GELID SlimHero Cooler Is Quiet and Low-Profile CPU HSF
Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 10, 2013 - 06:53 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: slimhero, hsf, Gelid, fm2, cpu cooler, 1155
Hong Kong-based PC cooling company GELID Solutions launched a new low-profile CPU cooler yesterday called the SlimHero. The new SlimHero cooler joins the existing Silent HSF series, and is a mere 59mm high.
The low profile cooler measures 131 x 123 x 59mm including the fan and weighs 352g. The SlimHero cooler features four copper heatpipes connecting a copper block to a horizontal aluminum fin array. A 120mm fan is then mounted on top of the heatsink to push cool air over the fins and VRM area surrounding the processor. It is rated to cool processors up to 136 TDPs and is compatible with all of Intel and AMD's latest consumer sockets. On the AMD side, the cooler can be mounted in one of four directions on AM2, AM2, AM3, AM3+, FM1, and FM2.Further, it is compatible with Intel's LGA 775, 1156, 1366, and 1155 sockets.
The heatsink comes bundled with a 120mm fan and GC-2 thermal compound. The fan is PWM controlled and can spin at anywhere between 750 and 1600 RPM. GELID rates the 120mm fan at 52.4 CFM and 12-25.4 dBA.
The new cooler is designed to work with small form factor systems without getting in the way of RAM or VRM heat-spreaders. It comes with a 5 year warranty and is available now for an MSRP of $32 USD (25 EUR).
Additional information on GELID's new SlimHero cooler can be found in the full press release (PDF) as well as the SlimHero product page.
Define an Enthusiast CPU...
FM2 poses an interesting quandary for motherboard manufacturers. AMD provides a very robust and full featured chip for use with their processors (A85X) that would lend itself well to midrange and enthusiast class motherboards. Unfortunately, AMD does not provide a similarly high end CPU as compared to the competition at price ranges that would make sense for a motherboard that would cost between $140 and $250 on the FM2 platform.
So these manufacturers are constrained on price to offer fully featured motherboards that take advantage of all aspects of the A85X FCH (Fusion Controller Hub). Until AMD can deliver a more competitive CPU on the FM2 platform, motherboard manufacturers will be forced to design offerings that can really go no higher than $129 (the current price of the fastest A10 processor from AMD). This is not necessarily a bad thing though, as it has forced these manufacturers to really rethink their designs and to focus their energies on getting the greatest bang-for-the-buck. AMD is selling a decent number of these processors, but the market is constrained as compared to the Intel offerings utilizing the 1155 BGA infrastructure.
Gigabyte has taken this particular bull by the horns and have applied a very unique (so far) technology to the board. This is on top of all the other marketing and engineering terms that we are quite familiar with. The company itself is one of the top three manufacturers of motherboards in the world, and they typically trail Asus in terms of shipments but are still ahead of MSI. As with any motherboard manufacturer, the quality of Gigabyte products has seen peaks and valleys through the years. From what I have seen for the past few years though, Gigabyte is doing very well in terms of overall quality and value.
Click to continue reading about the Gigabyte GA-F2A85X-UP4!!
We are Still Among the Living
The day after the official AMD presentation we were able to sit down with Leslie Sobon for a good hour and really dig into the products we are expecting throughout this next year. AMD did not officially announce any products, but they revealed more details about products on their roadmaps.
To say that AMD is in a somewhat precarious situation is an understatement. This does not necessarily mean that they won’t survive for some years. This was never mentioned to us by AMD, but we can assume that it is not in ATIC’s best interest to let AMD flounder too much. AMD is still GLOBALFOUNDRIES largest customer, and ATIC believes that they can become a fabrication giant in the next few years. So, while AMD is hitting some hard times, they will be around for some time to come in spite of their issues.
CPUs
Believe it or not, AMD is still a CPU company with some relevant producxts. While Intel has the advantage in x86 performance and process technology, AMD has a distinct advantage in the integrated graphics portion. While Trinity was a big step in the right direction in terms of performance and power consumption, it was not enough to boost their flagging marketshare. Throughout the 2013 they are working on several products that will help to change their fortunes.
The first product that we will likely see is the Jaguar core based Kabini APUs. These are the next generation, low power APUs which will replace the Brazos 2.0 products that we currently are seeing. These quad core and dual core parts are manufactured by TSMC on their 28 nm process. Kabini will be the first APU to include the new GCN architecture that we currently see in the HD 7700 series and above. AMD will be breaking new ground in offering a true quad core part at price points unseen so far.
Click here to read the rest of our coverage of AMD at CES 2013
CES 2013: MSI Launches A85XMA-E35 ATX Motherboard
Subject: Motherboards | January 9, 2013 - 08:21 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: msi, fm2, ces 2013, CES, atx, APU, a85xma-e35
MSI has launched another micro ATX motherboard for AMD APUs using the FM2 socket called the A85XMA-E35. Measuring 24.4 x 22.8 cm, the motherboard packs a number of MSI technologies including the company’s ClickBIOS II UEFI BIOS and OC Genie II auto-overclocking software.
The micro ATX board features the FM2 socket, two DDR3 DIMM slots (16GB max), six SATA 6 Gbps ports, the Realtek ALC887 audio chip, a TPM module, PCI slot, two PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots, and a single PCI-E 2.0 x16 expansion slot.
Rear IO on the A85XMA-E35 board includes one PS/2 port, six USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one Gigabit Ethernet port, six analog audio jacks, and VGA, DVI, and HDMI video outputs.
In the end, the A85XMA-E35 board is very similar to the A85XMA-P33 motherboard covered earlier today. MSI has added beefier heatsinks, additional expansion slots, and HDMI output so it should carry a small premium over the other board. MSI has not released official pricing for the board yet, however.
You can find more specifications and photos of the FM2-A85XMA-E35 on company's product page.
Read more about micro ATX motherboards at PC Perspective.
PC Perspective's CES 2013 coverage is sponsored by AMD.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
CES 2013: MSI Launches A85XMA-P33 Micro ATX Motherboard With FM2 Socket
Subject: Motherboards | January 9, 2013 - 07:39 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: msi, micro ATX, mATX, fm2, ces 2013, CES, APU, amd, a85xma-p33
MSI announced a new micro ATX motherboard at CES this week. Aimed at supporting AMD’s APUs, the MSI A85XMA-P33 is a socket FM2 motherboard that is replacing the company’s existing A75MA-P33 motherboard. The new A85XMA-P33 is nearly identical to the previous board, but it uses AMD’s A85X chipset rather than the A75.
The A85XMA-P33 features the FM2 socket, two DDR3 DIMM slots, and six SATA 6 Gbps ports. It also has one legacy PCI slot, one PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot, and a single PCI-E 2.0 x1 slot.
Rear IO on the micro ATX motherboard includes two PS/2 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports (plus an additional 2 via motherboard header), three (6 channel) audio jacks, and a gigabit Ethernet port. Display outputs include a single DVI and a single VGA connector.
Other features include a five phase VRM and a UEFI BIOS. No official pricing has been announced yet, but you can expect it to be around the $70 mark. MSI has posted more photos and specifications on its website.
Read more about micro ATX motherboards at PC Perspective.
PC Perspective's CES 2013 coverage is sponsored by AMD.
Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!
Gigabyte Launches F2A75M-HD2 Micro ATX Motherboard
Subject: General Tech | October 23, 2012 - 06:50 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: trinity, motherboard, mATX, gigabyte, fm2, APU
Gigabyte recently unveiled a low-cost micro ATX form factor motherboard for Trinity APUs called the F2A75M-HD2. The motherboard is aimed at low cost home theater and small form factor builds using AMD’s Trinity APUs. It measures 225 x 174 mm and offers up a number of features despite the small size. The board itself features the FM2 processor socket, two DDR3 DIMM slots (up to 32GB DDR3 1866Mhz), and a 5-phase VRM feeding the APU power. It also features Gigabyte’s dual BIOS chip technology and a UEFI BIOS.
Internal I/O includes one PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot, one PCI-E 2.0 x1 slot, and one legacy PCI slot. Four SATA III 6Gbps ports are available, and the A75 chipset supports RAID 0, 1, and 10. Two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 headers are also available on the board for expansion.
Rear I/O of the Gigabyte F2A75M-HD2 motherboard includes:
- 2 x USB 3.0
- 1 x DVI
- 1 x HDMI
- 1 x VGA
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 3 x Analog audio jacks
- 1 x PS/2 port
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet jack
While no specific availability date or MSRP was announced, you can expect this micro ATX Trinity-powered motherboard to be available soon for around $70 USD.
Read more about Gigabyte's FM2 motherboard lineup at PC Perspective.
Gigabyte Launches Flagship GA-F2A85X-UP4 Trinity Motherboard
Subject: Motherboards | October 3, 2012 - 02:52 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: trinity, motherboard, gigabyte, fm2, APU
AMD’s latest Trinity APUs launched yesterday, and with that Gigabyte launched its flagship socket FM2 motherboard, the GA-F2A85X-UP4. This board was shown off earlier this year, but now we have all the details. This motherboard is packed with all the Gigabyte technology you would expect from an enthusiast board, and some of the more interesting features include the Ultra Durable 5 capacitors, a digital PWM array, single package IR3550 PowIRStage ICs, and dual APU clock generators to push overclocking of non-K edition processors as far as possible – at least in theory. Also interesting is the inclusion of Lucid’s Virtu MVP GPU virtualization technology, two EFI BIOS chips, switchable graphics, and the ability to crossfire certain 6000-series discrete graphics cards with the GPU in the Trinity APU.
Internal connectivity options include the FM2 socket, four DDR3 DIMM slots (up to 64GB @ 1866MHz), seven SATA 6Gbps ports, one eSATA 6Gbps port, and support for RAID O, 1, 5, 10, and JBOD. Furter, the GA-F2A85X-UP4 supports three PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots. The first slot runs at x16 or x8 if there are two GPUs installed. The second and third slots run at x8 and x4 respectively. Gigabyte has also included three PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots for sounds and networking cards.
Internal IO headers include one CPU fan, four system fans, one S/PDIF, one USB 3.0, four USB 2.0, one serial, one clear CMOS, and one TPM.
Rear I/O on the flagship Trinity motherboard includes:
- 1 x PS/2
- 1 x VGA
- 1 x DVI
- 1 x HDMI
- 1 x DisplayPort
- 1 x S/PDIF
- 4 x USB 3.0
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 1 x eSATA
- 1 x RJ45
- 6 x analog audio jacks
This board is packing a lot of hardware, and the price is right around $130 depending on the retailer. The GA-F2A85X-UP4 is available now. Interestingly Gigabyte has also announced the F2A85XM-D3H based on the same A85X chipset as the flagship F2-A85X-UP4 as well as some lower tier motherboards based on the A75 and A55 chipsets with new FM2 sockets. Unfortunately, these motherboards do not appear to be available yet. If you are interested in those boards (which should cost less), keep an eye out for the F2A75M-D3H, and F2A55M-HD2 – or simply watch PC Perspective’s homepage of course!
In the meantime, you can find more photos of the GA-F2A85X-UP4 on Gigabyte's website.
Podcast #219 - NVIDIA GTX 660 and 650, Luicid Dynamix technology, A85 Motherboards and more!
Subject: General Tech | September 20, 2012 - 02:57 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: podcast, gtx 660, gtx 650, 660ti, lucid, dynamix, a85, gigabyte, fm2, trinity
PC Perspective Podcast #219 - 09/20/2012
Join us this week as we talk about the NVIDIA GTX 660 and 650, Luicid Dynamix technology, A85 Motherboards 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, Jeremy Hellstrom, and Allyn Malvantano
This Podcast is brought to you by MSI!
Program length: 1:13:13
Podcast topics of discussion:
-
Week in Reviews:
- 0:03:00 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB
- 0:16:30 Corsair HX850 Power Supply
- 0:17:23 Lenovo IdeaPad U410
- 0:18:18 This Podcast is brought to you by MSI!
-
News items of interest:
- 0:19:10 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650
- 0:22:20 Trinity APUs to be binned as CPU only?
- 0:24:50 Lucid Dynamix adjusts quality in real-time
- 0:32:30 ASUS Skills Challenge contest
- 0:34:40 Intel NUC PCs coming soon
- 0:37:15 You missed our Borderlands 2 event Tuesday!
- 0:38:10 OCZ CEO heads out the door
- 0:44:10 Gigabyte A85 motherboard spotted
- 0:47:30 AMD Sea Island 8800 series leaks
- 0:51:35 ASUS Tablet pricing leaks
- 0:54:15 Helium in upcoming hard drives
- 0:58:05 Intel WiDi 3.5 with Miracast Launched
-
Closing:
-
1:02:00 Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
- Ryan: Apple Ear Pods
- Jeremy: Scotch tape, what can't it do?
- Josh: Still so cheap. Watch for Specials!
- Allyn: RushMyPassport.com
-
1:02:00 Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
- 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
- http://pcper.com/podcast
- http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
- Closing/outro
Gigabyte Shows Off the F2A85X-UP4
Subject: Motherboards | September 17, 2012 - 11:09 PM | Josh Walrath
Tagged: trinity, piledriver, fm2, amd, A85X, a10
Gigabyte lit the social media fuse and showed off some of the first pictures of one of the A85X based motherboards. A85X is the successor to the original FM1 A75 chipset, and it had a rather robust featureset for a "budget" oriented chipset. The original A75 was paired with the Llano APU, otherwise known as the A8/A6/A4 APU from AMD. The A85 is pin compatible with the A75, but it offers two more SATA 6 ports than the previous unit. Both share 14 USB ports, four of which are USB 3.0
The board overall looks nice and robust. The black PCB and accoutrements make it seem like it is a mean board. There are 4 USB 3.0 ports on the back and a header for front panel USB 3.0. All eight SATA 6 ports are used on the board, six + one on the board and one e-SATA. We do not know all the details about the power delivery system, but it looks like it is using a variant of what we saw with the latest Z77 boards from Gigabyte. Good stuff, Mainerd.
October certainly looks to be the month that Trinity arrives. Everyone is very curious how it will perform against the latest Ivy Bridge processors from Intel. While AMD still has a GPU advantage, it is slowly shrinking. Now we wonder how well the CPU part will perform and how much power it will pull. Stay tuned, gentle readers...
AMD Binning Trinity APUs With Defective GPUs as CPU-Only Athlon Processors
Subject: Processors | September 13, 2012 - 01:03 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: trinity, fm2, cpu, athlon, APU, AMD A series, amd, a75
NVIDIA’s new Kepler graphics cards (such as the GTX 660 we recently reviewed) will be getting most of the PC enthusiast attention today, but there is a bit of news about AMD to talk about as well.
The Trinity APU die.
Thanks to a Gigabyte motherboard compatibility list that was accidentally leaked to the internet, it was revealed that Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) would be repurposing Trinity APU dies that don’t quite make the cut due to non-operative graphics cores. Instead of simply discarding the processors, AMD is going to bin the chips into at least three CPU-only Athlon-branded processors. The Athlon X4 730, X4 740, and X4 750K are the three processors that are (now) public knowledge. All three of the CPUs have TDP ratings of 65W, and the X4 750K is even unlocked – allowing for overclocking. Further, the processors are all quad core parts with a total of 4MB of L2 cache (1MB per core).
The new Athlon-branded processors will be supported by the A75 chipset and will plug into FM2-socket equipped motherboards.
The following chart details the speeds and feeds of the Athlon processors with Trinity CPU cores.
| Clockspeed | TDP | |
| Athlon X4 730 | 2.8GHz | 65W |
| Athlon X4 740 | 3.2GHz | 65W |
| Athlon X4 750K | 3.4GHz | 65W |
Unfortunately, there is no word on pricing or availability. You can expect them to be significantly cheaper than the fully fledged Trinity processors to keep them price-competitive and in-line with the company's traditional CPU-only processors.
Would you consider rolling a Trinity-based Athlon in a budget build?
Read about the new direction of AMD as it moves to producing Vishera processors and beyond.
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