AMD Unveils New Gamer Memory: MOAR RAMDISK!

Subject: Memory | May 8, 2013 - 12:01 AM | Josh Walrath
Tagged: radeon ramdisk, radeon, memory, amd, 4GB, 2133, 1.65v

AMD makes memory!  Ok, they likely contract out memory.  Then they brand it!  Then they throw in some software to make RAMDisks out of all that memory that you are not using.  Let us face it; AMD is not particularly doing anything new here with memory.  It is very much a commodity market that is completely saturated with quality parts from multiple manufacturers.

So why is AMD doing it?  Well, I guess part of it is simply brand recognition and potentially another source of income to help pad the bottom line.  They will not sell these parts for a loss, and they will have buyers with the diehard AMD fans.  Tim covered the previous release of AMD memory pretty well, and he looked at the performance results of the free RAMDisk software that AMD bundled with the DIMMs.  It does exactly what it is supposed to, but of course it takes portions of memory away.  When dealing with upwards of 16 GB of memory for a desktop computer, sacrificing half of that is really not that big a deal unless heavy duty image and video editing are required.

*Tombraider not included with Radeon Memory.  Radeon RAMDisk instead!

Today AMD is announcing a new memory product and a new bundled version of the RAMDisk software.  The top end SKU is now the AMD Radeon RG2133 DDR-3 modules.  It comes in a package of up to 4 x 4GB DIMMS and carries a CAS latency of 10 with the voltage at a reasonable 1.65v.  These modules are programmed with both the Intel based XMP and the AMD based AMP (MP stands for Memory Profiles… if that wasn’t entirely obvious).  The modules themselves are reasonable in terms of size (they will fit in any board, even with larger heatsinks on the CPU).  AMD claims that they are all high quality parts, which again is not entirely surprising since I do not know of anyone who advertises that their DIMMS feature only the most mediocre memory modules available.

Faster memory is faster, water is wet, and Ken still needs a girlfriend.

AMD goes on to claim that faster memory does improve overall system performance.  Furthermore AMD has revealed that UV light is in fact a cancer causing agent, Cocoa Puffs will turn any milk brown, and passing gas in church will rarely be commented upon (unless it is truly rank or you start calling yourself “Legion”).  Many graphs were presented that essentially showed an overclocked APU with this memory will outperform a non-overclocked APU with DDR-3 1600 units.  Truly eye opening, to say the least.

How much RAMDisk can any one man take?  AMD wants to know!

The one big piece of the pie that we have yet to talk about is the enhanced version of Radeon RAMDisk (is Farva naming these things?).  This particular version can carve out up to 64 GB of memory for a RAMDisk!  I can tell you this now, me and my 8 GB of installed memory will get a LOT of mileage out of this one!  I can only imagine the product meeting.  “Hey, I’ve got a great idea!  We can give them up to 64 GB of RAMDisk!”  While another person replies, “How do you propose getting people above 64 GB, much less 32 GB of memory on a consumer level product…?”  After much hand wringing and mumbling someone comes up with, “I know!  They can span it across two motherboards!  That way they have to buy an extra motherboard AND a CPU!  Think of our attach rate!”  And there was much rejoicing.

Inconceivable!!!

So yes, more memory that goes faster is better.  Radeon RAMDisk is not just a comic superhero, it can improve overall system performance.  Combine the two and we have AMD Radeon Memory RG2133 with 64 GB of RAMDisk.  Considering that the top SKU will feature 4 x 4GB DIMMS, a user only needs to buy four kits and four motherboards and processors to get a 64GB RAMDisk.  Better throw in another CPU and motherboard so a user can at least have 16GB of memory available as, you know, memory.

Update and Clarification

Perhaps my tone was a bit too sarcastic, but I just am not seeing the value here.  Apparently (and I was not given this info before hand) the 4 x 4 GB kits with the 64 GB RAMDisk will retail at $155.  Taking a quick look at Newegg I see that a user can buy quite a few different 2 x 8 GB 2133 kits anywhere from $139 to $145 with similar or better latencies/voltages.  Around $155 users will get better latencies and voltages down to 1.5v.  For 4 x 4GB kits we again see prices start at the $139 mark, but there are a significant number of other kits with again better voltages and latencies from $144 through $155.

Users can also get the free version of the Radeon RAMDisk that will utilize up to 4GB of space.  There are multiple other software kits for not a whole lot of money (less than $10) that will provide you up to 16 GB of RAMDisk.  I just find the whole kit to be comparable to what is currently out there.  Offering a 64 GB RAMDisk for use with 16 GB of total system memory just seems to be really silly.  The only way that could possibly be interesting would be if you could allocate 8 GB of that onto RAM and the other 56 GB onto a fast SSD.  I do not believe that to be the case with this software, but I would love to be proved wrong.

Seagate Unveils 12Gbps SAS 1200 Series and PCI-E X8 Accelerator SSDs for the Enterprise Market

Subject: Storage | May 7, 2013 - 06:31 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: x8 accelerator, virident, ssd, seagate 1200, Seagate, pci-e

In addition to its recently-announced 600 and 600 Pro consumer line of solid state drives, Seagate has unveiled two new drives aimed at the enterprise SSD market. The Seagate 1200 series is a 2.5" SAS SSD and the Seagate X8 is a PCI-E based accelerator card.

Unfortunately, details are extremely scarce on both upcoming enterprise drives. Performance, specifications, pricing, and availability are still unknown. Seagate has officially confirmed there existence and shared a few tidbits of information, however.

The Seagate 1200 SSDs are 2.5" form factor drives with a 12Gbps SAS interface, which suggests that they will be at least somewhat faster than the consumer versions due to Seagate implementing the faster drive interface. The most important detail however, is that Seagate will be using its own custom SSD controller in the 1200 series. The new controller is still a mystery, but it is developed by Seagate and not Link A Media with customized firmware like the 600 and 600 Pro drives. I am especially interested to find out more about this aspect of the drive. Hopefully the new controller is successful and will trickle down to the company's next-generation consumer SSDs.

Meanwhile, Seagate's X8 Accelerator card is a half-height, half-length expansion card with up to 2.2TB of flash memory. The new PCI-E based drive is based on technology from Virident and can be used to accelerate applicators or database operations in servers. It will be available in capacities ranging from 550GB to 2.2TB. The SSD controller/management duties are handled by the host system's CPU and maintenance operations like garbage collection can be scheduled for periods of downtime when the server is not being hit hard by things like database requests for a popular web application. According to Seagate, each X8 Accelerator will be capable of up to 1.5 million IOPS.

Both of the new enterprise solid state drives will be released later this year.

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

Seagate Enters The SSD Market With The 600 and 600 Pro SSD Series

Subject: Storage | May 7, 2013 - 02:27 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd, Seagate, LM87800, 600 Pro, 600

Seagate has officially moved into the solid state drive (SSD) market with two new consumer drives: the 600 and 600 Pro series. The new drives come in capacities ranging from 100GB to 480GB. Both series utilize the Link A Media (LAMD) LM87800 SSD controller and 19nm 2-bit per cell MLC NAND flash from Toshiba. Seagate has not provided pricing or availability dates, but pricing should be in-line with existing drives, and reviews are already available around the Internet.

The Seagate 600 series is the lowest-tier solid state drive. It will be available in 120, 240, and 480GB capacities. Seagate is using 128GB, 256, and 512GB of NAND flash on 2, 4, and 8 channels respectively. In addition to the LM87800 SSD controller (which features custom Seagate firmware) and NAND flash, Seagate is including 1MB of DDR2-800 DRAM per 1GB of NAND flash for a total of 128, 256, and 512MB of DRAM on the 120, 240, and 480GB capacity drives.

The 600 Series is rated at up to 500MB/s peak 128KB reads and 400MB/s writes (limited to 300MB/s on the lowest-capacity 120GB drive). Further, Seagate states that the 120GB drive is capable of 80,000 random read and 60,000 random write (4K) IOPS, while the 240GB and 480GB drives can reach up to 80,000 random read and 70,000 random write (4K) IOPS.
Also note that the 600 series comes in both 7mm and 5mm form factors, which makes it compatible with most laptops. Seagate provides a 3 year warranty on the 600 series.

The Seagate 600 Pro series steps things up a notch by adding overprovisioning, capacitors for power-loss protection, and a longer 5 year warranty. The 600 Pro series will come in 100, 120, 200, 240, 400, and 480GB capacities. The 100, 200, and 400GB versions of the SSD offer additional overprovisioning which gives the SSD controller more space to work with. The capacitores are intended to provide enough power in the event of a PC power loss to write all data to the NAND flash and prevent data loss.

The 600 Pro drives offer the same 6Gbps SATA interface, LM87800 controller, and 1MB-to-1GB DRAM to NAND ratio. The Pro drives do not come in the 5mm high form factor, so laptop compatibility is limited.

Further, the 600 Pro Seagate SSDs are faster drives. According to Seagate, the Pro series offers up to 85,000 and 30,000 random read and write (4K) IOPS on the overprovisioned drives and p to 85,000/11,000 random IOPS on the 240 and 480GB drives. The 100 and 120GB drives are slower than the other drives though due to less NAND flash and channels between the flash and controller. The chart below details the rated specifications for all of the announced drives.

Blank areas indicate that rated specifications were not available.

Fortunately, the reviews available online (such as AnandTech's) do seem to support the new drives as far as performance is concerned. The drives are stacking up nicely versus the competition, which is interesting given the controller choice. For example, the sequential read speed looks promising.

The 600 and 600 Pro drives are looking like solid drives so long as the pricing is competitive. I'm excited to see where Seagate goes from here.

Unreal Engine 3 compiled to asm.js

Subject: Editorial, Mobile | May 7, 2013 - 12:07 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: unreal engine, firefox, asm.js

Over the weekend we published a post which detailed Javascript advancements to position the web browser as a respectable replacement for native code. Asm.js allows for C-like languages to be compiled into easily optimized script executed at near native performance on asm.js-aware browsers, but are still functional as plain Javascript otherwise. If you wish to see a presentation about asm.js and compiling native code into web code, check out an online slideshow from Alon Zakai of Mozilla.

If, on the other hand, you wish to see an example of a large application compiled for the browser: would Unreal Engine 3 suffice?

Clearly a computer hardware website would take the effort required to run a few benchmarks, and we do not disappoint. Epic Citadel was run in its benchmark mode in Firefox 20.0.1, Firefox 22.0a2, and Google Chrome; true, it was not run for long on Chrome before the tab crashed, but you cannot blame me for trying.

Each benchmark was run at full-screen 1080p "High Performance" settings on a PC with a Core i7 3770, a GeForce GTX 670, and more available RAM than the browser could possibly even allocate. The usual Firefox framerate limit was removed; they were the only tab open on the same fresh profile; the setting layout.frame_rate.precise was tested in both positions because I cannot keep up what the state of requestAnimationFrame callback delay is; and each scenario was performed twice and averaged.

Firefox 20.0.1

• layout.frame_rate.precise true: 54.7 FPS
• layout.frame_rate.precise false: 53.2 FPS

Firefox 22.0a2 (asm.js)

• layout.frame_rate.precise true: 147.05 FPS
• layout.frame_rate.precise false: 144.8 FPS

Google Chrome 26.0.1410.64

• Crashy-crashy

For Unreal Engine 3 compiled into Javascript we notice an almost 3-fold improvement in average framerate with asm.js and the few other tweaks to rendering, Javascript, and WebGL performance between Firefox 20 and 22. I would say that is pretty enticing for developers who are considering compiling into web standards.

It is also very enticing for Epic as well. A little over a month ago, Mark Rein and Tim Sweeney of Epic were interviewed by Gamasutra about HTML5 support for Unreal Engine. Due in part to the removal of UnrealScript in favor of game code being scripted in C++, Unreal Engine 4 will support HTML5. They are working with Mozilla to make the browser a reasonable competitor to consoles; write once, run on Mac, Windows, Linux, or anywhere compatible browsers can be found. Those familiar with my past editorials know this excites me greatly.

So what do our readers think? Comment away!

ASRock Announces Its Z87 Motherboard Lineup

Subject: Motherboards | May 7, 2013 - 12:04 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: Z87 OC Formula, z87, lga 1150, fatal1ty, asrock

The launch of Intel’s next-generation Haswell processors and Z87 chipset is getting closer, and the various motherboard vendors have started teasing their upcoming product lines. Taiwan-based motherboard manufacturer ASRock is the latest company to detail its initial Z87 lineup, and it is fairly extensive.

ASRock will be launching LGA 1150 boards under its Extreme, OC, and Fatal1ty series. The Z87 Extreme series is intended for enthusiasts that need the the most connectivity options possible, including having the highest number of PCI-E slots. The Z87 OC Formula motherboards have beefy VRM hardware and are built to be pushed to the limit by overclockers. Finally, the Fatal1ty-branded motherboards are aimed at PC gamers and support 3 way multi-GPU setups and Creative Sound Core 3D audio chips. Many of the ASRock boards and an alternative SKU with an included 802.11ac Wi-Fi card. These boards are identified by the “/ac” text in their product names.

The initial ASRock Z87 Extreme series launch will include the following boards:

• Z87 Extreme 11
• Z87 Extreme 9
  • Z87 Extreme 9 with 802.11ac WLAN
• Z87 Extreme 6
  • Z87 Extreme 6 with 802.11ac WLAN
• Z87 Extreme 4
• Z87M Extreme 4 (Micro-ATX)

All of these boards will provide plenty of PCI-E slots and rear IO options that include eSATA, USB 3.0, at least one Gigabit LAN port (and dual on some boards), HDMI video outputs, and both digital and analog audio outputs. Note that the top three PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots are rather close together on the Extreme 9 board. This lends credence to the Extreme series use as more of an enthusiast’s work rig with PCI-E SSD accelerator or hardware RAID cards rather than strictly a multi-GPU setup.

The OC series will include the following boards geared for Intel’s Haswell processors:

• Z87 OC Formula
• Z87M OC Formula
  • Z87M OC Formula with 802.11ac WLAN

The Z87 OC Formula series will launch with two boards, one that is full ATX and one that is Micro-ATX. These boards are similar in features and design to the Extreme 6 motherboard, but have additional hardware to facilitate overclocking.

Finally, the gamer-centric Fatal1ty series is aimed at high-end gaming PCs. The series will launch with the following boards:

• Z87 Fatal1ty Professional
• H87 Fatal1ty Performance

The Fatal1ty Professional uses Intel’s Z87 chipset and is aimed at high-end gaming PCs while the H78 Fatal1ty Performance uses the lower-cost H87 chipset and is aimed at midrange gaming systems. Multi-GPU and higher-end onboard sound are the main features of this ASRock series.

Pricing and availability are still unknown, but the company has quite the lineup planned, and the boards should cover a wide breadth of price points. It is nice to see the Micro ATX options as well as the standard ATX models. Now, we just need some Mini-ITX Z87 boards! Additional photos of the Z87 motherboards are available over at Tech Power Up.

Small and inexpensive but still powerful, Evercool's Venti HPQ-12025

Subject: Cases and Cooling | May 6, 2013 - 06:49 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: evercool, Venti HPQ-12025

If you need an inexpensive and relatively small heatsink then FrostyTech has a review you should check out.  At a mere 125x68x160mm and 588g the Evercool Venti HPQ-12025 is tiny compared to many on the market and at $30 it is significantly less expensive than larger competitors.  With that small footprint you could be forgiven for thinking that performance would suffer but FrostyTech's testing shows it to be a solid midrange performer and still reasonably efficient when running the fan at its lowest speed.

"Airflow is driven by a single 120mm PWM fan whose snow white 7-bladed impeller rotates at your basic 2200RPM to 800RPM. Noise output is moderate. Because computer enthusiasts tend to be picky bunch, Evercool have tossed in one extra set of wire fan clips."

Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:

CASES & COOLING

• Silverstone Heligon Series HE01 CPU Cooler Review @ Pro-Clockers
• Scythe Ashura / Katana 4 CPU cooler @ Hardware.info
• SilverStone Argon Series AR01 CPU Cooler @ eTeknix
• Noctua NH-U12S CPU Cooler @ Tweaktown
• Cooler Master TPC-612 review: cheaper TPC-800 CPU cooler @ Hardware.info
• Noctua NH-U12S & NH-U14S CPU Coolers Review @ NikKTech
• Evercool Silent Shark CPU Cooler @ X-bit Labs
• Noctua NH-U14S CPU Cooler @ eTeknix
• Alpenfohn Fohn 120 and 140 WingBoost Fan @ eTeknix
• Noctua NF-S12A 120mm Fans Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Cougar 120mm Dual-X Fan Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Noctua NF-A14 FLX and ULN 140mm Case Fan Review @ Ninjalane
• Spire X2 120mm PWM Fan Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• NZXT Kraken X40 Compact Liquid Cooling System Review: New Level of Cool @ X-bit Labs
• Enermax Hoplite ST Gaming Tower Review @ Pro-Clockers
• Silverstone Redline RL04 Mid-Tower Computer Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• InWin G7 Mid-Tower Chassis @ Tweaktown
• Thermaltake Chaser A41 Mid-Tower @ FunkyKit
• Lian Li PC-V750WX Compact E-ATX Case @ Benchmark Reviews
• Fractal Design ARC Midi R2 Mid-Tower @ Tweaktown
• NZXT Phantom 630 Full Tower Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Aerocool Xpredator case @ Rbmods
• Corsair Obsidian 350D Case Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Corsair 350D M-ATX Chassis @ eTeknix
• LanCool First Knight PC-K65B Mid Tower Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• A quick look at BitFenix's Prodigy enclosure @ The Tech Report
• Lian Li PC-V650B @ techPowerUp
• Antec GX700 Military Case @ Rbmods
• Antec GX700 Mid Tower Chassis @ eTeknix

Gigabyte Teases Its New UEFI BIOS For Z87 Motherboards

Subject: Motherboards | May 6, 2013 - 05:32 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: gigabyte, z87, uefi, bios

Over the weekend, Gigabyte posted a new photo to its Facebook page that teased the interface of the company’s upcoming UEFI BIOS. The new UEFI DualBIOS interface features an orange and black theme with a black background, orange accents, and white text. From the preview photos of Gigabyte’s Z87 motherboards, the BIOS colors will match up nicely with the actual black and orange colored hardware.

The middle pane occupies the most space and brings all of your standard BIOS setup and overclocking settings front and center. Gigabyte has laid out the various settings into tabbed categories. Users can further customize a shortcut menu on the right-most tab. This settings pane is surrounded on all sides by various bars and columns with status information.

The top bar includes graphs on the system’s voltages, fan speeds, and temperatures. The bottom bar displays system information such as the total amount of RAM installed, CPU and BIOS identification, and other information. On the left of the main settings panel is a column with readouts on the installed processor. The information it provides at a glance includes CPU voltage, frequency, temperature, and core ratio. It also lists the CPU fan speeds. Meanwhile, the column on the right-hand side of the display hosts temperature and fan speed information for the PCH, system/case sensor, and up to five case fans.

While some enthusiasts might balk at the orange, black, and white color scheme, in all it looks like a nice improvement. Most of the information is available at a glance, and the customizable shortcut menu is a useful feature.

You can find the original photo as well as several other preview photos on Gigabyte’s Facebook page.

What do you think about the new UEFI BIOS UI?

Lenovo's new IdeaCentre was designed for Win8

Subject: Systems | May 6, 2013 - 04:06 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Lenovo, IdeaCentre B540, win8, all in one

Lenovo's IdeaCentre B540 is an all in one PC, built into a 23" 1080p touchscreen that should make using Win8 a little more user friendly.  The specs are not up to gaming, the Core i3-3220 @ 3.3GHz only has Intel HD2500 graphics but with 6GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD it should serve well as a light workstation or home PC.  TechReviewSource does mention a higher end model containing a Core i5 CPU and a discrete Nvidia GPU but with the heat constraints of this type of form factor you are still going to have troubles playing the newest FPSes.  Check out their preview here.

"The stylish design of the Lenovo IdeaCentre B540 is one that catches our eye in tandem with its budget price tag. The 23-inch 1080p touch screen works well with Windows 8 and looks great for multimedia viewing. Performance is good, especially for the price, but it does make a slight compromise with a Core i3 CPU."

Here are some more Systems articles from around the web:

Systems

• The Tech Report's April 2013 System Guide
• Dell XPS 18 Review @ TechReviewSource
• Dell XPS One 27 Review: affordable large screen all-in-one @ Hardware.info
• Acer Aspire A5600U-UB13 Review @ TechReviewSource
• Gateway DX4870-UB17 Review @ TechReviewSource
• BUYPOWER Revolt SFF Desktop Gaming PC @ Tweaktown
• Raspberry Pi Review @ Tech-Reviews.co.uk
• PC Specialist Vanquish X200 Gaming Rig @ eTeknix

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cloth simulations in Javascript, optimized for asm.js

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

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

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

I can see the web developers drooling already.

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

Javascript is often, simply, good enough.

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

Because... pants.

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

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

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

Corsair's Neutron drives get even more dense

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

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

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

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• ADATA XPG SX900 128GB SSD Review Redux @ [H]ard|OCP
• Crucial M500 480GB Solid-State Drive Review @ Legit Reviews
• Comay Pluto SC3 Enterprise SSD @ Tweaktown
• ASUS RAIDR Express 240GB PCI-Express SSD review: is this the future? @ Hardware.info
• Corsair SSD Toolbox Software Overview - Better than Never @ Tweaktown
• Top SSD Recommendations For May 2013 - Samsung TLC Dethrones the SanDisk SSD Family @ SSD Review
• The SSD Optimization Guide Ultimate Windows 8 (And Win7) Edition @ The SSD Review
• OCZ Vertex 3.20 240GB SSD w/20nm Flash @ FunkyKit
• OWC Mercury Accelsior E2 PCIe SSD @ SSD Review
• Transcend MSA720 128GB mSATA SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
• Seagate Laptop Thin SSHD 500GB Review @ Techgage
• SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB Compact Flash Memory Card @ Tweaktown
• ADATA DashDrive Air AE400 Wireless Storage @ Benchmark Reviews
• takeMS LumX 4GB USB Flash Drive Review @ Madshrimps
• SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC and microSDHC Memory Card @ Tweaktown
• Corsair Flash Survivor Stealth 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive @ Tweaktown
• ADATA DashDrive Durable UD310 32GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive @ eTeknix
• Synology DS213+ High-Performance 2-Bay NAS Server for SMB Review @ Madshrimps
• Corsair Voyager Air 1TB Wireless Hard Drive @ eTecknix
• Patriot Supersonic Rage XT 64GB Flash Drive @ FunkyKit
• Mach Xtreme MX-ES 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive @ Tweaktown
• Transcend Wi-Fi SD Card @ Hardware.info
• PQI Air Bank 500GB External Wi-Fi Hard Disk Drive @ Tweaktown
• Asustor AS-604T 4-Bay NAS @ Tweaktown
• QNAP's TS-EC1279U-RP 12-bay Flagship Rackmount NAS @ AnandTech
• nfortrend EonNAS Pro 510 NAS @ Tweaktown
• Asustor AS-606T @ Legion Hardware

RIP Hotmail, Long Live Outlook.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dell's UltraSharp U2413 1920 x 1200 24" IPS claims a 6ms response time which makes it suitable for gaming, as well as offering superior colour support.  As it is a new model it supports HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, DVI-D and mini DisplayPort inputs as well as acting as a 4-port USB 3.0 hub. 

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

Micron puts a suit and tie on its newest PCIe SSD

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

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

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

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Research explodes myth that older programmers are obsolete @ The Register
• Microsoft preparing second-generation Surface @ DigiTimes
• Intel appoints Brian Krzanich as CEO @ The Inquirer
• AMD says IOMMU v2.5 is key for Linux HSA support @ The Inquirer
• (UK) Government forces benefits claimants to use Windows XP and IE6 @ The Inquirer
• Sony SRS-BTX500 Review @ TechReviewSource
• Windows 8 – an unmitigated Microsoft disaster @ Kitguru
• Picture this: Kodak could get out of bankruptcy as early as July @ The Register
• Component of the Month: Op Amps @ MAKE:Blog
• An ode to the Kindle Paperwhite @ The Tech Report
• Legendary Internet Tech Pricing Mistakes and their (a)moral Implications @ Tweaktown
• USB Auto Update Guide @ OCC
• Lehman Brothers sues Intel over a billion dollar deal @ The Register
• TSMC reportedly to grab 100% of AP orders for 2014 model iPhone @ The Register
• ModSynergy 10-Year Celebration Contest!
• Noctua Joint Giveaway - NH-D14/NH-U14S/NH-U12S Up For Grabs Globally @ NikKTech

LG Launches Optimus F5 Android Smartphone

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

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

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

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

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