Intel has launched their first SATA-600 SSD drives. Known as the 510 Series, these 2.5” drives use 34-nm flash memory chips and are available in 120 GB (USD 284) and 250 GB (USD 584) capacities. Speeds vary according to the capacity: 450 MB/s (read) and 210 MB/s (write) for the 120 GB model, and 500 MB/s (read) and 315 MB/s (write) for the 250 GB model.
Active Media has announced an enterprise-class series of 2.5” solid state drives that features MLC flash memory chips and a Marvell 88SS9174 controller. Dubbed Predator V3, it is available in capacities of 64 GB and 128 GB, has SATA-600 interface, and 128 MB of DDR3 cache memory. Speeds vary according to the capacity: 360 MB/s (read) and 410 MB/s (write) for the 128 GB model, and 100 MB/s (read) and 200 MB/s (write) for the 64 GB model. The 64 GB Predator V3 is priced at USD 199, while the 128 GB model is priced at USD 339.
Sparkle today released a GeForce GTX 580 video card equipped with a custom cooler solution that according to the manufacturer can reduce the GPU temperature up to 5 °C compared to the reference cooler. This dual-slot cooler features four copper heatpipes, aluminum fins and two 80-mm fans.
The Sparkle GeForce GTX 580 Thermal Guru (SXX5801536D5MH) uses the stock clocks (772 MHz for GPU and 4008 MHz for memory), has 1,536 MB of GDDR5 memory, and two DVI and one mini-HDMI video outputs.
OCZ has introduced their first SATA-600 SSD drives equipped with the new SandForce SF-2000 controller family, which can provide read and write speeds of up to 550 MB/s and 500 MB/s, respectively.
The Vetex 3 drives uses a SandForce SF-2200 controller and will be available in 120 GB and 240 GB capacities, while the enterprise-class Vertex 3 Pro uses a SandForce SF-2500 controller and will be available in 100 GB, 200 GB, and 400 GB models.
Both will be shown next week at the CeBIT tradeshow in Hanover, Germany, and will begin shipping following the event through OCZ's global channel.
Patriot has announced the Wildfire series of 2.5” SSD drives equipped with the new SandForce SF-2200 controller. Wildfire drives have SATA-600 interface, provide read and write speeds of up to 500 MB/s, and are available in 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB capacities. A 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch bracket is included with the Patriot Wildfire for compatibility with standard 3.5" hard drive bays. No word on pricing was provided.
Intel launched today their Thunderbolt technology, formerly known as Light Peak. Thunderbolt is a high-speed optical cable technology that promises to provide a maximum transfer rate of 10 Gbps. Just to give you an idea, USB 3.0 provides a maximum transfer rate of 4.8 Gbps.
With Thunderbolt you can transfer a full-length Blu-Ray movie in less than 30 seconds. Another advantage of the Thunderbolt technology is the ability to run multiple protocols simultaneously over a single cable, enabling the technology to connect devices such as peripherals, workstations, displays, disk drives, docking stations, and more.
Apple is the first company to have products based on the Thunderbolt technology with the new MacBook Pro laptops.
MSI has officially launched their newest Big Bang motherboard, the Big Bang Marshall (B3), a product based on the fixed version of the Intel P67 chipset (B3 Stepping chipset).
This motherboard is a must-have for the high-end enthusiast. It comes with no less than eight PCI Express 2.0 slots (2x16, 2x8, 4x1), four DDR3 memory sockets (32 GB max of up to DDR3-2133 through overclocking), four SATA-600 ports, four SATA-300 ports, 12 USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, two eSATA ports, one Firewire port, and two Gigabit Ethernet ports.
The Big Bang Marshall (B3) uses a cooling solution based on an 8-mm heat-pipe that, according to MSI, is to date the thickest heatpipe used on a motherboard (usually motherboards use five-mm heat-pipes), which translates in a better cooling capability (56% improvement, according to the manufacturer).
It comes with a high-end regulator circuit with 24-phases and military-grade components. All electrolytic capacitors used on the voltage regulator circuit are SMD (surface mount device), also known as highly-conductive polymerized or simply Hi-c, and solid ferrite chokes, which MSI is promoting as “icy chokes” or “super ferrite chokes”. According to MSI these chokes work 20º C cooler than traditional chokes. Capacitors used outside the voltage regulator circuit are solid.
Like other motherboards from MSI, it has a function called “OC Genie”. When this button is pressed, the motherboard automatically overclocks the system (it must be pressed when the computer is turned off). MSI Big Bang Marshall (B3) features voltage monitoring points, where the extreme overclocker can install a multimeter to manually monitor the CPU, memory and chipset voltages.
It also comes with an overclocking panel called OC Dashboard. This dashboard is connected to the motherboard using two cables: a proprietary connection and a USB connection. Besides being able to control voltages and clocks, this panel can also monitor the CPU temperature and fan speed.
Like other motherboards from MSI, this product comes with an operating system stored inside the motherboard read-only memory that allows you to access the Internet without needing to load the operating system or even without having a hard disk drive installed. This feature is called Winki 3.
MIS did not reveal Big Bang Marshall (B3)’s pricing.
ECS has brought out to the market a motherboard with a built-in AMD APU, which can be a single-core E-240 or dual-core E-350 model. APUs or Accelerated Processing Units are processors that have a CPU, a GPU, and a north bridge (including a memory controller) in the same die.
The ECS HDC-I is a mini-ITX motherboard targeted to users building small form factor computers (SFF). As we’ve mentioned, this motherboard features an AMD E-350 APU (dual-core, 1.6 GHz) or an AMD E-240 APU (single-core, 1.5 GHz) with a Radeon HD 6310 integrated graphics engine, has two DDR3 DIMM memory sockets (up to 8 GB), one PCI Express x16 slot, one mini PCI Express slot, four SATA-600 ports, one eSATA port, six USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one Gigabit Ethernet port, Bluetooth, 8-channel audio, and VGA, HDMI and DVI video outputs.
Zalman has launched a new 135-mm fan for cases that can be installed in 120-mm mounting holes. Dubbed ZM-F4, this fan features a sleeve bearing, spins between 900 rpm and 1,300 rpm, produces a maximum noise level of 26 dBA, and has four anti-vibration silicone pins and a resistor cable for speed adjustment. Zalman did not say a word on pricing and availability.
MSI has expanded their Wind line-up with the launch of the Wind U160MX netbook, a product called the “dream machine” by the manufacturer.
The Wind U160MX uses an Intel Atom N455 processor (1.66 GHz), has a 10” LED screen (1024x600), DDR3-667 memory (2 GB max), SATA hard drive (250 GB or 320 GB), integrated video (Intel GMA 3150), a 2-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC), Fast Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a 0.3 Mpixel webcam, and 3-cell battery.
The “dream machine” also features TDE (Turbo Drive Engine) technology, which increase the CPU clock to boost the performance, and a power-saving function that extends the battery life up to 8.5 hours without charging.
Super Talent has just announced the CoreStore series of PCI Express SSD drives, which is available in two versions: CoreStore MV (mini PCIe card) and CoreStore MP (PCIe card). While the former is intended to embedded applications, industrial PCs, all-in-one PCs, netbook, and notebooks, the latter was designed for desktop PCs.
Both use a Marvell 88NV9143 controller and are available in MLC (multi-level cell) and SLC (single-level cell) versions, with capacities ranging from 16 GB to 128 GB. CoreStore drives equipped with MLC flash memory chips provide read and write speeds of up to 350 MB/s and 80 MB/s, respectively, while for SLC versions these numbers are 350 MB/s and 220 MB/s.
Super Talent did not provide information on pricing.
Exceleram has expanded their memory offering with the launch of the EP-Series, a DDR3 memory line-up that consists of three members, as you can see below.
EP3001A: a 2 GB module running at 1,333 MHz with 9-9-9-24 timings at 1.5 V
EP3002A: a 4 GB kit (2 x 2 GB) running at 1,333 MHz with 9-9-9-24 timings at 1.5 V
EP3003A: a 6 GB kit (3 x 2 GB) running at 1,333 MHz with 9-9-9-24 timings at 1.5 V
The 4 GB and 6 GB kits come equipped with the Rippler heatspreader.
Information on pricing and availability was not provided.
Transcend has announced the launch of the JetFlash 560, a USB 2.0 flash drive that features a capless design with a retractable USB connector and a silver-tone metallic case embellished with a classic checkerboard pattern. The JetFlash 560 is now available in 4 GB (USD 15), 8 GB (USD 21), and 16 GB (USD 41) capacities.
Sapphire is giving away three of their latest video cards to their Gold members (those who register an eligible Sapphire video card): Sapphire HD 6970, Sapphire HD 6870 VaporX or a Sapphire HD 6850. This promotion is open to residents of Australia, Canada, the Member States of the European Union, and the USA. It closes Monday, February 28, 2011 at 11:59PM EST.
How do you become a Sapphire Gold member? Simply register your Sapphire video card. There is no additional cost to upgrade your membership.
Sapphire Gold members also get access to free software, apps, games, gift cards and more.
