Gigabyte Touchscreen in Latest BIOS Setup Program

Apart from a brand new CPU architecture, Intel's Sandy Bridge LGA1155 platform saw the mass introduction of EFI (extensible firmware interface) to the PC, a new BIOS-replacement component that can eliminate several limitations of BIOS, most notably, the ability to boot from volumes bigger than 3 TB in size. While most motherboard manufacturers have given their LGA1155 models support for UEFI, not everyone has a graphical user interface (GUI) based UEFI setup program that uses mouse as a pointing device, and presents users with UI elements such as radio buttons, drop-lists, and checkboxes to make changes. Gigabyte has been one such manufacturer with its first wave of P67 and H67 based motherboards.



With its newest B3-revision motherboards that include the upcoming Z68 chipset based motherboards, Gigabyte wants to make amends. It has to, being the number two motherboard vendor in terms of volumes. Gigabyte wants to go a step ahead of other vendors, and design a UEFI setup program that not only supports mouse, but also touchscreens, and present a user interface with large icons and design elements that resemble tablets, which are designed to make configuration easier than on mouse-driven UEFI setup programs. The TouchBIOS ("BIOS" here is just used as a verb) from Gigabyte should be available on Gigabyte's upcoming motherboards, as well as in the future, on Gigabyte's all-in-one PCs, tablets, and notebooks.
source: www.techpowerup.com

MSI GX780 Gaming Notebook

Are you still messing around with one of those old-style keyboards? In the heat of battle, do you sometimes find that you left the game, because you accidently hit the Windows "Start" key and by the time you get back, your character is already dead? If so, MSI has heard your cry. It got together with leader in professional gaming equipment manufacturing SteelSeries to forge a keyboard for the serious gamer. Not only is the new keyboard much more durable, the Windows key has been moved to the right side of the keyboard where you're less likely to strike it when the adrenaline's pumping. The GX780 also comes with a 30-color LED backlit keyboard with five modes to throttle up your visual experience.

Eric Kuo, associate vice president for global sales, MSI Notebook, notes that the GX780 not only sports Intel's second generation Core i7-2630QM quad core CPU and nVidia's DirectX 11-supporting GeForce GT 555M discrete graphics card, it also has four DDR3 slots and accelerated dual hard disk architecture endowing it with impressive computing powers, making it equally suited for the digital content creator as it is for the serious gamer. The GX780 also comes with smart wrap around sound courtesy of Dynaudio and THX TruStudio Pro and a 17.3” full HD high resolution display to guarantee the ultimate multimedia experience.

Serious gamer keyboard

Windows function key relocated: Responding to cries from gamers, MSI got together with gaming equipment manufacturer SteelSeries to create a keyboard for the GX780. Not only is the keyboard more rugged, it has a more solid feel and the Windows function key has been repositioned to the right side to reduce the possibility of accidently striking it when you're hip-pocket deep in ogre blood. Larger Ctrl and Alt keys: Fans of FPS games need to use the Ctrl and Alt keys a lot for such commands as "crouch," "jump," and "pause," but these keys are smaller on most keyboards, making it easier to punch a nearby key by accident when you're going for one of them. With this in mind, the Ctrl and Alt keys were enlarged on the GX780.

Executes 10 commands at once: RTS gamers sometimes need to simultaneously gather resources, build up their areas, develop technologies, and control scouting units as they scour the land for the locations of more resources and the enemy. Due to the large variety of tasks that need to be executed, the player needs to key in one command after another. Many traditional keyboards aren't designed specifically for gamers and don't respond readily to key combinations, adversely impacting your combat capabilities. This doesn't happen on the GX780, because its gaming keyboard allows you to execute 10 commands simultaneously, enabling you to rapidly accomplish several missions concurrently.

Backlighting for the task at hand: The GX780 Key LED Manager lets the user choose from among several keyboard background lighting scenarios, including Normal, Gaming, Wave, Breathing, and Dual Color. Gamers will also appreciate the fact that the frequently used keys W, A, S, D, and Ctrl are all backlit on the GX780, using the latest keyboard backlighting technology. Simply depress the Gaming Mode hotkey at the top of the keyboard to light up the LED backlighting at the bottom left side of the keyboard. The rest of the keyboard remains dark, so you can find the keys you need quickly even in the middle of a white-hot battle.

Dominating the opposition
Intel 2nd Generation Core i7 quad core processor: MSI's GX780 features Intel's most advanced Intel's 2nd Generation Core i7-2630QM quad core processor giving each core clock speeds of 2.00GHz. New generation Intel Core i7 processors support Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 which automatically allocates processor resources to boost core clock speeds and overall computer performance. They also support Quick Sync Video to enhance multimedia file computing performance during conversion, synchronization, and compilation.

Top end nVidia GeForce GT 555M discrete graphics card: The GX780 packs nVidia's new generation high-end GeForce GT 555M with 1GB of GDDR5. nVidia's PhysX® offers gamers a true-to-life visual experience. What's more, it supports DirectX 11 to enhance game resolution, so that even lines in far-off buildings are now visible, making games more realistic.

16GB of memory: The new generation top end GX780 gaming laptop features four DDR3 memory slots for up to 16GB of memory. It also comes with RAID-0 dual hard disk architecture which not only doubles hard drive memory capacity, it enhances read-write speeds by some 70%.

TDE technology: The GX780 uses MSI's own Turbo Drive Engine (TDE) technology, so just one touch of the luminescent Turbo hotkey located above the keyboard instantly revs up performance. It also has MSI's own powerful Cooler Boost technology, so again, just one touch of the luminescent hotkey above the keyboard kicks in the powerful cooling function to rapidly reduce system temp to enhance system stability.

Sporty look, superior multimedia
Supercar-inspired exterior: In the creation of the GX780, MSI was inspired by design concepts found in classy high-end automobiles. The elements incorporated into the overall design and every detail of this machine serves to give these high-performance gaming machines a feeling of professionalism and style. The glowing white letters "MSI" in the center of the cover accentuate the aluminum manganese alloy body's brush metal finish, placing this NB in a class all its own. What you get is a chic high tech texture that exudes awesome power and envelope-pushing style.

Top theater sound technology: To enhance sound performance, MSI joined forces with world renowned sound designers at Dynaudio to study the GX780 meticulously. Even speaker locations and sound field design were calculated with precision. The two firms worked side by side to carry out vast amounts of study and countless calculations to determine ideal locations to install speakers to obtain obstruction-free sound transmission. MSI also worked closely with sound design specialists at Creative to incorporate cinema-grade THX TruStudio Pro wrap around sound which reproduces crystal-clear sound regardless of source.

Full HD display: The MSI GX780 sports a 17.3-inch full HD screen and comes with Cinema Pro technology for a crisper picture and richer colors. It also has an HD720p webcam, so you can engage in clear, hiccup-free video conferences with friends and family anywhere in the world.

Latest USB3.0 ports: The GX780 comes with USB3.0 which boasts transfer speeds of 4.8Gbps—10 times faster than USB2.0, so a 25GB HD film transfers in just 70 seconds. It also provides 80% more power for vastly faster charging speeds for external hard drives, flash drives, and other handheld electronic devices.
source:www.techpowerup.com

Kingston Technology Launches HyperX Plug and Play High Performance Memory


Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the new HyperX Plug and Play (PnP) series of high-performance enthusiast memory. HyperX PnP are the first modules to scale the higher memory heights that are a part of the second generation Intel Core i5 and i7 CPUs. The memory is programmed with faster frequencies and when 'plugged' into a system using the Sandy Bridge chipset, will automatically 'play' at either 1600MHz or 1866MHz in both desktop and notebook PCs.

PowerColor HD 6950 Vortex II Edition Graphics Card

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, today introduced an innovative cooling technology into the HD6950 series: the PCS+ HD6950 Vortex II Edition. Featuring the PCS+ series characteristic, the latest edition has superior overclocking ability which clocks in at 850MHz core speed and 1300MHz memory speed, easily accelerating gaming machines with nearly 2.39 teraFLOPs of computing power and offering the surprising gaming experience


The PCS+ HD6950 Vortex II Edition enables users to manually adjust the fan and its physical attributes. By lifting the fan, it optimizes the air flow and taking advantage of the cooler air from the bottom of the case, balancing the ambient temperature. Furthermore, with the exclusive perforated fan design and anti-turbulence ability, enhancing the cooling efficiency and resulting in cooling down the temperature up to 20% compare to reference design

Also, the latest solution utilizes “Gold Power Kit” which is composed of the select components: Ferrite Core Choke, DrMOS, and solid capacitor, allows the stable and more efficient overclocking entertaining environment.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Game Bundle: A Record Setting AAA Title for True Gamers
To bring more benefits for gamers, PowerColor includes the most-anticipated game of the year, Modern Warfare 2, into the PCS+ HD6950 Vortex II Edition. Continuing the gripping and heart-racing action against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse, the Modern Warfare 2 delivers the most realistic and immersive FPS gaming experience with PowerColor PCS+ HD 6950 Vortex II Edition to all gamers, enabling the most exhilarating gaming experience like never before.

source:www.techpowerup.com

Mionix Announces Zibal 60 Gaming Mechanical Keyboard


Mionix, the Swedish manufacturer of professional high-end gaming accessories today unveiled the Mionix Zibal 60, a mechanical keyboard developed for the gamer that deserves the best. "I believe it is an artform to building keyboards, that are not just for gaming but also compromise free and simple in design. The high attention to detail and subtle features are going to be loved by our loyal users”, says Carl Conradsson, Mionix.