| CES 2012: ASUS Demos Motherboard for Xeon ”Sandy Bridge-EP“ CPUs |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 16, 2012 - 9:54 AM PST |
| Category: Motherboard |
| More Info: http://usa.asus.com/ |
ASUS was the only major motherboard manufacturer to not display motherboards based on the forthcoming Z77 and H77 chipsets from Intel. According to the company, the reason was that they don’t want other manufacturers copying them. Instead, they demonstrated a dual-socket motherboard for the future Xeon “Sandy Bridge-EP” processors, which will be based on the LGA2011 socket. They were demonstrating the eight-core/16-thread model, which we assume to be the unreleased Xeon E5-2600. You can see the pictures of this motherboard below. It will be called Z9PE-DBWS and will have two Gigabit Ethernet ports, four USB 3.0 ports, 14 SATA ports (the manufacturer didn’t say how many of them are SATA-600), seven PCI Express x16 slots, and eight memory sockets (four for each CPU). It will reach the market as soon as these new CPUs arrive on the market, and will be priced at around USD 500. 
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| CES 2012: MSI Showcases Intel Z77 Motherboard with Thunderbolt |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 16, 2012 - 9:47 AM PST |
| Category: Motherboard |
| More Info: http://us.msi.com/ |
MSI showcased two motherboards based on the forthcoming Intel Z77 chipset, which will be released together with the new “Ivy Bridge” processors from Intel. The main new feature for this chipset is the native support for USB 3.0 ports. PCI Express 3.0 is also supported if an “Ivy Bridge” CPU is installed. This new CPU still uses the socket 1155, so “older” CPUs can also be installed. The MSI Z77A-GD65 will feature four USB 3.0 ports, four SATA-600 ports, three PCI Express x16 slots, and four PCI Express x1 slots. 
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The Z77A-GD80 will feature a Thunderbolt port, which is an optical I/O connection developed by Intel. The prototype displayed didn’t have this port soldered on it yet, though. (It will be available below the VGA connector.) This motherboard will also feature four USB 3.0 ports, four SATA-600 ports, three PCI Express x16 slots, and four PCI Express x1 slots. 
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| CES 2012: Gigabyte Displays Intel Z77 Motherboards |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 15, 2012 - 10:53 AM PST |
| Category: Motherboard |
| More Info: http://www.gigabyte.com/ |
The Intel Z77 chipset will be released together with the new “Ivy Bridge” processors from Intel, and Gigabyte showed us four of the motherboards based on this new chipset that they will release as soon as Intel officially releases this new generation of CPUs. The main new feature for this chipset is the native support for USB 3.0 ports. PCI Express 3.0 is also supported if an “Ivy Bridge” CPU is installed. This new CPU still uses the socket 1155, so “older” CPUs can also be installed. For the enthusiast market, Gigabyte will offer the G1.Sniper 3. A few of the features include a Creative audio chip, a Killer networking chip, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, six SATA-600 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, two FireWire ports, four PCI Express x16 slots (x16/x8/x16/x8), two PCI Express x1 slots, and two BIOS chips. 
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The G1.Sniper M3 is going to be targeted to enthusiasts who want a high-end motherboard on the microATX form factor. This small motherboard will feature a Creative audio chip, four USB 3.0 ports, three SATA-600 ports, one eSATA-600 port, three PCI Express x16 slots (x16/x4/x8), and two BIOS chips. 
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The GA-Z77X-UD5H will feature a high-end audio codec, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, six USB 3.0 ports, two FireWire ports, one eSATA-600 port, five SATA-600 ports, an mSATA bay for SSDs using this form factor, three PCI Express x16 slots (x16/x8/x4), and two BIOS chips. 
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The GA-Z77X-UD3H will feature one Gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 3.0 ports, one eSATA-600 port, three SATA-600 ports, an mSATA bay for SSDs using this form factor, three PCI Express x16 slots (x16/x8/x4), and two BIOS chips. 
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Although not showcased at CES, we can easily assume that Gigabyte will also offer a “UD7” model using this new chipset.
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| CES 2012: New Cases from SilverStone |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 15, 2012 - 10:45 AM PST |
| Category: Case |
| More Info: http://www.silverstonetek.com/product_case.php?tno=7&area=en |
During this CES, SilverStone presented two new computer cases that the company will be releasing this year. The FT03-Mini, which will arrive on the market in March, is a smaller version of the FT03 that was released during the CES 2011. It features aluminum panels and a steel frame, and supports only Mini-ITX motherboards. Due to its reduced size, it only supports SFX12V power supplies. It also only supports slim optical drives, and has one internal 3.5” bay and two internal 2.5” bays. It comes with a 140 mm fan inside (SilverStone AP141 “Air Perpetrator”) installed at its bottom panel. In this computer case, the motherboard is installed with its rear panel facing up. 
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The GD08 is SilverStone’s next HTPC case, to be released this year. Its main feature is a removable hard drive cage with handles. The case comes with three 120 mm fans, and there is space for the installation of one 120 mm fan on the right side panel, one 120 mm fan on the left side of the bottom panel, and two 80 mm fans on the rear panel. It has two external 5.25” bays, eight internal 3.5” bays, and two internal 2.5” bays. Its front panel is made of aluminum, but the other panels are made of steel. 
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| CES 2012: New CPU Coolers from Deepcool |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 15, 2012 - 10:38 AM PST |
| Category: Cooling |
| More Info: http://www.deepcool-us.com/ProductList/CPU_Cooler/ |
Deepcool presented two new CPU coolers that they will launch next month, the Assassin and the Ice Wind Pro, and also a new release that is currently available, the Gamma Blade. The Assassin will have two heatsinks, two fans, eight U-shaped heatpipes positioned side-by-side, and a nickel-plated copper base. 
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The Ice Wind Pro has four U-shaped direct-touch heatpipes, and uses the traditional “tower” design with a 120 mm PWM fan. 
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The Gamma Blade is a low-profile CPU cooler painted totally in black, featuring a 120 mm fan. (Usually, low-profile CPU coolers use smaller fans.) 
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| CES 2012: Forthcoming CPU Coolers from Cooler Master |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 14, 2012 - 12:11 PM PST |
| Category: Cooling |
| More Info: http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/ |
Cooler Master also displayed its future CPU coolers during this CES. Let’s see what is coming from this manufacturer. The X6 Elite will have eight U-shaped heatpipes, a copper base, and aluminum fins. The base is slightly dislocated, meaning that it isn’t placed exactly at the center of the cooler. The fins have a honeycomb structure that work as air tunnels. This cooler will be released this year with a suggested price of around USD 50. 
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The TPC812 promises to provide high performance, thanks to its two vertical vapor chambers. Vapor chambers use a technology similar to heatpipes, but are flat instead of cylindrical. In fact, this is the first CPU cooler we’ve seen using this configuration. Additionally, the TPC812 will have eight U-shaped, nickel-plated heatpipes. The base is made of copper, while the fins are made of aluminum. Cooler Master was demonstrating the performance of this cooler against the Corsair H80, which is a liquid cooling solution, and both are achieving similar performance. (As a matter of fact, the TPC812 was two degrees Celsius cooler.) The TPC812 is expected to reach the market in the second quarter of this year with a suggested price of USD 70. 
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| CES 2012: New CPU Coolers from Zalman |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 14, 2012 - 12:05 PM PST |
| Category: Cooling |
| More Info: http://www.zalman.com/eng/main.asp |
Zalman showcased its forthcoming CPU coolers during the CES 2012. Let’s talk about each one of them. The CNPS20LQ will be a sealed liquid cooling solution, with a 120 mm fan and radiator. It supports new LGA2011 processors and will arrive on the market this February with a suggested price of USD 80. 
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The CNPS8900 Quiet is an air cooler targeted to slim and low-profile cases, featuring a 110 mm PWM fan and an all-copper spherical design with two direct-touch heatpipes. It will also be released next month, but Zalman didn’t comment on pricing. 
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The CNPS8900 Extreme is identical to the CNPS8900 Quiet, but uses a fan with LEDs. 
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| CES 2012: In Win Announces Aluminum Open-Frame Case |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 14, 2012 - 11:59 AM PST |
| Category: Case |
| More Info: http://www.in-win.com.tw/ |
In Win is going to release an aluminum open-frame case during this year: the XFRAME. It will measure 13 x 20.4 x 16.1 inches (325 x 518 x 408 mm), will support E-ATX, ATX, and microATX motherboards, and will have two 5.25” bays and six 3.5” bays (three on the front and three on the side of the unit). However, the company will only manufacture a very small quantity of this product. 
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| CES 2012: MSI Demos Desktop Video Card Enclosure for Laptops |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 13, 2012 - 8:38 AM PST |
| Category: Video |
| More Info: http://us.msi.com/ |
MSI is developing an external enclosure for installing a desktop video card on a laptop computer, using the Thunderbolt connection, dubbed GUS II. This product will allow laptop users to have a higher gaming performance, and also the possibility of having several video monitors connected to the portable. This enclosure allows you to install any desktop video card up to 150 W, with 75 W delivered through the PCI Express slot available inside the unit and 75 W delivered through a six-pin auxiliary power connector. The prototype allows the installation of video cards up to 7.9” (200 mm) in length, but this may change on the final product. MSI is still waiting for drivers for the product to become available, and also for more adoption of the Thunderbolt connection, which currently is only available on the Mac platform. 
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| CES 2012: OCZ Showcases the Fatal1ty 1,000 W PSU |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 13, 2012 - 8:36 AM PST |
| Category: Power |
| More Info: http://www.ocztechnology.com/ |
During the Computex 2011, OCZ displayed the Fatal1ty 1,000 W power supply and said that it would probably be available on the market last October, but so far this didn’t happen. Also, at the time, they said that this unit would have a “special feature” for its cables, which we could finally see: each wire has an individual nylon sleeve. See the pictures below. The OCZ Fatal1ty 1,000 W will be manufactured by High Power. 
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| CES 2012: AMD Launches Radeon HD 7000M Family |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 13, 2012 - 8:33 AM PST |
| Category: Video |
| More Info: http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/NOTEBOOK/GRAPHICS/7000M/Pages/radeon-70... |
During this CES, AMD launched a new family of graphics processors (GPUs) for laptops. This is the Radeon HD 7000M, which is comprised of three series: the Radeon HD 7400M, the Radeon HD 7500M, and the Radeon HD 7600M, targeted to the low-end, mid-range, and high-end markets, respectively. These new chips are still based on the “old” AMD graphics architecture, Terascale 2 (a.k.a. VLIW5), and not on the new architecture introduced with the Radeon HD 7970 desktop graphics chip (Graphics Core Next). A new family based on this architecture is expected to be launched later this year. In the figure below, you can see the main specifications for the three new series that were released. 
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| CES 2012: New CPU Coolers from Thermaltake |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 12, 2012 - 10:06 AM PST |
| Category: Cooling |
| More Info: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/ |
Thermaltake released several new CPU coolers during this CES. Let’s take a look at them. The Contac 39 is basically a Contac 30 from the same manufacturer with one additional 120 mm fan. It is a mainstream CPU cooler with three 8 mm U-shaped, direct-touch heatpipes and a thermal design power (TDP) of 180 W. The two fans also have PWM control (800 rpm to 2,000 rpm). 
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The Frio Advanced can dissipate up to 230 W and features five 6 mm U-shaped, direct-touch heatpipes and two 120 mm fans with PWM control (800 rpm to 2,000 rpm). 
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The Frio Extreme is a high-end CPU cooler, with a TDP of 250 W, featuring two heatsinks connected by six 6 mm U-shaped, direct-touch heatpipes and two 140 mm fans with PWM control (1,200 rpm to 1,800 rpm). It comes with a controller, with which you can switch between PWM speed control and manual speed control. 
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Thermaltake also released a new series of liquid cooling solution, the Water 2.0, which is comprised of three models: Performer, Pro and Extreme. They are sealed products, meaning the cooler comes pre-assembled and all you need to do is to install it, just like you would install a regular air cooler. The Performer and Pro feature a 120 mm fan. The main difference between the two is the size of the radiator. The Extreme model, on the other hand, has two 120 mm fans and a 240 mm radiator. 
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| CES 2012: Mushkin Displays Scorpion PCI-E Modular SSD |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 12, 2012 - 10:01 AM PST |
| Category: Storage |
| More Info: http://www.mushkin.com/ |
Mushkin displayed a modular PCI Express SSD unit, called Scorpion. Instead of having the flash memory chips soldered to the printed circuit board, this device has sockets where you install SSD modules. Each module has its own SandForce 2281 controller and operates independently of each other. A proprietary RAID chip is also available, accessing each module independently, with no multiplexing. Mushkin is still studying if they will sell the product with the modules already installed, or if they will offer the product unpopulated, so users can buy the number of SSD modules they want to have available. The Scorpion uses a PCI Express x4 connection, which the manufacturer expects to have ready for market in late March. 
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| CES 2012: FSP Talks about Forthcoming PSUs |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 12, 2012 - 9:50 AM PST |
| Category: Power |
| More Info: http://www.fspgroupusa.com/ |
In our quick talk to FSP during this CES, they updated us on their coming power supplies. Around March, they will update their Aurum power supply series with the release of the Aurum Pro models. These models will have the 80 Plus Gold certification and modular cabling system, and will be available in 850 W, 1,000 W, and 1,200 W versions. On the mainstream arena, they will debut the Raider series in late March or early April. This series will be comprised of models between 450 W and 650 W with the 80 Plus Bronze certification and no modular cabling.
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| CES 2012: Crucial Announces Adrenaline Solid State Cache |
| Author: Gabriel Torres |
Date: January 12, 2012 - 6:19 AM PST |
| Category: Storage |
| More Info: http://www.crucial.com/company/media/releases/pressrelease.aspx?id=812... |
Crucial announced the Adrenaline “solid state cache.” A solid state cache is an SSD designed to present a hassle-free upgrade for users who want to increase the performance of their computers but don’t want to install an SSD from scratch. That typically involves copying all the contents from a hard drive to the SSD or, if the contents don’t fit, reinstalling the OS and programs on the SSD. Installing a “solid state cache” is very simple, as you only need to install the device on any available SATA port of the computer and install a program that monitors which programs you use the most. The program will automatically copy these programs to the SSD, increasing the computer performance. The Adrenaline Solid State Cache is a 64 GB SSD with about 50 GB of available space. (The other 14 GB is reserved for TRIM and garbage collection, which are maintenance features.) The manufacturer couldn’t comment on pricing and availability. 
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