NZXT Havik 120 HSF launched

NZXT introduced the HAVIK 120, a more compact version of the HAVIK 140. The new cooler has a nickel-plated copper base, four 8mm heatpipes and aluminium fins that are cooled by twp 120mm FZ-series PWM fans that deliver up to 75.8CFM at a noise level of 22dBA.

The cooler measures 125mm x 160mm x 112mm (W x H x D) and weighs 920g. Intel's LGA 2011, 1366, 1155, 1156, 775 and AMD's Socket AM3, AM2+, AM2 are all supported. the NZXT HAVIK 120 will soon ship for $54.99.

In continuation of the award-winning HAVIK series, NZXT�s latest CPU cooler, HAVIK 120 has arrived. This dual 120mm fan CPU cooler comes with four 8mm heat pipes, fan speeds up to 1500 RPM, and 22 dBA silent cooling with airflow of 75.8 CFM. Achieve the possibility of harmonizing performance and silence with HAVIK 120.

NZXT Havik 120 HSF launched - More news at DV Hardware

HDD supply to fall short 35 percent in Q4 2011

Sources at Taiwanese PC makers told DigiTimes that HDD production is estimated to fall short of demand by about 35 percent:

Global supply of hard disk drives (HDDs) in the fourth quarter of 2011 will decrease to 110-130 million units due to the impact of flooding in Thailand, about 35% short of demand for 180 million units, according to Taiwan-based makers in the PC supply chain.

Some PC makers are relatively optimistic that the global HDD shortage will ease in first-quarter 2012, while others estimate the easing to come in the second quarter, the sources indicated. However, they believe the HDD industry will take 9-24 months to completely restore normal production, meaning PC vendors will have to face increased HDD costs in 2012, the sources said.

HDD supply to fall short 35 percent in Q4 2011 - More news at DV Hardware

Skyrim 1.2 patch to arrive tomorrow

Bethesda announced patch 1.2 for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The PlayStation 3 edition is already available, PC and Xbox 360 gamers will have to wait until tomorrow.

UPDATE 1.2 NOTES (all platforms unless specified)

Improved occasional performance issues resulting from long term play (PlayStation 3)

Fixed issue where textures would not properly upgrade when installed to drive (Xbox 360)

Fixed crash on startup when audio is set to sample rate other than 44100Hz (PC)

Fixed issue where projectiles did not properly fade away

Fixed occasional issue where a guest would arrive to the player�s wedding dead

Dragon corpses now clean up properly

Fixed rare issue where dragons would not attack

Fixed rare NPC sleeping animation bug

Fixed rare issue with dead corpses being cleared up prematurely

Skeleton Key will now work properly if player has no lockpicks in their inventory

Fixed rare issue with renaming enchanted weapons and armor

Fixed rare issue with dragons not properly giving souls after death

ESC button can now be used to exit menus (PC)

Fixed occasional mouse sensitivity issues (PC)

General functionality fixes related to remapping buttons and controls (PC)

Source: Voodoo Extreme

Skyrim 1.2 patch to arrive tomorrow - More news at DV Hardware

Intel Ivy Bridge chipsets to support USB 3.0

Bright Side of News writes Intel's 7-series chipsets for Ivy Bridge will offer native USB 3.0 support:

Today we come with some mixed news about Intel's new 7X series chipsets for Ivybridge. As you can see in the table below, there will be several different chipsets for Ivybridge as Intel traditionally makes three for a certain chip. On top of that, there are a few very interesting developments in the way of USB 3.0, SATA 3.0 (6G) and PCIe. When it comes to USB 3.0, Intel is finally going to support USB 3.0 natively which will save motherboard vendors money when building Intel chipsets and hopefully make the boards overall less complicated to design. In addition to that, we will hopefully see better USB 3.0 performance and possibly less variation between different USB 3.0 controllers that we have now.

Intel Ivy Bridge chipsets to support USB 3.0 - More news at DV Hardware

AMD answers Bulldozer questions at HardOCP

HardOCP has asked AMD ten reader questions about the new Bulldozer desktop processors, you can read the full article over here.

7. Why would I buy a $275 Bulldozer cpu when the $170 1090t seems to equal its performance or actually do better at every benchmark and game we've seen?

Adam Kozak, Product Marketing Manager, AMD - We understand our customers make purchase decisions based on how they use their PCs, and in many cases our AMD Phenom� II processors are a great (purchase).

For those ready for a more modern architecture, who want a desktop for high resolution gaming and to tackle time intensive tasks with newer multi-threaded applications, the AMD FX processor is a great upgrade.

AMD answers Bulldozer questions at HardOCP - More news at DV Hardware

ARM to capture 10 percent of PC market by 2013?

Morgan Stanley analysts believe ARM will grab 10 percent of the PC market by 2013. Full details at FUD Zilla.

In a survey of 30 PC manufacturers, Morgan Stanley found that 40 percent of them were willing to give ARM chips a go. However, there are some hurdles to overcome before ARM PCs become a reality. Next generation chips from the likes of Texas Instruments and Nvidia should have enough muscle to power low end PCs, and their low power consumption could make them a perfect choice for affordable ultraportables or nettops.

...

Most next generation ARM chips that could find their way into PCs will be based on the 28nm or 20nm process, which means they will probably be churned out by TSMC, which has a significant lead in the 28nm process. Morgan Stanly reckons TSMC stands to generate about $650 million in additional revenues on the back of ARM PC chips.

ARM to capture 10 percent of PC market by 2013? - More news at DV Hardware

DRAM prices still tanking

DRAMeXchange reports prices of DDR3 memory chips continue to fall due to oversupply, slow demand and shortages of HDDs. Full details at X-bit Labs.

According to DRAMeXchange, a research division of TrendForce, due to the weak demand for PC in November (some PC OEMs orders were even cancelled) the market remained slow. Affected by the inventory pressure, several DRAM manufacturers resorted to cutting prices. In addition, the DDR3 2GB spot price dipped 25% compared to last month, which gave the clients an edge in the contract price negotiation and in turn furthered the price drop. Although DRAM makers such as Elpida and Nanya reduced their capacities in November, the effect of downsizing will not kick in until Q1 2012. In the short term, the DRAM market will still be in a state of oversupply, with the contract price downturn most likely to continue through the end of 2011.

The contract price of DDR3 2GB dropped from $18.75 in May 2011 to the current average selling price (ASP) of $9.5, a 50% decrease; the spot price of DDR3 2GB plunged by 70% to $0.74. With price falling below the manufacturing costs of many DRAM makers, companies with weaker financial health have downsized their capacities or shifted their focuses to other sectors.

DRAM prices still tanking - More news at DV Hardware

PCI Express 4.0 to double the bandwidth

While we're still waiting for the first PCI Express 3.0 graphics cards, PCI-SIG has already cooked up the PCI Express 4.0 draft specification. This new standard will enable a bandwidth of 16 gigatransfers per second (GT/s), twice as much as PCI Express 3.0. The final PCIe 4.0 specification is expected in 2014 or 2015.

PCI-SIG�, the organization responsible for the widely adopted PCI Express� (PCIe�) industry-standard input/output (I/O) technology, today announced the approval of 16 gigatransfers per second (GT/s) as the bit rate for the next generation of PCIe architecture, PCIe 4.0. This decision comes after the PCI-SIG completed a feasibility study on scaling the PCIe interconnect bandwidth to meet the demands of a variety of computing markets.

After technical analysis, the PCI-SIG has determined that 16 GT/s on copper, which will double the bandwidth over the PCIe 3.0 specification, is technically feasible at approximately PCIe 3.0 power levels. The data also confirms that a 16GT/s interconnect can be manufactured in mainstream silicon process technology and can be deployed with existing low-cost materials and infrastructure, while maintaining compatibility with previous generations of PCIe architecture. In addition, the PCI-SIG will investigate advancements in active and idle power optimizations, key issues facing the industry.

�The PCI Express architecture has become the de facto I/O technology within the industry, in large part due to PCI-SIG�s dedication to I/O innovation and the insight of those who defined earlier versions in such an extensible manner,� said Nathan Brookwood, research fellow at Insight 64. �Like its predecessors, the PCIe 4.0 architecture is well positioned to preserve the industry's investments in earlier generations of PCI Express specifications while extending the technology in a manner that enables new applications and usage models.�

Approximately 24 billion lanes of PCIe have shipped in the marketplace since its introduction−a strong testament to the industry�s reliance on PCIe architecture as an open bus standard now and for the future. This next-generation PCIe architecture, while doubling the data rate, will maintain its position as a low-cost, high-performance I/O technology. PCIe 4.0 technology will maintain backward compatibility with previous PCIe architectures and provide the optimum design point for high-volume platform I/O implementations across a wide range of existing and emerging applications. The PCIe 4.0 specification will address the many applications pushing for increased bandwidth at a low cost including server, workstation, desktop PC, notebook PC, tablets, embedded systems, peripheral devices, high-performance computing markets and more.

�Experts in the PCIe Electrical Workgroup carefully analyzed a number of target bit rates for the next generation of PCIe architecture, taking into consideration several key factors, including our ability to continue using low-cost materials. We have concluded that 16 GT/s is a feasible technical solution that satisfies our member companies� requirements,� said Al Yanes, PCI-SIG chairman. �While the preliminary analysis is encouraging, a lot more challenging work lies ahead in developing the specifications. The PCI-SIG looks forward to providing our members with a specification that not only satisfies their high performance requirements but also meets their power, cost and compatibility goals.�

The final PCIe 4.0 specifications, including form factor specification updates, are expected to be available sometime in the 2014-2015 timeframe.

PCI Express 4.0 to double the bandwidth - More news at DV Hardware

NVIDIA 28nm desktop GPU roadmap leaked

Details about NVIDIA's upcoming 28nm desktop GPUs were leaked by Asian tech site 4Gamer. The slide reveals NVIDIA's low-end parts (GK107) will arrive around Q2 2012, with mainstream parts (GK106) to follow by late Q2 2012 and a new high-end part (GK104) by mid-2012. Shortly after that we can expect a new dual-GPU model (GK110), and a new massive die chip (GK112) is anticipated by the end of the year or early 2013.

In 2012, NVIDIA is expected to embrace AMD's sweet-spot strategy, with no massive die. Instead, the top single GPU part will be GK104, featuring 384-bit 1.5 GB GDDR5 memory. GK104 is said to push out 2 TFLOPS, 30% higher than GTX 580. However, despite the smaller die, 4Gamer claims it consumes over 250W power. GK104 will release bang in the middle of 2012, perhaps during Computex time. Following right after GK104 will be GK110 - a dual GK104 flagship, thus completing NVIDIA's line-up for most of 2012 - remarkably similar to AMD's sweet spot strategy.

However, not for long, as late in 2012 / early 2013, NVIDIA plans to return back to a massive die with GK112, featuring 512-bit memory.

Source: VR Zone

NVIDIA 28nm desktop GPU roadmap leaked - More news at DV Hardware

AMD Radeon HD 7000 Mobility GPUs to be launched on December 5?

TPU picked up a rumor that AMD's first Radeon HD 7000 series cards may be introduced next week. The mobile parts are expected to be launched first, or perhaps the company will show off its GCN architecture.

It is indicated that products launched on that day will be based on GPUs built on the 28 nanometer fabrication process. The new products will be unveiled in London. It's likely that these are mobile parts based on the "Thames" and "Seymour" silicons. An alternate theory is that AMD could unveil some of its next-generation GPUs based on the GCN architecture, AMD's biggest leap in GPU architecture since Radeon HD 2000 series.

AMD Radeon HD 7000 Mobility GPUs to be launched on December 5? - More news at DV Hardware

Acer: HDD shortage to intensify in December

Acer VP Scott Lin told DigiTimes that PC vendors will see more serious HDD supply issues in December as HDD inventory levels will soon hit bottom:

As PC brand vendors' hard disc drive (HDD) inventory level will soon hit bottom, vendors will start experiencing HDD shortages in December and the problem will reach its peak in February until recovery comes in March, according to Acer vice president Scott Lin.

Despite PC brand vendors having already taken measures to secure and expand supply sources right after Thailand's flood, sources from the upstream supply chain still estimate that the hard drive supply gap will reach 35% in the fourth quarter with PC vendors starting feeling the pressure in December.

Acer pointed out that all the newly-made notebook models will have price increases of 2-3%, in addition to the extra cost of HDD, the increased price will also cover the extra cost for adopting Intel's new CPUs such as Core i3 2330, 2430 and Core i5 2450.

Acer: HDD shortage to intensify in December - More news at DV Hardware

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores launched

NVIDIA introduced the GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores, a new 40nm GF110 based card with 448 CUDA cores, 1280MB GDDR5 and a 320-bit memory bus.

The card features a 732MHz core, 1464MHz shaders and 3800MHz GDDR5 memory. The reference design draws power from two 6-pin PCI Express power connectors and includes two DVI outputs and one Mini-HDMI output.

Pricing is $289 but it's a limited edition release that will only be sold in North America, Germany, France, Scandinavia and Russia.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 Cores launched - More news at DV Hardware

Intel Ivy Bridge details and benchmark figures leak

Legit Reviews found details about Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge processors at Russian tech site Overclockers.ru:

Of the 18 models listed one is dual-core and all the others are quad-core processors. It looks like the Intel Core i7-3770K will be the unlocked processor that enthusiasts will be after. The Intel Core i7-3770K features four cores with a base clock speed of 3.5GHz. The processor does have Hyper-Threading, 8MB of shared L3 cache and a 3.9GHz turbo clock speed. The site also mentions that the Intel Ivy Bridge processors are scheduled to be releases in April 2012.

Additionally, LR also found benchmarks of the Ivy Bridge 22nm B3 stepping, you can check out the results over here.

Intel Ivy Bridge details and benchmark figures leak - More news at DV Hardware

More Ivy Bridge details leaked

VR Zone found even more Ivy Bridge details, you can read it over here.

A lot of details were missing in the initial leak and we can now fill in the blanks, especially with regards to the graphics and how the upcoming Ivy Bridge processor fit into Intel's echo system compared to the current Sandy Bridge processors.

Starting with the graphics, we have two graphics options in the desktop parts, Intel HD Graphics 4000 and Intel HD Graphics 2500. The main difference here beyond clock speeds is that we're expecting the execution units to be at least 1/3 greater in the HD 4000 parts compared to the HD 2500 parts, unless Intel has changed something last minute. The Core i7-3770K, Core i7-3770, Core i7-3770S, Core i7-3770T, Core i5-3570K as well as the oddly named Core i5-3475S will be the only ones with HD 4000 graphics, the rest get to make do with HD 2500 graphics.

More Ivy Bridge details leaked - More news at DV Hardware

Firmware exploit could set some HP printers on fire

Security researchers discovered printers from HP and possibly other printer makers are vulnerable to firmware exploits. Affected printers connect to the Internet and use a "Remote Firmware Update" process to update the printer's software, but because the updates are unsigned they can come from anyone.

Hackers can use the exploit to steal personal information and perhaps even set offices on fire. Columbia University Professor Salvatore Stolfo showed the press how attackers can heat up a printer fuser. During the demonstration paper in the printer turned brown and began to smoke before the printer's temperator-sensor shut off the printer to prevent a fire. But not all printers have such a safeguard.

HP insists it adopted digital signing on all its new printers since 2009, but the researchers found unsigned printers still being sold at office retailers in September 2011.

The attack can occur remotely, if the printer is set up for "cloud printing" as HP is particularly fond of. Researchers scanned the internet and in minutes found 40,000 printers they could have potentially set the "catch fire" command & control package to.

But the true number of vulnerable machines could be much, much higher. Comments Professor Stolfo, "I think it is very wise to broadcast the problem as soon as possible so all of the printer manufacturers start looking at their security architectures more seriously. It is conceivable that all printers are vulnerable. �Printers that are 3-, 4-, 5-years-old and older, I'd think, all used unsigned software. The question is, 'How many of those printers are out there?' It could be much more than 100 million."

Or in the case of good old-fashioned local printers, an on-site attack using a virus laden document print-job can offer equivalent access. Once the printer has received orders, its firmware is updated deleting the standard operating system and installing a malicious variant.

Mikko Hypponen, head of research at Finnish security firm F-Secure, was astounded by the flaw. He comments, "First of all, how the hell doesn't HP have a signature or certificate indicating that new firmware is real firmware from HP? Printers have been a weak spot for many corporate networks. Many people don�t realize that a printer is just another computer on a network with exactly the same problems and, if compromised, the same impact."

More info about the exploit can be read at DailyTech. Security experts warn printer exploits are just the start of a whole new wave of attacks. An increasing number of digital electronics are becoming connected to the Internet, but unfortunately security is usually not a priority when designing these functionalities.

Firmware exploit could set some HP printers on fire - More news at DV Hardware

Thecus N8200XXX 8-Bay Rack Mount NAS Server Review

Introduction

Thecus has widened their product range a great deal over the last couple of years with new products forming at both the high and low end of the scale. This has opened the door for multiple products to fill in spaces once occupied by a single product. The end result is a vast range of options made available to consumers, small businesses and even enterprise clients.

With the economy the way it is today, businesses don't want to spend to get more than they need. When most of us think about rack mount servers, we tend to get a picture of large rooms full of racks with exotic cooling and more blinking LED lights than you'd find on the Death Star. The reality is, though, that most small and medium sized businesses need only one or two servers and those servers are tasked with multiple roles.

At the time of writing Thecus lists ten rack mount NAS servers on their webpage. Today we're looking at the N8200XXX. The N8200XXX sites in the lower end of the midrange, but you would hardly know it after using one. The outside design was taken directly from the N8800PRO we reviewed last year, so even though the XXX model sits in a lower position on the scale, Thecus didn't cut corners in the quality department.

The main difference in the N8X00 product line that includes (bottom to top) the N8200XXX, N8800+ and N8800PRO, is the processing power and RAM configuration. The 8200XXX that we are looking at today uses an Intel Atom D525 and 1GB of system RAM. At the high end of the N8800 scale is the PRO model that uses an Intel Core 2 Duo with 4GB of DDR2. Both of these systems will provide you with gigabit speed file transfers, but the PRO model will run more background operations and support a higher number of simultaneous users.

Before you can determine which model best suites your needs, you first need to figure out what your new NAS will be running. For unencrypted file serving the D525 powered N8200XXX can be a great bargain and you still have enough processing power to run a webserver, database and other tasks.

Let's take a look and see what the N8200XXX has under the hood.

... Read the rest in your browser!

IMEC foresees 450mm wafer availability in 2015

EE Times reports IMEC presented its 450mm wafer fab roadmap:

European nanoelectronics research institute IMEC sees 2015 as about the time when the first extreme ultra-violet lithography system able to run 450-mm diameter wafers will be available and hence as the time it will need to have a dedicated 450-mm wafer clean room available.

Luc van den Hove, president and CEO of IMEC laid out a timeline to a press gathering here. It began in 2012 with 450-mm wafer tool and metrology testing, moving on to 450-mm process development between about 2013 and 2016 and then into advanced production starting in about 2016.

IMEC foresees 450mm wafer availability in 2015 - More news at DV Hardware

Another 93,000 Sony accounts hacked

Sony announced hackers have breached about 60,000 PlayStation Network accounts as well as 33,000 Sony Entertainment accounts. According to details released by Sony Chief Information Security Officer Philip Reitinger, hackers obtained a large amount of user data from other companies or websites, and used a brute-force attack to hack the Sony accounts:

According to Sony, the hackers obtained a large amount of user data from other companies or websites. The hackers were attempting to sign-in to numerous accounts using ID and password pairs, and while the �overwhelming majority of the pairs resulted in failed matching attempts� there were still approximately 93 thousand accounts (globally) in which the hackers succeeded.

Of those 93 thousand accounts, 60 thousand were PSN accounts and 33 thousand were SOE accounts. Reitnger had this to say regarding the hacked accounts:

�Only a small fraction of these 93,000 accounts showed additional activity prior to being locked. We are currently reviewing those accounts for unauthorized access, and will provide more updates as we have them. Please note, if you have a credit card associated with your account, your credit card number is not at risk. We will work with any users whom we confirm have had unauthorized purchases made to restore amounts in the PSN/SEN or SOE wallet.�

More info at Vivid Gamer.

Another 93,000 Sony accounts hacked - More news at DV Hardware

Sony recalls 1.6 million Bravia TVs due to fire hazard

Bad luck just keeps striking Sony. A report over at Bloomberg reports the company is forced to recall 1.6 million Bravia LCD TVs sold worldwide since 2007 because a faulty component can lead to melting and/or fire.

Sony recalled the liquid-crystal display TVs after a September incident in which a customer noticed a small fire and smoke, said Yuki Shima, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman for the world�s No. 3 maker of televisions. Eleven incidents have been reported in Japan since 2008, according to a company statement, and no injuries have been reported.

A faulty component in the backlight systems may be the source of overheating that can melt the top of the TV set, Shima said. It�s the second recall involving Sony products in a month, with KDDI Corp., Japan�s second-largest mobile-phone operator, saying it would replace Sony-made batteries in as many as 2 million handsets because they may overheat and melt.

Sony recalls 1.6 million Bravia TVs due to fire hazard - More news at DV Hardware

Gabe Newell sees Apple redefining the games console market

Could Apple have plans for a living-room product that may redefine the games console market? According to Valve founder Gabe Newell, such a product may be in Apple's pipeline:

'I suspect Apple will launch a living-room product that redefines people's expectations really strongly and the notion of a separate console platform will disappear,' said Newell.

However, Newell admitted that he wasn't hiding any insider information and did not know if there really was such a product in Apple's pipeline.

Newell then moved on to discuss the problems of closed platforms and, according to The Seattle Times, said that if Valve were to ever release a a hardware platform itself then it would be designed as open to competing services.

Source: Bit Tech

Gabe Newell sees Apple redefining the games console market - More news at DV Hardware

HP said to be reconsidering PC spin-off

Despite earlier statements by HP that it will not reverse decisions made by its former CEO L�o Apotheker, WSJ now reports that new CEO Meg Whitman is having seconds thoughts about spinning off the PC division.

Quoting "people familiar with the matter," the Wall Street Journal reports that "fresh analyses show the costs [of a spin-off] might outweigh the benefits." The Journal says HP is considering scrapping the spin-off route, as a result.

That would leave a sale of the PC business as an alternative�although of course, HP could just as well keep the unit in-house and retain its status as the world's biggest PC vendor. We should find out about HP's strategy for sure later this month. Whitman promised last week to come to a decision before the end of October.

Source: Tech Report

HP said to be reconsidering PC spin-off - More news at DV Hardware

GeIL EpicGear shows off first hybrid dual sensor mouse

GeIL's new EpicGear gaming brand showed off Meduza, world's first mouse with "hybrid dual sensor technology" (HDST). Pricing and availability is unknown, but the launch should occur pretty soon.

This mouse features what EpicGear is calling the world's first "HDST" and that stands for hybrid dual sensor technology. As you'll see in the pictures, on the back surface of the mouse where you usually see either a laser or optical sensor for tracking, EpicGear include both a laser sensor and an optical sensor. EpicGear says that super fast laser sensor with speeds up to 6000 DPI and the stable optical precision with jitter-free operation leads to an overall much better feel and use than traditional mice.

Source: TweakTown

GeIL EpicGear shows off first hybrid dual sensor mouse - More news at DV Hardware

Adobe demonstrates motion blur correction technology

PC World reports Adobe has demonstrated a new technology that corrects motion blur. Unfortunately, the YouTube clip of the demonstration is no longer publicly available.

Peter Elst captured a sneak peak of Adobe�s motion blur correction feature when it was demoed at the Adobe MAX 2011 conference. In the demo, an Adobe rep corrected a horribly blurred image by setting some predetermined parameters, analyzing the image for exactly how the camera moved when it blurred the image, and then hitting a "restore" button.

The rep also demonstrated that he could select part of the image to be corrected and that it can bring back unreadable text.

Adobe demonstrates motion blur correction technology - More news at DV Hardware

Tablets with Retina-quality screens to arrive in 2012

X-bit Labs reports next-gen tablets may get screens with a resolution as high as 2048 x 1536 pixels:

Increasing demand for high information content and multimedia capability in mobile devices continues to drive flat panel display resolution to higher levels of pixel density. For example, the next generation of tablets may get screens with 2048*1536 resolution. As a result, the average pixel density of flat panel displays is expected to grow over the next few years.

At present panel makers are developing ultra-high resolutions, such as 2K (2048*1556) or 4K (4096*2160) for TVs and QXGA (2048*1536 pixels) for tablet PCs. According to the latest report from DisplaySearch, the average pixels per inch (PPI) of large-area (over 9.1�) TFT LCDs will increase from 88ppi in 2010 to 98ppi in 2015, while average ppi for small/medium (less than 9.0�) TFT LCDs will grow from 180 to 210 over the same period. Mobile phones are the most obvious driver of increasing ppi due to growth in smart phones, with displays like 3.5� 960*640 resolution (330ppi), 4.3� 800*480 (217ppi) and 1280*800 (330ppi).

Tablets with Retina-quality screens to arrive in 2012 - More news at DV Hardware

OCZ proclaims success in SSD market

Solid state disks are OCZ's main gig now and according to CEO Ryan Petersen, the company is now one of the largest SSD suppliers on the planet:

"Unlike our publicly traded SSD peers, OCZ was not a purpose built enterprise SSD company. Last year we set out to do what might have seemed improbable if not impossible, transition completely away from [DRAM] business to focus on SSDs while simultaneously growing revenue. Now, we are proud of our progress. [...] Today, we sell more SSDs than just about any other company in the world," said Ryan Petersen, chief executive officer of OCZ, during the most recent conference call.

The company claims that among the companies, who do not have their own NAND flash manufacturing facilities (Samsung, IMFT, etc.), it is among the largest suppliers of solid-state drives among both enterprise and client categories.

Source: X-bit Labs

OCZ proclaims success in SSD market - More news at DV Hardware

DRAM prices flatten in October

X-bit Labs has a report about the DRAM market, you can read it over here.

In spite of seasonality and activities of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) producers to boost pricing of computer memory contract prices on 4GB DDR3 modules remained flat in the first half of October, according to DRAMeXchange, a research division of TrendForce, market tracking company.

4GB at $10.5, 2Gb at Less than $1
Benefitting from continual inventory replenishment for the holiday season as well as account balancing at the end of the third quarter, DDR3 4GB module contract price stayed almost flat in the first half of October and cost $10.5. The price of a 2Gb chip fell slightly, DRAMeXchange reports.

DRAM prices flatten in October - More news at DV Hardware

Intel X79 to arrive next month

FUD Zilla writes Intel's X79 is slated to arrive in November for $79 a pop.

Intel's high end X79 chipset is going to sell for a saucy $73 when it becomes available in November. Intel's Z68 remains the runner up chipset with $48 while the old X58 is out of the focus.

Since X58 stayed in operation much longer than many expected Intel has decided that X79 is a better codename considering that Sandy Bridge E successor probably won�t ship before earliest Q4 2012.

The $73 price tag is not exactly cheap for a USB 2.0 only chipset but Intel is winning to give you 10 SATA 6Gb/s ports, PCIe 2.0 for graphics and PCIe 3.0 dedicated for storage. Not what top gamers had in mind but what can you do. Naturally the chipset supports 1Gbit internet as well as an SCSI controller.

Intel X79 to arrive next month - More news at DV Hardware