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EVGA Announces Supernova 1300 G2 Power Supply with 10 Year Warranty

Paul Lilly — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:05:54 +0000

EVGA goes for the gold.

Could you take full advantage of a 1,300 watt power supply (PSU)? Talk about making others totally envious! Assuming you need a herculean PSU, EVGA aims to deliver with its new Supernova 1300 G2, a monster unit that's 80 Plus Gold certified to deliver up to 90 efficiency under "typical loads" and backed by a generous 10 year warranty to boot. This could be the last PSU you buy for a long, long time.

Most of the available power is piped through a single +12V rail capable of carrying up to 108.3 amps. This is in contrast to some power supply makers who choose to break up the +12V rail into multiple lines.

It's a fully modular unit with a vertical double layer main transformer (increases power output), "highest quality" Japanese solid state capacitors, and a quiet 14cm double ball bearing fan.

No word yet on price or availability.

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Intel's Desktop Processor Roadmap Through First Half of 2014 Leaked Online

Paul Lilly — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:41:43 +0000

Ivy Bridge-E is right around the corner.

Processor roadmaps must be slippery little suckers because it never seems like AMD or Intel are very good about holding onto them. Instead, we're frequently treated to early, often unauthorized glimpses of what each semiconductor has in store, and this time it's a look at what Intel is planning. The latest leaked roadmap shows Intel's processor plans through the first half of 2014.

The slides first showed up at asder00.com, a site that appears to thrive on leaked information. According to CPU World, a site that's been reliable in the past, the slides are legit, at least according to one of its sources that confirmed their validity. Anyway, enough about that, let's talk about what's on tap from Intel.

Those of you holding out for Ivy Bridge-E need only wait until the third quarter of this year. That's when Intel will launch its Core i7 4820K, 4930K, and 4960X processors, all based on Ivy Bridge-E. In addition, Ivy Bridge-E support will be added to the X79 chipset, according to the slides.

An expanded Haswell lineup is also slated for Q3. There will be a Core i7 4771 part along with a bunch of Core i3 and Pentium chips. A Haswell refresh is then planned for the second quarter of 2014, though the slides don't go into much detail on that front.

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Intel Announces S3500 Series Solid State Drives for Data Centers

Paul Lilly — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:40:33 +0000

Available in 80GB to 800GB capacities.

Intel this week announced a new line of solid state drives for data centers and cloud computing servers. Dubbed DC S3500, the new series of SSDs are designed for read-intensive applications such as web hosting, cloud computing, and data center virtualization, the Santa Clara chip maker says. The S3500 line is also being billed as a cost-effective replacement for traditional hard drives.

"The Intel SSD DC S3500 Series breaks through barriers – like the need for high throughput/low latency storage with a low total cost of ownership – to deliver the storage solution that meets the needs of the cloud, and its demand for storage, which has exploded in recent years," said Rob Crooke, Intel corporate vice president and general manager for the Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. "Intel's data center family of SSDs helps make cloud computing faster and more reliable, enabling more transactions and richer experiences."

Intel's new drives combine 20nm NAND flash memory technology with support for SATA 6Gbps, resulting in sequential read speeds of up to 500MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 450MB/s. The drives are available in both 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch form factors in 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, 240GB, 300GB, 400GB, 480GB, and 800GB capacities. Prices range from $115 to $979.

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Club 3D Terminates Relationship with Nvidia, Cozies Up to AMD

Paul Lilly — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:14:18 +0000

Club 3D officially severs ties with Nvidia.

Perhaps things were getting a little awkward for Club 3D in trying to maintain a relationship with both AMD and Nvidia, two competing GPU makers. Whatever the reason, from this point forward Club 3D is solely in AMD's corner and will no longer be producing video cards with Nvidia's silicon. Club 3D provided an official statement on its decision, noting that it's been a long ride serving both companies, but that it now wants to put all its focus on developing AMD cards.

"We are showing our commitment to AMD because we believe that AMD is ideally positioned to deliver a complete solution to our customers, and after 16 years in the business offering solutions from a variety of processor partners, we truly believe that we can offer a better solution going forward with AMD," Club 3D CEO Judith Ma Tseng said in a statement.

AMD was obviously happy with Club 3D's decision, calling it a "powerful acknowledgement" of the chip designer's leadership in GPUs. Might some other factor be at play, however?

According to Fudzilla, there have been rumors that Nvidia has been seeking to reduce the number of add-in board (AIB) partners, focusing on just the more profitable ones. Whether or not that's the case here, only Nvidia and Club 3D know for sure.

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AMD Wins Race to 5GHz with FX-9000 Series Processor

Paul Lilly — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:51:22 +0000

In your face, Netburst!

AMD has a knack for reaching milestones before the competition. The Sunnyvale chip designer is generally credited as being the first to reach 1GHz with its Athlon chip (a claim Intel disputes, by the way, as it was also shipping 1GHz Pentium III parts), and just like it's the year 2000 all over again, AMD is again touting a speed victory by unveiling the world's first 5GHz processor for consumers.

The processor in question is AMD's newly minted FX-9590, an 8-core Piledriver part, though there are a couple of points worth mentioning. First is the fact that we've since moved on from the time when clockspeed was king. It still matters, but of more importance these days is the architecture that's driving the silicon. And secondly, the 5GHz claim is the processor's maximum Turbo speed, not the default clockspeed.

AMD isn't letting these tidbits get in the way of its bragging rights.

"At E3 this week, AMD demonstrated why it is at the core of gaming," said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Products Division at AMD. "The new FX 5GHz processor is an emphatic performance statement to the most demanding gamers seeking ultra-high resolution experiences including AMD Eyefinity technology. This is another proud innovation for AMD in delivering the world’s first commercially available 5 GHz processor."

AMD also announced a slightly slower version, the FX-9370 clocked at 4.7GHz (Turbo). Both of these 9000 Series processors are 8-core parts, and both feature unlocked multipliers. Look for these chips to be available later this summer. No word yet on price.

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AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Video Cards Drop in Price as Supply Issues Ease

Paul Lilly — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:51:20 +0000

Watch for falling prices.

Over the past several weeks, AMD has been making a conscious effort to help its hardware partners work through any supply issues they may have been dealing with in regards to the Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition graphics card. A company spokesman reached out to Maximum PC today to let us know those efforts have begun to "bear fruit," and indeed a quick peek at Newegg reveals one of the lowest prices we've seen for a 7970 GHz card.

The Sapphire Vapor-X HD 7970 GHz Edition is selling for $420 (plus $8 shipping), and you can knock another $20 off if you want to play the mail-in-rebate game. This is a fast card with a custom cooler attached, which Sapphire claims both cools better and runs quieter than AMD's reference design. The card is also eligible for AMD's Never Settle Reloaded and Level Up programs.

Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition graphics cards from other hardware partners range in price from $450 to $530, depending on the specific model and features. When they first debuted last summer, these graphics cards sold for $500 and up.

AMD tells us it's still working with its partners to improve supply, which it said is an "ongoing process." In the meantime, don't be surprised if prices continue to trend downward.

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Crucial Launches Ballistix Sport SODIMMs for Laptops and Mini ITX Systems

Paul Lilly — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 17:02:18 +0000

Little memory has game.

If the PC market is insistent on moving towards smaller form factors and mobile devices, then kudos to Crucial for following along. The memory maker announced new Ballistix Sport SODIMMs designed to boost performance of gaming laptops, all-in-one systems, and mini ITX setups that require the smaller size memory modules. The new memory kits feature low latencies and are optimized for Haswell, Crucial says.

Crucial also says the kits are engineered to run on 1.35V instead of the standard 1.5V found in most laptop memory kits. They'll come in 4GB and 8GB densities, long with dual-channel kits of 8GB (2x4GB) and 16GB (2x16GB). You'll also have two speeds to choose from, DDR3-1600MHz (9-9-9-24) and DDR3-1866 (10-10-10-30).

"Gamers want to arm their system with a performance edge, and Crucial Ballistix Sport SODIMMs represent a new weapon of choice for laptops, mini ITX motherboards, and all-in-one systems," said Jeremy Mortenson, Ballistix product manager, Crucial. "Ballistix Sport SODIMMs offer faster speeds and lower latencies than standard SODIMM modules and enable the performance users come to expect from Crucial Ballistix memory."

Crucial Ballistix Sport SODIMMs will be available in early July. No word yet on price.

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AMD Rolls Out Richland Desktop APUs

Paul Lilly — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:49:51 +0000

One part Piledriver and one part Radeon HD 8000 Series graphics.

System builders have no shortage of new processors to choose from this week. Counter-punching the launch of Haswell, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on Wednesday rolled out the red carpet for its 2013 Elite A-Series of Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), otherwise known as "Richland," which supposedly offer discrete-level graphics and an easy upgrade infrastructure.

"The new AMD A-Series APU is ideal for desktop PC builders and mainstream gamers wanting outstanding performance for their money, and today AMD delivers an excellent new follow-on to the recently announced mobile lineup," said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Products Division at AMD. "The combination of high-performance, third-generation desktop APUs with our existing portfolio of low-power, mobile APUs gives us our strongest-ever lineup of products for our customers and our technology partners."

AMD's Elite A-Series APUs combine the company's "Piledriver" CPU architecture with its Radeon HD 8000 Series graphics on the FM2 motherboard infrastructure, meaning the parts support existing A85X, A75, and A55 platforms, as well as newer FM2+ boards.

Here's a look at the four new APUs with their base and turbo clockspeeds:

A8-6500: 3.5GHz-4.1GHz, 4MB L2 cache, DDR3-1866, Radeon HD 8570D (256 cores, 800MHz), 65W TDP
A8-6600K: 3.9GHz-4.2GHz, 4MB L2 cache, DDR3-1866, Radeon HD 8570D (256 cores, 844MHz), 100W TDP
A10-6700: 3.7GHz-4.3GHz, 4MB L2 cache, DDR3-1866, Radeon HD 8670D (384 cores, 844MHz), 65W TDP
A10-6800K: 4.1GHz-4.4GHz, 4MB L2 cache, DDR3-2133, Radeon HD 8670D (384 cores, 844MHz), 100W TDP

All four are quad-core chips. The two A8 models run $112 MSRP and the two A10 APUs are priced at $142.

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Corsair's Carbide Series Air 540 and 330R are Seriously Cool

Paul Lilly — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:11:30 +0000

One's a cool character, the other's a quiet performer.

Among the many products Corsair chose to unveil at Computex this year, one of the cooler (literally and figuratively) ones is its new Carbide Series Air 540, a high airflow mid-tower chassis with a wider form factor than most traditional cases. It's built that way to accommodate two "side-by-side" chambers and a Direct Airflow Path layout, which is Corsair's way of explaining a design meant to offer exceptional cooling at low noise levels.

The main chamber houses the motherboard and hot-swap 3.5-inch drives, while the second chamber is home to the power supply, SSDs, and 5.25-inch optical drives, which sit behind the motherboard tray. Corsair says that the separate compartments make building a system inside the case a breeze.

Sticking with a more standard design, Corsair also unveiled its Carbide Series 330R, a quiet mid-tower with a 140mm front intake fan and noise dampening material on the top panel, side panels, and front door. It also has rubber feet to reduce vibration.

You can mount of up to five fans in the 330R. Other features include a USB 3.0 front panel, tool-free 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch drive installation, and built-in cable routing cutouts.

The Carbide Series Air 540 and Carbide Series 330R are available now for $140 and $90, respectively.

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Phanteks Previews Stealthy Enthoo Primo Chassis with Hidden Drive Trays

Paul Lilly — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:55:03 +0000

Dude, where's my storage?

Phanteks isn't a name that jumps out when you think about computer cases or peripherals. Somehow the company has managed to fly mostly under the radar since it was established in 2007, but if its upcoming Enthoo Primo case lives up to the hype, it will have to get used to sitting in the limelight. The Enthoo Primo is an exercise in stealthy case design, and one of its main features is that it hides your hard drives out of view. It's also the company's first crack at a chassis, as it's been focused on cooling products up to this point.

We don't have a ton of details to share just yet because the case hasn't been officially announced, though Planteks has uploaded a couple of videos to YouTube previewing the upcoming chassis. Check out this overview:

In addition to hiding storage drives and having a thermally enclosed area for the power supply, the Enthoo Primo looks to offer plenty of cable cutouts to route wires out of the way, and is equipped with a good amount of cooling options, including for both air and water.

Here's a walk-through highlighting some of the finer details:

Stay tuned -- we'll have more information to share as it becomes available in the coming weeks.

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Intel Core i7 4770K Processor Selling for $280 at Micro Center

Paul Lilly — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:41:58 +0000

Haswell has landed!

Do you hear that noise? If it sounds like a "Tock!," that's because Intel's 22nm Haswell refresh is here, though calling it a refresh may not do justice to the new microarchitecture. Haswell is a Tock in Intel's "Tick-Tock" cycle, meaning it's a major new microarchitecture that will set the foundation for new and upcoming desktop processors. Several Haswell chips are now available to order, including the high end Core i7 4770K part, which you can snag for just $280 if you happen to live near a Micro Center.

Unfortunately, there are less than two dozen Micro Center locations (23, to be precise) spread across 16 states, and the deal doesn't apply to online orders. Bummer.

The Core i7 4770K part is a quad-core chip with a base frequency of 3.5GHz and Turbo speed of 3.9GHz. It has 8MB of L3 cache, 84W TDP, and an unlocked multiplier as denoted by the "K" in the model number. It's the fastest desktop Haswell chip currently available.

In any event, here's a heads up for those of you within striking distance of a Micro Center. For everyone else, the chip streets for about $350 online, including Newegg, which is bundling a Grid 2 game coupon and Grid 2 t-shirt with purchase.

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NZXT Launches Silent H230 Computer Case at Computex 2013

Paul Lilly — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:09:57 +0000

Low noise, low price.

The Computex Taipei convention in Taiwan kicks off today, hence the barrage of product announcements, all of which underscore the fact that the PC market is alive and thriving. Just ask NZXT, who today unveiled its new H230 computer case for users looking to build a quiet system. It's also for penny pinchers who don't want to spend more than $100 on an enclosure, as it's "aggressively priced" at $70.

"Continuing the legacy of the H series, the H230 brings similar sound crushing abilities as its predecessors into a smaller, more accessible package for all," NZXT says. "With an enclosed minimalistic design, the H230 is every bit as functional as it is sleek."

Noise absorbing padding lines the inside of the H230. It also features tool-free 5.25-inch drive bays, seven motherboard expansion slots, USB 3.0 support, and several cutouts to route cables for a tidy interior and optimal airflow.

The H230 is available in black or white.

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Western Digital's 1TB WD Blue 7mm Hard Drive is the Thinnest Terabyte HDD Ever

Paul Lilly — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:46:21 +0000

Super thin and capacious.

Bulky hard drives, be gone! Western Digital today announced it's begun shipping what it claims is the world's thinnest 1TB-class hard drive, the new 2.5-inch WD Blue 7mm. The WD Blue hard drive family is available in smaller capacities too, down to 320GB, all of which measure 7mm in height. They're designed to usher in increasingly slimmer and lighter notebooks, though they're also compatible with industry standard 9.5mm drive slots, WD says.

"Users with large portfolios of content no longer need an Ultrabook or upgrading to a thin and light notebook," said Matt Rutledge, Vice President and General Manager for client storage products at WD. "This most compact 1TB hard drive to-date offers manufacturers of systems an upsell path for their customers who will now be able to choose systems offering both sleek design and high capacity.

Despite its small stature, WD didn't skimp on features. The Blue family is equipped with WD's ShockGuard technology to protect the drive mechanics and platter surfaces from shocks, StableTrac technology, and a few other proprietary bits.

WD says the drive is shipping now through select distributors and resellers. The 1TB model runs $139 and is covered by a two-year warranty.

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Asus Teases Upgraded Supreme FX Audio on Z87 Maximus VI Formula Motherboard

Paul Lilly — Wed, 29 May 2013 18:29:59 +0000

The next evolution of SupremeFX is coming.

I found nestled in my inbox this morning a note from Asus saying it's getting ready to introduce an "even more advanced version of SupremeFX on the upcoming Formula" board built for Haswell. Along with the note, Asus attached a teaser photo marking the recent evolution of SupremeFX (versions III and IV), leaving the world to wonder what it has in store for the next release. Care to venture a guess?

SupremeFX, once a discrete audio solution, is now incorporated into select Asus motherboards. Version III introduced a backlit "redline" on the PCB (Printed Circuit Board), which highlights the physical separation of the audio processing from the rest of the motherboard. Drawing power from the motherboard, some line conditioning is required for a clean signal, which is handled by a large 1500uF capacitor. The codec itself is actually housed underneath an aluminum cap where it's isolated from surrounding EMI.

Version IV, introduced with the Asus Maximus V Formula, added a headphone amp and premium ELNA capacitors specifically designed for audio applications due to features like ultra-low ESR.

So, what will SupremeFX V bring to the table? Asus hasn't provided any clues, though we wonder if a higher signal-to-ratio might be in cards.

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Adata Launches XPG V2 DRAM with Redesigned Heatspreaders

Paul Lilly — Tue, 28 May 2013 18:03:30 +0000

Funky or futuristic? You be the judge!

Adata is clearly making a fashion statement with the redesigned heatspreaders it slapped onto its new XPG V2 series of DRAM products designed for 3rd Generation Intel Core processors and the Z87 platform. Exactly which statement is up for debate. Some might view them as funky fresh, others might consider them fugly, but Adata says they were designed with a "futuristic form."

While beauty might be in the eye of the beholder, performance is in the hands of the designer and Adata's binning process. The new modules will come in dual-channel kits of 8GB and 16GB ranging in frequency from 1600MHz to 2800MHz. The highest frequency kits (8GB and 16GB DDR3-2800) will run at CL12-14-14-36 with 1.65V, while the rest are rated slightly tighter at CL11-13-13-35 at either 1.65V or 1.5V, depending on the kit.

Underneath the extruded heatsink on each module is a 2-ounce double-copper PCB (printed circuit board). The chips themselves are "selected through a strict filtering process," Adata says.

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