Computer Hardware Reviews Daily Tech News

Corsair today announced the new Dominator GT line of ultra-high performance DDR3 memory modules, designed specifically for AMD Phenom II processor-based platforms using Socket AM3 motherboards. The new 4GB (2 x 2GB) Dominator GT memory kit has been precision engineered to operate at a frequency of 1600MHz with ultra low-latency timings of 6-6-6-18 and a Command Rate of 1T. These settings are a perfect match for the latest, high-performance Socket AM3 AMD Phenom II processors, which feature an advanced, low-latency, integrated DDR3 memory controller. The 1600MHz CAS 6 Dominator GT also supports AMD’s Black Edition Memory Profiles (B.E.M.P).

"Corsair’s Dominator line has long been the memory of choice for PC enthusiasts and gamers," said Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing at Corsair. "The new Dominator GT family for platforms with AM3-based AMD Phenom II processors delivers even greater levels of performance, as well as enhanced cooling options, making it the perfect memory for anyone looking for the fastest possible performance from their AM3 AMD Phenom II processor-based system."

Even though the formal release of the AMD 785G chipset is not set to occur until some time in August, the first 785G motherboards have been shipping to retailers for weeks and one managed to find its way to our front door here at Legit Reviews. Today, we have the ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO motherboard to take a peak at.

As you can see from the image above the ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO is a full size ATX motherboard that features the AM3 processor socket by AMD. The board has a very clean layout and features an 8+2 phase power design. The M4A785TD-V EVO uses Stack Cool 3+ and is part of the Xtreme Design initiative that ASUS is currently promoting. This motherboard features SidePort Memory, which is an individual on-board DDR3 chip that acts as a memory buffer for the integrated Radeon 4200 graphics. Since the board has the Radeon 4200 graphics on-board it also sports ATI Hybrid CrossFireX technology.

A-DATA Technology announcing this morning the availability of high-capacity 4GB single module for its entire DDR3 offering, which includes U-DIMM for desktops, SO-DIMM for laptops, and unbuffered ECC-DIMM/ECC Registered DIMM for workstations and servers.

Memories have been quickly evolving to the next generation DDR3 as memory requirement for both hardware and software has grown significantly to cope with the increasingly sophisticated applications and the latest platforms. To address the needs for a more powerful memory support, A-DATA makes high-density memory upgrade available and much easier by offering high-capacity 4GB DDR3 in single module. In addition to the memories for desktops and laptops, to complete this high-capacity solution, unbuffered ECC-DIMM and ECC Registered DIMM were also introduced, each passed the industry-benchmarking tests on compatibility and reliability with Intel Tylersburg platform and Nehalem processor. Available in all speed standards for all types of systems, the 4GB DDR3 single module from A-DATA brings not only capacity, but also lower energy consumption and better heat dissipation, making it an ideal memory expansion solution for PC enthusiasts or professionals who demand top-notch computing power and system stability.

Yesterday MSI unveiled two new cards - N250GTS Twin Frozr 1G and N250GTS Twin Frozr. Both utilize the radical Twin Frozr thermal design coupled with dual PWM fans and 3 high-efficiency heatpipes to cool down the temperature and improve the cards' stability. Additionally, MSI's N250GTS Twin Frozr series features 128 stream processors, 256-bit GDDR3 high-speed memory, and Military Class components for the best lifespan and stability. With so many features on the powerful N250 Twin Frozr series, these cards are sure to provide smooth DirectX 10 game play for fantastic enjoyment.

The all new N250GTS Tiwn Frozr uses the Twin Frozr thermal design featuring intelligent dual PWM fans, which adjust their speed based on the GPU's loading and temperature. This design helps the card to run quietly for normal applications; while maintaining cool, low-noise operation when running 3D programs and games. The dual-fan design also helps to ensure stable operation, if one fan fails, another would be still able to keep running to dissipate heat. The 250GTS Twin Frozr also uses three high-efficiency heatpipes which greatly increase speed of heat dissipation, and with the dual fans providing twice the amount of air blowing across the components. With Twin Frozr thermal design, overheating has become past.

To meet the extreme productivity needs of today’s CAD, Digital Content Creation (DCC) and oil and gas professionals, AMD announced this morning that the ATI FirePro V8750 3D workstation graphics accelerator is joining the AMD line of ultra high-end professional graphics hardware. The ATI FirePro V8750 3D workstation graphics accelerator has 800 shader engines (800) with 2 GB of memory that is good for 115.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The new ATI FirePro V87503D workstation graphics accelerator is available now at the MSRP of $1,799

With ATI FirePro V8750 3D workstation graphics accelerator, applications that take advantage of the shader units and memory bandwidth perform significantly better than with competing solutions. For example, UG NX4 software from Siemens PLM performs up to 56 percent faster and Autodesk 3ds Max OGL runs 118 percent faster on ATI FirePro V8750 than the comparable competing solution. Concurrent with this product launch, AMD is also announcing the availability of ATI CrossFire™ Pro technology which enables users to combine the power of two discrete graphics cards to scale their application performance for maximum productivity. This capability which simply involves coupling the two graphics cards using an interconnect cable, is designed to provide a significant performance boost to CAD and DCC applications such as UG NX, Ensight, Maya and Teamcenter. In addition to ATI FirePro V8750, ATI CrossFire Pro is planned for availability on the mid-range and above graphics cards including ATI FirePro™ V5700, ATI FirePro V7750, and ATI FirePro V87003D workstation graphics accelerators. Initial support is provided for Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit) with support for other operating systems scheduled to follow in the second half of 2009.

Apple and/or AT&T are blocking the Official Google Voice Application for the iPhone from their App Store as well as pulled some unofficial Google Voice apps that were previously approved! This is a bold move that many iPhone users feared because it offered free incoming and outgoing text messages. There are still Official Google Voice Apps for Blackberries and Androids... but for the immediate future, iPhones are SOL!

Earlier today we learned that Apple had begun to pull all Google Voice-enabled applications from the App Store, citing the fact that they “duplicate features that come with the iPhone”. Now comes even worse news: we’ve learned that Apple has blocked Google’s official Google Voice application itself from the App Store. In other words, Google Voice — one of the best things to happen to telephony services in a very long time — will have no presence at all on the App Store. If there’s ever been a time to be furious with Apple, now is it.

HDTV owners placing plasma on the newest slim profile mounts proliferating the market are faced with issues when connecting standard HDMI cables to rear-facing HDMI ports. The average HDMI cable connector combined with limited cable flexibility near the connector ends can extend up to two and a half inches from the HDMI port. This limited distance requires users to either use mounts or risk damaging their cable as well as their televisions HDMI port. Atlona Technologies has developed a line of HDMI 1.3b cables that cut the distance needed for the HDMI connector ends by more than 50%, extending just over 1 inch from an HDMI port. Atlona’s new line of swivel connector HDMI and DVI cables include models AT14035-X (HDMI) and AT14022-X (DVI to HDMI). They are expected to start shipping by July 27, 2009 starting at $34.99 MSRP.

Atlona’s hew HDMI and DVI to HDMI cables feature a swivel connector end which allow them to bend at a 90 degrees in either direction. This new connector allows users to nearly flush mount their HDTVs. “This is another product designed to solve a specific problem that a affects a lot of HDTV owners,” says Michael Khain, who heads up Atlona’s Product Development Department.

VIA Technologies today announced the adoption of its VIA Nano processor by Shuttle Inc. in its latest ultra small form factor PC, the fanless Shuttle XS29F. Ideal for home office or small business environments where space is often at a premium, the Shuttle XS29F is completely fanless for near silent operation.

Powered by a VIA Nano U1700 processor, the XS29F is complimented by the VIA VX800 media system processor, bringing support for D-sub and DVI Dual video support, rich HD audio, Fast Ethernet, S-ATA II storage and up to 4GB of DDR2 system memory. The VIA VX800 provides the VIA Chromotion video engine with hardware acceleration for today's more demanding video formats, including MPEG-4, WMV9 and VC1, while the VIA Chrome9 HC3 integrated graphics core boasts full DirectX 9.0 support. Back panel I/O includes both VGA and DVI ports, Ethernet, HD audio, PS/2 and four USB 2.0 ports. Shuttle has engineered the XS29F to have a maximum power usage of under 50 watts for the entire system, housed in a small form factor, sub-3 liter chassis; almost one tenth the size of a regular desktop tower.

If you thought having 6GB of memory was impressive you haven't seen anything yet. Kingston Technology Company today announced it is first to market with DDR3 1600MHz 12GB triple-channel memory kits. The HyperX kit of three 4GB modules allows enthusiasts to get the most out of their Intel Core i7 and X58 platforms. That means with two KHX12800D3K3/12GX memory kits you can run 24GB of system memory on Intel X58 platforms that have six DDR3 memory slots! At 1600MHz with CL9-9-9-27 memory timings and a voltage requirement of just 1.65v these kits should scream! If the system performance doesn't 'scream' then the $1400 price might. Obviously this kit is not for everyone, but for those wanting 24GB in an Intel X58 motherboard will gobble these kits up.

“Kingston was first to release 2GHz kits and has continued to lead the memory charge with more DDR3 offerings since Intel created the triple-channel architecture,” said Mark Tekunoff, senior technology manager, Kingston. “Our latest kit of three was tested with great success on the Asus P6T Deluxe motherboard and runs at a speedy 1600MHz to take full advantage of the memory controller on the Core i7 processor for unmatched performance.”

Razer today announced the release of the Razer Sphex, the first Gaming Grade Desktop Skin with a distinctive ultrathin form factor. The Sphex is a midsized mouse mat suited for most gaming environments at 320mm by 230mm and will retail for just $14.99.

The Razer Sphex is currently the world’s thinnest gaming-grade mousing surface which boasts of an ultrathin profile. It is specifically engineered to perform at the highest precision for both Optical and Laser mice. Made of high-grade durable material, the Razer Sphex allows gamers to wipe or wash the product repeatedly without compromising its quality or tracking performance. The Razer Sphex can adhere and detach from any desk surface without any extra effort making it fully reusable.

Corsair today announced the launch of the new Corsair Professional Series HX850W and HX750W modular power supply units. The Corsair Professional Series HX850W and HX750W PSUs both include powerful, single +12V rails and are qualified to deliver their full rated power output at an ambient temperature of 50°C. The press release doesn't mention pricing, but we have contacted Corsair to find out.

“Our new Professional Series HX850W and HX750W power supplies build on the phenomenal success of the award-winning Corsair HX620W PSU, offering even higher levels of performance, efficiency and reliability, including an industry-leading 7 Year Warranty” said Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing for Corsair, “The HX850W and HX750W have the power to handle the latest multi-core, multi-graphics PCs, and include the features that enthusiasts demand, including a comprehensive modular cable set and super-high efficiency.”

Todays students and young professionals need a versatile notebook that can serve as their workhorse by day and entertainment center at night. The new Dell Studio 14z powered by the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor provides a perfect blend of performance and portability with graphics support for gaming, HD video, and creative self-expression. Starting at only $649, the Studio 14z is said to be the most affordable GeForce 9400M GPU-based notebook in North America.

The GeForce 9400M in the Dell Studio 14z delivers up to five times faster graphics performance than Centrino 2 notebooks to accelerate image editing, video playback, and video conversion. With vReveal, the Studio 14z can fix grainy, shaky video twice as fast as comparable notebooks, and then let you upload the video to YouTube in minutes.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, made their fifth significant announcement of the week, adding to the broadest SSD portfolio in the industry by introducing the world’s fastest upgrade SSDs for the ASUS Eee PC 900, 901, 901A, 901 GO, and S101 netbook PCs.

The SATA Mini 2 PCIe SSDs are Super Talent’s second generation product focused on enabling better performance for ASUS Eee PC users and feature a SATA-II (3Gbps) interface. The products are available with both MLC and SLC flash memory. The MLC version delivers sequential read speeds up to 150 MB/s and sequential write speeds up to 100MB/s, and is available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities at very affordable prices.

XFX, one of the world's largest video card manufacturers, is getting ready to announce their very first power supply line at Computex Taipei 2009 next month. Details have emerged on the XFX 850W Black Edition power supply, which features one single +12V rail with a massive 70Amp/840W rating. The power supply is modular as you can see in the image below and is 80 plus silver certified, since it is 88% efficient. No word on pricing yet, but it looks like the power supply market just got a little more crowded. Check out the forums for more images and the entire power point presentation for this new power supply!

• Industrial Design: It’s what’s on the inside that counts but we got both bases covered.
• Power On Demand: With a Single Rail +12V, it gives ample 12V output with OCP for reliability.
• Modular Cables: Giving the user the option of what cables they need, it clears up cable clutter and improves airflow within the PC.
• Tight Voltage Regulation(+/-3): Improved load regulation to reduce voltage variations gives the user a more stable machine.

ASUS recently shed brilliant light on the dark art of overclocking with the introduction of the ROG (Republic of Gamers) OC Station. The OC Station is a pure hardware-based, bay-mounted device with a large 3-inch display that takes OCing to a whole new level of ease, accuracy and sophistication. When used in conjunction with ROG motherboards, the strikingly-designed OC Station grants users on-the-fly access to overclocking parameters, ROG-exclusive features, fan speeds, system information and even a photo slide show function.

With the OC Station, ASUS has stamped its authority on an area that has proven elusive to other PC component manufacturers—pure hardware-based overclocking. The OC Station provides users with quick access to system voltages and frequencies without having to enter the BIOS. Users can overclock their systems on-the-fly via a knob, even during busy benchmark runs or actual gameplay. The OC Station also interfaces seamlessly with the embedded iROG controller on ROG motherboards, enabling users to manage ROG-exclusive features such as CPU Level Up and ASUS EPU-6 Engine at a hardware level. This allows users to achieve performance boosts and perform energy consumption tweaks instantly.

Swiss cooling solution provider ARCTIC COOLING has developed a new OEM project Accelero L6 with the leading nVIDIA card manufacturer, Manli Technology Group. Exclusively for Manli, the Accelero L6 is a multi-compatible VGA cooler designed by ARCTIC COOLING. The 92mm PWM fan produces high airflow at lower fan speed. Together with an optimised heatsink and pre-applied thermal compound MX-2, heat can be easily dissipated out from the core, resulting in a low GPU temperature.

"With our expertise in thermal and noise control management, the unique Accelero L6 can fulfill every need for any Manli mainstream VGA boards. And the success of this new cooler will bring our partnership into a new horizon”, says Magnus Huber, managing director of ARCTIC COOLING.

Silicon Power announced the Portable eSATA / USB SSD II drive this morning. It is the world’s first eSATA (eSATA; External Serial ATA) /USB dual interface portable SSD drive. The new drive emphasis the convenience of USB connection and the ultra fast performance of eSATA interface as an external drive. Overall, the drive has excellent aesthetics and the performance to match. Silicon Power’s Portable eSATA/USB SSD II is available in 64GB and 32GB capacities.

Having won rave reviews with their 64GB eSATA /USB SSD, Silicon Power releases the new lidless and portable eSATA/USB SSD II. Through the eSATA interface, maximum read speed reaches 90MB/Sec and maximum write reaches 50 MB/Sec. Maximum read through the USB connection is rated at 30MB/Sec and 20MB/sec for write. It is the perfect solution for professional multimedia enthusiasts or users that often carry and transfer large capacity files.

After two months of keen competition, DFI has won out in the annual “Best Choice of Computex” tournament as the ‘Best Motherboard’ in the motherboards and add-on cards category with the LANParty UT X58-T3eH8 motherboard.

For LANParty, the prize in the “Best Choice of Computex” has remarkable significance. Awarded at the first time entering the competition, LANParty is affirmed by professionals for its excellence in quality and performance after years of hard work. UT X58-T3eH8, the award-winning model, adopts the Intel X58 chipset and features several patents that make it stand out above the competitors.

NVIDIA Corporation and Lenovo advanced mobile computing today by introducing a low-cost, small laptop that delivers up to 10 times faster graphics performance than today’s small laptops.1 Featuring the NVIDIA ION graphics processor, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 offers improved application support while still providing long battery life thanks to its energy efficient design. The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 with the NVIDIA ION graphics processor is expected to be available later this summer.

“NVIDIA ION is one of the latest technologies available for the PC industry for small, low cost laptop PCs, and we’re excited to be among the first to use it,” said Stephen DiFranco, vice president and general manager of consumer and commercial channels, Americas Group, Lenovo. “With its 12-inch display, full-size keyboard and rich multimedia options powered by ION, the IdeaPad S12 balances an improved computing experience along with the size and affordability many consumers are looking for today.”

GIGABYTE has just passed along word that they have launched their latest GV-R489-1GH-B graphics card. Building on the ultimate kernel of ATI Radeon 4890 single-GPU architecture and advanced GDDR5 memory technology, the GIGABYTE GV-R489-1GH-B delivers seamless frame rates with massive graphics processing muscle for any tomorrow’s demanding applications. In addition, the GIGABYTE GV-R489-1GH-B features a wide range of the latest graphics technologies, including TeraScale graphics engine, Dynamic Geometry Acceleration, Quad mode ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU support, UVD 2 and PowerPlay.

The GIGABYTE GV-R489-1GH-B features ATI's latest TeraScale graphics engine, boasting it’s over one teraFLOPS of GPU computing power with 800 stream processors and nearly one billion transistors. With 1GB GDDR5 memory, the GV-R489-1GH-B provides twice the data per pin of GDDR3 memory at the same clock speeds. In combination with 24x custom filter anti-aliasing (CFAA) and high performance anisotropic filtering, the GV-R489-1GH-B is able to create true-to-life graphics for everything from grass to facial features so you can max out the settings of the most demanding next generation games or revitalize your favorite titles. Also, with ATI Stream Technology, every user can easily use the massive paralel processing power of GPU for physics, attificial intelligence, stream computing and ray tracing calculations, and tackle demanding tasks like video transcoding with incredible speed. Deservedly, the GIGABYTE GV-R489-1GH-B graphics card provides DirectX 10.1 graphics capabilities to support Shader Model 4.1 for life-like realism and stunning 3D gaming effects.

ZOTAC today unleashes the latest addition to its GeForce GTX 200 series lineup – the new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 275 and GeForce GTX 275 AMP! Edition – the latest generation of graphics cards that deliver class-leading performance at value prices.

Powered by a 2nd Generation NVIDIA Unified Architecture with 240 screaming-fast stream processors, the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 275 series is ready to take on the latest DirectX 10, OpenGL 3.0, NVIDIA CUDA and PhysX powered games and applications for phenomenal performance and breathtaking visuals. High-speed GDDR3 memory technology feeds the GPU with high-resolution textures across an ultra-wide 448-bit memory interface. With 896MB of memory and ultra-wide memory interface, the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 275 series is prepared to take on the latest demanding game titles with ultra quality settings.

Super Talent today announced its patented RAIDDrive, which dramatically increases the performance and slot capacity of PCI Express-based storage solution. The new RAIDDrive is the market's largest and most innovative server-based solid-state storage solution, and an extension of its patented technology from the RAIDSSD product lines. No word yet on pricing, but we have asked Super Talent for more details.

RAIDDrives support up to 2 TB of MLC or SLC Nand Flash memories, have a turbocharged DRAM Cache, and the RAIDDrive ES is fully battery backed to protect data in the event of power loss. The RAIDDrives connect through a PCIe Gen. 2.0 x8 interface and are capable of delivering sequential Read speeds of up to 1.2GB/s, sequential Write speeds of up to 1.3GB/s. More performance details will be unveiled in June. As an optional feature users will be able to configure the drives with an internal RAID5 capability to deliver an extra level of data protection for mission critical applications.

ASUS just announced that its benchmark-crushing W90Vp Republic of Gamers notebook is officially available to frame-rate hungry gamers in North America. With an introductory MSRP of $2,499 USD, the W90Vp is a desktop replacement notebook that offers record-breaking performance in a stylish, aggressively-designed chassis inspired by high-performance luxury vehicles. The technology press has already had a chance to put the W90Vp through its paces, and has concluded it is easily the world’s most powerful gaming notebook.

Based on an ASUS motherboard using an Intel X38 desktop chipset, the W90Vp boasts a Discrete Graphics Engine (DGE) using a pair of ATI Radeon 4870 videocards with 1GB of video memory in CrossfireX, 6GB of system memory, and an overclockable Intel Core 2 Quad-core processor for class-leading performance. The DGE with its dual Radeon cards offers mind-blowing performance, allowing it to reach over 15,000 3Dmarks in 3DMark06 in overclocked mode – a score that puts all notebooks, and some desktops, to shame.

Velocity Micro today announced the availability of the Edge Z5 Special Edition, the foremost gaming PC for budget conscious users. By utilizing premium quality components, tuning and tweaking techniques, expert engineering, and their trademarked Hyperclocking process, Velocity Micro has created a $999 gaming PC that crushes benchmarks without crushing the wallet, perfect for the frame rate hungry gamer on a budget. It doesn't look half bad either as you can tell from the picture below.

By utilizing trademarked Hyperclocking techniques for component optimization, Velocity Micro is able to get every drop of performance from the Edge Z5’s available hardware, allowing the economically challenged gamer to play nearly any game on the market at the highest resolutions. In fact, the Edge Z5 Special Edition provides frame rates that best systems of several times the price. In a recent roundup, CNET pitted the Edge Z5 against a $999 Dell XPS and a $3199 Mac Pro 3D. The Z5 bested both in all gaming benchmarks at all resolutions, by as many as 16 frames per second in some tests.

Silicon Power today announces the new Touch 820 Swivel-Guard USB Drive. The latest incarnation of their Touch series remains focused on “convenient to use” and “data protection” with the addition of a 360° swivel-guard lid. The swivel-guard lid design protects the gold fingers of the USB connector from accidental damage and unnecessary wear and tear to further guarantee data protection. Silicon Power’s Touch 820 Swivel-Guard USB Drive is available from 2 ~ 8GB in capacity and feature lifetime warranty.

The dedicated design team was able to come up with a design that is clean and simple. Utilizing “Chip-On-Board” (COB) advance packaging technology, it makes Touch 820 waterproof, vibration-proof and dust-proof. Integration of “Wear Leveling technology improves overall data reliability and lifespan of the USB drive to offer users a peace of mind. Protection mechanisms aside, Silicon Power Touch 820’s clean and simple design incorporates natural and harmonious concepts to emphasize its care-free looks and elegance. The Silicon Power Touch 820 Swivel-Guard USB Drive is a USB drive with natural styling and personality.

OCZ Technology today unveiled the Neutrino netbook, their latest Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solution. Building on OCZ’s award-winning DIY line, users ranging from hardware enthusiasts to mainstream professionals can partake in configuring and building their own personalized ultra-mobile solution, complete with everything they need in a portable companion. All you need to do is install a hard drive, memory module and operating system and you have your own custom system. OCZ expects the MSRP to be $299 with prices coming down as volume picks up!

Based on the Intel Atom processor, the 10.1” Neutrino was developed to push the envelope in the growing area of netbooks as the first DIY offering. Proving that good things come in small packages, the Neutrino provides all the day-to-day necessities for on-the-go traveling, education, office or home use. Equipped with a built-in camera and microphone, Neutrino will expand your horizons through communications between family, friends, and colleagues. Unlike previous OCZ DIY solutions, the Neutrino comes equipped with the CPU, but enables users to maximize netbook-computing efficiency by supporting up to 2GB of memory and hard drive or SSD capacities up to 250GB.

Today, Thecus introduced the N0204 miniNAS device – the world’s smallest fully-featured NAS device. Measuring a tiny 132 x 88 x 63 mm exterior, one could easily mistake the N0204 as a regular external hard drive. But look closer and you will see a very capable two-bay NAS device that fits right in the palm of your hand. The N0204 houses two 2.5” SATA hard disks, providing up to 1TB of storage.

You can manage this storage with your choice of RAID 0, 1, and JBOD, making the N0204 the most robust pocketable storage device in existence. And because its drive bays are hot-swappable and feature auto-rebuild, you can change a hard disk without powering down the unit. The N0204 even comes with Thecus’ Nsync for remote replication as well as the Thecus Backup Utility for total data security. With huge storage, RAID functionality, and advanced data safeguards packed into a tiny device, the N0204 miniNAS is in a class all its own.

Today, NVIDIA took professional graphics to a new level with the launch of its intelligent lineup of Quadro professional GPU solutions. It's the industry's most power and advanced line of professional graphics solutions featuring the industry's first and ONLY 4GB graphics cards, innovative SLI Multi-OS capability and more. The NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 is the industry's first and only professional graphics card that has a whopping 4GB of memory on the board itself.

"Once again, NVIDIA has set new graphics performance standards for professionals in the product design and development community," said Laurent Laloy, director, 3DVIA User Experience, Dassault Systèmes. "This latest generation of Quadro professional solutions will allow our customers to drive innovation and design with unprecedented 3D visual quality." This new line-up also brings the introduction of NVIDIA SLI Multi-OS, a ground-breaking technology that enables, for the first time, 3D workstation virtualization on the Quadro GPU. With SLI Multi-OS, applications and users are able to optimize productivity and costs through the use of multiple Quadro GPU technologies from a single workstation in a virtualized environment. Users can also enable native SLI technology support on key partner platforms to accelerate application performance, scaling and higher image quality.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the first expansion HD module for the VIA EPIA-P710, the VIA P710-HD. Featuring the powerful 4300E embedded graphics processor from S3 Graphics, this first Pico-I/O module for stackable Pico-ITXe boards delivers Hi-Def™ video playback and advanced graphics in an extremely low power, compact form factor.

The VIA P710-HD module is based on the S3 Graphics 4300E embedded graphics processor and includes 256MB of dedicated GDDR 2 on-board memory, supporting separately configurable dual DVI, HDMI and S-Video ports at resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 with 2-channel LVDS and an analog VGA header also available. The S3 Graphics 4300E is designed to offer extreme power efficiency with a total graphics subsystem TDP of less than 8 watts. The S3 Graphics 4300E embedded graphics processor boasts a highly programmable video core, fully compatible with Blu-ray Disk technology with codec support including WMV9 HD, MPEG-2 HD, VC-1, H.264 and AVS, all within a ruthlessly low power envelope.

NVIDIA has introduced a new platform, based on the NVIDIA Tegra™ 600 Series computer-on-a-chip that enables a $99, always-on, always-connected HD mobile internet device (MID) that can go days between battery charges.

This platform will enable OEMs to quickly build and bring to market devices that carriers can offer for as low as $99 —bringing broadband connectivity and all of the Web’s HD content to the masses. “Mobile internet devices have evolved to provide consumers with the performance and connectivity required by today’s lifestyle,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager of the mobile business unit at NVIDIA. “Until now, consumers could get just another ‘gadget’ with limited functionality or a PC that’s not ‘always on’. A Tegra-based platform combines the best of both worlds.”

Nintendo's latest revision to the ever-popular Nintendo DS, the DSi, will be released on April 5th in the US. Nintendo has added features like dual cameras with interactive "lenses" to manipulate your photos. The DSi looks like it should be another hit and could give enough of a reason for current DS owners to shell out $169 to upgrade.

Some features that will be built into the system and ready to enjoy upon purchase include the Nintendo DSi Camera, Nintendo DSi Sound and Nintendo DSi Shop. The most noticeable feature of the slim Nintendo DSi system is its two cameras – one camera is on the external body, and the second one points at the user when the device is flipped open. As the first truly interactive digital camera in a video game system with 10 different interactive "lenses" that can manipulate your photos, the Nintendo DSi Camera offers an easy way to take and share your photos with family and friends. The cameras also present people with unprecedented ways to interact with their games while giving developers a new tool to devise creative games and experiences. If the touch screen gave Nintendo DS a sense of feel and the microphone allowed it to hear, the two cameras give Nintendo DSi the sense of sight.

Intel has decided to bring forward the launch of its single-core Atom N280 processor bundled with GN40 chipset to the second half of February instead of in the second or third quarter as previously planned, according to sources at Taiwan notebook makers.

The Atom N280 bundled with GN40 chipset will be available for US$60-65 in thousand unit-tray quantities, the sources indicated. Taiwan-based notebook vendors Asustek Computer and Gigabyte Technology are preparing to launch Atom N280-based netbooks, with Asustek's forthcoming Eee PC 1000DN likely to be the first model to hit the market, the sources noted.

XFX recently released their own Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphics card, so if you are in the market for the flagship ATI graphics card look no further. The XFX Radeon HD 4870 X2 looks to be built off the reference design, but we all know that has proven to be a solid solution. Check for it online in the days to come!

Offering 2.4 teraFLOPS of graphics horsepower, 1600 stream processors and 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, the XFX Radeon HD 4870 X2 is impossibly fast and exceptionally powerful. Specifically, dual TeraScale graphics engines work in tandom to deliver blazing frame rates for the gaming experience gamers have previously only envisioned. Add 1600 stream processors and 230 GB/sec of memory bandwidth of brute power, the XFX Radeon HD 4870 X2 can tackle the most intense 3D games-including those experience-killers that feature artificial intelligence, physics operations and tessellation. Also included are unparalleled anti-aliasing (AA) and anisotropic filtering for striking graphics and reach-out-and-touch-them realism. What does that really give you? The ability to max out the settings of your next-generation games. And, ATI CrossFireX™ technology with quad GPU support in dual mode offers superior scalability.

Corsair today announced the launch of the new Dominator GT line of ultra high-performance DDR3 memory modules for Intel Core i7-based systems. Sporting a new racing red color scheme and the next-generation of Corsair’s patent-pending Dual-path Heat eXchange (DHX) technology, the new Dominator GT comes in 3-up 6GB kit, running at 2000MHz with latencies of 7-8-7. To read the official press release follow the link below.

In addition to the 1866C7 Dominator GT, Corsair will be offering very limited quantities of hand-screened, hand-tuned, extreme performance modules in both 3GB and 6GB kits. These kits are specifically designed to allow hardcore overclockers to push the limits of PC performance and are built with the fastest chips available. Because of the complexity in screening, manufacturing and testing, the Dominator GT family will be available only through the exclusive online GT Performance Shop at http://www.corsair.com, where Corsair will offer also offer the full range of cooling options for the Dominator GT family.

VR-Zon leaked out the first picture of the upcoming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 video card this morning. The GeForce GTX 295 is slated to launch at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this coming January.

The GeForce GTX 295 is based on the sandwich design again like the 9800GX2 with two 55nm GT200 GPUs. As you can see, there are 2 DVI and 1 Display Port. As for the power connectors, it uses 8+6 pins so that gives you a clue how much power this card needs. The pricing is yet to be disclosed but card makers are speculating that Nvidia will price it competitively against AMD 4870X2 card this time.

OCZ Technology Group today unveiled the Flex EX memory series, featuring breakneck speeds reaching 2000MHz that have demanded by enthusiasts in an updated compact form factor to maximize memory configurations on your motherboard. The new Flex EX series will be initially available in high-end solutions for gamers and overclockers utilizing water or passive cooling with more mainstream kits coming out down the road.

“Memory is the primary storage device of any modern computer system and defines how fast the CPU can access data,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “Density, frequency, and access latencies of the system memory are the critical factors for overall performance of any PC and that is where the new OCZ Flex Ex series sets new standards by providing the optimal combination of the three factors for any system architecture by offering unprecedented speed and latencies at 4GB density with advanced cooling options to enhance stability and performance in even the most demanding environments.”

Walton Chaintech introduced new APOGEE GT Triple-Channel DDR3 Memory Module Kits yesterday that are specifically for the Intel Core i7 processor / Intel X58 Express Chipset. The Chaintech kits come in DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600 & DDR3-1866 triple-channel speed grades, so they are launching numerous kits. These new modules will also be available in both 3GB and 6GB sits.

At the same time, all series of APOGEE GT Triple-Channel DDR3 Memory Module Kits are made of 8-layer PCB and chips of famous memory manufacturer, which are well known for their outstanding overclocking capability. Each chip is handpicked for meeting strict quality requirements. Not only that, all chips are manufactured of using Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array (FBGA) packages to have better thermal dissipation and electrical efficiency. These unique technical features will ensure optimal performance via combination of lower voltage requirements, higher speed, and instantaneous overclocking ability.

It looks like the marketing crew over at Corsair Memory let Hexus leak out the details on their upcoming Dominator GT memory series that will be shown off at CES 2009. The 6GB DDR3 memory kit shown below is rated has tight CL7 timings at just 1.65V, which is mighty impressive. The image below looks to list the timings at 7-8-7-20, with the RAS-to-CAS delay keeping it from being 7-7-7. The new two tone color look is new for Corsair as the red trim on the label, but remember these are the GT's. With all the marketing leaks happening before CES I wonder if there will be anything left to show off during the expo.

The kit, pictured above in tri-channel form for Intel's X58 platform, consists of three 2GB modules that'll hit 2,000MHz at just 1.65V with low latencies of 7-8-7-20. That's pretty damn fast, and the low voltage should leave ample room for pushing these beauties a whole lot further.

Toshiba has announced plans to unveil the industry's first 512GB NAND-flash-based solid state drive. The 2.5-inch 512GB SSD expands Toshiba's family of fast read/write SSDs based on their 43-nanometer NAND. The new drives will be shown at this years International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

In addition to the 2.5-inch, 512GB drive, the 43nm NAND SSD family also includes capacities of 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB, offered in 1.8-inch or 2.5-inch drive enclosures or as SSD Flash Modules. Samples of the new drives will be available in the first quarter (January to March) of 2009, with mass production in the second (April to June) quarter.