New Linux Kernel 3.9 Adds New Features Including KVM on ARM and SSD Caching Support

Subject: General Tech | April 30, 2013 - 09:46 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd caching, operating system, linux, kernel 3.9, kernel, arm, 802.11ac

Linus Torvalds recently released a new version of the Linux kernel -- version 3.9 -- that advances the core of the GNU/Linux operating system with a number of new features. Among other tweaks, the new kernel rolls in new drivers, improves virtualization support, adds new hardware sleep modes, and tweaks file system and storage support.

The new kernel has added quite a few new experimental features, but developers/enthusiasts will no longer have to employ the CONFIG_EXPERIMENTAL flag when compiling the kernel in order to enable them. The kernel development team has decided to remove that option, enable the features by default, and merely tag those experimental features in the documentation. One of the experimental features is SSD caching that allows a solid state drive to cache both reads and writes. The SSD can cache frequently accessed data on the faster solid state drive as well as take the write cached data and write it to the hard drive when the IO subsystem isn’t being heavily utilized. The feature is not new to Linux distributions, but the caching support has now been moved to the kernel. Furthermore, the kernel is now RAID-aware when using the btrfs file system and RAID 5 or RAID 6.

On the driver front, Linux Kernel 3.9 now supports Intel’s upcoming 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapters, improved HD audio codec, AMD’s Oland (8500/8600) and Richland GPUs, and additional NVIDIA GPU support. The new kernel also rolls in a power-optimized driver for Intel’s Haswell GPU and several more track pads.

Kernel 3.9 also adds a new suspend/sleep mode. It will use more power than the traditional S3 (suspend to memory) sleep mode because components are not completely powered down (merely at their lowest sleep mode), but the system will be almost-instantly accessible upon exiting the new suspend mode as a result. According to H-Online, this "lightweight suspend" mode would be ideal for mobile devices or hardware used in network appliances. Also interesting is support for a KVM hypervisor on ARM Cortex A15 SoCs as well as some software tweaks to the kernel to improve web server workloads by allowing multiple networking sockets (and associated CPU processes) to listen on the same network port.

In all, version 3.9 looks to be a worthy upgrade, and one that I hope Linux distro makers will opt for in upcoming releases. I think the new drivers and the SSD caching being rolled into the kernel are the most important features for desktop users, though the networking stack improvements also sound interesting.

For more details, Thorsten Leemhuis has written up an extensive article on the new kernel.

Can you go too far with a gaming mouse? The Shogun Bros Ballista MK-1 Pro

Subject: General Tech | April 29, 2013 - 06:48 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Shogun Brothers Ballista MK-1 Pro, input, gaming mouse

Gaming mice continue to evolve as the market has become saturated, with companies striving to stand out in the crowd but Shogun Brothers may have taken this a bit far.  While having 8200 DPI and 12000 FPS is impressive, being able to set the X and Y sensitivity separately seems excessive.  The ability to save five different profiles for button programming is impressive but when the mouse is capable of displaying the name of that profile you have perhaps reached a new level altogether.  Perhaps the most telling is that the mouse is clearly labelled with a warning not to even attempt to use the mouse without reading the instructions first.  However, if this sounds like the mouse of your dreams, head to eTeknix to see this mouse in action.

"For the last couple of days I have been spending my evening gaming and putting the Ballista MK-1 gaming mouse from Shogun Bros through its paces. Until a few weeks ago I had never even heard of Shogun Bros and give that the gaming peripheral is somewhat dominated by a few big brands it can be hard for another name to squeeze through. Yet a quick look online has shown that products like the Ballista and other products from Shogun Bros have been getting a lot of attention and a lot of love from both review media and the gaming community, so what is all the fuss about?"

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Steelseries World of Warcraft Wireless MMO Gaming Mouse @ eTeknix
• Func MS-3 Gaming Mouse @ Benchmark Reviews
• Logitech G100s Gaming Mouse Review @ Techgage
• ROCCAT LUA Tri-Button Gaming Mouse Review @ NikKTech
• Roccat Kone Pure Limited Edition Mouse @ eTeknix
• Tt eSPORTS MEKA G Unit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard @ eTeknix
• AZiO KB577U Levetron MECH5 Gaming Keyboard @ Benchmark Reviews
• CM Storm Quickfire TK Mechanical Keyboard @ Benchmark Reviews
• SteelSeries Apex [RAW] Gaming Keyboard Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Rosewill RK-9100 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard @ techPowerUp
• ROCCAT Isku FX Gaming Keyboard Review @ Neoseeker
• Gigabyte Aivia Osmium (MX Brown) Gaming Keyboard Review @ Hardware Secrets
• Logitech G510s @ LanOC Reviews

Can you spare $14K for a curvaceous LCD?

Subject: General Tech | April 29, 2013 - 04:38 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: LG, curved lcd

You thought 72"+ HD panels and 4K TVs were expensive?  Wait until you get a load of the price tag attached to the first curved OLED displays which will hit the market in South Korea for a mere $13,569; each.  At just 4.3mm thick and 17lbs they won't be hard to position in your home, if you can afford the asking price of one, let alone the three you would need to get proper multi-monitor performance.  The Inquirer begged for an official release date and price for the UK and were disappointed as are those in North America who have been waiting for these for several years now.

"SOUTH KOREAN ELECTRONICS FIRM LG has announced that it will launch the world's first curved OLED TV this summer, pipping rival Samsung to the post to take the lead in OLED technology."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Chromebook hack controls your television @ Hack a Day
• McAfee discovers Adobe Reader security flaw @ The Inquirer
• The NVIDIA Control Panel Memory Leak Problem @ TechARP
• Online Hitchhiker's Guide Thriving @ Slashdot
• Lenovo deal to buy IBM x86 server biz moving along fast @ The Register
• Video footage from inside AMD boardroom meeting @ Kitguru
• Spring Storm Preparedness - A Look At Energizer & Maglite LED Flashlights @ Legit Reviews
• Instant Recovery / Snapshot Software Review and Guide: Rollback RX @ Tweaktown

Deal for Apr 29 - Two Dell P2213 22" 16:10 Monitors with Stand @ $297

Subject: General Tech | April 29, 2013 - 03:15 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

If you want to set up dual monitors with as little fuss as possible and not spend too much doing it then today's deal might be just the thing for you.  At just under $300 you get two 22" 1680 x 1050 TN displays plus a stand to ensure that they are level with each other, something that can be difficult to accomplish without a stand.

L4D2 Beta Coming to Steam For Linux This Week

Subject: General Tech | April 29, 2013 - 07:25 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: valve, steam for linux, steam, pc gaming, linux, l4d2, beta

Users of Valve’s Steam for Linux client will be getting access to the beta version of Left 4 Dead 2 later this week. The L4D2 beta will come with the new Enhanced Mutation System (EMS), which adds advanced scripting options to the multiplayer zombie survival game.

In fact, all Left 4 Dead owners will get access to the new beta release via the Steam client (not just the Linux platform) for free. The beta will appear in the all games list as a separate download from the main Left 4 Dead 2 game. It will allow beta players to connect to beta servers and other L4D2 beta users.

The EMS system is the biggest addition to the beta currently. It gives developers access to custom script logic as well as custom spawn points and control entities. New maps, characters, and weapons are beyond the scope of the EMS, however.

Interested gamers should keep an eye on their Steam games list as well as the Left 4 Dead blog.

Additional Google Glass Specifications Discovered By Developer

Subject: General Tech | April 27, 2013 - 08:42 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: wearable computing, ti omap, omap 4430, google glasses, android 4.0.4, Android

Earlier this month, Google announced some of the key specifications of its Google Glass project. However, the company left out just how much RAM the device would have or what the exact System on a Chip (SoC) would power the Android device.

Now that the Google Glass glasses are making their way to developers, those as-yet-unknown details are fairly-certain. Google Glass developer Jay Lee managed to access the device using ADB and discovered that the device offered up 682MB of RAM (accessible to developers) and a Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 SoC. Google Glass likely has 1GB of total RAM, but the operating system and other necessary device-level processes are likely responsible for reserving the remaining 342MB chunk of RAM. The TI OMAP 4430 is the same SoC that is powering the Amazon Kindle Fire and a number of other mobile devices released last year. Because of battery life constraints, Google is most likely not running the chip at its maximum 1GHz clock speed. In the Google+ discussion, developer Kevin Fitch speculated that it is likely clocked at 600MHz due to the cores’ BogoMIPS scores.

The remaining Google Glass specifications include Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream sandwich), 16GB of internal storage, a 5MP camera, and support for both 802.11g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It is essentially a mid-range smartphone hidden away inside a pair of glasses. At $1500, the first round of Google Glass was solely for developers, but once Google rolls it into production next year, judging by the internals, it should be much cheaper.

Are you excited for Google Glass? If you are curious about the software or hardware, Jay Lee is taking questions on his Google + thread.

MSI's FM2-A85XA-G65, an inexpensive start to a great HTPC

Subject: Motherboards | April 26, 2013 - 03:32 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: msi, FM2-A85XA-G65, socket fm2, amd

Compared to most current Intel boards, MSI's FM2-A85XA-G65 is very clean looking, especially around the CPU socket.  This particular board benefits from LucidLogix's Virtu MVP in addition to hybrid Crossfire present on FM2 boards and will handle proper Crossfire as it does have a pair of PCIe 16x slots.  You could build an agile HTPC with this motherboard, with 8 channel sound available and D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort output all present.  The board is currently available for $110, a full review can be found over at X-bit Labs.

"MSI mainboards look great, have very convenient layout and use only high-quality components. These boards are energy-efficient, fast and work well with default settings. However, there are quite a few things in their BIOS that could use some extra work and the boards do not keep the power-saving technologies up and running during overclocking. Everything we have just said is true for the main hero of our today’s review."

Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:

Motherboards

• ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 Socket FM2 @ X-bit Labs
• Asus F2A85-V PRO @ X-bit Labs
• BIOS Option Of The Week - OS Select For DRAM > 64MB @ TechARP
• MSI Z77A-GD65 GAMING Intel LGA 1155 @ techPowerUp
• Asus P8Z77-V LK @ eTeknix
• MSI Z77A-GD65 @ eTeknix
• Asus P8Z77-V @ eTeknix
• MSI Z77A-GD65 @ Kitguru
• Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB Intel Z77 Motherboard Review @ PCSTAT
• ASRock Fatal1ty X79 Champion @ eTeknix

Deal for Apr 25th - Dell UltraSharp U2410 24" IPS @ $405

Subject: General Tech | April 26, 2013 - 01:27 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

If you are shopping around for a 24" IPS LCD then today's deal might be custom made for you. The Dell UltraSharp U2410 24" IPS is currently discounted by 26% and comes with free shipping. It is a full 1920x1200 display with HDMI, DVI-D and DisplayPort inputs and even better it has a ghosting time of 11 ms and an input lag so low as to be undetectable which makes it perfect for gaming.

Dell UltraSharp U2410 24" IPS-panel LCD Monitor with HDMI & DisplayPort
Dell is offering UltraSharp U2410 24-inch LCD Monitor for $404.99 with FREE shipping. Use $99.01 instant savings and extra 10% coupon code: 0Q0C74SWNZC42$ to get final price.

Only 346 days to go ... where will you be when WinXP dies?

Subject: General Tech | April 26, 2013 - 01:23 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: winxp, microsoft

In just under a year the venerable Windows XP OS will hit end of life and will no longer be supported by Microsoft.  This could be a rather unpleasant experience for many businesses that still rely on WinXP to provide compatibility for legacy applications.  Windows 7 is becoming more difficult to acquire, with Microsoft pushing Win8 as their preferred product to sell with systems and introducing Win7 to executives is daunting enough without trying to explain why their Win8 computer now looks more like a cell phone.  That is bad enough, but explaining to them why a custom built peice of software will no longer function due to incompatibility will be even worse and pointing out that the issue could have been prevented if they had only approved your budget requests to upgrade the software will be less than helpful.  Your younger users will never notice, they are far more concerned with convincing someone that they should be allowed to work on whatever device is their current favourite but you can be guaranteed you will be spending time with upper management explaining why Microsoft doesn't care that they don't want to switch OSes and that due to security agreements with clients those managers have no choice but to upgrade.  The Register put together some numbers showing how unprepared the UK market is; the situation in North America will be similar.

"The lack of a business case was cited as the key barrier to Windows XP application migration in 79 per cent of these organisations. This is why large volumes of unsupported applications post-Windows XP are a concern for 80 per cent of CIOs and IT leaders."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Mutant hybrid upstart joins pushback against storage giants @ The Register
• Intel presents its Future Showcase for KitGuru
• Tenda W300M Wireless N300 Portable AP/Router @ Kitguru
• HWBOT TeamCup 2013 Stage 4 @ Madshrimps
• Win One of Five Antec Mobile Product Bundles @ eTeknix
• Win 'The Showdown Effect' Game Codes @ eTeknix

Help PC Perspective Expand by Contributing to our Indiegogo Project!

Subject: Editorial | April 26, 2013 - 11:40 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: video, pcper, Indiegogo

UPDATE 4/26/13: We are extremely excited to see that we have met our first goal for our Indiegogo project!  We are eternally grateful for our fans and readers that are supporting us in this endeavor.  We are going to start putting together orders for the set materials and I am very excited about the direction this is pointing us in.  There is still room to improve the project though and we have lots of great perks available for those of you that are still looking to contribute to the cause!  Oh, and we should have our T-shirt design ready early next week as well.  Thank you EVERYONE for reading PC Perspective!!

And for those of you looking for a bit more insight into our total goals, here is another mock up of the set!

Yesterday evening, the team at PC Perspective launched a project that will help us grow and expand our coverage of technology and computer hardware. Using the crowd funding service called Indiegogo.com, we are doing a fund drive to help improve the quality of our video content and enable us to do more, unique styles of content.

If you are anything like us, you love technology.  Motherboards, graphics cards, processors, SSDs, monitors, laptops, tablets, cell phones and more.  And you also love reading about them, hearing about them and seeing them, dissecting them and finding out what makes them tick.

I am confident that high quality video content is the future of our medium and while we have been able to do quite a lot with the basic technology and setup we have here today, my goal is to be able to bring the readers regular, high quality video content on all aspects of technology.  We want to not only have video reviews for products but we want to be able to do near-daily content updates on the news of the day while balancing that with long-form interviews of personalities that make the industry function.  We have dabbled in some of these content types and the responses have been great, but we need a higher quality setup to really do it right.

Our goal with this project is to build the funds necessary to turn our office in Florence, KY into a high tech video production outlet that starts with a quality set design and better quality equipment.

Other than supporting one of your favorite online outlets, we have also lined up some sweet perks for contributors to our project.  We have ad-free versions of the site, Tshirts and access to the PC Perspective Gold Club that has some pretty ridiculous giveaways!  If you support us even further you can get some individual time with our team to tell us why you supported us, answer your questions or even join us for an episode of the PC Perspective Podcast!  

Come visit the offices, join the process of creating a new show or make fun of Josh's laugh in person - it's all possible!

So if you have the means and you want to support our cause, if you have enjoyed any of our articles, podcasts or video reviews, consider helping to fund our project!

Support PC Perspective's Indiegogo Project

Visit the page to contribute!!

Razer takes a moment to Vent, announces Razer Comms

Subject: General Tech | April 26, 2013 - 02:46 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: razer, Comms, Teamspeak, Ventrillo

The Steam overlay makes text communication easy between any combination of friends in game and out. Despite the popularity, just about every team has a voice over IP (VoIP) solution to coordinate within a match. Talking is simply superior to typing while simultaneously attempting to not get yourself killed, crashed, or otherwise not-winning. Teamspeak and Ventrillo are the two most popular solutions for clan voice communication; while both are free applications for clients, some uses require server license fees over and above the actual server cost itself.

Razer found a niche it wanted to fill.

Razer Comms is a free service, currently in beta, for text and audio chat. Using the overlay metaphor, the application tries to be very unobtrusive to the game it rests upon. The service apparently uses good-quality codecs, according to the little hear-say I overheard the last couple of days. They also advertise that the service, since it is not owned by the clans which use it, will hide each user's IP address. While there is very little you can do to someone by knowing their IP address, and most of that could be circumvented by powercycling your modem, it does have some limited advantages.

In terms of a business model, unless the service develops some way of gaining revenue, the only way I can rationalize Razer funding this project is boosting their brand power. Razer already has some level of infrastructure from their Synapse projects and it is possible that the company is willing to eat the loss with the expectation of increased hardware sales. If this service will continue to be both free and ad-free, I cannot see any other reason for Razer to bother besides: eat the loss, make gamers happy, and wait for them to want a new mouse or tablet.

I can also see a slim chance, a very very slim chance, that Razer hopes to contiuously expand this service into a full gaming platform as Valve did with Steam. A fun thought, but nothing I would actually expect at this point.

Razer Comms is currently only available for English Windows users, although other languages will arrive soon.

Noctua Offers Free Alternative Mounting Kit for Low-Profile NH-L9a Cooler

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 26, 2013 - 12:30 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: noctua, nh-l9a, hsf, cooler, mini-itx, low profile cooler

Noctua, an Austrian company known for its high-end air CPU coolers has announced that it will be offering up alternatvie mounting kits to users of its low profile NH-L9a cooler that have incompatible motherboards. Certain mini-ITX motherboards that place components on the back of the motherboard around the processor socket are incompatible with the company’s existing SecureFirm 2 mounting kit because the backplate cannot be installed.

The new alternative mounting system for the NH-L9a CPU cooler uses Noctua’s NM-APS3 spacers that go in place of the standard backplate. The spacers go in between the motherboard and screws, but are small enough to not run into any components installed in the area normally reserved for a CPU backplate. Two such boards that Noctua has found to be incompatible are the mini-ITX AsRock FM2A75M-ITX and AsRock FM2A85X-ITX.

Users with an incompatible motherboard and NH-L9a cooler can obtain the alternative mounting kit for free by contacting Noctua’s customer service line and providing them with a proof of purchase (scan, photo, or electronic invoice) receipt for both the Noctua cooler and an incompatible motherboard. Additionally, Noctua will be including both the standard SecureFirm 2 and alternative mounting kits in the retail NH-L9a cooler box from now on.

It is nice to see Noctua continuing its tradition of good customer care. They many not be as popular as other cooler vendors in the US but it seems they are a company willing to go the extra mile for its enthusiast customers.

It's not a phone, it's an email device! Meet the Blackberry Q10

Subject: Mobile | April 25, 2013 - 07:52 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: blackberry, blackberry q10

Touchscreen phones might get all the recognition in the press and with the cool kids but for the hard working type who can never truly get away from their email, nothing beats a physical QWERTY keyboard.  Users who prefer Bolds and Curves to flashy touchscreens are finally going to be gifted with the new Blackberry Q10, with very similar specs to the already released Z10.  For those of us that don't tend to see our phones as an entertainment device but simply as work tool the size of the screen really does not matter as much as a responsive and easy to use keyboard.  The Inquirer had a chance to review the new Q10 and you can catch their comments here.

"3.1" 720x720 Super AMOLED touchscreen, physical QWERTY keyboard, dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 4G and HSDPA connectivity, 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, 8MP autofocus rear-facing camera with LED flash and HD 1080p video, 2MP HD 720p front camera, Blackberry 10 mobile operating system, 119.6x66.8x10.4mm, 139g

Price £579.95 SIM-free."

Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:

Mobile

• All thumbs on deck with the BlackBerry Q10 @ Ars Technica
• Samsung Galaxy S 4: The empire strikes back with a faster, sleeker handset @ Ars Technica
• Samsung Galaxy S4 hands-on @ The Inquirer
• Blackberry Z10 Smartphone Review @ Legit Reviews
• Sony Xperia Z Smartphone @ Tweaktown
• COBY Kyros Internet 10 Touchscreen Tablet (MID1045) Review @ Madshrimps
• Eminent WiFi Travel Reader and WiFi Travel Router @ Hardawre.info
• Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 @ The Inquirer
• Seidio Ultimate Screen Guard for Nexus 4 @ LanOC Reviews
• Cooler Master NotePal A200 Laptop Cooler Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• ASUS VivoBook S500C Touchscreen Ultrabook Laptop @ Tweaktown
• Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 Review @ TechReviewSource

Triathlor? Seriously Enermax?

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 25, 2013 - 06:06 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: PSU, modular psu, enermax, TriAthlor, 650W

Platimax, Triathlor and NAXN; perhaps Enermax is not gifted at picking names for their PSUs but for the most part they are known for creating solid PSUs which do the job they are intended to.  Setting aside the name, this 650W mostly modular PSU has four 12V rails that combine to a peak of 54A, 648W which is certainly enough to power a modest multi-GPU system.  [H]ard|OCP put it through their own special brand of torture and were pleased with the results, a pass on all of their testing albeit results which trail the competitions offerings.  That keeps this PSU in the running as far as performance but at a current cost of $120 and perhaps higher in the future, it is hard to recommend this PSU over ones that do not cost as much and provide power of a quality at least equal to if not better than the Triathlor.

"Today we bring you an "athletic" power supply from Enermax that weighs in at 650 watts. The new Triathlor series sports plenty of features that enthusiasts will like including Silent Cooling, Flexible Cable Management, is marketed as being Rock Stable at All Loads. Enermax ads that, "The Triathlor FC is not a blinky poser."

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

CASES & COOLING

• Corsair CX Series Modular CX600M 600 W @ techPowerUp
• Enermax Platimax 1350w Modular Power Supply @ FunkyKit
• Rosewill SilentNight 500-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III 750W Power Supply Review @Hi Tech Legion
• Rosewill Fortress 750-Watt 80 PLUS Platinum @ Tweaktown
• Enermax Triathlor FC 650-Watt 80 PLUS Bronze @ Tweaktown
• Corsair AX1200 Fully-Modular 1200W Power Supply Review @ ModSynergy
• Corsair AX and AXi Series Power Supplies Review: Small Letter Big Difference @ X-bit Labs
• Cooler Master V Series 1000 W @ techPowerUp
• Antec Mobile Products A.M.P. Mobile Power Roundup @ eTeknix

Can 3,000,000 Surface buyers be wrong?

Subject: General Tech | April 25, 2013 - 02:43 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: winRT, win8, surface, microsoft, sales, Surface Pro

Believe it or not, according to The Inquirer's sources Microsoft managed to sell three million Surface and Surface Pro tablets, accounting for 7.5% of sales in the first quarter of 2013.  In comparison Apple accounts for a hair under 50% of branded tablet sales, with Android tablets making up the rest of the market.  For a company not generally associated with hardware, apart from the Zune, Microsoft has made a definite impact on tablet sales with their new OS and hybrid machines.  They do not define the split between Surface and Surface Pro, nor mention how many buyers did not realize the limitations of WinRT, regardless this is good news for Microsoft if not for some of their traditional partners such as ASUS and Acer.

"TABLET UPSTART Microsoft managed to capture 7.5 percent of the global 'branded' tablet market in the first three months of the year."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Fusion-io buys NexGen @ The Register
• Microsoft to unveil new Xbox console on May 21 @ The Register
• Western Digital profits down despite revenue rise @ The Register
• MySQL Founders Reunite To Form SkySQL @ Slashdot
• Another blow for Flash as Unity gaming engine kills support @ The Register
• SECTOR Pilot Master R3273679025 Review @ NikKTech
• Sony NEX-VG30 @ Hardware.info
• Ninjalane Podcast - The Tech of Concerts

Corsair Goes Small with Obsidian Series 350D Micro ATX PC Case

Subject: Cases and Cooling | April 25, 2013 - 02:30 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: SFF, Obsidian Series 350D, obsidian, corsair

Fremont, California — April 25, 2013 — Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components, today announced the Obsidian Series 350D High Performance Micro ATX PC case. Available with a solid or windowed side panel, the Obsidian Series 350D brings unprecedented expansion and cooling options to smaller, more portable, high-performance PCs.

Like larger cases in the premium Obsidian Series line, the Obsidian Series 350D sports a clean, black, brushed-aluminum styling. The case is also designed for fast and neat builds with tool-free access and drive installation as well as an innovative cable routing system.

The Obsidian Series 350D case supports both Micro ATX and mini ITX motherboards and has plenty of interior space for liquid CPU cooling, dual 3.5” hard drives, dual 2.5” SSDs, dual 5.25” drives, and dual full-length graphics cards. It also has five expansion slots and five fan mounting points with room for two 240mm radiators. The front panel provides convenient access to USB 3.0 and audio connectors.

“The Obsidian 350D’s versatile expansion options give builders the ability to pack a lot of performance into a smaller form factor,” said Thi La, Senior VP & GM of Memory and Enthusiast Component Products at Corsair. “Its stylish, compact design makes it a perfect high-performance PC case for smaller living spaces or for gaming LAN parties.”

The MSRP is $109.99.

Podcast #248 - AMD HD 7990, CrossFire Frame Rating improvements, 4K TVs and more!

Subject: General Tech | April 25, 2013 - 02:13 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: video, Xe, seiki, raidr, podcast, nvidia, Never Serttle, hd 7990, GA-Z77N-WiFi, frame rating, crossfire, amd, 4k

PC Perspective Podcast #248 - 04/25/2013

Join us this week as we discuss AMD HD 7990, CrossFire Frame Rating improvements, 4K TVs 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

Program length: 1:16:34

1. 0:01:20 Update on Indiegogo: You guys rock!
2. Week in Review:
   1. 0:06:30 AMD Radeon HD 7990 6GB Review
   2. 0:15:30 Frame Rating: AMD previews prototype driver
   3. 0:27:30 Gigabyte Z77N-WiFi Mini ITX Motherboard
   4. 0:29:30 AMD Releases Latest Generation of G-series Embedded Products
3. News items of interest:
   1. 0:37:40 Seiki 50-in 4K 3840x2160 TV Preview
   2. 0:48:45 ASUS RAIDR Teases keep happening
   3. 0:52:00 Western Digital Xe HDDs SAS
      1. WD mobile Blue Series 5mm thin
   4. 0:57:15 Hook Retina display up to your PC
   5. 0:59:00 Raja Koduri returns to AMD
   6. 1:01:30 More Never Settle games??
   7. 1:02:45 Sound Blaster still a thing?
4. Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
   1. Ryan: Seiki 4K TV - more support from enthusiasts! and wet puppies
   2. Jeremy: This is not news people, NFC is a feature but if you are paranoid you can check with this app
   3. Josh: The hoarder in me wants one!
   4. Allyn: Put your bits on an ioSafe. Put your 'papers' here.
   5. Tim: BT Sync, it's in public alpha now so go grab it!
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

Deal for April 25th - Dell UltraSharp U2913WM 29" 2560 x 1080 @ $495

Subject: General Tech | April 25, 2013 - 02:11 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: deals

Today only you can get your hands on the Dell UltraSharp U2913WM we featured back on the 19th at an even lower price.  For a total of $495, shipping is free, you can upgrade your display significantly.  Before you sneer at the 2560 x 1080 resolution, realize that you would be able to run multiples of this monitor without needing a triple TITAN SLI rig.  For those of us who's eyes have been around the sun many dozens of times, the slightly larger resolution is also welcome.

Dell UltraSharp U2913WM panoramic 29" 2560 x 1080 LED-backlit LCD Monitor
Dell Works is offering 29-inch UltraSharp U2913WM 2560 x 1080 LED-backlit LCD Monitor for $494.99 with FREE shipping. Use $150 instant savings and extra 10% coupon code: 0Q0C74SWNZC42$ to get final price. Backed by 3-year Advanced Exchange Warranty and Premium Panel Guarantee.