Quite pointless is what this is really, Gainward is releasing a GeForce GTX 460 with a 2GB framebuffer.

As stated the card comes with a full  2 GB of GDDR5 memory over a 256-bit wide memory interface. Word is that the product will come factory overclocked a bit as well, though very little as Gainward's card has clock speeds of 700 MHz core ( 675 MHz reference), 1400 MHz CUDA core, and 900 MHz (3600 MHz effective = reference) memory.

The card will be branded under the GOOD Golden Sample segment and comes with a custom PCB and cooling solution. We expect that the extra 1 GB of memory will add roughly 30 EUR to the overall pricing.

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And UASP would be USB Attached SCSI ProtocolThis is a new feature promises to deliver higher transfer speeds to supporting devices.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and other computing hardware solutions today announced support for USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP) on their entire range of USB 3.0 motherboards. UASP is a new protocol initiated by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) that speeds up data throughput to SCSI devices by up to 20%, while also reducing CPU utilization, data latency and user waiting time.

"At GIGABYTE we have made it our goal to be the leading USB 3.0 motherboard brand, and so we are pleased to announce support of UASP across all our SuperSpeed USB products," commented Tim Handley, Deputy Director of Motherboard Marketing at GIGABYTE Technology Co. Ltd. "As an increasing range of external USB 3.0 storage devices make their way into the market after Computex this year, we see great value and importance in UASP in driving the performance of SuperSpeed USB to reach its full potential."

GIGABYTE is the clear leader in the USB 3.0 motherboard market with a full range of USB 3.0 motherboards (more than 30 models) that span both Intel and AMD platforms. GIGABYTE also currently has more certified SuperSpeed USB motherboards than any other brand. Users can now experience the performance boost that UASP offers by simply downloading and installing the latest USB 3.0 driver from the GIGABYTE website, for use together with other UASP supporting devices. UASP device vendors who are working with GIGABYTE for USB 3.0 cross validation and testing include Buffalo, CyberSLIM, OCZ, Sharkoon and SuperTalent.

 

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Microsoft said on Thursday that it's currently readying an Internet Explorer 9 public beta for September. According to sources familiar with Microsoft's plans the software giant was originally targeting late August for the public beta but this date slipped slightly. Although Microsoft officials didn't confirm the exact date for the public beta, Neowin believes this will be September 2.

Microsoft originally unveiled Internet Explorer 9 at PDC 2009. IE 9 will take advantage of the power of the GPU for all page rendering and developers can exploit this using CSS, DHTML andjavascript. A new JS engine (codenamed Chakra) will also be built into Internet Explorer 9 with greater interoperability and standards support all round. Features such as rounded corner CSS support will be built in. In January, Neowin revealed that Microsoft is planning to enhance tabbed browsing in IE9. According to a software patent, the Quick Tabs feature in Internet Explorer is likely to be enhanced with better functionality and greater tab management options.

Microsoft is also planning broader support for HTML5 in Internet Explorer 9 through its new script engine. Microsoft recently performed W3C Web Standards tests on IE9, including HTML5, SVG 1.1 2nd edition, CSS3 media queries, CSS3 borders & backgrounds, CSS3 selectors, DOM level 3 core, DOM level 3 events and DOM level 2 style. Microsoft, with the help of W3C, performed a total of 192 tests on a variety of browsers. Internet Explorer 9 scored 100% in all eight tests, while every other browser, except Firefox in DOM level 2 style tests, didn't score perfect in any of the test categories.

The screenshots also reveal a download manager for pausing and canceling downloads, a new icon for Internet Explorer 9 and what appears to be greater security control of add-ons. The new features are an early look at what features Microsoft is planning for the first beta of Internet Explorer 9. The screenshots do not reveal any UI changes apart from what appears to be a new icon. Neowin has independently verified the screenshots and we can confirm these are genuine and from a build distributed to internal and external partners.

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ATI released what seems to be a very rushed beta driver today. The new driver is ATI Catalyst 10.7a beta driver for Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. 

This update brings Anti-Aliasing support (which must be enabled through the ATI Catalyst Control Center) for StarCraft II, as well as a performance enhancement for Eyefinity users running with Quad ATI CrossFireX

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G.Skill Phoenix PRO 120GB SSD gets tested

The SSD tested today once again is the Phoenix series from G.Skill. After we tested their 100GB Phoenix SSD (which received a very positive review) G.Skill instantly requested if we would like to review the 120GB PRO model. Both drives pretty much are the same thing, same controller ...

There is 20GB extra volume space available on the new 120GB Pro (compared to the 100GB model) for nearly the same price. A new Firmware for the SandForce 1200 based controller that is inside this 120GB model simply reserves less NAND flash memory for its data-compression scheme. As a result the overall write performance could be a tiny bit slower, but only a few percent as best. It however will give you 20 GB more space to play around with at the same price. And since price per GB is everything in the land of SSDs -- this certainly is a significant for any vendor and for you as an end-user.

You can read the entire review right here.

 

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More and more detail surface on the web regarding the pending release of the GeForce GTS 450. which now is supposed to launch somewhere in September.

The new mid-range product is powered by a GF106 GPU. Last week some PCB mock-ups already surfaced on the web. But according to Donanim Haber, NVIDIA pushed back the launch of GTS 450 from 31st August to 13th September.

It also mentioned what seem to be te finalized clock frequencies of this reference SKU, a 789 MHz (core), which put's the shaders at 1578 MHz, and 3760 MHz or 940 MHz actual (128-bit memory). The GPU on this SKU has a 128-bit wide memory interface, carrying 1 GB of GDDR5 memory.

NVIDIA is targeting the 150EUR / $160 price point. Here is that PCB photo I mentioned.

 

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Creative Technology Ltd. today announced the Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2 software suite - a powerful audio platform equipped with cutting-edge audio technologies designed to enhance ordinary PC systems limited by only basic onboard audio. The Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2 software suite builds on the success of the original Sound Blaster X-Fi MB, bringing enhancement of onboard PC audio to even greater echelons. Through THX TruStudio Pro audio technology and the latest Creative EAX Advanced HD 5.0, users get to enjoy premium audio quality, effects and features on their PC systems.

Gamers can anticipate being blown away by the amazing realism from the unrivalled headphone surround and gaming sound enhancement technologies delivered by the Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2. Creative EAX Advanced HD 5.0 features state-of-the-art multi-environment rendering and reverb modelling, delivering an ultra-realistic and incredibly immersive 3D gaming experience for powering the next generation of cutting-edge PC games. The additional audio cues provided by EAX can also give gamers a competitive advantage in early detection of enemies.

"We are extremely excited to see the Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2 software going into ASUS Republic of Gamers motherboards, with ASUS being the top manufacturer of motherboards in the world and constantly committed to delivering the most innovative and best performing PC solutions to enhance the gaming experience of power users. Our partnership will continue to push the boundaries of PC gaming audio, providing the much-needed realism and immersion in game-play that modern PC games demand," said Steve Erickson, Vice President and General Manager for Audio and Video at Creative.

Creative EAX Advanced HD 5.0 allows greater detail and speed in gaming audio and adds a dedicated bass feed for 128 voices, so gaming audio becomes more cinematic. Developers can also add interactive music to games, where the music can change based on actions during game-play.

Additional features of Creative EAX Advanced HD 5.0 include EAX Voice, EAX PurePath and EAX MacroFX. EAX Voice allows gamers to literally become part of the game by speaking and hearing their own voices with the same effects as the environment their character is in. EAX PurePath delivers the most accurate and cinematic surround sound ever experienced by allowing developers total control over Low Frequency Enhancement (LFE) and which speaker(s) gaming audio is played through, while EAX MacroFX recreates close-up audio so accurately that bullets would never have sounded more frightening as they zip past players' heads only centimetres away.
THX TruStudio Pro provides the latest groundbreaking technologies that are products of years of collective experience and research by Creative and THX. THX TruStudio Pro creates unprecedented levels of audio realism, adds dynamics and punch to every gunshot, explosion and gaming sound; and includes stunning surround effects, producing an incredibly realistic surround sound experience even from just a pair of stereo headphones. The THX TruStudio Pro suite of technologies features THX TruStudio Pro Surround, THX TruStudio Pro Crystalizer, THX TruStudio Pro Speaker, THX TruStudio Pro Dialog Plus and THX TruStudio Pro Smart Volume.

Other audio technologies such as EAX reverbs and a 10-band graphic equalizer allow users to enhance their music even more. These essential audio effects and controls are conveniently placed in a central and intuitive Sound Blaster Console. In addition, a suite of cool players are included to enhance the PC music listening experience, giving users full control over their music streaming and integrating seamlessly with iTunes and Windows Media libraries.

Key Features of Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2:

• THX TruStudio Pro audio technology creates unprecedented levels of audio realism, adds dynamics and punch to every gunshot, explosion and gaming sound; and includes stunning surround effects, producing an incredibly realistic surround sound experience even from just a pair of stereo headphones
• Creative EAX Advanced HD 5.0 features state-of-the-art multi-environment rendering and reverb modelling, delivering an amazingly realistic and immersive 3D gaming experience
• Creative VoiceFX technology allows users to morph their voices into other personas to help players stay in character and add flair to their online role-playing experiences
• Creative ALchemy is a powerful tool that restores EAX effects and 3D surround audio for legacy, DirectSound 3D game titles running on Windows Vista and Windows 7, re-enabling that same great gaming experience
• Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2 comes with native OpenAL support, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of PC games developed with OpenAL for an incredible 3D audio experience

For more information can be found at this page.

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DDR3 contract quotes have declined 2% on average for the latter half of July while the price for DDR2 parts has remained steady, according to DRAMeXchange.

Contract prices for 1Gb DDR3 have slid by up to 2.4% to US$2.44-63 in the second half of July, driving the price of 2GB DDR3 modules to US$42-45. Meanwhile, prices for same-density DDR2 ones held flat from the first half.

Korea-based chip vendors managed keep their late July prices stable, but some other DRAM makers agreed to cut their prices to US$42 because of slower-than-expected demand, DRAMeXchange indicated.

Industry watchers expect PC replacement demand from the enterprise sector to emerge by the end of 2010, but have also expressed concerns that capacity ramp-ups by major DRAM producers using more advanced processes may again cause a supply glut around the same period.

The watchers pointed out that demand from Europe and the US is still sluggish. China is also having slow sales due to a government probe of DRAM smuggling, the watchers added.

Spot prices for mainstream 1Gb chips all went down during the morning session today, according to latest quotes posted by DRAMeXchange. Average prices for branded and effectively tested (eTT) 1Gb DDR3 were US$2.44 and US$2.28, respectively, as of 11am Taiwan time (UTC+8) July 29. Meanwhile, prices for branded and eTT 1Gb DDR2 averaged US$2.04 and US$2.11, respectively - via digitimes

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MSI introduced the GX660 and GX660R, two new 15.6" gaming laptops with Intel Core i7 processor and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 graphics card. The MSI GX660 features TDE technology and superior Dynaudio sound. It also supports dual hard disk architecture; doubling capacity and performance (GX660R comes with RAID 0 architecture). Powerful performance and multimedia capabilities designed to overwhelm your senses.

Taipei

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With a bit of luck by late next week we'll have four of them here in the lab for some extensive testing in quadfire. Check thos pgoto of the 'single slot' version of the PowerColor Radeon HD 5770 graphics card. The card has a compact cooling solution and features DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI outputs. It won't be a quiet graphics card alright !

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StarCraft II is finally released, and i've been playing for two days now with much pleasure ! Here's a video covering the collectors edition. Anything is on YouTube these days :)

Meanwhile VGChartz claims StarCraft II is on track to become one of the fastest selling PC games of all time. Around 1.8 million copies have been sold across the Americas and Europe, and this doesn't even include sales from StarCraft fanatic Korea.

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Ubisoft has announced the release date for H.A.W.X. 2, coming to the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on September 7th. If you only have a Wii, ouch! The launch date for the Wii is not until November 7th. [via ggmania].

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The SSD tested today once again is the Phoenix series from G.Skill. After we tested their 100GB Phoenix SSD (which received a very positive review) G.Skill instantly requested if we would like to review the 120GB PRO model. Both drives pretty much are the same thing, same controller ... The 100GB Phoenix uses Samsung memory though but the trick is that there is 20GB extra volume space available on the new 120GB Pro (compared to the 100GB model) for nearly the same price. A new Firmware for the SandForce 1200 based controller that is inside this 120GB model simply reserves less NAND flash memory for its data-compression scheme. As a result the overall write performance could be a tiny bit slower, but only a few percent as best. It however will give you 20 GB more space to play around with at the same price. And since price per GB is everything in the land of SSDs -- this certainly is a significant for any vendor and for you as an end-user.

Guru3D Rig of the Month - July 2010

Meet Kyle Brocke , a mechanical engineer working for NASA. He made his PC his own Fish tank based PC. He claims that it has way better cooling then most extreme air or water cooled machines. We just go by the looks and think that is an awesome design !

Kyle Brocke is the winner of Rig of The Month July 2010. Meet this man at the age of 24 with his rather wet PC, a fish tank !

You can read all about his rig right here:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/guru3d-rig-of-the-month-july-2010/

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Panasonic is unveil a consumer-level 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750 certainly looks interesting.  In effect a regular Full HD camcorder with a new, image-splitting lens attachment, the SDT750 can shoot 960 x 1080 resolution 3D footage, or

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NZXT is proud to announce Phantom, the company

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