The Young Ones Too Prefer iPhone To Windows 7 Phone

What’s the best way to ensure your child grows up looking like a geek with thick framed glasses hung low on their nose even before they start schooling? Expose them to electronic gadgets like the iPhone, Windows Phone 7, iPad, game consoles and so many more at young age just because you can buy apps rather than real learning tools and face it, it actually does look much cooler. Flashcards is probably a vital part of a toddler’s life, almost every one of them owns one, but with the availability of apps like the Toddler flashcards from iTot Apps, who needs a physical pack of cards that can’t talk?

But that’s not the focus of the story today. According to iTot Apps who has the same application for both iOS and Windows Phone 7 platforms, it has been found that toddlers, or rather parents, prefer the application on an iPhone as opposed to a Windows Phone 7. The app only sells 1/10^th the number of installs on Windows Phone 7 platform than on iOS. Now it’s pretty obvious why, because Windows Phone 7 has just been released not too long ago whilst iPhone has been around for years. Even if they compared for only a short period of time, people are obviously more familiar with iPhones.

Sega Introduces Peeing Game !

Ever walked into a public toilet shared by both men and women and find urine all over the seat and floor? It’s a nasty sight that makes your pee goes back into your body because you don’t even want to go near the filth men created because they can’t be bothered to aim at the toilet bowl when they pee. Sega has just unveiled their peeing game that can be controlled using urine stream to help encourage men to aim at properly at the urinal. The game, named “Toirettsu”, comes with several mini-games that utilize a sensor to measure the speed of one’s urine stream. Some of the games include erasing graffiti, blow a lady’s skirt and such.

AMD Released Catalyst 10.12 WHQL Driver Suite

AMD today released its latest version of the AMD Catalyst software suite, Catalyst 10.12 WHQL, as well as unveiled a Catalyst 10.12 Preview driver that lets you use the latest version Catalyst Control Center (CCC) that features a more functional user interface. The new CCC features a reworked UI that allows easier adjustment of 3D settings and image quality; makes setting up multiple displays easier; and helps adjust power settings to optimize battery life (on notebooks).

Apart from that, Catalyst 10.12 introduces DivX Accelerated support for AMD Radeon HD 6800 series GPUs; support for OpenGL 4.1, including new ARB extensions introduced with OpenGL 4.1; and an updated AMD Stream v2.3 API.

DOWNLOAD:AMD Catalyst 10.12 for Windows 7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit
A complete list of changes follows:

AMD Catalyst 10.12 Preview – Featuring the New Catalyst Control Center

• Try out the New Catalyst Control Center now!
o Grab it here: http://game.amd.com

• The New Catalyst Control Center enables a simplified user experience to help users get the most out of their AMD product
o Easily enable 3D settings to enhance game image quality
o Setup multiple displays to increase productivity
o Adjust power settings to increase battery life

Highlights of the AMD Catalyst 10.12 Windows release include:
Support for DivX on the AMD Radeon 6800 Series

• With DivX software installed on an AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series and later GPU and the DivX Accelerated solution, consumers can enjoy an improved DivX video playback experience by lowering CPU load, extending computer battery life on notebooks, reducing noise on home theater PCs and improving overall computer operation.
o Grab the DivX Accelerated download from here (Available December 15) http://go.divx.com/accelerated

Support for OpenGL 4.1

• New features introduced in OpenGL 4.1
o Full compatibility with OpenGL ES 2.0 APIs for easier porting between mobile and desktop platforms
o The ability to query and load a binary for shader program objects to save re-compilation time
o The capability to bind programs individually to programmable stages for programming flexibility
o 64-bit floating-point component vertex shader inputs for higher geometric precision
o Multiple viewports for a rendering surface for increased rendering flexibility

• New ARB extensions introduced with OpenGL 4.1
o Linking OpenGL sync objects to OpenCL event objects for enhanced OpenCL interoperability
o The ability to set stencil values in a fragment shader for enhanced rendering flexibility
o Features to improve robustness, for example when running WebGL applications
o Callback mechanisms to receive enhanced errors and warning messages

AMD Stream 2.3 SDK release

• Performance improvements for AMD’s OpenCL toolset
• Support UVD video hardware component through OpenCL driver (Windows 7 only)
• Support for the Stream Profiler on Linux (command line version)
• Support added for AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series and AMD Radeon HD 6900 Series
• Support for FFT and BLAS-3 libraries
• Stream Profiler enhancements (including timeline visualization)
• Resolves a number of bug fixes from the Stream SDK 2.2 release

Asus Introduce Radeon HD6870 DirectCu Graphic Card

ASUS rolled out its second AMD Radeon HD 6870 graphics card, and its first non-reference design one: the HD 6870 DirectCu. The card features two features that make it supposedly better than the reference design, the Direct Cu GPU cooler, and a refined PCB design that make use of high-grade components. To begin with, the DirectCu GPU cooler combines a GPU base in which copper heatpipes make direct contact with the GPU die, conveing heat to a dense aluminum fin array which is cooled by a quiet fan.

The PCB makes use of "Super Alloy" voltage regulation components, such as Super Alloy chokes, Super Alloy capacitors, and Super Alloy MOSFETs, that not only increase durability, but also result in a cooler operation. The card is also factory-overclocked slightly, with the GPU running at 915 MHz but memory staying at 4200 MHz GDDR5 effective. Display connectivity includes two DVI, and one each of DisplayPort and HDMI. Other features include Super Hybrid Engine (which manages clock speeds based on load), and Voltage Tweak (which allows adjustment of voltages). ASUS' new card is yet to be priced.

Laptops Could Be Harmful to Male Reproductive System

Notebooks may also be known as laptops but they’re definitely not something that should go onto the top of your lap especially if you’re a guy. According to researchers, it has been found that heat transmitted from a laptop to a guy’s lap and ultimately their scrotum can affect and even damage sperm. As their legs are usually closed to keep a laptop balanced on their lap, their scrotums will heat up quickly – within 10 to 15 minutes – to a dangerous temperature and the guys won’t even feel a thing. A research was conducted on 29 young men and it was found that even with a lap pad under the computer, the men’s scrotums will overheat quickly.

Even with the help of lap pads, pillows and such to act as a shield between the laptop and the men’s lap, the researchers stated that they’re not enough to protect them from the heat. Even with their legs positioned wide apart to allow for air flow in that area, it will still take less than 30 minutes before they began overheating.

There are no studies done to see if this problem can affect these men’s fertility but other research found that even a 1 degree Celsius rise of temperature in their reproductive area is enough to damage sperm. Although there is no solid proof that if these men carry on using their laptop on their lap for long periods of time could cause them to become infertile, Dr. Yefim Sheynkin, a urologist at the States University of New York at Stony Brook, said that it could contribute to reproductive problems.

If you’re trying to conceive a baby or would want to have a baby in the future, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Although infertility could be caused by general health and lifestyle factors, there’re no reasons to increase the risk of infertility.

(Source: Reuters)

AMD Introduced 3 New Processors Today.

AMD rolled out three new processors today, the six-core Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition, Athlon II X3 455, and the Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition. The new flagship of AMD's processor lineup, the Phenom II X6 1100T, is based on the AM3 socket, supporting DDR3 and DDR2 memory on older AM2+ motherboards. It carries a nominal clock speed of 3.30 GHz, is based on the 45 nm "Thuban" silicon, features 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 6 MB of L3 between all six cores. It features the TurboCore technology, which bumps clock speed by a few hundred MHz when it senses high load. As a Black Edition chip, it features an unlocked bus multiplier. Despite its increased clock speed, the 1100T has a TDP of 125W. This chip goes for US $265.

Next up, is the Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition. Clocked at 3.40 GHz, the X2 565 is based on the Callisto silicon (which is Deneb with two cores locked), featuring 512 KB of cache per core, and 6 MB shared L3 cache. This one has a TDP of 80W, and is priced at US $115. Lastly, there's the Athlon II X3 455, a triple-core chip based on the "Rana" silicon (which is Propus with one core locked), it lacks an L3 cache, but features 512 KB L2 per core. With a TDP of 95W, this one goes for $87.

AVG Update Cripples Windows

Yesterday an update to the popular antivirus suite AVG left many users computers unable to boot. After rebooting, as requested by the AVG updater, Windows crashes while trying to load certain AVG drivers. The error message reads "STOP: c0000135 The program cannot start because %hs is missing from your computer". Since the culprit drivers load even during safe mode there is no way to boot Windows. AVG recommends using the AVG rescue disc located here. After booting from the disc users should use midnight commander to rename their AVG folder, usually located at C:program files (x86)AVG, to any other name and then booting windows normally. However, any bootable flash drive or CD with an OS that can access NTFS file systems can be used to accomplish this task. I used a bootable Ubuntu flash drive.

MSI Radeon 6870 Twin Frozr II OC Graphic Card

MSI announces today the R6870 Twin Frozr II graphics card. It is equipped with the latest 40nm AMD Radeon HD6870 GPU, IGB GDDR5 high-speed graphics memory, and the award-winning Twin Frozr II thermal solution. As a result, the operating temperature and noise of the R6870 Twin Frozr II are reduced by 19°C and 12.8dB respectively (versus the reference design). Also, the overvoltage function from the MSI-exclusive Afterburner software further enhances the OC potential of the Barts GPU, and AMD’s Eyefinity Technology provides optimal multi-display 2D/3D output for gaming, productivity and entertainment. Along with the super reliable Solid CAPs which prolong product life and enhance product stability and quality, the R6870 Twin Frozr II is the best choice ever for power users looking for graphics cards with ultimate performance and low operating temperature.

Exclusive Twin Frozr II thermal solution maintains perfect balance between cooling and noise control
The Twin Frozr II found on the R6870 Twin Frozr II consists of a large-area copper base heat-sink with high density radiation fins, dual 8cm temperature-controlled PWM fans, and five heat-pipes to increase airflow and enhance heat conductivity for the GPU and neighboring components. In addition to the superb cooling effect, it is quiet! Under full load, the Twin Frozr II cooler reduces temperature and noise by 19C and 12.8dB respectively versus the reference design. By design, the R6870 Twin Frozr II is the industry-first graphics card that achieves a perfect balance between thermal solution and noise reduction.

Support for Afterburner overvoltage function to unleash display performance
In terms of software support, the R6870 Twin Frozr II supports the MSI-exclusive Afterburner OC software designed for instantaneous GPU and memory clock adjustments and advanced fan speed control. Users can even save up to 5 OC profiles of their own for gaming, productivity and entertainment. With the Afterburner, users can further adjust the GPU voltage to break through the limit of GPU and thereby unleash the power and performance of graphics cards. The Afterburner can also monitor the GPU temperature and fan speed for power users to totally control their graphics cards.

AMD Eyefinity and 3D Video
The R6870 Twin Frozr II is equipped with the AMD-exclusive Eyefinity Technology for multi-display, supporting up to four screens. DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4a (which support 3D video and 7.1-channel lossless TrueHD and DTS-HD audio formats) help provide consumers with the most exciting audio/visual fun.

Cooler Master Introduce HAF X and 690 II Advanced Nvidia Edition

Things are looking upbeat at NVIDIA, and to feed that, Cooler Master is out with its latest NVIDIA-themed case, the HAF-X NVIDIA Edition. The company is known for making a wide range of cases themed after the GPU giant. The HAF-X NVIDIA Edition uses the HAF-X design overall, with a bright green frame, large patches of black, green colored internal parts (such as HDD trays), a green-illuminated front intake fan, and a green-tinted window with an NVIDIA "eye" streak. Measuring 230 x 599 x 550 mm, the case is designed to fit in standard ATX/MATX motherboards, as well as XL-ATX motherboards, such as the Gigabyte X58A-UD9 and the EVGA X58 Classified 4-way SLI.

Drive bays include five internal 3.5", with two of these supporting 2.5" and 1.8" drives, six 5.25" bays, of which one is a SATA 3.5"/2.5" HDD/SSD dock. The motherboard tray features a hole behind the CPU socket area for easy access to coolers with back-plates, the GPU holder rack can reinforce long graphics cards and minimize bending of their PCBs. Ventilation is aplenty. There's a 230 mm front intake fan, a 200 mm side-panel intake fan, a 140 mm rear exhaust fan, and two optional 200 mm top exhaust fans. Its front panel includes USB 3.0 ports, USB 2.0 ports, eSATA, FireWire and audio. The HAF-X NVIDIA Edition from Cooler Master is priced at US $230.

Cooler Master backed up the HAF-X NVIDIA Edition with another NVIDIA-themed case launch, this time a modified version of the CM 690 II Advanced. The NVIDIA Edition variant of this popular case uses a more restrained use of the gaudy shade of green used on the HAF-X NVIDIA Edition, and uses just subtle lines of metallic green instead of the two chrome lines on the original design. The blue-illuminated front intake fan is replaced by a green one, and the side panel uses a window shaped after the NVIDIA "eye" logo, using green tinted acrylic. Internally, all features of the original CM 690 II Advanced are retained, except the green colored HDD trays, which look arguably less gaudy when seen through the window.

The CM 690 II Advanced can accommodate ATX and MATX cases, it uses an all-black interior, with several cable management and tool-free features. It measures 214.5 x 511.8 x 528.8 mm. The case uses perforated metal that runs through the front and top, with the front fan intake, four 5.25" drive bays, and front-panel that holds USB, eSATA, audio, and a SATA drive dock along the way; ending with two 140 mm top exhaust fan vents. Fans included are a 140 mm green-illuminated front intake, a 140 mm top exhaust, and a 120 mm rear exhaust. The CM 690 II Advanced NVIDIA Edition is priced at €110.

AMD Released Catalyst 10.11 WHQL Driver Suite

AMD is teasing us with its latest Catalyst driver suite. Catalyst 10.11 WHQL from AMD has come after no less than five hotfix updates to the previous version Catalyst 10.10. The new version of Catalyst is reported by many to have been added to Windows Update late yesterday (11/16), but wasn't backed by any release notes document then. The driver is now uploaded on AMD's Game website. AMD Catalyst software suite includes drivers for all current ATI/AMD Radeon GPUs, AMD integrated graphics, and other ATI multimedia products. This version of AMD Catalyst brings a small number of game-specific performance enhancements, as well as fixes a few bugs. To begin with, performance is expected to go up by 3% for Battleforge, on Radeon HD 5800 series GPUs, both single and CrossFire, with AA disabled. Up to 5% performance increase can be expected for STALKER: Call of Pripyat benchmark.


DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 10.11 WHQL for Windows 7/Vista 64-bit, Windows 7/Vista 32-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit

Highlights of changes follows.

Performance Highlights of the AMD Catalyst 10.11 release include:

Battleforge

• Performance increases up to 3% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations with anti-aliasing disabled.
  

STALKER – Call of Pripyat benchmark:

• Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations.
  

Resolved issue highlights:

• Enabling Overdrive through the Catalyst Control Center for single display systems no longer results in GPU clocks running at high levels in non-GPU intensive scenarios
  
• Mouse cursor no longer flickers and disappears in World of Warcraft when hardware cursor is enabled when playing in Stereo 3D mode
  
• Primary display no longer blanks out when playing World in Conflict Soviet Assault DX10 with Dual Monitor enabled in CrossFire mode
  
• CrossFire no longer becomes disabled in Battlefield Bad Company 2 after performing a task switch
  
• The "Contrast" value for the display is no longer set to zero after CrossFire is disabled for the first time
  
• Alien blood is now rendered properly in Aliens vs Predator with Anti-Aliasing enabled

A Simple Review on the XFX GTS250 1GB DDR3

Here is my short and simple review on the XFX GTS250 1GB DDR3 Core Edition graphic card.

First of all, we shall look at the box and the accessories,

Front view of the box

Back view of the box

There is another box within the box

Within the box there are 2 compartments

These are the accessories

This version it bundle with an original game called as Assassin Creed. The accessories included are :

• 6 pins -to- Molex converter
• A driver installer DVD
• A door knob notice hanger
• Manual books
• Assassin Creed Original Game Installer DVD

Now we will have a closer view on the graphic card,

This version is using the latest heatsink cooler


It has HDMI port, DVI port, and VGA port

Next we will be testing it on gaming performance. Before that this is the pc specifications and the software version for the benchmarking,

Processor: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz 8MB (Stock speed)
Motherboard: Asus P6X58D-E

RAM: Corsair 6GB DDR3 1333MHz (3x2GB) Triple Channel
Power Supply: Corsair GS600 600W
Graphic Cards: XFX GTS250 1GB DDR3 (WHQL 260.99)
: Sapphire 4770 512MB DDR5 (WHQL 10.10e)

Games: Call of Duty : Modern Warfare II, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, and Grand Theft Auto IV
Other: 3D Mark Vantage

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The end of review. I am still learning on how to write reviews on pc hardware, so if there's any mistakes, I apologize for all the mistakes or errors. Thanks :)

AMD Released Catalyst 10.10e Hotfix Driver Update

AMD released the fifth hotfix update for Catalyst 10.10 WHQL. Catalyst 10.10e, like Catalyst 10.10c Hotfix, packs a number of game-specific performance improvements, and extends MLAA (morphological anti-aliasing) support introduced by Catalyst 10.10d Hotfix, to all Radeon HD 5000 series GPUs. The new Catalyst AI controls in control center are extended to Radeon HD 5000 GPUs, these were previously available only to users of Radeon HD 6800 series. Support for new stereoscopic 3D capable hardware was also added.

A detailed list of changes follows.

• The AMD Catalyst Control Center now features the new AMD Catalyst AI user interface options on the ATI Radeon HD 5000 Series (the new AMD Catalyst AI options were previously only available for the AMD Radeon 6800 Series)”
• Fixed cases where Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA) was not being correctly applied to games (very intermittently)
• OpenGL 4.1 beta support
• Support for the new Morphological Anti-Aliasing feature
• Dead Rising 2 – Crossfire profile (Resolves negative scaling)
• Crossfire Performance Improvement for:
o Metro 2033
o F1 2011 - (Direct X9 version)
o Fallout New Vegas

• Performance optimizations for systems with an AMD Radeon HD 6870 and AMD Radeon HD 6850 series of graphics products installed
o Aliens versus Predator performance enhancements
o Star Craft 2 performance enhancements
o OpenGL performance enhancements – gains can be seen in Prey, Quake Wars: Enemy Territories, and Heaven v2

• Support for additional Stereo 3D-capable displays:
o Viewsonic V3D241wm-LED
o 3D Projectors

Nvidia Delivers World's Fastest DX11 Graphic Card !

NVIDIA today announced the latest consumer GPU based on the NVIDIA Fermi architecture, the GeForce GTX 580, which has been reengineered from the transistor-level up to deliver increased power efficiency and performance over previous generation products.

The GeForce GTX 580 GPU delivers the world's fastest performance for DirectX 11 (DX11) games, and support for NVIDIA 3D Vision, Surround, PhysX, SLI and CUDA technologies, further entrenching GeForce-based PCs as the most robust gaming platforms in the world. The combination of an innovative vapor chamber thermal solution and new architectural enhancements make the GTX 580 the fastest and quietest GPU in its class, delivering an increase of up to 35 percent in performance per watti, and performance that is up to 30 percent faster than the original GeForce GTX 480.

For the most recent games that feature tessellation -- the key feature of DX11 -- the 512-core GeForce GTX 580 is up to 160 percent fasteriii than the closest competitive product. Even in previous-generation DX9 and DX10 games, the GeForce GTX 580 is faster by up to 62 percentiv, including in the blockbuster PC title StarCraft II.

"For Crysis 2, we'll take advantage of what NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 580 GPUs bring," said Cevat Yerli, president and CEO of Crytek. "A supersoldier that needs to save NYC from an alien invasion needs the best tech possible. That's not only his Nanosuit, but also stunning DX11 geometric realism that a GPU like the GeForce GTX 580 can offer for our PC gamers."

"At Epic, we've standardized on NVIDIA GeForce GPUs for Unreal Engine 3 development," said Tim Sweeney, Founder, Epic Games. "The GTX 580 offers even more rendering and compute power than NVIDIA's previous high end GeForce GPU but thanks to its new cooling system it's also much more quiet. Whether you're an engineer working with the Unreal Technology or a gamer who wants the ultimate Bulletstorm experience, the GTX 580 delivers."

With full support for NVIDIA 3D Vision and NVIDIA Surround technologies, the GeForce GTX 580 GPU also provides the graphics horsepower and video bandwidth needed to experience games and high-definition Blu-ray movies in eye-popping stereoscopic 3D on a single display or spanning across three screens for an immersive gaming environment. And with NVIDIA SLI technology, the industry's most scalable multi-GPU platform, gamers will be delighted by the sheer increase in gaming performance by adding a second or third GeForce GTX 580 to their PC.

The GeForce GTX 580 is available starting today from the world's leading add-in card partners, including ASL, ASUS, Colorful, ECS, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, Jetway, Leadtek, MSI, Palit, Point of View, PNY, Sparkle, Zotac and others.

Summary Highlights of New GeForce GTX 580 GPU:

• 512 cores and 16 PolyMorph engines deliver massive tessellation and compute firepower for games
• Hard launch with immediate availability at an estimated SEP of $499 USD.
• Up to 35 percent improvement in performance/watt efficiency
• New vapor chamber thermal solution results in the quietest GPU in its class
• New level of geometric realism -- 2 billion triangles/second
• Provides game developers total creative freedom to create cutting-edge DX11 games

Nvidia Designs New GTX 460 SE

NVIDIA is designing a new variant of its GeForce GTX 460 graphics processor, the GeForce GTX 460 SE. Based on the 40 nm GF104 silicon, it's positioned below the GTX 460 768 MB. It has 288 CUDA cores (6/8 streaming multiprocessors enabled, compared to 7/8 on the other GTX 460 variants), but uses the complete 256-bit wide memory interface, with GDDR5 memory. The GPU and memory are clocked at 650/1300 MHz DDR, compared to 670/1350 MHz DDR on the other GTX 460 variants. No information regarding pricing/availability is available.

XFX Issues Fix for HD 6850 High Idle Fan Speed

XFX issues a BIOS fix after some users reported their HD 6850 cards running at 70% idle fan speed.

As HD 6850 cards are flying off the store shelves, more and more users have started reporting that XFX’s version that sports a custom heatsink exhibits extremely high idle fan speeds. This makes what should be a quiet card into a howling banshee in even the best of situations.

Supposedly this issue was only found in the first round of cards sent to retailers and subsequent shipments have it fixed through a modified BIOS. But what happens if you are one of those early adopters?

Naturally, software like MSI’s Afterburner can take care of this through the use of custom fan speed profiles but there is another option. Once you register your card on XFX’s website, there will be an option in the Support section where you can download a modified BIOS file along with instructions for flashing your card. Alternately, you can call XFX’s support team and they will walk you through the process.

We are giving you a third option.

You can CLICK HERE (hosted by Hardware Canucks, scanned for viruses) to download a ZIP file that contains instructions, the BIOS file and a bootable USB thumb drive utility.

Thanks to XFX for providing us with this file.

ONLY use this BIOS if you have an XFX HD 6850 1GB with a product number of HD-685X-ZNFC

Note: Hardware Canucks is hosting this as a courtesy and does not take responsibility for the BIOS file itself. However, we have tested it on our XFX HD 6850 and can confirm it works without an issue as long as the attached instructions are followed.

Gigabyte's Mid-Range LGA1155 Motherboard Pictured

Earlier this year, Gigabyte surprised us by displaying its first motherboards that use a black-colored PCB, the higher end of its socket LGA1155 motherboard lineup based on the P67 Express chipset, the GA-P67A-UD5 and GA-P67A-UD7; the company's mid-thru-entry range of P67 and H67 based motherboards got their photo-shoot. Pictured below (in order) are the P67A-UD3R, P67A-UD3, and H67MA-UD2H. The P67A-UD3R is the third Gigabyte motherboard to be pictured with a black PCB, it is decked in black overall (slots and connectors), with a dash of white. The LGA1155 socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. Expansion slots include three PCI-E x1, one PCI-E 2.0 x16, one PCI-E x16 (electrical x4), and two PCI.

The P67A-UD3 marks a return to blue PCB (indicating that lower-mainstream Gigabyte motherboards will retain the blue color-scheme. It's is a slightly skimpier version of the UD3R, and probably has the SATA RAID function disabled. Connectivity of this, and the UD3R are nearly identical: 8+2 channel HD audio, two USB 3.0 ports, a number of USB 2.0 ports, two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports. The H67MA-UD2H is a micro-ATX motherboard optimized for processors with on-die graphics, it features the flexible display interface (FDI), with display connectivity including one each of DVI, D-Sub, DisplayPort, and HDMI. Expansion slots include two PCI-E x16 (electrical x16, x4); and two PCI-E x1. Connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s, three SATA 3 Gb/s, one eSATA, 8 channel HD audio with optical SPDIF, two USB 3.0 and a number of USB 2.0 ports. Gigabyte's P67 and H67 series motherboard will launch in early 2011, in time for Intel's latest processor lineup.

Nvidia GTX 580 Reference Design Graphic Card Pictured

Here are the first pictures of what is touted to be the GeForce GTX 580 reference design graphics card by NVIDIA, by sections of the Chinese media. There are some interesting inferences that can be drawn just by the looks of the card. To begin with the cooler bears an uncanny resemblance to one of the earliest design iterations of the GeForce GTX 480 (pictured here and here). In its final iteration, NVIDIA gave the GTX 480 a more massive cooler, perhaps to keep up with its finalized clock speeds. If the design of the GTX 580 cooler is anything to go by, it means that either NVIDIA refined the GF100 architecture in the GF110 (on which GTX 580 is based) a great deal, increasing performance per Watt; or that since GTX 580 is in its development stage, its final version could look different. GeForce GTX 580 is being designed as a counter to AMD's Radeon HD 6900 series single-GPU graphics cards that are based on the new Cayman graphics core, which is slated for release in late November. It is expected to be 20% faster than the GTX 480.

ATI New Catalyst 10.10 WHQL Driver Suite

On the occasion of kick-starting its new generation of graphics processors, the Radeon HD 6800 series, AMD backed it up with the launch of [the first] AMD Catalyst, version 10.10 WHQL. The Catalyst software suite installs drivers for installed ATI/AMD Radeon graphics processors, AMD chipsets, as well as installs relevant system software. The major change of course is added official support for Radeon HD 6800 series GPUs, but also a big set of new features, namely support for Blu-ray 3D, Stereoscopic 3D powered by Dynamic Digital Depth (DDD) and iZ3D; AMD Catalyst Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology; added hardware video acceleration for HD WMV, and enahnced Dynamic Contrast video controls. It doesn't stop here, a boat-load of game and GPU-specific performance increments were announced, that covers a number of Radeon HD 5000 series GPUs, which are detailed below.

A detailed list of changes follows.

New Features

• Introduction of AMD HD3D Technology
• Blu-ray 3D support
o This release of AMD Catalyst provides support for Blu-ray 3D playback
o Requires Blu-ray 3D player software, 3D supported display and 3D Stereoscopic glasses
o Supported on the AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series

• Stereo 3D gaming support
o This release of AMD Catalyst provides support for Stereo 3D gaming via 3rd party Stereo 3D Conversion Software from Dynamic Digital Depth (DDD) and iZ3D
o Requires 3D supported display and 3D Stereoscopic glasses
o Supported on the ATI Radeon HD 5000 Series and AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series

• Introduction of AMD Catalyst Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology Edition
• There will now be two variants of the AMD Catalyst package available:
1. AMD Catalyst – includes the Direct3D, OpenGL, Display driver and AMD Catalyst Control Center components
2. AMD Catalyst Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology Edition Edition (same as ATI Catalyst, but includes the OpenCL driver) – Everything found in AMD Catalyst, plus the OpenCL driver

• Users can still grab all of the individual AMD Catalyst components as well (which will also include the OpenCL driver as well)
• Video accleration for HD WMV video content
• This release of AMD Catalyst provides video acceleration support for WMV HD (Microsoft video codec) under Windows 7
• Supported on the ATI Radeon HD 5000 Series of products
• Enahnced Dynamic Contrast video controls
• This release of AMD Catalyst enhances the Dynamic Contrast setting found in the Catalyst Control Center by adding support for histogram based detection

Performance Highlights of the AMD Catalyst 10.10 release include:

• Metro 2033:
o Performance increases up to 7% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations
o Performance increases up to 8% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire configurations
o Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5600 Series in DirectX 11 and 10 modes
o Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5500 Series in DirectX 11 and 10 modes
o Performance increases up to 4% on ATI Radeon HD 5400 Series in DirectX 11and 10 modes

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. : Call of Pripyat Benchmark:
o Performance increases up to 7% on single ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products

• Unigine Heaven:
o Performance increases up to 9% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations with anti-aliasing enabled
o Performance increases up to 8% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire configurations with anti-aliasing enabled

• World in Conflict:
o Performance increases up to 9% on ATI Radeon HD 5600 Series
o Performance increases up to 10% on ATI Radeon HD 5500 Series

• Aliens vs. Predator DirectX 11 Benchmark:
o Performance increases up to 6% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire
o Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire
o Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5600 Series
o Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5500 Series
o Performance increases up to 4% on ATI Radeon HD 5400 Series

• Crysis Warhead:
o Performance increases up to 9% on Single ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products with anti-aliasing enabled

• Far Cry 2:
o Performance increases up to 7% on Single ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series products

AMD Aims to Deliver Perfect Graphic Card for Gamer with ATI Radeon HD 6800 Series

AMD today introduced the next generation of PC gaming, the AMD Radeon HD 6800 series, designed to be “perfect graphics cards” for gamers by delivering unprecedented game performance starting at $179 SEP. The new AMD Radeon HD 6800 series graphics cards provide more than 30 percent greater game performance than competing products, harnessing AMD’s second-generation Microsoft DirectX 11-capable architecture, best-in-class energy efficiency, and an unmatched feature set, including AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology. The AMD Radeon HD 6800 series is available immediately from etailers worldwide.

“AMD is the market share leader by a landslide in DirectX 11 graphics,” said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, GPU Division, AMD. “Through our sweet spot strategy and our open, industry standards approach, we’ve worked to deliver the best possible experience for gamers. Today, our laser focus on gamers continues with the introduction of what we think is far and away the best graphics card series today, the AMD Radeon HD 6800 series. With exceptional game performance, an unrivaled feature set including breathtaking DirectX 11 gaming, AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology, AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing, and more, the AMD Radeon HD 6800 series will have all gamers wanting to get Radeon in their systems.”
“One of the great advantages of PC gaming is the rapid pace at which the experiences evolve and improve, and the AMD Radeon HD 6800 series delivers on the promise of DirectX 11 gaming with significantly improved visuals and enhanced performance,” said Craig Owens, marketing director, EA. “With Medal of Honor, EA is pushing the boundaries of gaming technology to deliver a whole new online experience, and it only makes sense that we leverage the latest DirectX 11 technology supported by AMD Radeon graphics cards to deliver an amazing experience for gamers.”

Leading DirectX 11 Performance and Eye-Definition Graphics

• Ultimate efficiency for ultimate performance: With the AMD Radeon™ HD 6800 series, AMD aims to recreate the same incredible value proposition of the original “sweet spot” products, the ATI Radeon HD 4800 series graphics cards. Taking full advantage of AMD’s experience with DirectX 11, the AMD Radeon HD 6800 series is AMD’s second-generation DirectX 11-enabled chip designed to deliver more than 30 percent greater game performance over the closest competing products in their class and even faster tessellation for a more realistic gaming experience.1,3 The AMD Radeon HD 6800 series’ architectural efficiency and advances in power management technology deliver in best-in-class energy efficiency.1
• New and improved image quality features: AMD Radeon 6800 series graphics cards feature improved image quality, including all-new morphological anti-aliasing compatible with DirectX 9, DirectX 10, or DirectX 11 applications, and improved anisotropic filtering.
• Built for DirectX 11 games and more: DirectX 11 has quickly become the new standard for PC games. The majority of game developers chose AMD Radeon graphics cards as their development platform of choice for their DirectX 11 games, and today AMD continues to enjoy strong relationships with those developers and many more. Beyond DirectX 11 games, the AMD Radeon HD 6800 series also delivers an exceptional game play experience in DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL titles in single card or multi-card AMD CrossFireX configurations.

Expand Your Experience with AMD Eyefinity Technology and Leading Display Technologies

• Continued industry leadership in multi-display computing: The AMD Radeon HD 6800 series graphics cards are the first in the industry to offer support for both DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4a, providing PC users with expanded options for multi-monitor configurations, display selection, and new DisplayPort audio features.
• Simple, flexible, affordable multi-display computing with AMD Eyefinity: AMD Eyefinity technology continues to be the most affordable multi-display solution available, offering incredible choice in display compatibility and configurations. More than 45 game titles have been AMD Eyefinity-validated or are AMD Eyefinity-ready titles, and there are hundreds of more games that are AMD Eyefinity-compatible. Additionally, continuing improvements to AMD Catalyst graphics drivers may unlock new functionality and flexibility in AMD Eyefinity features and configurations.
• AMD HD3D technology for even more choice in 3D entertainment: With the AMD Radeon HD 6800 series graphics cards, AMD is introducing AMD HD3D technology, the result of our open 3D initiative for stereo 3D gaming and movies. AMD HD3D technology supports over 400 titles through its partners, and AMD’s open 3D ecosystem approach encourages the broadest selection of 3D solutions, available at the most affordable cost.

Live Life at EyeSpeed with AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing

• Do more, faster with AMD Accelerated Parallel Processing (APP) technology: Enjoy new features, functionality and improved performance in top media, entertainment and productivity applications made possible by AMD APP technology.
• Enhanced video quality features: The AMD Radeon HD 6800 series graphics cards features Unified Video Decoder 3 (UVD), a dedicated video playback accelerator that enables users to get the most out of Blu-ray 3D movies, other HD video formats, and online video, while enjoying video quality improvements such as advanced post-processing and scaling, dynamic contrast enhancement, color correction and more.
• Extensive support of industry standards: The AMD Radeon HD 6800 series graphics cards fully support both DirectCompute and OpenCL, ensuring broad application support.

The AMD Radeon HD 6800 series graphics cards is supported by a dozen add-in-board companies, including ASUS, Club 3D, Diamond Multimedia, Force3D, GIGABYTE, HIS (Hightech Information Systems), MSI, PowerColor, SAPPHIRE Technology, VisionTek and XFX.

MSI GTX480 Lightning Edition

The Lightning graphics card series from the world-leading graphics card and mainboard manufacturer, MSI, has been receiving unanimous recognition from power users and major media worldwide. The new member of the series, N480GTX Lightning, is tailored for extreme overclocking. By the world's first Power4 architecture to provide sufficient and stable power, the OC potential of the N480GTX Lightning has been significantly increased. With its incredible core clock – 1450MHz, N480GTX Lightning created the new world record of 3DMark Vantage at 39281. Without a doubt, the N480GTX Lightning is, by far, the top graphics card designed for Extreme Overclocking.

Furthermore, the N480GTX Lightning is equipped with a number of the latest MSI-exclusive features, including the Twin Frozr III thermal solution that maintains GPU temperature at 18°C lower than the reference thermal design; the GPU/Memory/PLL triple overvoltage functions by the Afterburner utility and the new-generation Military Class Components. In addition to showing MSI’s demand for continuous improvement, these state-of-the-art features bring consumers more powerful OC features beyond their imagination.

World's first Power4 Architecture for the most stable OC power
Continuing the improvement of the power system in the previous version, the N480GTX Lightning features the industry-first Power4 Architecture to enhance the relevant design and material of four types of power supply. These include 16 Phase PWM design to provide three times more electricity for the GPU; the next-gen capacitor, Proadlizer, to significantly enhance signal stability; the industry-best MOSEFT, CopperMOS, to supply sufficient and stable power to the GPU and memory; and the uniquely designed 6-pin power connector to provide the pure power for memory. For either general users or extreme OC users, all these bring a more stable operating environment.

The latest Twin Frozr III thermal design to lower 18℃ than the reference design
MSI has won numerous awards for its Twin Frozr thermal solution since it was launched and the new N480GTX Lightning is equipped with the latest Twin Frozr III. In addition to the MSI-exclusive 8mm SuperPipe technology and two form-in-one heat-sinks as in all Twin Frozr thermal solutions, MIS has enlarge the size of the two PWN fans from 8cm to 9cm to provide more airflow. When working under full load, Twin Frozr III lowers the GPU temperature of the N480GTX Lightning 18℃ than the reference design and thereby enhances greater OC potential.

Triple overvoltage (GPU/Memory/PLL) support to unleash OC potential
In terms of software, the N480GTX Lightning is equipped with the MSI-exclusive Afterburner utility (V2.0.0). Users can adjust the GPU and memory clocks as well as the voltage of GPU/Memory/PLL2 to unleash the OC potential of the N480GTX Lightning totally. The triple overvoltage function boosts the OC performance of the N480GTX Lightning up to 34%3 more than the reference design and allows users to exert the best-ever performance of the N480GTX Lightning.

Extreme OC performance to build the king of graphics cards
The N480GTX Lightning even adapts the MSI-exclusive Extreme OC Functions to fulfill the hardware demand of power users. In addition to the V-Check Points and V-Switch for measuring and adjusting GPU/Memory/PLL voltage instantaneously, the Dual BIOS and XtremeCool can effectively prevent any potential problem under LN2 extreme overclocking. Moreover, the PWM Clock Tuner enables to raise the OC capability. All in All, the N480GTX Lightning is the king of graphics cards designed for extreme overclocking.

Next-gen Military Class Components for superb quality and stability
Apart from the industry-first power system, the best thermal design and the MSI-exclusive OC functions, the N480GTX Lightning is built with the select next-gen Military Class Components. These include the Hi-c CAP with a lifespan eight times longer than ordinary solid state capacitors, the SFC (Super Ferrite Choke) that enhances current flow by 30% and solid state capacitors with a lifespan of 10 years. With the top quality components, the N480GTX Lightning has longer product lifespan and best stability to build the best performance.

Sapphire Radeon HD 6800 Series Cards

Sapphire is ready to launch its Radeon HD 6800 series products. As AMD's one of front-line partners, why wouldn't it be? The company will kick off its lineup with a Radeon HD 6870 model that sticks to the AMD reference design, and a Radeon HD 6850 based on an in-house design, probably marketed with the company's popular "Toxic" or "Vapor-X" brands. The Radeon HD 6870 card is compliant with the reference design, and uses reference clock speeds of 900/1050(4200) MHz (core/memory(effective memory)). It features DirectX 11 support, 1120 enhanced stream processors, 1 GB of GDDR5 memory over a 256-bit wide memory interface, and display connectivity that includes two DVI, two mini-DP 1.2, and one HDMI 1.4a. 2-way CrossFire is supported.

The Radeon HD 6850 card, on the other hand, sports an in-house design with both the PCB and the cooler. The PCB is colored in Sapphire's favourite shade of blue. The cooler looks quite muscular with a heatsink (probably making use of vapor-chamber technology) over the GPU, a 90 mm fan, and 8 mm heat pipes conveying heat to additional aluminum fin arrays. This card also reportedly sticks to reference clock speeds of 775/1000(4000) MHz, and features 960 stream processors, and 1 GB of GDDR5 memory over a 256-bit wide interface. Display connectivity on this card is more akin to what we're used to seeing on the HD 5800 series: two DVI, one standard-size DisplayPort 1.2, and one HDMI 1.4a. Expect both these cards to be out on the 22nd. A non-reference HD 6870 later down the line from Sapphire can't be ruled out.

Nvidia to Counter Radeon HD6970 "Cayman" with Geforce GTX580

AMD is undertaking its product development cycle at a breakneck pace, NVIDIA trailed it in the DirectX 11 and performance leadership race by months. This November, AMD will release the "Cayman" GPU, its newest high end GPU, the expectations are that it will outperform the NVIDIA GF100, that is a serious cause for concern, for the green team. It's back to its old tactics of talking about GPUs that haven't even taken shape, to try and water down AMD's launch. Enter, the GF110, NVIDIA's new high-end GPU under design, on which is based the GeForce GTX 580.

The new GPU is speculated to have 512 CUDA cores, 128 TMUs, and a 512-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface holding 2 GB of memory, with a TDP of close to that of the GeForce GTX 480. In the immediate future, there are prospects of a more realistic-sounding GF100b, which is basically GF100 with all its 512 CUDA cores enabled, while retaining its 384-bit GDDR5 memory interface, 64 TMUs, and slightly higher TDP than that of the GTX 480.

Gigabyte Announces the Aivia K810 Keyboard

GIGABYTE is proud to launch the first product from its highly anticipated Aivia series – Aivia K8100 Gaming Keyboard. Especially designed for gamers, Aivia K8100 is equipped with four major features – enhanced ergonomic gaming keystroke keyboard design, GHOST macro engine, 20 anti-ghosting keys, and touch and slide volume control. With these four features, obtaining victory during gaming battles is no sweat.

GIGABYTE designed the world’s 1st gaming keystroke keyboard with three different built-in keystroke forces, 70 grams, 60 grams and 50 grams. Professional gamers are able to intuitionally make accurate commands with these different keystroke forces. Taking into account of mainstream gaming control buttons such as WASD, Ctrl, Space and arrow keys, these most commonly used gaming keys are assigned 70g weight for elastic force. The other keys commonly pressed by the little finger such as Tab, Caps-Lock and Shift buttons are assigned 50 grams to reduce pressure on the finger.

GHOST Macro Engine

Aivia K8100 Gaming Keyboard comes with GIGABYTE’s GHOST Macro Engine. It is an incredible macro editing software for the memorized macros to be carried around even if the keyboard is connected to a different computer. For this keyboard, each mode allows for 5 macro keys, 5 modes make up to 25 sets of macros; users can change modes easily with mode button on top left corner of the keyboard. 4M bits onboard memory enables up to 100 programmable macro sets, of which 25 can be stored on the keyboard and launched with hot keys. Gamers are able to switch between pre-defined key or button easily. GHOST Macro Engine software first debuted with M8000X Extreme Macro Gaming Mouse, continuing the engine’s critically acclaimed easy-to-use drag-and-drop operating system, GIGABYTE has added feature functions of built-in mouse cursor point positioning record, and IE/ Folder path quick launch.

20 Anti-Ghosting Keys

Gamers hate it when a command is lost or misread during gaming battles. GIGABYTE successfully incorporates 20 anti-ghosting keys to ensure no interference when multiple keys are pressed whereas a standard USB keyboard is limited to about 6 simultaneous buttons. Gamers can press up to 20 simultaneous buttons without the “ghosting” effect.

Touch and Slide Volume Control

Touch and slide volume control is the industry’s leading design. Designed with touch sensor of highly sensitive capacitor, there are two optional control methods. First, keep pressing the control bar’s far right or left to increase or decrease volume linearly. Users can also fine-tune volume as the finger slides smoothly to the right or left. By placing the volume control bar on top, it allows gamer’s left hand to adjust volume while the right hand is busy controlling the mouse during engaged gaming activity.

Razer Launches Wireless Version Naga Mouse

Razer today announced the launch of an elite wireless MMO gaming mouse that’s an upgrade from the original award-winning and best-selling Get Imba mouse – the Razer Naga Epic. Designed by the highly-acclaimed Razer R&D labs, the Razer Naga Epic epitomizes that fine balance between keyboard and mouse with 17 MMO-optimized buttons, and takes it to a whole new level with three ergonomic interchangeable side panels for optimal fit, the choice to customize the backglow from over 16 million colors, and a dual mode wired/wireless functionality. Gamers can now enjoy a MMO gaming mouse with no strings attached – literally.

“With the Naga Epic, Razer gives MMO gamers around the world more freedom than ever before,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President, Razer. “We combined the MMO gaming capabilities of the original best-selling Razer Naga and took it to the next level by giving it a true gaming-grade wireless option utilizing the same technology that we developed for the ultra high-end Razer Mamba.”

The final design of the Razer Naga Epic, from optimal button configuration to its form factor, was achieved through the scientific testing and screening of more than 80 different model iterations by Razer’s ergonomics team.

“Every aspect of the Razer Naga Epic’s design, from its ergonomic form factor to button sizes, placement and angles was rigorously tested both internally in our R&D labs in San Francisco and Singapore, and with seasoned pro-gamers,” said Min-Liang Tan, CEO and Creative Director, Razer. “The Naga Epic is also one of the most comfortable mice we’ve ever designed, with 3 interchangeable side panels that ensure an ideal fit for various hand sizes and grip styles.”

The end result is a mouse that not only provides a personalized level of comfort, but with its dual wired/wireless functionality and unique MMO-optimized multi-button thumb grid also lets gamers fully immerse in their favourite MMO games knowing they have the full range of character abilities at their fingertips.

This high-end MMO gaming mouse is an advanced version of the original and award-winning Razer Naga, combining wireless functionality, ergonomic form factor, a customizable backlight glow, and 17 MMO-optimized buttons, making it truly epic.

The Razer Naga Epic MMO gaming mouse allows gamers to easily organize their character abilities for any game by enabling them to fully remap and assign programmed macros to all 17 buttons. With three interchangeable side panels for optimal fit designed for various hand sizes and grip styles, the Razer Naga Epic allows gamers to quest, raid, or PVP in comfort for hours on end. The true gaming-grade wireless connection on the epic mouse also allows gamers a greater variety of movement without any sacrifice of mouse control or accuracy, with zero downtime as the mouse charges while in wired mode.

Price: US $129.99 / RM 416+-

Availability: November 2010

Product Features:

• 17 Fully-programmable MMO-optimized buttons (including 12 button thumb grid)
• Wired/Wireless dual mode capability
• Three interchangeable ergonomic side panels
• Charging dock (also functions as a wireless receiver unit)
• Unlimited character profiles with AddOns
• Optional MMO-specific software AddOns
• 16 million color backlight illumination
• 5600 dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor
• 1000 Hz Ultrapolling / 1ms response time
• Approximate size: 116L x 77W x 41H (in mm)
• Battery Life: 12hrs (continuous use); 72 hours (normal gaming usage)

Intel Reports First S11 Bilion Revenue Quarter

Intel Corporation today reported that third-quarter revenue exceeded $11 billion for the first time, up 18 percent year-over-year to $11.1 billion. The company reported operating income of $4.1 billion, net income of $3.0 billion and EPS of 52 cents.

“Intel’s third-quarter results set all-time records for revenue and operating income,” said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. “These results were driven by solid demand from corporate customers, sales of our leadership products and continued growth in emerging markets. Looking forward, we continue to see healthy worldwide demand for computing products of all types and are particularly excited about our next-generation processor, codenamed Sandy Bridge, and the many new designs around our Intel Atom processors in everything from the new Google TV products to a wide array of tablets based on Windows, Android and MeeGo operating systems.”

Q3 2010 Highlights

•PC Client Group revenue was up 3 percent sequentially, with record mobile microprocessor revenue.
•Data Center Group revenue was up 3 percent sequentially, with record server microprocessor revenue.
•Intel Atom microprocessor and chipset revenue of $396 million, down 4 percent sequentially.
•The average selling price (ASP) for microprocessors was approximately flat sequentially and up significantly year-over-year.
•Gross margin was 66 percent, consistent with the company’s revised expectation of 65 to 67 percent.
•R&D plus MG&A spending was $3.2 billion, consistent with the company’s expectation.
•The net gain from equity investments and interest and other was $115 million, lower than the company’s revised expectation of $175 million.
•The effective tax rate was 30.5 percent, slightly below the company’s expectation of approximately 32 percent.

Business Outlook

The Outlook for the fourth quarter does not include the effect of any acquisitions, divestitures or similar transactions that may be completed after Oct. 12.

Q4 2010

•Revenue: $11.4 billion, plus or minus $400 million.
•Gross margin: 67 percent, plus or minus a couple percentage points.
•R&D plus MG&A spending: Approximately $3.2 billion.
•Impact of equity investments and interest and other: Approximately $20 million gain.
•Depreciation: Approximately $1.1 billion.
•Tax rate: Approximately 31 percent.
•Full-year capital spending: $5.2 billion, plus or minus $200 million.

Zalman announced the CNPS 9900 Max. The new CNPS 9900 Max comes with Zalman’s outstanding heat transfer solution by utilizing ‘composite heatpipe’(Q Max 300W), along with switching noise eliminated 135mm quiet LED fan for ultra quiet operation and broad compatibility for both Intel 1156/1366/775 & AMD AM3/AM2+/AM2. This new awesome CPU cooler should be more than enough to satisfy overclockers and users who want to look for ultra powerful cooling performance in silent operation.

Key Features:

• Heat is effectively dispersed by using composite heatpipe with greater than 1.5 times the heat transfer rate of normal heatpipe and aerodynamically designed heatsink. In addition,
• Switching noise eliminated 135mm Blue or Red fan incorporated for powerful cooling performance in the ultra quiet operation
• PWM Fan automatically adjusts fan speed(RPM) according to the CPU’s temperature, while the included resistor cable(RC7P) provides the option of reducing the input voltage for overall reduction of fan speed and noise.
• Black-pearl nickel plating for long term corrosion resistance reinforce its powerful aesthetics with high intensity blue & red LEDs.
• Extreme performance super thermal grease ZM-STG2 maximizes heat transfer from the CPU to the base of CNPS9900 Max for intensified cooling performance.
• Versatile compatibility of a broad range of socket Intel 1156/1366/775 & AMD AM3/AM2+/AM2.

Nvidia GT430 Graphic is in the Town Now

NVIDIA today announced the latest addition to its Fermi class of graphics processing units (GPUs), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 430, which was specifically designed to provide the horsepower needed to power today’s digital media PCs and provide the high definition video and audio experiences that desktop customers demand.

The GeForce GT 430 utilizes the Company’s latest 40nm GPU, codenamed GF108, which is already designed into a variety of desktop and notebook platforms from the world’s leading OEMs, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Samsung, Sony and others. For customers looking for a viable desktop upgrade from lowly integrated solutions, the GeForce GT 430 is a major step up, delivering unparalleled experiences in photo and video editing, Blu-ray 3D, as well as the next generation of GPU-accelerated Web browsers and Web content. And, when combined with NVIDIA 3D Vision technology and a compatible display, the GT 430 is also the only GPU in its class that allows consumers to experience their digital content in full stereoscopic 3D.

Offering up to 1.5x the gaming performance of previous generation products, the GeForce GT 430 also adds support for DirectX 11 (DX11), the industry standard for game development. Most importantly, the GT 430 delivers unmatched out-of-the-box game compatibility and playable frame rates in all of today’s top 30 games, when compared to integrated graphics solutions.

Key features of the new GeForce GT 430 include:

• Support for HDMI 1.4a, a TV standard for delivering 3D content and advanced multi-channel digital audio
• Special video engine to accelerate Blu-ray 3D content, delivering optimal 3D visuals at a full 1080p resolution
• High-definition 24-bit multi-channel audio up to 192KHz, and lossless DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD audio bit streaming
• Dedicated video processing engine for reduced system power and heat
• Support for NVIDIA PhysX technology, the industry’s most comprehensive, cross-platform physics solution

Starting today, the GeForce GT 430 is available as an add-in card from the world’s leading suppliers, including ASL, ASUS, Colorful, ECS, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, Jetway, KFA2, Leadtek, MSI, Palit, Point of View, PNY, Sparkle, Zotac and others. For more information, visit this page.

Asus Crosshair IV Extreme ROG Motherboard

ASUS launches the highly anticipated Republic of Gamers (ROG) Crosshair IV Extreme motherboard in North America today. Featuring a class leading design and innovative features, the Crosshair IV Extreme sets a new standard for a world class enthusiast motherboard based on an AMD chipset. Rigorously tested and approved by leading enthusiasts, the Extreme series is engineered from the ground up for exceptional performance, stability, overclocking prowess, cutting edge BIOS controls and most of all, reliability under extreme conditions.

ASUS ROG Crosshair IV Extreme Pushes AMD Performance to New Levels with World Class Performance and Multi-GPU CrossLinx 3 Technology

Innovation Design and Features are the standard in ROG Extreme Motherboards

Solid and efficient power management is something every overclocker and enthusiast knows is critical in board design. This includes enhanced trace layout ensuring optimal performance and efficiency under varying loads. The VRM and electrical components have been carefully chosen to provide levels of performance allowing AMD CPUs or high frequency DDR3 to reach new levels of performance. The use of high quality chokes, capacitors and effective heatsink assembly ensure leading performance in all aspects of usage.

The Crosshair IV Extreme is based on the AMD® 890FX / SB850 chipsets and fully supports the six-core Phenom™ II X6 processors and up to 4-way video card configurations utilizing AMD CrossfireX™ technology. ASUS also implemented emerging technologies such as ASUS’ CrossLinx 3™ technology with the innovative Lucid® HYDRALOGIX™ engine.

New features helping to differentiate the Crosshair IV Extreme from other motherboards whether it is in gaming or overclocking are:

CrossLinx 3 Technology

With ASUS CrossLinx 3 technology, Crosshair IV Extreme users gain the ability to mix and match multiple graphics cards from both NVIDIA and AMD, including models of different GPU generations as well as offering 2-way and 3-way NVIDIA® GeForce™ support. This technology uses the Lucid HYDRALOGIX engine, which bridges various graphics cards to enable their simultaneous usage. By removing compatibility hurdles, CrossLinx 3 makes it possible to experiment with different configurations of graphics cards for maximum performance.

ROG Connect and RC Bluetooth

The award winning and community praised ROG Connect hardware / software implementation offers class leading overclocking and monitoring tools that can be controlled with a smartphone or a separate computer via quick connects technology to ensure the best possible overclocking experience. With the Crosshair IV Extreme ASUS is excited to introduce remote overclocking support using the Apple® iPad™, iPod Touch™ and iPhone™. In addition ROG Connect Bluetooth allows for normal Bluetooth functionality when not in ROG Connect mode.

USB BIOS Flashback and Dual Bios

Continuing the trend of providing class leading features and functional designs ASUS implemented the award winning USB BIOS Flashback technology on the Crosshair IV Extreme. USB Bios Flashback offers low-level bios flashing without the need to mount or install a CPU, memory, or graphics card. This allows for the easiest and quickest way to ensure the newest bios is in place prior to setting up a system. All that is required is a flash drive, the BIOS ROM file and connection to the ROG Connect USB port with standby power.

With ASUS’ dual BIOS technology, users can keep two unique BIOS versions for different purposes. The first BIOS can be used for the overclocking, while the second BIOS can used for gaming or applications. In addition if a BIOS becomes corrupted, users can still use the system with the secondary BIOS.

Next Generation SATA6G and USB3.0 and Intel Lan

The Crosshair IV Extreme also incorporates the latest in I/O technologies with full support for true SATA 6G and USB 3 to ensure the highest levels of performance for internal and external storage devices. The Crosshair IV Extreme features a class leading Intel® based Gigabit network controller to ensure the user’s online experience is exceptional whether playing the latest game or viewing HD media content.

Antec LanBoy Air

Antec today announced the LanBoy Air: Antec’s state-of-the art, fully-modular chassis designed to provide extensive customizability and flexibility to high-performance PC gamers, modders and workstation users.

The LanBoy Air sports unprecedented top-to-bottom mesh construction for extensive air ventilation and includes five 120 mm fans (two front-adjustable speed 120 mm blue LED fans and three 120 mm TwoCool two-speed blue LED fans) with space to mount up to 15 total fans. The fans are positioned to create positive air pressure, bringing cool air in and around hard drives and graphics cards, and expelling hot air and dust through the chassis’ perforated panels.

The LanBoy Air has an entirely reconfigurable interior with 11 total drive bays (including nine modular bays to accommodate six internal 3.5″ drives and three external 5.25″ drives). The 3.5″ drives can also take advantage of Antec’s exclusive AirMount suspension mounting system, which suspends hard drives in the drive bays, reducing vibration and increasing ease of use. Additionally, the 5.25″ and 3.5″ drive bays can be easily configured in three horizontal orientations: facing the front, right or left to accommodate users’ desired chassis arrangements. This chassis also comes with two internal bottom-mounted 2.5″ SSD drive bays.

The chassis’ motherboard tray comes complete with a CPU cut-out and the power supply unit (PSU) mount is situated on the bottom of the chassis. In addition, both the motherboard tray and PSU mount slide out for easy installation and can be repositioned for increased customization — meeting the exacting demands of end users as well as system builders.

The LanBoy Air has space to fit graphics cards 15″ and over and also features two rugged carrying handles for easy transport while at LAN parties, eight expansion slots, three USB ports (including one USB 3.0 port) and a convenient bottom-installed tool box for hardware and screw storage.

“Antec’s Skeleton was universally lauded as the most innovative chassis ever. The LanBoy Air builds on the Skeleton’s open-air frame design, combining it with a familiar form factor and fully modular construction,” said Scott Richards, senior vice president at Antec. “This chassis offers our most avid users the platform they need to push the limits of what they imagined possible in high-performance system design.”

Among its accolades, the LanBoy Air was awarded the prestigious COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2010 Design & Innovation prize for excellence in design quality in the “Components and Parts” category earlier this year.

ATI New Catalyst 10.9 WHQL Driver Suite

This morning AMD is set to roll out its Catalyst 10.9 driver software with a few notable game improvements as well as bug fixes. You can download them directly from AMD’s website when the link beomces available or test out the new ATI Steam updater announced earlier.

For now, here is quick rundown of improvements:

ATI Catalyst Software Suite Version 10.9 Release Notes

The Catalyst Software Suite 10.9 contains the following:

– ATI Radeon display driver 8.771
– HydraVision for both Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7
– Southbridge/IXP Driver
– ATI Catalyst Control Center Version 8.771

Operating Systems Supported

The latest version of the ATI Catalyst software suite is designed to support the following Microsoft Windows platforms:
– Windows 7 32-bit version
– Windows 7 64-bit version
– Windows Vista 32-bit version
– Windows Vista 64-bit version
– Windows XP Professional
– Windows XP Home Edition
– Windows XP Media Center Edition
– Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

Note: When installing the ATI Catalyst driver for Windows, the user must be logged on as Administrator or have Administrator rights in order to successfully complete the installation of the ATI Catalyst driver.

Catalyst Application Profiles
The following application profiles are available with this release of Catalyst 10.9:

• Aliens Vs. Predator – Profile update
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Profile update
• F1 2010 – Profile update
• Kane & Lynch 2 – New profile

Performance Improvements
The following performance gains are noticed with this release of Catalyst 10.9:

STALKER: Call of Pripyat Benchmark

• - Performance increases up to 20% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations with Enhanced full dynamic lighting (DX11) and anti-aliasing enabled
• - Performance increases up to 12% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire configurations with Enhanced full dynamic lighting (DX11) and anti-aliasing enabled

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

• - Performance increases up to 4% on ATI Radeon HD 5700 Series single and CrossFire configurations
• - Performance increases up to 4% on ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series single and CrossFire configurations
• - Performance increases up to 5% on ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series single and CrossFire configurations
• - Performance increases up to 6% on ATI Radeon HD 5970 Series single and CrossFire configurations

Resolved Issues for the Windows 7 Operating System
This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst Software Suite for Windows 7. These include:

• UVD clocks will now return to normal speeds after switching from HD to SD content
• Flickering no longer visible while running 3D games on HDMI displays with Quad CrossFire enabled
• Mesh corruption is no longer visible in “The Chronicles of Riddick 2: Assault on Dark Athena” when SSAO in-game setting is set to high
• CrossFire now functions properly and in-game Anti-Aliasing can now be enabled in “StarCraft II”
• Adobe Flash Player will no longer display green screen after resume from sleep
• Negative CrossFire scaling on “Final Fantasy-XIV” no longer occurs
• Intermittent perfomance drops no longer observed with harware cursor enabled in “World of Warcraft” game in extended mode

Resolved Issues for the Windows Vista Operating System
This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst Software Suite for Windows Vista. These include:

• AVI video no longer lags during playback within Microsoft PowerPoint slide deck
• Desktop corruption no longer occurs during PowerDVD SD/Blu-ray content playback on 120Hz displays
• Choppy HD playback no longer occurs while changing color vibrance and fleshtone correction in Catalyst Control Center – Advanced Color

Resolved Issues for the Windows XP Operating System
This section provides information on resolved issues in this release of the ATI Catalyst Software Suite for Windows XP. These include:

• Copy protection message will no longer appear when viewing a DVD with Windows Media Player on a Windows XP system with PowerDVD 9 installed

Download: http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/downloads.aspx

Kingston Launches First USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Kingston today announced it is shipping its first USB 3.0 Flash drive. The Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Flash drive takes advantage of the faster USB 3.0 specification that has up to ten times the data transfer rates of the current USB 2.0 specification.

The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 has a read speed of 80MB/sec. and a write speed of 60MB/sec. It is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. The combination of speed and size makes it ideal for data backup or fast transferring of large files including music, photos and videos. To ensure backwards compatibility, Kingston is also including a Y cable as some USB 2.0 ports require it to initialize USB 3.0 drives.

“USB 3.0 is the next major milestone in Flash memory for USB products and Kingston wants to have a solution in the marketplace for early adopters,” said Andrew Ewing, USB business manager, Kingston. “The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 is our first USB 3.0 Flash drive offering and is designed for enthusiasts who like to embrace new technology before it goes mainstream.”

During internal testing, a 1 hour 44 minute movie (3.9GB) was written to the drive in 1 minute 13 seconds. Similarly, a 2 hour 23 minute DVD (4.4GB) transferred to the drive at a fast 1 minute 23 seconds†.

The Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 USB Flash drive is backed by a five-year warranty, 24/7 tech support and legendary Kingston reliability. For more information visit www.kingston.com.

Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0
Part Number	Capacity and Features	MSRP (U.S. only).
DTU30/16GB	16GB DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 USB Flash Drive	$ 89.00
DTU30/32GB	32GB DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 USB Flash Drive	$ 138.00
DTU30/64GB	64GB DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 USB Flash Drive	$ 270.00

MSI GTX460 Hawk 1GB DDR5

MSI today launches the brand new N460GTX Hawk to the great expectation of global gamers to conquer the market. The world’s first graphic card with triple overvoltage function supporting core voltage, memory voltage and PLL voltage adjustments, the N460GTX Hawk is also the only model on the market that has successfully achieved 1GHz under air-cooling during overclocking.

Also, the design tradition of the Hawk series continues on the GTX460 GPU, including 7+1 PWM power design, V-Check Points, APS (active phase switching), Twin Frozr II dual-fan thermal design, and military class components, to deliver unrivaled performance in thermal solution, power supply, stability, noise reduction and performance.

World’s first triple overvoltage function and the V-Check Points

The N460GTX Hawk from MSI is the world’s first graphic card supporting triple overvoltage function. Operating with Afterburner (V2.0.0) overclocking software exclusive from MSI, users can adjust the voltage of the GPU, memory and PLL. When compared with products at the same level from other manufacturers, the N460GTX Hawk can enhance overclocking potential of the graphic card in all dimensions. More importantly, it is the world’s first GTX 460 graphic card to successfully achieve overclocking to 1GHz* under only air-cooling. Apart from triple overvoltage functions, V-Check Points allows users to measure voltage on the graphic card with just a multi-meter in order to capture various data in an overclocking session, thus making overclocking simpler.

7+1 PWM power design and APS technology

When compared with 4+1 PWM design on the reference card which supplies power only up to 90A in graphic cards at the same level, 7+1 PWM design of the N460GTX Hawk not only supplies power up to 120A for the GPU to enhance GPU stability and performance in overclocking session, APS technology can automatically save the power consumption according to the GPU’s workload.

Exclusive Twin Frozr II dual-fan thermal design

Built with two 8cm fans, four heat-pipes with SuperPipe technology and a large-area nickel-plated copper heat-sink, the MSI-exclusive Twin Frozr II thermal design can effectively and efficiently dissipate heat produced from the GPU. When compared with the reference cooler, the Twin Frozr II can effectively reduce the GPU temperature by 18°C and fan noise by 8.1dB to deliver a cool and quiet computing environment.

Military Class Components

In addition to All Solid CAPs which enhance the overclocking and high loading performance of GPU, the N460GTX Hawk is equipped with the SFC (Super Ferrite Choke) to enhance power efficiency by 10% and output current by 30%. Also, the Hi-c CAP with a tantalum core can enhance GPU power supply to increase the graphic card’s overall lifespan as well as the stability of GPU.

MSI 870A Fuzion Power Edition

MSI, the world renowned motherboard and graphics card maker, has followed up the recent release of its revolutionary Fuzion series mainboard by upping the ante with the release of the 870A Fuzion Power Edition mainboard that features AMD 870 and SB850 chipset and support for AMD’s full line of Phenom II, Athlon II, and Sempron processors in Socket AM3, including the 140W high-consumption Phenom II X6 series! What’s more, exclusive Fuzion Technology, extreme power design, military class components, USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s, and other popular features undeniably make the MSI 870A Fuzion Power Edition mainboard the top AMD 870 chipset mainboard.

Fuzion Technology Allows Gamers to Easily Defeat Their Opponents

To let users unreservedly experience the enhanced performance of multiple graphics cards, the MSI 870A Fuzion Power Edition mainboard comes with exclusive Fuzion Technology (utilizing the Lucid Hydra 200 chip), which can successfully carry out cross-vendor, non-identical multi-GPU processing simultaneously. In addition, the dual PCI-E ×16 Gen2 expansion slot design allows you to purchase any brand or class of new graphics card with your existing graphics card.

CPU PWM Features Military Class Components that Provide Remarkable Stability

The MSI 870A Fuzion Power Edition mainboard also incorporates military class components, specifically the three special components Hi-c CAP, Solid CAP, and Icy Choke. For the CPU power supply module in particular, Hi-c CAP, can withstand the trials of extended and severe operating conditions, provide even higher power supply efficiency and lower operating temperatures. Its low-profile design is also beneficial to overclockers who want to install their favorite high-end CPU cooler. Take cooling a step further while enhancing overclocking potential!

The Extreme Power Design Provides Overall Boost in Performance

The MSI 870A Fuzion Power Edition mainboard features an 8+2 phase DrMOS power supply module design with the most advanced version of DrMOS; the efficient power supply unit smashes the myth that a larger phase number is ideal. An additional 6-pin VGA power supply connection also allows more than 70% additional power to be provided compared to standard mainboards with 24-pin power supply inputs. Even when combining two high-end graphics cards, you can still enjoy the same broad increases in overclocking performance and operating stability — a must-have design requirement for high-end mainboards.

OC Genie Makes Overclocking Even Easier—Enhance Performance with Unlock

The MSI 870A Fuzion Power Edition also includes the exclusive OC Genie One Second Overclocking Utility. Just press the OC Genie button on the mainboard for automatic optimization of CPU, RAM, and chipset frequency and voltage settings. If the Unlock CPU Core function is started simultaneously, maximum performance boost of over 148% can be achieved! For novice gamers, these performance enhancements are easily achieved through simple operation and are definitely the best functions in terms of user-friendliness and practicality.

Ultra High Transfer Bandwidth with USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s

The MSI 870A Fuzion Power Edition mainboard comes built-in with the latest USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s transfer standards: the all-new USB 3.0 features 5Gb/s transfer bandwidth that’s 10 times higher than traditional USB 2.0. Using the USB 3.0 interface, transferring a Blu-ray movie takes less than one minute to complete. Also, MSI is the first to introduce a casing with a front-facing USB 3.0 port. With a free-bundled USB 3.0 front panel, using a USB 3.0 external device is even more convenient. As for SATA 6Gb/s, it not only provides double the bandwidth of traditional SATA 3Gb/s, but also accelerates data transfer speeds at the same time, allowing it to keep in step with future trends for high-speed storage applications.

The features above show that the MSI 870A Fuzion Power Edition mainboard offers exclusive the most robust and flexible platform, with Fuzion Technology that lets you choose from a wide selection when upgrading a graphics card, ultimate power supply design, military class components, and strengthened stability. Also, the OC Genie and Unlock CPU Core combination provides a considerable performance boost. The use of USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s and a front-facing USB 3.0 panel also represent mainstream trends of future products. These design considerations are far ahead of the competition, making the MSI 870A Fuzion Power Edition mainboard the first choice for AMD fans!