates-its-builder-series... |
The CX series, also known as the Builder series, is the most entry-level power supply series from Corsair, with 430 W (CX430), 500 W (CX500), and 600 W (CX600) models. These units don’t have 80 Plus certification and are backed by a two-year warranty. We’ve already reviewed the 430 W model from this series; take a look. Today Corsair updated the current models of the Builder series to make them compatible with the 80 Plus Standard certification and expanded its warranty to three years. The new units carry the word “V2” at the end of the name. The CX430 V2, CX500 V2 and CX600 V2 units will be available later this month priced at USD 49, USD 64 and USD 74, respectively.
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| Cooler Master Intros NotePal Infinite EVO Notebook Cooler |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 4, 2011 - 9:00 AM PST |
| Category: Cooling |
| More Info: http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6695 |
Cooler Master has introduced a new notebook cooler, the NotePal Infinite EVO. The product has an aluminum structure, supports laptops featuring displays up to 17”, features two 80 mm fans (fan speed between 750 rpm and 1,400 rpm), is powered by a USB port (thus no batteries or power adapters are necessary), and measures 16.14 x 12.59 x 2.4 inches or 420 x 320 x 65 mm (W x D x H). According to Cooler Master, due to NotePal Infinite EVO U-shaped airflow design, it can increase the airflow by 20%. The NotePal Infinite EVO cooler has a suggested price of USD 49.99. 
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| Seagate Unveils Hard Drives with 1 TB per Platter |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 4, 2011 - 8:57 AM PST |
| Category: Storage |
| More Info: http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?locale=en-US&name=unveils-1-... |
Seagate has announced the first 3.5-inch hard drive featuring 1 TB of storage capacity per disk (platter). It means that from now on, we will have on the market high-capacity hard drives with fewer platters and heads. With fewer components, hard drives’ prices tend to drop (at least we hope so). Just to put things into perspective, the Seagate 3 TB Barracuda XT hard drive features five 600 GB platters (488 Gigabits per square inch) and 10 heads. With 1 TB platters (625 Gigabits per square inch), Seagate can produce a 3 TB hard drive using only three platters and six heads. The first products to utilize 1 TB platters will be launched within Seagate’s GoFlex Desk external hard drive series, but the company will also launch Barracuda XT models (in 1.5 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB capacities) with 1 TB platters in mid-2011.
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| Thermaltake Intros Chaser MK-I Full-tower Case |
| Author: Cássio Lima |
Date: May 3, 2011 - 8:55 AM PST |
| Category: Case |
| More Info: http://www.thermaltake.com/content.aspx?id=809 |
Thermaltake has launched their newest full-tower case, the Chaser MK-I (VN300M1W2N). The product is painted black (even the interior), has a transparent side windows, features four 5.25” external bays, one 3.5” external bay (converted from one of the 5.25” external bays), six 3.5”/2.5” internal bays, eight slots for expansion cards, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA port, a hot-swap SATA HDD Dock with easy access from the top of the case (supporting 3.5”/2.5” devices), and holes through which to pass liquid cooling tubes. For cooling, the Chaser MK-I is equipped with two 200 mm fans (three-color LED, 600 to 800 rpm, 15 dBA max), one on the front panel and one on the top panel, and a 140 mm fan (1,000 rpm, 16 dBA) on the rear panel. The Chaser MK-I measures 22.4 x 9.3 x 22.9- inches (567.9 x 237.0 x 581.6 mm), and weighs 25.6 lbs (11.6 kg). Information on pricing or availability was not provided. 
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