Gateway Launches New Core i7-powered FX-Series Gaming PCs-November 19, 2008
The Gateway FX-series Gaming PC line has been updated with a pair of new models designed around the Intel Core i7 processor and X58 platform. While both are based on the Core i7 processor, the Gateway FX6800-05 is right at the top of the food chain, while the FX6800-01e is a more mainstream gaming PC choice. This is obvious from the individual configurations, and while the Gateway FX6800-01e is certainly capable, the FX6800-05 offers a noticeable upgrade. The processors outline this difference clearly, and while the Gateway FX6800-01e includes the capable 2.66 GHz Core i7-920, the FX6800-05 jumps up to the 2.93 GHz Core i7-940 processor.
The remainder of these system configurations follows the same pattern. The mainstream Gateway FX6800-01e includes 3x1GB (3GB) of DDR3-1066 memory, a Radeon HD 4850 512MB graphics card, and a 750GB SATA II hard drive. The Gateway FX6800-05 moves up the scale with 3x2GB (6GB) of DDR3-1066 memory, a Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB graphics card, and an 80GB SSD + 1000GB SATA II hard drive combination. Even the power supply is different, with Gateway supplying a 500W unit with the FX6800-01e, while the FX6800-05 gets a full 1000W. Standard equipment includes a 15-in-1 High Speed Digital Media Card Reader, an 18X DVD+/-R/RW drive, an HDMI connector, and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit SP1. The Gateway FX6800-01e has a suggested retail price of $1,249 while the ultra high-end FX6800-05 is set a bit higher at $2.999.
Asetek Liquid Cools the Intel Core i7-November 19, 2008
Asetek has announced availability of its famed LCLC liquid-cooling system for the Intel Core i7 platform. The ability to unleash a liquid-cooled processor and motherboard will allow OEMs to supply a top cooling solution without the need for standard heatsink-fans or their resultant noise levels. Asetek promotes the potential overclocking of a Core i7-based LCLC system, as well as enabling an ultra-stable cooling environment for the powerful Intel processor and motherboards. Asetek also believes that faster and better gaming systems will be the end result.
The Asetek LCLC liquid-cooling system is highly integrated and includes a new retention ring and backplate designed for full LGA1366 Core i7 platform compatibility. The LGA1366-socketed motherboard retention mechanism is larger than the old LGA775 system and the updated Core i7-based LCLC system fits within the architecture. Asetek contends that the temperature of a 130W Core i7 processor will drop by over 7 degrees C compared to air-cooling, and other than the system heat exchanger fan at 30 dBA, the unit itself runs silent. "By using our LCLC thermal solution, OEMs and system integrators are now able to take full advantage of Intel's powerful new processors and push the performance envelope to the extreme," said Gary Baum, Asetek's Senior VP of Marketing & Sales. Asetek has not yet announced suggested pricing.
Hercules Unveils the new XPS 2.150 Multimedia Speaker System-November 17, 2008
Hercules is back in action, and their latest speaker announcement offers an innovative glossy-black design combined with contemporary features and an attractive price. The Hercules XPS 2.150 Multimedia Speaker System is the latest addition under the XPS speaker brand, and it includes a 2.1 speaker configuration with 2 satellites and a subwoofer. This is a compact set, with the dual satellites checking in at 7.8" H x 2.3" L x 2.1" W, while the subwoofer has 8.6" H x 6" L x 8.6" W dimensions.
But this compact design does not automatically translate into low-end performance, as the Hercules XPS 2.150 Multimedia Speaker System offers a total RMS of 32 watts, with 8 watts per satellite and 16 watts for the subwoofer. The wide-band speakers have a black glossy exterior, along with red speaker styling on the satellites and a contemporary all-black format on the vented wooden subwoofer. The right satellite houses the main controls, which includes a volume dial, a headphone jack and a line-in connector, while subwoofer features the on/off button and bass controls. Hercules has provided a MSRP of $69.99 and stated the XPS 2.150 speakers will be available in December.
MSI Adds an AMD Option to its Gaming Notebook Series-November 17, 2008
MSI Computer already has a large selection of gaming notebooks, including several featuring Intel Centrino 2 technology, but the MSI GX630-028US Gaming Notebook switches gears and offers an AMD-based mobile gaming platform. The new GX630 models feature the AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual-Core mobile processor, and include 4GB of DDR2 memory and a 250 GB SATA hard drive. Other hardware options include a 15.4" TFT-LCD widescreen display, 802.11 b/g/n Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, 7.1 audio output, a super-multi DVD drive, a built-in 2.0 Mega Pixel Webcam, and integrated HDMI output.
The MSI GX630 gaming notebooks are based around the NVIDIA MCP77 platform, and include a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card with 512MB of onboard memory. The NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT is also based on the MXM II module format, which can make for easy graphics upgrades. The exterior of the GX630 offers a light, aluminum housing, with an extra metallic threads design on the cover. For gamers, MSI has included an independent numeric keypad and labeled W/A/S/D keys, as well as CPU Turbo Mode for easy overclocking of the CPU - up to 15% for smoother gameplay. The MSI GX630 also features a 6-cell default battery, and the operating system is Windows Vista Home Premium. The price is also attractive, and MSI has a MSRP of only $799 on the GX630-028US notebook.
Kingston Unleashes HyperX T1 Series Memory-November 12, 2008
Kingston is not wasting any time ramping up for the upcoming Intel Core i7/X58 product release, as well as shoring up existing AMD and Intel memory platforms. The Kingston HyperX T1 Series is the next-generation of HyperX memory modules, trading in the old school memory heatspreaders in favor of a larger design with extended heatsinks. This HyperX Thermal Xchange (HTX) technology helps diffuse heat buildup during normal operation and can really aid with overclocking. The major change in the HyperX T1 Series is the addition of a heavy-duty extruded aluminum heatsink with extended fins, which not only provide enhanced HX cooling, but also lends the T1 Series a higher profile.
There are several different modules in the new Kingston HyperX T1 Series, including both DDR2 and DDR3 memory types, as well as dual and triple-channel kit configurations. The DDR2 kits include 2x1GB sets at DDR2-800 (CL5-5-5-15 @ 2.0v) and DDR2-1066 (CL5-5-5-15 @ 2.2-2.3v) speeds. There are additional DDR3 matched pair kits, and Kingston offers 2x1GB at both DDR3-1800 (CL8-8-8-24 @ 1.9v) and NVIDIA SLI-ready DDR3-2000 (CL9-9-9-27 @ 2.0v) speeds. The three final T1 kits offer matched triplet, 3x1GB DDR3 configurations in DDR3-1800 ((CL9-9-9-27 @ 1.65v), DDR3-1866 (CL9-9-9-27 @ 1.65v) and DDR3-2000 (CL9-9-9-27 @ 1.65v) speeds. Suggested retail prices for the new HyperX T1 Series are as follows: 2x1GB DDR2-800 ($55), 2x2GB DDR2-1066 ($177), 2x1GB DDR3-1800 ($279), 2x1GB DDR3-2000 ($295), 3x1GB DDR3-1800 ($397), 3x1GB DDR3-1866 ($403), and 3x1GB DDR3-2000 ($435).
Hitachi Goes Green with the Travelstar 5K500.B Mobile HD-November 12, 2008
The 2.5" Travelstar 5K500.B mobile hard drive incorporates many of the latest storage, security and power savings technologies, contributing to a potential best-in-class option. The Travelstar 5K500.B offers a full 500GB of storage using cutting-edge 250GB-per-platter technology and does so in a standard 9.5mm mobile form factor. It spins at 5400-RPM and is available in capacities ranging from 120GB to 500GB. There is also an EA (enhanced-availability) version of this drive, the Travelstar E5K500.B, which is designed for 24-7 operation in a smaller form factor, servicing markets like blade servers, network routers, point-of-sale terminals and video surveillance systems.
Environmental improvements include a halogen-free design, significantly reduced wattage, and market leading read/write power usage, all leading to Hitachi's EcoTrac classification. This also translates into a cooler-running drive, lower operating costs and a drive that promotes longer notebook battery life. The Hitachi drive also has enhanced encryption features for hard-drive-level data security. The optional Bulk Data Encryption system is designed to thwart disk drive theft and prevent access once the drive has been disposed of. "Customers are asking us for hard drives that require less power, provide more data security, have great performance and are environmentally friendly," said Brendan Collins, vice president, Product Marketing, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. Hitachi has not yet announced pricing.
Palit Hits a Performance High with the Revolution 700 Deluxe-November 12, 2008
Palit has added another version of the ultra high-end Radeon HD 4870 X2 card to its line, and this time, both the GPU core and onboard GDDR5 memory has been ramped up over standard speeds. This makes the Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe, according to the company, the "World’s Most Powerful Graphics Card". Standard clock speeds include dual GPUs overclocked to 750 MHz, which when combined with the 2x800 Stream processors, helps delivers over 2.4 teraFLOPS of graphics power. The onboard memory includes a full 2GB of GDDR5 overclocked to 3.8 GHz.
The air cooling hardware on the Revolution 700 Deluxe video card has also been revamped, and now features two PWM fans and four heat-pipes, all in a Revolution 700-branded heatsink. This combination also provides exceptional cooling, while the PWM fans spin faster or slower depending on the GPU temperature, and even offer user controlled fan speeds, potentially lowering ambient noise levels. The interface options are diverse, and include DisplayPort, HDMI, Dual-Link DVI, and VGA outputs. This model runs on the PCI Express 2.0 interface, and includes support for ATI technologies like CrossFireX, PowerPlay, and Avivo HD Video, along with dual Dual-Link DVI output for flat-panel resolutions up to 2560 x 1600. Palit has not yet announced suggested retail pricing on the Revolution 700 Deluxe.
SanDisk Unveils ExtremeFFS for Improved SSD Performance-November 5, 2008
SanDisk has announced their latest storage innovation, this time in the form of the ExtremeFFS flash management system. This follows in the footsteps of SanDisk's TrueFFS flash file system, which was introduced in 1994 for mobile handsets. The new SanDisk ExtremeFFS format is designed to improve both SSD performance and reliability, while accelerating random write speeds. SanDisk contends that ExtremeFFS can increase random write speeds by up to 100X compared to existing systems, and the company believes that lower SSD write speeds questionable endurance are two reasons why SSD technology has not supplanted the traditional hard drive in Windows-based operating environments.
The ExtremeFFS flash file management system looks to solve these problems by using a page-based algorithm that writes data sectors in a more efficient manner. This efficiency results in an improvement in random write performance. ExtremeFFS also allows the NAND channels to operate independently, where some are writing while others are reading and performing other tasks. It also supports a learning function, whereby the user patterns are analyzed to provide the best data arrangement and patterns. SanDisk is also pushing the Solid-State Drive community to adopt a consistent set of testing and benchmarking metrics, and has recommended vRPM and LDE as the tools of choice. Using vRPM allows full performance comparisons between SSD drives, and with traditional hard drives, while LDE measuring SSD endurance and expected lifespan.
Alienware Unleashes the ATI CrossFireX-powered M17 Notebook-November 5, 2008
Alienware is promoting the M17 Notebook as a new breed of mobile performance, and just one look at the specifications could make you a believer. The Alienware M17 Notebook is certainly a performance beast, and best emulates an ultra high-end desktop in a 17" mobile form factor. At its base is a quad core processor, the 45nm Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 mobile processor. This new CPU features a quad core design, includes a full 12MB of L2 Smartcache, runs on FSB1066, has a clock speed of 2.53 GHz, and offers unprecedented notebook performance. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The M17 Notebook is also the world's first notebook with ATI's CrossFireX technology, which in this case denotes a pair of ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 graphics cards. If that's not enough, the factor in up to 4GB of high-speed DDR3 memory and a full 1TB of disk space, using dual 500GB Serial ATA hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration. This is power personified, but notebook performance specifications aren't worth anything if the display can't do the job. To ensure it matches up, Alienware has topped the M17 Notebook off with a 17-inch Extreme High-Definition 1920 x 1200 resolution LCD. The retail price is also quite amazing and will start at just $1,399, while a high-end configuration featuring an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, ATI CrossFireX technology, 3GB of DDR3 memory and a 1920 x 1200 Extreme High-Definition LCD will be available for under $2,000.
