Deal for April 16th - Alienware X51 SFF with GTX 645 and Ubuntu @ $600

Subject: General Tech | April 16, 2013 - 12:25 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Today's deal is not something you see every day, a WiFi enabled console sized Alienware PC running Ubuntu.  At that $600 price you get a Core i3-3220 @ 3.3GHz, 6GB RAM, 1TB HDD, DVD burner, a 1GB GTX 645, and pre-installed UBUNTU Linux 12.04.  It also comes with a one year warranty which could come in handy if you are unfamiliar with Linux.  This might not be the Linux powered Steambox of rumour, but it will certainly function as one and will provide more fun than speculating on when or if that device will ever be released.

Alienware X51 Compact Core i3 Gaming PC w/ Ubuntu Linux & GeForce GTX 645 @ $599

To get the cheapest Alienware X51 Core i3 deal, follow these steps:
1. Start here at Dell Home direct store
2. Click Review & Checkout button at the top
3. Proceed to final checkout/payment

A second tale of doom and gloom for the PC market

Subject: General Tech | April 15, 2013 - 02:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: fud, sales

Last week we saw a report describing the downturn in PC sales and it has been repeated today in a report from Gartner.  With a global decline of sales this quarter totalling over 10% compared to the first quarter of 2012 the trend of falling PC sales continues for the fourth quarter in a row.  It seems that tablets and smartphones are making headway into the market and many people who would have purchased an inexpensive TV for surfing and other light-duty tasks are satisfied with a smaller mobile device.  In the US the decline was a hair under 10% and only Apple and Lenovo showed any growth.  Get the full global breakdown at DigiTimes.

"Worldwide PC shipments totaled 79.2 million units in the first quarter of 2013, a 11.2% decline from the first quarter of 2012, according to Gartner. Global PC shipments went below 80 million units for the first time since the second quarter of 2009. All regions showed a decrease in shipments, with the EMEA region experiencing the steepest decline."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Increase the range of your wireless network @ Hardware.info
• Microsoft Windows 8 and Metro UI: The (d)evolution of the world's most popular OS @ Tweaktown
• Server Update April 2013: Positioning the HP Moonshot 1500 @ AnandTech
• CASIO Edifice EF-558D-1AVEF Review @ NikKTech
• Rosewill RSL-113 Solar Infrared LED Lights @ Benchmark Reviews
• Antec a.m.p Joint Giveaway @ NikKTech

Deal for April 15 - VIZIO E552VLE 55" 1080p 120Hz WiFi LCD HDTV @ $650

Subject: General Tech | April 15, 2013 - 02:26 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Looking for a new TV, but not a 72" monster?  Want 120MHz for smooth performance when hooked up to a PC plus support for 3D movies?  How about a 55" 1080p TV for $650 plus free shipping which can access the internet for streaming video!  The VIZIO E552VLE 55" 1080p 120Hz WiFi LCD HDTV is on sale right now.

Dell is offering the VIZIO E552VLE 55" 1080p HDTV for $649.99 with FREE shipping.

Specs:

• 1080p Resolution
• 100,000:1 contrast ratio
• 6.5ms response time
• 120Hz Refresh Rate
• Vizio Internet Apps (VUDU, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Facebook, Twitter)
• 4 HDMI, 2 USB, Composite, VGA ports
• ECO HD exceeds the current ENERGY STAR Guidelines

AMD Never Settles: Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon Bundled

Subject: Editorial, General Tech, Graphics Cards | April 14, 2013 - 02:22 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: never settle, never settle reloaded, amd, far cry 3

So when AMD reloaded their Never Settle bundles, they left an extra round in the barrel.

Some of my favorite games were given to me in a bundle with some piece of computer hardware. You might remember from the PC Perspective game night that I am a major fan of the Unreal Tournament franchise. My first Unreal Tournament game was an unexpected surprise when I purchased my first standalone GPU. My 166MHz Pentium computer also came bundled with Mechwarrior 2 and Wipeout.

As we discussed, AMD considers bundle-offers as a way to keep the software industry rolling forward. The quantity and quality of games which participate in the recent Never Settle bundles certainly deserve credit as it is due. Bioshock: Infinite is a game that just about every PC gamer needs to experience, and there are about a half-dozen other great titles as a part of the promotion depending upon which card or cards you purchase.

As it turns out, AMD negotiated with Ubisoft and added Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon to their Never Settle bundle. The coolest part is that AMD will retroactively email codes for this new title to anyone who has redeemed a Never Settle: Reloaded code.

So if you have ever Reloaded your Never Settle in the past, check your email as apparently you can Never Settle your reloads again.

Sauce Labs: Integration into modern.IE

Subject: General Tech, Mobile | April 13, 2013 - 03:16 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: w3c, Sauce Labs, modern.IE, IE

The main benefit of open Web Standards is that it allows for a stable and secure platform for any developer to target just about any platform. Still, due to the laws of No Pain: No Gain, those developers need to consider how their application responds on just about every platform. Internet Explorer was once the outlier, and now they are one of the most prominent evangelists. It has been barely two months since we reported on the launch of modern.IE for Microsoft to integrate existing solutions into their product.

Enter Sauce Labs. The San Francisco-based company made a name for themselves by providing testing environments for developers on a spread of browsers across Android, iOS, Linux, MacOSX, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows XP. The company, along with competitor BrowserStack, got recent recognition from Adobe when the software company shut down their own also-competing product.

When we first covered modern.IE back in February (again, here), the initiative from Microsoft was created to help test web apps across multiple versions of Internet Explorer and check for typical incompatibilities. With the addition of Sauce Labs, Microsoft hopes to provide better testing infrastructure as well as automatic recommendations for common issues encountered when trying to develop for both "modern" and legacy versions of their web browser.

In my position, this perfectly highlights the problems with believing you are better than open architectures. At some point, your platform will no longer be able to compete on inertia. Society really does not want to rely on a single entity for anything. It is almost a guarantee that a standard, agreed-upon by several industry members, will end up succeeding in the end. Had Microsoft initially supported the W3C, they would not have experienced even a fraction of the troubles they currently face. They struggle in their attempts to comply with standards and, more importantly, push developers to optimize for their implementation.

There are very good reasons to explain why we do not use AOL keywords anymore. Hopefully the collective Microsoft keeps this grief in mind, particularly the Xbox and Windows RT teams and their divisions.

After the break: the press release.

Deal for April 12th - HP Pavilion p7-1520t Core i5 Quad-core System @ $435

Subject: General Tech | April 12, 2013 - 02:25 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Today's deal is $115 off the HP Pavilion p7-1520t, a full system comprised of a Core i5-3330 @ 3GHz, 6GB DDR3-1333MHz, a 1TB drive and a DVD burner; they even toss in a mouse and keyboard.  You can't expect a gaming powerhouse for under $500 but if a family member or friend is looking for a new machine to watch cat videos on, or if they are running a small business out of their house this is a good choice and a great deal.

HP Pavilion p7-1520t Core i5 Quad-core Desktop

1. Start here at HP Home direct store, click Customize button
2. Click View Summary button at the top, add to cart
3. Apply coupon code 15LOGICBUY during checkout

Base HP p7-1520t deal: $549.99 - $100 off - $15 coupon code = $434.99 + $9.99 shipping.

100W over USB

Subject: General Tech | April 12, 2013 - 01:20 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: usb. power over USB, Intel

A new type of USB cable is being demonstrated in Beijing, capable of delivering up to 100W of power over USB 2.0 or 3.0.  In the demonstration below, the Dell provides both video and power to the monitor when it is plugged in, when on battery it immediately shuts off the monitor.  Even better these cords are bidirectional and are able to sense which device requires power and which is the source of the power so you won't have to manually configure them.  The Inquirer does point out a major hurdle to overcome, if one singular USB cord able to recharge the battery of any laptop, many laptop makers will see that as taking away one of their revenue streams; their proprietary power bricks and expensive replacement parts.

"BEIJING: THE USB IMPLEMENTERS FORUM (USB-IF) is showing off a prototype USB cable system at the Technology Showcase at IDF Beijing that can deliver up to 100W of power."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Cupertino funk @ The Tech Report
• PC shipments post the steepest decline ever in a single quarter, says IDC @ DigiTimes
• Intel demos inexpensive 100Gb/sec silicon photonics chip @ The Register
• Can Console Gaming Save AMD From Collapse? @ Benchmark Reviews
• HGST straps Intel Thunderbolt onto uber-pricey drives, docks @ The Register
• Hacking the Oculus Rift: the Oculight @ Hack a Day
• Microsoft Telling Users To Uninstall Bad Patch @ Slashdot
• Samsung Galaxy S4 set to ship with Wolfson audio chip @ The Inquirer
• Netgear WNDR3700v4 N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router Review @ Legit Reviews
• Ninjalane Podcast - 3D Printing and Borderlands 2 Ultimate Vault Hunter
• 4 Days Left to Win a PC Specialist Gaming System @ eTeknix

SECO Introduces mITX GPU Devkit for CUDA Programmers

Subject: General Tech | April 12, 2013 - 02:08 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: SECO, nvidia, mini ITX, kepler, kayla, GTC 13, GTC, CUDA, arm

Last month, NVIDIA revealed its Kayla development platform that combines a quad core Tegra System on a Chip (SoC) with a NVIDIA Kepler GPU. Kayla will out later this year, but that has not stopped other board makers from putting together their own solutions. One such solution that began shipping earlier this week is the mITX GPU Devkit from SECO.

The new mITX GPU Devkit is a hardware platform for developers to program CUDA applications for mobile devices, desktops, workstations, and HPC servers. It combines a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage (eMMC) on a Qseven module with a Mini-ITX form factor motherboard. Developers can then plug their own CUDA-capable graphics card into the single PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot (which actually runs at x4 speeds). Additional storage can be added via an internal SATA connection, and cameras can be hooked up using the CIC headers.

Rear IO on the mITX GPU Devkit includes:

• 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
• 3 x USB
• 1 x OTG port
• 1 x HDMI
• 1 x Display Port
• 3 x Analog audio
• 2 x Serial
• 1 x SD card slot

The SECO platform is a proving to be popular for GPGPU in the server space, especially with systems like Pedraforca. The intention of using these types of platforms in servers is to save power by using a low power ARM chip for inter-node communication and basic tasks while the real computing is done solely on the graphics cards. With Intel’s upcoming Haswell-based Xeon chips getting down to 13W TPDs though, systems like this are going to be more difficult to justify. SECO is mostly positioning this platform as a development board, however. One use in that respect is to begin optimizing GPU-accelerated code for mobile devices. With future Tegra chips to get CUDA-compatible graphics cards, new software development and optimization of existing GPGPU code for smartphones and tablet will be increasingly important.

Either way, the SECO mITX GPU Devkit is available now for 349 EUR or approximately $360 (in both cases, before any taxes).

Deal for April 11th - HP ENVY dv6t-7300 15.6" Quad Edition @ $600

Subject: General Tech | April 11, 2013 - 03:49 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Today's deal is a fairly powerful HP laptop, the ENVY dv6t-7300 which has a Core i7-3630QM Processor @ 2.4GHz, 8GB DDR3 and a 5400RPM 750GB HDD.  If you are willing to pay a bit more you can get a full 1080p screen instead of the usual 1366 x 768 and a GT635M for a grand total of $825. 

To get cheapest ENVY dv6t-7300 Quad Edition laptop, follow these steps to use $50 coupon code:

1. Start here at HP Home direct store
2. Click Customize button
Note: free upgrades if any are applied automatically
3. Click View Summary button at the top, Add to cart
4. Apply coupon code: MU1743 during checkout

This deal: $799.99 - $150 off - $50 coupon code = $599.99 with $9.99 shipping.

OR

To get ENVY dv6t-7300 Quad Edition laptop with 1080p LCD and 2GB GeForce GT 635M Graphics, use $50 coupon code, follow these steps:

1. Start here at HP Home direct store
2. Select Customize button
3. Select NVIDIA GeForce GT 635M Graphics with 2GB of dedicated video memory +$75
4. Select 15.6-inch diagonal Full HD Anti-glare LED-backlit Display (1920 x 1080) +$150
5. Click View Summary, Add to cart
6. Apply coupon code: MU1743 during checkout

Big Flashy news from Samsung

Subject: General Tech | April 11, 2013 - 02:38 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: tlc, Samsung, flash memory, 10nm

A process shrink to 10nm wasn't enough for Samsung, they also doubled the density of their MLC flash storage to 128Gbits at a physical size of 170.6mm².  They claim write speeds of up to 18MB/sec and 400Mbit/s bandwidth through their toggle interface.  Even better news for consumers is that this should be even cheaper than current MLC flash which will help continue to drive the price of SSDs down.  Samsung didn't tell The Inquirer when we can expect to see these in devices but it should not be too long from now that we are doing longevity testing on this new Flash.

"MEMORY MAKER Samsung has announced that it is producing 128Gbit 3-bit multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash chips for solid-state disk (SSD) drives"

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• SSH an ill-managed mess says SSH author Tatu Ylonen @ The Register
• 10 Hot New Linux-Ready Embedded ARM Modules @ Linux.com
• Microsoft: Here's some cash, channel. PLEASE sell Office 365 @ The Register
• TRENDnet AC1750 Dual Band Wireless Router (TEW-812DRU) Review @ Madshrimps
• ACTi D32 review: 3MP outdoor IP security camera @ Hardware.info
• Win a speedy Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256GB SSD @ Tweaktown
• Win a Cyberpower X7-100 Fangbook @ Kitguru

Podcast #246 - ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe Mini-ITX motherboard, more Frame Rating, DirectX 12 and more!

Subject: General Tech | April 11, 2013 - 01:26 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: video, xeon, thunderbolt, roccat, quadro, premiere, podcast, opencl, nerdytec, Ivy Bridge-E, haswell, frame rating, firepro, falcon ridge, DirectX 12, couchmaster, ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe, amd

PC Perspective Podcast #246- 04/11/2013

Join us this week as we discuss the ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe Mini-ITX motherboard, more Frame Rating, DirectX 12 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 Allyn Malventano

This Podcast is brought to you by MSI!

Program length: 1:01:46

1. Winner last week? Mike McLaughlin!! Congrats!
2. 0:02:40 Win the Roccat Kone+ Gaming Mouse
3. Week in Review:
   1. 0:04:50 ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe Mini-ITX Motherboard
   2. 0:11:00 Frame Rating: GTX 660, HD 7870, HD 7790, GTX 650 Ti BOOST
4. 0:24:00 NerdyTec COUCHMASTER
5. News items of interest:
   1. 0:27:25 AMD and Adobe show OpenCL Support for Premiere
   2. 0:29:37 Haswell has USB 3.0 issues
   3. 0:32:45 The end of DirectX...?
   4. 0:37:30 Falcon Ridge Thunderbolt 20 Gbps shown
   5. 0:42:00 Intel talks upcoming Haswell and Ivy Bridge-E Xeon
6. 0:47:00 Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
   1. Ryan: Bioshock Infinite
   2. Jeremy: I can't believe they did it but yes, you can play it
   3. Josh: Almost 1 TB...
   4. Allyn: Ultra Brush dust remover
7. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
8. http://pcper.com/podcast
9. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
10. Closing/outro

IDF: Intel Announces Upcoming Haswell and Ivy Bridge-E Xeon Processors

Subject: General Tech | April 10, 2013 - 04:14 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: xeon-ex, xeon-ep, xeon, server, Intel, HPC, haswell

Intel officially announced its next-generation Xeon processors at IDF Beijing today. The new lineup includes the Haswell-based Xeon E3 1200 V3 family on the low end, and the Ivy Bridge-EP Xeon E5 and Ivy Bridge-EX Xeon E7 aimed at the mid-range general purpose and high-end HPC markets respectively. Intel did not disclose pricing or details on the new chips (such as core counts, cache, clockspeeds, number of SKUs etc.). However, the x86 chip giant did state that the new chips are coming later this year as well as teasing a few tidbits of information on the new Xeon chips.

The upcoming Xeon E3 processors will be part of the Xeon E3 1200 V3 family. These chips will be based on Haswell and are limited to one socket per board. Thanks to the Haswell architecture, Intel has managed to reduce power consumption by approximately 25% and increase video transcoding performance by about 25%. There will be at least one Xeon E3 1200 V3 series chip with a 13W TDP, for example.

Intel is also releasing a new media software development kit (SDK) for Linux and Windows machines that will provide a common platform for developers. It has allowed Intel to maximize the use of both the CPU and GPU for HD video transcoding as well as increasing the number of simultaneous video transcodes over previous generations. The new Xeon E3 1200 V3 (Haswell) chips will be available sometime before the end of 2013.

The next-generation Xeon E5 chips will be based on the 22nm Ivy Bridge-EP architecture. They will be positioned at general purpose computing in data centers (and possibly high-end workstations), and will be limited to 2 sockets per motherboard. The new Xeon E5 processors will incorporate Intel Secure Key and OS Guard technologies. OS Guard is the evolution of the company's existing Intel Execute Disable Bit security technology. Intel is also including AES-NI (AES-New Instructions), to improve the hardware acceleration of AES encrypt/decrypt operations. These mid-range Xeon chips will be available in Q3 2013.

Finally, the top-end Xeon E7 processors will be based on the 22nm Ivy Bridge-EX architecture. The upcoming processors are intended for high performance server and supercomputing applications where scalability and performance are important. The Ivy Bride-EX chips are compatible with motherboards that will have between 4 and 8 sockets and up to 12TB of RAM per node. Further, Intel has packed these processors with new RAS features, including Resilient System Technology and Resilient Memory Technology. The RAS features ensure stability and data integrity in calculations are maintained. Such features are important in scientific, real-time analytics, cloud computing, and banking applications, where performance and up-time are paramount and any errors could cost a company money. Intel has stated that the new Xeon E7 CPUs will be available in the fourth quarter of this year (Q4'13).

While I was hoping for more details as far as core count, clockspeeds, and pricing, the approximate release to market timeframe for the chips is known. Do you think you will be upgrading to the new Xeon chips later this year, or are your current processors fast enough for your server applications?

More information on the upcoming Xeon chips can be found in this Intel fact sheet (PDF).

Deal for April 10th - HP Pavilion 27xi 27" 1080p IPS @ $240

Subject: General Tech | April 10, 2013 - 01:48 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Looking for big pixels at a reasonable price?  Check out todays deal from LogicBuy, the HP Pavilion 27xi 27" 1080p IPS LED-backlit display.  At $240 it costs as much as many smaller IPS displays and buying several of them will not bankrupt you.  For people running a pair of GTX680's these might not be the best choice but many lower priced cards can handle the 5760 x 1080 resolution which opens up multi-monitor gaming for more people.

HP Pavilion 27xi 27" 1080p IPS LED-backlit Display

HP Home is offering massive 27-inch HP Pavilion 27xi IPS-panel, LED-backlit LCD Monitor (model no. C4D27AA#ABA) for $239.99 with FREE shipping. Use $100 coupon code: MT41314 to get final price.

Project Eternity sure has pretty backgrounds

Subject: General Tech | April 10, 2013 - 01:12 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: gaming, project eternity, obsidian

Obsidian's new RPG Project Eternity has some gorgeous backgrounds as you can see from the YouTube trailer below.  It was on Kickstarter and garnered three times the amount of money that they required to get the project going so we will be seeing this game sooner or later, you can still toss some coins at them by visiting their main page which is accessible from Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN's preview.  The design team describes the game as a mix of the dungeon crawling of Icewind Dale, the depth of NPC personality of Baldur's Gate and a story as gripping as Planescape.  Currently the Slacker Backer is worth $29 and will get you a copy of the game from Steam or GOG.

"My old-school RPG gland’s been engorged with excitement for many reasons lately, but the past few weeks have seen Torment race to the front of the pack – and not just because it’s chock full of twisted sights and sounds not of this world. In something of a revolution, it also moves. Like, its pictures just sort of do things, without the assistance of a flip book, finger puppets, or any of the other traditional methods. So imagine my elation when I discovered that Project Eternity will, in fact, employ similar motion gremlins to sow the glorious song of movement into its lush mountains, valleys, and plains."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Gaming

• Today's mid-range graphics cards in BioShock Infinite @ The Tech Report
• See Space Hulk See Space Hulk See Space Hulk See @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• That Looks Painful: A Thief Teaser "Trailer" @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Bioshock Infinite Tested, Benchmarked @ Techspot
• Gaming's favourite platters get another stir of the pot @ The Register
• Tomb Raider @ LanOC Reviews
• Hands On: Divinity – Original Sin @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• BioShock Infinite Benchmarked with AMD EyeFinity at 5760x1080 @ Tweaktown
• Tomb Raider PC @ eTeknix
• First Impressions of Trion Worlds’ Defiance @ Techgage
• Modern shooters and the atrophy of fun @ The Tech Report
• Valve Publishes Packages For Their Linux Distribution @ Phoronix
• Sleeping Dogs Benchmarked with AMD EyeFinity at 5760x1080 @ Tweaktown
• Disney shuts down Lucasarts games company @ The Inquirer
• BioShock Infinite Review – Leaving the World Awestruck @ Techgage
• Activision, Raven Release 2 Star Wars Games Under GPL @ Slashdot
• BioShock Infinite @ Kitguru
• Strike Vector Has Transforming Cowboy Space Planes @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• Decor Never Changes: Metro – Last Light’s World @ Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN
• LEGO City Undercover Wii U @ Tweaktown

Intel Racks up another IDF Keynote

Subject: General Tech | April 10, 2013 - 12:31 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Project Scorpio, Intel, idf 2013, idf, Avonton

Intel talked about their Project Scorpio at IDF, similar to HP's Project Moonshot which has just become available.  Instead of a new Atom server being a complete system installed in a rack there will be a housing into which self contained server modules can be added and will communicate with the other modules via fabric switch.  That way you can pick how many modules you need based on your usage and purchase only that many, with upgrades being as easy as sliding in another module and configuring it.  Lego for admins!

They also showed off information on the new Avonton Atom as well as some information on the next family of Xeon processors which you can read more about at The Tech Report.

"Intel kicked off IDF Beijing with a keynote address that revealed a number of new server processors in the Atom and Xeon families. The chip maker also discussed its rack scale architecture, which aims to make next-generation servers more flexible and efficient through modular components."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Mm.. you like RAID? Ooh, you want flash. Try this super-Hadooper @ The Register
• Intel hints at server processor plans for the rest of this year @ The Register
• Intel Xeon 2013 update - A bit later, but a bit better too @ VR-Zone
• Free Anti-Virus Comparison Review @ OCC

Hot pink audio from Thermaltake, the Chao Dracco

Subject: General Tech | April 9, 2013 - 03:09 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: audio, esports, Chao Dracco, thermaltake

With the obnoxious variety of headphones available companies seem to be struggling to stand out in the crowd.  Audio quality comes a close second to the aesthetics of the headphones, with bright colours and logos dominating the audio section of any retail store.  Thermaltake's eSPORTS Chao Dracco is no exception, though they are very uniquely pink.  That doesn't mean that they neglected the sound as they have used 50mm drivers with a respectable 10Hz to 22K Hz range.  Read Bjorn3D's impression of how that translates into your ear in their full review.

"Tt eSPORTS Chao is about culture, and technology advances this culture to create massive individuality. It’s about fashion. Whether it’s hippies, punk, gothic, or hip-hop, you are Chao.  - Tt eSPORTS. This is a great aggressive catch line from a relativity new company. Let’s find out if they hold up to it."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Audio Corner

• Ozone Rage ST Gaming Headset @ techPowerUp
• SteelSeries Siberia V2 Cross-Platform Headset Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Steelseries Flux In Ear Headset @ LanOC Reviews
• Antec Mobile Products iso Headphones & gain Headphone Amp Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker II Review @ TechReviewSource
• Eagle Tech Arion Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review @ NikKTech
• Scythe Kama Bay Amp Pro (SDAR-3000) & Kro Craft Speakers Rev. B Review @ Madshrimps
• Ineo Alienvibes W601 Speaker Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• A.M.P. SP1 review: newcomer in Bluetooth speaker dock @ Hardware.info
• Finis SwiMP3 X18 2GB @ XSReviews

Intel updates Thunderbolt

Subject: General Tech | April 9, 2013 - 02:35 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Intel, thunderbolt, falcon ridge, DSL4510, DSL4410

As promised, the new Falcon Ridge Thunderbolt controller will be arriving soon, bringing improvements to Thunderbolt.  There will be two different updates supplied by Intel, the first is a doubling of bandwidth to 20Gbit/s which will significantly outpace eSATA and may help drive adoption of the new standard.  Less attractive for the consumer but interesting to businesses is a new revision of the current 10Gbit/s standard which will require less power to do the same job as the current controller.  The Inquirer also mentions that Intel is still looking to replace the copper with fibre optics, though what that will do to the already high price of Thunderbolt cables is unknown as of yet.

"CHIPMAKER Intel has announced an update to its Thunderbolt bus boosting bandwidth to 20Gbit/s while introducing 10Gbit/s controllers with lower power consumption."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Ubuntu 13.04 Linux Can Outperform Apple OS X 10.8.3 @ Phoronix
• Synthesizing graphene in your basement laboratory @ Hack a Day
• TTexas Instruments previews H.265 codec on eight-core Keystone DSP @ The Inquirer
• Microsoft's security apps still trip up on Windows 8 @ The Register
• Website Problems With Internet Explorer 10? Switch Modes @ TechARP

Deal for April 9th - HP LaserJet Pro 200 M251nw Color Printer @ $150

Subject: General Tech | April 9, 2013 - 01:10 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Tried of your old printer with its cord running from your PC and wanting one that is worth more than the price of the ink cartridges inside of it?  HP's LaserJet Pro 200 M251nw colour printer is capable of being connected wirelessly which clears up a bit of your cord clutter and makes it easy to connect to several machines at home. Currently you can pick it up at less than half price.

HP LaserJet Pro 200 M251nw Color Printer
HP Home is offering their LaserJet Pro 200 M251nw Color Printer (CF147A#BGJ) for ONLY $149.99 plus free shipping. Use $165 instant savings and extra $15 coupon code: 15LOGICBUY to get final price. Sales tax where applicable. Offer valid through 4/13 or while stock last.