iPod Nano 6th Generation 8GB Review

iPod nano 6th generation is has half the size of the Ipod Nano 5G, the interface has smooth movements similar to the Ipod touch. It’s portable and wearable, which makes it runnable, walkable, and workout-able. Clip it on and control your music with just a tap or swipe of a finger, so you can stay focused without fumbling around. For your run, walk, or trip to the gym, a little iPod nano goes a long way.And the anodized aluminum finish in six bright colors makes this new design even more brilliant.

The Nano New Feature Multi-Touch Option Review

The new touch menu system is faster than the old wheel. Its size is unreal. The square screen is perfect for album art.
The Multi-Touch screen and simple finger gestures make it easy to use iPod nano. Navigation of music is now completed via touch, which works effectively despite the small screen that makes iPod Nano users “touching,” their music as iPod Touch and iPhone users have before them. The click wheel is gone. To find your music, you select a category from the Nano’s menu such as “Playlists,” or “Artists,” and select from there.

• Tap and Double-tap :Tap an icon to open it, or to select an item in a menu or list.
• Touch and Hold :Touch and hold anywhere on the screen to return to the Home screen.
• Swipe:Swipe sideways to move to the next or previous screen.
• Drag:Drag over scrubber bars or sliders to move their controls.
• Flick:Flick your finger quickly up or down to scroll rapidly.
• Rotate:You can rotate the screen so it’s easier to see when you clip iPod nano to something. 

iPod Nano 6G Pros:

• Decent sound quality,
• The clip is convenient, the colors are neat, and the new internal technologies are fun
• FM radio which is OK at best.
• The ipod updates your TOP RATED tracks live so if you give a song five stars, it will automatically add it your favorite playlist.

iPod Nano 6G Cons:

• The screen is much smaller than the previous generation. Therefore, playback of video content from iTunes is gone. Nano no longer plays video, which was a feature, added three years ago.
• Secondly, last year, Nano added a small video camera to record low quality video, which could be played back on the Nano’s screen or synced with iTunes and viewed on your computer. That feature is gone too. The device is too small now for a camera or to watch video. However the camera and video functions aren’t essential to a good music player.

Which is better to buy iPod Nano 6^th Gen or ipod shuffle 4G? – iPod nano vs ipod shuffle

iPod Nano 6th Generation is the ultimate Podcast and Music device. It has the visual convenience of the smart phone or iPod, along with portability of a small MP3 player. If you just listen to play lists, the shuffle will do, but for browsing the music library or navigating podcast, can’t beat the Nano.

Who should buy iPod Nano 6th Generation?

Nano is a product for people who don’t need or care about a movie player, but are instead looking for the Touch’s music capabilities and Apple quality in a much smaller package.

If you want a music player and you want more than 2GB or storage, but you don’t need apps or video or games because all you want to do is listen to music, the iPod Nano seems to be the ideal purchase.

source:
www.appleipodreviews.com

PowerColor HD 6850 PCS+ Overclocked

The first Radeon HD 6800 series graphics card we're looking at today is from Taiwan based video card manufacturer, PowerColor. We have seen a steady stream of reference and overclocked video cards featuring AMD GPUs from PowerColor. Here we get our hands on the latest release in the PCS+ product line.

Specs and Features

Model AX6850 1GBD5-PPDHGJ Core Clock 820 MHz     Memory Clock / Size 1100 MHz / 1 GB Ports Two DVI (1 single link, 1 dual link) One HDMI One DisplayPort

Accessories User Manual CrossFire Bridge DVI to VGA Adapter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Warranty 3 years Price $209

 

PowerColor offers four different models based on the HD 6850. There are two PCS+ versions available, one with Call of Duty included and one without. Both sport core clocks at 820 MHz and memory set to 1100 MHz. The HD 6850 PCS+ features a dual slot cooler with one fan in the middle of the customized heatsink. Air is drawn to the middle of card and transferred out the front and rear. It will be interesting to see how well this cooler dissipates heat compared to the reference design.

This card comes with a few accessories to help get you started. PowerColor includes a CrossFire bridge, a DVI to VGA adapter, installation guide, and driver disk. This particular model also comes with a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as part of the bundle. 

sorce:hothardware.com

HIS Radeon HD 6870 Fan Turbo Overclocked

Hightech Information System (HIS) is a first tier ATI add-in board partner that focuses mainly on desktop graphics. The company claims to provide "faster, cooler, quieter" products that give them an edge within the market. In addition to reference design models of the latest Radeon cards, HIS releases overclocked versions featuring upgraded cooling solutions, like the iCooler Turbo V versions of their graphics cards. 

HIS 6870 Fan Turbo

Specs and Features

Model H687FT1G2M Core Clock 920 MHz     Memory Clock / Size 1120 MHz / 1 GB Ports Two DVI (1 single link, 1 dual link) Two Mini DisplayPorts One HDMI

Accessories User Manual Driver Disk CrossFire Bridge DVI to VGA Adapter Two Molex to 6-pin PCIe Power Adapters Warranty 2 years Price $249

The HIS HD 6870 Turbo features the reference design, dual slot cooling solution. They slapped on a custom decal while increasing the GPU clock from 900 to 920 MHz, and the memory from 1050 to 1120 MHz. It has two DVI ports, two Mini DP connections, and one HDMI port. Like the reference design, this card requires two 6-pin PCI Express connections from the power supply.

source:hothardware.com

AMD Radeon HD 6870 and 6850 Overclocked Round-up

As enthusiasts, one of the things we can always count on is the never-ending progression of computer hardware. Year after year, video cards get faster, processors offer more cores and / or performance, and motherboards provide additional features. That top of the line, $500 GPU you bought a few years ago can't touch the performance of a $200 graphics card available today. Yes, it's tough to keep up with the rapid pace of technology. But by shopping smarter, you minimize the chance of feeling buyer's remorse a few months down the road. 

Right on cue, a new year brings a new series of cards from both AMD and NVIDIA. The trio of video cards we're looking at today are designed to provide the best bang for your buck. These factory overclocked Radeon HD 6800 series graphics cards from PowerColor and HIS have made their way into our testing lab, and it's time once again for another round up. 

Some might glance over these products and wonder what the hook is. Any time a new series of graphics cards are launched by ATI or NVIDIA, it is common for add in board (AIB) partners to tweak various features so that consumers have even more attractive options to choose from, beyond the original reference design. Well, each one of the cards here has taken the basic blueprint from AMD, and gone a step further. In addition to higher GPU speeds, they also provide improved cooling solutions. The heatsinks have been redesigned to provide improved cooling in order to handle the increased frequencies that are set for their graphics engines, while also reducing noise output. Read on to find out if one of them has what it takes to be your next upgrade.

Prize

	PowerColor HD 6870 PCS+ 940 MHz Core / 1100 MHz Memory	$274*
	HIS HD 6870 Fan Turbo 920 MHz Core / 1120 MHz Memory	$259*
	PowerColor HD 6850 PCS+ 820 MHz Core / 1100 MHz Memory	$209*

 * Current street pricing

 
When compared to reference design models, these cards command higher prices due to their improved features and performance. The PowerColor HD 6870 PCS+ sells for $274 at the moment, considerably more than a stock HD 6870, which we've seen as low as $229. In addition, the HIS HD 6870 Fan Turbo can be purchased for $259. The PowerColor HD 6850 PCS+ goes for $209, a $50 price premium over the most affordable HD 6850 we spotted ($169). Now let's take a closer look at each one to see how they differ and how much of a boost you can expect to see from them in various benchmarks.
source: hothardware.com

NVIDIA GeForce GT 430: Cheap DX11 Graphics

Throughout the third and fourth quarters of '09, and right through the beginning of this year, we watched as AMD launched graphics card after graphics card, until their full product line of DX11 Radeon HD 5000 series parts filled virtually every possible market segment. More recently, NVIDIA has had the chance to answer with a number of video cards of their own based on the company's Fermi architecture. Although it was released much later than NVIDIA would have liked, the current flagship GTX 480 ended up taking the crown as the fastest single GPU on the market. And since then, the GF104 based GeForce GTX 460 has made a strong statement as one of the best mainstream options available, combining an affordable price with relatively strong performance and impressive scaling in SLI.

Up to this point, however, NVIDIA was yet to push the entry-level market with a DX11 capable GPU. To be clear, we're speaking of the segment above integrated graphics solutions found on many motherboards. While the recently released $129 GTS 450 is a strong performer for the price, it didn't achieve the same sort of critical acclaim as the GTX 460, or the performance advantage that the GTX 480 has over its competition in its market segment. With the release of the GT 430, NVIDIA aims to better position itself in the media PC market, where hardcore, high resolution PC gaming takes a backseat to HD video playback, photo and video editing, and Blu-ray 3D capability. Read on to find out just how well the GT 430 performs, and where it stands compared to its AMD Radeon counterparts. 

Specifications & Features

The Asus ENGT430 card we'll be featuring in this article is powered by the GF108 GPU. Like the other members of the GeForce 400 series, it's based on NVIDIA's Fermi architecture, and we should also point out this GPU is already available in a mobile version. The core is clocked at 700MHz and features 96 CUDA cores, 16 texture units, 1GB of DDR3 memory at 800MHz, and a 128-bit memory interface. In addition, total memory bandwidth is rated at 28.8GB/s, while texture filtering peaks at 11.2GT/s.

The NVIDIA GF108 GPU is manufactured using TSMC's 40nm process, and is comprised of 585 million transistors. While these specs currently represent the lowest within the desktop Fermi product line, the GF108 also offers the most manageable thermal design power (TDP) of only 49W.
source:hothardware.com

EVGA GTX 580 FTW Hydro Copper 2 Review

Once you've been bit by the enthusiast bug, a funny thing happens. Graphics cards are never fast enough. Processors will never be too powerful. And motherboards will never have too many features. Manufacturers continue to push the envelope and make enthusiast level products because of demand. Along with the goal of being the best in their respective markets, many hardware companies continue to improve their product line up to stay competitive, while also offering consumers options at different price points and performance levels. 

Located in Brea, California, EVGA has a solid reputation in the industry. Their customer service support is top notch with an exclusive Step-up Program and lifetime warranties on many products. As an NVIDIA add in board (AIB) partner, EVGA regularly modifies reference design models in order to accommodate consumers who desire products that perform faster, run cooler, and operate with less noise. In general, they achieve this by aggressively binning GPUs to provide factory overclocked options and substituting the stock cooler with an advanced aftermarket solution. 

EVGA GTX 580 FTW Hydro Copper 2 Videocard

The EVGA GTX 580 FTW Hydro Copper 2 is made for a specific type of enthusiast. It comes with a custom, pre-installed water block that eliminates two of the biggest concerns associated with high end graphics cards: heat and noise. When interconnected to a liquid cooling loop, the HC2 makes no sound and operates at relatively frigid temperatures. The lower operating conditions inherently lead to increased overclocking ability and the performance edge that goes along with it. Keep reading as we install this monster in our liquid cooled test bed to see how fast it can really go.    

EVGA GeForce GTX 580 FTW Hydro Copper 2

Specifications and Features

Core Clock	850 MHz
Memory Clock	1049 / 4196 MHz (Clock Rate / Effective Rate)
Shader Clock	1700 MHz
CUDA Cores	512
Total Memory	1536 MB GDDR5
Memory Interface	384 bit
Memory Bandwidth	201.4 GB/s
Output Connectors	1 x Mini-HDMI, 2 x Dual Link DVI-I connectors
Key Features	Microsoft DirectX 11 Support NVIDIA CUDA C/C++, DirectCompute 5.0, OpenCL Support NVIDIA PhysX Technology NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology NVIDIA 2-way, 3-way, 4-way SLI Ready NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround Ready OpenGL 4.1 Support Dual Link DVI-I HDCP Capable One Mini-HDMI 1.4a Connector
Power Requirements	1 x 6 pin , 1 x 8 pin PCI-E power connectors Minimum 600 Watt power supply
Dimensions	Height - 4.376 in / 111.15 mm Length - 10.5 in / 266.7 mm Weight - 3 lbs Single slot form factor
Warranty	Limited Lifetime Warranty Must register within 30 days
Price	$699

Let's get this out of the way first. The GTX 580 FTW HC2 is really expensive. While it's not the most expensive consumer gaming card out there (Asus HD 5970 Ares 4GB sells for $1099), buying the HC2 will leave a considerable hole in your wallet. But if you're seriously interested in this card, it's a safe bet that price is not the deciding factor in your purchasing decision. There are plenty of mainstream models that offer better bang for your buck. This card targets the ultra high end of the market and was designed for the handful of enthusiasts that want no comprimise solutions.

With that said, the Hydro Copper 2 delivers the highest clock speeds of any GeForce GTX 580 in the market. Since the 580 is the flagship card from NVIDIA, the HC2 is currently the fastest GeForce video card available. At 850MHz core, 1700MHz shader, and 1049MHz memory, it's rated well beyond reference specifications (772MHz core / 1002MHz memory). We can't wait to see just how well this baby performs, but first let's look at the details of the card and what comes in the box. 
source:hothardware.com

MSI X-Slim X370 Fusion Powered Ultraportable Review

There was a period of time last year where it seemed like every other ultraportable was based on Intel's CULV platform. At the time, we figured that was just the way it was going to be for a while with ultralight notebooks. But then, AMD finally got around to shipping some Fusion based APUs. And since then, the mobile space has been hopping with new activity. Consumers have never had such a wealth of notebook options to choose from, and with Fusion, prices are remaining reasonable and battery life is improving too.

 
MSI's X-Slim lineup garnered industry-wide praise when launched a couple of years ago, and now the line-up is stepping up to Fusion. The X-Slim X370 is the company's newest ultraslim machine, and while it doesn't look too different than X-Slim machines of the past, the internals are definitely deserving of a closer look. The X370 is powered by a dual-core E-350 Accelerated Processing Unit, and it's joined by a very nice list of extras. We'll break those down below. 

Specifications and Features (as tested)

• AMD E-350 Zacate @ 1.6GHz, dual-core Fusion
• 4GB of DDR3 RAM
• 13.4" LCD (1366x768); LED backlight, matte
• AMD Radeon HD 6310M graphics
• 500GB (7200RPM)  Hard Drive
• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
• No Optical Drive
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• VGA output
• USB 2.0 x 2
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• RJ-45 (Ethernet 10/100/1000)
• Headphone / Mic Input Jacks
• SD / MMC / SDHC Multimedia Card Reader
• VGA and HDMI Output
• Stereo Speakers
• 3.11 Pounds (with 6-cell battery installed)
• Removable 8-Cell Li-ion Battery
• 13.0" x 8.82" x 0.24-0.9" (Dimensions)
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• Price (as tested): $599.99
• Price (starting): $599.99
• 1-Year Warranty 

$599.99 doesn't make this a "bargain" machine, but look at what you get. A highly mobile, 13.4" machine with AMD's latest HD-crunching Fusion platform, a robust 4GB of RAM, a spacious 500GB HDD and an 8-cell battery. For $600, that's a pretty decent value, particularly when you consider than some of the higher end netbooks were going for $499 not too long ago.
 source:hothardware.com

 

Samsung Infuse 4G Android Smartphone Review

AT&T continues to flesh out their 4G capable smartphone offerings with a device that some might consider a "superphone," as the term has been coined recently. Take a goosed up, Samsung Hummingbird processor at 1.2GHz, drop in Samsung's gorgeous and gargantuan 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, power it with Android 2.2 (Froyo) along with a few tweaks of Samsung' s handset UI and you have what's affectionately known as the Infuse 4G. That said, the Infuse isn't actually going to run at true 4G speeds on AT&T's network, but rather their HSPA+ technology, but you knew that. Or did you?

The kicker here is that though AT&T recently announced a 4G LTE rollout is coming this summer, the transition is expected to be a slow ramp.  So where does that leave current AT&T customers with devices like the Infuse 4G? In short, for the time being, AT&T's HSPA+ network is about as fast as you're going to get for now if you're on contract already. So, how fast and capable is AT&T's HSPA+ network and the Infuse 4G?  You're about to find out.

The Infuse 4G's display has to be its main selling point. Let's face it, when it comes to high-end smartphones, as long as the processor can pass muster, the touch screen display is the next major consideration for many end users.  Photo's don't do the Infuse 4G's absolutely stunning display justice, so we'll give you the hands-on here in a quick video demo of the device.

  Speifications & Fecatures

Processor and Memory	Samsung 1.2GHz Hummingbird (ARM Cortex A8) 16GB built-in, 2GB microSD card pre-installed
Operating System	Android 2.2
Connectivity	HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 3.6 Mbps Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; DLNA GPS microUSB microHDMI
Display	4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen
Size and Weight	132 x 71 x 9 mm 4.9 ounces
Cameras and Multimedia	8 megapixel camera with LED flash, auto-focus front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera 3.5mm Stereo Headset Jack
Additional Features	Mobile Hotspot capability Samsung Media Hub
Battery	Usage Time: Up to 480 Minutes Standby Time: Up to 400 Hours
Carrier	Verizon Wireless
In-Box Content	Standard Lithium Ion Battery 1750mAh 2GB microSD card preinstalled Wall/USB charger Product Safety & Warranty Brochure Quick Reference Guide
Price	$199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement

 Surprisingly, this 4.5-inch beauty, as large as it is, doesn't carry a weight proportional to its dimensions.  At just 4.9oz., it's one of the lighter smartphones on the market right now and it helps the feeling of "pocketability" with the device. In addition, its 1.2GHz processor is powered by a rather stout 1750mAh battery and Samsung's new Super AMOLED Plus display reportedly consumes less power on average versus their previous generation Super AMOLED screens. All, told the Infuse 4G is a potent package on paper. Let's get a closer look at its design and build quality.
source: hothardware.com

Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti Review: Bridging The Budget Gap

Nvidia has a sizable gap in its product line between the GeForce GTS 450 and the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB. The company is filling that gap with an all-new card called the GeForce GTX 550 Ti. Is this product a worthy competitor for AMD's Radeon HD 5770?

There is a sizable performance gap between the GeForce GTS 450 and the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB, and AMD's Radeon HD 5770 is positioned smack-dab in the middle of it. The Radeon card currently sells for a few dollars more than the GeForce GTS 450, and yet it offers a notable upgrade, featuring performance on par with the venerable Radeon HD 4870. 

Given the current market conditions, AMD's Radeon HD 5770 consequently enjoys free reign over its $125-$150 price range, and has for some time now. The GeForce GTX 460 768 MB recently dropped a few dollars add some pressure, but that Radeon card slid a few bucks to counterattack, too. Up until now, Nvidia's higher-priced GeForce GTX 460 SE was the only thing battling AMD for its position. Unfortunately, relatively sparse availability makes that card more of a stopgap measure.

 Today Nvidia introduces its GeForce GTX 550 Ti, a card that should change the status quo by delivering more performance than a GeForce GTS 450. The 550 Ti centers on a respun GPU called GF116, which benefits from many of the same transistor-level changes introduced on GF110 and GF114. 

The GF116 has a single Graphics Processing Cluster (GPC), with four Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs). Each SM contains 48 shader cores, four dispatch units, and eight texture units. All told, GF116 employs 192 shader cores, four Polymorph engines (one per SM), and 32 texture units.

Given its familiar specifications, you might be thinking that GF116 is no different from GeForce GTS 450's GF106. And, from an architectural perspective, you’d be right. However, recall that the GTS 450 has one if its ROP partitions disabled at the factory. The GF116 in Nvidia's GeForce GTX 550 Ti does not suffer this indignity, and all three ROP partitions are fully functional. In this respect, it’s similar to the uncut GF106 GPU in Nvidia's GeForce GTX 460M mobile graphics module. With each of the three ROP partitions capable of eight 32-bit integer pixels per clock, we have 24 ROPs and a cumulative 192-bit memory interface. Because of the wider interface and higher memory clocks, the GeForce GTX 550 Ti boasts 70% more bandwidth than the GeForce GTS 450. This should prove to be a big help when anti-aliasing (AA) is enabled.

The new GF116 holds another notable distinction: it can accommodate mixed density memory ICs. This means that the GeForce GTX 550 Ti can be equipped with 1 GB of graphics RAM, unlike previous 192-bit cards with three 64-bit memory partitions limited to 3 x 256 MB (768 MB—not enough to be optimal) or 3 x 512 MB (1.5 GB—too expensive for a budget card).

Now we have a good idea what to expect from the GeForce GTX 550 Ti: it’s a GeForce GTS 450 with a 50% increase of ROPs and memory interface width, and overclocked for good measure. With these specifications, Nvidia claims that the new card provides 28% higher performance than the GTS 450, with 20% more performance per watt.

Making Comparisons
First and foremost, we need to point out that Nvidia confirmed for us that the “GeForce GTX 460 SE & 768 MB are transitioning out of our primary channel lineup.” GeForce GTX 550 Ti is being groomed as the only bridge between the GeForce GTS 450 and GeForce GTX 460 1 GB. Having said that, the company also stated that “end market availability through e-tail can sometimes be found for months after such a transition.” From this, we can expect that GeForce GTX 460 768 MB availability will depend on how quickly the market adopts GeForce GTX 550 Ti.

When we compare the new model to the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB on its way out, we see identical render back-ends, both with a 192-bit memory interface and 24 ROPs. The similarities end there, however. The GF104 GPU in the GeForce GTX 460 is about 50% more powerful, with 336 shader cores and 56 texture units versus the GeForce GTX 550 Ti’s 192 cores and 32 texture units. This difference is mitigated a little by the new card’s higher clock speeds. But we still expect the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB to outperform it by a notable margin.

Comparing in the opposite direction, the GeForce GTS 450 shares an identical shader core and texture unit count with the new card. But its 128-bit memory interface boasts one-third less bandwidth, while the core and memory clocks are both about 120 MHz lower. Given those numbers, we expect the new GeForce GTX 550 Ti to perform significantly faster, just as Nvidia suggests.

The real question is: how will the GeForce GTX 550 Ti compare to AMD's Radeon HD 5770? The 192-bit memory interface should afford a significant memory bandwidth advantage over the 128-bit Radeon, but we think the shader core power remains similar (for those surprised at the difference in quantity, keep in mind that GeForce shader cores are not 1:1 comparable with Radeon shader cores). As such, we expect the GeForce to perform similarly, except in bandwidth-limited situations, where it may show an advantage (for example, when AA is enabled).

 The  GeForce GTX 550 Ti reference card looks a lot like the GeForce GTS 450 reference card, and according to the specifications, they share the same 8 ¼” length. Having said that, the reference PCB amounts to little more than a suggestion, and both of the launch samples we have for testing are unique overclocked models from their respective manufacturers. Let’s examine them now: meet Zotac's GeForce GTX 550 Ti AMP! Edition and MSI's N550GTX-Ti Cyclone II.

source:www.tomshardware.com

Asus GTX 560 DirectCU II TOP

Asus’ card shares the same 9" x 4 ½" PCB as Zotac's board. It's heavier, and feels a little sturdier, perhaps due to the DirectCU II metal fan shroud. Core and memory clocks of 925 and 1050 MHz are significantly higher than the 810/1002 MHz reference specification.

 The dual PCIe power connectors are on the top edge of the card, enabling convenient access. Well done, Asus!

Asus’ DirectCU II cooler sports three 6 mm flattened heatpipes that pull heat away from the core and toward cooling fins and a fan on the right of the card. The company claims that this arrangement runs 20% cooler than a "generic" GeForce GTX 560 (whatever that is). We'll put the claim to the test shortly in our thermal tests.  

Two DVI outputs and one mini-HDMI connector aren't at all surprising. But they satisfy the requisite connectors we'd want to see on a card like this.

A DVI-to-VGA adapter, two Molex-to-6-pin-PCIe power adapters, a mini-HDMI-to-HDMI adapter, a driver disk, and user manual are all part of the bundle.

What’s noteworthy is that the included SmartDoctor software is capable of raising the GPU voltage on premium Asus cards with voltage tweak technology, and the GeForce GTX 560 DirectCU II TOP happens to be one of those cards. This is a powerful tool for overclockers.

Asus’ GTX 560 DirectCU II TOP has a $220 MSRP, just like Zotac's board. Notice a pattern here? Nvidia is aiming for the $200 price range, but partners are sending out pricier overclocked cards for performance comparisons. Will that skew the value comparison? It'll undoubtedly have some effect.
source:www.tomshardware.com

AMD Radeon HD 6790 Review: More Mid-Range Might

Hot on the heels of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 550 Ti introduction, AMD releases a card with the same MSRP and vastly superior performance. But can it also stand up to the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB? We put the new card to the test!

Today, AMD introduces its new Radeon HD 6790, a card designed to fill space between the Radeon HD 5770 and Radeon HD 6850. As such, this board's natural competition is Nvidia's GeForce GTX 460 768 MB.
The funny thing is, Nvidia recently announced that the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB is about to be discontinued. GeForce GTX 550 Ti arrived only a few weeks ago, designated as its replacement in the space between the GeForce GTS 450 and GeForce GTX 460 1 GB.

A New Card And Familiar GPU

Before we go any further, let’s have a closer look at the Radeon HD 6790’s GPU, designated Barts LE:

 This graphics processor is built using a cut-down RV870 (Barts) ASIC first seen during the Radeon HD 6800-series launch. Fully featured, this graphics processor has 14 SIMD engines, each with four texture units and 16 stream processors. Each stream processor, in turn, hosts five ALUs (AMD refers to these as stream cores).

In the Radeon HD 6790, four of the SIMD engines are disabled, resulting in a total of 40 texture units and 800 stream cores. When it comes to pixel output, the Radeon HD 6790 uses two of Barts’ four render back-ends, each containing eight full-color ROP units, adding up to 16 total. Those of you familiar with the Radeon HD 5770 may notice that this card shares the exact same number of stream cores, texture units, and ROPs.

From here, however, things get interesting. Four 64-bit memory controllers yield an aggregate 256-bit memory interface. This is unchanged from the Radeon HD 6800-series, and is twice as potent as the 128-bit memory interface on the Radeon HD 5770. Moreover, the Radeon HD 6790 sports an 840 MHz core and 1050 MHz GDDR5 memory. Once again, this is very close to the Radeon HD 5770’s 850 MHz core and 1200 MHz memory frequencies.


With all of this info in hand, it seems clear that AMD's aim with the Radeon HD 6790 was to create a Radeon HD 5770 with a 256-bit memory interface. Of course, being based on the newer Barts architecture, this card has all of the feature benefits of the Radeon HD 6800-series, including improved tessellation performance, Eyefinity enhancements, and the ability to accelerate Blu-ray 3D video over HDMI.
With these facts in mind, let’s compare the Radeon HD 6790 to the rest of the playing field:

	Radeon HD 5770	Radeon HD 6790	Radeon HD 6850	GeForce GTX 460 768 MB	GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Shader Cores	800	800	960	336	192
Texture Units	40	40	48	56	32
Full Color ROPs	16	16	32	24	24
Graphics Clock	850 MHz	840 MHz	775 MHz	675 MHz	900 MHz
Shader Clock	850 MHz	840 MHz	775 MHz	1350 MHz	1800 MHz
Memory Clock	1200 MHz	1050 MHz	1000 MHz	900 MHz	1025 MHz
GDDR5 Memory	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB	768 MB	1 GB
Memory Interface	128-bit	256-bit	256-bit	192-bit	192-bit
Memory Bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	134.4 GB/s	128 GB/s	86.4 GB/s	98.5 GB/s
Texture Filtering Rate	34 GTex/s	33.6 GTex/s	37.2 GTex/s	37.8 GTex/s	28.8 GTex/s
Connectors	2 x DL-DVI, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort	2 x DVI, 1 x HDMI, 2 x DisplayPort	2 x DVI, 1 x HDMI, 2 x DisplayPort	2 x DL-DVI, 1 x mini-HDMI	2 x DL-DVI, 1 x mini-HDMI
Form Factor	Dual-slot	Dual-slot	Dual-slot	Dual-slot	Dual-slot
Power Connectors	1 x 6-pin	2 x 6-pin	1 x 6-pin	2 x 6-pin	1 x 6-pin
Recommended Power Supply	450 W	500 W	500 W	450 W	400 W
Thermal Design Power	108 W	150 W	127 W	150 W	116 W

 The Radeon HD 6790's 256-bit interface demonstrates a huge memory bandwidth advantage over the Radeon HD 5770. This should manifest itself in a number of situations—most notably, when anti-aliasing is enabled. Indeed, if it weren't for the removal of half of its ROPs, the Radeon HD 6790 would be very close competitor to the Radeon HD 6850.
We know it will perform better than Radeon HD 5770, and not as fast as the Radeon HD 6850. But how will it compare to its GeForce competition?

Since the GeForce GTX 550 Ti performs similarly to the Radeon HD 5770, we expect the new Radeon HD 6790 to easily and challenge the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB. It’s interesting that both of these cards are cut-down versions of higher-end models, but crippled in somewhat different ways. The GeForce GTX 460 768 MB has the same shader core, texture unit, and clock specifications of Nvidia's 1 GB card, but with one-third fewer ROPs and a narrower memory bus. On the other hand, the Radeon HD 6790 has fewer shader cores and texture units compared to the Radeon HD 6850. But it runs at higher clocks to compensate. The main difference is that the number of ROPs are halved, from 32 to 16.

In any case, the GeForce GTX 460 768 MB offers much more interesting competition for AMD’s new card. We anticipate the benchmarks will go back and forth between these two products, depending on the game.
source:www.tomshardware.com

Intel Gives a Sneak Peak onto Next-Generation "Cedar Trail" Netbooks.

For several years Intel Corp. considered Atom-based netbooks as very basic personal computers that should be used for basic productivity applications and Internet browsing and which are not supposed to support rich multimedia capabilities. But the times are changing and Intel's next-generation platform for netbooks will enable leading-edge multimedia functionality on inexpensive PCs.

The next-generation netbooks powered by Intel Atom "Cedarview" central processing units (CPUs) will feature a number of capabilities currently not available even on notebooks. The mobile computers based on Cedar Trail platform will include such technologies as Intel Rapid Start technology which provides fast resume, Intel Smart Connect technology which enables an always updated experience even during standby, Intel Wireless Display and PC Synch, which let users wirelessly update and synchronize documents, content and media across multiple devices.

Along with the new netbook platform, Intel also intends to roll-out its new "Keeley Lake" reference design for convertible netbooks. The reference design features Intel's new advanced cooling technology and will enable netbooks that are 17mm - 20mm thin and which can easily be converted into tablets. The Keeley Lake/Cedar Trail will support numerous operating systems, including Chrome OS, MeeGo and Windows. At this point it is unclear which PC makers will adopt the new reference design.

Intel Cedarview system-on-chip with a new Atom core will feature DirectX 10.1-capable graphics engine that will have integrated high-definition video decoder (in order to enable Blu-ray disc playback on all Atom-based systems), will support higher clock-speeds, will have improved DDR3 memory controller and will feature digital interfaces for displays. The SoCwill be made using 32nm fabrication process.

The new Cedarview processor will continue to utilize the NM10 input/output controller, which should make it easier for manufacturers to transit to the new Cedar Trail platform.

Thanks to integration of high-definition video decoder into the new Atom SoC, all systems powered by the new chip will be able to playback Blu-ray video. Unfortunately, since the new Atom SoC has outdated DirectX 10.1-class graphics core, it will be unable to use it for general purpose computing. As a result, even the forthcoming platform for inexpensive PCs from Intel will not be able to match AMD's Brazos in terms of multimedia functionality in many terms.

The new Cedar Trail platform is expected to enable more than 10 hours of battery life and weeks of standby, according to Intel.
Intel plans to start shipments of the new chips sometimes in the fourth quarter of this year or even earlier.
source:www.xbitlabs.com

AMD Needs to Boost Clock-Speed of FX "Bulldozer" Chips - Sources.

Advanced Micro Devices needs to improve performance of its FX-series "Zambezi" microprocessors for desktops featuring the Bulldozer micro-architecture before launching them, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. Performance can be improved with a new stepping, which will be production ready only by August.

The long-awaited central processing units (CPUs) featuring the code-named Bulldozer micro-architecture are now fully-functional and work without flaws, according to a person who wished to remain anonymous. The problem with the delay of the AMD FX family of chips is that they currently cannot operate at truly high-speeds and thus cannot achieve performance levels that AMD wanted them to. As result, AMD will need to design a new stepping of the processor and therefore delay the commercial launch to September.

The currently available B0 and B1 stepping Zambezi/Bulldozer processors can function at around 2.50GHz/3.50GHz (nominal/turbo) clock-speeds and at such frequency they cannot deliver performance AMD considers competitive, a person with knowledge of the situation said on Monday. As a consequence, AMD needs to tune the design of the processor and create B2 stepping of the chip with better clock-speed potential amid similar thermal design power (TDP), which will take several months to complete. Therefore, the Sunnyvale, California-based chip designer will release its highly-anticipated Bulldozer processors for desktops in September, not in June, as planned.

Although sales of high-performance microprocessors do not peak in Summer, production ramp usually takes time and therefore launch in September means that the company will only be able to ship "Bulldozers" in high volume sometimes late in 2011 or even in 2012. This will slowdown revenue growth of the chip developer and will also hit its reputation, as this is by far not the first or second delay of Bulldozer in general and Zambezi in particular. AMD itself believed that its multi-core Zambezi FX CPUs will allow it to compete head-to-head with Intel's high-end Core i-series "Sandy Bridge" processors that can sell for as much as $300 and more per chip.

It remains to be seen how the delay of the desktop version of the processor will postpone the release of server versions of the chip with up to sixteen cores. Several high-performance computer makers, including Cray, have already promised to ship supercomputers with the new AMD Opteron "Bulldozer" microprocessors code-named Valencia and Interlagos this year.
AMD did not comment on the story.
source: www.xbitlabs.com

Dominating Again: Corsair Intros World's Highest-Performing 8GB DDR3 Memory Kit.

Corsair Memory, one of the most respected producers of memory modules for overclockers on the planet, on Thursday introduced the highest-performing 8GB dual-channel DDR3 memory kit in the world. Thanks to extreme PC3-19200 speed and high-density, the new product will likely become a great choice for performance enthusiasts, who actually use their PCs for demanding applications.

Corsair's new Dominator GTX 8GB dual-channel memory kit can operate at 2.40GHz with CL9 11-10-30 timings at 1.65V memory voltage. The Dominator GTX 8GB 2400MHz kit consists of two memory modules based on a special PCB with Corsair’s DHX+ heatsink coupled with an AirFlow 2 GTL cooling fan for maximum reliability and further overclocking potential. The previous world's record for speed of "stock" 4GB memory modules was 2.30GHz and was achieved just about five weeks ago.

The 2.4GHz dual-channel DDR3 kits are the result of a "painstaking four-stage component screening process" which is passed by fewer than one in twenty memory ICs, which means that only 5% of appropriately designed DRAMs for high-speed operation can work at such high clock-speed. Qualification is performed on an Intel P55 motherboard, using the same rigorous test cycle applied to the rest of Corsair’s memory product line, the company said.

“The purpose of these kits is to help overclockers explore the limits of memory performance. They are the product of careful screening, selection, and testing, and we are eager to see what enthusiasts will do with them. As long as our customers are obsessed with making computers faster and more powerful, we will continue producing extraordinary memory kits to help make that happen," said Giovanni Sena, director of memory products at Corsair

The exclusive Corsair's new Dominator GTX 8GB (4GB*2 modules) dual-channel memory kit  may be purchased from Corsair’s web-store for rather whopping $499. The manufacturer noted that this is a limited edition product.
source: www.xbitlabs.com

Nvidia Demos Tegra "Kal-El" Quad-Core Chip for Mobile Devices.

A little bit ahead of the Computex Taipei 2011 trade-show, Nvidia Corp. demonstrated its next-generation Tegra "Kal-El" system-on-chip with four ARM general-purpose cores, GeForce graphics engine as well as other multimedia hardware. The demonstration called Glowball includes real-time physics as well as advanced dynamic lighting.
Nvidia again did not reveal precise specifications of Tegra "Kal El", but based on a previous reports we know that the system-on-chip (SoC) is based on four Cortex-A9 application cores, will feature a GeForce graphics processor with twelve stream processors and will have a new display and video engines capable of supporting Blu-ray disc video playback and stereo-3D graphics output. Other capabilities and clock-speeds of the novelty are not known previously. The chip developer claims that the new chip outperforms Nvidia Tegra 2 by up to five times.

The Glowball demo features a bouncing ball that is light from inside and thus represents the light source. As it rolls, it casts its effect on different objects. This shows off the power of true dynamic lighting, rendered in real-time with physics. Thanks to Kal-El, Glowball’s true dynamic lighting brings more life and interactivity to a 3D environment for the first time on a mobile device, according to Nvidia.
Glowball leverages the accelerometer inside the device, affecting real-time movements of drapes throughout the game. As the user tilts the device, the gravity in the scene changes and drapes respond accordingly. The movements are calculated using physics and are simulated across Kal-El’s four ARM Cortex-A9 cores. As the ball collides into the jack-in-the-boxes and barrels, the scene responds. Based on the CPU meter (located in the lower left corner of the screen), all four ARM cores are needed to compute physics in real-time.

Earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), Nvidia demonstrated that the Tegra 3 can browse the Web, run games and stream/decode video with 2560x1440 (1440p) extreme HD resolution. At the trade-show Nvidia demonstrated its Tegra "Kal El" in an Android-based tablet with 10.1" screen.
Nvidia promises that the Glowball demo will be available on the Android Market and that everyone will be able to check it on their devices.
Back in February Nvidia said that its partners would produce devices powered by Tegra "Kal-El" starting from August and therefore those products will be available sometimes in Q4 2011.
source: www.xbitlabs.com