Showing posts with label Hardware Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hardware Reviews. Show all posts

Sunday 13 November 2011

ASUS Announces P9X79 WAS (LGA 2011) Motherboard for Workstations

ASUS today announced its new workstation motherboard P9X79 WAS which would support Intel’s upcoming Sandy Bridge-E Processors. The motherboard would be suitable for professional workstation usage while the other Rampage IV Extreme, ASUS P9X79 and Sabertooth X79 would be aimed towards the Consumer market.


The P9X79 WAS would be based on the X79 Chipset featuring the LGA 2011 Socket which would support Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E, More specifically the i7 3900 Series. The motherboard features eight DDR3 memory modules allowing Quad channel memory interface and Six PCI-e 3.0 Memory slots allowing for Quad Way SLI and CrossfireX Support.

Storage includes 4 SATA 6Gbps and 4 SATA 3GBps ports while connectivity ports include four USB 3.0 and 13 USB 2.0. Backpanel I/O includes Dual Gigabit network, FireWire and 7.1 audio.

The release of the motherboard is expected next week along with Sandy Bridge-E platform launch on November 14th.

Monday 17 October 2011

Skinput: Appropriating the Body as an Input Surface


To download the research article on Skinput  Click Here

We present Skinput, a technology that appropriates the human body for acoustic transmission, allowing the skin to be used as an input surface. In particular, we resolve the location of finger taps on the arm and hand by analyzing mechanical vibrations that propagate through the body. We collect these signals using a novel array of sensors worn as an armband. This approach provides an always available, naturally portable, and on-body finger input system. We assess the capabilities, accuracy and limitations of our technique through a two-part, twenty-participant user study. To further illustrate the utility of our approach, we conclude with several proof-of-concept applications we developed.

Project Team

Chris Harrison

Dan Morris

Desney Tan

In Chris Harrison's ideal world, mobile phones would be the size of matchbooks. They'd have full-size keyboards. They'd browse the Web. They'd play videos.


And, most importantly, you'd never have to touch them.

Sound like too much to ask? Maybe not.

Harrison, a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University and a former intern at Microsoft Research, has developed a working prototype of a system called Skinput that does just that, essentially by turning a person's hand and forearm into a keyboard and screen.

"People don't love the iPhone keyboard. They use them. But they don't love them," Harrison said in a interview at the recent Computer-Human Interaction conference. "If you could make the iPhone keyboard as big as an arm -- that would be huge."

Using Skinput, a person could tap their thumb and middle finger together to answer a call; touch their forearm to go to the next track on a music player; or flick the center of their palm to select a menu item.

All of these sign-language-like movements, which are customizable, would control a gadget in a person's pocket through a Bluetooth connection.

When fitted with a pico-projector, the Skinput system could display an image of a digital keyboard on a person's forearm. So, using Skinput, someone could send text messages by tapping his or her arm in certain places -- without pulling the phone out of a pocket or purse.
"You could pretty much do a lot of what you do on your iPhone," said Harrison, who says Skinput "is [like having] your iPhone on your palm."

The system, which has been under development for eight months, won't be commercially available for two to seven years, said Dan Morris, a Microsoft researcher who is working with Harrison on Skinput.

Before that can happen, Skinput's sensors need to get more accurate, he said. In a 13-person trial in Seattle, Washington, Skinput was found to be 96 percent accurate. But that test only used five buttons. The system would have to improve for people to make use of a full keyboard, which would be the "holy grail," Morris said.

"The accuracy is good, but it's not quite consumer-level yet," he said.

Skinput is one of a number of prototypes, ideas and near-products aiming to make computing more natural.

These devices seek to move beyond the mouse and physical keyboard, letting people communicate with their gadgets by gesturing, using sign language or, in the case of Skinput, tapping on their hands, fingers and forearms.

The arm as an instrument

Understanding how Skinput works makes it seem all the more futuristic.
The system turns a person's arm and hand into a wiggling, pulsating instrument, full of vibrations that can be picked up and translated.

Skinput users wear an armband -- the prototype version is made of an elbow brace -- that's lined with 10 sensors. These sensors look like tiny diving boards with dumbbells on one end, and they pick up inaudible sounds that range in frequency from 25 to 78 hertz.

When a Skinput user taps a thumb and middle finger together, the impact sends ripples down the skin and through the bones in the person's arm. "They sort of start resonating -- like guitar strings," Harrison said. The diving-board receivers read the sound waves to figure out what gesture the person made, and then relay that information to a phone.

Skinput can tell whether a person tapped a middle finger or an index finger, because the two moves sound slightly different to the springy receivers.

The system takes one or two minutes to learn the sounds of a particular person's arm, Morris said, and then it can be used however the user likes.

Trial and error

When they started working on Skinput, Morris and Harrison weren't sure if it would be possible to turn the human arm into a virtual keypad. The pair tried clipping sensors to the ends of peoples' fingers and other strange configurations that made users feel like cyborgs.
"We spent a lot of nights in the lab tapping on our arms and wondering if this would ever happen," Harrison said.

But the most profound achievement of Skinput is proving that the human body can be used as a sensor, he said.

Morris believes Skinput will make computing accessible to people in a way that never would have been possible before.

With Skinput, "literally, computing is always available," he said.

A person might walk toward their home, Harrison said, tap their palm to unlock the door and then tap some virtual buttons on their arms to turn on the TV and start flipping through channels.

"It's almost like magic," he said.

To download the research article on Skinput  Click Here

Video


Friday 14 October 2011

Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

To have the gadgets with top specs is mostly people’s choice but to have a laptop with the most unusual features is the craze. This list of futuristic cool concept laptops has the ideal and unrealistic designs that can totally blow your mind. The list we have here have the laptops that are highly functional, reliable and fantastically designed. Let us see


10. Anna Lopez รข€™ concept is especially designed for usage in cars or the people who are dedicated to mobile work. It is really lightweight with full screen keyboard and transparent display.

anna lopez concept Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

9. This is designed by HP and the pictures describe its whole design for sure.

hp laptop concept 1 Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

8. V12 design by Canova, which is a dual touch screen laptop with 2 display screens. It is designed especially for graphic editors.

canova dual touch screen laptop 2 Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

7. CEATEC by Fujitsu has a touch keypad with backlight display and 5.1 surround sound system with music keys. This 20 inches gadget is also called DJ laptop.

fujitsu dj laptop Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

6. Flexi PDA Concept Laptops  comes with a flexible display and it is also waterproof.

flexi pda concept 2 Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

5. This Frog Design laptop is called Gelfrog and is as light as a newspaper. It also projects amatching pattern on its surface to be scanned by people.

gelfrog concept 2 Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

4. This PC laptop concept by Fujitsu is a papers display type which is flexible and lightweight and looks like an office folder.

fujitsu fab pc concept Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

3. Itel Ziba Design Concept laptop, This 17.7 inches laptop which weighs 2.25 pounds is totally awesome!

intel mobile metro notebook ziba design laptop concept Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

2. Compenion prototype has OLED touch screen display and has a slider design. It also supports multi touch screen

compenion concept 2 Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

1. This one is a Vaio Zoo, Holographic Concept notebook and is completely transparent and has touch screen keyboard. It is thin, lightweight and totally cool.

vaio zoom holographic concept 2 Top 10 Futuristic Concept Laptops

Top 10 Differences Between Apple iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The Tablet war continues and has taken another very interesting turn after the launch of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Well we all knows that Apple iPad 2 is currently leading the market because of its power packed features and most importantly the Apple tag, which is known as the pinnacle of technology. But other leading companies are also not accepting the second position as you can see that Samsung has launched its brand new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and it has been placed in the direct competition with Apple iPad 2. Many companies in the past have tried to grab the 1st position but Apple has remained on the top. But this move by Samsung has raised many questions in the mind of Apple lovers. Because Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has somehow managed to compete with Apple iPad 2 with its extremely mind-blowing features and inclusions of the latest technology called android honeycomb 3.0. So why not figure out the difference between these two Devices and decide which is better and which device deserves the 1st position. Let’s See iPad 2 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

ipad 2 vs galaxy tab 10.1 Top 10 Differences Between Apple iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

1. Display Size:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Apple iPad 2 weighs same which is 1.3 pounds, but Samsung Galaxy Tab has a 10.1 inch display and Apple iPad 2 has a 9.7 inch display. Talking about depth, Apple iPad 2 measures approximately 0.34 inches depth wise, whereas Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 measures 0.43 inches.

2. Operating System:

The clear difference can be found between Apple iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in their operating system. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs the much popular Android 3.0 also known as Honeycomb which makes this device powerful and effortless in multitasking and widgets customization. On the other hand Apple iPad 2 runs iOS 4.3, which means that a user can enjoy faster browsing and programming.

3. Storage Options:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is beaten by Apple iPad 2 in this department as Apple iPad 2 offers an options for 16GB, 32GB and 6GB memory options and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 only offers two type of memory options, 16GB and 32GB.

4. Battery Timing:

All those guys who have used Apple iPad 2 knows that iPad 2 has a strong battery life that runs for complete 10 hours. But here is another fact that the Android based devices have so far beaten all the products in the market when it comes to battery timing and with just three days have passed since the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has released, it is yet to be revealed that how much battery life does this device bear. But as we all know that it is a Android based device, Galaxy Tab 10.1 will surely have a minimum battery life of atleast 9 to 10 hours.

5. Camera Result:

Apple iPad 2 comes with dual camera but Apple has not yet revealed the specification of their cameras in their devices.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 also has a dual camera with 8Mp rear camera and 2MP front camera. The main differences between these two devices is that Samsung is offering 1080p video capturing recording in Galaxy Tab 10.1

6. Screen Resolution:

Although Apple has captured most of the market, but Samsung Galaxy Tab has once again taken the 1st position in this department. The screen resolution of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes with 1280×800, whereas the Apple iPad 2 comes with 1024×720 resolutions.

7. CPU:

Appl iPad 2 is powered by 1 GHz Dual Core ARM Cortex A9 Processor, PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 features 1 GHz dual-core Tegra 2 Chipset Processor. So the speed is same but there is a difference between the types of the processor.

8. Memory:

There is a clear difference memory sizes between these two power packed devices. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 1GB Ram and on the other hand Apple iPad 2 has 512MB DDR2 Ram.

9. Apps and Software:

The clear issue which Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is facing now days is with Google android market which has nothing to tell you about that that app you are downloading is for Tab or Honeycomb 3.0 like in Apple market they have categorized the apps for iPad and iPhone. Samsung will introduced the Touchwiz UX interface which will consist of L!ve Panel, Mini Apps Tray, Social Hub, Media Hub, Readers Hub and Music Hub. Well it’s a completely new interface and this is also the main reason why Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 differs from Apple iPad 2.

10. Price:

After looking in the above differences, it is completely understandable that these two devices will also differ in prices. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 which is an Android based device costs $829 with 32GB 3G and Wi-Fi model and its 32GB model costs around $599 whereas Apple iPad 2 is priced at $599 for simple 32GB Wi-Fi version and its 32 GB Wi-Fi and 3G version is priced at $729.

10 Best Laptops For College Students

10. HP G62-340us:

HP G62 340us 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: 2.0 GHz AMD Athlon II Dual-Core Processor
Hard Drive: 320GB
Memory: 3GB DDR3
Optical Drive: LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Additional Features: Webcam, 5 in 1 memory card reader and Wi-Fi.


9. Toshiba Satellite L455:

Toshiba Satellite L455 S5975 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: Intel Celeron Processor 900
Hard Drive: 250 GB
Memory: 2GB DDR2
Optical Drive: DVD-SuperMulti drive
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (32 Bits)
Additional Features: memory card reader and Wi-Fi


8. Compaq Presario CQ61:

Compaq Presario CQ61 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: 2.0 Intel Pentium Dual-Core Mobile Processor T4200
Hard Drive: 320 GB
Memory: 3GB DDR2
Optical Drive: SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic 32-bit
Additional Features: Webcam and memory card reader


7. Asus A52F-XA1:

ASUS A52F XA1 Laptop 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: Intel Pentium Dual Core P6100
Hard Drive: 320GB Hard Drive
Memory: 4GB of DDR3 RAM
Optical Drive: Super Multi Optical Disk Drive
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
Additional Features: Webcam and Bluetooth.


6. Samsung Q430:

samsung q430 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: 2.26 GHz Intel Core i3-350m
Hard Drive: 320 GB
Memory: 3GB DDR2 RAM
Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW +/-DL
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
Additional Features: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and memory card reader.


5. Toshiba satellite C655-S5118:

Toshiba Satellite C655 S5118 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: Intel Core i3-370M Processor
Hard Drive: 320 GB
Memory: 3GB DDR3
Optical Drive: DVD-SuperMulti drive
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Additional Features: Bluetooth, Wi-FI and memory card reader.


4. ASUS U41JF-A1:

Asus U41JF A1 Laptop 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: 2.53 Intel Core i3-380M
Hard Drive: 500 GB
Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM
Optical Drive: DVD RW/DVD ROM
Operating System: Microsoft 7 Home Premium (64 Bit)
Additional Features: Memory card reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Webcam


3. Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820T-7633:

Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820T 7633 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: 2.4 GHz Intel Core i3-370M dual-core processor
Hard Drive: 320 GB SATA
Memory: 4 GB DDR3
Optical Drive: 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Additional Features: Webcam, Wi-Fi and memory card reader


2. Toshiba Satellite E205:

toshiba satellite e205 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: Intel Core i5-430M
Hard Drive: 500 GB
Memory: 4GB DDR3 Ram
Optical Drive: Slot loading super multi DVD with labelflash
Operating System:
Additional Features:


1. Apple Macbook Pro MC700LL 13.3 inches /A:

Apple MacBook Pro MC700LL A 10 Best Laptops For College Students
Specification:
CPU: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core processor
Hard Drive: 320 GB
Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM
Optical Drive: 8x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Additional Features: Wi-FI, Bluetooth and memory card reader.

10 Best Gaming Laptops In 2011

Nowadays the leading companies in laptop’s market are developing certain types of laptops which will be used for a certain purpose such as Business, gaming, multimedia and other. So for all the gamers who wants the best laptop for gaming purpose that will allow them to play the games with high graphics and breath taking sequences, here is the list of world’s 10 best gaming laptops in 2011 that contains all the power packed configurations and specifications.

10. Dell Studio XPS 1640:

Dell is one of the best companies in the whole world. Dell Studio XPS 1640 is gaming laptop manufactured by Dell with well equipped feature which is perfect for gaming purpose. It has 16″ LCD display with a hard drive of 500 GB.


CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo(Dual core)
System Memory: 4GB to 8GB DDR3
Video Memory: 1GB DDR3 VRAM

9. Xplorer X7-8500:

Here is another uniquely designed gaming laptop with very beautiful outlooks and awesome specs. With a hard drive of 500 GB and a LCD display of 17.3″, this is an extremely cool laptop for gaming purpose.

CPU: 1.73 GHz Intel® Core™ i7-740QM Processor
System Memory: 4(2GBx2) DDR3
Video Memory: 1.5GB GDDR5 VRAM

8. Acer Aspire AS8943G – 6782:

A cool gaming laptop with a decent design, Acer Aspire AS8943G – 6782 has rocked the market due its highly powered configuration. It has a 18.4″ LCD display and has a hard drive of 500 GB which very big.


CPU: 1.60 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor
System Memory: 4/8GB DDR3
Video Memory: 1GB DDR3

7. MSI GX740 – 235US:

MSI is one of the main competitors in laptop’s market, and there is no doubt that they are currently leading the market of gaming laptops. Here is another awesome gaming laptop by MSI with all the specification that will fulfill the desire of the user. MSI GX740 – 235US is one hell of a gaming laptop and currently it stands in no 7 position.


CPU: 2.4 GHz Intel® Core™ i5-450M Processor
System Memory: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3
Video Memory: 1GB GDDR5

6. Asus Republic of Gamers G53JW-A1:

This laptop here is one of the coolest gaming laptop and my personal favorite. It has 15.6 “LCD display with enormous memory of 750 GB along with all the new and basic specs.

 
CPU: 1.7GHz Intel Core i7 740QM
System Memory: 6GB Expandable to 16GB
Video Memory: 1.5 GDDR5 VRAM

5. Clevo X7200:

Clevo X7200 currently stands 5th in this list because of its marvelous configurations. It has 17.3″ glossy LCD display and has a huge hard drive of 500 GB. I personally feel that this machine is one of the best in the market.

 
CPU: 1.7GHz Intel Core i7-980X six-core desktop processor
System Memory: 12 GB DDR3-1333 triple-channel RAM (3x 4GB)
Video Memory: 2GB GDDR5

4. Alienware M17x:

It is one of the hottest laptops in the market and comes in the variety of specifications. Alienware series is the most successful laptop series in gaming genre because of rocking features and awesome specs. The main specs of this gaming laptop are as follows.

 
CPU: 2.13 GHz Intel® CoreTM i7 940XM, 1.86 GHz Intel® CoreTM i7 840QM, 1.73 GHz Intel® CoreTM i7 740QM
System Memory: 4GB Dual Channel Memory (2x 2GB DDR3), 6GB Memory (1x 2GB, 1x 4GB DDR3), 8GB Dual Channel Memory (2x 4GB DDR3)
Video Memory: 1024 (MB) ATI HD5870 Mobility RadeonTM 
 

3. Qosmio X505 – Q896:

This gaming laptop is beautifully designed and highly equipped which enables the user to play all sort of games. It has 18.4 inch wide screen LCD display with 500 GB hard drive along with other configurations.

 
CPU: 1.73 GHZ Intel® Core™ i7-740QM processor
System Memory: 4GB DDR3 1066MHz memory
Video Memory: 1.5GB GDDR5 discrete graphics memory

2. iBuypower Battalion 101 X8100-U3:

2nd in the race, iBuypower Battalion 101 X8100-U3 is also one of the most wanted gaming laptop of this year. It has a big 18.4 inches LCD display with full HD resolution. In addition to this it also contains a massive hard drive of 640 GB expandable to 1 TB.


CPU: 1.73 GHz Intel® Core™ i7-740QM Mobile Processor
System Memory: 4GB [2GB x 2] 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Video Memory: 1GB [X8100]  

1. MSI GT660R – 004US:

MSI GT660R – 004US is the most powerful laptop that has outlasted all the competitors. This fully equipped machine has all the specs which will allow you to play all the games with high graphics. It has a 16″ glossy LCD display and other basic specs include:
Specification

 
CPU: 1.73 GHz Intel® Core™ i7-740QM Processor
Systemy: 6GB (2G*3) DDR3
Video Memory: 1GB DDR3 VRAM

 

Wednesday 12 October 2011

NVIDIA Ion mini-ITX System Build Guide

DIY NVIDIA Ion mini-ITX Build

Building a mini-ITX computer system is a popular topic these days and for good reason. The form factor is very small, a wide selection of platforms is available, and the component pricing is fairly decent. This build guide will quickly go through the steps of building a mini-ITX build from out of the box to completion. Once the build is completed, I will install Windows 7 RTM and run a slew of benchmarks to see how the system performs doing some tasks that you might actually do with a mini-ITX system.  The goal of this article is to show how to build a mini-ITX HTPC system capable of playing Blu-Rays for under $600 in hardware.  Can it be done?  Easily!

Image taken from Legit Reviews
The Mini-ITX System Build Parts List:
  • ASUS AT3N7A-I Motherboard
  • Western Digital Scorpio Black 250GB 7200 RPM HDD WD2500BEKT
  • Kingston 2GB DDR2 800MHz ValueRam KVR800D2N5K2/2G
  • Panasonic UJ-135-A SATA Slimline Slot-Loading Blu-ray Player
  • Travla Mini-ITX Case C287
Before the operating system and software, which isn't that bad for what this system will be capable of doing. Once it is built and loaded up with Windows 7 RTM 64-bit for a trial run, it should be a fairly beefy system thanks to the dual-core Intel Atom Processor 330 (1M Cache, 1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB) and the NVIDIA Ion GPU.

Image taken from Legit Reviews
Many people might not understand just how small mini-ITX systems are, so here is the system that I will be showing you how to build sitting next to an early 1990's IBM 70MB ESDI hard drive. The mini-ITX system is actually just slightly larger when it comes to length and width, but is not as tall as the 70MB hard drive. The fact that the mini-ITX system on the left is loaded with a 250GB hard drive, motherboard, processor, 2GB of memory and a Blu-Ray player and is roughly the same size as hard drive from just a couple decades ago just goes to show how quickly computer components have advanced and shrunk in size.

Image taken from Legit Reviews
The Travla Mini-ITX Case C287 also dwarfs my current HTPC that was built using the Moneual LAB Black Aluminum 972B ATX media center case. The new mini-ITX system will basically cost as much as my chassis did from a couple years ago. Other than a massive space savings, this system should also use much less power.  My current HTPC uses an AMD 690G platform with a Radeon HD 4830 graphics card and consumes ~110W at idle.  The new build that I am reviewing today should idle under 25W, which is nearly an 80% reduction in power consumption.

Nvidia Ion Graphics Processor Features & Specifications

Nvidia Ion is a product line of Nvidia corporation intended for motherboards of low-cost portable computers. It uses graphics processing units and chipsets intended for small products.

Description

Nvidia Ion products include a GeForce 9M (9xxxM) series MCP79MX (with integrated GeForce 9400M G GPU) chipset, DDR3-1066 or DDR2-800 SDRAM, and the Intel Atom processor. The original reference platform was based on a Pico-ITXe motherboard designed for netbook and nettop devices. In February 2009, Microsoft certified the Ion-based platform for Windows Vista. The small form factor Ion-based computers were released in mid-2009. Ion systems were DirectX 10.0 and OpenGL 3.3 capable. This allowed playback of full 1080p high-definition video with true-fidelity 7.1 surround sound audio output with VDPAU or the Third Generation PureVideo HD feature. Ion systems can also use CUDA (Nvidia's General-Purpose Computing on Graphics Processing Units technology), as well as OpenCL. ION-LE based systems shared the same basic hardware as ION but lacked Vista and DirectX 10 support.

It was originally believed to be unlikely that Ion systems would ever enter into mass production and were thus unlikely to pose competition to Intel's own chipsets for the Atom platform, due to Intel's unwillingness to supply Atom processors separate from the 945GSE and 945GC chipsets with which the CPUs are usually supplied. While manufacturers could still buy an Atom-plus-chipset package and remove the CPU for use on an Ion board, it hardly seems likely given the costs involved, especially given the low-cost leanings of the nettop and netbook market. However, Intel later denied those claims, and a spokesperson for Intel said Intel sells Atom as a stand-alone processor.


Nvidia announced that it would release the Ion platform for the VIA Nano processor some time in Q4 2009.


For full-sized laptops, the Ion platform promised 5x faster graphics and video transcoding with an 80% lower CPU cost when compared to the Intel GM45 graphics. For netbooks and nettops 10x faster graphics and video transcoding when compared to the Intel 945GSE graphics. For all-in-ones, the Ion platform is capable of displaying resolutions up to 2560 × 1600.
Acer announced the release of their Aspire Revo which is the first model available for retail purchase to be built on the Ion platform.

Zotac International launched four Nvidia Ion based motherboards in Mini-ITX form factor. An Ion system based on their IONITX A-U dual-core Atom 330 motherboard draws 30 watts total from the AC line cord, including hard disk and DVD drives, while playing and upscaling a DVD.

Specifications

Ion (first-generation Nvidia Ion)

                  Zotac motherboard
 
 
  • Chipset: MCP79MX (with integrated GeForce 9400M G GPU)
  • Intended Operating System: (Ion): Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Linux; (Ion-LE): Microsoft Windows XP, Linux
  • Memory Interface: DDR3-1066 or DDR2-800
  • DirectX 10 Support: Yes, No (Ion-LE)
  • Graphics Cores: 16
  • Core/Shader Clocks: 450/1100 MHz
  • Texture Fill Rate: 3.6 Billion/second
  • Maximum Anti-Aliasing (AA) Sample Rate: 16x
  • RAMDACs: 300 MHz
  • Maximum High-Dynamic Range (HDR) Precision: 128-bit
  • Maximum Analog Resolution: 2048 x 1536
  • Maximum Digital Resolution: 2560 x 1600
  • Graphics APIs: DirectX 10.0, OpenGL 3.3
  • Full HD decode (1080i/p): Yes, 3rd Generation PureVideo
  • Display Options: HDMI, Dual-link DVI, DP, or VGA (any 2)
  • HDMI Version: 1.3 (according to the manual of the zotac ION itx-f board)
  • PCI-Express 2.0: 20 lanes (1×16 and 4×1)
  • SATA Drives: 6
  • SATA Speed: 3 Gb/s
  • RAID: 0, 1
  • Networking: 10/100/1000 BASE-T
  • USB Ports: 12/2C
  • PCI Slots: 5
  • Audio: HDA (Azalia)

Ion 2 (next-generation Nvidia Ion)

  • CUDA cores: up to 16
  • Standard Memory configurations: 512 MB of DDR2, 256 MB of DDR3, 512 MB of DDR3
  • Memory Interface Width: Up to 64-bit
  • Hardware Video Decode Acceleration: Yes, 4th Generation PureVideo
  • nVidia CUDA Technology: Yes
  • Certified for Windows 7: Yes
  • Microsoft DirectX: 10.1
  • OpenGL: 3.3
  • Audio: HDA
  • Maximum digital resolution: 2560 × 1600
  • Maximum VGA resolution: 2048 × 1536
  • Netbook supported display connectors: HDMI
  • Desktop supported display Connectors: Dual-link DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA
  • Multi-monitor: Yes
  • HDCP: Yes
The ION chip in 10-inch netbooks with Pinetrail Atoms offers only eight shader cores and a clock rate of 405 MHz. According to Nvidia, the performance should still be similar to the first generation of ION. The power consumption of 6 watts is rather low, and therefore fully suited for small netbooks. The 12" version features all 16 cores of the GT218 chip and is clocked at 475 MHz, with a power consumption of 12 watts. The performance should be above the old ION platform. The desktop version is clocked even higher at 535 MHz as no power restrictions have to be met, since the desktop versions don't communicate through a PCI-Express x1 bus, as the netbook versions do, thus not being restricted to x1 bandwidth.

Existing products

This list is non-exhaustive.

Motherboards

  • ASRock A330ION motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU, DDR3, PCI Express x16 slot)
  • ASUS AT5IONT-I motherboard (Intel Atom D525 CPU, DDR3, USB3, PCI Express x4 slot @ x1 speed, with latch)
  • ASUS AT3N7A-I motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU)
  • ASUS AT3IONT-I motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU, DDR3, PCI Express x16 slot)
  • ASUS AT3IONT-I DELUXE motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU, DDR3, PCI Express x16 slot, DC power connector, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth, Media remote)
  • IEI Industrial Motherboard KINO-PVN D5251 ION2,DDR3,HDMI,Dual GbE,SATA,PCI/ PCI Expr.x1 slot, mini-PCI,CF TypeII
  • Jetway NC63-230 ITX board (Intel Atom 230 CPU, 20-pin ATX power connector)
  • Jetway NC63-330 ITX board (Intel Atom 330 CPU, 20-pin ATX power connector)
  • Jetway NC63P-230 ITX board (Intel Atom 230 CPU, 12V DC Power Onboard)
  • Jetway NC63P-330 ITX board (Intel Atom 330 CPU, 12V DC Power Onboard)
  • Point of View POV/ION230 motherboard (Intel Atom 230 CPU)
  • Point of View POV/ION330 motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU)
  • ZOTAC IONITX A-B motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU, 90w DC power connector, Wireless PCIe module installed)
  • ZOTAC IONITX A-U motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU, DC power connector, Wireless PCIe module installed)
  • ZOTAC IONITX B-E motherboard (Intel Atom 230 CPU, 20-pin power connector)
  • ZOTAC IONITX C-U motherboard (Intel Atom 230 CPU, DC power connector)
  • ZOTAC IONITX D-E motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU, 20-pin power connector, Wireless PCIe module installed)
  • ZOTAC IONITX F-E motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU, 20-pin power connector, Wireless PCIe module installed, PCI Express x16 slot)
  • ZOTAC IONITX G-E motherboard (Intel Atom 330 CPU, 20-pin power connector, PCI Express x1 slot, mini-PCIe x1 slot).

Desktop systems

An ASRock ION 330HT-BD
  • Acer AspireRevo Nettop Media Server w/Remote
  • Aleutia H1 Hotel PC (with the above ZOTAC IONITX A-U), fanless in the single core version.
  • aOpen GP7A
  • ASRock Ion 330 series
  • ASRock Ion 330HT series w/Remote
  • ASRock Ion 330Pro
  • ASUS Eee Box EB1012
  • ASUS Eee Box EB1501
  • Asus S1-AT5NM10E
  • Foxconn NetBox-nT330i
  • Giada Mini PC series
  • Lenovo IdeaCentre Q150 - 40816AU
  • MSi All-in-One PC Wind Top AE2220
  • Myka ION
  • Orbit Micro Helix A58 Sleek NVIDIA ION/N330 desktop system
  • Orbit Micro Helix A5W Fanless IP water-proof dust-proof Nvidia ION system
  • Sapphire EDGE HD
  • Shuttle XS35GT, fanless system with ION2 and Atom D510
  • Viewsonic VOT132
  • ZaReason Ion Breeze
  • Zotac Mag

Netbook systems

  • Acer Aspire One 532G
  • Asus Eee PC VX6
  • Asus Eee PC 1015PN
  • Asus Eee PC 1201N
  • Asus Eee PC 1201NL
  • Asus Eee PC 1215N
  • HP Mini 311
  • Lenovo IdeaPad S12
  • Point of View Mobii ION
  • Samsung N510




Intel Launching Next Generation MacBook Air Processors

As reported by Fudzilla and HardMac, Intel is about to launch its next generation Sandy Bridge ultra low voltage CPUs suitable for the MacBook Air.

Due to the MacBook Air's thin form factor, it has required the use of particularly low power CPUs from Intel. Apple has stuck with Core 2 Duo processors with a maximum Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 10-17W. Apple is believed to have continued to use this older processor design in order to keep NVIDIA's graphics chips powering their ultracompact notebook. Due to licensing disputes, NVIDIA was prohibited from building newer chipsets that supported Intel's newest processors.

With the release of Sandy Bridge, Intel upgraded the performance of their integrated graphics chipset. This was good enough for Apple to offer in their latest 13" MacBook Pros, so we expect it will be good enough for the upcoming MacBook Airs as well. Apple had been previously rumored to be introducing the "Sandy Bridge" MacBook Airs this June.

HardMac pinpoints the Core i5 2537M (17W) as the possible chip to be used, at least in the 13" model:

"Fortunately, Intel has low consumption processors, well for now, one processor, the Core i5 2537M. It is clocked at 1.4 GHz and features an impressive turbo mode reaching 2.3 GHz. It would be a huge gap with the power currently offered in the MacBook Air, even in the 13" model. Plus the bus is now 1333 MHZ, while it is only 800 MHz currently.

Meanwhile, the current 11" MacBook air uses an even lower power (10W) processor, but it's not clear how much power savings is offered by removing the need for the NVIDIA graphics chipset, as the Intel solution is integrated within the processor itself.

Inside Intel's Next-Gen Processors

Here’s how the new Core i5 and i7 'Sandy Bridge' chips--which bake graphics hardware into the CPU--are redefining PC performance.

 

Intel rang in 2011 with its second-generation Core processors, promising vastly superior performance, better graphics capabilities, and improved energy efficiency. How much of a difference can a new CPU generation really make? If our tests of the first systems to use these revamped CPUs are any indication, the answer is "quite a lot." The new processors--formerly code-named Sandy Bridge--deliver stronger performance than their predecessors did, and at palatable prices.

Intel's integrated graphics have come a long way, too, with support for 3D Blu-ray and smooth playback of 1080p content. But video game fans shouldn't toss out their discrete graphics cards just yet--the graphics processors built into the new CPUs stumble on many modern titles. Bad news for upgraders, too: Intel has reworked the socket for the platform, so if you're looking to upgrade aging hardware, you must also factor a motherboard purchase into your budget.
The second-gen Core launch was not without hiccups. In late January Intel issued a recall of Sandy Bridge's 6 Series chipset due to a design flaw. According to Intel, this flaw in the motherboard chipset would cause performance of the SATA ports to degrade eventually.
Despite those concerns, Intel's new hardware remains a force to be reckoned with. If you're considering a new desktop or laptop with an Intel processor, chances are good that it'll be a Sandy Bridge model. We'll help you understand the strengths and weaknesses.

New CPU Features

The new CPUs retain the Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 monikers that Intel has used for a few years, but the naming scheme is a bit misleading: These processors have a whole new architecture, and aren't simply a revision.
The company optimized and enlarged the caches for "micro-ops" used in the CPU, allowing for more-efficient, faster handling of tasks. Performance for AES encryption and SHA-1 hash operations is improved. A new set of vector extensions (called AVX) promises to rev up performance in some data-intensive applications, once they have been optimized to use the new instructions. And a new ring bus enables faster communications between cores and the integrated graphics processor.
Intel has made technical changes within the CPU cores, as well, most of which are of interest only to coders and compiler developers. What you need to know as a consumer is this: Performance should be better in just about any application that relies heavily on the CPU.

PCWorld Labs results showed considerable performance gains when comparing Sandy Bridge systems with first-gen Core PCs that are only a few months old. For instance, we saw a 13 percent increase in performance between a system with the new Intel Core i5-2500K and a similarly equipped six-month old PC sporting Intel's first-gen Core i5-650. The divide widens when vendors overclock the CPU. An $850 desktop with an overclocked Core i5-2500K cruised through tests 20 percent faster than a $2000 PC with an overclocked Core i5-655K.

Our initial testing demonstrates that the new Core processors allow users to do quite a bit more for less, and performance will only get better as tools and libraries are updated to allow applications to make better use of the features.
Enhancements to Intel's Turbo Boost technology will let the new Core CPUs run at higher clock speeds more often. The automatic speed-boosting feature used to work only if one or two of the cores were active while the others were idle. Now, if conditions are right, it can operate even when all cores are busy, and it can also boost the speed of the graphics processor a bit, if necessary.

Better Graphics and Video

If you were disappointed with the integrated graphics and video performance of past Intel processors, you'll be thrilled to know that this is probably the most improved aspect of the new chips. High-definition video plays well, and the 3D graphics are fast enough for modest games. With the previous Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, Intel incorporated integrated graphics directly into the CPU package. It was technically a separate chip on a different piece of silicon, and the results left us unimpressed: High-def video often stuttered, and PC gaming was pretty much a lost cause.

With Sandy Bridge, Intel has incorporated the graphics processing unit onto the same silicon as the CPU cores. The GPU communicates with the CPU cores along the high-speed ring bus and shares the L3 cache with the CPU cores. This GPU is compatible with Microsoft's DirectX 10.1; it is also dramatically faster than previous Intel integrated graphics. And as noted, the GPU can take advantage of Turbo Boost, giving you a little extra graphics kick right when you need it most.

All of the laptop versions of the new chips have a graphics processor with 12 execution units, while some of the desktop versions will use a cut-back version with 6 execution units and others will have the full 12. Unfortunately, you have no immediately obvious way to distinguish the two, but don't worry: The processors with fewer execution units are meant for either very low-cost systems or high-performance systems that will use a dedicated graphics card and circumvent the integrated graphics entirely.

Performance of the new graphics chips is impressive compared with what we've seen from Intel, but it's still not good enough to please seasoned gamers. For example, you can play modern titles such as Starcraft II smoothly, provided that you don't turn the resolution up too much or enable the highest graphics settings. Any gamer will want to pair their new Intel CPU with a good Nvidia or AMD graphics card. Still, the ability to handle such games at all is a big step forward for Intel.


GPU-accelerated features in upcoming Web browsers (such as Firefox 4 and Internet Explorer 9) work, too, resulting in smoother and more fluid Web browsing on cutting-edge sites.
Video processing is significantly improved with the new CPU, which offers better decoding of the MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and VC1 video codecs and fully supports 1080p Blu-ray playback (even 3D Blu-ray movies) at smooth frame rates. This enhanced video decoding, along with the improvements to the CPU cores, makes for superior performance in converting files from one video format to another. In our testing, we converted a 10-minute-long video clip into various formats on a wide variety of PCs. The revamped integrated graphics consistently finished the task at rates between 50 percent and 70 percent faster than the older Core processor; the new chip's results were also just a few seconds behind those of a $300 graphics card.

Impressive Energy Efficiency

All eyes are on energy efficiency these days, and the trend has not escaped Intel's notice. Despite the remarkable performance of the new processors, they tend to sip less power than the older CPUs do. In desktop PCs and all-in-ones, that translates to cooler and quieter systems and a slightly lower power bill; in laptops, it means longer battery life.

How much power a PC consumes depends on everything from the power supply to the key components to the brightness and efficiency of the display. It's therefore hard to draw direct comparisons. Still, our initial lab results are promising. When we compared PCs based on their WorldBench 6 scores, those with older Core CPUs used 57 percent more energy than our Sandy Bridge test platforms did to achieve the same results.

What to Buy

If you're in the market for a new PC, make sure that it carries one of Intel's new Core CPUs. The exceptions are netbooks and small, inexpensive ultraportable laptops--the Sandy Bridge chips aren't aimed at that PC category, and we're satisfied with the results from AMD's Fusion processors in such PCs. (For a closer look at those chips, which also combine a CPU and GPU, see "AMD Finally Ships Fusion Processors.")

How do you know whether you're getting one of the new processors? Look to the model number: The new CPUs are still called Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7, but those names are followed by four digits starting with a "2." A Core i7-2600K is new, for example, while a Core i7-970 is older. The quad-core models came out first, and the dual-core versions are arriving now; the latter should be less expensive and require less power, which means they'll fit into smaller and more-affordable laptops and desktops.

Intel's Next-Gen "Sandy Bridge-E" Extreme Chip to Boost Performance by Up to 65% - Estimates.


 Intel's Core i7-3900 Extreme Chips to Speed Up Performance Computing




Intel Corp.'s next-generation Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" microprocessors for performance enthusiasts will deliver from 12% to 65% higher performance compared to current extreme chips, according to estimates by the manufacturer. Thanks to Sandy Bridge micro-architecture and other improvements, the new chips will offer tangible performance boosts compared to existing offerings from Intel.

According to a document with Intel's performance estimates of the Core i7-3960X processor (six cores, 3.30GHz, 15MB cache) seen by X-bit labs, the forthcoming chip for the LGA2011 platform is clearly faster than its predecessor Core i7-990X (six cores, 3.46GHz, 12MB cache) across a range of benchmarks despite of lower clock-speed amid the same amount of cores due to advantages of the Sandy Bridge micro-architecture over Nehalem/Westmere micro-architecture, quad-channel memory controller and other innovations.


                                                            An engineering sample of LGA2011 processor

The rough estimates of performance advantage of the Sandy Bridge E-series Core i7-3960X compared to the model Core i7-990X are the following:
  • +13% in Cinebench 1.5
  • +12% in POV-Ray 3.7
  • +36% in 3DMark 11 Physics Test
  • +15% in ProShow Gold 4.5
  • +34% in SPECint_rate base 2006
  • +65% in SPECfp_rate base 2006
  • +111% in Sandra 2011B/Multi-Media FP sub-test
  • +92% in Sandra 2011B/Memory Bandwidth FP sub-test
While performance estimates hardly draw any clear picture about performance in real world applications, it is clear that the new Extreme-series chip from Intel will have a clear advantage over predecessor across a range of demanding programs.


In Q4 2011 the world's largest maker of chips plans to introduce at least three different Sandy Bridge E-series microprocessors: two fully unlocked models with six cores, 15MB or 12MB of cache, 3.30GHz or 3.20GHz clock-speeds as well as one quad-core partially unlocked model with 10MB cache and 3.60GHz frequency, according to documents seen by X-bit labs. The enthusiast-class central processing units (CPUs) will have quad-channel memory controllers and will require mainboards based on Intel X79 core-logic with LGA2011 socket. Intel plans to refresh the LGA2011 lineup in Q2 2012.

According to Intel's internal estimates, Sandy Bridge E-series microprocessors will account for about 1% - 2% of Intel's desktop processor shipments by volume in 2H 2011. By contrast, Sandy Bridge chips for mainstream PCs will represent a half of Intel's desktop shipments in the second half of 2011.

Intel did not comment on the news-story.