Samsung's Google Chromebook gets the iFixit teardown

Samsung's Google Chromebook gets an interesting teardown from the usual suspects at iFixit. iFixit have some quite good things to say about Samsung's first outing into the Chromebook world saying it fixes a lot of the mistakes Google's own Cr-48 made.

Highlights of the teardown are surprising; the Series 5 features an improved Atom N570 processor which sports 512K more L2 cache than Google's Cr-48's Atom N455. Samsung uses a large integrated lithium-polymer battery which is good for 8.1 Amp-hours at 7.4 V. The Atom processor and NM10 graphics chip produce so little heat that no cooling fins are used at the fan's exhaust (!).

As for detailed specs of the notebook, we now know it is powered by:

 

1.66GHz Intel Atom dual-core N570 processor

 

Intel NM10 Express Chipset (labeled as CG82NM10)

 

2GB RAM in the form of Samsung K4B2G0846 HCH9 2GB DDR3 SDRAM

 

16GB SanDisk SDSA4DH-016G SSD

 

Realtek ALC272 4-Channel High Definition Audio Codec

artcal sourse:http://www.tweaktown.com/news/19934/samsung_s_google_chromebook_gets_the_ifixit_teardown/index.html

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Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel

Microsoft are calling all racing enthusiasts by releasing a new wireless gaming peripheral in the form of the Wireless Speed Wheel for the Xbox 360. The Wireless Speed Wheel launches in October and is a completely wireless controller, controlled intuitively with precise steering, standard controller buttons/triggers and haptic feedback with rumble. The device is compatible with all racing games right out of the box (with some limited functionality in games).


It will have a pricing of AUD$59.95 RRP and will ship to retailers worldwide beginning September 26, 2011. It includes trigger buttons for gas and break, with the rumble function providing immersion beyond current controllers. The new Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel balances the realism of a real wheel with the feel and ease-of-use of a controller for great user edge in game play.



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artcal sourse:http://www.tweaktown.com/news/19927/xbox_360_wireless_speed_wheel_from_microsoft/index.html

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Apacer AL830 HD Media Player adds snap on modular storage

Apacer was showing its range of memory and SSDs, but one really cool thing we spotted was their AL830 HD media player.

The AL830 is by no means a new product, but what we saw at this year's Computex was a near finished design that adds modular storage to the device. An optional matching device can simply be attached by SATA like connectors. This shouldn't come as too much as a surprise since Apacer is primarily a storage outfit and added additional storage in this fashion makes perfect logical sense.

On the back of the media player to get a fair selection of connectors including YPbPr output, AV output, optical audio output, HDMI output, LAN, USB 2.0 input and of course AC power input.

The AL820 looks rather capable and we look forward to getting in a sample for review soon. I bet Anthony cannot wait to put it through its paces.

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Kingston drop the HyperX name into the SSD line with SandForce

Computex Taipei 2011 - I'm a huge fan of the HyperX name and with the success Kingston has had with it in the memory market, it comes as no surprise they've dropped their new SandForce SF-2281 controlled SSD drive under it.

Kingston hit the SSD market hard and fast and has done a fantastic job of offering a good price scale when it comes to the line-up, thanks to a large variant of controllers and sizes being offered. Now the company is able to separate the men from the boys though by dropping the HyperX name down and letting people know if you're after the fastest, this is what you want.

Information is a little scarce at the moment, but you should find the drive available in both 120GB and 240GB variants. Availability is also a little unclear, but like most companies who are offering SATA III drives, we're sure Kingston will be working hard to get the drives to the market sooner rather than later. As far as we know, you should be able to see these go on sale sometime in July.

As for price it will no doubt be one of, if not the most expensive SSD in the Kingston line up. If previous experience is anything to go by, though, Kingston should be aggressive when it comes to being compared against the competition. No doubt Chris will be offering us all an in-depth look at the drive when it becomes available.
artcal sourse:http://www.tweaktown.com/news/19892/kingston_drop_the_hyperx_name_into_the_ssd_line_with_sandforce/index.html

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Asetek announce availability of 240mm Super Cooler

Asetek has announced the availability of their limited edition 240mm super cooler, dubbed "WaterChill 2011C", pre-orders for the WaterChill 2011C will begin on July 1st, 2011. The cooler is a 120x240mm, 4-fan ChillControl-enabled powerhouse. Their words, pretty awesome choice so I stuck with it. The 2011C uses the best of Asetek's liquid CPU cooling tech, featuring a brand new 1.5-inch thick 120x240mm radiator and no less than four fans in a push-pull configuration; this allows the 2011C to put the competition on ice, geddit? On top of this, the low-profile pump is fitted with third-generation Asetek coldplate technology and supports interactive fan control technology for all four fans. A USB connection on the pump enables precise user control of the fans and lighting effects through Asetek's ChillControl software application.

There's also a new universal mounting solution available for Sandy Bridge E-based chips. This new mounting solution will work across Asetek's line of liquid coolers and makes for an easier installation, win-win. The mount supports all mainstream Intel processors, LGA 1155, 1156 and 1366 sockets. The new universal mounting solution adds the upcoming Socket 2011 to its army of compatibility.

artcal sourse:http://www.tweaktown.com/news/19859/asetek_announce_availability_of_240mm_super_cooler/index.html

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ASUS are ready to unleash new Republic of Gamers-branded products

ASUS are set to raise the bar with their Republic of Gamers line with a bunch of new products. Take a deep breath right about now... because you're going to need it! First up, we have the ASUS ROG G74Sx 3D Gaming notebook. This notebook is a high-performance notebook for gamers on the go, it features clean, angular lines that of which nothing less than a damn stealth fighter jet has, and the power to match thanks to Intel's amazing Sandy Bridge architecture.

NVIDIA fills out the graphics quota of the G74Sx notebook with a GTX 560M chip that will allow great frame rates at the native 1920x1080 Full HD resolution as well as NVIDIA 3D Vision which allows playback of 3D Bluray movies and 3D Vision-compatible games. ASUS have gone one-up on this notebook by using an innovative thermal design that features twin fans to draw cool air from the front of the case whilst two rear exhausts help by expelling warm out the rear.

It also features a gamer-friendly keyboard that looks ever-so-stylish. Backlit keys are included to make sure your parents basement lighting (or lack thereof) doesn't effect your late night or all night gaming sessions.

Up next we have the ASUS ROG Crosshair V Formula series motherboard which is powered by an AMD 990FX chipset and has a special feature it likes to brag about. Not only is it the first ROG motherboard with AM3+ CPU support but it's the first ever AMD motherboard to support both 3-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX as well as UEFI BIOS. Remember that breathing I told you about before? I'm glad you remember, because if that didn't take your breath away, I'm not finished yet.

This board does not only push the boundaries of including NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire X, but it includes an onboard SupremeFX X-Fi 2 which is set to deliver "the most intense and immersive gaming audio experience". Intel's Ethernet and GameFirst technology also created a LAN connection that is fast enough to keep up with the pace of modern multiplayer gaming over an internet connection that is also being used for other Internet-related tasks.

The Crosshair V Formula/ThunderBolt also comes with ThunderBolt audio/LAN combo expansion card as well as a class-leading XONAR audio solution that provides dramatically better sound quality than any other standard audio card, while it's built-in headphone amplifier with adjustable impedance settings make it perfect to getting the drop on the gaming competition.

Filling the board out we have an included, award-winning Bigfood Networks Killer E2100 networking platform with exclusive Advanced Stream Detect technology which is said to automatically classify and prioritize traffic for online games, HD video and audio streams to provide optimum performance, even when performing these tasks simultaneously.

ASUS are also set to unleash the ROG Maximus IV Extreme-Z and ROG Maximus IV GENE-Z motherboards, both based on Intel's Z68 chipset, they offer two different takes on the high-performance motherboard. The Maximus IV Extreme-Z is the latest model in a long line of ROG motherboards designed from the ground up to be an overclocking enthusiasts dream come true. Where as the Maximus IV GENE-Z takes the successful ROG motherboard recipe and squishes it down to the microATX form factor.

Both boards support NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX, but wait for it; the Maximus IV GENE-Z also feature support for Lucid Virtu graphics virtualization engine which means the GENE-Z can seamlessly switch between discrete and integrated graphics on-the-fly as the application demands, while SupremeFX X-Fi 2 audio and Intel Ethernet and GameFirst ensure a first-class gaming experience.

Next up ASUS have the ROG MATRIX GTX 580. This puppy is powered by the obvious NVIDIA GeForce GTX580 GPU, but it has been heavily tweaked. It includes Enhanced TweakIt, ProbeIt and Safe Mode overclocking utilities which offer unparalleled hardware adjustment while GPU Tweak provides instant settings adjustment and monitoring. The ROG MATRIX GTX 580 also features 19-phase Super Allow Power technology which provides greater overclocking abilities with more headroom and enhanced power efficiency and component durability.

ASUS DirectCU II technology is included and it provides extremely effective cooling by combining copper heatpipes that fix in direct contact with the GPU core with two huge sound-dampened fans that suck through 600-percent (!!) more air and achieve 20-percent cooler operation than the reference-based GeForce GTX580.

ASUS aren't finished with GPUs just yet, they have also announced the ASUS ROG MARS II graphics card, to be exact it's the ROG MARS II/2DIS/3GD5 which slaps two (yes TWO) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580's onto the card to ensure (and I'll quote ASUS here, because they're probably right) "phenomenally high frame rates in the latest games at maxed-out detail settings". Well, yeah, ASUS you're probably right!

It also includes the same tech that the MATRIX GTX 580 included; GPU Tweak overclocking utility, 19-Phase Super Allow Power tech and DirectCU dual-fan cooling.

Another breath right about now will be good and we'll continue onto the ASUS ROG Vulcan ANC Headset. The ROG Vulcan ANC Gaming Headset completes the new range of ROG-branded accessories. It's perfect for gaming in noisy environments, or for times when speakers aren't appropriate. The Vulcan ANC Gaming Headset features active noise cancelling technology specifically designed to filter external noise from both its high-quality speakers and boom microphone. This results in a crystal-clear form of audio which is perfect for music, movies, games and even VoIP calls.

And finally, the most exciting (well, to me anyway) product in the new line up of ROG-branded procuts. The ASUS VG278 3D 27-inch monitor. This puppy is a 27-inch, LED-backlit, 3D Vision-compatible, 120Hz, Full HD monitor that features a built-in infrared emitter for wire-free 3D gaming. Not only that but it includes support for HDMI 1.4 also. Because of its 120Hz goodness, it is a perfect screen for the gamer who wants ultra-smooth, ultra-perfect looking games at high frame rates. That, or 3D!

And breathe out - we're finished. ASUS has a great looking line up in the ROG range and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on multiple products including that amazing looking screen - not just one, but 3 to have some great 3D Vision Surround gaming action!
artcal sourse:http://www.tweaktown.com/news/19843/asus_are_ready_to_unleash_new_republic_of_gamers_branded_products/index.html

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Intel's Ivy Bridge detailed, 22nm tech, ultra-thin and light laptops to come

COMPUTEX Taipei 2011: Tick, tock. Intel has teased the world with their Ivy Bridge-based technology, building upon their 2nd generation Intel Core technology, Ivy Bridge is expected to find its way into systems in the first half of 2012. Laptops that are powered by Ivy Bridge will bring improved power efficiency, smart visual performance, increased responsiveness and enhanced security. Ivy Bridge will also be the first high-volume chip based on Intel's 22nm manufacturing technology that uses a revolutionary 3D transistor design dubbed Tri-Gate which was announced last month.

Intel Corporation Executive Vice President Sean Maloney has today said that by the end of 2012, he expects 40-percent of the consumer laptop market will emcompass an emerging new breen of no-compromise computers called "Ultrabook". The new Ultrabook's will combine best-in-class performance, improved responsiveness and security all bundled into a thin, elegant form factor.

But, like those ads on TV that promise steak knives with "and that's not all" promises, Intel isn't finished yet! In Intel's news release, Maloney goes into detail on how Intel are looking at the future. Along side the Ultrabook unveiling, Intel have said there'll be a fair amount of changes between now and then to the Core processor range that will allow Ultrabook to take off. He also reiterated Intel's push to accelerate the pace of innovation for Intel's Atom processor-based system-on-chips (SoCs) for netbooks, smartphones, tablets and other companion devices.

Intel's Ultrabook will include three key phases according to Maloney, including Intel's 2nd Generation Intel Core processors. This family of products is said to enable Intel to provide thin, light and beautiful designs that are less than 20mm (0.8-inch) thick and hit a mainstream price point of under US$1,000. Systems based on this design will be available for the 2011 winter holiday shopping season and include an outing from ASUS in the form of the UX21, ASUS Ultrabook.

Next in line for the three key phases is Intel's Ivy Bridge. Ivy Bridge will bring the above-mentioned improvements in power efficiency, performance and security as well as being based on 22nm tech. Another surprising move will be the inclusion of USB3.0 and Thunderbolt technologies.

Our third key phase details will include planned 2013 produced codenamed "Haswell". This last phase is said to be the end result of Intel achieving the Ultrabook and reinventing the capabilities of the laptop in ultra-thin and light, responsive and more secure designs. Haswell is said to change the mainstream laptop thermal design point by reducing the microprocessor power to half of today's design point.
artcal sourse:http://www.tweaktown.com/news/19842/intel_s_ivy_bridge_detailed_22nm_tech_ultra_thin_and_light_laptops_to_come/index.html

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