Semi-Custom Business Unit Creates New Revenue Stream For AMD

Subject: General Tech | May 13, 2013 - 10:28 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: x86, SoC, semi-custom chip, Patent, ip, APU, amd

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has an extensive intellectual property (IP) portfolio. The company has a range of products from CPUs and graphics cards to video acceleration hardware. It is also the only other major player to have a license to build chips with the x86 ISA. With the launch of its Semi-Custom Business Unit, AMD plans to take advantage of the engineering experience and patent portfolio to create a new revenue stream. AMD will work with other companies to create customized processors that integrate custom IP cores and technology but use AMD's existing products as a base to cut down on engineering time and R&D costs.

The first such customized chip is the System on a Chip used in Sony's PlayStation 4 gaming console. AMD intends to market its modular SoC technology and custom IP integration services to makers of set top boxes, smart TVs, tablets, PCs, networking hardware, and High Performance Computing applications. AMD argues that using its Semi-Custom Business Unit to create a customized SoC is cheaper and faster to design and produce than a fully-custom design, which makes sense since most of the engineering work is already done. AMD could stand to make quite a bit of extra money here, especially if it can land design wins for governmental and industrial design contracts. Intel's x86 license scarcity may actually benefit AMD here, in fact.

AMD's Semi-Custom Business Unit consists of an engineering team led by AMD Corporate Vice President and General Manager Saeid Moshkelani. I think doing this is a smart move for the x86 underdog, and it will be interesting to see how well the division does for the company's bottom line.

Nokia Launching $149 Lumia 928 With WP8 On May 16th

Subject: General Tech | May 12, 2013 - 06:16 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: wp8, Qualcomm MSM8960, nokia, lumia 928, lumia

Nokia will be launching a new Windows Phone 8 smartphone next week that trades in the traditional colorful Lumia designs for a sleek black or white finish. The Nokia Lumia 928 smartphone will be available on Verizon Wireless in the US.

The smartphone features a 4.5” WXGA OLED display with a resolution of 1280x768. The front of the phone resembles a flat rectangle with slightly rounded corners while the back is slightly curved. On the front below the display are capacitive buttons and above the display is a 1.2MP webcam that is capable of shooting still images or 720p HD videos. Three high amplitude microphones are also included. The Nokia 928 smartphone also uses a rear PureView 8.7MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics capable of shooting 1080p30 HD video. This main camera has optical image stabilization and a Xenon flash for still images (and a LED flash for video).

On the inside, the Nokia Lumia 928 is powered by a dual core Qualcomm MSM8960+WTR processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 2000mAh battery. Wireless charging and an NFC radio are also included. Of course, the Lumia 928 is running Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system.

The Lumia 928 will be available at Verizon (both in-store and online) for $149. A $50 mail in rebate will bring that price down to $99. On top of that, for a limited time, you can get $25 of Windows Store credit to spend on apps and games. From the specifications, it seems like a decent midrange smartphone so long as you do not need any Android or iOS exclusive applications.

Seasonic Releases Information On Its Haswell-Ready Power Supplies

Subject: General Tech, Cases and Cooling | May 11, 2013 - 09:17 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: seasonic, haswell, Power Supplies, PSU, 0.05A

Following the announcements from other power supply manufacturers, Seasonic has now released a list of its own power supplies that are compatible with Intel's upcoming Haswell processor. The new Haswell CPUs, set to launch June 3rd, incorporate new C6 and C7 sleep states that draw as little as 0.05A from the 12V PSU rail. Because of the low load, some existing power supplies will have issues with the new sleep states and could result in system instability. In light of that, many manufacturers are validating their existing lineups to determine which ones are compatible.

As of the time of publication, the following power supplies from Seasonic are compatible with Haswell and the new sleep states.

Platinum Series

• 1200W
• 1000W
• 860W
• 760W

Platinum Fanless Series

• 520W
• 460W
• 400W

X-Series

• 1250W
• 1050W
• 850W
• 750W
• 650W

G-Series

• 650W
• 550W
• 450W
• 360W

M12 II Evo Edition Series

• 850W
• 750W

Stay tuned to PC Perspective for more information on PSU and Haswell compatibility.

• Haswell-compatible PSU list(s):
  • Corsair PSUs
  • Enermax PSUs

HIS Launches Factory Overclocked HD 7850 IceQ X^2 Turbo Graphics Card

Subject: General Tech | May 11, 2013 - 08:12 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: radeon hd 7850, ICEQ Turbo, his, hd 7850, GCN, amd

HIS has launched a new factory overclocked graphics card based on AMD's Radeon HD 7850 "Pitcairn" GPU called the IceQ X^2 Turbo. The new card uses a custom PCB and IceQ X^2 cooler.

The IceQ X^2 cooler uses two 75mm fans to cool an aluminum fin stack that is connected to the copper GPU contact plate with copper heatpipes. The HSF is surrounded by a black shroud. HIS claims that its custom cooler runs at a quiet 28dB when the card is idle.

The HIS HD 7850 IceQ X^2 Turbo is a factory overclocked card. HIS has taken a standard HD 7850 GPU with 1024 stream processors and clocked it at 1GHz, which is a 140MHz overclock over the reference 7850 clockspeed. The card is further paired with 2GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at the reference 1200MHz (4800MHz effective) on a 256-bit bus. An 8-phase VRM keeps the overclocked components fed with stable power. It offers up a single DVI, one HDMI, and two mini-DisplayPort video outputs.

Because of the custom cooler, it should be possible to push the HD 7850 GPU even higher, although exactly how much higher will depend on the individual card.

The HIS IceQ X^2 Turbo does not have any official pricing information yet, but it should be priced somewhere around $220 since the already-available single fan IceQ X Turbo card is currently priced at approximately $210 at online retailers.

Also read: The AMD Radeon HD 7850 gets frame rated!

NZXT Launches $30 Sentry Mix 2 Fan Controller

Subject: General Tech | May 10, 2013 - 07:37 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: nzxt, sentry, sentry mix 2, fan controller

NZXT has launched its new Sentry Mix 2 fan controller. Featuring an audio equipment theme, the Sentry Mix 2 fits into a single 5.25” bay. It features a matte black bezel with six glossy black sliders that are recessed into the bezel to ensure compatibility with PC case doors. Below the fan speed sliders are LEDs that can be changed to one of five colors (white, blue, green, orange, red).

The Mix 2 is the successor and replacement of the original Mix fan controller, and it uses a redesigned PCB. The controller has six sliders that are connected to six 4-pin fan outputs. The fan controller is powered by two 4-pin Molex power connectors and can draw a maximum of 180W. Each fan channel can draw a maximum of 30W. The sliders are analog rheostats that are also compatible with PWM controlled fans.

The Sentry Mix 2 comes with a 2 year warranty. The fan controller should be available soon with an MSRP of $29.99. More information can be found on NZXT’s website. As far as fan controllers go, I could see myself using this one as it keeps the LED bling to a minimum.

Jen-Hsun doesn't beleive in your so called economic downturn

Subject: General Tech | May 10, 2013 - 05:21 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: eranings, Q1 2013, nvidia, jen-hsun huang

NVIDIA seems to have completely ignored the economic downturn that has affected so many tech companies and posted gains in both revenue and profit for Q1 2013.  The entire PC market may have shrunk by 10% but NVIDIA's profits were up 16.7% compared to 12 months ago, though when looking at GPU sales alone they did see about a 5% decline.  Now that NVIDIA has branched out into mobility and HPC however, their total sales are up by 3%.  The Register postulates that part of the reason their sales did not decline as much as other manufacturers is their focus on high end GPUs which are immune to the erosion being caused by sales of mobile devices such as tablets.  Get the whole set of numbers here.

"In the first quarter of fiscal 2014 ended on April 28, Nvidia's overall sales rose by 3.2 per cent to $954.7m. Big Green was able pull $77.9m to the bottom line, up 16.7 per cent compared to the year-ago period – even while investing in a substantial bump-up in research and development costs – thanks to a shift to higher margin products in both the discrete graphics and Tesla GPU coprocessor lines."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Microsoft plasters IE8 hole abused in nuke lab PC meltdown @ The Register
• Tripping on microdoses of Dyad @ The Tech Report
• Power2U AC/USB wall outlet @ LanOC Reviews
• Plugging into the Puzzle @ Techgage
• Casio G-SHOCK GA-110-1AER Watch @ NikKTech
• 8 Free to Play Games That Are Too Good to Be True @ Techspot
• ModRight Xtreme Super Large Anti-Static Mod-Mat @ Modders-Inc

Corsair has, well, Haswell PSU support chart

Subject: Editorial, General Tech, Cases and Cooling, Processors | May 10, 2013 - 04:23 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: c6, c7, haswell, PSU, corsair

I cannot do it captain! I don't have the not enough power!

We have been discussing the ultra-low power state of Haswell processors for a little over a week and how it could be detrimental to certain power supplies. Power supply manufacturers never quite expected that you could have as little as a 0.05 Amp (0.6W) draw on the 12V rail without being off. Since then, companies such as Enermax started to list power supplies which have been tested and are compliant with the new power requirements.

Above is Corsair's slightly incomplete chart as of the time it was copied from their website, 3:30pm on May 10th, 2013; so far it is coming up all good. Their blog should be updated as new products get validated for the new C6 and C7 CPU sleep states.

The best part of this story is just how odd it is given the race to arc-welding (it's not a podcast so you can't Bingo! hahaha!) supplies we have been experiencing over the last several years. Simply put, some companies never thought that component manufacturers such as Intel would race to the bottom of power draws.

Deal for May 10th - Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition @ $780

Subject: General Tech | May 10, 2013 - 04:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Dell's Inspiron 15R Special Edition 15.6" is powered by a i5-3230M 2.6GHz, 8GB 1600MHz RAM and a 2GB Radeon HD 7730M.  The screen is 1080p as it should be for a machine capable of gaming and the audio is also better than average, Waves MaxxAudio 4 + Skullcandy speakers.

To get our recommended Inspiron 15R Special Edition configuration, follow these steps:

1. Start here at Dell Home direct store
2. Configure as per needs (optional), click Review & Add to cart button at the top
3. Add to cart
4. Apply coupon code: 0H9Q3PQ6L3744C in shopping cart and proceed to final checkout/payment

17.3-inch Dell Inspiron 17R Special Edition Laptop also available.

NVIDIA Releases First Fiscal Quarter 2013 (Q1’13) Results

Subject: General Tech | May 9, 2013 - 07:50 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: tegra 4, nvidia, grid, financial results

NVIDIA has released the results of its first fiscal quarter of 2014. Overall, NVIDIA had a positive first quarter with total revenue of $954.7 million and a net income of $77.9 million. During Q1 2014 the company announced its Grid VCA for enterprise customers and Tegra 4 and Tegra 4i for the mobile market. NVIDIA’s shareholders saw an Earnings Per Share (EPS) of 13 cents, which is up 30% versus the same quarter last year. Interestingly, NVIDIA has announced that it will be returning $1 billion to shareholders through increased dividends and buying back shares.

Q1 2014 is an interesting quarter, as it is up year over year, but down significantly versus the previous quarter (Q4’13). NVIDIA’s Q1’14 revenue of 954.7 million is up YOY 32% from $924.9 million in Q1’13, but down 13.7% from $1.1 billion in the previous quarter. The dip is likely attributable to the fact that its Q1’14 is the quarter after the holiday rush at the end of Q4. Considering it is still up versus last year, the dip versus last quarter shouldn’t be taken as a bad sign. Net income follows a similar pattern, with net income down 53.2% versus last quarter’s $174 million, but up 29% YOY (Q1’13 net income was $60.9 million).

The financial results seem to indicate that NVIDIA is continuing to grow and remain profitable. According to NVIDIA, the company expects to see operating expenses and revenue increase in Q2’14 to $448 million in and approximately $975 million respectively. Further, NVIDIA expects growth to continue throughout 2014 as it launches new Tegra 4(i) SoCs and expands its server/business offerings with its GRID technologies.

You can find NVIDIA's full financial report on the company's website.

Say farewell to the days of RAM deals

Subject: General Tech | May 9, 2013 - 01:25 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ddr3, DRAM

It looks like the days of cheap RAM may be coming to a close, not just for the consumer but also for manufacturers of graphics cards, cellphones and anything else with onboard RAM.  What began as a slow rise in prices is now becoming a shortage, something guaranteed to bring prices up.  In Acer's case they will be out of stock by the end of the month while ASRock stockpiled RAM in this quarter to retain supplies to sell over the coming quarter.  As DigiTimes points out, competition is going to become fierce and you can expect both lower supplies and higher prices on the new components you want to buy over the summer.

"Commenting on the issue, Acer chairman JT Wang pointed out that DRAM prices are likely to continue rising as many DRAM makers have switched their production lines to manufacturing smartphone DRAM, leaving insufficient capacity to supply the PC industry. Even If DRAM makers decide to switch back capacity, it will still take about 3-4 months for the process to be completed, Wang said."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• 'Quantum network? We've had one for years,' says Los Alamos @ The Register
• Facebook crashes into networking with open switch @ The Register
• Tool Reveals iPad and iPhone User Locations @ Slashdot
• Deep, deep dive: Hyper-V @ The Register
• Raspberry Pi housed inside a computer monitor @ Hack a Day
• Spotify spews 'unencrypted' FREE MP3s all over creation @ The Register
• Buffalo AirStation N600 Dual-Band Wireless Router Review @ Legit Reviews
• Graham Linehan announces a one-off special of The IT Crowd @ The Inquirer
• Win NZXT and Phanteks hardware! @ Kitguru

Podcast #250 - Haswell Iris Graphics, Intel Silvermont, AMD HD 9000 Series Rumors and more!

Subject: General Tech | May 9, 2013 - 11:30 AM | Ken Addison
Tagged: Volcanic Islands, ssd, silvermont, Seagate, podcast, pcper, iris pro, iris, Intel, haswell, gamer memory, amd

PC Perspective Podcast #250 - 05/09/2013

Join us this week as we discuss Haswell Iris Graphics, Intel Silvermont, AMD HD 9000 Series Rumors 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, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath, and Morry Teitelman

Program length: 1:19:46

1. Week in Review:
   1. 0:03:20 Intel announces Haswell Iris Graphics
   2. 0:12:00 Intel Silvermont Architecture for Atom
   3. 0:27:15 Enermax TriAthlor 550 watt power supply
2. 0:30:25 This week we thank you for IGG support!
3. News items of interest:
   1. 0:35:40 AMD Unveils New Gamer Memory
   2. 0:45:00 AMD to erupt Volcanic Islands GPUs as early as Q4 2013?
   3. 0:52:00 Haswell overclocked to 7 GHz??
   4. 0:53:30 Micron P420m PCIe SSD
   5. 0:54:20 Seagate 600 and 600 Pro SSDs
   6. 0:55:50 Gigabyte Teases Its New UEFI BIOS for Z87
   7. 0:57:40 Asrock Announces Z87 Line up
   8. 0:59:00 Unreal Engine 3 compiled at asm.js
   9. 1:00:00 Hardware Flashback: ASUS K7M
4. 1:06:45 Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
   1. Ryan: AMD Gamer Memory
   2. Jeremy: BitTorrent Bundle
   3. Josh: Upgrade your sound on the K7M
   4. Morry: Paracord - best for resleeving your PSU
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

AMD to erupt Volcanic Islands GPUs as early as Q4 2013?

Subject: Editorial, General Tech, Graphics Cards, Processors | May 8, 2013 - 09:32 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: Volcanic Islands, radeon, ps4, amd

So the Southern Islands might not be entirely stable throughout 2013 as we originally reported; seismic activity being analyzed suggests the eruption of a new GPU micro-architecture as early as Q4. These Volcanic Islands, as they have been codenamed, should explode onto the scene opposing NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 700-series products.

It is times like these where GPGPU-based seismic computation becomes useful.

The rumor is based upon a source which leaked a fragment of a slide outlining the processor in block diagram form and specifications of its alleged flagship chip, "Hawaii". Of primary note, Volcanic Islands is rumored to be organized with both Serial Processing Modules (SPMs) and a Parallel Compute Module (PCM).

So apparently a discrete GPU can have serial processing units embedded on it now.

Heterogeneous Systems Architecture (HSA) is a set of initiatives to bridge the gap between massively parallel workloads and branching logic tasks. We usually make reference to this in terms of APUs and bringing parallel-optimized hardware to the CPU. In this case, we are discussing it in terms of bringing serial processing to the discrete GPU. According to the diagram, the chip within would contain 8 processor modules each with two processing cores and an FPU for a total of 16 cores. There does not seem to be any definite identification whether these cores would be based upon their license to produce x86 processors or their other license to produce ARM processors. Unlike an APU, this is heavily skewed towards parallel computation rather than a relatively even balance between CPU, GPU, and chipset features.

Now of course, why would they do that? Graphics processors can do branching logic but it tends to sharply cut performance. With an architecture such as this, a programmer might be able to more efficiently switch between parallel and branching logic tasks without doing an expensive switch across the motherboard and PCIe bus between devices. Josh Walrath suggested a server containing these as essentially add-in card computers. For gamers, this might help out with workloads such as AI which is awkwardly split between branching logic and massively parallel visibility and path-finding tasks. Josh seems skeptical about this until HSA becomes further adopted, however.

Still, there is a reason why they are implementing this now. I wonder, if the SPMs are based upon simple x86 cores, how the PS4 will influence PC gaming. Technically, a Volcanic Island GPU would be an oversized PS4 within an add-in card. This could give AMD an edge, particularly in games ported to the PC from the Playstation.

This chip, Hawaii, is rumored to have the following specifications:

• 4096 stream processors
• 16 serial processor cores on 8 modules
• 4 geometry engines
• 256 TMUs
• 64 ROPs
• 512-bit GDDR5 memory interface, much like the PS4.
• 20 nm Gate-Last silicon fab process
  • Unclear if TSMC or "Common Platform" (IBM/Samsung/GLOBALFOUNDRIES)

Softpedia is also reporting on this leak. Their addition claims that the GPU will be designed on a 20nm Gate-Last fabrication process. While gate-last is considered to be not worth the extra effort in production, Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator (FD-SOI) is apparently "amazing" on gate-last at 28nm and smaller fabrication. This could mean that AMD is eying that technology and making this design with intent of switching to an FD-SOI process, without a large redesign which an initially easier gate-first production would require.

Well that is a lot to process... so I will leave you with an open question for our viewers: what do you think AMD has planned with this architecture, and what do you like and/or dislike about what your speculation would mean?

Who wouldn't want Samurai guarding their eardrums?

Subject: General Tech | May 8, 2013 - 07:44 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: audio, headset, Eagle Tech, Urban Zen, Samurai Song

Eagle Tech have certainly chosen a side in the form versus function debate with the visually impressive Arion Urban Zen: Samurai Song headset.  While you can use them with a PC to listen to audio these are more aimed at the mobile market as it sports a single jack and the mic will not work on a PC.  LANOC were happy with the performance of these headsets for the $50 asking price, with decent audio and a good foldable design, the only warning they offer is that when watching a movie or TV show you might find that conversations sound distant, not an echo so much as sounding as if the speakers are far away.

"I have reviewed quite a few audio products lately each of them have their perks and quirks, but one thing always missing is a bit of customizability, something to set you apart from other users who buy the same product. Eagle Tech has recently began releasing its like or Arion branded products, and amongst those is a headset named the Urban Zen. The Zen headsets come in four different designs and a few different colors. Finally we have some options to set ourselves apart from everyone else. It is nice that we can change things up, but how will the headphones actually perform when it comes down to crunch time?"

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Audio Corner

• Eagle Tech ET-ARHP300FS-BK Urban Zen Headphones @ NikKTech
• Razer Kraken Pro Headset @ Modders-Inc
• Gigabyte Fly Headphones Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• TRITTON XBOX 360 Detonator Stereo Headset Review @ NikKTech
• Arion Foldable Bluetooth Headset @ LanOC Reviews
• ASUS Orion Pro Gaming Headset @ Benchmark Reviews
• Hercules Wireless Audio Experience W.A.E. Portable Bluetooth Speaker System @ eTeknix
• Tech-Life BeatBlock Premium Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Review @ NikKTech
• Genius SP-960BT Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review @ ModSynergy
• Ineo Alienvibes W401 Speaker System @ Benchmark Reviews
• Wavemaster Stax Speakers @ Kitguru
• Ineo AlienVibes W601 Speaker System @ Benchmark Reviews

Can Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart bring balance to the Force?

Subject: General Tech | May 8, 2013 - 04:45 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Star Wars, obsidian, gaming, ea

Disney may have passed exclusive rights to EA for the Star Wars franchise but that might not mean the end of the world if Obsidian Entertainment's CEO has anything to say about it.  Just as BioWare worked with Obsidian the idea of an EA and Obsidian partnership is not completely off the table.  This might not full reassure those who still miss the old days of Black Isle and BioWare games but it seems that there is hope for the future of Star Wars games.  Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN has a quick interview with Feargus Urquhart discussing his efforts to partner up with EA.

"We now live in a world where The Sims: Star Wars or Need for Speed: Tosche Station could become things. I’m not saying it’s likely (though the former would not shock me in the slightest), but Star Wars is under new management, so who knows? For now, all we can say for sure is that BioWare, DICE, and Visceral are actively adding their own chapters to the space opera, but we won’t see results from those initial efforts until at least mid-2014 – and much later, in all likelihood."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Gaming

• Time to Ante Up Again: Poker Night 2 Review @ Techgage
• Bone Hordes: Hellraid Teaser Trailer @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Old, Faithful: OpenXcom Is Near-Complete @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Xciting Stuff: X: Rebirth Pathfinding Dev Diary @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Wolfenstein Videogame Announcement Bingo @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN

Deal for May 8th - Dell PowerEdge T110 II Intel Xeon E3 Quad-core Server @ $490

Subject: General Tech | May 8, 2013 - 01:32 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

The Dell PowerEdge T110 is the first server deal we have seen from LogicBUY, currently selling for about half its regular price.  Inside you will find a quad-core Xeon E3-1220v2 @ 3.1GHz Quad-core Server with 4GB DDR3 and a 500GB HDD.  This will not be a gaming machine, but it could certainly host games or a file share or many other tasks more suited to a Xeon processor than a desktop processor.  At this price it is a steal..

Dell PowerEdge T110 II Intel Xeon E3 Quad-core Server

1. Start here at Dell Works direct store
2. Customize as per needs (optional), click Continue button in the right
3. Add to cart
4. Apply coupon code: HF9X1212V3TKTK in shopping cart and proceed to final checkout/payment

Seagate's SSD is new but the components are familiar

Subject: General Tech | May 7, 2013 - 03:44 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ssd, Seagate, LM87800, 600 Pro, 600, LAMD

Seagate has used Link_A_Media's Amber LM87800 controller and Toshiba Type C 19nm MLC NAND along with their own custom firmware to create the Seagate 600 series of SSDs.  The components are very similar to Corsair's Neutron series of drives, it seems that the biggest difference is going to be in the functionality of the firmware.  The first difference [H]ard|OCP spotted was in the efficiency of the drives, they pulled less power than their rivals and the Pro version sported enhanced endurance and power capacitors which will be very important to enterprise users.  Check out the full review to see where they sit in the pack after the benchmarks were all completed.

"Seagate refreshes its line of consumer and enterprise SSDs with a new family of third-generation SSD products. We take a look at the consumer mainstream Seagate 600 and the enthusiast model, the Seagate 600 Pro. Will its LAMD Amber LM87800 controller, custom firmware, and Toshiba Type C 19nm MLC NAND make it a standout?"

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Seagate 600 SSD Review (480GB) @ SDD Review
• Seagate Pro 600 Enterprise SSD @ Tweeaktown
• Seagate 600 SSD ST480HM000 480GB SSD @ Tweaktown
• Seagate 600 SSD 240GB RAID Report @ Tweaktown
• Seagate 600 SSD ST240HM000 240GB @ Tweaktown
• Samsung 840 SSD 250 GB @ techPowerUp
• Seagate Constellation ES.3 4TB Review @ OCC
• Toshiba DT01ACA300 3TB Hard Disk Drive Review @ Madshrimps
• iStarUSA BPN-DE340SS Storage Bay Adapter Review @ NikKTech
• Teratrend TS231U Dual Bay USB 3.0 / eSATA Enclosure @ Tweaktown
• QNAP TS-669L 6-Bay NAS @ Tweaktown
• Silicon Power Armor A80 1TB USB 3.0 Portable @ Bjorn3D

McAfee picks up Stonesoft, Intel continues to focus on network security

Subject: General Tech | May 7, 2013 - 03:16 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: stonesoft, security, purchase, mcafee, Intel

A small security firm called Stonesoft was acquired by Intel, or rather McAfee, for just under $400m.  They provide not only software and services but actual network appliances which utilize their proprietary Stonesoft Security Engine to provide secure connectivity.  This makes a lot of sense when you think back on Intel's statements when purchasing McAfee, they are not interested in only providing security at the software level but are interested in moving to the hardware level.  You can find out a bit more at The Inquirer.

"SECURITY VENDOR McAfee has bought software security firm Stonesoft to add to its range of network security products.

McAfee, which is owned by Intel, is one of the biggest security vendors but has so far been focused on end-point products such as anti-virus and firewall software that runs on consumer PCs. Now the firm has made a move to go deeper into the network, buying security software vendor Stonesoft for $389m in cash."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Samsung switches on Knox for the Galaxy S4, availability depends on mobile operators @ The Inquirer
• YouTube channels at $1.99 per month could launch this week @ The Register
• Adobe kills Creative Suite – all future features online only @ The Register
• Wolf 15 Piece Watch Box Review @ NikKTech

Intel plans a new Atom every year, starting with Silvermont

Subject: General Tech, Processors | May 6, 2013 - 02:34 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: silvermont, merrifield, Intel, Bay Trail, atom

The news today is all about shrinking the Atom, both in process size and power consumption.  Indeed The Tech Report heard talk of milliwatts and SoC's which shows the change of strategy Intel is having with Atom from small footprint HTPCs to POS and other ultra-low power applications.  Hyperthreading has been dropped and Out of Order processing has been brought in which makes far more sense for the new niche Atom is destined for. 

Make sure to check out Ryan's report here as well.

"Since their debut five years ago, Intel's Atom microprocessors have relied on the same basic CPU core. Next-gen Atoms will be based on the all-new Silvermont core, and we've taken a closer look at its underlying architecture."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• AMD says HSA will cut latency bottleneck in GPU processing @ The Inquirer
• Look ma, no plugins! Streaming web video with just JavaScript @ The Register
• Redmond probes new IE 8 vulnerability @ The Register
• Not Like a Fine Wine: Windows Activation Still a Piece of Junk After All These Years @ Techgage
• Acer unveils new ultrabooks, notebooks and tablet @ DigiTimes
• Angering hippies and financing evil @ The Tech Report
• BlackBerry 10 passes US defence department tests @ The Register
• The TR Podcast 133: Iris graphics and the Radeon HD 7990