45nm Phenom power consumption tested
by Cyril Kowaliski — 5:09 PM on July 24, 2008

Samples of AMD's upcoming 45nm Phenom processors seem to be making the rounds among Chinese enthusiast sites, and ZOL.com.cn is the latest to enjoy the honor. The site has compared a 2.3GHz 45nm Phenom to an identically clocked Phenom X4 9600 in power consumption and heat tests.

For full-system power consumption, ZOL found that the 45nm Phenom system drew 7W less power at idle (147W instead of 154W) than its 65nm counterpart, while power draw dropped by 24W at a full load (176W instead of 200W). For what it's worth, we observed a 41W difference between Intel's 45nm Core 2 Quad Q9300 and 65nm Core 2 Quad Q6600 in our testing using different equipment. ZOL's monitoring software reported temperatures of up to 31°C at a load for the 45nm chip, down from a high of 40°C for the 65nm model.

As we reported earlier this month, another Chinese enthusiast site managed to overclock what could be the same 45nm Phenom sample from 2.3GHz to 3.4GHz. That overclock involved raising the voltage by a potentially unhealthy amount, but the chip also hit 3GHz with a relatively minor voltage bump. As we pointed out then, volume 45nm Phenom production shouldn't begin until next quarter. AMD therefore has some time left to tweak and refine its 45nm chips.

19 comments —
Last post by Meadows at 2:03 AM on July 25, 2008

New Intel system-on-chip designs feature x86 cores
by Cyril Kowaliski — 3:33 PM on July 24, 2008

Intel is putting its x86 architecture everywhere lately—graphics processors, handhelds, and now even system-on-chip designs. Indeed, the company has unveiled a new generation of SoC offerings that feature x86 processor cores derived from the Pentium M. Known as the EP80579 Integrated Processor family, the new SoC line will debut this quarter and spread to consumer electronics, mobile Internet devices, and other embedded applications like security systems, communications equipment, and industrial robotics hardware.

The EP80579 is launching in eight flavors. Those chips have 800-1200MHz CPU cores, 256KB of L2 cache, 400-800MHz integrated DDR2 memory controllers, and a "variety of integrated communications and embedded I/O controllers" including triple Gigabit Ethernet, dual USB, dual Serial ATA, and PCI Express (in 1x8, 2x4, or 2x1 lane configurations). Four of the chips also feature QuickAssist Technology, which they use to "accelerate cryptographic and packet processing for security appliances." The QA-capable models have 13-21W power envelopes, while those without QA will draw only 11-19W. Intel claims the EP80579 series may consume up to 34% less power with 45%-smaller board footprints than older SoCs.

That's not all. Intel says it's working on no fewer than 15 SoC projects, "many" of which it will base on the Atom CPU core. Those projects include Canmore, which will hit consumer electronics devices later this year, and Sodaville, a second-gen model due to materialize in 2009—right around the time Intel expects to unleash its second-gen Centrino Atom platform, which should also be a SoC.

19 comments —
Last post by UberGerbil at 8:55 PM on July 24, 2008

Triple-GPU Asus graphics card benchmarked
by Cyril Kowaliski — 2:28 PM on July 24, 2008

With dual-GPU graphics cards now common, someone was bound to try slapping three GPUs onto a single card. We first learned about the EAH3850 Trinity in March, when Asus revealed it had built a single-slot AMD Radeon HD 3850 CrossFire X config out of a trio of notebook graphics modules. Asus used a water-cooling system to cool the contraption.

The EAH3850 Trinity was and remains a proof of concept, but HotHardware got a chance to test and benchmark it. Their verdict? Performance isn't as high as it could be: going from a single Radeon HD 3850 to the three-way, single-slot device only raised Company of Heroes frame rates from 37 to 55 FPS at 1280x1024 with 4X antialiasing enabled. That's a 49% increase in performance from a 200% increase in GPU horsepower—not exactly jaw-dropping.

HotHardware attributes the EAH3850 Trinity's lackluster showing to PCI Express bandwidth shortages and a dearth of driver optimizations. Whatever the problem, you're probably better off grabbing a Radeon HD 4870.

18 comments —
Last post by ludi at 1:20 AM on July 25, 2008

Core 2 Duo E8600 coming on August 10
by Cyril Kowaliski — 1:05 PM on July 24, 2008

The folks at Fudzilla have managed to obtain some specific information regarding an upcoming Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 processor. We talked about the chip in conjunction with a report about Intel price cuts earlier this month, but some uncertainty still surrounded the E8600's exact pricing and launch date.

If one is to believe Fudzilla, the Core 2 Duo E8600 will come out on August 10 with a $266 price tag. The CPU will run at 3.33GHz, or about 170MHz faster than the Core 2 Duo E8500 Intel recently pulled down from $266 to $183. Today, Newegg carries the E8500 for $194.99 with free three-day shipping.

Fudzilla points out that this may be the last high-end Core 2 Duo, and recently leaked roadmaps would seem to corroborate that claim. Supposedly, Intel will replace the E8600 and other current-gen chips in the same price range with dual- and quad-core Nehalem derivatives in the third quarter of 2009.

13 comments —
Last post by pedro at 12:19 AM on July 25, 2008

HP to absorb Voodoo PC into its consumer division
by Cyril Kowaliski — 12:02 PM on July 24, 2008

Almost two years have passed since HP acquired boutique PC maker Voodoo PC. Since then, Voodoo founder Rahul Sood has become Chief Technology Officer of HP's Global Gaming business, and Voodoo has been operating behind a separate front.

That's all about to change. According to PC World, HP has decided to absorb Voodoo PC into its consumer business division. An HP spokeswoman confirmed that the move will bring Voodoo products together with HP's Pavilion and Compaq Presario consumer lineups. Like Compaq, the Voodoo brand name will live on, but marketing, sales, and support will apparently go through the same channels as HP's other products.

Rahul Sood explains in his blog that the transition means Voodoo products "will be easier to buy, faster to get, they will feature local service, and they will have the full power of HP’s marketing and sales channel behind them." The move could see systems like the high-end, ultra-thin Voodoo Envy 133 laptop get more traction in the face of competition from Apple and others.

13 comments —
Last post by DreadCthulhu at 11:19 PM on July 24, 2008

'Mojave' showcases Vista's image problem
by Cyril Kowaliski — 10:29 AM on July 24, 2008

Almost anybody who keeps track of the tech press will agree Windows Vista has an awful reputation. Is that reputation justified, though? News.com reports that Microsoft has carried out an interesting experiment to answer that question.

In short, the experiment involved rounding up Windows XP users skeptical of Vista's merits, asking them to explain their dislike for Vista, then showing them a "new" operating system code-named Mojave. News.com says "more than 90 percent" of the users had a positive impression of this new OS. One user even uttered, "Oh wow," the slogan from the ill-fated Vista marketing campaign. But here's the twist: Microsoft was actually demonstrating Vista.

If you think that all sounds a little too convenient, you're not the only one. Considering the sheer amount of negative press Vista has garnered, though, the OS's image problem could very well be that bad. Microsoft plans to release footage of the experiment in some form or other so we can see for ourselves—in fact, News.com predicts the footage could show up publicly "as soon as next week or even at Thursday's financial analyst meeting."

135 comments —
Last post by MadManOriginal at 1:37 AM on July 25, 2008

Intel pulling the Nehalem launch to September?
by Cyril Kowaliski — 10:02 AM on July 24, 2008

AMD just can't seem to get a break lately. According to DigiTimes, Intel has decided to bring forward the launch of its next-gen Nehalem processors to some time in September. The chip giant's previous roadmap reportedly called for a launch in November or December.

Quoting its usual sources at motherboard makers, DigiTimes goes on to say the September time frame will see Intel announce Bloomfield chips with accompanying X58 chipsets. However, the sources add that actual processors and motherboards won't appear in the distribution channel until "early October."

Going by a previous DigiTimes report, Intel is readying three Bloomfield CPUs: a 2.66GHz part priced at $284, a speedier 2.93GHz model costing $562, and a high-end 3.2GHz "Extreme" chip with a $999 price tag. When Anand Lal Shimpi from Anandtech posted preliminary benchmarks of the 2.66GHz Bloomfield, we worked out that the chip was about 33.5% faster clock-for-clock than a 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad Q9450—and that's in spite of problems with the early chip's memory controller.

44 comments —
Last post by Krogoth at 12:37 AM on July 25, 2008

Thursday Shortbread
by Ronald Hanaki — 7:02 AM on July 24, 2008

Thursday

1. DigiTimes reports Intel brings forward Nehalem launch
2. Fudzilla reports Intel's 3.33GHz dual-core launches August 10
   and Atom 330 to launch on September 21
3. CHW reports Nvidia's Big Bang II comes in September (write-up in Spanish)
4. GeForce 9500 GT: NV's first 55nm product hits market
5. ITOCP has pics of AMD's Deneb—45nm Phenom 3.4GHz (thanks Stash the Vampede)
6. TG Daily reports Nvidia to bring WHQL-certified PhysX drivers on August 5th
   and shrinking the CPU platform: Intel goes after SoC opportunity
7. bit-tech reports upgrading the memory on MSI's Wind subnotebook voids the warranty
8. Hardware-Infos on Intel's Larrabee: first samples this year? (write-up in German)
9. Bank web sites full of security holes, University of Michigan survey finds
10. Microsoft announces reorganization of Windows and online services business
11. Britain agrees on a plan to tackle online music piracy

Software and gaming

1. Neoseeker has CrossFire performance in Vista with Catalyst 8.7
2. TG Daily: survey predicts upgrade disaster for Windows Vista
3. Sins of a Solar Empire v1.1 beta information
4. Shacknews' rumor control: Final Fantasy 13 developed on PCs, actual PC release unconfirmed
5. Futurelooks on video games being a family affair
6. Shacknews has Dawn of War 2 preview: a radical shift
7. OS X Reality on iPhone gaming: play to your strengths

Systems

1. AnandTech on AMD's SB750: enabling higher Phenom overclocks?
2. Boot Daily reviews Alienware Area-51 m15x laptop
3. SuperSite for Windows looks at Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e
4. Digital Trends on PlayStation 3 media server setup
5. HotHardware's Intel EP80579 integrated processor preview
6. Digit-Life pits Conroe vs. Wolfdale: to the limit
7. bit-tech reviews Phenom X4 9350e
8. [H] Enthusiast reviews Asus Maximus Formula II
9. ProClockers review OCZ Reaper HPC PC3-12800 dual channel kit

Multimedia

1. HotHardware has Asus Trinity tri-GPU graphics prototype benched
2. Guru3D has GeForce 9800 GTX+ SLI tested
3. Overclock3D reviews PowerColor HD 4870 512MB
4. Overclockers Club reviews Sapphire Radeon HD 4870
5. TheTechLounge reviews Palit Radeon HD 4870 512MB
6. Guru3D reviews Mighty Mouse 5 waterproof mouse
7. HardwareZone's mobile phones shootout: Nokia N95 8GB vs. Samsung SGH-G810

Power. cases, and cooling

1. ProClockers review 780W Hyper Type M Mk II PSU
2. TweakTown reviews 630W Rosewill RX630-S-B Xtreme PSU
3. Hardware Secrets reviews NZXT Khaos case
4. Björn3D reviews Tagan Icy Box IB-285StU-B USB enclosure
5. Hardware Secrets has a first look at Thermaltake BigWater 780e
6. Madshrimps review Scythe Zipang 140mm CPU cooler
7. FrostyTech reviews Cooler Master GeminII S heatsink

5 comments —
Last post by Mourmain at 3:24 PM on July 24, 2008

UPDATED: AMD confirms fab business spin-off, then backtracks
by Cyril Kowaliski — 6:00 AM on July 24, 2008

Say it ain't so. After months of rumors about the possibility of AMD spinning off its manufacturing business, AMD CEO Dirk Meyer has confirmed the move. Meyer made the revelation in an interview with the Austin American-Statesman, which printed the following:

And Meyer says the company is just months away from a major restructuring that will spin the manufacturing operations off into a separate company, wth new ownership.

Without the expensive manufacturing operations, AMD can concentrate on designing, marketing and selling chips that compete effectively against its two tough competitors - Intel Corp., the largest and richest company in the semiconductor industry, and Nvidia Corp., the foremost maker of graphics chips.

"Hector said he will be the most disappointed man on Earth if it is not done by the end of the year, and I will be the second most " disappointed, Meyer said. "It certainly needs to happen to remove this cloud over our head relative to the financial viability of the company."

That certainly doesn't seem open for interpretation. Nevertheless, The Inquirer says AMD has alleged that the Austin American-Statesman actually misquoted Meyer. Meyer supposedly discussed "radically transforming the way wafers are manufactured" while saying nothing about spinning off fabs.

Whether Meyer meant something else or AMD's PR department is attempting damage control, we might not have to wait much longer for an official announcement. Former CEO Hector Ruiz promised back in April that AMD would detail the specifics of a future, "asset-smart" strategy "in the near future." In any case, we've also asked the company to comment—stay tuned.

Update: AMD spokesman Gary Silcott has responded to our request with the following statement:

[I believe] the Austin American Statesman has already printed a correction regarding the misquote of Dirk Meyer, so even they are now admitting he never said what was attributed to him.

We've been pretty open that AMD is exploring a number of options for how we manufacture our wafers as part of our Asset Smart strategy. Hector Ruiz has also been very clear that we hope to announce progress on that front soon.

We weren't able to find the paper's correction, but it looks like AMD is sticking to its position that Meyer didn't announce the fab spin-off move. Whether that means AMD isn't considering or planning such a move is another story, though.

26 comments —
Last post by ludi at 10:44 PM on July 24, 2008

'MacBook touch' to merge MacBook, iPhone concepts?
by Cyril Kowaliski — 4:49 PM on July 23, 2008

Could Apple be cooking up a tablet Mac with multi-touch functionality? That's what the folks at MacDailyNews have gathered from an informer who revealed details about the purported system.

MacDailyNews' source claims the "MacBook touch" will feature a 13.3" (or "possibly a bit smaller") display with an iPhone-style glass cover. The machine will run a full version of Mac OS X, but it will supposedly have access to the iPhone/iPod touch App Store, too. Other features will include an accelerometer, GPS, slot-loading DVD drive, and perhaps haptic touch-screen feedback. The source goes on to claim Apple will sell the system at a "low" price with tight margins in order to encourage uptake.

If this anonymous informant has his facts straight, we'll be seeing the system emerge "by October at the latest." And MacDailyNews suggests the source could indeed be right—the same person allegedly broke the news about the wireless iTunes Store a week before Apple's official announcement. Perhaps this device is the "new, unnamed product" with "features that others can't match" that Apple referred to earlier this week. (Thanks to Engadget for the tip.)

34 comments —
Last post by A_Pickle at 12:38 AM on July 25, 2008

LG readies low-cost subnotebook
by Cyril Kowaliski — 3:28 PM on July 23, 2008

Korean electronics giant LG is planning a late entry into the low-cost subnotebook space, according to a report by DigiTimes. The Taiwanese site claims an LG X110 netbook will come out in October and feature an 8.9" display, an Intel Atom processor, 2GB of memory, a 120GB hard drive, and a copy of Windows XP. LG reportedly won't make the system itself, however.

DigiTimes quotes its sources as saying LG may actually enlist the help of MSI to manufacture the X110. MSI has its own netbook, the Wind U100, but it also produces laptops for LG's computer division. The two companies' previous cooperation leads DigiTimes to believe MSI will make this laptop, too.

LG is expected to price the X110 in the $19,000-24,000 TWD ($625-789) range, which would make it a little pricier than Asus' Eee PC 901. You can nab the 901 for $16,988 TWD ($559) in Taiwan right now.

8 comments —
Last post by Thanato at 12:41 AM on July 24, 2008

Wednesday Shortbread
by Ronald Hanaki — 3:16 PM on July 23, 2008

Wednesday

1. The Stoked Gamer reports Nvidia to launch new GPU at Nvision 08
2. Engadget reports Shuttle's SN78SH7 supports Hybrid SLI, launches Friday
3. Gizmodo on a rumor: MacBook touch coming in October
4. DailyTech reports PC makers fearful of small PCS, AMD passes on netbooks
5. DigiTimes reports Intel cuts Xeon CPU prices
6. Ars Technica's interview: IT consumerization in the enterprise
7. Comcast gives away Nintendo Wii consoles to new subscribers?
8. Gadget zone's analysis of Microsoft after Bill Gates
9. VIA Q&A on OpenBook and Nano at VIA Arena
10. Techgage covers HOPE: hackers on planet earth conference
11. tkArena on Flickr
12. ITOCP has power consumption of AMD processors: 45nm vs. 65nm (in Chinese)
13. Hardware Secrets has all you need to know about LCD monitors
14. PCStats' guide to diagnosing bad memory

Software

1. XtremeSystems: Futuremark will drop support for Nvidia's PhysX in 3DMark Vantage
2. SuperSite for Windows reviews Windows Home Server Power Pack 1
3. TweakTown's AMD Catalyst 8.7 analysis - XP & Vista
4. TechwareLabs' introduction to Linux: desktop environments
5. Windows Server 2008 workstation converter
6. Microsoft Office Outlook Connector 12.1
7. Windows Live for Windows Mobile
8. DST - August 2008 cumulative package for Windows
9. Update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
   (KB954086): analog TV broadcast set-top box fix
10. 2Manydownloads has Nvidia GeForce 177.72 beta for Vista 32-bit
11. 2Manydownloads has Nvidia GeForce 177.70 beta
    for XP 32-bit and 64-bit and Vista 32-bit and 64-bit
12. DriverHeaven releases Mobility Modder V1.1 final
13. Virtual Earth Imagery release - July 2008

Gaming

1. NGOHQ reports Games for Windows Live will be free
2. Shacknews has Games for Windows interview: breaking down
   Microsoft's entry into PC digital distribution
3. New York state passes video game labeling law
4. Digital Trends asks, "What if gaming went to a hosted, subscription model?"
5. Kotaku has more shots of the rumored PSP-3000
6. Shacknews has Project Origins preview and Far Cry 2 interview
7. FileShack has Frontlines: Fuel of War patch 1.1.1

Systems and storage

1. HardwareZone's Asus Eee Box Nettop hands-on
2. Tech ARP updates Foxconn Qbook tech report
3. Digit-Life on lower- and higher-end Phenom X3 / X4 processors
4. Tech ARP reviews Core 2 Duo E7200
5. Motherboards.org reviews MSI P45 Platinum
6. bit-tech reviews EVGA nForce 750i SLI FTW
7. PC Perspective reviews 60GB Super Talent MasterDrive MX
8. Futurelooks reviews Enhance Technology T4H CR desktop RAID storage system
9. TechwareLabs review CRU DataPort 25 USB/SATA to dual drive SATA RAID
10. Computer Shopper reviews Maxtor Central Axis network storage server

Multimedia

1. HEXUS.net reviews Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 Toxic
2. Overclock3D on XFX GeForce GTX 260 XXX SLI performance
3. TweakTown reviews Zotac GeForce 9600 GSO 384MB
4. CPU3D reviews Samsung SyncMaster 245B LCD monitor
5. Gadget zone reviews 8GB Creative Zen X-Fi media player
6. VR-Zone reviews iRadioPOP USB Internet radio player and recorder
7. ThinkComputers reviews Razer / THX Mako advanced 2.1 desktop audio
8. DragonSteelMods review EVO-G Mouse Bungee MB1

Power, casing, and cooling

1. DragonSteelMods review 800W NZXT Performance Power Series PP800 PSU
2. Technic3D reviews 750W Xigmatek NRP-MC751 PSU (in German)
3. JonnyGuru reviews 550W BFG Tech LS550 PSU
4. bit-tech reviews Lian Li Tyr PC-X2000 case
5. Hardware Secrets reviews Antec Three Hundred case
6. ProClockers review NZXT Tempest case
7. Big Bruin reviews Thermaltake Armor+ case
8. CowcotLand reviews Gigabyte GZ-X5 case (in French)
9. Björn3D reviews Tagan Icy Box IB-3218 USB JBOD external enclosure
10. XtremeComputing reviews Vizo Milano MIP-100 HDD enclosure & multimedia player
11. HardwareLogic reviews Vizo Shuttle SHE-260ST external HDD enclosure
12. Big Bruin reviews Kingwin EL-35EU-SBL Elite USB 2.0 and eSATA drive enclosure
13. Madshrimps review OCZ Vendetta 2 CPU cooler
14. FrostyTech reviews Xigmatek Achilles S1284 heatsink
15. Hardware Canucks review Noctua NH-C12P CPU cooler
16. ProClockers Review Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme

12 comments —
Last post by Meadows at 2:55 AM on July 24, 2008

Western Digital's VelociRaptor heads to the enterprise
by Cyril Kowaliski — 12:58 PM on July 23, 2008

Three months after unveiling its 10,000-RPM VelociRaptor desktop hard drive, Western Digital has announced a version of the device aimed at servers. The new enterprise-bound VelociRaptor has the same 2.5" form factor as its desktop cousin, but it sheds the 3.5" IcePAK drive sled the latter uses to fit into standard desktop hard-drive bays. Thanks to its smaller footprint, the 2.5" drive can fit into more cramped spaces—WD mentions blade and 1U servers.

WD is introducing the 2.5" VelociRaptor in 300GB and 150GB variants, both of which feature the same 10,000-RPM spindle speeds, 16MB buffers, 300MB/s Serial ATA interfaces, Native Command Queuing support, five-year warranties, and 1.4-million-hour Mean Time Between Failure ratings as the desktop models. Oddly, though, WD rates the enterprise drives for nominal average latencies of 3ms instead of 5.5ms, even though it says all VelociRaptors have the same seek times.

The 2.5" 300GB VelociRaptor is currently "under evaluation" with hardware makers, and WD says commercial distributors should start carrying the drive "by the end of the month."

19 comments —
Last post by tygrus at 3:47 AM on July 24, 2008

New Eee PC 1000HD features Celeron processor
by Cyril Kowaliski — 11:08 AM on July 23, 2008

Asus is cranking out Eee PCs like there's no tomorrow. After introducing the Eee PC 901, Eee PC 1000H, and setting the stage for upcoming 903 and 904 models, Asus has lifted the curtain on a new 1000HD laptop.

Somewhat puzzlingly, the Eee PC 1000HD looks like a version of the existing 1000H powered by an old Celeron processor instead of Intel's new Atom chip. Other specifications are largely the same: both systems feature 10" displays, 80GB hard drives, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 1.3-megapixel cameras, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and six-cell batteries. Whereas Asus rates the 1000H for up to seven hours of battery life, however, the 1000HD will apparently stay on for just five hours at best. The 1000HD also seems to lack Bluetooth support and Dolby Sound Room-certified audio.

Asus says the Eee PC 1000HD will come in black and white colors with a choice of Windows XP and Linux operating systems. The company hasn't announced pricing, but we'd expect the 1000HD to cost a little less than the now-$549.99 1000H.

13 comments —
Last post by pins at 2:27 AM on July 24, 2008

Nvidia's GeForce 9800 GTX+ appears at $199.99
by Cyril Kowaliski — 11:04 AM on July 23, 2008

GeForce 9800 GTX graphics cards with the same specifications as the GTX+ model have been out for a while, but only now do we see products with the actual GTX+ label in stock at Newegg. The online retailer carries an eVGA GeForce 9800 GTX+ for $199.99, about 30 bucks less than the official $229 price tag.

Nvidia announced the 9800 GTX+ on June 19 as a response to AMD's Radeon HD 4850, which hit stores at $199 the same day. The GTX+ moniker signals 738MHz core and 1836MHz shader clocks, up from the 675MHz core and 1688MHz shader speeds of the vanilla GTX. Also, we've gathered that the GTX+ features a 55nm shrink of the G92 GPU. The original, 65nm G92 powers not only the 9800 GTX, but also GeForce 8800 GT, 8800 GTS 512MB, and 9800 GX2 offerings.

When we benchmarked a 9800 GTX with GTX+ clocks alongside our Radeon HD 4850 late last month, we found the Radeon was generally faster. We're not surprised to see the GTX+ launch at $199.99, then, considering the cheapest 4850 on Newegg goes for just $174.99 shipped.

56 comments —
Last post by BlackStar at 5:30 PM on July 24, 2008

Microsoft talks DirectX 11 graphics features
by Cyril Kowaliski — 6:00 AM on July 23, 2008

As rumored, Microsoft started shedding light on DirectX 11 at the Gamefest 2008 event in Redmond, Washington yesterday. Shacknews has the skinny on the graphics portion of the next-gen application programming interface toolkit, which will bring new functionality while retaining compatibility with Windows Vista.

Quoting Microsoft, the Shack says DirectX 11 will introduce compute shaders, a technology that will "[lay] the groundwork for the GPU to be used for more than just 3D graphics." Other DX11 features will include tessellation, which will make 3D models smoother up close (like the old ATI TruForm tech), and multi-threaded resource handling, which will help game developers tap multiple CPU cores.

Interestingly, Shacknews mentions that DirectX 11 will add functionality to existing, DirectX 10/10.1-class graphics processors. Microsoft apparently didn't reveal which features will require new hardware, however.

84 comments —
Last post by Meadows at 2:55 AM on July 24, 2008

Super Talent boosts MasterDrive write speed ratings
by Cyril Kowaliski — 5:28 PM on July 22, 2008

In other storage-related news, Super Talent claims to have improved write speeds for its MasterDrive solid-state drive series. We reviewed the 60GB MasterDrive MX last week, and as we noted, Super Talent rated it for it a maximum sequential write rate of 40MB/s. Today, the firm says its MasterDrive MX drives can hit sequential write speeds of 60 to 80MB/s—that's a speed gain of 50 to 100%.

Super Talent has also improved write speeds for its MasterDrive KX and DX solid-state drive series. The KX line made the jump from 40MB/s to 60-80MB/s, while the DX line is now rated for 80-100MB/s instead of 70MB/s. However, MasterDrive SSDs with 15GB and 30GB capacities supposedly have slightly lower write speeds than their 60GB and 120GB counterparts, and the drives all retain their previous 120MB/s sequential read speeds.

Super Talent doesn't explain exactly how the performance boost came about, only stating in the press release, "Our expert engineering team is constantly discovering new ways to improve our products."

21 comments —
Last post by MadManOriginal at 5:59 AM on July 24, 2008

Hard drive shipments grow despite slow economy
by Cyril Kowaliski — 4:42 PM on July 22, 2008

The hard drive industry is continuing to grow at a double-digit rate in spite of poor economic conditions in the United States and abroad, according to a new report by iSuppli. The market research firm says hard disk drive makers are thriving because of an "insatiable demand for low-cost, high-capacity storage devices," and they've managed to sidestep the impacts of the slowing economy by "learning how to control their costs."

iSuppli's report isn't all talk, of course—the firm also compiled some numbers. iSuppli says hard drive makers shipped 137 million units in the first quarter of this year, a 21% rise compared to the same time period a year ago. The research company expects shipments will have grown 16% year-over-year in the second quarter, and it says all six major hard drive vendors "are expecting the industry to continue to increase shipments in 2008."

That said, iSuppli forecasts yearly shipment growth of "only" 11% for 2008 as a whole. For reference, the firm says growth oscillated between 15.5% and 23% between 2003 and 2007, while 2002 saw shipments rise by 11.1%, and growth actually decreased by almost 4% in 2001.

12 comments —
Last post by ludi at 11:14 AM on July 23, 2008

Microsoft preps online game distribution service
by Cyril Kowaliski — 2:11 PM on July 22, 2008

Look out, Valve. Another contender is about to enter the online game distribution stage, and it's no small fry. Shacknews says Microsoft has announced plans to expand its Games for Windows initiative with an "online PC gaming marketplace." This marketplace will open for business this fall, and it will reportedly deliver a mix of full games and free content like trailers and demos.

Microsoft's plan for new PC gaming goodies doesn't end there. Shacknews says Games for Windows Live multiplayer features are now "entirely free," and Microsoft intends to revamp the service's multiplayer interface to make it "much more PC friendly." Mirroring its Xbox Live subscriptions, Microsoft previously offered a Games for Windows Live Gold service for $7.99 a month. The paid service enabled features like multiplayer match-making, mutliplayer achievements, and cross-platform gameplay.

44 comments —
Last post by Prospero424 at 5:40 AM on July 24, 2008

SanDisk says Vista isn't tweaked for solid-state drives
by Cyril Kowaliski — 12:21 PM on July 22, 2008

Although solid-state drives can perform much better than conventional hard drives, they don't do as well as they could in Windows Vista. According to News.com, that's essentially what SanDisk CEO Eli Harari asserted during a recent conference call. He elaborated:

"As soon as you get into Vista applications in notebook and desktop, you start running into very demanding applications because Vista is not optimized for flash memory solid state disk," he said.

This is due to Vista's design. "The next generation controllers need to basically compensate for Vista shortfalls," he said. . . . Harari said this challenge alone is putting SanDisk behind schedule. "We have very good internal controller technology, as you know...That said, I'd say that we are now behind because we did not fully understand, frankly, the limitations in the Vista environment," he added.

The CEO didn't detail the exact cause for the problem, although judging by his statement, he might be referring to Vista's I/O prioritization scheme. According to this Microsoft paper, the scheme favors storage responsiveness over throughput in an attempt to compensate for high mechanical hard drive seek times.

Whatever the problem is, Harari says SanDisk is preparing a next generation of solid-state drives to deal with it. This generation should start sampling either at the end of this year or early in 2009, he predicts.

45 comments —
Last post by UberGerbil at 1:53 PM on July 24, 2008

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