AMD Catalyst 11.5 Windows 7 Driver Analysis

TweakTown checked out the latest Catalyst driver over here.

"This came as a bit of a surprise! AMD decided to release the 11.5 driver set which followed the massive 11.4 in the first half of this month. Normally we see the Catalyst driver come out towards the end of the month; this is more so seen after such a massive release.

It seems that AMD wanted to just improve Hydravision while doing the normal array of bug fixes which can all be seen below. With clearly not much emphasis being put on performance this time around, we're not expecting any miracles, but we'll see just what the new 11.5 driver has to offer over the previous 11.4 which we love."

AMD Catalyst 11.5 Windows 7 Driver Analysis - More news at DV Hardware

Gartner claims SSDs to become mainstream in 2012

Gartner claims solid state disks will break into the mainstream in the second half of 2012, when pricing is expected to fall to $1 per gigabyte.

At that point, Gartner expects SSD pricing to reach $1 a gigabyte. For the math-challenged among us, that means even fairly roomy SSD boot drives will fall well below $100�like, say, 64GB for $64. Considering the very palpable boot speed and responsiveness benefits, it does seem likely that many users would make the jump. Gartner expects NAND flash prices to tumble 30% this year and 36% in 2012.

For those who think $1/GB is still expensive, keep in mind that mechanical hard drives were at or above that threshold not long ago. In March 2003, we reviewed a trio of 120GB hard drives from Maxtor, WD, and Seagate that were priced in the $132-188 range.

Gartner claims SSDs to become mainstream in 2012 - More news at DV Hardware

UK desktop market shrunk 38%

KitGuru reports the UK desktop market shrunk 38%:

Although the regular consumer might not be aware of the way that the PC market shifts and changes, data experts IDC are fully aware of all the major movements in the market. So what are their latest findings? KitGuru dons a lab coat, glasses and clipboard to investigate.

UK desktop market shrunk 38% - More news at DV Hardware

Unlocking The AMD Radeon HD 6950 to 6970 - BIOS Flash Guide

Legit Reviews learns you how you can flash a Radeon HD 6950 into a Radeon HD 6970!

Thanks to an insecure restriction method, the AMD Radeon HD 6950 video card can be unlocked and turned into an AMD Radeon HD 6970 with just a few minutes work. Today we break down the process on a reference designed card and we run performance benchmarks along the way to see if the process is worthwhile or just a waste of time. Read on to see what happens to our retail ASUS EAH6950 graphics card as we perform the operation!

Quote: "Upgrading the AMD Radeon HD 6950 graphics to a Radeon HD 6950 proved to be an enlightening experience. Testing the same card with multiple levels of shaders, core speeds and memory frequencies showed exactly how each of these things can have an effect in different ways. The largest gains came from completely unlocking the potential of the Radeon HD 6950 by fully flashing the BIOS, effectively turning it into a Radeon HD 6970. Each of the techniques that we used showed gains of different levels, however the biggest surprise was the minimal gains provided only by the shader unlock, which in some tests were almost non-existent..."

Unlocking The AMD Radeon HD 6950 to 6970 - BIOS Flash Guide - More news at DV Hardware

Thermaltake to Unveil new Meka G at Computex

XSReviews reports ThermalTake will present a new Meka G mechanical gaming keyboard at Computex.

"Thermaltake are set to unveil the next iteration of their Meka G mechanical keyboard at Computex in the coming weeks. While this isn't officially confirmed by Thermaltake, it seems likely as the board is showing up on their Computex site and has been spotted in recent literature from the company."

Thermaltake to Unveil new Meka G at Computex - More news at DV Hardware

PCMark 7 now available for download

Futuremark officially released PCMark 7, a benchmarking suite designed for testing Windows 7 PCs. You can download it over here.

PCMark� 7, a new Futuremark benchmark that offers complete PC performance testing for Windows 7, was released today and is now available to download and purchase from http://www.pcmark.com/. PCMark 7 is available in 3 editions: the free Basic Edition that offers unlimited runs of the PCMark test suite without registration or expiry, the Advanced Edition which includes all 7 benchmark tests and the Professional Edition which unlocks all features and is licensed for commercial use. PCMark 7 is the latest benchmark from developer Futuremark and joins existing Windows PC tests PCMark05 for Windows XP and PCMark Vantage for Windows Vista.

PCMark 7 provides a set of 7 PC tests for measuring different aspects of PC performance with a high degree of accuracy. Overall system performance is measured by the PCMark test. The Lightweight test measures the capabilities of entry level systems and mobility platforms unable to run the full PCMark test. Common use performance is measured by the Entertainment, Creativity and Productivity tests. Component performance is measured by the Computation and Storage hardware tests. The Storage test is ideal for testing solid state drives (SSDs) and external hard drives in addition to the system drive.

PCMark 7 helps you choose the best component upgrades:

With the launch of PCMark 7 today, everyone can use this powerful PC test and its online services found at www.pcmark.com to compare the PCMark scores from thousands of systems. By comparing the increases gained by upgrading either the CPU, GPU, RAM or system storage device, then comparing the cost of each component, it's easy for PC users to see which upgrades deliver the biggest performance increase per dollar spent.

"A benchmark is a highly complex and sophisticated piece of software, yet PCMark 7 is easy to use and requires no specialist knowledge or set up," said Jani Joki, Director of PC Products and Services at Futuremark. "Better yet, PCMark 7 Basic Edition is available as a free download so all PC users can benefit from this industrial strength PC test."

PCMark 7 is designed for the full range of modern hardware:

The PC landscape is changing rapidly thanks to new hardware innovations like solid state drives (SSDs), CPUs with integrated graphics and computing capabilities and new form factors such as netbooks and tablets. PCMark 7 is the only benchmark that lets PC home users and business managers make valid performance comparisons across such a wide range of hardware and usage scenarios.

The video transcoding workloads, for example, use dedicated hardware acceleration if it is available. This allows for a better comparison between newer components which enable acceleration and older parts that rely on brute force calculation alone.

The storage workloads in PCMark 7 have been extensively developed to accurately and fairly compare systems with either SSD or HDD storage drives. An SSD may be ten times faster than an HDD, but upgrading will not make your PC ten times faster. Tests that use the storage workloads take this into account, and comparing the scores between systems with an SSD and without will give you an accurate estimate of the difference in performance for your complete system, not just that one isolated component.

PCMark 7's storage workloads use recordings of how real applications, including Microsoft Word, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Movie Maker, Windows Media Center, Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, Windows Defender (Security Essentials) and even World of Warcraft, access and use the PC's storage device. These recordings are used in the benchmark to replicate how real applications behave without needing to install, run and measure each individual application.

PCMark 7 is available in a range of editions to suit different needs:

PCMARK 7 BASIC EDITION � Free download
- Free PC test offering unlimited runs of the main PCMark test
- Browse, search and compare results online
- Store one result online

PCMARK 7 ADVANCED EDITION - $39.95
- Includes all 7 PC tests with more than 25 individual workloads
- Browse, search and compare results online
- Unlimited online results storage
- Hide results from public view
- Offline result management
- Advert-free online service

PCMARK 7 PROFESSIONAL EDITION - $995.00
- Licensed for commercial PC system testing
- Includes all 7 PC tests with more than 25 individual workloads
- Command line automation
- Browse, search and compare results online
- Unlimited online results storage
- Hide results from public view
- Offline result management
- Advert-free online service
- Priority support

PCMark 7 now available for download - More news at DV Hardware

Win Fantastic Cooler Master prizes at eTeknix.com

eTeknix is giving away Cooler Master products, you can enter over here.

Here we are with another chance to give our readers a fantastic prize in this months giveaway. We have teamed up with our friends at Cooler Master to give you the opportunity to win some fantastic prizes.

1st Prize: CM Storm Enforcer chassis
2nd Prize: GX550W Power Supply
3rd Prize: Turbine Master Mach 0.8 Fan

To be within a chance of winning these fantastic prizes, all you have to do is follow the instructions...

Win Fantastic Cooler Master prizes at eTeknix.com - More news at DV Hardware

Five Clever Ways To Make Dropbox More Useful

Dropbox has become an essential application on my system ever since I first tried it more than two years ago. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's a cross-platform tool that acts like a regular folder on your machine and runs quietly in the background. You can manage files within this folder just like elsewhere on your machine (add, edit, copy, and delete) and changes will be synced in real time between all other computers on which you are running the software.

That alone makes it invaluable for my daily computing needs, but with a little ingenuity you can use Dropbox to do much more like autostarting torrent downloads from any location or device, sending and receiving files, or synchronizing application data on applications that don't even have that functionality. Read more at TechSpot.

Five Clever Ways To Make Dropbox More Useful - More news at DV Hardware

Science Fiction Shows That Died Too Soon

Sometimes, when science fiction and television meet, magic happens. The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica (excluding that horrendous finale) � all great examples of science fiction being proudly represented on television. When a sci-fi show is successful, it practically redefines success. And yet they often fail. I�m not informed enough to say they fail more often than other genres, but I can say that when they do fail, it�s felt harder, due to the passion and loyalty displayed by science fiction fans. Here�s a small tribute to those sci-fi shows that died off before they could truly shine.
Read more at MegaTechNews.

Science Fiction Shows That Died Too Soon - More news at DV Hardware

Twitpic Apologises for the wrong thing @ XSReviews.co.uk

Controversy continues in the Twitpic Terms of Service rumblings with the company responding to complaints about content ownership; though it seems they didn�t quite understand what they were responding to, or they chose not to. Read more at XSReviews.



Twitpic Apologises for the wrong thing @ XSReviews.co.uk - More news at DV Hardware

VIA Launches New Low Power QuadCore Nano CPU

VIA introduced its dual-core Nano just four months ago, but the company is already demonstrating that processor's big brother. The newly minted VIA QuadCore is--you guessed it--a quad-core processor that connects two dual-core Nano cores in an MCM (multi-chip module). The new chip won't actually ship for some months, but it may become a higher-performance alternative to both Atom and Brazos when it does...

More details at HotHardware.

VIA Launches New Low Power QuadCore Nano CPU - More news at DV Hardware

NVIDIA releases fiscal Q1 2012 results

NVIDIA published its fiscal Q1 2012 financial results:

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) today reported revenue of $962.0 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 ended May 1, 2011, up 8.5 percent from the prior quarter, and down 4.0 percent from $1.0 billion from the same period a year earlier.

On a GAAP basis, the company recorded net income of $135.2 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2012. That compares with net income of $171.7 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, in the previous quarter, which included a $57.0 million credit to operating expenses related to the legal settlement in connection with a new Intel licensing agreement. In the same period a year earlier, the company had net income of $137.6 million, or $0.23 per diluted share.

On a non-GAAP basis, net income was $165.7 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2012. That compares with non-GAAP net income of $142.4 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, in the prior quarter, and $169.0 million, $0.29 per diluted share, in the same period a year earlier.

GAAP gross margin was 50.4 percent, a third consecutive record, compared with 48.1 percent in the previous quarter and 45.6 percent in the same period a year earlier. Non-GAAP gross margin was 50.6 percent, compared with 48.3 percent in the prior quarter and 45.7 percent in the same period a year earlier.

"Our core GPU businesses are solid, with expanding revenues and margins. And this quarter, our Tegra mobile business took off," said Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA president and chief executive officer. "With the Tegra super chip and the Icera wireless communication processor, we will offer our customers the two most important processors of the mobile computing revolution. We look forward to completing the Icera acquisition shortly."

Excluding the Icera acquisition, the outlook for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 is as follows:

- Revenue is expected to be up 4 to 6 percent from the first quarter.
- GAAP gross margin is expected to be 50.5 to 51.5 percent.
- GAAP operating expenses are expected to be between $332 and $336 million.
- GAAP tax rate is expected to be 14 to 16 percent.

NVIDIA releases fiscal Q1 2012 results - More news at DV Hardware

Revised GeForce GTX 590 Cards In June

Remember the horror of GeForce GTX 590 going up in smoke while benching? Well, apparently NVIDIA has found a way to solve this issue completely without doing a quick fix through the drivers. The solution : a much needed hardware fix where the new inductors are added to the card. However, the new inductors are larger in size therefore a change to the baseplate is needed.

Read more at VR Zone.

Revised GeForce GTX 590 Cards In June - More news at DV Hardware

TRENDnet debuts first 500Mbps powerline adapter

TRENDnet reveals the first powerline adapter capable of hitting 500Mbps:

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the first to market 500Mbps Powerline AV Adapter Kit with Bonus Outlet, model TPL-402E2K. The kit comes with two 500 Mbps adapters that feature a built in electrical outlet and embedded power saving technology.

The 500Mbps Powerline AV Adapter Kit with Bonus Outlet creates a secure high speed building-wide network from any electrical outlet. Consumers won't lose the use of an outlet when the adapter is plugged in -as an additional electrical socket is built into the front of the adapter. Connect one adapter to your network, and plug the second adapter into any outlet on your electrical system for instant high speed network access. Connect adapters quickly using the convenient one-touch connect button. Install up to sixteen Powerline adapters in different rooms for building-wide networking.

Green power saving technology reduces power consumption by up to 70% in standby mode-resulting in significant power savings as this product is always plugged in. Products such as coffee makers, washing machines, microwaves, vacuums, and other household appliances create electrical power spikes. An advanced electrical noise filter maintains high performance signal strength, thereby significantly boosting performance. LED displays convey device status for easy power management and troubleshooting.

The 500Mbps Powerline AV Adapter Kit with Bonus Outlet, model TPL-402E2K, comes with a three year limited warranty and is currently shipping to all online and retail partners.

The MSRP for the TPL-402E2K is US $179.99.

TRENDnet debuts first 500Mbps powerline adapter - More news at DV Hardware

OCZ debuts Talos 6Gbps SAS SSD

OCZ announced Talos, a SAS solid state disk available in capacities of up to 960GB.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, announces the Talos series, a line of Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) SSDs designed for enterprise applications that require ultra-fast, high capacity solutions equipped with multi-level cell (MLC) NAND. Talos brings new strength to the Company's storage lineup by expanding the availability of OCZ's proprietary Virtualized Controller Architecture� (VCA) technology to storage OEMs.

"We have experienced considerable demand for our high-capacity VCA-enabled SAS products, both with and without enhanced power fail protection," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group. "The new OCZ Talos SSD series delivers the ultimate combination of performance, scalability, and reliability. Talos series drives are tailored to meet the needs of most enterprises in a non-customer specific format, including balanced compressed and incompressible data performance and balanced read/write IOPS, all in the highest capacity SAS 6Gbps drive available today."

Talos SAS SSDs deliver incredible speed with up to 64,000 4K random IOPS and are specifically optimized for enterprise storage applications, providing clients who require substantial transactional processing with superior performance and cost-savings. Additionally, the Talos SAS interface offers the benefits of interoperability and integration with existing devices, flexibility for traditional storage environments, and the ability to scale greater amounts of drives, providing larger aggregate pools of storage. The drives also deliver world-class reliability features including superior power loss protection, endurance, encryption, and ECC protection.

Unique to OCZ products, the Talos series leverages VCA technology which provides customers with robust enterprise features including TRIM, SMART monitoring, native command queuing (NCQ), tagged command queuing (TCQ), power fail management, and wear-leveling; all within a single streamlined solution. With Talos and VCA technology, clients can now deploy an SSD solution that delivers advanced application performance, all the necessary enterprise features, and substantial power savings, at a better total cost of ownership.

To address the complete spectrum of customer applications, Talos SSDs are available in 3.5-inch form factors (2.5-inch to follow) and range from 200GB to 960GB. OCZ is now sampling Talos to strategic customers and the drives will be made available to SMB and enterprise clients through OCZ's business-to-business channel.

OCZ debuts Talos 6Gbps SAS SSD - More news at DV Hardware