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AMD Technology Helps Bring “Predators” to Life on the Big Screen

KristoferB — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:28:46 +0000

Hmm… I didn’t know that AMD hardware was used to make Predators, or a lot of other films..

-AMD announced that Troublemaker Studios utilized Six-Core AMD Opteron processors and ATI FirePro graphics accelerators to create animations and special effects for the new film “Predators,” now in theaters. Produced and executive directed by acclaimed film maker, Robert Rodriquez, Predators stars Academy Award winning actor Adrien Brody in a tale about a group of elite warriors who come to realize they’ve been brought together on an alien planet…as prey.

With a long history in the movie making industry, Troublemaker Studios is using AMD technology to push the envelope of digital movie making and special effects in several blockbuster films.

In addition to “Predators”, Rodriguez has looked to AMD technology to create six of his movies, including “Shorts,” “Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams,” “Spy Kids 3D: Game Over,” “Planet Terror,” and “Sin City.”

Rodriguez’s next film, “Machete,” is currently in production employing AMD technology as the movie’s digital hardware backbone, and is expected to be released on September 3, 2010.

“Robert Rodriguez is a director that works like a live musician. He creates spontaneously in the moment,” said Charlie Boswell, director of Digital Media and Entertainment at AMD. “His choice of technology and technology partnerships demands that the director’s vision is supported without compromise or delays. The creative team at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios use workstations based upon AMD’s superior ATI FirePro V8800 graphics solutions and Six-Core AMD Opteron processors which enable the digital artist to create and iterate at the speed of thought.”

“With the AMD platforms, my creative team has the freedom to quickly design and animate all the required concepts and designs,” said Robert Rodriguez, Troublemaker Studios. “AMD’s complete platform solution helps turn our visions into reality – we can easily and quickly manipulate images or scenes without the wait process previously associated with computer technology.”

Supporting Resources

Additional detail on ATI FirePro can be found at http://www.amd.com/firepro
AMD Opteron processor details
To receive regular updates on ATI FirePro or AMD Opteron, please follow us on Twitter @AMDOpteron and @ATIFirePro.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and technology partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

Maingear Debuts Vybe Gaming PC with Phenom II X6

KristoferB — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:34:19 +0000

MAINGEAR Computers debuts the VYBE Limited Edition. VYBE leverages AMD’s latest Phenom II X6 CPU to provide intelligent, powerful computing performance at an affordable price. VYBE users can now embrace AMD’s Turbo Core technology that dynamically transfers performance to three dedicated cores operating at a higher frequency. These three turbocharged cores automatically give you the extra speed you need for intense gaming sessions or advanced content creation tasks.

Another nice feature of the 6-core Phenom II is AMD’s OverDrive software, an all-in-one performance tuning utility that includes hardware monitoring and fan control capabilities. The latest VYBE also incorporates ATI Radeon 5000 series graphcs with DirectX11, and the AMD 890GX chipset featuring SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0. Customers who purchase the VYBE featuring the AMD Phenom II X6 and select ATI Radeon graphics will also receive a complimentary copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

please visit www.maingear.com

AMD Delivers up to Double the Performance Capability with New ATI FirePro Professional Graphics

KristoferB — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:21:28 +0000

Following the launch of the ATI FirePro™ V8800, the industry’s most powerful professional graphics card ever created³, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today introduced new additions to its next-generation ATI FirePro™ family – ATI FirePro™ V7800, ATI FirePro™ V5800, ATI FirePro™ V4800, and ATI FirePro™ V3800 – offering professionals in the digital content creation (DCC) and Computer Aided Design (CAD) industries advanced performance and features at every price point. AMD also announced the ATI FirePro™ 2460 Multi-View, a low profile, quad display graphics solution designed for financial institutions. These latest ATI FirePro solutions are expected to be available from HP, CDW, Newegg, Tiger Direct and other online retailers.

“HP recently expanded its workstation lineup to provide customers with an option for every need. Combined with our powerful HP Workstations, this new generation of ATI FirePro graphics cards delivers exceptional solutions that enable higher productivity levels for our customers at every stage of the game.”

“AMD’s new ATI FirePro workstation graphics cards are the world’s first workstation class graphics cards to support up to four monitors on a single card⁴ – enabling increased productivity for professional graphics users,” said Janet Matsuda, senior director, Professional Graphics, AMD. “Our new ATI FirePro family delivers new value at every price point.”

“HP’s workstation customers are professionals at the top of their games who demand the latest technologies with the best possible performance,” said Jeff Wood, director, Worldwide Marketing, Workstations, HP. “HP recently expanded its workstation lineup to provide customers with an option for every need. Combined with our powerful HP Workstations, this new generation of ATI FirePro graphics cards delivers exceptional solutions that enable higher productivity levels for our customers at every stage of the game.”

The next generation of the ATI FirePro family of professional graphics cards is designed to meet the specific needs of each market segment. The cards have been tested in real-world scenarios to help ensure compatibility and stability for certification with many leading software applications. Each card supports Microsoft^® DirectX^®11, OpenGL^® 4.0 and OpenCL™ along with ATI Eyefinity technology – providing professionals with the ability to expand their display resolution for increased productivity.⁴

High-end: With 2GB of GDDR5 memory, the ATI FirePro V7800 offers superior performance capabilities¹ and visual quality in a compact single slot form factor. Its massively parallel architecture can handle computationally or visually demanding applications without negatively impacting performance. With ATI Eyefinity technology, professionals can drive up to three independent 30” displays at one time.
Mid-range: The ATI FirePro V5800 is a true workhorse and offers professionals the perfect balance of price and performance. Featuring 1 GB of GDDR5 memory, and support for up to three independent displays through ATI Eyefinity technology, the ATI FirePro V5800 delivers more than double the performance capability of the previous generation.⁵
Entry-level: The ATI FirePro V4800 features 1GB of GDD5 memory and delivers 1.25X the performance capability compared to the previous generation,⁶ with outstanding results for entry-level CAD users, all at value level pricing. With 512 MB of DDR3 memory and a 30-bit display pipeline⁷ that offers accurate color reproduction and exceptional visual quality, the ATI FirePro V3800 brings dramatic performance and up to three display support through ATI Eyefinity technology to entry-level 3D graphics professionals.

The ATI FirePro 2460 Multi-View is a low profile, quad display graphics solution designed to improve the visual experience for financial traders while simultaneously helping to reduce power and cooling costs for some of the world’s largest financial institutions. With an average board power consumption of 13W, ATI FirePro 2460 is designed to meet the performance and productivity requirements of enterprise environments without increasing the power consumption needs of users while offering the capability to support multi-monitor ATI Eyefinity technology.

Resources

YouTube: ATI Eyefinity technology for DCC workflows
Certification page: ATI FirePro graphics have received more than 90 application certifications
At Work Blog: AMD Changing the Game in Professional Graphics
More information: ATI FirePro professional graphics
Twitter: Follow AMD professional graphics updates @ATIFirePro
Facebook: Become a fan of AMD technology on Facebook
Photos

About AMD

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, ATI, the ATI logo, FirePro, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista, and DirectX are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

OpenCL and the OpenCL logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. used by permission by Khronos.

¹ Based on comparison of ATI FirePro™ V7800 with 2.72 Single Precision Performance (TFLOPs) compared to ATI FirePro™ V7750 with 1.2 Single Precision Performance (TFLOPs).

² OpenCL compliant driver and SDK release scheduled for later in 2010.

³ Based on comparison of 1600 stream processors and 147.2GB/s memory bandwidth for ATI FirePro™ V8800 vs. 240 CUDA processors and 102GB/s for NVIDIA QuadroFX 5800, as reported on http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_11761.htm. As of 3/1/2010 ATI FirePro™ V8800 has the highest number of stream processors of any graphics card.

⁴ ATI Eyefinity technology can support multiple displays using a single enabled ATI FirePro™ professional graphics card; the number of supported displays varies by card model. Microsoft® Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, or Linux® is required in order to support more than 2 displays. Depending on the card model, native DisplayPort™ connectors and/or certified DisplayPort™ active or passive adapters to convert your monitor’s native input to your card’s DisplayPort™ or Mini-DisplayPort™ connector(s) may be required. See www.amd.com/firepro for details.

⁵ Based on comparison of ATI FirePro™ V5800 with 800 stream processors to ATI FirePro™ V5700 with 320 stream processors.

⁶ Based on comparison of ATI FirePro™ V4800 with 400 stream processors to ATI FirePro™ V3750 with 320 stream processors.

⁷ 30-bit monitor required for full 30-bit display (10-bit per RGB component). ATI FirePro™ 3D graphics card can display over one billion colors when attached to 30-bit displays.

News and Reviews for 12-8-09

KristoferB — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:09:12 +0000

It’s that time again, for lots of news from our friends!

PC Cases:

Cooler Master Gladiator 600 Case Review @ Bigbruin.com

Thermaltake Element V VL20001W2Z Case Review @ Motherboards.org

NZXT Panzerbox Review @ XSReviews

Lian Li PC-B25FB KingMod Edition @ techPowerUp

NZXT Beta EVO Black Mid-Tower Case @ Rbmods

Thermaltake WingRS 301 Mid tower Case Review @ XtremeComputing

Raidmax SKYLINE Mid-Tower Case – BCCHardware

CPUs, and Cooling Related Stuffs:

Cooler Master NotePal X2 Laptop Cooler @ Benchmark Reviews

Silverstone NT06 Evolution @ High Tech Reviews

Antec Notebook Cooler 200 Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Thermaltake Massive23 ST Notebook Cooler Review @ BayReviews.com

Thermaltake ISGC-400 CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews

Noctua NF-P14 FLX 14cm Fans @ BCCHardware

Noctua NF-P14 FLX 140mm Fans @ DragonSteelMods

iXBT Labs Review: How CPU Features Affect CPU Performance, Part 6

Rosewill RNA-7700 Silent 220mm Notebook Cooling Stand @ Legit Reviews

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Thermaltake Contac 29

Coolink LapChilla Notebook Cooler Review @ [OC]ModShop

NZXT Sentry 2 Fan Controller Review @ Vortez.co.uk

The Cheapest Quad-Core Processors – AMD Athlon II X4 630 & 620 @ HardwareZone

Ram, Memory, Flash, Storage:

The State of Solid State – Chapter II @ TweakTown

A-DATA Xtreme PC3-16000 4GB Dual-Channel Memory Kit @ TweakTown

Areca ARC-1680X PCIe Eight-Channel External SATA/SAS RAID Controller @ TweakTown

OCZ Platinum DDR3-1333 4GB Low Voltage Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ ThinkComputers.org

SD Performance: Marvell SATA-6G vs Intel ICH10 @ Benchmark Reviews

Verbatim Insight 500GB Portable Hard Drive Review @ [OC]ModShop

Thermaltake Vi-On HDD Enclosure Review @ Hardware Secrets

Corsair Flash Voyager GT 32GB @ Phoronix

Assorted Stuffs:

Google’s Real Time Search @ t-break

News: Bjorn3D.com Holiday Guide

Futurelooks Holiday 2009 – Gift Guide for Fighting Game Fans

Win a Copy of Nero 9 Reloaded! @ Techgage

Small Wonder: Zotac’s HD-ND01 Nettop Review @ HotHardware.com

iPhone Price Plans – Choosing the Right Fit *Updated* @ HardwareZone

Giada Slim-N10 NVIDIA Ion Nettop – Extremely Small and Stylish @ TweakTown

Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 15.6-inch 3D Notebook @ TweakTown

Four Christmases Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

ColcaSac Macbook Pro Notebook Case Sleeve @ Legit Reviews

HotHardware and TechVi Video Podcast No. 5 @ HotHardware.com

Audio and Related:

Qstik EVOQ Bluetooth DSP Headset Review @ MobilityDigest

ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.3 Slim HDMI Audio Card @ Legit Reviews

BOSS TU-88 Audio Tuner and Timer Review @ TechwareLabs

Creative Aurvana Air @ t-break

Motherboards:

Gigabyte P55A-UD6 Sata 3 & USB 3.0 Motherboard @ Bjorn3D

MSI 785GM-E65 Motherboard Review @ t-break

MSI X58M Motherboard @ Rbmods

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Performance on the ASUS P7P55D-E Premium Motherboard @ Legit Reviews

Gaming, Games and Game Related:

Revoltec Mouse W101 Review on Technic3D

Win a copy of Colin McRae: DiRT 2 for the PC @ Elite Bastards

Dragon Age: Origins Review (PC, PS3, 360) @ [OC]ModShop

Seventeam ST-650P-AF Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Proporta Turbo Charger 3400 Review @ XSReviews

Thermaltake Toughpower XT 750W Power Supply Review @ TechwareLabs

Video and Video cards:

HIS Radeon HD 5850 1GB video card review @ Elite Bastards

Samsung SC-MX20E Digital Camcorder Review @ ThinkComputers.org

XFX Radeon HD 5850 Black Edition Video Review @ Motherboards.org

SAPPHIRE Vapor-X HD5750 @ InsideHW

I4U News published a review of the XFX Radeon HD 5870 Video Card

Thermaltake Element G @ LanOC Reviews

A Futurelooks News Flash – Archerfish SmartBox and Camera Surveillance Kit Review

ATI Radeon HD 5770 CrossFireX Performance @ Techgage

iXBT Labs Review: i3DSpeed, November 2009

Head to Head – GTX 295 VS ATI RADEON HD 5970 @ Motherboards.org

XFX Radeon HD 5850 Black Edition Review @ Motherboards.org

News and Reviews for 12-4-09

KristoferB — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:01:55 +0000

Happy Friday to you! We’ve got a ton of news so let’s just jump right on in..

Gaming and Games:

Dirt 2 CPU benchmarks with DirectX 9 and DirectX 11: Phenom doing well, quad-cores rule @ PCGamesHardware

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (PC) review @ Elite Bastards

Mionix Saiph 1800 Mouse Review @ High Tech Reviews

Need for Speed: Shift Patch 2 accelerates Radeon graphics cards @ PCGamesHardware

ROCCAT Sota Gaming Mouse Mat Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Roccat Kova Mouse @ Rbmods

DiRT2 DirectX 11 ATI Radeon HD 5000 Series Comparison @ TweakTown

CPUs, and Cooling:

iXBT Labs Review: Intel Xeon 3450 Processor

A Futurelooks News Flash – Thermaltake SpinQ Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review

AMD Athlon II X2 240e & X3 435 @ Techgage

Cooler Master Hyper N620 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

Xigmatek Thor’s Hammer CPU Cooler/Heatsink Review @ Tweaknews

Apack ZEROtherm Core92 CPU Cooler Review on Technic3D

Choiix Air-Through Notebook/Laptop Cooler Review @ TechwareLabs

Noctua NH-D14 140mm CPU Cooler @ TweakTown

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Titan Fenrir Christmas Edition Heatsink Review @ High Tech Reviews

Titan Fenrir & Skalli CPU Coolers Review @ Hardware Canucks

Enermax Twister Series Fan Review Roundup @ Vortez.co.uk

VIZO Ninja HS @ LanOC Reviews

EnerMax Aeolus Laptop Cooler Review @ TechwareLabs

Win a CoolIT Systems Domino A.L.C. CPU Cooler in the Bigbruin.com NFL Pool

GELID Tranquillo CPU Cooler @ TweakTown

Storage Related, Memory, Flash etc:

A-DATA SH93 Rugged Portable Hard Drive Review @ techSpot

iStorage Pro iT8SAE 8-bay SAS / SATA Expander @ TweakTown

Seagate Barracuda XT SATA-6G Hard Drive @ Benchmark Reviews

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Kingston SSDNow V+ 64GB

Gigabyte 333 Event – Details about SATA 6G and USB 3.0 @ Madshrimps

Seagate FreeAgent Go 1TB USB Hard Drive Review @ Bigbruin.com

Intel X25-M G2 34nm Firmware 2CV102HD Quick Test @ Madshrimps

Simpletech by Hitachi SimpleTOUGH 500GB USB 2.0 External Enclosure @ TweakTown

Spire Slide Pro @ techPowerUp

Thecus N0503 Combo NAS Review @ Tweaknews

Assorted Stuffs:

TweakTown Holiday Buyers Guide 2009

TR’s Christmas 2009 system guide

Public Enemies Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 Review @ HotHardware.com

Linux Firewall Part 5: The GUI Interface @ [OC]ModShop

How To: Change the Windows 7 Logon Screen @ [OC]ModShop

Intel Unveils 48-Core Single-Chip Cloud Computer @ HotHardware

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS @ InsideHW

Nokia E75 Mobile Phone Review @ BayReviews.com

Beginners Guides: 99 Performance Tips and Tweaks for Windows Vista @ PCSTATS.com

Home Printer Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Printer for Your Needs @ Digital Trends

The Death of Free: Will Free Online Content Like Hulu Ever Dry Up? @ Digital Trends

I4U News published a review of the new Acer Aspire AS5738PG-6306 Touchscreen Notebook

Why Wait for Chrome OS? Our Review of iCloud, the "Free Online Computer" @ RealXtreme.net

The iPhone becomes a victim of its own popularity @ TweakTown

Experts Say Blu-ray Players are Here to Stay @ Digital Trends

War on Warranties: Are Extended Warranties Worth It? @ Digital Trends

Olympus E-600 Review @ Digital Trends

BlackBerry Bold 9700 Review @ Digital Trends

Speedlink Gravity Blaster Review @ XSReviews

Samsung X420 Notebook – X and Why @ HardwareZone

A HardwareZone Special: PlayTest November 2009

Fujitsu’s Winter Launch of Tiny Notebooks and More @ HardwareZone

Audio Technica ATH-ON300 Headphones @ HardwareZone

Video Cards and Video Stuffs:

GIGABYTE 275GTX Super Overclock @ Bjorn3D

ATI HD 5770 Review @ XSReviews

TRENDnet TV-M7 7-Inch Wireless IP Camera Monitor @ TweakTown

GIGABYTE Radeon HD 5970 2GB Video Card @ TweakTown

Xigmatek Bifrost VD1065 Video Card Cooler @ Benchmark Reviews

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Thermalright 4890/4870 VRM R1

nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ Hardware Secrets

SDC Megtron LC-Display @ techPowerUp

Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 Vapor-X Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews

Patriot Box Office HD Media Player Firmware P02 Update @ Legit Reviews

Galaxy GeForce GTX 260+ Razor Edition @ hardwareZone

Motherboards:

iXBT Labs Review: Intel DP55WG "Warrensburg" Motherboard

ECS A785GM-M @ Planted3dNow

iXBT Labs Review: ASRock P55M Pro Motherboard

Overclocking with MSI Afterburner @ Bjorn3D

ASUS P7P55D Evo Intel P55 Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Cases / Chassis:

Thermaltake Element G Gaming Case Review @ Legit Reviews

Antec Nine Hundred Two Mid Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

AZZA Solano 1000R Case Review @ TopReviewShop

SilverStone SUGO SG04-FH Case Review @ Motherboards.org

Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower Case Review @ PCSTATS.com

Cooler Master HAF 922 Midi-Tower @ Technic3d

Case In Point: Searching For the Perfect Mid-Tower @ HotHardware.com

NZXT Beta Review @ XSReviews

Silverstone Temjin TJ10B: Water Cooled with Silence @ Bjorn3D

NZXT LEXA-S Computer Chassis @ Benchmark Reviews

NZXT Lexa S Review at Overclockers Online

Thermaltake Element G Mid-Tower Case Review @ High Tech Reviews

Power Supplies:

Topower Tiger Series 1200W PSU @ Bjorn3D

Thermaltake Evo Blue 650Watt Power Supply Review @ Ninjalane

Amacrox Free Style 650 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

FSP NB S90 Universal Notebook Adapter @ LaNOC Reviews

AMD and SiSoftware Collaborate on Development of an Industry Benchmark Suite for OpenCL

KristoferB — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:53:26 +0000

Amd today announced its involvement in the development of one of the first industry benchmark testing suites for OpenCL™. Released by SiSoftware, the OpenCL GPGPU benchmark suite is part of SiSoftware Sandra 2010, the latest version of the award-winning utility first introduced in 1997. The benchmark suite includes remote analysis, benchmarking and diagnostic features for PCs, servers, mobile devices and networks, and can be used to test OpenCL performance on ATI Stream technology.

Why:

Heavy computational workloads have traditionally been processed on a CPU but the industry is shifting to a new computing paradigm that relies more on the GPU or a combination of GPU and CPU. OpenCL is the widely adopted industry standard for running parallel tasks on CPUs and GPUs using the same code. As the only hardware provider in the industry designing and delivering both high-performance CPU and GPU technologies, AMD is the only company providing a complete OpenCL development platform for the entire system.

Who:

The developer community, ISVs and OEMs have been looking for a way to measure OpenCL-based system performance. The OpenCL benchmark suite from SiSoftware is a first step in giving the industry the tools it needs to accurately measure and assess system performance in order to make decisions with confidence.

Benefits:

To test performance the SiSoftware OpenCL GPGPU benchmark suite runs computationally intense algorithms like the Mandelbrot set. Working with SiSoftware, AMD has optimized the performance of the OpenCL benchmarks for its GPU implementations, and for some problems has demonstrated significant performance advantages using AMD’s ATI Stream Software Development Kit (SDK) for OpenCL. When compared to NVIDIA’s CUDA running on its GeForce GTX 295 featuring two GPUs, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 graphics card with one GPU delivers up to 2.7 times faster performance on certain benchmark tests. For the "native float shader" results, the ATI Radeon 5870 posted a score of 1820 megapixels per second, compared to the GTX 295 at 680 megapixels per second¹. AMD and SiSoftware are currently collaborating on measurement for AMD’s entire platform, including x86 CPUs.

Resources:

For more information about the OpenCL GPGPU benchmark from SiSoftware visit the SiSoftware Sandra 2010 website.

Follow ATI Stream updates on Twitter at @ATIStream

More information about ATI Stream technology

About AMD

News and Reviews for 11-28-09

KristoferB — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving weekend!! Hope you’re all out there having fun shopping!

Video Cards, Video Related:

Hardware Bistro has just posted latest review on Galaxy GeForce GT240 D5

HIS Radeon HD 5750 iCooler IV 1 GB @ techPowerUp

Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 1GB Vapor-X Video Card @ TweakTown

Sapphire HD 5970 OC @ Bjorn3D

NVIDIA GeForce GT 240 Video Card Round-Up @ TweakTown

Sapphire Radeon HD 5970 2GB Overclock Edition review @ Elite Bastards

Eviant Digital TV Review @ TechwareLabs

CPUs, Cooling etc:

Evercool HPK-10025EA Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaknews

Zalman CNPS9900 NT CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

AeroCool Touch 1000 LCD Controller and Panel Review @ ThinkComputers.org

A Futurelooks News Flash – Choiix Air-Through Stash (C-HL04) Notebook Cooling Pad Review

8 Way Thermal Interface Material Roundup @ Rbmods

Choixx Mini Air Review @ XSReviews

Intel Core i7 960 versus 975 Extreme CPU Review on Technic3D

Ram, Memory, Flash, Storage Related etc:

Patriot Viper-II DDR3 Lynnfield Memory Kit @ Benchmark Reviews

ICY DOCK MB664US-1S 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosure Review on Technic3D

Kingston HyperX DDR3-2000 CL8 KHX2000C8D3T1K3/6GX 6GB Memory Kit @ TweakTown

OCZ Agility EX 60GB SSD Review @ Hardware Canucks

Corsair 32GB Flash Voyager GT Review @ Virtual-Hideout

G.Skill Falcon II 64GB 2.5-inch Solid State Disk @ Tweaktown

Power Supplies:

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Xilence SPS-XP600.XQ 600 Watt

Nexus RX-8500 850 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

FSP NB S90 90-Watt AC notebook adapter with switchable voltage @ DragonSteelMods

Motherboards:

ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AMD 785G Chipset Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com

Gigabyte P55A-UD4P @ Techgage

Asus HD 5970 Voltage Tweak Edition @ Bjorn3D

ASRock P55 Deluxe Intel P55 Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

ASRock M3A785GXH/128M AMD Socket AM3 DDR3 Motherboard Review @ OCInside

Assorted Stuffs:

Funny People Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

10 Tech Trends We’re Thankful For (and 5 We’re Not) @ RealXtreme.net

Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery 4.0 Software Review @ BayReviews.com

Asus UL80Vt Thin-And-Light Notebook Review @ HotHardware.com

How to Change the Logon Screen Wallpaper on Windows 7 @ TechSpot

Energy Sistem URC 3100 Review @ XSReviews

NZXT Beta Evo Mid Tower Black Steel Computer Case @ Legit Reviews

Samsung XL 2370 Monitor Review at CCER

Samsung WB550 Wide-Angle Digital Camera Review @ Modsynergy.com

Gaming Related, Games etc:

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Novint Falcon

PC Games Hardware interviewed Rick Brickley, Senior Producer of Aliens vs. Predator

AMD vs. NVIDIA – Are they even playing the same game? @ TweakTown

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 PC Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Revoltec Multimedia K101 Keyboard Review on Technic3D

Stuffs from HardwareZone:

LG GD910 Watch Phone

Sitex 2009 – Show Floor Coverage

iRiver Story E-book Reader

Sitex 2009 Preview – Updated!

Lenovo IdeaCentre Q110 – Ion Inside!

News and Reviews for 11-21-09

KristoferB — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:23:06 +0000

Happy Saturday to you, We’ve got news and lots of it:

PC Cases:

NZXT M59 Mid-Tower Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews

Thermaltake SD100 mini ITX Home Theater Chassis @ Legit Reviews

SilverStone SG04B-H Computer Case Review @ TechwareLabs

CoolerMaster Sileo 500 Case Review @ Ninjalane

inWin Maelstrom Case @ Technic3d

Cooler Master CM Storm Scout Case @ Technic3d

CPUS, Cooling Related etc:

Cooler Master SNA95 Slim Universal Notebook Adapter Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Amd Athlon 2 X3 435 CPU @ Rbmods

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Alpenföhn Gletscherspalte

Antec Notebook Cooler 200 @ Benchmark Reviews

Ram, Memory, Storage:

Seagate Barracuda XT 2 TB Hard Disk Drive Review @ Hardware Secrets

Elixir 6 GB 1600 MHz CL9 Tri-Channel @ techPowerUp

Western Digital WD TV Media Player Review @ Bigbruin.com

OCZ Agility 60GB SSD (SLC) @ Bjorn3D

A-DATA SH93 Waterproof and Shock Resistant Portable HDD Video Review @TweakTown

Patriot Box Office HD Media Player Review @ Legit Reviews

AXUS FiT 500E Five-Bay RAID DAS Server @ TweakTown

QNAP TS-419P NAS 4-Bay Network Storage @ Benchmark Reviews

Thermaltake BlacX Duet eSATA/USB Docking Station Review @ BayReviews.com

A Futurelooks News Flash – Kingston HyperX 4GB 2133MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit Review

Sapphire 950w/1250w Pure PSU Unboxing Videos @ Motherboards.org

Bose Wave SoundLink Music System Review @ Digital Trends

Thecus N0503 ComboNAS Review @ High Tech Reviews

ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA1156 Motherboard Review @ Hardware Canucks

Keyboards, Mice, Gaming Etc:

efo Wireless Keyboard @ Hardware Bistro

Razer Sphex Gaming Mousepad Review @ [OC]ModShop

ZOWIE GEAR G-TF Mousepad @ BCCHardware

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 PC Review @ LGR Nexus

Review: Forza Motorsport 3 @ Xbox360Digest

Review: Left 4 Dead 2 @ Xbox360Digest

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 @ Techgage

Modern Warfare 2 Walkthrough and Guide @ [OC]ModShop

Logitech Harmony 700 review @ UKGamer

Nintendo Wii Fit Plus Review @ Hardware Secrets

Assorted Stuffs:

WindowBlinds 7 Review @ [OC]ModShop

Gone With The Wind 70th Anniversary Edition DVD Review @ Ascully.com

Google Chrome OS hands-on (Dev Build November 20, 2009) @ TweakTown

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Asus Sabertooth 55i TUF P55 Motherboard

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: ASUS HP-100U Dolby Headphone Set.

Unearth Region-Specific Windows 7 Themes @ TechSpot

Ultra X4 500 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

HTC Hero @ InsideHW

AeroCool V12XT-800 power-supply review @planet3dnow.de

HP DM3 Laptop/Netbook @ TechwareLabs

ASUS P7P55D Pro @ Techgage

Sharkoon Rush Power 600W power-supply review @planet3dnow.de

Lovely Charts @ BusinessComputingWorld

Gigabyte G41M-ES2L Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P Mainboard Review on Technic3D

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 Review @ Digital Trends

Samsung SyncMaster LD190G 19-inch Lapfit USB LCD Monitor Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Nokia N97 mini @ HardwareZone

Video Cards and Related:

ATI Catalyst 9.11 Windows 7 Driver Analysis @ TweakTown

Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 5970 2 GB Video Card Unboxing! @ Motherboards.org

Leadtek GT 220 @ Bjorn3D

Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 Review @ XSReviews

ATI Radeon HD 5970 2GB in CrossFireX @ TweakTown

NVIDIA Pushes 3D Vision Outside the Gaming Box @ TweakTown

nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ Hardware Secrets

AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table @ Hardware Secrets

Mushkin ATI 4850 512Mb UltimateFX Video Card @ hardwareslave.com

Palit GeForce GT 240 Sonic 1 GB @ techPowerUp

AMD’s Radeon HD 5970 graphics card @ TechReport

TrustedReviews Article Bulletin: AMD ATI Radeon HD 5970

AMD Introduces ATI Radeon HD 5970: Fastest Graphics Card in the World

KristoferB — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:01:08 +0000

AMD today announced the flagship installment in the award-winning line of graphics cards, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970, the fastest card ever created.¹The new ultra high-end model joins a growing list of the world’s first and only graphics cards to fully support Microsoft DirectX^® 11 technology and ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology.

Designed to support the most demanding PC games at ultra-high resolutions and image quality settings, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 has unlocked overclocking potential, granting access to every bit of power the card has to offer through ATI Overdrive™ technology.² Now shipping from retailers and available in the channel, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 also launches today in new Alienware Area-51, Area-51 ALX and Aurora desktop PCs.

Record-breaking overclocking capabilities take Dragon Platform technology to the forefront for users that demand the utmost control in performance tuning. The unrivaled overclocking capabilities of the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 are enabled by the unique design of the card, which features advanced fan and vapor chamber technologies and a fully vented exhaust to keep the card cool and ensure overclocking headroom using ATI Overdrive™ technology.² The formidable combination of AMD Phenom II processors, AMD 7-Series chipsets, and ATI Radeon HD graphics deliver comprehensive tuning, immersive entertainment, and outstanding value.

Enthusiasts can expand their field of view, ATI Radeon™ HD 5970, driving up to three displays at once, delivering an unmatched maximum resolution of 7680×1600 and creating an unparalleled game play experience.³ For the first time ever, ATI CrossFireX™ technology leverages the power of multiple graphics processors to deliver even more game performance in 20 of today’s popular titles when using ATI Eyefinity technology, with more to come.

The ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 graphics card delivers nearly 5 TeraFLOPS of compute power, ensuring superior performance in the latest DirectX^®11 games, as well as in previous versions of DirectX^® and OpenGL titles. With the world’s most powerful graphics core built on 40nm process technology harnessing up to 3,200 stream processors, gamers can enjoy DirectX^® 11 games now, such as EA Phenomic’s BattleForge™ and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:Call of Pripyat from GSC Game World, with many more titles on the way, including:

Battlefield Bad Company 2 from EA DICE
DiRT™ 2 from Codemasters, arriving December 1, 2009,
Aliens vs. Predator™ from Rebellion,
Update to The Lord of the Rings Online™ from Turbine,
Update to Dungeons and Dragons Online® Eberron Unlimited™ from Turbine.

New features and functionality of ATI Stream technology allow users to harness the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 graphics card to enhance their computing experience, helping to improve the performance of enabled media, entertainment and productivity applications.⁴ ATI Stream technology and the HD 5970 support both Direct Compute 11 and OpenCL industry standards for application acceleration.

Delivering full-fledged performance when needed, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 also leads in power efficiency by automatically powering down unused GPU resources when not in use, resulting in idle desktop power consumption as low as 42 watts.⁵

The ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 is supported by a wide range of add-in-board companies, including ASK, Asus, Club 3D, Diamond, Gigabyte, High Tech, MSI, Sapphire, Tul/Power Color, Visiontek and XFX.

To celebrate the launch of the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 and to conclude a series of contests created to celebrate AMD’s 40^th anniversary year, AMD is announcing the third and final contest designed to give back to AMD fans and supporters. Starting today, fans of AMD on Facebook will be able to enter to win one of 10 Microsoft Xbox 360s or one of 10 Wiis from Nintendo. One gaming system will be given away every weekday for four weeks. Full contest rules and details available online: www.amd.com/40years

“With the arrival of the ATI Radeon HD 5970, the fastest graphics card in the world, we’ve cemented AMD as the unquestioned graphics leader,” said Matt Skynner, vice president and general manager, AMD Graphics Group. “With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, the new card, coupled with the awesome power of ATI Eyefinity technology, is the ultimate setup for serious gamers.”

“The extraordinary performance of the ATI Radeon HD 5970 is a perfect match for the Alienware Area-51, Area-51 ALX and Aurora desktops,” said Frank Azor, senior product planning manager, Dell Gaming. “By offering this level of graphics capability as well as the visual and performance enhancements made possible by DirectX 11 hardware, gamers will benefit from enhanced image quality enabling an incredibly intense gaming experience.”

Supporting Resources

Pictures: See photos of the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 series graphics cards on Flickr

Press kit: More information on the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 series of graphics cards
Product page: ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 series product information
Contest: Enter the third and final contest in AMD’s 40^th anniversary celebration for a chance to win one of 20 Wiis from Nintendo or Microsoft Xbox 360s. More information available online: www.amd.com/40years, or enter to win on Facebook.
Twitter: Follow AMD graphics news on Twitter at @ATIGraphics
Facebook: Become a fan of AMD technology on Facebook

About AMD

1. As of November 18, 2009, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5790 scores X12011.1 in 3DMark Vantage Extreme preset, which is the highest recorded single-card score. System configuration: Intel Core i7 965 processor @ 3.33GHz, Gigabyte EX58-UD5 motherboard, Corsair XMS 6GB memory (3×2GB) at 1600MHz (8-8-8-24 timings), Windows 7 RTM x64, ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 1GB GDDR5, Drivers: ATI Catalyst™ 9.10 Beta (8.663.1) / NVIDIA ForceWare 191.07WHQL

2. AMD product warranty does not cover damage caused by overclocking, even when enabled by AMD software. Unlike previous generations of ATI Radeon™ graphics cards, the overclocking potential of the ATI Radeon™ HD 5970 graphics card has been left uncapped. You control the amount of overclocking to which you subject your card. Please use discretion and caution when overclocking.

3. To enable a third display on an ATI Radeon HD 5970 graphics card you require one panel with a DisplayPort connector.

4. Requires application support for ATI Stream technology.

5. Average idle power of the ATI Radeon HD 5970, as measured by AMD on a typical board in a typical use-case

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, ATI, the ATI logo, Radeon, Overdrive and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

News and Reviews for 11-6-09

KristoferB — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:11:23 +0000

..tons of news for you today from our friends.. so let’s just jump right into it:

Storage Related Stuffs:

Seagate Savvio 15K.2 SAS 2.0 6Gb/s 146GB 2.5-inch Hard Disk @ TweakTown

Crucial 4GB Kit DDR3-1333/PC3-10600 CT2KIT25664BA1339 Memory Review @ OCInside

Synology DS209 Advance NAS Enclosures @ Pro-Clockers

Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB Hard Drive Review @ Hardware Canucks

Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS 2.0 6Gb/s 600GB Hard Disk @ TweakTown

Patriot Torqx 128GB SSD Review @ Motherboards.org

Kingwin F-35 External SATA Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ Tweaknews

LiteON iHAS424 Dual-Layer DVD Writer Review @ PCSTATS.com

Pc Cases, Chassis:

Corsair Obsidian 800D @ techPowerUp

NZXT BETA – EVO Computer Case/Chassis @ TechwareLabs

Chieftec BL-01B PC Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

nMedia HTPC 8000 Wood Case Review @ [OC]ModShop

SilverStone Grandia GD04 Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

NZXT Gamma Budget Gaming Case Review @ [OC]ModShop

NZXT Gamma Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

Cooler Master Lab Test Bench V1.0 Review @ Madshrimps

CPUs, Cooling Etc:

Phenom 2 X4 965 (125w TDP) @ Bjorn3D

Heatpipe Wick Structures Exposed @ Frostytech.com

Athlon II X3 435 Triple Core Processor @ TechwareLabs

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4 GHz 125W Processor Review @ PCSTATS.com

AMD Athlon II X3 425 2.70 GHz @ techPowerUp

AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE 125W CPU Test @ Benchmark Reviews

AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE C3-Stepping @planet3dnow

Thermolab BADA Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Xigmatek Bifrost VD1065

Cooler Master SNA 95 @ InsideHW

ModMyMachine Tutorial: Watercooling ATI HD 5870 on Technic3D

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Quad-Radiatoren Roundup

AMD Launches 125W Phenom II X4 965 CPU @ HotHardware.com

Sound and Video:

Eagle Arion ET-AR504LR-BK 2.1 Soundstage Speakers @ Benchmark Reviews

PhysX Performance Tests @ Ninjalane

Video Card Benchmarking – Goodbye Vista and XP, Hello Windows 7 @ TweakTown

Up Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

OC3D: Nvidia Quash MSI’s Lucid powered ‘Big Bang’ Board

Yamaha RX-V2065 Review @ Digital Trends

Leadtek Winfast Geforce GT 220 1Gb – A 9500 GT with DX10.1 @ Madshrimps

HIS Radeon HD 5850 1GB Video Card @ TweakTown

Sapphire HD 5750 1 GB GDDR5 @ techPowerUp

Gigabyte GeForce GT220 @ Bjorn3D

Sparkle GeForce GTX 260 Plus 1792MB Video Card Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Sapphire Radeon HD5750 and HD5850 CrossFire Testing @ Bigbruin.com

Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 Vapor-X Review @ Motherboards.org

First DirectCompute Benchmark Released @ NGOHQ.com

Jabra BT530 Bluetooth Headset Review @ Tech-Xtreme

Haupauge HVR-1800 TV Tuner Card @ TechwareLabs

Motorola Endeavor HX1 Bluetooth Headset @ HardwareZone

Sapphire Radeon HD5770 CrossfireX Review @ High Tech Reviews

TrustedReviews Article Bulletin: Asus 24T1E – 24in LCD TV Monitor

Asus EAH 4890 Review @ XSReviews

Assorted Stuffs:

Prepaid Cell Phones Guide: Pay As You Go Cellular Phone Plans Explained @ Digital Trends

The Best Prepaid Cell Phone Plans: Top Pay-As-You-Go Cellular Phone Services Compared @ Digital Trends

Cooler Master Storm Sentinel Advance Gaming Mouse Review @ Hardware Canucks

Augmented Reality: State of the Art VR Technology Today @ Digital Trends

Canon PowerShot S90 Review @ Digital Trends

HTC Imagio Review @ Digital Trends

A Futurelooks News Flash – Tekken 6 Limited Edition Bundle for Xbox 360 Reviewed

Razer Naga MMO Laser Gaming Mouse @ HardwareZone

Gigabyte M1022 Booktop – A Transformer in Disguise @ hardwareZone

GIGABYTE P55-UD3P Motherboard Overclocking Test @ Madshrimps

Otterbox BlackBerry Storm Commuter Case @ LanOC Reviews

Asus P7P55D Deluxe Motherboard Review @ TechSpot

Sapphire PURE 1250W Modular PSU @ Bjorn3D

Lancool Dragonlord PC-K58 @ techPowerUp

Building A Benchmarking Test Farm With Phoromatic @ Phoronix

Win a copy of Shattered Horizon @ Elite Bastards

ASUS Eee PC 1101HA Seashell 11.6-inch Netbook @ TweakTown

ASRock M3A785GXH/128M Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews

Toshiba Satellite T135 Win 7 CULV Notebook Review @ HotHardware.com

Turn Off your Display Using a Windows Shortcut and More @ TechSpot

ASRock ION 330HT-BD Nettop – Unboxing and Undressing Video @ TweakTown

TrustedReviews Article Bulletin: MSI P55-GD65 Motherboard

Sapphire PurePSU 950W Review on Technic3D

ECS Elitegroup P55H-A @ Phoronix

Motorola DROID Does? A Deep Dive Look @ HotHardware

Hands-On with the Olympus E-P2 @ HardwareZone

Lenovo IdeaPad U350 @ InsideHW

A Futurelooks News Flash – The Great Ultra Products 750 Watt Power Supply Tweetaway!

Dell Adamo XPS Review: New Dell Adamo XPS Laptop Wows at Just 9.99mm Thin @ Digital Trends

Aion Review @ LGRNexus

Borderlands (PC) Game Review on Technic3D

Can We Trust the 80 Plus Certification? @ Hardware Secrets

Shattered Horizon PC Game Review @ Legit Reviews

Win an Ultra Products 850W X4 PSU in the Bigbruin.com NFL Pool

Interview: Chris Morley on Maingear’s Shift PC @ Legit Reviews

News and Reviews for 11-3-09

KristoferB — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:01:16 +0000

Tons of news today!:

Video Cards:

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X Video Card @ Legit Reviews

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X reviewed @ PCGamesHardware

Sapphire Radeon HD5870 Vapor-X Video Card Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X 1GB video card review @ Elite Bastards

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X 1GB Review @ Hardware Canucks

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 CrossfireX

Last chance to win a HIS Radeon HD graphics card @ eTeknix.com

Unigine ‘Heaven’ – The First DirectX 11 Benchmark @ Legit Reviews

2009 Linux Graphics Survey @ Phoronix

AMD’s UVD2-based XvBA Finally Does Something On Linux @ Phoronix

CPUs, Cooling and Motherboards:

AMD Athlon II X4 620 & Sapphire PI-AM3RS785G @ Bjorn3D

AMD Athlon II X4 620 CPU Review @ XtremeComputing

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: AMD Athlon II 620 X4

Zalman CNPS10X Extreme Cpu Cooler @ Rbmods

iXBT Labs Review: MSI 785GM-E65 Motherboard

AMD Athlon II X2 240e Processor @ TechwareLabs

Gigabyte GA-P55 UD3R Review @ OCC

Arctic Cooling F Pro PWM & TC Case Fans @ DragonSteelMods

Storage Related Stuffs:

AXUS FiT 500 RAID box @ TechwareLabs

Corsair Flash Survivor 32GB USB Drive @ VelocityReviews.com

SSD + Full Disk Encryption = Slow/Slower as HDD @ Madshrimps

SATA 6G Implementation Preview – Ironing Out The Creases @ TweakTown

Thecus N7700 Ultimate NAS Server Review @ Virtual-Hideout

Super Talent Pico Mini 8GB USB Drive Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Western Digital WD TV Live HD Media Player @ Legit Reviews

QNAP TS-419P Four-Bay Turbo NAS Server @ TweakTown

Seagate Cheetah NS.2 and Cheetah 15K.7 tested @ LanOC Reviews

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Asus PCIe GEN2 SATA6G expansion card

A Futurelooks News Flash – Corsair Dominator 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Review

PC Cases/Chassis:

Antec Mini Skeleton-90 Open Air Mini-ITX Case @ TweakTown

NZXT Lexa S Mid-Tower Case – BCCHardware Review

Antec Two Hundred @ LanOC Reviews

Notebooks/Netbooks/Laptops:

I4U News published a review of the new Asus G51VX Gaming Notebook.

ASUS G51VX-A1 15.6-inch Gaming Notebook @ TweakTown

Acer Aspire 7738 @ InsideHW

Sony VAIO X – Xtraordinary Thinness @ HardwareZone

Power Supplies Etc:

Ultra X4 850W PSU Giveaway! – BCCHardware

Thermaltake EVO_BLUE 650W PSU @ BCCHardware

AeroCool E85-550 550W power-supply review @planet3dnow.de

Ultra X4 1050 watt PSU @ Bjorn3D

Thermaltake XT PSU Giveaway! @ JonnyGURU.com

Spire Blackmoon Series 550W @ Rbmods

be quiet! BQT TFX-300W PSU Review on Technic3D

Ultra X4 850w Thanksgiving Contest @ Bjorn3D

And here’s all the assorted stuffs:

Logitech 2009-2010 Product Showcase @ t-break

Managing Your Audio to Keep Neighbors Happy @ Techgage

Motorola Droid Review @ Digital Trends

Energy Sistem Xplosionn Review @ XSReviews

League of Legends Review on LGRNexus.com

MP4Nation Beta Brainwavz In-ears @ techPowerUp

Case In Point: Navigating The Upgrade Minefield @ HotHardware.com

Blackberry Curve 8520 Smartphone @ t-break

Cooler Master Sentinel Advance Gaming Mouse Review @ Modders-Inc.com

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Arctic Cooling Accelero L2 Pro

Samsung UN55B7100 55” 120Hz LED HDTV Review @ Hardware Canucks

Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Impressions @ [OC]ModShop

Windows 7 Part 2: Throwing the Switch @ eTeknix.com

EFO Wireless Handheld Keyboard and Touch Pad @ DragonSteelMods

News for 10-25-09

KristoferB — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:02:42 +0000

And we’ve got news:

HP Pavillion dv2 @ t-break

Video Cards etc:

Sapphire 5850 1GB GDDR5 1GB GPU Contest @ Bjorn3D

ATI Radeon HD 5750 – More Mainstream Goodness @ HardwareZone

Sapphire + Gigabyte ATI RADEON HD 5850 Crossfire Benchmarks @ Motherboards.org

OC3D: Gigabyte Radeon HD 5870 1GB Crossfire

Win a ATI Radeon HD 5770 @ XtremeComputing

Sapphire Radeon HD5750 1GB Graphics Card Review @ Bigbruin.com

Nvidia’s GT300 Series Cards to run DX11 @ TekArcade

Inno3D GeForce 210 512 MB @ techPowerUp

Unigine Heaven Offers Heavenly Graphics @ Phoronix

XFX Radeon HD 5770 Video Card Review @ Hardware Secrets

NVIDIA GTX 275 (Zotac) Graphic Card Review on Technic3D

CPUs, CPU Cooling, Motherboards:

AMD Athlon II X2 240 2.80 GHz @ techPowerUp

Gigabyte – GA-G41M-ES2H Micro ATX motherboard @ TechwareLabs

Video preview of GIGABYTE P55A mobos – SATA3, USB3 and 3x USB power @ TweakTown

AMD Athlon 2 X3 435 @ Bjorn3D

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Noctua NH-U9B

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD6 Review @ OCC

Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler Review @ Bigbruin.com

AMD Athlon II X3 435 and AMD X4 Athlon II 630 @ InsideHW

Jetway Atom-GM1-330-LF Motherboard Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Military Grade – ASUS SABERTOOTH 55i @ HardwareZone

Gigabyte’s GA-P55M-UD4 and MSI’s P55M-GD45 motherboards compared @ TechReport

QNAP TS-219P Turbo NAS Review at CCER

Kingston 256GB SSDNow V+ Series SSD Review @ Legit Reviews

Cases:

SilverStone RV-02 Raven @ Bjorn3D

Antec Two Hundred Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

NZXT M59 Classic Series Mid Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Power Supplies:

OC3D: HEC Compucase Cougar 1000CM Modular PSU

Corsair TX950W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Xigmatek Nrp-Pc501 PSU @ Rbmods

Assorted Stuffs:

Windows 7 Unboxing Video (HD) @ Motherboards.org

Blu-ray Importing: Oct 2009 Buying Guide @ TweakTown

XTracPads Ripper XXL Mousepad Surface Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

Choiix Netbook Sleeve Review @ High Tech Reviews

Ultimate Ears MetroFi 220 Earphones Review @ Top Review Shop

Side By Side With Windows 7 and Snow Leopard @ HardwareZone

Sena Premium iPod Touch Stand Case Review @ Tech-Xtreme

Land Of The Lost Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

CHW interviews Jen Hsun Huang

Mionix Keid 20 Full Size Stereo Gaming Headset Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Ubuntu 9.10 Netbook Performance @ Phoronix

Touchscreen Devices: Smart Upgrade or Shameless Money Grab? @ Digital Trends

CM Storm CS-S Battle Pad H2 Review at Overclockers Online

Free Until You Get Caught: Calculating the Risks of Piracy @ Digital Trends

Access and Customize Windows 7’s Extended Context Menu @ TechSpot

TRENDnet TEW-654TR 300Mbps Wireless N Travel Router @ TweakTown

Buying Upgrades: When to Save or Spend on HDTVs, PCs, Digital Cameras and More @ Digital Trends

Motorola Cliq Review @ Digital Trends

HTC Touch2 @ HardwareZone

Logitech LX 8 Cordless Laser Mouse Review @ BayReviews.com

——-

AMD DirectX 11 Demos Released

AMD Mecha DirectX 11 Demo
The Mecha demo shows the results of a new approach to rendering semi-transparent objects without pre-sorting, known as order-independent transparency (OIT). It is made possible by the ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series of graphics processors and the new features of Microsoft DirectX 11 technology. Blending is an order-dependent operation that requires sorting objects before rendering them. Atomic operations and append buffers make it possible to construct per-pixel fragment lists and sort them on the GPU. The results are a significant increase in speed and accuracy over those possible with traditional techniques.
Download Link: http://www.ngohq.com/news/16642-amd-mecha-directx-11-demo.html
AMD Ladybug DirectX 11 Demo
The Ladybug demo shows the results of a new approach to simulating lens-accurate depth-of-field effects based on real-world parameters of focal length and focus distance. This technique is made possible by the ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series of graphics processors and the Microsoft DirectX 11 and Direct Compute 11 technologies. Depth-of-field is used in feature films by cinematographers to subtly guide a viewer’s attention through a shot or to heighten the emotion of a scene.
Download Link: http://www.ngohq.com/news/16640-amd-ladybug-directx-11-demo.html

News and Reviews for 10-20-09

KristoferB — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:04:38 +0000

I’ve got a ton of news from our friends so let’s just hop right in:

CPUS, Cooling etc:

AMD Athlon II X3 435 2.9 GHz Socket AM3 Triple-Core Processor Review @ PCSTATS.com

AMD Athlon II X3 435 & Athlon II X2 240e Processor Review @ OCC

Evercool Buffalo CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

CoolAge Frozen Orb X120 Transform X120TF CPU Cooler Review @ Verdis Reviews

Intel Core i7 CPU Water Block Roundup Oktober 2009 @ Madshrimps

Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme CPU Cooler Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Intel Core i5 750 @ InsideHW

A Futurelooks News Flash – Corsair Hydro Series H50 High-Performance CPU Cooler Review

Bjorn3D reviews the AMD Athlon II X2 240e & Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P

Amd Athlon 2 X2 245 Cpu @ RBMods

Motherboards:

Gigabyte MA785GMT-UD2H @ Bjorn3D

ASUS P7P55D EVO P55 LGA1156 Motherboard Review @ Benchmark Reviews

ASUS P7P55D Deluxe LGA 1156 Motherboard @ Bjorn3D

Corsair TX950 950W PSU Review @ JonnyGURU.com

iXBT Labs Review: Gigabyte P55-UD6 Motherboard

DFI LANParty Jr. GF9400 T2RS mATX Motherboard @ TweakTown

GIGABYTE P55-UD6 Motherboard Review @ Motherboards.org

MSI P55-GD80 LGA1156 Motherboard Review @ Hardware Canucks

ASUS P7P55D Deluxe Motherboard Review @ Motherboards.org

Cases:

NZXT M59 Mid-Tower Classic Chassis Review – BCCHardware

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: CM Storm Sniper Black Edition

NZXT Panzerbox Aluminum Mid-Tower Chassis Review at Overclockers
Online

NZXT Lexa S @ techPowerUp

NZXT Lexa S Mid Tower PC Case Review @ Legit Reviews

Assorted Stuffs:

Dell Interview with Mr. Phil Bryant @ t-break

GITEX 2009- what to see and get @ t-break

Xpenser @ BusinessComputingWorld

Windows 7 Arrives This Week: What You Need To Know @ TechSpot

The 50 Best (and Worst) Moments in Windows History @ Maximum PC

TrustedReviews Article Bulletin: Samsung SyncMaster P2370HD – 23in HDTV Monitor

A Futurelooks News Flash – A Futurelooks Guide to Seven Video Games that Shaped Mainstream Society

Fall contest with Coolit and NZXT! @ Rbmods

OCZ Z-Drive m84 PCI-Express SSD Review @ HotHardware.com

Interactive Intel processor product ID guide v2.2 @ OCInside

I4U News published a review of the new Logitech Notebook Kit MK605

Novatech Xplora E16 Home Laptop Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Dual Boot Windows 7 with XP/Vista in three easy steps (Updated) @ TechSpot

Removing your Windows 7 installation, partition (updated) @ TechSpot

BlueAnt Supertooth 3 Bluetooth Handsfree Kit @ Benchmark Reviews

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | hoorai Gaming Mouse GM1100 und Mouse Mat XL

Elite Bastards preview: Gratuitous Space Battles

First Look at Zimbra 6.0 @ t-break

MSI Multi Touch Windows 7 Desktop with Wind Touch Demo @ t-break

Acer Windows Mobile 6.5 Quick Look @ t-break

Qpad 5K Mouse @ Rbmods

SANYO focuses on user-friendly technology solutions during GITEX 2009 @ t-break

Video Cards Etc:

HIS Radeon HD 5770 1GB and CrossFire performance review @ Elite Bastards

NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 @ Phoronix

Win a HIS Radeon HD 4830 Graphics Card @ eTeknix.com

XFX Radeon HD 4890 1GB Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: XFX HD 5850 1GB GDDR5 PCIe Graphics card

Sapphire, XFX, Gigabyte Radeon HD 5850 Roundup Review @ Motherboards.org

Nvidia GT 220 Graphics Card Review @ Motherboards.org

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5770 & 5750 Graphics Card Review @ Motherboards.org

Power Supplies:

Seasonic S12D 850W Power Supply Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Nexus RX-6300 630 Watt Power Supply Review @ TechwareLabs

Ultra X4 850W Power Supply Contest at Overclockers Online

Ultra X4 850 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Ultra X4 850W Power Supply Review at Overclockers Online

Cooler Master Silent Pro M Giveaway @ JonnyGURU.com

Antec TruePower 750w Review @ XSReviews

NOX apex 700W PSU Review on Technic3D

Ultra X4 1050W Power Supply Review @ OCC

Ultra X4 1200W PSU Review Posted – Ultra is Back!!! @ BCCHardware

CoolIT Systems Announces the OMNI Universal Liquid Cooling for AMD High Performance Graphic Cards

KristoferB — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:18:24 +0000

CoolIT Systems announces the latest development in graphics card cooling to maximize the performance capability of the latest AMD GPU technology, the ATI Radeon HD 5870. Unique to this new design is the creation of the universal liquid plate that will allow customers to use the advanced liquid cooling system to cool not only current graphics cards but also future cards. While the benefits of liquid cooling GPUs include lowering acoustics and maintaining lower core temperatures for increased reliability there is also the potential to enable higher performance clock settings. This factory sealed, maintenance free system will be demonstrated for the first time on AMD’s new Evergreen GPU architecture at the AMD TFE event in Taiwan on Oct 20, http://sites.amd.com/us/tfe-2009/Pages/tfe-2009.aspx

“I think the implementation of the universal design has addressed the need for performance cooling in the GPU space with the added benefit of upgradeability.” said Dr. Gamal Refai-Ahmed, AMD Fellow and lead thermal architect, AMD Graphics Product Group. “Using the liquid system has a tremendous cooling advantage over traditional air cooling allowing our enthusiast community to push the limits of our latest architecture.”

Geoff Lyon, CEO of CoolIT Systems comments, “Since starting our work with AMD several years ago, one of the challenges has been the fast succession of technology advances. By working hard to develop a solution that can keep up to the pace of technology advancement as well as providing the end user the flexibility to upgrade their cards while keeping the cooling system intact, we feel that this is a winning combination. The solution showcases an ultra reliable, brazed heat exchanger to ensure that it will provide excellent performance for years to come.”

About CoolIT Systems
CoolIT Systems, based in Calgary, Canada, has been working with industry leaders in the computer industry to research, design, and deliver next generation cooling products that provide a comprehensive solution while exceeding high OEM standards for reliability and maintenance-free operation. This carefully designed and patented technology unleashes the full potential of a PC, providing superior cooling performance while reducing system level noise and improving reliability of vital components. The CoolIT Technology can be found in the top names in performance computing like Dell, Alienware, Velocity Micro, Maingear, Biohazard and Shuttle. www.coolitsystems.com

AMD Expands Award-Winning Line of Graphics Products

KristoferB — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:11:39 +0000

AMD recently unveiled the ATI Radeon™ HD 5770 and ATI Radeon™ HD 5750 graphics cards, adding two more models to the world’s first and only suite of graphics cards to fully support Microsoft Direct X® 11 technology and ATI Eyefinity multi-monitor support. With the addition of the ATI Radeon HD 5700 series, AMD is providing PC gamers and multimedia enthusiasts with four great choices to fully enjoy the Microsoft Windows 7 experience.

“The ATI Radeon HD 5800 series reaffirmed AMD as the undisputed leader in visual computing technology,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Products Group. “Now, the ATI Radeon HD 5700 series takes the same great features like ATI Eyefinity and ATI Stream technology as well as full hardware support for all DirectX 11 features, and bundles them into products priced well below $200² .”

ATI Radeon HD 5700 graphics cards deliver more than 1 TeraFLOPS of compute power, ensuring superior performance in the latest DirectX® 11 games, as well as in DirectX® 9, DirectX® 10, DirectX® 10.1 and OpenGL titles. With a powerful graphics core built on 40nm process technology and up to 800 stream processors, gamers can enjoy DirectX 11 games now, such as EA Phenomic’s Battleforge and many more titles on the way, including:
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:Call of Pripyat from GSC Game World,

Dirt™ 2 from Codemasters,
Aliens vs. Predator™ from Rebellion,
Update to The Lord of the Rings Online™ from Turbine,
Update to Dungeons and Dragons Online® Eberron Unlimited™ from Turbine.

With over 20 DirectX 11 titles currently in development, gamers can be ready with DirectX® 11 hardware this holiday season.

Today’s ATI Eyefinity technology enables up to three monitors to be used with a single ATI Radeon™ HD 5770 or ATI Radeon™ HD 5750 graphics card, delivering the most immersive gaming experience with a graphics card priced below $200³.

New features and functionality of ATI Stream technology allow users to harness both AMD CPUs and the ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 series graphics cards to maximize their computing experience, helping to improve the performance of enabled media, entertainment and productivity applications. ATI Stream technology and the HD 5700 series support both DirectX 11 Direct Compute and OpenCL industry standards⁴.
For those who want to enjoy a home theatre experience, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 series supports the latest HD audio technologies such as Dolby® TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and HDMI 3.1. This high level audio support allows users to fully utilize the multiple audio channels embedded in today’s Blu-ray^TM discs for the ultimate in HD home entertainment.
In addition to delivering tremendous DirectX 11 performance, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 series also leads in power efficiency consuming as little as 16 watts at idle, less than a third the amount of power required by the average household 60 watt light bulb.

Ecosystem support

The ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 series and ATI Radeon HD 5800 series of graphics cards are supported by a dozen add-in-board companies, including ASK, Asus, Diamond, Gigabyte, High Tech, MSI, Sapphire, Tul/Power Color, Visiontek and XFX.

Supporting Quotes

Industry Analysts

Jon Peddie Research

“I have to say that even the most enthusiastic reviews of ATI Eyefinity don’t fully capture just how impressive this technology is, not to mention the potential opportunities and applications it unlocks. AMD has taken a bold step forward by enabling three, and soon six, monitors from one graphics card.” – Jon Peddie, founder, Jon Peddie Research

Mercury Research

"Over the last decade, graphics processors supporting each new version of DirectX have achieved high volume shipments earlier in their life cycles than their predecessors. Our forecast is that DirectX 11 capable GPUs will continue this trend with the fastest transition between technologies ever, resulting in shipments surpassing DirectX 10 GPUs in 2010." – Dean McCarron, founder, Mercury Research

Game Developers

Codemasters – Developers of DIRT 2

“DirectCompute 11 is a huge step forward from DirectCompute 10 (which was all that was available in hardware up to DirectX 10.1). The increased flexibility means that for most uses it’s far more efficient and there are cases of 2x or better improvement by moving to DirectCompute 11. With DirectCompute 11 and the awesome power of the ATI Radeon HD 5700 and ATI Radeon HD 5800 series of graphics products, the future is really here.” – Bryan Marshall, CTO, Codemasters

EA Phenomic – Developers of BattleForge

“I love the improvements I see when BattleForge is played on DirectX 11 hardware. AMD has been tremendously supportive of our move to DirectX 11, making their ATI Radeon HD 5700 series cards available to us ahead of launch to ensure an incredible experience when playing BattleForge, and it shows. This game looks great and performs better than ever.” – Dirk Ringe, vice president, EA Phenomic

GSC Game World – Developers of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Prypiat

"The entire S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series was designed to capture the starkness of a post-apocalyptic world, and DirectX 11 has helped us to establish that environment. When coupled with support for ATI Eyefinity multi-monitor technology, the visual improvements introduced with DirectX 11 create a level of immersiveness that makes S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Prypiat a riveting game to play." ? Ruslan Didenko, Project Lead, GSC Game World

Rebellion – Developers of Aliens vs. Predator

“DirectCompute 11 offers a number of advantages over Direct Compute 10; better performance, more features, and greater flexibility. The ATI Radeon HD 5750 and ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics cards has DirectCompute 11 support today, so why would I even think about using an older version of Direct Compute” – Chris Kingsley, CTO, Rebellion

Turbine – Developers of The Lord of the Rings Online™ and Dungeons and Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™

“Updating our titles to DirectX 11 is great for our players. Microsoft’s latest API delivers performance enhancements and image quality improvements, a one-two punch that is sure to deliver an even better game experience!” – Christopher Dyl, CTO, Turbine

Trinigy – Developers of the Vision Game Engine

“For years, Trinigy has prided itself on developing innovative game engine technology that frees developers to create incredible game experiences. The Vision Engine’s support for DirectX 11 and the ATI Radeon HD 5700 series of graphics cards keeps us on the leading edge of game development by helping studios deliver superior graphics and ultra-realistic game environments without compromising frame rates. We think that many developers using the Vision Engine will agree that making games with DirectX 11 will lift their games to a whole new level of realism.”

- Dag Frommhold, managing director, Trinigy

Unigine – Developers of the Unigine Game Engine

"At Unigine we’ve always prided ourselves on implementing and showcasing the latest in PC graphics technology. DirectX 11 introduces new elaborated design and raises gaming performance to amazing levels while providing great backward compatibility with DirectX 10 and DirectX 9 hardware. With DirectX 11 we are able to include support of DirectCompute 11 into Unigine that can be used for faster physics simulation, cinematic special effects of dramatic impact and breathtaking water simulation. HW tessellation empowers developers to create ultra-realistic scenes complete in every detail based on Unigine technologies. It’s like DirectX 11 is a rocket that just hit escape velocity!" ? Alexander Zaprjagaev, CTO of Unigine Corp

Supporting Resources

Pictures:http://www.flickr.com/photos/amd_unprocessed/sets/72157622426004831/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlxILZuCb-g
ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series Press kit: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-5000/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5000.aspx
ATI Radeon HD 5770 Product page: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-5000/hd-5770/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5770-overview.aspx
ATI Radeon HD 5750 Product page: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-5000/hd-5750/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5750-overview.aspx
Twitter: Follow AMD graphics news on Twitter at @ATIGraphics
Facebook: Become a fan of AMD technology on Facebook

About AMD

©2009, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, ATI, the ATI logo, Catalyst, Radeon, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft, DirectX and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US and other jurisdictions, OpenCL and the OpenCL logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. used by permission by Khronos. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

¹ As of October 19, 2009, the ATI Radeon HD 5800 series and ATI Radeon HD 5700 series are the only products available in the market that are fully compliant with Microsoft DirectX 11, a key API of the Windows 7 operating system. In addition, the ATI Radeon HD 5800 and ATI Radeon HD 5700 series deliver significantly higher levels of compute power, measured in TeraFLOPS, relative to competitive offerings in their respective market segments. Further, at this time the ATI Radeon HD 5800 series and ATI Radeon HD 5700 series are the only graphics cards in their respective market segments that natively support triple-monitor configurations.

² As of October 19, 2009 the ATI Radeon HD 5700 series graphics cards are the only mainstream graphics cards to fully support DirectX 11 and ATI Eyefinity multi-monitor technology.

³ Driver version 8.66 (Catalyst 9.10) or above is required to support ATI Eyefinity technology. To enable a third display on an ATI Radeon HD 5770 or ATI Radeon HD 5750 graphics card you require one panel with a DisplayPort connector.

⁴ Requires application support for ATI Stream technology and a Windows 7-capable system.