Tech News
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GeIL Black Dragon PC3-17000 2133MHz C10 16GB Memory Kit Review @ Madshrimps
Published: Monday, April 30, 2012 | By: DennisThose of you who have seen my Computex coverage will no doubt be familar with Geil "Dragon" memory and up until now I always figured the modules were on display to draw in a crowd.
The Black Dragon PC3-17000 2133MHz C10 16GB is a high-end memory kit from GeIL which does not feature heatspreaders, has been tested in the proprietary DBT process for maximum reliability and are a delight when installed in cases with plexiglass side windows, thanks to the burning eyes and dragon design on the laterals.
Sadly the last time we saw the Black Dragon modules on display was at Computex 2009. Before that you would normally see the Golden Dragon. Same LED eyes too
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Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 Announced
Published: Monday, April 30, 2012 | By: Dennis"It" has arrived. This past weekend nVidia announced the new flagship GeForce product based on Keplier called the GTX 690. As the name indicates this is a dual gpu single board design using a PLX bridge chip and two GTX 680 GPUs.
On the surface it looks like the GTX 590 but the fan shroud has been completely redesigned and is poised to be the most powerful single card video solution ever made.
Well, folks, the mysterious "it" is finally here. Today at the GeForce LAN and Nvidia Gaming Festival event in Shanghai, China, Nvidia pulled the curtains back on what should be the fastest graphics card the world has seen to date. The GeForce GTX 690 will feature dual GK104 chips, just like those used in the GeForce GTX 680. Two of them together on a single card will team up to deliver roughly twice the theoretical peak performance of a single GTX 680.
- Tech ReportAnnouncement Articles
- Nvidia's Flagship Dual-GPU Powered GTX 690 Preview @ Bjorn3D
- NVIDIA Unveils Dual-GPU Powered GeForce GTX 690 @ HotHardware
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 Preview @ Hardware Canucks
- Nvidia uncorks world's fastest video card, the GeForce GTX 690As you can imagine this is going to be a high-end solution but will make 4-way SLI attainable to any who need that kind of power.
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Sapphire Pure Black X79N @ PureOverclock
Published: Thursday, April 26, 2012 | By: DennisIt is hard to imagine that I got to see the Sapphire X79 motherboard first hand over a year ago and here it is, on the market, and ready to go.
Recently, Sapphire has raised a few eyebrows with their Pure Platinum and Pure Black Series in both Intel and AMD Platforms. Today, we have our hands on Sapphire’s newest release, the Pure Black X79N. With some exciting added features, we didn’t waste any time to check out this bold new motherboard. But it comes with a very expensive price tag, so can it measure up?
It would be good to see Sapphire pushing out a few more motherboard designs, but as they told me the motherboards are just another market segment designed to help them sell video cards. With that said we can assume that the motherboards will be specially designed parts intended for a certain market segment and priced to make money.
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Cooler Master HAF XM Case Launch
Published: Thursday, April 26, 2012 | By: DennisOne of the coolest cases I saw at CES this year was the new Cooler Master HAF XM. This case was designed to be a smaller version of the popular HAF to give users that wanted a high airflow chassis an option for that design.
Reviews from the web
- Cooler Master HAF XM @ PureOverclock
- Cooler Master HAF XM Case Review @ Legit Reviews
- Cooler Master HAF XM @ LanOC Reviews
- Cooler Master HAF XM at Modders-Inc
- CoolerMaster HAF XM Mid-Tower Chassis @ Bjorn3D
- Cooler Master HAF XM Mid Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers
- Cooler Master HAF XM Mid Tower @ Pro-Clockers
- Cooler Master HAF XM @ techPowerUp
- Cooler Master HAF XM Mid Tower Case Review @ Hardware CanucksThat should do it for case designs until Computex.
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Ivy Bridge Hardware Review Block - The Big'en
Published: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 | By: DennisUnless you have been living in the past or under the AMD rock you will likely have heard about the new LGA1155 "tock" processor release codenamed, Ivy Bridge. Ivy is a process improvement update to the popular Sandy Bridge that shrinks the die and also introduces the notion of a 3D transistor.
The promise is lower power consumption and slightly better performance. Overclockers have already started setting records using the new proc while most hardware sites are claiming that its only worth the upgrade if you are a generation older than Sandy.Reviews from the web
- ASRock Z77 Extreme 6 with Ivy Bridge @ Ocaholic
- Intel HD 4000 Ivy Bridge Graphics On Linux @ Phoronix
- Intel Core i7-3770k – Ivy-Bridge Review on Technic3D
- Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Ivy Bridge Processor Review @ Legit Reviews
- Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge: Performance Preview and Overclocking @ APH Networks
- Ivy Bridge on air: The Core i7-3770K overclocked on four motherboards
- Intel's Core i7-3770K 'Ivy Bridge' processor reviewed at TR
- Intel Core i7 3770K Ivy Bridge Review @ HCW
- Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge Processor Review @ HotHardware
- Intel Core i7 3770K Ivy Bridge Linux Performance @ Phoronix
- Intel Core i7 3770K (Ivy Bridge) @ Bjorn3D
- Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge CPU and DZ77GA-70K Motherboard Review @MissingRemote
- Intel i7-3770K Ivy Bridge @ LanOC Reviews
- Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge Launch Review @ HardwareHeaven
- Intel i7 3770K Ivy Bridge CPU Review @ Hardware Canucks
- Ivy Bridge: Core i7 3770K and Core i5 3570K @ Ocaholic
- Intel Core i7 3770K / Core i5 3570K / Core i5 3550 Ivy Bridge review @ HardwareI'm still waiting for my 3770K processor to arrive, and when it does, watch out!
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Ivy Bridge CPUs, 28nm graphics cards facing shortages at launch
Published: Monday, April 23, 2012 | By: DennisThis always seems to be the story, hot new tech is about to hit the market and there isn't enough to go around.
Although Intel is ready to launch and sell its upcoming Ivy Bridge-based processors soon, shipments of the processor are estimated to be lower than expected with the possible driver being either low capacity or yield rates, and the situation is forcing Intel to adjust its processor shipment proportions for notebook and desktop platforms, according to sources from PC players, which added that Nvidia and AMD are also facing shortage issues for their 28nm graphics cards.
Although Intel will start selling its Ivy Bridge processor on April 29, the limited supply of Ivy Bridge processors means it is not expected to be able to satisfy downstream PC vendors' strong demand.
In May and June, Intel is already to launch 13 processors including Core i7 3770K, Core i7-3770, Core i5-3570K and Core i3-3240 and will launch 10 more models under its Core i5, Core i3 and Pentium series.Put me down for a 3770K they seem to be really hot right now.
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Why Windows 8 Is a Huge Gamble for Microsoft
Published: Friday, April 20, 2012 | By: DennisIt is no secret that Windows 8 is going to be a junk OS for the desktop but it's not stopping them from shipping it this fall, at least according to PCMag.
Windows 8 officially goes on sale this fall, but Microsoft has made its next-generation operating system available online for anyone who wants a sneak peek at the future of Windows. With a slick new interface of touchable, customizable tiles, the new Metro interface is built to help Microsoft compete in the fast growing tablet market.
Maybe this next comment is fueled by a love for Windows 2000 but the start menu really does work well for finding and launching programs. It also allows you to keep your desktop clean for shortcuts and other antics. So why change it? I think we can blame Apple for this one and the "me too" nature of humans.
The funny thing is you don't see Apple adding touch interfaces to OSX so I'm not sure why Microsoft is going this direction unless they aren't expecting people to upgrade right away and just want to, how they say, "get this one off.
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NVIDIA to Launch GeForce GTX 690 Before May 5
Published: Thursday, April 19, 2012 | By: DennisnVidia posted a cryptic photo on their facebook page the other day and didn't indicate anything beyond that "it's coming". Many speculated that it was a photo of the new GTX 690 while others thought it was a new chassis.
I find it hard to believe that it is a chassis but if you lighten the photo it really does look like the top oc a computer case. Still I am skeptical and it would seem that other hardware sites are speculating as well.
It turns out that the cryptic picture posted on NVIDIA GeForce Facebook page indeed is a teaser for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, a dual-GPU graphics card based on two GK104 GPUs. Several independent sources told SweClockers that NVIDIA is preparing to launch this SKU "in the week beginning April 30,"
The timing is in line with the next GPU release and nVidia has been known to try things like this in the past "just to shake things up" So either it be a chassis (which nVidia has NEVER released aside from licensed designs made by CM and TT) or the latest in high performance vidual computing, the fact remains, we'll have to wait and see.
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COD Black Ops 2 To Be Revealed on May 2
Published: Thursday, April 19, 2012 | By: DennisI caught this story when trolling twitter this morning and have to credit TPU for the alert. It would look like the next installment in the Black Ops franchise will be released May 2nd.
A source among retailers leaked a poster to Kotaku, which flashes a date, 05-02-12, along with a caption that reads "Return for Debriefing". Kotaku predicts that the date on the poster is more likely a reveal date than a release date.
GIven how crappy the first Black Ops was AND that the same company is making Black Ops 2 AND that there is no indication that they are going to use a new game engine I'm thinking that I will not only NOT buy this game but I might even boycott it.
I think the first two comments on TPU sum up my position nicely.
...and on that day, not even a single fuck was given.
Thank you sir! Seriously how many of these damn games are they gonna make!
Ya....
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Titan Fenrir Siberia TTC-NC55TZ(RB) Heatsink Review @ Frostytech
Published: Thursday, April 19, 2012 | By: DennisThis might be one of the coolest heatsinks I have seen in a really long time, and I have seen a bunch. Basically this is a twin tower cooler with one tower laying flat while the second is vertical and blowing air over the first. Of course the benefit here is longer heatpipes and the promise of more room around the base of the cooler. Let's see if they made that happen.
Top down cooling has its advantages, though tower cooling is usually the preferred method given its compact footprint. In this review Frostytech is testing out a heatsink from Titan that aims to satisfy both tower and top-top heatsink designs, in one. The Titan Fenrir Siberia Edition TTC-NC55TZRB heatsink is built around five 8mm diameter copper heatpipes which extend in two directions from a copper base block to independent fin stacks, essentially making one large CPU cooler from separate 'tower' and 'top-down' heatsinks.
I haven't seen much from Titan lately, though after seeing this cooler I might hit them up at Computex this year.
