Overclock until you're red, white and blue!
Contest reminder...
Only 3 days left to enter so don't miss out! If you
haven't entered already please do so now! Club Overclocker is giving away a ton of prizes including
cases from Sigma
and Raidmax.
We also have secured 10 copies of Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage!
Click here to learn about how you can take a shot at
winning one of the many prizes up for grabs!
Antec
Introduces Super-Premium Line of Power Supplies
Fremont, CA - June 30,
2008 - Antec, Inc., the leading global brand of
high-performance computer components for the PC upgrade and
Do-It-Yourself markets, today announced the Signature Series,
its newest and most advanced family of power supply units.
Available in 850 Watts and 650 Watts, the
Signature Series features several cutting-edge innovations that set
it above the competition, several of which have never been offered
in a consumer power supply. The Signature Series utilizes active
DC-to-DC voltage regulation as opposed to the standard passive
magnetic amplifier method, providing for shorter transient response
times and greater system stability. The Signature Series' transient
response times can be as low as 10 microseconds, in contrast to the
standard power supply transient times of 1000 microseconds (1
millisecond). In addition, the Signature Series boasts an advanced
cooling system with a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) fan. By adapting
its speed to the power output of the unit, a PWM controlled fan can
run at speeds as low as 15% of its maximum, as opposed to a
traditional fan which can only run at about 40%, thus ensuring the
quietest possible operation.
Read the full press
release here.
Topower Computer
Introduces PowerBird 900W & 1100W Fully Modularized PSU to
High-Performance Systems
City
of Industry, Calif.—June 27, 2008—Topower Computer, a
worldwide leader in innovative, high performance and high
reliability power supply, today unveiled the PowerBird power supply
family for high-powered gaming systems and workstations. Designed to
offer the consumer market an industrial-grade computer power supply
with state-of-the-art designs, the PowerBird is the ultimate power
solution for those users that require an ultra-efficient, highly
reliable, high-wattage solution for their leading-edge gaming
machine.
PowerBird PSU features fully modularized cable
management that gives the greatest freedom of cable routing and
customization, maximum 87% efficiency is one of the greenest and
efficient high-wattage power supplies available in market, six +12V
rails ensuring great safety and stable current that evenly
distributed to graphics cards, processors, and the rest components.
Read more about it
here.
More tech news from around the web...
Overclock until you're red, white and blue!
Contest reminder...
Be sure you stop in and enter our 3DMark06
benchmark contest. We are giving away a ton of prizes including
cases from Sigma
and Raidmax.
We also have secured 10 copies of Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage!
Click here to learn about how you can take a shot at
winning one of the many prizes up for grabs!
Lian-Li launches the
all new Tyr X500 HTPC/Gaming Chassis
Taipei,
Taiwan
– Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the
Tyr X500 chassis designed as a stylish midi-tower HTPC/Gaming
chassis. Combining the usual toned down profile of HTPC cases with
the arresting larger profile of traditional
Lian Li chassis; the Tyr X500 stands out in style. Similar to the
X2000 Chassis, there is no hiding of this case as it proudly
resembles multimedia speakers, and boldly displays your tasteful
style. The Tyr X500 is destined to become your next HTPC/Gaming
Chassis allowing unprecedented high performance components to be
encompassed in the home theatre environment without compromising on
looks and appeal. Not as big as the full tower X2000, the X500 is
ideally suited to smaller environments, while catering for bigger PC
components than traditional HTPC systems.
Read the full press
release here.
More tech news from around the web...
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Asus is generally among the top choices for enthusiasts. They have
built a reputation of solid, stable motherboards. Over the past
several years they have also added speed to their reputation.
Now some of the best overclocking boards belong to Asus. With a
reputation of stable, fast and overclocker friendly motherboards, it's
easy to get excited when an Asus motherboard arrives. This time we
are digging into the Asus P5E3 Premium WiFI-AP @n Edition. It's a
long name, but this bad boy is loaded down with bells and whistles so
let's dig in and see what it can do.
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OCZ Introduces 3GB
DDR2 SODIMM Kits to Support a Wider Range of Mobile Systems
Sunnyvale, CA—June 26, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader
in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory,
today announced the availability of its PC2-5400 SODIMM series in
new 3GB optimized kits, allowing consumers to purchase upgrade RAM
in the densities that fit their specific system needs. This addition
to the DDR2 memory line offers consumers another option to
incorporate high-quality hardware to promote extra performance on
their mobile gaming station or portable office workstation.
With a breadth of consumer and enthusiast notebooks supporting
various hardware capabilities, OCZ strives to provide optimal
upgrades for various system requirements. For users requiring an
additional boost from the standard 2GB of RAM without the incurring
the price premiums of a 4GB kit, OCZ 3GB SODIMM kits are an
excellent alternative. Upgrade RAM is critical for notebooks running
graphics-intensive Windows™ Vista™, or in any other operating
system, and the everyday consumer using their laptop for picture
editing, music, and videos can benefit from having this substantial
boost in performance.
Read more about it here.
More tech news from around the web...
nVidia cheating on 3DMark with
177.39 drivers?
Say it isn't so...
Today the Inquirer is accusing nVidia of cheating on 3DMark
benchmarks with nVidia's 177.39 driver release. Although I never
like to take sides, it isn't the first time we've seen a video card
company try to cheat their way through a benchmark... If this is
true, it really put's AMD's new Radeon 4850 in a great spot.
Read the story here.
AMD Delivers World’s First TeraFLOPS Graphics Chip
—ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 series represents a new
milestone in graphics architecture, with 800 cores driving
cinema-quality realism in all aspects of visual computing—
SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- June 25, 2008 --AMD (NYSE:AMD) today achieved
two world firsts in visual computing: the launch of the first
teraFLOPS graphics card, the ATI Radeon™ HD 4850, and the launch of
the first graphics card featuring ultra high bandwidth GDDR5 memory,
the ATI Radeon HD 4870. These two innovations combine with trademark
AMD energy-efficient design and powerful DirectX® 10.1 compatibility
to deliver superior performance at the high-volume mainstream and
performance price points. Both the ATI Radeon HD 4850 and ATI Radeon
HD 4870 are immediately available.
Read the entire press release here!
AMD/ATi Radeon 4870 Reviews:
NVIDIA Responds To GPU PhysX Cheating Allegations @ HotHardware.com
“During the benchmark install, a runtime library is updated to
allow the test to run on the GPU and then during the test, it
addresses the benchmark DLLs to the GPU instead of the PPU or CPU.
Nothing within the benchmark is changed at all. No software
libraries or even a line of code changes in the benchmark
whatsoever. The only thing that changes is that installer, nothing
else. It has been said that the tests results look different
on the screen when running with PhysX enabled on the GPU. And
of course this is true, just as the screen results look different
when you test on a dual-core CPU versus a quad-core. This
isn't a graphics test; it's a physics test. 3DMark Vantage
specifically scales more complexity into a scene to take advantage
of additional physics compute resources, which of course is why it
looks so different/better on a test run with PhysX processing on our
GPUs. This is by design in the benchmark and if the folks
accusing us took the time to run it, they would know that.”
Link:
http://www.hothardware.com/News/NVIDIA_Responds_To_GPU_PhysX_Cheating_Allegation/
More tech news from around the web...
Here at Club Overclocker, we like to
keep up with the latest hardware for the PC enthusiast.
However sometimes its fun to take a closer look at something a
little different like the Lubix NC1 Stereo Bluetooth Headset.
If you already have a nice phone, why not pair it with a good set of
Bluetooth Headphones. This unique stereo headset is designed
to be worn around the neck when not in use.
Let's take a
closer look at what these headphones have to offer!
Lian-Li launches the
all new Tyr X2000 HTPC/Gaming Chassis
24
June 2008, Taipei,
Taiwan
– Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the Tyr X2000 chassis
designed to stand out in your living room in absolute Lian Li style.
Taking the original concept of low profile and slim designs and
turning it completely around; there is no hiding of this case as it
proudly resembles multimedia speakers, and emblazons your fashion
sense in style. The Tyr X2000 is aligned to become the most unique
HTPC/Gaming Chassis on the market today allowing unprecedented high
performance components to be encompassed in the home theatre
environment without compromising on looks and appeal. The stylish
and unique side panels accept 2x 5.25” Optical Device Drives and one
3.5” drive, which are accessible from either the left or right side,
while the front face is for ergonomics and airflow. The 6x hot swap
RAID SATA HDD bays can contain terabytes of multimedia for your
viewing pleasure while the spaciously zoned interior can accommodate
virtually any system you can think of.
Read the full
press release here.
Mushkin Announces
HP3-12800 CL8 High Performance DDR3 Modules
DENVER, June 24, 2008 –
Mushkin, Inc. (www.mushkin.com),
a global leader in high-performance computer products, today
announced the availability of HP3-12800 DDR3 modules aimed at the
high-end gamer and enthusiast market which has begun the transition
to DDR3 technology. The new offering combines high performance
specifications with ample amounts of overclocking headroom at highly
competitive prices.
“The Mushkin HP3-12800 modules will help to
further propagate this transition with DDR2-topping performance at
price levels buyers will view as an exceptional value,” said Brian
Flood, Mushkin director of product development. “The value of
these new parts is further enhanced by their remarkable overclocking
ability, especially on 790i platforms.”
Rated for 800MHz (1600MT/s data rate) and 8-8-8
latencies, the HP3-12800 provides unmatched performance on all DDR3
enabled platforms while using 1.8V supply voltage. Especially
suited to the serious and competitive gamer, the relatively low
operating voltage for 1600MT/s data rate ensures high-reliability
operation and low heat output, maintaining entire system stability
during extended gaming sessions.
Read the full
press release here.
More tech news from around the web...
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 Today
Joe, our very own Graphics guru, has had the pleasure of
reviewing the new Sapphire Radeon HD 4800 video card. There
hasn't been this much excitement in the video card market
for years! Everyone wins with ATi back in the game. So, what
does this mean for ATi and especially you, the consumer?
Find out right here at Club Overclocker!
Quote:
"What a crazy week this has been. First, with the unintentional
early release of the 4850, followed by the nVidia bombshell
announcement of the 9800GTX+, there has not been a dull moment.
All this chaos in the market has precipitated a serious price war in
which all of us win. Even with the MSRP of $199, we
are already seeing the 4850 sell for as low as $160.
8800GTX like performance for under two bills? Yes,
please! All on a design that sips power and uses a
single slot cooler? Where do I sign up?"
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Tuniq Ensemble
1200w Power Supply Review
Our
very own Michael Radenheimer has just received Tuniq's new beast of
a power supply called the Ensemble 1200 watt. Yes, this baby is
packing 1200 incredible watts of power which should be plenty to run
that ultimate overclocking system with but multiple video cards.
Let's see what
Michael think of it here.
| With the focus on a
Green PC and sky rocketing energy bills, High Efficiency
power supplies are gaining momentum. Manufacturers are
highlighting their units abilities to maintain high
efficiency even under full load. Tuniq claims the Ensemble will achieve a minimum of
82.3% at full load with an average efficiency of 86%. |
More tech news from around the web...
Overclock until you're red, white and blue!
Contest reminder...
Be sure you stop in and enter our 3DMark06
benchmark contest this weekend. We are giving away a ton of prizes including
cases from Sigma
and Raidmax.
We also have secured 10 copies of Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage!
Click here to learn about how you can take a shot at
winning one of the many prizes up for grabs!
More tech news from around the web...
ASUS Announces
Immediate Availability of the new EAH4850 ATI Crossfire-Ready
Graphics Cards
Fremont, California (June 19, 2008) - For enthusiasts who seek the
best video performance, ASUS, world-leading producer of quality
graphic solutions, today begins shipment of the first video card in
the latest ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 series. –The EAH4850/G/HTDI/512M.
HD Gaming/Video with Break-through Efficiency
The ASUS EAH4800 Series brings the power of graphical
“supercomputing” to gamers – setting a new standard for visual
computing. With the new TeraScale graphics engine, immersive,
cinematic gaming experiences will take HD gaming with DirectX 10.1
to a brand new level. With the ASUS EAH4800 Series, users can watch
Blu-ray movies and play HD content with incredible visual fidelity
and breakthrough efficiency – all without compromising performance.
Additionally, integrated 7.1 audio provides a complete multi-channel
audio source over a single HDMI cable.
Available immediate through ASUS authorized dealers in North
America, the introductory MSRP is $199 USD. For more information on
the EAH4850/G/HTDI/512M, go to
http://usa.asus.com
or http://ca.asus.com.
AMD's
surprise release of the ATi Radeon 4850
Apparently, some European retailer jumped
the gun and started selling the ATi Radeon 4850 before it's official
release date on June 25th. Due to this, ATi decided to go ahead and
launch the Radeon 4850 today. There are several websites out there
publishing the whitepapers on this and calling it a "preview", but
most quality hardware review sites are still working on an actual
review because they just received their review samples on
Wednesday...Club Overclocker included. Since everyone has full
access to these whitepapers we will not be posting any of these so
called previews today. Instead we will be posting links to full
reviews as we receive them.
ATi Radeon 4850 Reviews:
Sapphire speeds in with new generation graphics
SAPPHIRE
Technology, the leading manufacturer and worldwide supplier of
AMD/ATI based graphics solutions is now introducing a new generation
of PCI-Express graphics cards delivering the fastest performance yet
to PC enthusiasts and gamers.
Two new models are available at launch, both based
on enhanced graphics architectures from the ATI division of AMD,
incorporating 800 process units, improved memory management
architecture and an upgraded hardware video decoder.
The SAPPHIRE HD 4850 delivers a new level of
performance to the mainstream user with its 512MB of GDDR3 memory,
and nominal clock speeds of 625MHz (core) and 993MHz (memory). The
SAPPHIRE HD 4870 offers a higher specification for the enthusiast
market with the use of the latest GDDR5 graphics memory and enhanced
clock speeds of 750MHz (core).
Both models use the PCI-Express Gen2 interface,
and feature dual connectors for CrossFireX cables, allowing two or
more cards to be used together on a CrossFireX compatible mainboard
for even higher graphics performance.
All SAPPHIRE graphics cards in the HD 4800 series
incorporate the latest ATI Avivo™ HD Technology for enhanced Video
display and feature a new generation built in hardware UVD (Unified
Video decoder) considerably reducing CPU load and delivering smooth
decoding of Blu-ray™ and HD DVD content for both VC-1 and H.264
codecs, as well as Mpeg files. In addition to two, dual-link DVI
outputs, and TV-Out, a dedicated HDMI adaptor delivers both audio
and video output on a single cable for direct connection to an HDMI
ready display.
SAPPHIRE HD 4800 series graphics cards are
Microsoft Windows Vista™ Premium certified and supported by the ATI
Catalyst® suite of software, ensuring customers have ongoing access
to software updates for performance, stability and added features.
Like the previous generation, these cards support DirectX10.1 for
enhanced rendering performance and lighting effects.
Overclock until you're red, white and blue!
Contest reminder...
Be sure you stop in and enter our 3DMark06
benchmark contest. We are giving away a ton of prizes including
cases from Sigma
and Raidmax.
We also have secured 10 copies of Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage!
Click here to learn about how you can take a shot at
winning one of the many prizes up for grabs!
More tech news from around the web...
World’s
Fastest Supercomputers Employ AMD Opteron™ Processors to Reach
Unprecedented Performance
DRESDEN, Germany -- June 18, 2008 --
At the International Supercomputing Conference, AMD (NYSE: AMD)
today announced that its AMD Opteron™ processors have helped deliver
many of the top performing supercomputers in the world. For the
first time ever, AMD technology plays a role in the number one
supercomputer in the world and this same processor technology that
helps drive the number one supercomputer is also readily available
for business and personal computing.
“This current TOP500 list, with its first ever petascale
performance, not only represents a milestone in scientific computing
but also demonstrates the relevance of scalability and balanced
system design in high performance computing (HPC). It also points to
heterogeneous computing as an emerging and necessary step for the
industry,” said Randy Allen, senior vice president, Computation
Solutions Group, AMD. “AMD and its many supercomputing partners,
including top tier OEMs, recognize that for heterogeneous computing
to be successful, collaboration among industry leaders is critical.
The performance demonstrated on this list by AMD and our partners
exceeds what any single solution has ever been able to achieve and
we believe this tightly coupled innovation will become more
prevalent to the benefit of HPC, as well as business and personal
computing customers.”
Read the entire article here.
NVIDIA Tesla
Computing Solutions now with the world's first teraflop parallel
processor
DRESDEN,
GERMANY—JUNE 17, 2008—From video encoding to oil and gas
exploration and from medical imaging to scientific research,
thousands of CUDA developers in the high performance computing (HPC)
community are leveraging a revolutionary GPU computing platform that
was announced just one year ago. With over 60,000 downloads of the
C-compiler to date, the combination of CUDA™ and Tesla® technologies
have been the foundation for industry changing applications, making
it the most rapidly adopted GPU computing technology platform in the
HPC community.
Read more here.
More tech news from around the web...
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 Anyone who watches television is probably aware
of the upcoming digital switchover coming to the United States on
February 17, 2009. What has remained a mystery is how this
will affect the consumer electronics market, not only for standard
televisions; but for HTPCs as well. The U.S. federal
government is trying to ease the switchover in a couple different
ways: first, all televisions, DVD recorders, and computer-based
television tuners sold after March 1, 2007 are required to support
the new digital standard. Secondly, the federal government is
sending $40 vouchers for set top boxes that would bring older analog
sets into compliance. Now, this probably sounds like a major
hassle to most consumers, especially those that do not keep
themselves on the bleeding edge of electronics. On the other
hand, digital means better, right? Will the new digital age of
television allow for a better overall experience? This is a
question I hope to tackle as I review today's product:
the
Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick.
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Overclock until you're red, white and blue!
Contest reminder...
Be sure you stop in and enter our 3DMark06
benchmark contest. We are giving away a ton of prizes including
cases from Sigma
and Raidmax.
We also have secured 10 copies of Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage!
Click here to learn about how you can take a shot at
winning one of the many prizes up for grabs!
Mozilla Firefox 3 Released Today
Today Mozilla has released Firefox 3. The Firefox browser is
considered by many as the only alternative to Internet Explorer
worth downloading. Many people, including a couple of our editors,
consider it to be far superior.
 |
"Firefox 3 is being launched today after having been in
development for roughly three years. Contributed to by
thousands of people — developers, designers, localizers,
testers, marketers, user supporters and documentation
writers — Firefox 3 has been produced by one of the greatest
open source communities in the world. We’re all extremely
proud of it and incredibly excited to finally get it into
the hands of millions of people." |
Download Firefox 3 here.
More tech news from around the web...
AMD Stream Processor First to Break 1
Teraflop Barrier
—Next-generation AMD FireStream™
9250 processor accelerates scientific and engineering
calculations, efficiently delivering supercomputer
performance at up to eight gigaflops-per-watt —
DRESDEN, Germany -- June 16, 2008 --At the International
Supercomputing Conference, AMD (NYSE:AMD) today introduced
its next-generation stream processor, the AMD FireStream™
9250, specifically designed to accelerate critical
algorithms in high-performance computing (HPC), mainstream
and consumer applications. Leveraging the GPU design
expertise of AMD’s Graphics Product Group, AMD FireStream
9250 breaks the one teraflop barrier for single precision
performance. It occupies a single PCI slot, for unmatched
density and with power consumption of less than 150 watts,
the AMD FireStream 9250 delivers an unprecedented rate of
performance per watt efficiency with up to eight gigaflops
per watt.
Customers can leverage AMD’s latest FireStream offering to
run critical workloads such as financial analysis or seismic
processing dramatically faster than with CPU alone, helping
them to address more complex problems and achieve faster
results. For example, developers are reporting up to a 55x
performance increase on financial analysis codes as compared
to processing on the CPU alone, which supports their efforts
to make better and faster decisions.1 Additionally, the use
of flexible GPU technology rather than custom accelerators
assists those creating application-specific systems to
enhance and maintain their solutions easily.
The AMD FireStream 9250 stream processor includes a
second-generation double-precision floating point hardware
implementation delivering more than 200 gigaflops, building
on the capabilities of the earlier AMD FireStream™ 9170, the
industry’s first GP-GPU with double-precision floating point
support. The AMD FireStream 9250’s compact size makes it
ideal for small 1U servers as well as most desktop systems,
workstations, and larger servers and it features 1GB of
GDDR3 memory, enabling developers to handle large, complex
problems.
Read more about it here.
NVIDIA releases Geforce GTX 200 series GPUs
SANTA
CLARA, CA—JUNE 16, 2008—Imagine
instead of taking over five hours to convert a video for
your iPod, it only takes 35 minutes.
Imagine using your PC to simulate protein folding to help
find a cure for debilitating diseases. Imagine that your PC
can dramatically accelerate everyday tasks, and deliver an
exciting visual experience in the process. Today that
imagination becomes a reality now that the leader in visual
computing technologies, NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA), has
introduced its new family of GeForce® GTX 200 graphics
processors (GPUs)—which includes the GeForce GTX 280 and
GeForce GTX 260 GPUs—taking graphics beyond gaming and
gaming beyond anything that’s ever been possible before on a
consumer computing platform.
“The advances NVIDIA continues to make in visual
computing are simply incredible, and we are excited to be one of the
first companies in the world to offer the technology in the new
Exhilaration Edition of the award-winning HP Blackbird 002,” said
Rahul Sood, chief technology officer, HP Voodoo Business Unit.
“Exceptional graphics quality and performance is important to our
customers, and now the GeForce GTX 200 GPUs are bringing something
else into the mix. By using the GPU to enhance everyday applications
such as video encoding and manipulating photos, HP Blackbird 002 is
one of the most cutting-edge PC platforms ever designed.”
Read the full press release here.
NVIDIA GTX 200 Series Reviews:
More tech news from around the web...
NVIDIA To
Rock San Jose With “Video Games Live” Show at NVISION 08
SANTA CLARA, CA—JUNE 13, 2008—On
Tuesday, August 26, a special performance of
Video Games Live
will captivate NVISION® 08 attendees at the San Jose Center
for the Performing Arts.
Video Games Live is
the most successful video game concert in the world ––-- an
immersive performance featuring music from the most popular video
games of all time. Top musicians perform special musical
arrangements with exclusive video footage, synchronized lighting,
and interactive segments to create an explosive entertainment
experience.
Having already performed to sold-out audiences
around the world since 2005, Video Games
Live continues its groundbreaking 2008
tour with a stop at NVISION 08. The Video
Games Live concert will be held on
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 6 p.m.
Video Games Live
tickets are automatically included with registration for NVISION
08’s professional track. In addition, stand-alone Video Games Live
tickets are available now at
http://www.nvision2008.com/Enthusiasts/nvision-concert.cfm.
Read more about it here.
OCZ Technology
Introduces the High-Capacity Diesel USB Drive, a Portable and
Affordable Option for Students and Professionals
Sunnyvale, CA—June 16, 2008 —OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide
leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability
memory, today announced the all-new Diesel USB 2.0 Flash drive that
made waves at Computex earlier this month. OCZ’s latest offering
harnesses a sleek and compact design coupled with high capacities
you wouldn’t expect in such a small form factor. With reliability,
affordability, and maximum storage capabilities, the OCZ Diesel is
the affordable choice for students, professionals, and other
on-the-go computer users.
“The new Diesel USB drive is the ideal affordable solution for
transporting documents and multimedia files,” said Alex Mei, CMO,
OCZ Technology Group. “With an optimal blend of performance,
portability, and price, the compact yet high capacity Diesel USB
Drive is an excellent choice for consumers always on the go.”
Read about it here.
More tech news from around the web...
Yahoo! turns down
Microsoft...again...
Yahoo! has announced today the talks with
Microsoft have concluded. It looks like Yahoo! is determined
to stay in business or at least trying to land a better
offer.
|
"With respect to an acquisition of
Yahoo!'s search business alone that Microsoft had proposed,
Yahoo!'s Board of Directors has determined, after careful
evaluation, that such a transaction would not be consistent
with the company's view of the converging search and display
marketplaces, would leave the company without an independent
search business that it views as critical to its strategic
future and would not be in the best interests of Yahoo!
stockholders." |
Read Yahoo!'s press release here.
AMD and Havok to Optimize Physics for Gaming
AMD and Havok announce plans to optimize
physics processing on the AMD platform
SUNNYVALE and SAN FRANSISCO, Calif. -- June 12, 2008 --AMD (NYSE:
AMD) and Havok today announced plans to jointly investigate the
optimization of physics effects utilizing AMD’s full line of
products. With over 100 developers and 300 leading titles already
using Havok’s physics engine - Havok Physics – the company has
clearly defined its position as the leading developer of game
physics. By working together, both companies are demonstrating their
commitment to open standards and continued support for the needs of
the game community.
“As the complexity and visual fidelity of video
games increases, AMD wants to take advantage of opportunities to
improve the game experience,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice
president and general manager, Graphics Products Group, AMD. “By
working with the clear market leader in physics software, AMD can
optimize our platforms to consistently deliver the best possible
visual experience to the gamer.”
Read the details here!
Firefox 3 to be released June 17th
Mozilla has announced that Firefox 3 is ready to the public and
will be available on Tuesday, June 17th.
More tech news from around the web...
OCZ
Technology Expands its Diverse Flash Lineup with the new
Ultra-Portable Spyder USB 2.0 drive
Sunnyvale, CA—June 11, 2008 —OCZ Technology
Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high
performance and high reliability memory, today announced the
latest addition to its award-winning lineup of performance
flash drives with the all-new Spyder, first debuted at
Computex 2008. Undertaking exciting new endeavors in the
flash memory market, OCZ is all about affordable, portable,
and innovative style with this super-sleek and cap-less
design that offers students and professionals highly
reliable and high-capacity flash storage at an aggressive
price point.
“With the latest flash technology, OCZ saw the opportunity
to serve customers that are always on the go with our new
ultra-portable Spyder USB drive,” said Alex Mei, CMO, OCZ
Technology Group. “The Spyder is an ultra portable and
lightweight USB drive that features an innovative slide
design which eliminates the possibility of ever losing a
cap, making the Spyder the perfect USB drive for consumers
to carry their valuable data and multimedia with them at all
times.”
Like all OCZ flash drives, portability and size
is a defining factor, allowing users to operate adjacent USB ports
without needing to unplug other peripherals. The Spyder offers
excellent performance at a value while maintaining a sleek and
portable form factor, offering up to 8GB of storage without the
extra bulk. With up to 35 MB/sec read speeds and an array of high
capacities, the Spyder is ready to take on your most daunting file
storage and transfers in style.
Read more about it here.
ASUS Announces
First-Ever Republic of Gamers Convention
FREMONT, CA (June 10, 2008) - ASUS®, a worldwide leader in Open
Architecture Product and notebook design and manufacturing, today
officially unveiled its first-ever gaming event in North America.
Named after its successful line of gaming-focused products, the
Republic of Gamers, the Republic of Gamers Convention (ROGCon) will
bring gaming sizzle to Dallas, Texas this July. The ROGCon is the
first joint gaming initiative by ASUS and Intel® in North America.
The goal of ROGCon is to bring classic LAN
gaming back, and to honor the gaming enthusiasts who help fuel
technology advancements. With over 40,000 square feet of BYOC (Bring
Your Own Computer), BYOL (Bring Your Own Laptop), tournament and
exhibition space, ASUS and Intel expect to draw over 1,000 gamers
and spectators to the event.
Read the full press
release here.
AMD Next-Generation
OpenGL® ES 2.0 Graphics Technology Achieves Industry Conformance
— Khronos™ Group Certifies AMD OpenGL ES 2.0 Technology,
Designed for Mobile Phones, Handheld 3D Gaming and GPS Devices —
SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- June 11, 2008 --AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced
that it has reached a new milestone in the mobile graphics industry
as the first 3D graphics technology provider to achieve OpenGL® ES
2.0 conformance certification. AMD OpenGL ES 2.0 mobile graphics
technology, which will be included in AMD processors, is based on
the same AMD Unified Shader Architecture powering the Microsoft®
Xbox 360™ video game console.
OpenGL ES 2.0, an industry-specified application
programming interface (API), enables rapid rendering of cutting-edge
3D graphics for a variety of consumer electronics devices. As a
leading supplier of media processors and graphics cores for the
handheld market, AMD works with an ecosystem of device makers,
software developers and baseband suppliers to deliver innovative
technology solutions that can yield truly compelling mobile content.
The company has been an early and active proponent of the OpenGL ES
2.0 API.
Read the press release here.
More tech news from around the web...
Microsoft Helps
Protect Consumers by Addressing Repeat Offender Software Pirates
REDMOND, Wash. — June 9, 2008 — As part of its ongoing efforts to
protect its customers and partners from the risks of pirated and
counterfeit software, Microsoft Corp. today announced the filing of
21 lawsuits in federal court in 14 states against resellers
allegedly engaging in the sale of pirated software, including some
alleged repeat offenders. Microsoft also called attention to several
resources available to help consumers to ensure they are getting
genuine software, including the (800) RU-LEGIT (785-3448) hot line
and online validation tools at
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine. In the cases announced today,
many of the companies identified in the suits are alleged to have
misled customers by repeatedly distributing unlicensed copies of
Microsoft software pre-installed on the PCs that they sold. Some of
these companies continued with their illegal business practices even
after settling previous lawsuits with Microsoft.
Read more about it here.
Western Digital
releases Caviar Black 7200
LAKE FOREST, Calif. - June 10, 2008 - WD (NYSE: WDC) today launched
its new line of WD Caviar® Black™ 7200 RPM 3.5-inch SATA (Serial
ATA) hard drives for high-performance desktop, workstation and
multi-drive systems. Available in capacities of 750 GB and 1 TB, WD
Caviar Black hard drives are part of a new family of WD product
categories designed to simplify the buying experience for customers
worldwide.
WD was the first company to introduce a hard drive, optimized for
low power consumption, using GreenPower technology, and is raising
the bar for the high performance desktop market with WD Caviar
Black. "WD Caviar Black hard drives offer the highest capacity and
performance in a desktop class drive available on the market today
enabling users to maximize the features and functionality of power
computing applications such as multimedia, video and photo editing,"
said Don Bennett, WD vice president and general manager of desktop
storage. "Selection of a WD Caviar Black drive ensures WD customers
receive the best WD has to offer in terms of features, performance
and reliability."
Read about the details here.
More tech news from around the web...
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Today we take a look at
one of Antec's new gaming enclosures called the Twelve Hundred. I
classify the Twelve Hundred as a mid to high end computer cases due to it's street price of
about $215 depending on where you live and shop. The Antec Twelve
Hundred is an all new case in the "Gamer Case" family at Antec and
extends the series preceded by the popular Three Hundred and
Nine Hundred cases. However, the Twelve Hundred is a radical change over
the previous models and only slightly resembles the Nine Hundred.
Antec took bold steps in a completely new direction with the
Gamer Case series, so my first question when I saw the Twelve
Hundred was will I like this design
as much as I've come to cherish other Antec cases such as the P180
in the Performance One series?
The only way to find out is to tear
into the Twelve Hundred to see what this big dog has to offer!
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| Have
you ever pulled out an old hard drive and needed a
quick and easy way to retrieve data from that hard
drive without going through all the trouble of
installing it in another computer? This has been a
problem for enthusiasts and computer techs for years
until the USB drive adapter was invented. The
average computer user may only need such a device
once or twice every few years, but a computer
technician simply can't live without one. Our
friends over at Newer Technology has a new USB 2.0
Universal Drive Adapter for us to look at today.
This new drive adapter does it all!
Let's take a look... |
Overclock until you're red, white and blue!
Be sure you stop in and enter our 3DMark06
benchmark contest. We are giving away a ton of prizes including
cases from Sigma
and Raidmax.
We also have secured 10 copies of Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage!
Click here to learn about how you can take a shot at
winning one of the many prizes up for grabs!
Apple Introduces the
New iPhone 3G
SAN
FRANCISCO—June 9, 2008—Apple® today introduced the new iPhone™ 3G,
combining all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G
networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone,
built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone
2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange
ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already
built with the recently released iPhone SDK. In the US the new
iPhone 3G is priced at a stunning $199 for the 8GB model, and just
$299 for the 16GB model.** iPhone 3G will be available in more than
70 countries later this year, beginning with customer availability
in 22 countries—Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, UK and the US—on July 11.
Read the full press release here.
More tech
news & reviews from around the web...
The Federal
Trade Commission Visits Intel
Today
Intel issued a press release on the unexpected visit by the
FTC on June 4th. Obviously the FTC didn't come over for
coffee and donuts.
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On June 4 the U.S. FTC served a subpoena
related to Intel's business practices with respect
to competition in the microprocessor market. Since
2006 Intel has been working closely with the FTC on
an informal inquiry into competition in the
microprocessor market and has provided the
commission staff with a considerable amount of
information and thousands of documents. By
proceeding to a subpoena, the Commission will be
able to obtain not only information that Intel has
already committed to provide but also information
from other parties. Consistent with its standard
practice Intel will work cooperatively with the FTC
staff to comply with the subpoena and continue
providing information.
The company believes its business practices
are well within U.S. law. The evidence that this
industry is fiercely competitive and working is
compelling. For example, prices for microprocessors
declined by 42.4 percent from 2000 to end of 2007.
When competitors perform and execute the market
rewards them. When they falter and under-perform the
market responds accordingly.
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Oil hits $138
a barrel!
A few
months ago I thought for sure the surging oil prices would
stop at around $120 a barrel and then start going back down.
Now I'm starting to believe the dooms day predictions of
$150 to $200 per barrel by the end of this summer. With gas
prices sitting at nearly $4.00 per gallon on average, how
are you holding up during these hard times?
Join the discussion here.
More tech
news & reviews from around the web...
Anandtech previews the
Intel Nehalem
The lucky dogs over at
Anandtech released a preview of Intel's new Nehalem processor
showing a 20 to 50% performance increase over current processors.
Holy crap...
Read it for yourself here!
ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe @ [H]
"Based on the newly introduced Intel P45 chipset, the P5Q3 Deluxe
board seems to have a good mix of power and features. ASUS looks to
have a winner on their hands with this one, but does the P45 offer
anything that the X35, X38, or X48 do not?"
Read about it at [H]ardOCP.
More tech
news & reviews from around the web...
AMD Announces
Revolutionary External Graphics Solution for Notebooks
Computex, TAIPEI -- June 4, 2008 --AMD
(NYSE:AMD) today announced ATI XGP™ (External Graphics Platform)
Technology, a new external PCI Express® (PCIe) 2.0 graphics
platform, designed to deliver enthusiast-class desktop graphic
performance and true multimedia upgradeability to notebooks1. ATI
XGP is an exclusive technology that capitalizes on PCIe 2.0 to
deliver enthusiast-class graphics via a connected cable to an
externally powered and cooled device. This unique innovation
delivers up to 4.0 Gbyte/s in each direction in bandwidth
communication between the notebook and external graphics, whereas
previous consumer level external solutions were limited in graphics
bandwidth2. ATI XGP is fully optimized for new AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra
notebook platforms, also announced today.
ATI XGP Technology is being first launched with the
newly announced ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3800 series for eye-catching
HD graphics. As an industry first for notebooks, ATI XGP Technology
delivers multi-GPU capabilities of scalable performance with ATI
CrossFireX™ technology. The additional high bandwidth of the
included USB 2.0 connectivity allows users to connect to a wide
variety of USB-based devices, including external TV tuners, external
Blu-ray players, and much more.
“With ATI XGP Technology, notebooks can switch
between everyday computing and hard-core gaming with a simple
plug-in that’s also portable enough to bring powerful 3D performance
on-the-go,” said Matt Skynner, vice president of Marketing, Graphics
Products Group, AMD. “This technolo
