You only have 10 fingers, but if you had 26, Microsoft's SideWinder X4 keyboard could keep up with you: That's how many keys can be pressed at once, thanks to anti-ghosting technology that independently scans each key and recognizes each press no matter how many other keys are hit at the same time. The result lets gamers execute key combinations with all the skill and speed they possess.
Shipping in March for $60, the X4 features macro recording that can string multiple moves into one press of a button, while a new automatic macro repetition feature lets users repeat the macro as needed with one key. Mode and profile switching provide easy ways to customize the keyboard for different games and users. Adjustable backlighting is standard too.
Multiple display specialist Matrox Graphics has introduced dual Graphics eXpansion Module (GXM) support to drive more monitors from a single PC. A second GXM can now be connected to the secondary output of a supported dual-monitor graphics card so two DualHead2Go GXMs can power up to four outputs in 2x2 or 4x1 modes, while two TripleHead2Go GXMs allow six displays in either a 3x2 or 6x1 setup.
A maximum of two GXMs of the same make and model can be connected to a supported graphics card. Stretched desktop mode is available with Matrox M-Series cards, while independent desktop support is available with M-Series, ATI HD 2000 and newer, ATI FireMV/GL, Nvidia 8-Series and newer, and Nvidia Quadro models. (See Matrox's compatibility page for details.)
The DualHead2Go GXM costs $169 for the Analog or $229 for a Digital or DisplayPort Edition. TripleHead2Go Digital and DP Editions are $329 each.
IBM researchers in Zurich, working with recording media scientists at Fujifilm, have demonstrated a world record in areal density on linear magnetic tape -- storing 29.5 billion bits per square inch, enough for a theoretical tape cartridge that holds 35 terabytes of uncompressed data.
Often considered an antique next to optical, hard, and solid-state drives, magnetic tape is still a popular archive medium for its low cost per megabyte and high energy efficiency (tape cartridges in jukebox-style library slots don't consume energy, unlike spinning disk drives).
To set the record, Fujifilm developed dual-coat magnetic tape with ultra-fine, perpendicularly oriented barium ferrite particles, just one-third the volume of current metal particles, while IBM contributed advanced servo control technologies, read/write head assemblies, and signal-processing algorithms to increase storage density almost fortyfold. A 35TB version of today's LTO Generation 4 cartridge could hold enough text to fill 248 miles of bookshelves.
AMD has introduced the ATI Radeon HD 5670, a graphics card that brings Microsoft DirectX 11 gaming to a $99 price point. The bargain brother of the Radeon HD 5970, 5800, and 5700 series, the 512MB card supports ATI Stream technology for accelerated video transcoding and HD playback, while ATI Eyefinity enables up to three displays to be used with a single Radeon HD 5670 card (one DisplayPort monitor or adapter required for more than two displays).
According to AMD, the card delivers up to 620 gigaflops of computing power and GDDR5 memory, beating Nvidia's GT 240 by at least 20 percent in a selection of today's most popular games as well as the latest DirectX 11 titles like Codemaster's Colin McRae: DiRT 2 and EA Phenomic's BattleForge. The company boasts that it has shipped 2 million DirectX 11 graphics chips to date.
Why is it that, when you hear the phrase "flash drive," you think of a tiny USB gadget and when you hear the phrase "SSD" you think of a desktop or laptop drive? Flash drives are solid-state drives -- and Super Talent Technology has put two of them into one casing and come up with a 3.7 by 1.3 by 0.6-inch RAID array.
The USB 3.0 RAIDDrive is backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, but takes advantage of USB 3.0 to deliver sizzling RAID 0 performance, with sequential read speeds up to 320MB/sec and sequential write speeds up to 180MB/sec. Plugging into any USB port with no additional cables or power source required, it combines two multichannel SSDs for a total capacity of 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB. Prices have not been announced.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel today announced three new Atom processors for netbooks and entry-level desktop computers along with a new chipset. While Intel is still targeting the low end of the performance scale, these new Atoms borrow a design idea from Intel's new high-performance "Nehalem" family of processors.
The newest Atom for netbooks is the single-core N450, which is paired with the new low-power NM10 Express chipset. For small-form-factor desktops, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) has the single-core D410 and dual-core D510 processors, both of which are also paired with the NM10.
The first Atom platform was a three-chip design with the CPU, the 945GSE chip that had memory and graphics controllers, and a third chip to handle I/O. With this new line of processors, the middle chip is eliminated and the graphics and memory controllers move onto the CPU die.
This is the same design concept as Intel's new Core i3 and i5 processors, except those are for mainstream desktop and notebook processors. The new Atoms add these features without changing the size of the die or the thermal envelope, according to Anil Nanduri, director of netbook marketing for Intel.
The processors all run at 1.66GHz, the same clock speed as the previous generation. Nanduri said this trio is "primarily about integration." Fewer chips means that the Atom platform can find its way into new, smaller-form-factor devices.
But why not just absorb I/O into the processor and be done with it? Nanduri said that a system-on-a-chip (SoC) design, which is what it would be if Atom absorbed the I/O controller as well, is not always the best choice. "We've hit the right cost points for partners and they have some room at the platform level. An SoC may not always be the most cost-effective solution for them," he said at a briefing for media here before the official rollout of the new chips.
Between the integration of the memory and graphics controllers and new manufacturing processes, the netbook platform has a 20 percent improvement in average power draw and a 60 percent smaller footprint. Entry-level desktop PCs such as fanless systems and low-cost all-in-one designs see a 50 percent power reduction and 70 percent footprint reduction.
The three Atoms all draw much less power than their big brothers in the Core i3/i5 family. The N450 draws just 5.5 watts; the D410 draws 10 watts; and the D510 a dozen, with total (including chipset) draws of 7, 12, and 15 watts, respectively. The chips support Windows 7, Windows XP and Moblin, Intel's Linux derivative.
Nanduri said Intel has landed 80 design wins for netbooks and 50 for desktops, some of which are unannounced. Despite coming out with a dual-core Atom with integrated graphics and memory controllers, Intel is not worried that the Atom will take business from the Core family.
Designed For Companion Devices
"We have looked at [the question of market overlap] for six quarters since the launch of Atom. We don't think there is significant cannibalization, and if there is, it's [at] entry-level price points. For the majority of sales, [Atom systems] are companion devices for our customers," he said.
More details will be announced next month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, when Intel CEO Paul Otellini delivers a keynote address.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel today formally introduced its first generation of integrated CPUs with on-die GPUs, which will officially be launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
These new dual-core processors are part of the company's "Westmere" generation of CPUs, which also will include quad-core processors without integrated graphics.
The CPU core is based on a 32-nanometer-process "Nehalem" design, while the on-chip graphics processor is fabricated using the older 45nm process.
However, the company emphasized that its new GPU technology, called Intel HD Graphics, still represents a significant upgrade. The new graphics cores are capable of tasks such as decoding two HD streams in hardware instead of one in hardware and one in software, which had previously consumed more CPU time under older designs.
As a result, the new graphics will support high-end display setups like those with multiple monitors, a first for Intel, along with dual-HDMI displays and DisplayPort. The company promises faster 3D graphics support for applications like Google Earth as well as smooth Blu-ray DVD playback.
All told, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) will launch 17 new processors at CES, along with three new chipsets and seven wireless chips, according to Stephen Smith, vice president and director of the company's PC clients unit. He made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday in advance of the holidays and CES.
The chips will be sold under the Core i3 and i5 labels, building on the existing Core i7 label for current quad-core designs. The Core i3 is meant for laptops and low-end desktops. The Core i5 is for the performance midrange and features Hyper-Threading, in which each core can run two separate processes.
The Core i5 design will also feature Turbo Boost, a technology that allows an idle CPU core to be turned off while a busy core gets extra processing power to help speed up its task. Intel said the feature is applicable to any processor-intensive job, whether it's video editing, music ripping, or gaming.
The parts themselves will be available January 7, although OEMs like HP (NYSE: HPQ), Acer, and Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) will be releasing desktops and laptops with the new chips on their own release schedules. Intel executives said they expect to ultimately announce approximately 400 design wins for the chips.
In addition to today's dual-core, graphics-integrated CPUs, Intel plans to announce the other portion of the Westmere lineup, new quad-core processors, at a future date.
Uday Marty, director of notebook marketing for Intel, said the 17 new models represent the most complete stack of product -- from low to midrange, for laptops and desktops -- ever introduced by Intel at one time. Normally, Intel staggers its releases, but he said these new chips would have legs.
"We believe the improvements we've made here will future-proof customers for future usage models," he said.
Intel CEO Paul Otellini will deliver a keynote speech at CES on Jan. 7 where he will update the audience on Intel's progress during the past year and give a future roadmap.
Seagate has announced the first product in a new enterprise solid-state drive (SSD) family -- the first enterprise-class SSD, period, according to the company. Designed for enterprise blade and general server applications, the Seagate Pulsar is a 2.5-inch, 200GB Serial ATA drive that uses single-level cell (SLC) flash technology to optimize reliability and endurance.
Rated at up to 240MB/sec for sequential read and 200MB/sec for sequential write performance, Pulsar boasts an 0.44 percent AFR rating with a five-year limited warranty. Seagate says the drive also protects against data loss in the event of power failure.
The Pulsar drive is now shipping to select OEM customers.
Micron Technology Inc. is now sampling what it calls the fastest drive for notebook and desktop PCs, period: the RealSSD C300, the first native Serial ATA 6Gb/sec solid-state drive (SSD), available in 128GB and 256GB capacities in both 1.8- and 2.5-inch form factors.
According to Micron, hard drives' mechanical limitations keep them from taking much advantage of the recent doubling of the SATA interface from 3Gb/sec to 6Gb/sec of bandwidth between the drive and host computer. By contrast, the RealSSD C300 uses Micron's 34-nanometer-process multi-level cell (MLC) synchronous NAND flash memory. The fast flash supports ONFI 2.1 -- the latest standard from the Open NAND Flash Interface industry working group -- letting it reach read speeds of up to 355 megabytes per second and write speeds of up to 215MB/sec.
Production quantities of the drive are expected to cut OS boot and file transfer times starting in the first quarter of 2010.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel today formally introduced its first generation of integrated CPUs with on-die GPUs, which will officially be launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
