Computer Hardware Reviews Daily Tech News

Western Digital announced today that they are now shipping the new backplane-compatible WD VelociRaptor hard drive. The new backplane version of the WD VelociRaptor is specifically designed for 3.5-inch drive-based servers, PC and Mac computer enthusiasts and professional workstations that require the need for a backplane structure. WD VelociRaptor (model WD3000HLFS and WD1500HLFS) hard drives are available through select resellers and distributors. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD VelociRaptor 300 GB and 150 GB are $319.00 and $229.00 respectively. Be sure to check out

“We designed the latest version of the WD VelociRaptor due to the increasing amount of systems that require a backplane mounting system. We have had overwhelming demand of our WD VelociRaptor as it provides enthusiasts with the computing speed and capacity they thirst for,” said Tom McDorman, vice president and general manager of WD’s enterprise solutions storage business unit. “The new WD VelociRaptor further demonstrates WD’s commitment to the enthusiast and server market by delivering the greatest performance, compatibility, and reliability of all SATA hard drives currently on the market.”

Kingston Technology announced just hours ago that they are shipping a 32GB Elite Pro SDHC Flash memory card for use with today’s digital video camcorders and other high-resolution imaging devices. The new 32GB card is the largest capacity in Kingston’s Elite Pro line of SDHC cards, which currently includes 4-, 8- and 16GB capacities. The 32GB SDHC card (Kingston part #: SD4/32GB) has a suggested price of $308.00 (MSRP U.S.).

“With the growing popularity of digital video and the HD format, consumers continue to look for ways to extend recording times and maintain fast data transfer rates (DTR) to maximize the performance of their recording device,” said Wendy Lecot, Flash business manager, Kingston®. “Our new 32GB Elite Pro SDHC memory card is optimized to meet the demands of high capacity and fast write speeds to help consumers share their lives through the use of video, photography and other creative devices. With the addition of the 32GB capacity card, Kingston is at the forefront of offering a versatile line of SDHC solutions to solve a variety of needs in today’s digital imaging world.”

Asetek's LCLC liquid cooling solution is now available for AMD's much anticipated multi-GPU cards, the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 family of graphics cards (codenamed R700).

"The days of computers that sound like jet aircraft taking off are over. Our award-winning, LCLC provides worry-free, aggressive thermal management for advanced gaming and graphics-intensive applications—especially those using multiple GPUs like AMD's latest R700-based graphics cards." When used as part of a Radeon HD 4870 X2 Crossfire configuration, the LCLC product consumes only two of the four PCI slots normally used, freeing up two slots for other configuration upgrades. End users now have additional configuration flexibility.

ASUS has today introduced the graphical solution for the latest generation of AMD dual RV770XT GPUs – the ASUS EAH4870X2/HTDI/2G – equipped with double GPUs and a massive 2G of on-board memory. Additionally, the ASUS EAH4870X2 TOP will be released soon with impressive performance results to provide superb gaming performance.

In line with the Rock Solid promise of high quality from ASUS, the second versions of the EAH4870X2 Series will come with several solutions to provide top quality graphic performances. These upgraded graphics cards will utilize a specially designed fansink to effectively dissipate heat away from both GPUs – enabling much more stable performances in comparison to reference designed single fansinks*. In addition, they will also be equipped with an EMI shield, which reduces EMI Interference by 66% for more stable signals; and DIP Spring Chokes will lower temperatures by 5~10°C in comparison to traditional Toroidal Coil Chokes.

Another industry first is in the works this week during SIGGRAPH 2008 in Los Angeles—NVIDIA is demonstrating the world's first fully interactive GPU-based ray tracer. Based purely on NVIDIA GPU technology, the ray tracer shows linear scaling rendering of a highly complex, two-million polygon, anti-aliased automotive styling application. To see more pictures from the demo follow the link below to the forum!

At three bounces, performance is demonstrated at up to 30 frames per second (fps) at HD resolutions of 1920x1080 for an image-based lighting paint shader, ray traced shadows, and reflections and refractions running on four next-generation Quadro GPUs in an NVIDIA Quadro Plex 2100 D4 Visual Computing System (VCS).

Lian-Li is launching the PC-XB01 chassis for the Xbox 360 today. The XB01 is a chassis replacement for the XBox 360 chassis, which alleviates heating issues from hot components and reduces noise from vibrating optical drives in the original case design. The PC-XB01 requires DIY knowledge for the transfer of components, but once completed, heat will no longer be a factor in dampening your XBox 360 gaming experience. The Manufacturers Recommended Selling Price (MSRP) is set at $149USD and it is expected to be for sale later this month.

The Lian Li PC-XB01 is the perfect complement to the Xbox 360 to alleviate heating issues. The stylish exterior gives your product a sense of class and will fit in with almost any living room environment. Microsoft Inc is very strict on warranties, so it should be noted that you will not be able to return your product if you use the Lian Li PC-XB01 alternative. With that being said, you are less likely to have overheating.

Responding the demands of enthusiasts and high-performance mobile computing consumers, OCZ Technology has unveiled the newest addition to their industry-leading OCZ Core Series SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drives. The Core Series has established OCZ as a pioneer in the SSD market by offering consumers the benefits of solid drives technology at an affordable price. With the industry continuously shifting in this direction, OCZ strives to place its Core Series at the forefront.

Featuring new architecture, the Core Series SSD V2 will be available in up to a massive 250GB capacity and delivers enhanced speeds of up to 170 MB/s read and 98 MB/s write speeds with an improved seek time of less than 0.2-0.3ms, making the Core V2 significantly faster when it comes to both Read/Write and seek-time performance. The addition of a mini-USB port also makes it possible for customers in the field to update the Core V2’s firmware should new versions become available, to further enhance compatibility or performance with future platforms.

OCZ Technology Group late yesterday announced the ModXStream Pro, a gaming-grade power supply series that offers consumers a combination of OCZ’s cutting-edge PSU architecture and an efficient modular cable management system. Designed for enthusiasts and gamers in 400W, 500W, 600W, and 700W configurations, the ModXStream Pro is built for unparalleled stability and will provide optimal high-performance power to the latest GPUs and CPUs while promoting a tidy case environment.

The ModXStream Pro delivers OCZ excellence with the benefits of modular cables, thanks to OCZ’s “EZMod” technology, which features all detachable cables with the exception of the essential mainboard connectors. Modular cabling has emerged as the preferred design on the market with system builders and gamers utilizing the option to optimize airflow and eliminate cable mazes. ModXStream Pro PSUs are therefore equipped to allow complete customization of your power system by utilizing only the connectors you require.

Thecus recently revealed the brand new 4-bay NAS – N4100PRO. With powerful new RAID options, a built-in LCD, and vastly improved data throughput, the N4100PRO ups the ante once again with increased usability, functionality, and performance when it comes to network attached storage devices.

Powered by the AMD Geode LX800 processor and 256MB of DDR400 memory, the N4100PRO delivers the raw horsepower required to transfer files quickly and efficiently. With updated hardware and a ton of performance improvements, the data transfer speed of N4100PRO doubles that of the original N4100! Four 3.5" SATA hard disk bays enable up to 4TB of storage, and users can manage this space with an updated list of RAID mode selections, including 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD. The N4100PRO also offers advanced RAID management features, including RAID expansion and RAID level migration for ultimate flexibility. To top it off, the N4100PRO comes equipped with a big, bright LCM module, which displays useful status messages such as IP address, date and time, and RAID status, making it easy for users to keep an eye on the condition of their N4100PRO. With features like these, the N4100PRO is easier to manage than ever.

Enhancing personal expression and style, Dell today launches five bold and contemporary Special Art Edition designs for the Dell Studio 15 and 17 laptops, exclusively created by urban artist Mike Ming. Building off of the inaugural Ming art work for the Inspiron 1525 laptop, Dell extends its offering with new designs that showcase Ming’s fluid organic style. Pictured below is the red swirl, which is one of the new urban designs.

Brooklyn-based artist Mike Ming (born Michael Miyahira) blends popular culture, motion and emotion to communicate his visual world. According to Ming, "The technology behind creating Dell's Art House series of laptops allows me to share my visual creations with people who are inspired by art and who want to express their own individually unique sense of style."

Pictured below is a real production wafer of Intel Nehalem, now called Intel Core i7. Anyone with some free time want to count how many cores are there per wafer? Remember don't count the ones on the edge that ran off. Head to the forums for a closer look if you want to actually see each of the four cores per die.

I just heard yesterday that Intel Intel Dunnington processors were shipped to key channel partners for testing and validation last month and it seems that is true. One of our readers snapped this picture of a 2.6GHz Intel Dunnington processor before being installed in their system for testing. They said all their specific platform needed was a BIOS flash and this 45nm six core beast was up and running in minutes. That is good news for all of us! If any of our readers ever get any hardware before it comes to market send us a picture and we'll keep who you are private.

Lian Li has just launched the new MAXIMA Force series of Power supply units (PSU). The MAXIMA Force offers exceptional power regulation and safety features with 80 Plus certification, which is a key feature in this new green age. The nw MAXIMA Force power supplies come in 470Watts, 650Watts and 750Watts models and were designed with the enthusiast gamer in mind. When it comes to pricing the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price is $104 on the 470W, $144 on the 650W and $177 for the 740W power supply.

MAXIMA Force complies with the newest Intel standard ATX 12V V2.3 & EPS 12V rail systems, while the environmentally friendly design for energy saving with Active PFC (>0.9) / High efficiency (>80%) complies with the best standards and allows additional full rated power draw during overclocking sessions. The PCI-E connector has bead-core protection to minimized electromagnetic interference (EMI) for a cleaner output. Unlike some PSU’s out in the market, the MAXIMA Force can support its FULL rated power output.

OCZ Technology today unveiled the latest addition to its peripherals with the Dominatrix, a top-of-the-line laser mouse for PC gamers. The OCZ Dominatrix mouse is built with the hardcore player in mind with a solid design, maximum functionality, and programmable customization unique to each user. The Dominatrix offers a competitive edge with quality ergonomics and advanced features to excel even when immersed in the most challenging gaming environments.

Gaming in extremely large resolutions and fast paced battles requires a specialized mouse that is built for comfort and speed, and Dominatrix users can fine-tune the weight and balance of their mouse up to 40 grams for ultimate control. With multiple dpi settings of 2000/1600/800/400, independently adjust both “X & Y” axes for a combined maximum of 3200 dpi for lightning fast responsiveness and fluid gameplay. High speed USB 2.0 delivers a poll rate up to 500Hz and bi-directional connection for breakneck acceleration and control in any first-person shooter.