VR-Zone Articles

Nvidia: Data on Fermi's gaming features "forthcoming"

Sub — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:55:51 +0800

Despite constant rumours that Nvidia is focusing on the potentially lucrative HPC industry with Fermi - rather than gaming - company spokesperson Bryan Del Rizzo dismisses such rumours as "unfounded" and "ludicrous".

"Gaming remains our bread and butter focus area. However, there are other opportunities for us to explore as the company grows, such as the HPC sector," explained Del Rizzo.

The reason why all details on Fermi so far points towards a focus on compute processing rather than gaming graphics is probably because the two events that have covered Fermi - GTC and SC '09 are both compute oriented. Del Rizzo insists Nvidia have still not revealed "a lot" of details about the gaming capabilities of Fermi.

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Garmin-ASUS nuvifone M20 is now equipped with Windows Mobile 6.5

saeba — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:12:00 +0800

Garmin-ASUS has recently announced their nuvifone M20 all-in-one phone will come equipped with the latest Windows Mobile 6.5, allowing users to enjoy a better experience with the new user interface and applications. You can also choose to download additional applications to the phone from Microsoft's Windows Marketplace.

Samsung unveils Multimedia Player R0 in Korea

saeba — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:15:00 +0800

Samsung has unveiled their latest R0 (YP-R0) multimedia player in Korea which supports both audio and video playback, and comes with a microSD card slot for expansion. The R0 comes in three colors - black, silver and pink - and feature a 2.6-inch TFT LCD screen and DNSe 3.0 sound enhancement technology.

ASUS Unveils New Eee PC, EeeTop and EeeBox Powered by NVIDIA ION

Visionary — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:05:41 +0800

ASUS has adopted award-winning NVIDIA ION graphics for many of its top-selling Eee netbooks and nettop PCs. All of the NVIDIA ION-based PCs and motherboards from ASUS fully support Windows 7, which takes advantage of graphics processors to accelerate a variety of applications, freeing the CPU to handle other tasks. The new ASUS products include:

ASUS Eee PC 1201N: An incredibly fast netbook that combines NVIDIA ION graphics with a dual-core CPU to deliver a superior multimedia experience.
ASUS EeeTop PC ET2002T: A stylish all-in-one PC featuring a 20-inch Touchscreen display and built-in DVD drive.
ASUS EeeBox PC EB1012: The latest version of ASUSs pioneering nettop delivers an incredible media experience with support for HD video, HDMI, and casual gaming.
ASUS EeeBox PC EB1501: A full PC experience with built-in DVD burner, up to 4GB of memory, wireless connectivity and Windows 7 Home Premium.
ASUS AT3N7A-I: A mini-ITX motherboard that is ideal for building a media centre, small form factor desktop, or home theater PC.

NZXT Unleashes Tempest EVO Case

d1m — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:06:37 +0800

NZXT Tempest EVO

Californian based NZXT has unveiled the Tempest EVO, a great-looking budget chassis aimed at the mainstream market. easuring 211.5 X 521.5 X 562mm and weighing 11.2Kg, the water-cooling friendly steel chassis features a Screwless Rail Design, 8x 3.5 bays, 3x 5.25 bays, 7x expansion slots and a top-side panel with 2 x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA and audio connectors.

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Asus Launches the TS Mini Soho Server

d1m — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:05:39 +0800

TS Mini Soho Server

Asus, well-known for its high performance motherboards and graphic cards, has announced the TS mini Soho server , targeting modern home and small office users. Measuring 245 x 96 x 204mm and weighing 2.7kg, the mini server features a 1.66 GHz Atom N280 processor, 1Gb of RAM, a 500Gb or 2Tb HDD and a 90W PSU.

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Sony announces new PS3 with 250GB storage and FF XIII Lightning Edition

saeba — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:19:00 +0800

If you have recently bought the new 120GB Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) Slim, you are going to hit the ceiling when you hear this; the Sony PS3 Slim with 250GB hard drive is going to be in stores soon and will be about S$40 more expensive than the original PS3 Slim announced in mid September. In addition, the maker has also announced the limited edition bundle pack of Final Fantasy XIII, which would be available on 17 December.

HTC unveils HD2 Windows Phone

saeba — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:25:00 +0800

Today, HTC unveiled their latest Windows Phone, the HD2, which claims to be the first with capacitive touch display. The HD2 sports a 4.3-inch screen and features Qualcomm 1Ghz processor, a 5-megapixel camera and incorporates Windows Mobile 6.5 OS.

Mionix Naos 5000 Gaming Mouse Provides The Perfect Grip

Visionary — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:17:00 +0800

Mionix today unveiled their new gaming mouse, Mionix Naos 5000 that fully support all five fingers. It has been under development since the beginning of this year and has been tested by gamers, both professionals and amateurs in order to find the perfect ergonomic grip. The gaming mouse has a centralized weight tuning system that improves the weight distribution of the mouse and comes with a S.Q.A.T (Surface Quality Analyzer Tool), a smart tool that measures the tracking quality of the mousepad surface. To be available worldwide in December 2009 at a recommended price of 71,99 +VAT.

Google and LTA Singapore collaborates to help users get to places more conveniently

saeba — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:00:00 +0800

Google and Land Transport Authority (LTA) Singapore held a press conference this morning to announce their collaborative effort to provide commuters with the info they require - from mapping, route planning to traffic congestion information and bus/train arrival schedule.

ATI Radeon HD 5970 Roundup

Sub — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:50:00 +0800

ATI's much anticipated and slightly delayed Hemlock - Radeon HD 5970 is here. To be honest, there are really no notable surprises surrounding this release.

Our forum member, adrianlee, has once again created a comprehensive list of reviews across the web. However, the HD 5970 is something more. It is not just about benchmarks and numbers.

More next page.

Nvidia Fermi demonstrated at SC '09

Sub — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:12:00 +0800

Following the release of ATI's flagship Hemlock, we first witnessed the first picture of a working Fermi based Geforce system, and now at SC '09, Nvidia have demonstrated Fermi going up against GT200. All in one day!

The demonstration is a N-body simulation running on CUDA with 20,480 body interactions in double precision. This demonstration was designed to show off Fermi's massive DP performance increase over GT200. Of course, being a supercomputing conference, these results are hardly relevent for gaming. The GT200 GPU was a Tesla C1060 and the Fermi was an Tesla 20 sample. The results? 3.5 fps for the C1060, 21.72 fps for Fermi.

More details next page.

Asus Preps ROG Maximus III Extreme Motherboard for Launch

d1m — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:37:02 +0800

Folks over at Nordic Hardware had reported that Asus is preparing the ROG Maximus III Extreme motherboard for launch at DreamHack in Jnkping, Sweden, this end November. Based on the LGA-1156 socket, this P55 based motherboard is the best in its league and features an additional PCI-Express bridge chip for two x16 links.

More details next page...

Kingston Unveils DataTraveler Locker+

d1m — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:36:10 +0800

DataTraveler Locker+

Kingston, the world's largest independent manufacturer of memory products, has launched its DataTraveler Locker+ series of USB flash drives. Measuring 65.76 x 17.98 x 10.7mm, these compact flash drives feature 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption on all its stored data, waterproof and simple to use.

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Antec Announces New TruePower Quattro 1200W PSU

d1m — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:30:00 +0800

Antec has launched the TPQ-1200, its first 1200W PSU and the latest addition to the TruePower Quattro series of high-performance power supplies.

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Arctic Cooling Unleashes Accelero XTREME GTX Pro VGA Cooler

d1m — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:29:42 +0800

Accelero XTREME GTX Pro VGA Cooler

Hot on the heels of Accelero Twin Turbo Pros release, Arctic Cooling has unveiled the Accelero XTREME GTX Pro VGA Cooler, adding on to its line-up of high performance thermal solutions for graphic cards.

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Samsung Singapore Introduces new mobile phones and projector

saeba — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:23:00 +0800

Samsung Singapore has announced four new mobile phones - OmniaPRO B7610, OmniaPRO B7330, OmniaLITE B7300 and Samsung CorbyTXT - and a pocket projector which would be available soon in stores.

Logitech G27 Racing Wheel coming to Singapore

saeba — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:05:00 +0800

Gamers would want to check out the new Logitech G27 Racing Wheel for a superb driving and gaming experience. It features a dual-motor force feedback mechanism that accurately delivers high-fidelity force effects to the wheel. Other features include six-speed gated shifter and RPM/shift indicator LEDs. And best of all, its going to be available soon.

Enjoy music on the go with the Bose Mobile In-Ear headset

saeba — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:19:00 +0800

Bose has announced their new Mobile In-Ear headset designed for music lovers who enjoy listening to their favorite songs on the mobile phones. It features a one-touch answer/end call button which allow you to switch from music and call.

Nvidia GF100 pictured!

Sub — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:50:00 +0800

Finally, we have a picture of what looks like real Fermi based Geforce product rendering graphics! Probably not a co-incidence it was revealed on the same day as AMD's Radeon HD 5970 release.

The picture, posted on Nvidia's Facebook page, is of a GF100 product running Unigine's Heaven DX11 benchmark. Visually, the card look similar to current GTX 260/275/285 products.

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OCZ Officially Launches Colossus 3.5-inch 1TB SSD

Visionary — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:55:00 +0800

OCZ today released the Colossus 3.5 Solid State Drive (SSD) Series available in up to one terabyte configurations delivering excellent performance on internal RAID 0 architecture. The maximum read speed/write speed is 260MB/s while the Sustained write is at 220MB/s and Max IOPS at 14K. The Colossus SSD is available in other capacities such as 128GB, 256GB, 512GB. Prices range from USD6xx for 128GB to USD35xx for 1TB version for the US market. Expect prices to be higher for the Europe and Asia markets.

Epson holds 3LCD Technology Forum in Singapore

saeba — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:35:00 +0800

Epson Singapore held a 3LCD Technology Forum for the media at Suntec Convention Centre this morning, and announced nine new projectors for home, business and educational institutes.

Transcend launches StoreJet 35T External HDD and new 64GB CF Card

saeba — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:38:00 +0800

Today, Transcend launched their new StoreJet 35T external hard drive which comes with TurboHDD USB transfer mode and One Touch auto-backup button, and offers up to 1.5TB capacity to store your photos, music and video files. In addition, the manufacturer has also announced their latest 64GB CompactFlash memory card that supports even the high-end digital SLR cameras.

MSI Releases N240GT Series with Afterburner OC Tool

Visionary — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:32:20 +0800

MSI introduces the worlds first graphics card to support overvoltage functionality: the N240GT series. The N240GT-MD512-OC/D5 and N240GT-MD1G allow the user to adjust GPU voltage and the overclocking configurations via MSI Afterburner overclocking software allowing OC potential up to 30%. MSIs N240GT series of graphics cards implements the military class components:Hi-c CAPs, solid state capicators and solid state chokes to handle higher power flows for even better overclocking capability.

DFI Dual Chipsets Board Unveiled - Intel P45 + NVIDIA ION

Visionary — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:07:00 +0800

DFI announced Hybrid platform that adopts the latest DFI patent technology. The DFI HB P45-ION-T2A2 board combines P45 + ICH10R with NVIDIA ION which operate completely independently. The first platform consists P45 + ICH10R chipset where you need to install an Intel processor, DDR2 memory and a graphics card. As for the second platform, it is NVIDIA ION based with an integrated Atom N230 processor where you only need to install SO-DIMM DDR2 memory. The two platforms have independent HDD system but sharing USB, 8-channel audio, SPDIF etc through the onboard KVM and LAN switch. SRP for end users is USD $399 and shipping date is 27th of November.

Kingston HyperX Triple Channel 12GB Kits Shipped

Visionary — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:43:24 +0800

Kingston announced it is shipping 2GB triple-channel HyperX memory kits consists of six 2GB modules running at 1600MHz and 1.65 volts specially for Core i7 platforms. The memory kit has been tested with great success on motherboards with six sockets such as the Gigabyte GA-X58-UD6 and Asus P6T Deluxe motherboards.

More Radeon HD 5970 Details leak

Sub — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:42:00 +0800

While we are only a few hours away from the official release, there's information galore for the impatient of us. Like they did with the HD 5800 launch, Czechgamer are back with more leaked slides. First up, the final heatsink is indeed much like the HD 5800/5770, just a larger version. The clock speeds, as expected are 725 MHz and 4000 Mhz for the core and memory respectively. TDP is 294W, with an idle power of a paltry 42W! Quite brilliant for a dual-GPU monster.

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Galaxy GeForce GT240 D3 and D5 Announced

Visionary — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:45:00 +0800

Galaxy releases the new GeForce GT240 D5 and Galaxy GeForce GT240 D3 with 1GB/512MB. It is based on 40nm process with 96 stream processors, 128-bit memory interface, 512MB GDDR3/5 memory. The cards come with its own custom cooler to keep the GPU operating 10-15 degrees lower than the standard cooling system.

Fermi in trouble?

Sub — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:43:00 +0800

We all know it is constantly being delayed - but at the end of all those delays, what we were expecting was a stellar product from Nvidia. However, with today's press release, certain inconvenient details are revealed. Let's forget about the delays for now, and just consider the product itself.

The first Fermi GPU - GF100 - as we know for a while now, is a 3 billion transistor giant, taking a die size of around 500 mm². Compare this with the 2.15 billion transistor, 330 mm²Cypress on the same 40nm TSMC process, and you would be expecting a different class of product. Unfortunately, the details revealed today about cast an uncertain shadow over this basic assumption.

More details next page.

[Press Release] Nvidia announces Fermi Tesla GPUs

Sub — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:08:00 +0800

Nvidia have "paper launched" the HPC version of its next-generation Fermi architecture. Branded as Tesla 20 series, the HPC GPGPUs will release in Q2 2010. Like the Tesla 10 series based on GT200, Tesla 20 will feature single GPU and four GPU options.

The single GPU will come in to variants - C2050 and C2070, with upto 3GB and 6GB GDDR5 memory respectively (with ECC enabled, 2.6GB and 5.2GB). The prices? An enormous $2,499 and $3,999, respectively.

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UPDATED: AMD powers 4 of top 5 Supercomputers

Sub — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:43:00 +0800

The new edition of TOP500 is out - and it is a surprise to see AMD heavily featured in the fastest supercomputers. Of the top 5 supercomputers in the world - AMD products find there way into all but one. Surprisingly, we have to look at #5 for the first showing of Intel.

Architecturally, Intel's Nehalem based Xeon CPUs are vastly superior to AMD's Shanghai based Opterons. However, six core Opterons do have a core count advantage. Even with 50% more cores, the quad core Xeons often sneaks past their Opteron rivals. There are applications which prefer the higher core count - and perhaps this is something supercomputer makers consider.

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AMP Unveils World's Smallest 16Gb USB Flash Drive

d1m — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:18:51 +0800

Wink

AMP, a leader in netbook SSD upgrades and cute USB flash drives, has launched its Wink series of flash drives. Measuring 30 x 12 x 2.5mm, these compact drives are encased in high-impact polymer and features an embossed wink face and an eye hole for an included keychain.

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Arctic Cooling Announces Standalone Accelero Twin Turbo Pro

d1m — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:17:35 +0800

Accelero Twin Turbo Pro

Swiss based Arctic Cooling has launched its standalone Accelero Twin Turbo Pro, a revised version of its predecessor, the Accelero TWIN TURBO. Measuring 215 x 115 x 52mm and weighing 450g, the Accelero Twin Turbo Pro is embedded with 2x 92mm (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) fans, capable of up to 2000 RPM (depending on GPU load) and features 4 copper heatpipes, 35 aluminium fins and pre-applied Arctic MX-2 thermal compound on its base.

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[Rumour] Pre-launch ATI Radeon HD 5970 Details

Sub — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:53:00 +0800

We are less than two days away from the big launch of AMD's current generation flagship - Hemlock, or to be branded as ATI Radeon HD 5970. As we know, the HD 5970 is basically two Cypress dies from the HD 5870 on one PCB, much like the HD 4870 X2 was to RV770. HD 5870's TDP does end up at 188W, nearly 30W higher than the HD 4870. Thus, to comply with PCI SIG standards, AMD have reportedly downclocked the GPU to 725 MHz and 4000 MHz for the memory. The full complement of 1600 shaders each is retained.

The TDP, as expected, is just below 300W, with Fudzilla reporting 294W. This is exactly where we would expect it to be - contrary to earlier rumours of >300W. The HD 5970 packs 40 SIMD units, 3200 shader units, 160 TMU and 64 ROP in total, with a theoretical computer performance of an amazing 4.64 TFlops.

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Nvidia Geforce GT 240 priced at $99

Sub — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:30:00 +0800

A day before release, Fudzilla have finalized specifications and price for what is likely to be Nvidia's final release before Fermi. The product is the GT 240 - based on the 40nm GT215 shrink. It packs in 96 shader units and an unusually low clock speed for a product of it's kind of 550 MHz. Another evidence of Nvidia struggling with the 40nm process? Of course, the GT 240 releases many months late, and really, it would only be competitive had it released in 2008.

The GT 240 will ship with either a GDDR3 version or a GDDR5 version. Considering it is tied to a 128 bit memory interface, we can expect the GDDR5 version to be much faster. Performance wise, the faster GDDR5 version is expected to just edge out the $69 HD 4670, but fall much short of the 9800 GT or the HD 4770. Not particularly remarkable? But the worst part of the GT 240 is its price.

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Shuttle to Unveil New J Series XPC at CES

Visionary — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:27:00 +0800

SHUTTLE today announced that the new J Series from its new XPC models
lineup will be unveiled at the 2010 International CES, the worlds largest tradeshow
for consumer technology, returning to Las Vegas, January 7-10, 2010. SHUTTLE will be unveiling its new XPC models, including the new J Series, with three models designed for entry-level, mainstream, and high-performance computing. Besides a new look, the models will be ready for the latest new Intel processors for the coming year and beyond.

Sony Singapore Announces New Hybrid Voice Recorders and Headphones

saeba — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:04:00 +0800

Sony Singapore has announced their new hybrid voice recorders designed with high quality audio recording and larger storage capacity of up to 8GB. The maker has also launched three new headphones for audiophiles with improved sound resolution and cushioned earpads for comfortable use. Read on for the product releases.

Samsung introduces Galaxy Spica (I5700) Android phone

saeba — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:31:00 +0800

Today, Samsung introduced their latest Android phone which sports a slim 13.2mm thickness and incorporates an 800MHz processor. Other features include DNSe 2.0, 1500mAh battery and supports various Google services including YouTube, Google Maps and Google Talk. It is available in Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Middle East and Africa (MEA). No news as to whether it will be coming to Asia yet.

PC-Cooling Unveils Cooltek K4 Case

d1m — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:39:00 +0800

Cooltek K4

PC-Cooling has launched the Cooltek K4 mid tower chassis, an entry level case aimed at the budget conscious. Measuring 430 x 190 x 480mm and weighing 5.2kg, the case features a tool free design for both 5.25 and 3.5 devices, and PCI slots.

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Arctic Cooling Launches Universal Chargers

d1m — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:37:49 +0800

Arctic C1 and C2

Swiss based Arctic Cooling has unveiled the Arctic C1 and C2 universal chargers, expanding its product portfolio. Measuring 53 x 53 x 25mm and 75 x 50 x 29mm, the lightweight universal chargers have 1x and 4x USB ports for charging respectively, and incorporate Short Circuit Protection, Over Current Protection and Over Power Protection for safety and peace of mind.

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