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

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

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

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

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

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

Say farewell to the days of RAM deals

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

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

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

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

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

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

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

PC Perspective Podcast #250 - 05/09/2013

Join us this week as we discuss Haswell Iris Graphics, Intel Silvermont, AMD HD 9000 Series Rumors and more!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

• iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
• RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
• MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file

Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath, and Morry Teitelman

Program length: 1:19:46

1. Week in Review:
   1. 0:03:20 Intel announces Haswell Iris Graphics
   2. 0:12:00 Intel Silvermont Architecture for Atom
   3. 0:27:15 Enermax TriAthlor 550 watt power supply
2. 0:30:25 This week we thank you for IGG support!
3. News items of interest:
   1. 0:35:40 AMD Unveils New Gamer Memory
   2. 0:45:00 AMD to erupt Volcanic Islands GPUs as early as Q4 2013?
   3. 0:52:00 Haswell overclocked to 7 GHz??
   4. 0:53:30 Micron P420m PCIe SSD
   5. 0:54:20 Seagate 600 and 600 Pro SSDs
   6. 0:55:50 Gigabyte Teases Its New UEFI BIOS for Z87
   7. 0:57:40 Asrock Announces Z87 Line up
   8. 0:59:00 Unreal Engine 3 compiled at asm.js
   9. 1:00:00 Hardware Flashback: ASUS K7M
4. 1:06:45 Hardware/Software Picks of the Week:
   1. Ryan: AMD Gamer Memory
   2. Jeremy: BitTorrent Bundle
   3. Josh: Upgrade your sound on the K7M
   4. Morry: Paracord - best for resleeving your PSU
5. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
6. http://pcper.com/podcast
7. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
8. Closing/outro

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who wouldn't want Samurai guarding their eardrums?

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

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

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

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Audio Corner

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

Can Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart bring balance to the Force?

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

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

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

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Gaming

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

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

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

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

Dell PowerEdge T110 II Intel Xeon E3 Quad-core Server

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

Seagate's SSD is new but the components are familiar

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

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

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

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

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