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NVIDIA Rumored To Release 700-Series GeForce Cards At Computex 2013

Subject: Graphics Cards | April 15, 2013 - 03:34 PM |
Tagged: rumor, nvidia, kepler, gtx 700, geforce 700, computex

Recent rumors seem to suggest that NVIDIA will release its desktop-class GeForce 700 series of graphics cards later this year. The new card will reportedly be faster than the currently-available GTX 600 series, but will likely remain based on the company's Kepler architecture.

NVIDIA GeForce Logo.jpg

According to the information presented during NVIDIA's GTC keynote, its Kepler architecture will dominate 2012 and 2013. It will then follow up with Maxwell-based cards in 2014. Notably absent from the slides are product names, meaning the publicly-available information at least leaves the possibility of a refreshed Kepler GTX 700 lineup in 2013 open.

Fudzilla further reports that NVIDIA will release the cards as soon as May 2013, with an official launch as soon as Computex. Having actual cards available for sale by Computex is a bit unlikely, but a summer launch could be possible if the new 700 series is merely a tweaked Kepler-based design with higher clocks and/or lower power usage. The company is rumored to be accelerating the launch of the GTX 700 series in the desktop space in response to AMD's heavy game-bundle marketing, which seems to be working well at persuading gamers to choose the red team.

What do you make of this rumor? Do you think a refreshed Kepler is coming this year?

Source: Fudzilla

... OK, just a bit more Computex

Subject: General Tech, Shows and Expos | June 13, 2012 - 09:03 AM |
Tagged: trinity, spire, Silverstone, rosewill, nzxt, corsair, computex 2012, computex, asus, amd

The Tech Report found a few more Computex 2012 pictures to show off, including a teaser from NZXT of the previous Phantom model as the new model is still under NDA, no such problem for the case modders showing off at the Thermaltake booth nor for InWin and their new H-Frame case.  Sticking with the cooling motif is this new fan from Spire which uses a new type of bearing to provide a longer life and Corsair's two new lineups of 120mm and 140mm fans, the AF series designed to maximize air flow through a case and the SF series for heatsinks and radiators which benefit more from the increased static pressure larger fan blades can provide.  From Rosewill they spotted a silent PSU, SilverStone a SFX model perfect for an HTPC and big 1200W digitally controlled PSU from Corsair.  Wrap up the tour with some bad news about the expected delay of Trinity on the desktop and some good news for audiophiles from ASUS' Xonar team.

train.jpg

"We've wrapped up our Computex coverage with another round of news. On tap: the PSUs and case mods that stood out at the show, new fans from Corsair and Spire, a chat with Asus' Xonar audio team, details on NZXT's next-generation Phantom enclosure, and word of a delay to AMD's desktop Trinity APU."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

 

Source: The Tech Report

New Link_A_Media Devices controller scores Corsair Neutron 'Best of Computex 2012' Award

Subject: Storage | June 12, 2012 - 08:50 PM |
Tagged: ssd, neutron, LAMD, corsair, computex

Last week during Computex, Corsair jointly announced a new SSD to their lineup. Their partnership was with Link_A_Media Devices (LAMD), and the new Corsair Neutron Series scooped up Tom Hardware's "Best of Computex 2012" award:

LAMD_Corsair_photo.jpg

The LAMD press blast for this event included some additional technical specs:

 

Key Features
  • SATA 6G host interface
  • 8 NAND channels, up to 4CE per channel
  • Support for 2y-nm and 1x-nm NAND Flash from all major Flash vendors
  • ONFi 2.3, Toggle Mode 1 and Legacy NAND interfaces
  • Proprietary endurance improving eBoostTM technology
  • End-to-end user data path protection
  • Strong BCH ECC capability with area/power efficient decoder architecture
  • Enterprise-class proven firmware for NAND management and data transport operations
  • Variable NAND over-provisioning
  • Efficient garbage collection and global wear leveling
  • RAID/Chipkill technology
  • Proven unsolicited power loss management
  • Low power design
  • S.M.A.R.T. support
  • Microsoft® Windows® 7 TRIM support
 
Performance (using MLC NAND)
  • Sequential Read: 550 MB/s
  • Sequential Write: 550 MB/s
  • Random Read (4KB): 90K IOPS
  • Random Write (4KB): 90K IOPS

 

What caught my eye was the "Enterprise-class proven firmware" part. If this is LAMD's first entry to market, how can they possibly have 'proven' anything, especially in the enterprise sector? If it wasn't for the lack of compression, I'd be inclined to think this was some sort of re-brand of SandForce tech. Clearly this is something to remain curious about as more information is disclosed.

 

Full press blast after the break.

Source: Award Photo @ Business Wire

Wrapping up Computex

Subject: General Tech, Shows and Expos | June 11, 2012 - 11:55 AM |
Tagged: nuc, computex 2012, computex

The Tech Report are still trying to catch up on all of their coverage of Computex as there were a lot of exhibits to make it to.  Intel has once again come up with a questionable name for an interesting product, the Next Unit of Computing is a 4" x 4" x 1" system which could be used for tasks similar to the Raspberry Pi, but as they were running Cinebench on an i5 powered version you can expect quite a bit more from the NUC.  Contrast that with EVGA's lineup of GTX 680's all of which are larger than the Intel system.  The Classified version sports a larger cooling fan as it has double the amount of memory typically found on a GTX 680 at 4GB, they also have a watercooled GTX 690 and a model of the card which claims to have a hot clocked GPU which will be interesting to examine when it arrives on a test bench.

Cooling enthusiasts might be very interested in Enermax's dive into watercooling or for air cooling you could see how Noctua's active noise cancellation works.  BitFenix displayed an interesting miniITX encloure and SilverStone showed off a pair.  Check out all the pictures and more by following the links.

TR_nuc.jpg

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

 

Source: The Tech Report

Rosewill's Cherrys, Antec's case and MSI's take on a tablet hybrid

Subject: General Tech, Shows and Expos | June 8, 2012 - 02:30 PM |
Tagged: computex, computex 2012, msi, slider s20

We've seen a few hybrid tablet/notebooks, from the familiar ASUS Transformer to Acer's Iconia but MSI has one that really stands out.  As you can see from the pictures that The Tech Report snapped, MSI's Slider S20 has a retractable keyboard instead of a detachable one which will likely add to the weight but could be more convenient than a keyboard dock especially as it also acts as a stand.

Antex is working on their P280 series, with a microATX version and a full sized version with an integral housing for a radiator on the top for those who want a tidy watercooling solution.  If you more into CherryMX switches then it is the Rosewill pictures that will interest you as they showed off a few new models at their booth.

TR_MSIhalf.jpg

"For our third Computex digest, we have news about an MSI Windows 8 tablet with a slide-out keyboard, a new version of Antec's famous P280 enclosure, and upcoming Rosewill mechanical keyboard with configurable backlighting."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

 

Source:

Computex: AMD Launching Tahiti 2 Graphics Cards Next Week

Subject: Graphics Cards | June 8, 2012 - 01:23 PM |
Tagged: tahiti, graphics, gpu, computex, binning, amd, 7970 ghz edition

AMD is having a string of successes with its 28nm 7000 series graphics cards. While it was dethroned by NVIDIA’s GTX 680, the AMD Radeon HD 7970 is easier to get a hold of. It certainly seems like the company is having a much easier time in manufacturing its GPUs compared to NVIDIA’s Kepler cards. AMD has been cranking out HD 7970s for a few months now and they have gotten the binning process down such that they are getting a good number of pieces of silicon that have a healthy bit of overhead over that of the 7970’s stock speeds.

And so enters Tahiti 2. Tahiti 2 represents GPU silicon that is binning not only for HD 7970 speeds but is able to push up the default clock speed while running with lower voltage. As a result, the GPUs are able to stay within the same TDP of current 7970 cards but run faster.

But how much faster? Well, SemiAccurate is reporting that AMD is seeing as much as a 20% clock speed improvement over current Radeon HD 7970 graphics cards. This means that cards are able to run at clock speeds up to approximately 1075MHz – quite a bit above the current reference clock speed of 925MHz!

AMD 7970.jpg

The AMD 7970 3GB card. Expect Tahiti 2 to look exactly the same but run at higher clock speeds.

They are further reporting that, because the TDP has not changed, no cooler, PCB, or memory changes will be needed. This will make it that much easier for add in board partners to get the updated reference-based GPUs out as quickly as possible and with minimal cost increases (we hope). You can likely count on board partners capitalizing on the 1,000MHz+ speeds by branding the new cards “GHz Edition” much like the Radeon 7770 has enjoyed.

With 7970 chips having overhead and binning higher than needed, an updated and lower-power using refresh may also be in order for AMD’s 7950 “Tahiti Pro” graphics cards. Heck, maybe they can refresh the entire lineup with better binned silicon but keep the same clock speeds in order to reduce power consumption on all their cards.

Source: Semi-Accurate

MSI Unveils Ultra Portable Laptop and Windows 8 Tablet

Subject: Mobile | June 7, 2012 - 11:22 PM |
Tagged: x460dx, video, ultraportable, tablet, slider s20, notebook, msi, laptop, computex

MSI has been extremely busy at this year’s Computex trade show by releasing tons of new hardware. The company today officially announced two new Ultra series laptops that are less than 1” thick and made to be ultraportable and stylish.

The MSI X460DX is a 14” thin and light notebook with metal alloy chassis, Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5 processor, NVIDIA GT630M graphics card, HDMI, Bluettoth, and USB 3.0 technology. It also supports the company’s Turbo Battery+ technology and a hotkey to turn off idle hardware. The computer sports a stylized trackpad, chiclet keyboard, and metal accents.

MSI X460DX.png

The MSI X460DX weighs in at 2kg and is less than an inch thick. No word yet on pricing or availability.

The other MSI Ultra series notebook is the Slider 20. The 11.6” device is constructed of plastic with brushed metal textures, weighs in at 1.3kg and is stated to be “less than 2 centimeters thin.” The interesting bit about the MSI Slider S20 is the touchscreen, however. The 11.6” screen (which has a resolution of 1366x768) can lay flat over the keyboard in slate mode or slide back and tilt upwards. In laptop mode, the chiclet keyboard is exposed. The computer will run Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system. Powering the ultrabook is an Intel Chief River based Core i3 CULV processor, Intel IGP for graphics, and accelerometer. On the outside it features an Ethernet port, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port, audio output, and webcam.

MSI Slider S20.png

The MSI Slider S20 is certainly an interesting form factor, and I suspect it will be sturdier than other convertible tablets that utilize a single hinge in the center to connect the display and keyboard. Engadget managed to get their hands on the device. They reported that although the Slider S20’s keyboard is a bit cramped and even a little too flexible, the screen hinge felt sturdy and the device felt rather lightweight. Beyond that, MSI isn't talking detailed specifications.

MSI S20_Windows 8.png

 

Word around the Internet is that the S20 will be sold for under $1,000 USD which is pretty good (depending on just how far under it is). I’m certainly interested in seeing what this Windows 8 tablet can do.

Source: MSI

Podcast #205 - News from Computex 2012! - Ultrabooks, Trinity Motherboards, New products from Corsair, and much more!

Subject: General Tech | June 7, 2012 - 03:21 PM |
Tagged: trinity, ROG, PSU, podcast, nvidia, LAMD, Intel, corsair, computex, asus, amd, a85, 680M

PC Perspective Podcast #205 - 06/07/2012

Join us this week as we talk about all of the news from Computex 2012! - Ultrabooks, Trinity Motherboards, New products from Corsair, and much 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!

Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath, and Allyn Malvantano

Program length: 1:31:35

Program Schedule:

  1. 0:00:25 Introduction
  2. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
  3. http://pcper.com/podcast
  4. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
  5. 0:03:15 MSI Radeon HD 7950 Review
  6. 0:10:00 ASUS Sabertooth X79 Review
  7. 0:11:10 DV Nation RAMRod system review
  8. 0:18:25 Samsung Series 5 Chromebook review
  9. 0:19:10 Intel Ultrabook Ivy Bridge reference review
  10. 0:21:00 AD BREAK
  11. 0:21:47 AMD loses monthly Catalyst updates
  12. 0:25:20 Ultrabooks
    1. Gigabyte has some
    2. Acer Aspire S7
    3. Acer Iconia Tablets
    4. ASUS TAICHI dual-screen
    5. ASUS Transformer Book
    6. ASUS 800 / 610 Windows 8 tablets
  13. 0:36:00 MAINGEAR 11-in gaming machine
  14. 0:37:00 Sandisk PCIe SSD competitor
  15. 0:42:00 Trinity / A85 Motherboards
    1. From ECS
    2. From ASRock
    3. Lots from MSI
  16. 0:45:30 ASUS says THEY have the overclocking record
  17. 0:46:30 Macbook coming with ultra high-res display?
  18. 0:51:00 Gigabyte X79S motherboard
  19. 0:53:00 LSI shows SF-2000 driving smaller flash
  20. 0:59:30 Corsair has...
    1. A new PSU
    2. A new dominator module
    3. A new SSD with a new controller
  21. 1:05:30 NVIDIA wants discrete GPUs in Ultrabooks
  22. 1:07:30 NVIDIA shows GeForce GTX 680M GPU
    1. Alienware gets it
  23. 1:11:00 ASUS MARS III dual GTX 680 card
  24. 1:13:00 3DMark for Windows 8 Screenshots
  25. 1:15:00 AMD releases Brazos 2.0
  26. 1:16:45 New ASUS ROG Gear
  27. 1:21:00 ASUS shows off beastly concept motherboards
  28. 1:24:10 Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
    1. Ryan: ASUS USB-N53 with bendy straw
    2. Jeremy: ah, going with the Norse God
    3. Josh: Great basic case for business AND pleasure
    4. Allyn: Samsung 830 Series 256GB for $199 at TigerDirect
  29. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
  30. http://pcper.com/podcast   
  31. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
  32. Closing

 

Source: PC Perspective

Day 2 of Computex

Subject: General Tech, Shows and Expos | June 7, 2012 - 03:06 PM |
Tagged: computex, computex 2012

The Tech Report had a chance to see Lucid's latest new product to enhance the ability of your computers graphics, it is called XLR8 Dynamix software and it seems almost designed to emulate what Ryan saw in his Rage testing.  Instead of lower quality textures being an issue, in this case Lucid is attempting to dynamically reduce the quality of background textures to allow for higher frame rates on lower powered GPUs. 

From AMD they saw the first Brazos 2 chips, which you can read about here.  They caught snaps of Gigabyte's GA-X79S-UP5 server board with a combination of 14 SATA and SAS ports for a huge amount of storage and picked up a bit of news about the fastest mobile chip on the planet.

TR_dynamix.jpg

"Here comes our second helping of Computex coverage. We've got the skinny on Nvidia's Kepler-based mobile GPU flagship, AMD's 2012 E-series APU platform, a decked-out Sandy Bridge-E motherboard from Gigabyte, and Lucid's latest GPU virtualization mojo, which boosts fluidity on Intel IGPs by dynamically tweaking texture detail."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

 

Source: The Tech Report

Computex: MSI Showing Off Five G-series Gaming Notebooks

Subject: General Tech, Mobile | June 7, 2012 - 09:36 AM |
Tagged: video, trinity, msi, mobile, laptops, Ivy Bridge, Intel, gaming notebook, gaming, computex, amd

MSI has been busy at this year’s Computex trade show. In addition to the company’s graphics cards and motherboard displays, MSI is showing off four new G Series gaming notebooks. Three of them are running Intel Ivy Bridge processors while the fourth machine is powered by a top-end AMD Trinity APU. Included in the new G series is the GT70, GT60, GE70, GE60, and GX60. The only AMD system is the GX60. Let’s take a look at that one first.

MSI GX60

The GX60 has a similar exterior build as the other G Series notebooks, but has vastly different internals and does not appear to have the same audio technology as the Intel-based notebooks. The desktop replacement class (read: heavy and not so great battery life heh) laptop features an AMD A10-4600M APU, AMD A70M chipset, and AMD Radeon 7970M graphics card. Other features include MSI’s “SuperRAID” storage with up to two SSDs in RAID and a mechanical hard drive, Steelseries keyboard, and a Killer E2200 gaming network card. Another interesting feature is the system’s ability to output to up to three displays with AMD Eyefinity technology. The system was able to pull a respectable 30 frames per second on the Unigine Heave benchmark and will have an MSRP of around 1,000 British Pounds (~$1,557.70 USD). According to eTeknix, the AMD Trinity-based notebook will be available soon.

The Intel Ivy Bridge based systems get a bit more love than the AMD Trinity system with SuperRAID support, up to 32GB of RAM, MSI Audio Boost (powered by Dynaudio or THX TruStudiio Pro depending on model), gold-plated audio connectors, Turbo Drive Engine and NVIDIA discrete graphics. The Intel and AMD G series laptops all get 1080p displays and custom backlit keyboards built by SteelSeries. The AMD system may well have MSI Audio Boost, gold plated connectors, and the like but MSI did not seem to tout them on the GX60 like they did for the Intel ones. The GX60 does at least get the SteelSeries keyboard and SuperRAID tech. Anyway, onto the Intel gaming rigs.

MSI GT70 and GT60

The MSI GT 70 is the largest and fastest gaming notebook at the MSI booth with a 17” 1080p display, quad core Core i7 processor, SuperRAID storage, THX certified Dynaudio sound, Turbo Drive Engine, Killer E2200 NIC, and a NVIDIA GTX 680M mobile GPU with GDDR5 RAM. The GT70 utilizes MSI’s SuperRAID to the fullest with two SSDs and a mechanical hard drive for up to 700MB/s read speeds. The system further features a backlit keyboard from SteelSeries that has five LED pattern modes (Normal, Gaming, Wave, Breathing, and Dual Color) and various selectable colors to choose from. The GT70 was pulling about 45 frames-per-second on the Unigine Heaven benchmark and P20,000 on 3DMark Vantage. Consumers should expect it to be available for around 2,500 British Pounds (~$3,894.25 USD).

MSI_GT70_Gaming Notebook.jpg

The MSI GT70 gaming notebook

The GT60 is a smaller version of the GT70 with 15.6” chassis, slightly slower Ivy Bridge Core i7 processor at 2.9GHz, and only a GTX 670M graphics card. It features the same MSI technology as its bigger brother, the GT70, but may not have the exact SuperRAID setup. Otherwise it has Dynaudio, 1080p display, the backlit SteelSeries keyboard, and lots of other goodies. No price info on this one to report, unfortunately.

MSI GE70 and GE60

The two MSI GE branded gaming laptops are the budget versions of the GT70 and GT60. They feature slower IVY Bridge processors, a downgrade in the Intel chipset to H76M, and a GPU downgrade to a NVIDIA GT650M with 2GB of GDDR5 memory. The displays are still 1080p, but they do not have Dynaudio (only THX TruStudio Pro), and the SteelSeries keyboards are not backlit. Of the two, the GE70 has a slightly faster Intel processor. They do both feature Turbo Drive Engine technology and likely SuperRAID though the setups are likely limited versus the bigger GT70’s chassis. Again, no word on how much these will cost or when they will be shipping.

All the notebooks have a nice black finish to them and the SteelSeries keyboard looks pretty nice. I’m interested in the AMD GX60 myself as I find Trinity neat. The Intel-based systems are definitely power houses though, especially the GT70 and although I don’t expect battery life to be anywhere near great these would be a good choice for gamers that demand the portability of a laptop platform.

Update: the press release does clarify that the GT70 and GE70 have 17.3” 1080p screens while the GT60 and GE60 have 15.6” 1080p screens. It also lists USB 3.0 compatibility on the Intel-based notebooks along with a built-in 720p 30fps webcam for video conferencing.

Below you can find a video by eTeknix that goes into more detail on the MSI gaming notebooks. You can further find the official MSI press release here.

Source: MSI

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