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Deal for May 6th - HP ENVY 14t-3200 Spectre 14" Core i5 Ultrabook w/ 128GB SSD @ $1100

Subject: General Tech | May 6, 2013 - 01:34 PM |
Tagged: deals

If you are a fan of lightweight notebooks the 3.8" HP ENVY 14t-3200 Spectre is a good choice as not only is it lightweight it also sports a 1600 x 900 Radiance display that provides a much larger colour gamut than your average mobile screen.  The base model features a Core i5-3317U with HD 4000 graphics but you can upgrade to an i7-3667U for an extra $325 if you need the processing power.  Both models come with a 128GB SSD of indeterminate origin.

spectre.jpg

 

To get the base HP ENVY 14t-3200 Spectre deal, follow these steps:

  1. Start here at HP Home direct store
  2. Click Customize button
  3. Click View Summary button at the top, Add to cart
  4. Proceed to final checkout/payment

To get the Core i7 HP ENVY 14 Spectre deal, follow these steps:

  1. Start here at HP Home direct store
  2. Click Customize button
  3. Upgrade to 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3667U Processor + Intel HD Graphics 4000 +$100
  4. Click View Summary button at the top, Add to cart
  5. Apply coupon code: NB84633 in shopping cart and proceed to final checkout/payment This Core i7 ENVY 14 Spectre deal: $1,499.99 - $75 coupon code = $1,424.99 with $9.99 shipping.

Source: LogicBUY

Intel Silvermont Architecture Updates Atom for Phones and Tablets

Author:
Date: May 6, 2013
Subject: Processors, Mobile
Manufacturer: Intel
Tagged: silvermont, merrifield, Intel, Bay Trail, atom

A much needed architecture shift

It has been almost exactly five years since the release of the first Atom branded processors from Intel, starting with the Atom 230 and 330 based on the Diamondville design.  Built for netbooks and nettops at the time, the Atom chips were a reaction to a unique market that the company had not planned for.  While the early Atoms were great sellers, they were universally criticized by the media for slow performance and sub-par user experiences. 

Atom has seen numerous refreshes since 2008, but they were all modifications of the simplistic, in-order architecture that was launched initially.  With today's official release of the Silvermont architecture, the Atom processors see their first complete redesign from the ground up.  With the focus on tablets and phones rather than netbooks, can Intel finally find a foothold in the growing markets dominated by ARM partners? 

I should note that even though we are seeing the architectural reveal today, Intel doesn't plan on having shipping parts until late in 2013 for embedded, server and tablets and not until 2014 for smartphones.  Why the early reveal on the design then?  I think that pressure from ARM's designs (Krait, Exynos) as well as the upcoming release of AMD's own Kabini is forcing Intel's hand a bit.  Certainly they don't want to be perceived as having fallen behind and getting news about the potential benefits of their own x86 option out in the public will help.

silvermont26.jpg

Silvermont will be the first Atom processor built on the 22nm process, leaving the 32nm designs of Saltwell behind it.  This also marks the beginning of a new change in the Atom design process, to adopt the tick/tock model we have seen on Intel's consumer desktop and notebook parts.  At the next node drop of 14nm, we'll see see an annual cadence that first focuses on the node change, then an architecture change at the same node. 

By keeping Atom on the same process technology as Core (Ivy Bridge, Haswell, etc), Intel can put more of a focus on the power capabilities of their manufacturing.

Continue reading about the new Intel Silvermont architecture for tablets and phones!!

Cloth simulations in Javascript, optimized for asm.js

Subject: General Tech, Mobile | May 4, 2013 - 06:47 PM |
Tagged: mozilla, javascript, firefox, asm.js

Web browsers are getting really good at being general-purpose application platforms.

You can write most applications in web standards if you are willing to give up some level of performance for the gained ubiquity. HTML5, Javascript, and CSS are very full featured; WebGL and WebCL extend functionality by backing apps with surprising GPU horsepower; WebAPIs such as gamepad, telephony, and accelerometer support also keep advanced hardware-specific features open to web developers.

asmjsdrool.png

I can see the web developers drooling already.

But even though performance lags behind reasonable native environments, the divide is rapidly shrinking. Many applications have reached or exceeded the saturation of useful performance at the same time as browser developers narrow the gap between native performance and themselves.

Javascript is often, simply, good enough.

Mozilla has recently added support for the draft asm.js in their Aurora prerelease channel for Firefox. The specification is designed to permit a subset of Javascript to be flagged for optimization in compatible browsers but otherwise execute as normal everywhere else. It is also possible to compile more native code into Javascript if you can afford the ever-decreasing performance hit. Early implementations of asm.js execute code compiled from C within half of native performance.

asmjs.png

Because... pants.

According to David Herman of Mozilla, one of the lead authors of the ASM.js draft, the specification also allows for multithreading through web workers. Applications can take advantage of multiple hardware threads in this way, and potentially other methods as they continue development. I would expect this is especially relevant for mobile devices which tend to have relatively many cores considering their single threaded performance.

James Long of Mozilla compiled a cloth simulation into this Javascript subset. It will run in multiple browsers but will perform better in Aurora both in cloth precision and, as I have found, responsivity.

Check it out, imagine what you could be doing in your web browser in the near future.

Source: James Long

Corsair's Neutron drives get even more dense

Subject: Storage | May 3, 2013 - 07:32 PM |
Tagged: LAMD, corsair, neutron, ssd, asynchronous NAND, 22nm

Still featuring the Link_A_Media Devices LM87800 controller but with all new 22nm SK Hynix Synchronous NAND the refreshed Corsair Neutron SSD series just arrived on [H]ard|OCP's test bench.  The refresh brings both good and bad attributes, while the 22nm NAND proves a little slower than the original 25nm it also brings a much lower price.  That lower price paired with a 5 year warranty should make this drive attractive to users that are holding off on picking up an SSD because of fears that the drive will stop functioning in a few years, or who have a hard time spending well over $1/GB for storage.

H_neutron.jpg

"Corsair keeps pace with continuing innovation in the NAND market by switching from 25nm IMFT NAND to the rarely seen 22nm SK Hynix NAND. This NAND provides a lower price point and extra capacity. Today we take a look to see if the Neutron Series performance remains and how this new SSD build stacks up to the competition."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

Source: [H]ard|OCP

RIP Hotmail, Long Live Outlook.com

Subject: General Tech | May 3, 2013 - 04:50 PM |
Tagged: webmail, outlook, microsoft, hotmail, email

Microsoft has completed the transition to its new Outlook.com email service. The successor (and replacement) to Hotmail, Outlook.com now has more than 400 million active subscribers. Microsoft opened the Outlook.com service in beta form last year, and finally took it out of preview mode in February. Since then, the company has been moving everyone’s accounts over to the new service. In all, the company moved more than 300 million accounts from the old Hotmail databases to the new Outlook service. Over a six week period, Microsoft moved more than 150 Petabytes of user data to the new service!

From now on, users will now log in to Outlook.com and interact with the new Modern UI-esque user interface. Users that were part of the company’s Hotmail service will get to keep their existing @hotmail.com accounts and no configuration setting changes will be necessary. New users will only get @outlook.com addresses, however. Any Hotmail Plus users will get to keep their paid status and enjoy a version of Outlook.com without any sidebar ads.

Microsoft Outlook Webmail.jpg

Now that the transition is complete, Microsoft is working on adding new features to Outlook.com. Right now, the company is working on introducing deeper integration with SkyDrive as well as tweaking the sending of email from alternate accounts. Both new features will be gradually rolled out to users over the next few weeks.

The SkyDrive integration will be bolstered by adding a new attachment option when sending an email that will allow users to attach files stored on SkyDrive. Outlook will then add a link to the email and automatically assign the correct permissions to allow the email recipient to download the file. If you attach a photo from SkyDrive, it will automatically create a thumbnail or gallery of photos within the email body.

The new SMTP send feature tweaks the way Outlook sends mail via an alternative email account (for example, if you added an old Gmail or Yahoo mail account to your Hotmail or Outlook.com email account) such that it no longer shows your Hotmail address “on behalf of” your alternative email. Once the new features is rolled out, email recipients will only see your alternative email address and your Hotmail/Outlook email will not be revealed.

If you are curious about the new Outlook.com interface, check out my Outlook.com preview article.

Source: Microsoft

Deal for May 3rd - Dell UltraSharp U2413 1920 x 1200 24" IPS @ $450

Subject: General Tech | May 3, 2013 - 02:39 PM |
Tagged: deals

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. 

dellus.jpg

Dell UltraSharp U2413 1920 x 1200 24" IPS Monitor (2013 model)
Dell Works is offering newest 24-inch UltraSharp U2413 Monitor (2013 model) for $449.99 with FREE shipping. Use $100 instant savings and extra 10% coupon code: 0Q0C74SWNZC42$ to get final price. Backed by 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service and Premium Panel Guarantee.

Source: LogicBUY

Micron puts a suit and tie on its newest PCIe SSD

Subject: General Tech | May 3, 2013 - 12:38 PM |
Tagged: micron, PCIe SSD, P420m, 25nm, mlc

Soon to be available in 350GB, 700GB and 1.4TB capacities, the Micron P420m PCIe SSD will be in a half-height and half-length form factor perfect for use in racks.  DigiTimes mentions it will use a custom ASIC controller from Micron but does not specify the model.  As will it will use 25nm MLC flash and XPERT, which is Micron's eXtended Performance and Enhanced Reliability Technology which should guarantee a decent lifespan for your storage.  Production will not start until June so it will be a while before we finally see performance results.

micron-p420.jpg

"The new Micron P420m combines consistent performance with the inherent power efficiency of an all-flash system to deliver improved economics for enterprise data centers. The drive accelerates performance of today's demanding data center applications, including online transaction processing (OLTP), data warehousing and virtualization, Micron said."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

Source: DigiTimes

LG Launches Optimus F5 Android Smartphone

Subject: General Tech | May 3, 2013 - 11:00 AM |
Tagged: smartphone, optimus f5, LG, jelly bean, Android

LG has launched a new Android smartphone with 4G LTE connectivity. The new LG Optimus F5 is available in France now, and will be rolled out worldwide later this month. It measures 126 x 64.5 x 93mm and comes in either glossy white or piano black. Its specifications are not anything surprising, but this is not a new flagship smartphone. Rather, LG is positioning the mobile device as an affordable LTE smartphone.

On the outside, the LG Optimus F5 features a 4.3” IPS qHD display with a resolution of 960x540 (256 PPI). Above the display is a 1.3MP webcam while the rear of the smartphone hosts a 5MP camera with autofocus.

LG Optimus F5.jpg

Internally, the LG Optimus F5 is powered by a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC clocked at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. LG is using a beefy 2,150 mAh battery which should give it decent battery life even when connected to 4G LTE networks. The phone also supports microSD cards for expandable storage up to 32GB. The Optimus F5 is running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

The new Optimus F5 smartphone will be available soon in France and worldwide towards the end of May. LG has not yet released specific pricing information, however.

Source: Tom's Hardware

Enermax Power Supplies Are Ready For New Haswell CPU Sleep States

Subject: General Tech | May 3, 2013 - 08:59 AM |
Tagged: zero load, PSU, Intel, haswell, enermax, cpu, c6, c5

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Intel’s upcoming Haswell processors would feature new C6 and C7 sleep states that draw as little as 0.05A on the 12V rail. Such low power draw on the 12V rail may cause problems for existing power supplies, which are not accustomed to facilitating such low power draw (especially on the 12V line). In an attempt to clear up a bit of the confusion for its customers, Enermax has put together a list of its mid-range and high-end power supplies that meet the standards required to support the new low-power processor states.

Enermax Platimax 1000W PSU.jpg

According to the press release (seen below), the Enermax power supplies use so-called Zero Load technology that uses a DC to DC converter to support low wattage power draw. This technology has been in Enermax power supplies since the Revolution85+ series which was launched in 2008. The company claims that the power supplies deliver “rock solid voltages” down to 0W load, which is within the Intel specification of 0.05A for the CPU alone.

The list of compatible Enermax power supplies is as follows:

  • Enermax Platimax Series
    • Platimax 500W (EPM500AWT)
    • Platimax 600W (EPM600AWT)
    • Platimax 750W (EPM750AWT)
    • Platimax 850W (EPM850EWT)
    • Platimax 1000W (EPM1000EWT)
    • Platimax 1200W (EPM1200EWT)
    • Platimax 1500W (EPM1500EGT)
  • Enermax Revolution87+ Series
    • Revolution87+ 550W (ERV550AWT-G)
    • Revolution87+ 650W (ERV650AWT-G)
    • Revolution87+ 750W (ERV750AWT-G)
    • Revolution87+ 850W (ERV850EWT-G)
    • Revolution87+ 1000W (ERV1000EWT-G)
  • Enermax MaxRevo Series
    • MaxRevo 1200W (EMR1200EWT)
    • MaxRevo 1350W (EMR1350EWT)
    • MaxRevo 1500W (EMR1500EGT)
  • Enermax Triathlor Series
    • Triathlor 385W (ETA385AWT)
    • Triathlor 450W (ETA450AWT)
    • Triathlor 550W (ETA550AWT)
  • Enermax Revolution85+ Series
    • Revolution85+ 850W (ERV850EWT)
    • Revolution85+ 920W (ERV920EWT)
    • Revolution85+ 950W (ERV950EWT)
    • Revolution85+ 1020W (ERV1020EWT)
    • Revolution85+ 1050W (ERV1050EWT)
    • Revolution85+ 1250W (ERV1250EGT)
  • Enermax Modu87+ Series
    • Modu87+ 500W (EMG500AWT)
    • Modu87+ 600W (EMG600AWT)
    • Modu87+ 700W (EMG700AWT)
    • Modu87+ 800W (EMG800EWT)
    • Modu87+ 900W (EMG900EWT)
  • Enermax Pro87+ Series
    • Pro87+ 500W (EPG500AWT)
    • Pro87+ 600W (EPG600AWT)

The list includes power supplies from a number of series over the past few years that range from 500W to 1250W. I'm sure between now and the launch of Haswell in the first week of June that other PSU manufacturers will be announcing which models are compatible and which are not. Stay tuned to PC Perspective as more information becomes available!

Source: Enermax

Overclocker Pushes An Intel Haswell Core i7-4770K CPU Beyond 7GHz

Subject: Processors | May 3, 2013 - 06:45 AM |
Tagged: z87, overclocking, Intel, haswell, core i7 4770k, 7ghz

OCaholic has spotted an interesting entry in the CPU-Z database. According to the site, an overclocker by the handle of “rtiueuiurei” has allegedly managed to push an engineering sample of Intel’s upcoming Haswell Core i7-4770K processor past 7GHz.

Intel Core i7-4770K Overclocked Beyond 7GHz.jpg

If the CPU-Z entry is accurate, the overclocker used a BCLK speed of 91.01 and a multiplier of 77 to achieve a CPU clockspeed of 7012.65MHz. The chip was overclocked on a Z87 motherboard along with a single 2GB G.Skill DDR3 RAM module. Even more surprising than the 7GHz clockspeed is the voltage that the overclocker used to get there: an astounding 2.56V according to CPU-Z.

From the information Intel provided at IDF Beijing, the new 22nm Haswell processors feature an integrated voltage regulator (IVR), and the CPU portion of the chip’s voltage is controlled by the Vccin value. Intel recommends a range of 1.8V to 2.3V for this value, with a maximum of 3V and a default of 1.8V. Therefore, the CPU-Z-reported number may actually be correct. On the other hand, it may also just be a bug in the software due to the unreleased-nature of the Haswell chip.

Voltage questions aside, the frequency alone makes for an impressive overclock, and it seems that the upcoming chips will have decent overclocking potential!

Source: OCaholic

Noctua Releases PWM Controlled NF-A14 140mm Case Fan

Subject: Cases and Cooling | May 3, 2013 - 06:32 AM |
Tagged: pwm, noctua, nf-a14, fan

Austrian PC Cooling manufacturer Noctua has released a new fan called the NF-A14. The new fan is PWM controlled and aimed at case or watercooling radiator cooling. The NF-A14 uses a square frame and features higher static pressure than the NF-P13 along with a maximum speed of 1500RPM.

Noctua NF-A14 PWM 140mm Case Fan.jpg

The fan kit comes with the fan itself, mounting screws, a rubber mounting system to reduce vibration, a 30mm extension cable, low-noise adapter, and a 4-pin Y splitter cable that allows two PWM fans to be connected to a single motherboard fan header. The new Noctua NF-A14 comes with a 6 year warranty.

Noctua NF-A14 PWM 140mm Case Fan1.jpg

You can find more information on Noctua’s website as well as the full press release after the break.

In other cooling news:

Source: Noctua

Podcast #249 - Corsair 350D, Frame Rating in 4K, the Oculus Rift and more!

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 02:59 PM |
Tagged: podcast, video, Indiegogo, corair, obsidian, 350d, mATX, frame rating, 4k, titan, 7990, 690, Oculus, rift, VR, 3d, amd, amd fx, vishera, hUMA, hsa

PC Perspective Podcast #249 - 05/02/2013

Join us this week as we discuss the Corsair 350D, Frame Rating in 4K, the Oculus Rift 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: Josh Walrath, Allyn Malventano, Scott Michaud and Morry Teitelman

Program length: 1:04:02

  1. Week in Review:
    1. 0:05:00 Corsair Obsidian 350D Case
    2. 0:10:30 AMD Details hUMA for HSA
    3. 0:25:00 Frame Rating testing at 4K resolutions
  2. 0:30:00 This week we thank you for IGG support!
  3. News items of interest:
    1. 0:33:15 Read our Heart of the Swarm review
    2. 0:38:30 Oculus Rift hands on testing
    3. 0:44:00 AMD Refreshes FX CPUs
    4. 0:46:00 Gigabyte shows new audio setup for Z87 boards
    5. 0:49:45 Potential power supply issues for Haswell
  4. Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
    1. Ryan: Windows Movie Maker lets you record webcam videos!
    2. Jeremy: anti-pick - hotels that don't offer a RJ45 jack in the rooms!
    3. Josh: Just plain cheap. And Fun!
    4. Allyn: Ventev USB charging stuff (home / auto)
    5. Scott: 120Hz monitors... meh on 3D Vision.
    6. Morry: Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
  5. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
  6. http://pcper.com/podcast
  7. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
  8. Closing/outro
Be sure to subscribe to the PC Perspective YouTube channel!!

 

Source: PC Perspective

Deal for May 2nd - Samsung Galaxy S4 [AT&T] @ $168

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 01:23 PM |
Tagged: deals

Are you in the same boat as Howard Hughes and can't stand the thought of touching anything?  Samsung's new Galaxy S4 is right up your alley then, as you don't even have to touch the screen to use the phone, simply gesturing near the screen works just as well as touching it.  Not only that but you can benefit from the long list of new features integrated with the new Galaxy, for less than you would otherwise pay.

samsungs4.jpg

Samsung Galaxy S4 [AT&T]
Amazon now offers for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Smartphone for AT&T starting at just $168 with free shipping (2-4 weeks).  Requires new or upgrading two year contract.  Available in White Frost (pictured) and Black Myst.  You save about $32 off the retail price.

Source: LogicBUY

Corsair Clarifies Upcoming Investment Deal With Francisco Partners

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 01:04 PM |
Tagged: private equity, investments, corsair

Corsair recently reached out to the technology community to clarify the news of a new investor interested in the company. It turns out that Corsair is in talks with a private equity firm called Francisco Partners. The PC peripherals company wants to expand by making strategic acquisitions of smaller companies in the gaming and audio industry. In order to do that, Corsair needs cash, and without going public, one way to get that is to go with a private equity firm.

Corsair Logo.gif

Although it will not be official for a couple of weeks, according to Corsair, Francisco Partners will invest as much as $75 million in Corsair and become a shareholder in the privately-held company. The deal is simply a monetary one, with Francisco Partners providing needed cash in exchange for a share of the company. No management changes are planned, and the new investor will not become the majority shareholder according to Corsair.

Corsair recently acquired both gaming peripheral company Raptor Gaming and Simple Audio, a company that provides multi-room streaming audio solutions. Corsair plans to further aggressively pursue the gaming and music/audio markets in addition to its existing case, power supply, fan, and other PC peripheral lineups aimed at enthusiasts. I'm excited to see where Corsair goes from here as it grows and diversifies its business and product lines.

Source: PC Perspective

Microsoft Rumored To Be Working On Cloud-Based "Mohoro" Windows Desktop Service

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 05:07 AM |
Tagged: windows, thin client, remote desktop, mohoro, microsoft, cloud computing, azure

Microsoft may be working on its own cloud-based desktop service according to sources speaking with ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. The rumored service codenamed “Mohoro” would build the Windows desktop SaaS (Software as a Service) solution on top of the company’s Windows Azure cloud computing platform. With Mohoro, Microsoft would provide Azure virtual machines running the Windows operating system. Users would then be able to remote into the desktop on any Internet connected computer or mobile device (with remote desktop support) and get access to their own desktop and applications.

Windows 8 Desktop.jpg

The Windows desktop... coming soon to a cloud near you?

Windows Azure users can already run virtual machines with Linux or Windows OSes, but in the case of Windows Microsoft only allows server versions to be run. Incensing restrictions prevent users from loading consumer operating systems such as Windows XP, 7 or 8 onto the virtual machines. The rumored Mohoro service would apparently relax the licensing restrictions and allow businesses or consumers to deploy client operating systems running on the Azure VMs. It would basically take the need for enterprises to run their own hardware and move it to “the cloud” behind a Microsoft-run subscription service.

It is an interesting idea that I could see universities and businesses looking into. The Azure platform is actually pretty good, from what little testing I've done on it. However, I think that for many consumers a local install is preferable. Although syncing applications and files can be a pain if you have multiple machines, you retain control of your data and are not bound to needing an always-on Internet connection to access that data and run applications. Further, latency issues and bandwidth caps with home Internet connections make a paid-for Azure desktop less appealing to home users. I think Microsoft would have a hard-enough time selling users a subsciption for a local/traditional Windows installation, much less a subscription for an OS requiring an always-on Internet connection to use their computer.

Would you use an Azure-powered desktop as your main OS?

Source: ZDNet

EFF Report Outlines Which Companies Stand Up For Users' Data Privacy Rights

Subject: General Tech | May 2, 2013 - 02:01 AM |
Tagged: Privacy, eff, data privacy, consumer rights

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) released its annual Who Has Your Back report, which highlights Internet companies that (do or do not) defend user’s online privacy rights. The EFF looks at the policies and actions of several major Internet companies, including ISPs, cloud storage, email, and social networks (among others). The companies are graded on various criteria such as whether the companies require a subpoena or warrant before releasing information, lobby congress for stricter data privacy laws, and defend their users’ privacy rights in court.

Who has your back.jpg

This year, the EFF found some surprising results. Google is no longer the leader of the pack due to no longer providing transparent data requests to users on the same level that it did in the past. Twitter and ISP Sonic.net are actually the top ranked companies. In a less surprising twist, Verizon is actually the worst company of the bunch along with MySpace with failing grades in each category! And that is just the tip of the spear, with companies like Apple and AT&T being worse than I thought and Foursquare and WordPress doing better than I expected.

Data privacy is of supreme importance, and i hope that these EFF reports prod all companies to do better (and note the companies that are doing right by their users). It is definitely worth a read. You can find the full report in PDF form here.

Do you use any of these services, and are you happy with their data privacy efforts?

Source: EFF

Intel Announces Haswell Graphics Details and New Iris Graphics

Author:
Date: May 1, 2013
Subject: Graphics Cards, Processors
Manufacturer: Intel
Tagged: iris pro, iris, Intel, haswell

The Intel HD Graphics are joined by Iris

Intel gets a bad wrap on the graphics front.  Much of it is warranted but a lot of it is really just poor marketing about the technologies and features they implement and improve on.  When AMD or NVIDIA update a driver or fix a bug or bring a new gaming feature to the table, they are sure that every single PC hardware based website knows about and thus, that as many PC gamers as possible know about it.  The same cannot be said about Intel though - they are much more understated when it comes to trumpeting their own horn.  Maybe that's because they are afraid of being called out on some aspects or that they have a little bit of performance envy compared to the discrete options on the market. 

Today might be the start of something new from the company though - a bigger focus on the graphics technology in Intel processors.  More than a month before the official unveiling of the Haswell processors publicly, Intel is opening up about SOME of the changes coming to the Haswell-based graphics products. 

We first learned about the changes to Intel's Haswell graphics architecture way back in September of 2012 at the Intel Developer Forum.  It was revealed then that the GT3 design would essentially double theoretical output over the currently existing GT2 design found in Ivy Bridge.  GT2 will continue to exist (though slightly updated) on Haswell and only some versions of Haswell will actually see updates to the higher-performing GT3 options.  

01.jpg

In 2009 Intel announced a drive to increase graphics performance generation to generation at an exceptional level.  Not long after they released the Sandy Bridge CPU and the most significant performance increase in processor graphics ever.  Ivy Bridge followed after with a nice increase in graphics capability but not nearly as dramatic as the SNB jump.  Now, according to this graphic, the graphics capability of Haswell will be as much as 75x better than the chipset-based graphics from 2006.  The real question is what variants of Haswell will have that performance level...

02.jpg

I should note right away that even though we are showing you general performance data on graphics, we still don't have all the details on what SKUs will have what features on the mobile and desktop lineups.  Intel appears to be trying to give us as much information as possible without really giving us any information. 

Read more on Haswell's new graphics core here.

Possible power supply issues for Intel Haswell CPUs

Subject: Cases and Cooling, Processors | May 1, 2013 - 03:07 PM |
Tagged: power supply, Intel, idle, haswell, c7, c6

I came across an interesting news story posted by The Tech Report this morning that dives into the possibility of problems with Intel's upcoming Haswell processors and currently available power supplies.  Apparently, the new C6 and C7 idle power states that give the new Haswell architecture benefits for low power scenarios place a requirement of receiving a 0.05 amps load on the 12V2 rail.  (That's just 50 milliamps!)  Without that capability, the system can exhibit unstable behavior and a quick look at the power supply selector on Intel's own website is only listing a couple dozen that support the feature. 

haswellpsu.jpg

This table from VR-Zone, the source of the information initially, shows the difference between the requirements for 3rd (Ivy Bridge) and 4th generation (Haswell) processors.  The shift is an order of magnitude and is quite a dramatic change for PSU vendors.  Users of Corsair power supplies will be glad to know that among those listed with support on the Intel website linked above were mostly Corsair units!

A potential side effect of this problem might be that motherboard vendors simply disable those sleep states by default.  I don't imagine that will be a problem for PC builders anyway since most desktop users aren't really worried about the extremely small differences in power consumption they offer.  For mobile users and upcoming Haswell notebook designs the increase in battery life is crucial though and Intel has surely been monitoring those power supplies closely. 

I asked our in-house power supply guru, Lee Garbutt, who is responsible for all of the awesome power supply reviews on pcper.com, what he thought about this issue.  He thinks the reason more power supplies don't support it already is for power efficiency concerns:

Most all PSUs have traditionally required "some load" on the various outputs to attain good voltage regulation and/or not shut down. Not very many PSUs are designed yet to operate with no load, especially on the critical +12V output. One of the reasons for this is efficiency. Its harder to design a PSU to operate correctly with a very low load AND to deliver high efficiency. It would be easy just to add some bleed resistance across the DC outputs to always have a minimal load to keep voltage regulation under control but then that lowers efficiency.

Source: Tech Report

A Duke Nukem obsession like no other

Subject: General Tech | May 1, 2013 - 03:03 PM |
Tagged: gaming, mod, duke nukem, obsessive

You might think you expressed your disappointment about the pile of garbage that was Duke Nukem Forever by posting scathing reviews online, but you have nothing on these modders who attempted to create the Duke we were all promised by modding Duke Nukem 3D.  If you still have the DN3D kicking around, or at least the DUKE3D.GRP file you can head to ModDB and download a 30MB mod which will expand Las Vegas far beyond the original game. Don't expect miracles, they can only reuse existing assets but they certainly impressed Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN who posted a trailer-ish movie of the mod in action.

dn3.jpg

"A group of modders have been busily attempting to rewrite history – by recreating the game that 2001 trailer suggested in good old Duke Nukem 3D. Given they suffered a degree of 3D Realms-esque hubris in their struggle to finish the thing, are these the first Method Developers?"

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Gaming

Source: Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN

A sneak peek at Gigabyte's upcoming audio for the Sniper5 series

Subject: General Tech | May 1, 2013 - 02:19 PM |
Tagged: gigabyte, G1.Sniper 5, G1.Sniper 5M, AMP-UP Audio

Slow but surely teases of the next generation of motherboards for Intel processors are showing up, such as Tweaktown's preview here.  You don't get to see much of the board its self but you do have a chance to learn about the new AMP-UP audio that will be featured on these motherboards.  This will be a removable OP-AMP paired with Creative's Sound Core3D to bring high end audio performance to your onboard audio.  It will be removable so that audiophiles can choose their favourite OP-AMP to install if they prefer it to the one included. Take a peek right here.

TT_5431_01_gigabyte_amp_up_audio_4th_generation_intel_core_feature_preview_full.jpg

"The NDA is starting to come off the 4th Generation Intel Core series and today we'll show you what to expect from GIGABYTE in its new AMP-UP audio feature on the G1.Sniper 5 and G1.Sniper M5."

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Tech Talk

Source: Tweaktown
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