Xbox One announced, the games: not so much.
Subject: Editorial, General Tech, Graphics Cards, Processors, Systems | May 21, 2013 - 05:26 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: xbox one, xbox
Almost exactly three months have passed since Sony announced the Playstation 4 and just three weeks remain until E3. Ahead of the event, Microsoft unveiled their new Xbox console: The Xbox One. Being so close to E3, they are saving the majority of games until that time. For now, it is the box itself as well as its non-gaming functionality.
First and foremost, the raw specifications:
- AMD APU (5 billion transistors, 8 core, on-die eSRAM)
- 8GB RAM
- 500GB Storage, Bluray reader
- USB 3.0, 802.11n, HDMI out, HDMI in
The hardware is a definite win for AMD. The Xbox One is based upon an APU which is quite comparable to what the PS4 will offer. Unlike previous generations, there will not be too much differentiation based on available performance; I would not expect to see much of a fork in terms of splitscreen and other performance-sensitive features.
A new version of the Kinect sensor will also be present with all units which developers can depend upon. Technically speaking, the camera is higher resolution and more wide-angle; up to six skeletons can be tracked with joints able to rotate rather than just hinge. Microsoft is finally also permitting developers to use the Kinect along with a standard controller to, as they imagine, allow a user to raise their controller to block with a shield. That is the hope, but near the launch of the original Kinect, Microsoft filed a patent to allow sign language recognition: has not happened yet. Who knows whether the device will be successfully integrated into gaming applications.
Of course Microsoft is known most for system software, and the Xbox runs three lightweight operating environments. In Windows 8, you have the Modern interface which runs WinRT applications and you have the desktop app which is x86 compatible.
The Xbox One borrows more than a little from this model.
The home screen, which I am tempted to call the Start Screen, for the console has a very familiar tiled interface. They are not identical to Windows but they are definitely consistent. This interface allows for access to Internet Explorer and an assortment of apps. These apps can be pinned to the side of the screen, identical to Windows 8 modern app. I am expecting there to be "a lot of crossover" (to say the least) between this and the Windows Store; I would not be surprised if it is basically the same API. This works both when viewing entertainment content as well as within a game.
These three operating systems run at the same time. The main operating system is basically a Hyper-V environment which runs the two other operating systems simultaneously in sort-of virtual machines. These operating systems can be layered with low latency, since all you are doing is compositing them in a different order.
Lastly, they made reference to Xbox Live, go figure. Microsoft is seriously increasing their server capacity and expects developers to utilize Azure infrastructure to offload "latency-insensitive" computation for games. While Microsoft promises that you can play games offline, this obviously does not apply to features (or whole games) which rely upon the back-end infrastructure.
And yes, I know you will all beat up on me if I do not mention the SimCity debacle. Maxis claimed that much of the game requires an online connection due to the complicated server requirements; after a crack allowed offline functionality, it was clear that the game mostly operates fine on a local client. How much will the Xbox Live cloud service offload? Who knows, but that is at least their official word.
Now to tie up some loose ends. The Xbox One will not be backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games although that is no surprise. Also, Microsoft says they are allowing users to resell and lend games. That said, games will be installed and not require the disc, from what I have heard. Apart from the concerns about how much you can run on a single 500GB drive, once the game is installed rumor has it that if you load it elsewhere (the rumor is even more unclear about whether "elsewhere" counts accounts or machines) you will need to pay a fee to Microsoft. In other words? Basically not a used game.
Well, that has it. You can be sure we will add more as information comes forth. Comment away!
Introduction and Design
While Lenovo hasn’t historically been known for its gaming PCs, it’s poised to make quite a splash with the latest entry in its IdeaPad line. Owing little to the company’s business-oriented roots, the Y500 aims to be all power—moreso than any other laptop from the manufacturer to date—tactfully squeezed into a price tag that would normally be unattainable given the promised performance. But can it succeed?
Our Y500 review unit can be had for $1,249 at Newegg and other retailers, or for as low as $1,180 at Best Buy. Lenovo also sells customizable models, though the price is generally higher. Here’s the full list of specifications:
The configurations offered by Lenovo range in price fairly widely, from as low as $849 for a model sporting 8 GB of RAM with a single GT 650M with 2 GB GDDR5. The best value is certainly this configuration that we received, however.
What’s so special about it? Well, apart from the obvious (powerful quad-core CPU and 16 GB RAM), this laptop actually includes two NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GPUs (both with 2 GB GDDR5) configured in SLI. Seeing as it’s just a 15.6-inch model, how does it manage to do that? By way of a clever compromise: the exchange of the usual optical drive for an Ultrabay, something normally only seen in Lenovo’s ThinkPad line of laptops. So I guess the Y500 does owe a little bit of its success to its business-grade brethren after all.
In our review unit (and in the particular configuration noted above), this Ultrabay comes prepopulated with the second GT 650M, equipped with its own heatsink/fan and all. The addition of this GPU effectively launches the Y500 into high-end gaming laptop territory—at least on the spec sheet. Other options for the Ultrabay also exist (sold separately), including a DVD burner and a second hard drive. The bay is easily removable via a switch on the back of the PC (see below).
Outbound Phone Call Support Coming to Hangouts (Within Gmail Interface) Soon
Subject: General Tech | May 20, 2013 - 03:42 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: google voice, google talk, google hangouts, google
One of the neat features of the chat application built into the Gmail web interface is the ability to receive and place phone calls to and from your Google Voice number. And unlike the Google Voice interface, calls placed using the Gmail Talk chat widget are completely free.
Unfortunately, the new Hangouts replacement (currently not mandatory) brought over from Google + does not support the calling features of Google Talk. As such, users wanting to call phones and not just video chat with other Google + users will need to stick with the old Google Talk chat or use Google Voice and pay for outbound calls.
The good news is that the phone call features will be rolled into the new Hangouts feature eventually. According to Google employee Nikhyl Singhal, “outbound/inbound calls will soon be available.” He also indicated that future versions of Hangouts will further integrate the feature set of Google Voice (which likely refers to SMS). Unless you particularly want video chatting, I would recommend sticking with Google Talk until the new version of Hangouts is more fleshed out.
Deal for May 20th - Dell UltraSharp U2413 1920 x 1200 24" IPS @ $499
Subject: General Tech | May 20, 2013 - 02:48 PM | PCPer Staff
Tagged:
Dell's UltraSharp U2413 1920 x 1200 24" IPS claims a 6ms response time which makes it suitable for gaming, as well as offering superior colour support. As it is a new model it supports HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, DVI-D and mini DisplayPort inputs as well as acting as a 4-port USB 3.0 hub.
Dell UltraSharp U2413 1920 x 1200 24" IPS Monitor (2013 model)
Dell Works is offering newest 24-inch UltraSharp U2413 Monitor (2013 model) for $499.99 with FREE shipping. Use $100 instant savings to get final price. Backed by 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service and Premium Panel Guarantee.
JPR Releases Q1 2013 GPU Market Share Numbers, Good News for NVIDIA
Subject: Graphics Cards | May 20, 2013 - 12:54 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: VIA, Q1 2013, nvidia, jpr, Intel, gpu market share, amd
Market analytics firm Jon Peddie Research recently released estimated market share and GPU shipment numbers from Q1 2013. The report includes information on AMD, NVIDIA, Intel, and Via and covered IGPs, processor graphics, and discrete GPUs included in desktop and mobile systems powered by X86 hardware. The report includes x86 tablets but otherwise does not factor in GPUs used in ARM devices like NVIDIA's Tegra chips. Year over Year, the PC market is down 12.6% and the GPU market declined by 12.9%. It is not all bad news for the PC market and discrete GPU makers, however. GPUs through 2016 are expected to exhibit a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.6% with as many as 394 million discrete GPUs shipped in 2016 alone.
In Q1 2013, the PC market is down 13.7% versus last quarter (Q4 2012) but the GPU market only declined 3.2%. This discrepency is explained as the result of people adding multiple GPUs to a single PC system, including adding a single discrete card to a system that already has processor graphics or an APU. By the end of Q1 2013, Intel holds 61.8% market share followed by AMD in second place with 20.2% and NVIDIA with 18%. Notably VIA is out of the game with 0.0% market share.
In terms of GPU shipments, NVIDIA had a relatively good first quarter of this year with an increase of 7.6% for notebook GPUs and desktop GPU shipments that remained flat. Overall, NVIDIA saw an increase in PC graphics shipments of 3.6%. On the other hand, x86 CPU giant Intel saw desktop and notebook GPUs slip by 3% and 6.3% respectively. Overall, that amounts to PC graphics shipments that fell by 5.3%. In between NVIDIA and Intel, AMD moved 30% more desktop chips (including APUs) versus Q4 2012. Meanwhile, Notebook chips (including APUs) fell by 7.3%. AMD's overall PC graphics shipments fell by 0.3%.
In all, this is decent news for the PC market as it shows that there is still interest in desktop GPUs. The PC market itself is declining and taking the GPU market with it, but it is far from the death of the desktop PC. It is interesting that NVIDIA (which announced Q1'13 revenue of $954.7 million) managed to push more chips while AMD and Intel were on the decline since NVIDIA doesn't have a x86 CPU with integrated graphics. I'm looking forward to seeing where NVIDIA stands as far as the mobile GPU market which does include ARM-powered products.
Introduction and Technical Specifications
Introduction
Courtesy of MSI
With the Z77A-GD65 Gaming motherboard, MSI takes is award-winning Intel Z77-based board design and melds it with a Killer - a Killer NIC that is. MSI integrated the Killer e2205 GigE NIC into the board's design for the ultimate solution for online gaming. The Killer NIC is well known in gaming circles for its superior hardware-based network traffic prioritization engine, making it a natural integration choice for a top-end gaming board. We put the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming through our rigorous suite of tests to measures is performance and were not disappointed. At a retail price of $179, this board is a steal.
Courtesy of MSI
In designing the Z77A-GD65 Gaming board, MSI provided a total of 12 digital power phases for the CPU. MSI packed this board full of features: SATA 2 and SATA 3 ports; a Killer e2205 GigE NIC; three PCI-Express x16 slots for up to tri-card support; and USB 2.0 and 3.0 port support.
Courtesy of MSI
Continue reading our review of the MSI Z77A-GD65 Gaming motherboard!
ECS Z87 Motherboard Series Preview
Subject: Motherboards | May 18, 2013 - 03:19 PM | Morry Teitelman
Tagged: Z87H3-A3, Z87H3-A2, z87, ECS
ECS unveiled their plans for the next generation of Intel 8-series chipsets and 4th Generation Intel® Core processor family. These motherboards will be released in Q2 2013 and are categorized into four lines:
- Unnamed series - optimized for gaming and high performance processing
- Pro series - optimized for power computing
- Deluxe series - optimized for small office and home
- Essentials series - optimized for home and multi-media
ECS motherboard lines
Courtesy of ECS
Continue reading our preview of the ECS Z87 motherboard lineup!
Introduction
Today, Gigabyte unveiled their Intel Z87-based board lineup to select members of the press at a live event from their headquarters in City of Industry, CA. Their Z87 boards are broken down into four series - the Extreme OC series, the Gaming Series, the Thunderbolt series, and the Standard series.
Intel Z87 motherboard lineup
Courtesy of GIGABYTE
New Features
Gigabyte includes both a new interface for their UEFI BIOS and a new power paradigm, dubbed Ultra Durable 5 Plus, into each of their Intel Z87 boards.
UEFI BIOS Enhancement
UEFI BIOS explanation
Courtesy of GIGABYTE
They also fully redesigned their UEFI BIOS interface to make it more customizable, easier to use, and to allow real-time feedback for settings changes.
Continue reading our preview of Gigabyte's upcoming Z87 motherboards!!
Alienware m14x r2 14-in GeForce GT 650M Gaming Laptop for $1308
Subject: Editorial | May 17, 2013 - 10:36 AM | PCPer Staff
Tagged: deals
We often get asked about our favorite gaming notebooks and despite the somewhat aged styling, we still think Alienware makes some of the best. Today's deal offers up the small M14x R2 with a 1600x900 screen, Core i7-3630QM quad-core processors, GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics and 16GB of DDR3 memroy. The $1308 price is a nice $300+ discount over the normal price!
Alienware m14x r2 14" Core i7 900p Gaming Laptop w/GeForce GT 650M, 16GB RAM, 32GB SSD
IE10 is the safest web browser in one way; checkmate!
Subject: Editorial, General Tech | May 16, 2013 - 03:45 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: web browser, Malware, IE10
If you consider your browser security based solely on whether it will allow you to manually download a malicious executable: IE10 is the best browser ever!
Rod Trent over at Windows IT Pro seems to believe this when NSS labs released their report, "Socially Engineered Malware Blocking". In this report, Internet Explorer blocked the user from downloading nearly all known malware (clarification: all known malware within the test). Google Chrome came in second place with a little less than 17% fail rate and the other browsers were quite far behind with approximately a 90% failure rate.
Based on that one metric alone, Rod Trent used a cutesy chess image to proclaim IE the... king... of the hill. Not only that, he suggests Safari, Opera, and Firefox consider "shuttering their doors." After about a decade of Internet Explorer suffering from countless different and unique vectors of exploitation, now is the time to proclaim a victor for attacks which require explicit user action?
Buckle in, readers, it's a rant.
Firstly, this reminds me a little bit of Microsoft Security Essentials. Personally, I use it, because it provides enough protection for me. Unlike its competitors, MSE has next to no false positives because almost ignores zero-day exploits. The AV package drew criticism from lab tests which test zero-day exploits. Microsoft Security Essentials was ranked second-worst by this metric.
Well, time to shutter your doors Micr... oh wait Rod Trent lauded it as award-winning. Huh...
But while we are on the topic of false positives, how do you weigh those in your grading of a browser? According to the report, and common sense, achieving pure success in this metric is dead simple if you permit your browser to simply block every download, good or bad.
If a 100% false positive acceptance rate is acceptable, it is trivial to protect users from all malicious download. With just a few lines of code, Firefox, Safari, and Opera could displace Internet Explorer and Chrome as the leaders of protection against socially engineered malware. However, describing every download as "malicious" would break the internet. Finding a balance between accuracy and safety is the challenge for browsers at the front of protection technology.
-NSS Labs, "Socially Engineered Malware Blocking"
A browser that is capable of blocking malware without blocking legitimate content would certainly be applause-worthy. I guess time will tell whether Internet Explorer 10 is able to walk the balance, or whether it will just be a nuisance like the first implementations of UAC.
OK, Google did actually release exactly one native Windows application at Google I/O: It's called Android Studio, an application that helps developers create apps that run on Android, Google’s answer to Windows. But don’t worry, Microsoft fans: Internet Explorer (IE) flags the Android Studio download as potential malware.
-Paul Thurrott, Windows IT Pro
Ah crap... that was quick.
Now to be fair, Internet Explorer 10 and later have been doing things right. I am glad to see Microsoft support standards and push for an open web after so many years. This feature helps protect users from their own complacency.
Still, be careful when you call checkmate: some places may forfeit your credibility.
Podcast #251 - iBuyPower Revolt, Seagate SSHD, NVIDIA Shield Pricing, and more!
Subject: General Tech | May 16, 2013 - 03:11 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: podcast, video, ibuypower, revolt, Seagate, sshd, nvidia, project shield, shield, haswell, corsair, seasonic, amd, ASUS P5A
PC Perspective Podcast #251 - 05/16/2013
Join us this week as we discuss the iBuyPower Revolt, Seagate SSHD, NVIDIA Shield Pricing, and more!
You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.
The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!
- iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
- RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
- MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file
Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Josh Walrath, Allyn Malventano, and Morry Teitelman
Program length: 1:12:25
-
Week in Review:
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0:10:30 Seagate Thin SSHD 500GB Review
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News items of interest:
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0:35:00 Power supplies and Haswell
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0:56:00 Hardware Flashback: ASUS P5A
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1:01:00 Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
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Allyn: Seagate 1TB Laptop SSHD
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1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
-
Closing/outro
Introduction
Today, ASUS introduces their Intel Z87-based motherboard lineup with board refreshes across all of their product lines: ASUS (mainstream), Republic of Gamers (ROG), The Ultimate Force (TUF), and Workstation (WS). With the exception of their TUF and ROG board lines, ASUS decided to introduce a new and improved color scheme for their boards - black and gold. The motherboard surfaces are black with gold colored heat sinks. While black and gold may not seem like the best match-up, don't judge the boards until you have seen them first hand - the black and gold go very well together.
ROG Motherboards
ASUS Maximus VI Gene
Courtesy of ASUS
Their ROG line will include the Maximus VI Extreme, the Maximus VI Formula, the Maximus VI Gene, and the Maximus VI Hero. All ROG boards feature the standard red and black color scheme common to that brand. Additionally, ASUS includes SupremeFX audio standard with all ROG boards and their Sonic Radar on-screen overlay technology. Sonic Radar is an in-game overlay that can be used to accurately pinpoint game-based sound sources. For powering these boards, ASUS includes 60amp-rated blackwing chokes and NexFET MOSFETS with 90% power efficiency operation. Use of these power components was seen to reduce on-board temperatures in the ASUS labs by as much as 5 degrees Celcius.
ASUS Maximus VI Extreme
Courtesy of ASUS
ASUS upped the ante even more with their Maximus VI Extreme board by including the ASUS OC Panel. This panel includes a display and can be mounted in a 5.25" drive bay or used externally for real time voltage and temperature monitoring as well as tweaking of various frequency and voltage BIOS settings. The ASUS OC Panel is supported on all ROG boards and will be available for after-market purchase for the non-Extreme boards.
ASUS Maximus VI Hero
Courtesy of ASUS
The Maximus VI Hero motherboard is the newest member of the ROG line, branded as a more affordable solution for the gamer. This board is marketed as a head-to-head competitor for MSI's MPOWER board.
Continue reading our preview of the ASUS Z87 motherboard lineup!
Hardware Flashback: Asus P5A
Subject: Motherboards | May 15, 2013 - 09:37 PM | Josh Walrath
Tagged: asus, P5A, ALi, Aladdin V, 100 MHz, Super 7, amd, K6, K6-2, SDRAM
I first got into computers in the 8088 days, but I started to do it professionally when Socket 5 was transitioning to Socket 7. The Pentium 133 based Quantex system I bought after the Atlanta Olympics catapulted me into the modern computer age (I was previously using an Intel 386SX-16 MHz system from DAK… don’t get me started on that company). It was also when AOL was the only internet service in Laramie, WY. I started browsing hardware retailers and then moved onto independent review sites that were only then just popping up. Tom’s and Anandtech were very new and did not feature many pictures because digital cameras were still quite rare.
Remember when the 1/5/2 setup was considered optimal? It allowed for the good modem and good soundcard to be installed!
One of the big shifts of the time is when Intel abandoned Socket 7 and forged ahead with Slot 1. AMD had fit the K6 into the Socket 7 infrastructure, though it was initially designed for a proprietary socket. Intel had the Pentium II line and things were moving fast in those days. AMD was providing competition for Intel with excellent integer performance and adequate floating performance, as well as providing a socketed product that was cheaper to produce for both AMD and its motherboard partners. Socket 7 was then morphed into Super 7 with support for 100 MHz FSB speeds. This was a big jump for AMD as they spearheaded this move. Cyrix, IBM, and Winchip all went along for the ride, but they often supported oddball bus speeds that did not always translate well into bus dividers for AGP and PCI.
The first wave of AGP enabled chipsets that also supported bus speeds above 66 MHz finally hit the market, and one of the first was the SiS 5591. One of the first boards to support this chipset was the MTech R581A. The board showed jumper settings that supported 100 MHz, but it was far from stable at that speed. It did fully support 83.3 MHz, which gave many socket 7 users a nice boost when overclocking. The first true 100 MHz chips were the VIA MVP-3 and the ALi M1571 (Aladdin V). These natively supported the 100 MHz bus and ran it perfectly fine. These chipsets allowed the later K6-2 and K6-3 chips to exist and compete successfully with the 100 MHz based Pentium IIs.
This particular model included the onboard ESS sound chip. Pretty posh for the time. Oh yes, there was a time before USB 2.0...
I had a heck of a time getting a hold of a VIA MVP-3 based motherboard at first, and I never actually laid hands upon any Aladdin V based unit during that time. There was no Newegg or Tiger Direct back then, and most major distributors like Tech Data did not always stock a wide selection of products. I was also not making a whole lot of money. I was particularly jealous of all these other sites getting access to review hardware, but then again at this time I had only a handful of articles out and I had not even started Penstarsys.com yet. So when guys like Tom and Anand got their hands on the Asus P5A, it was most definitely must-read material.
This was one of the first 100 MHz Super 7 based boards out there, as VIA was having some real issues with their MVP-3 chipset. Eventually VIA fixed those issues, but not before ALi had a good couple of months’ lead on their primary competitor. Of great interest for this board was the ability to run at 120 MHz FSB. Very few boards could handle that speed well, but the 115 MHz setting seemed very stable. I/O performance was also a step above the VIA chipsets, but VIA was fairly well known for having strange I/O issues at that time (not to mention AGP compatibility issues). The Asus P5A was a great board for the time, and it did not suffer much from the AGP issues that plagued VIA. Oddly enough, though ALi had the better overall chipset, they did not sell as well as the VIA products. Asus still shipped a lot of them, so I guess that made up for the more limited selection.
That is a single phase power... array? Look at all that open space throughout the board!
Super 7 was a dying breed by 1999 with the introduction of the K7 Athlon, but the P5A sold very well throughout its entire lifespan. The board I acquired had the K6-2 500 in the socket, and a BIOS update would provide support for the later K6-3+ and K6-2+ processors. What perhaps strikes me most is the overall simplicity of the boards as compared to modern products. The P5A looks like it has a single power phase going to the CPU, does not feature integrated Ethernet or other amenities, and only has two ATA-33 ports. Interestingly enough, it does feature a ESS based audio codec. Rare for those days! Compare that to the monster products like the Crosshair V Formula Z or the G1.Sniper.3, I guess simplicity is overlooked these days?
HP SlateBook x2: Tegra 4 on Android 4.2.2 in August
Subject: General Tech, Graphics Cards, Processors, Mobile | May 15, 2013 - 09:02 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: tegra 4, hp, tablets
Sentences containing the words "Hewlett-Packard" and "tablet" can end in a question mark, an exclamation mark, or a period on occasion. The gigantic multinational technology company tried to own a whole mobile operating system with their purchase of Palm and abandoned those plans just as abruptly with such a successful $99 liquidation of $500 tablets, go figure, that they to some extent did it twice. The operating system was open sourced and at some point LG swooped in and bought it, minus patents, for use in Smart TVs.
So how about that Android?
The floodgates are open on Tegra 4 with HP announcing their SlateBook x2 hybrid tablet just a single day after NVIDIA's SHIELD move out of the projects. The SlateBook x2 uses the Tegra 4 processor to power Android 4.2.2 Jellybean along with the full Google experience including the Google Play store. Along with Google Play, the SlateBook and its Tegra 4 processor are also allowed in TegraZone and NVIDIA's mobile gaming ecosystem.
As for the device itself, it is a 10.1" Android tablet which can dock into a keyboard for extended battery life, I/O ports, and well, a hardware keyboard. You are able to attach this tablet to a TV via HDMI along with the typical USB 2.0, combo audio jack, and a full-sized SD card slot; which half any given port is available through is anyone's guess, however. Wirelessly, you have WiFi a/b/g/n and some unspecified version of Bluetooth.
The raw specifications list follows:
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NVIDIA Tegra 4 SoC
- ARM Cortex A15 quad core @ 1.8 GHz
- 72 "Core" GeForce GPU @ ~672MHz, 96 GFLOPS
- 2GB DDR3L RAM ("Starts at", maybe more upon customization?)
- 64GB eMMC SSD
- 1920x1200 10.1" touch-enabled IPS display
- HDMI output
- 1080p rear camera, 720p front camera with integrated microphone
- 802.11a/b/g/n + Bluetooth (4.0??)
- Combo audio jack, USB 2.0, SD Card reader
- Android 4.2.2 w/ Full Google and TegraZone experiences.
If this excites you, then you only have to wait until some point in August; you will also, of course, need to wait until you save up about $479.99 plus tax and shipping.
Alienware M18x Core i7 Quad-core 1080p Gaming Laptop @ $2972
Subject: General Tech | May 15, 2013 - 03:06 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals
You can't argue that components are good, a i7-3840QM @ 2.8GHz, 16GB DDR3-1600, a 1TB HDD for storage and 256GB SSD for the OS and a pair of GeForce GTX 675Ms will give you great gaming performance on the 1080p integral screen or a larger external one. If you do want a gaming laptop then getting one with $532 off the retail price is the best way to do it. Just remember to pick up extra batteries.
1. Start here at Dell Home direct store
2. Configure as per needs (optional), click Review & Checkout button at the top
3. Add to cart
4. Apply coupon code: NLZ5145HLZF?FL in-cart and proceed to final checkout/payment
Never Settle Reloaded Bundle Gets a Level Up Bonus
Subject: Graphics Cards | May 15, 2013 - 12:00 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: tomb raider, never settle reloaded, never settle, level up, Crysis 3, bundle, amd
AMD dropped us a quick note to let us in on another limited time offer for buyers of AMD Radeon graphics cards. Starting today, the Never Settle Reloaded bundle that we first told you about in February is getting an upgrade for select tiers. For new buyers of the Radeon HD 7970, 7950 and 7790 AMD will be adding Tomb Raider into the mix. Also, the Radeon HD 7870 will be getting Crysis 3.
Here is the updated, currently running AMD Radeon Level Up bundle matrix.
Now if you buy a new AMD Radeon HD 7970, HD 7950 or HD 7870 today you will get four top-level PC games including Crysis 3, Bioshock Infinite, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and Tomb Raider.
This is a limited time offer though that will end when supplies run out and we don't really have any idea when that will be. Check out AMD's Level Up site for more details and to find retailers offering the updated bundles.
I am curious to find out how successful these bundles have been for AMD and if NVIDIA has had a feedback on the Free-to-play bundle they offered or the new Metro: Last Light option. Do gamers put much emphasis on the game bundles that come with each graphics card or does the performance and technology make the difference?
UPDATE: I have seen a couple of questions on whether this Level Up promotion would be retroactive. According to the details I have from AMD, this promotion is NOT retroactive. If you have already purchased any of the affected cards you will not be getting the additional games.
AMD Open 3.0 Server Hardware Now Available To Reduce TCO In A Data Center Near Your
Subject: Motherboards | May 15, 2013 - 03:56 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: server, open source hardware, open source, open compute project, open 3.0, amd
Throughout last year, AMD worked with the Open Compute Foundation to develop open source hardware for servers. The goal of the project was to bring lower-cost, efficient motherboards (compatible with AMD processors) to the server market. Even better, the AMD-compatible hardware is open source which gives companies and OEM/system integrators free reign to modify and build the hardware themselves. The latest iteration of the project is called Open 3.0 and motherboards based on the design(s) are available now from a number of AMD partners.
An AMD Open 3.0 motherboard.
According to a recent AMD press release, Open 3.0 motherboards will be available from AVnet.inc, Hyve, Penguin Computing, and Zt Systems beginning this week. The new motherboards strip out unnecessary and "over-provisioned" hardware to cut down on upfront hardware costs and electrical usage. Open 3.0 uses a base open source motherboard design that can then be further customized to work with a variety of workloads and in various rack/server configurations. Servers based on OPen 3.0 will range from 1U to 3U in size and can slot into standard 19" racks or Open Rack environments. The boards with their dual Opteron 6300-series processors will reportedly be suitable for High Performance Computing (HPC), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Cloud applications, and storage servers. AMD claims that its Open 3.0 motherboards can reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of servers by up to 57% in data centers. AMD claims that a server based on Open 3.0 has a TCO of $4,589 while one based on a traditional OEM motherboard costs up to 57% more at $10,669. The AMD-provided example sound nice. Despite the example likely being the best-case-scenario, the idea behind the Open Compute Project and the AMD-specific Open 3.0 hardware does make sense. Customers should see more competition with motherboards that are cheaper to produce and run thanks to the open source nature. Further details on the status of Open 3.0 and the available hardware is being discussed at an invitation-only industry round-table this week between partners, interested enterprise customers, and a number of companies (including AMD, Broadcom, and Quanta).
For the uninitiated, the Open 3.0 hardware features a motherboard that measures 16" x 16.7" and is intended for 1U, 1.5U, 2U, and 3U servers. Each Open 3.0 board includes two AMD Opteron 6300 series processors, 24 DDR3 DIMM slots (12 per CPU, 4 channels with 3 DIMMs each), six SATA ports, 1 managed dual-channel Gigabit Ethernet NIC, up to four PCI-E slots, and a single Mezzanine connector for custom modules (eg. the Mellanox IO or Broadcom Management card). Board IO will include a single serial port and two USB ports.
I'm glad to see AMD's side of the Open Compute Project come to fruition with the company's Open 3.0 hardware. Anything to reduce power usage and hardware cost is welcome in the data center world, and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact the open source hardware will have, especially when it comes to custom designs from system integrators. Intel is also working towards open source server hardware along with Facebook and the Open Compute Project. It is refreshing to see open source gaining traction in this market segment, to say the least.
You can read more about the hardware availability announcement as well as an overview of the Open 3.0 specification (PDF) on the AMD website
Western Digital's SSHD Black magic revealed
Subject: Storage | May 14, 2013 - 05:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: sshd, cache, western digital, Black SSHD, Hybrid Drive
The Tech Report sat down with Matt Rutledge, Vice President of Western Digital's client computing group to discuss the software behind their new HDDs with an SSD cache. Sandisk will be providing the hardware and WD who will be providing the custom caching software which will not be coded into the hardware but will function at the driver level. Matt mentioned that this software can also make use of the system's memory and incorporate it into the cache as well though it was not completely clear if there will be many user editable settings. Check the interview out.
"WD revealed that its hybrid drives will use SanDisk iSSD flash components. The announcement was devoid of details on how the caching system works, but we can now shed new light on the software-managed scheme."
Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:
- Seagate SSHD Thin 500GB Review @ Hardware Canucks
- Seagate Desktop HDD.15 4TB vs WD Black 4TB Hard Drive Review @ Legit Reviews
- Toshiba MK3001GRRB 300GB SAS 6Gb/s HDD @ NikKTech
- Intel 525 Series 120GB & 180GB mSATA SSD @ Hardware Canucks
- PNY Prevail Elite 240GB SSD @ Tweaktown
- Crucial M500 480 GB @ techPowerUp
- 120GB OCZ Vertex 3.20 Solid State Drive @ Benchmark Reviews
- Seagate Desktop HDD.15 4TB Review @ Techgage
- Crucial M4 256GB SATA III SSD Review @ PCSTATS
- Corsair Neutron 128GB and 256GB (2013 Hynix Edition) @ TweakTown
- Kingston Wi-Drive 64GB @ Kitguru
- Western Digital My Book Live 1TB Personal Cloud Storage @ Tweaktown
- OWC Envoy Pro EX USB 3.0 Bus-Powered Portable SSD @ SSD Review
- PQI Tiffany 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive @ Tweaktown
- 64 GB Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 Flash Drive @ TechARP
- Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 32GB Flash Drive Review @ Legit Review
- Patriot Supersonic Magnum 256GB USB 3 Flash Drive @ SSD Review
- PQI i-mini USB 3.0 32GB @ techPowerUp
- LSI MegaRAID 9271-8i PCIe Raid Controller @ Funky Kit
- Icy Dock FlexCage MB975SP-B Tray-Less 5 x 3.5" HDD Dock @ Tweaktown
- SilverStone DS322 Dual-Bay RAID Enclosure @ Tweaktown
- Western Digital My Passport Enterprise 500GB USB3.0 External Hard Drive @ eTeknix
Knucker Plunger Keyboard, really Thermaltake?
Subject: General Tech | May 14, 2013 - 04:06 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: input, gaming keyboard, thermaltake, knucker plunger
The unfortunately named Thermaltake Knucker Plunger Keyboard gets its name from the Plunger switches that were used for the keys on this board. They are not quite mechanical switches but do offer more feedback, both tactile and audible, when a key is depressed so that you get a feel similar to a mechanical switch but without the accompanying price tag. With LED backlighting and easily removable keys it does offer the same benefits as high end gaming keyboards but at $40 it will not cost you as much as other models. Benchmark Reviews tried out the newest member of the Tt eSPORTS lineup finding it more than acceptable for the price point.
"In today's throw away culture it seems that nothing is sacred anymore, spending ~$100 on a keyboard seems like nothing to some folks with seamlessly disposable income, but not all of us have that luxury. To this end Thermaltake's Tt eSPORTS division have created the Knucker Plunger Gaming Keyboard (model: KB-KNK008). The Knucker Gaming Keyboard was designed and priced to sit part way between a regular rubber dome keyboard and a mechanical switch keyboard. The end result is what Thermaltake call 'Plunger switch technology', a semi-mechanical rubber dome setup that gives tactile feel of mechanical switches at a much lower cost. Here at Benchmark Reviews we aim to give you the information you want without all the hype, so you can make an educated decision for yourself. Read on to find out if the Knucker Keyboard is all that it promises to be."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Logitech G19s Gaming Keyboard @ Tweaktown
- Xebec Tech Easy Eye Large Letter Keyboard @ eTeknix
- TteSports Saphira Gaming Mouse @ eTiknix
- Mionix Ensis 320 Luna Mousepad @ Rbmods
- Neo Reflection Wireless 3D Finger Mouse @ Hardware.info
- Func MS-3 Gaming Mouse and Surface 1030 XL Review @ Madshrimps
- Shogun Bros Ballista MK1 8200dpi Pro Gaming mouse @ Kitguru
- SteelSeries Call of Duty Black Ops II Mouse Review @ Hardware Secrets
- Tesoro GUNGNIR H5 Optical Gaming Mouse Review @ NikKTech
- Logitech G500s @ LanOC Reviews
- Func MS-3 Gaming Mouse and Surface 1030 XL Mouse mat @ Metku.net
- Logitech G500s Laser Gaming Mouse Review @ Techgage
- Corsair M95 MMO Gaming Mouse @ eTekix
- ROCCAT Roundup: Mice, Mousepad, and Bungee @ OCC
- TteSports Black Element Combat White MMO Gaming Mouse @ eTeknix
- Tt eSPORTS THERON Battle Ready Gaming Mouse @ NikKTech
- ROCCAT Hiro Gaming Mouse Pad Review @ Neoseeker
Haswell Laptop specs! NEC LaVie L to launch in Japan
Subject: General Tech, Graphics Cards, Processors, Systems, Mobile | May 14, 2013 - 03:54 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: haswell, nec
While we are not sure when it will be released or whether it will be available for North America, we have found a Haswell laptop. Actually, NEC will release two products in this lineup: a high end 1080p unit and a lower end 1366x768 model. Unfortuantely, the article is in Japanese.
IPS displays have really wide viewing angles, even top and bottom.
NEC is known for their higher-end monitors; most people equate the Dell Ultrasharp panels with professional photo and video production, but their top end offers are ofter a tier below the best from companies like NEC and Eizo. The laptops we are discussing today both contain touch-enabled IPS panels with apparently double the contrast ratio of what NEC considers standard. While these may or may not be the tip-top NEC offerings, they should at least be putting in decent screens.
Obviously the headliner for us is the introduction of Haswell. While we do not know exactly which product NEC decided to embed, we do know that they are relying upon it for their graphics performance. With the aforementioned higher-end displays, it seems likely that NEC is intending this device for the professional market. A price-tag of 190000 yen (just under $1900 USD) for the lower end and 200000 yen (just under $2000 USD) for the higher end further suggests this is their target demographic.
Clearly a Japanese model.
The professional market does not exactly have huge requirements for graphics performance, but to explicitly see NEC trust Intel for their GPU performance is an interesting twist. Intel HD 4000 has been nibbling, to say the least, on the discrete GPU marketshare in laptops. I would expect this laptop would contain one of the BGA-based parts, which are soldered onto the motherboard, for the added graphics performance.
As a final note, the higher-end model will also contain a draft 802.11ac antenna. It is expected that network performance could be up to 867 megabits as a result.
Of course I could not get away without publishing the raw specifications:
LL850/MS (Price: 200000 yen):
- Fourth-generation Intel Core processor with onboard video
- 8GB DDR3 RAM
- 1TB HDD w/ 32GB SSD caching
- BDXL (100-128GB BluRay disc) drive
- IEEE 802.11ac WiFi adapter, Bluetooth 4.0
- SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, USB3.0, 2x2W stereo Yamaha speakers
- 1080p IPS display with touch support
- Office Home and Business 2013 preinstalled?
LL750/MS (Price: 190000 yen):
- Fourth-generation Intel Core processor with onboard video
- 8GB DDR3 RAM
- 1TB HDD (no SSD cache)
- (Optical disc support not mentioned)
- IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi adapter, Bluetooth 4.0
- SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, USB3.0, 2x2W stereo Yamaha speakers
- 1366x768 (IPS?) touch-enabled display
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