AMD have introduced the latest driver for the HD 7000 series of cards. The Catalyst 12.7 beta display driver offers significant performance boosts over the previous set of drivers whilst the Catalyst 12.6 WHQL driver offers performance fixes and updates for all HD 7000, 6000 and 5000 cards. AMD are boasting these performance gains using the 12.7 beta against the drivers the HD 7000 series cards launched with:

• Batman: Arkham City (Up to 65% faster on the AMD Radeon HD 7970)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Up to 55% faster on the AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series)
• Total War: Shogun 2 (Up to 17% faster with the AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series)
• DiRT 3 (Up to 7% faster with the AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series)

The list of resolved issues for both the 12.6 WHQL and 12.7 beta is below:

• Using AMD Radeon HD 7900 and AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series in TriFire or QuadFire configurations with AMD Eyefinity will no longer result in a BSOD when launching a DirectX application.
• Multi-display configurations will no longer BSOD at the desktop on AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series GPUs.
• Additional fixes for AMD Radeon HD 7900, AMD Radeon HD 7800, and AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series GPUs hanging the system upon entering sleep. Some occurrences of this issue may be related to an outdated motherboard BIOS, however. Please ensure that your motherboard BIOS is up to date.
• Resolves AMD CrossFire technology scaling issues seen in AMD Catalyst 12.4 with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
• AMD Catalyst Control Center: Overdrive page is no longer intermittently missing
• AMD Catalyst Control Center: GPU Activity gauge is no longer intermittently missing
• Using AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series GPUs in an AMD CrossFire technology config no longer results in system hangs after cinematics in Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Heroes and Generals: Blocky corruptions in scenes with smoke effects under the DirectX 11 mode are no longer experienced.
• DiRT Showdown: Improves scaling for AMD CrossFire technology configurations using the AMD Radeon HD 6000 Series
• HDMI audio is no longer disabled if the connected HDTV is powered off/on.

You can read much more detailed release notes for both these updates here.

You can pick up the 12.7 Beta driver here.

The 12.6 WHQL drivers can be downloaded from here.

Source: AMD

Motherboards

ASUS P8Z77-V Pro @ Techreaction.net

Graphics Cards

AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition Video Card @ Hardware Secrets

Cases

Corsair Vengeance C70 @ techPowerUp

Storage

OCZ Vertex 4 128GB Solid State Drive @ Pro-Clockers

QNAP TS-412 @ HW Info

Cooling

Arctic Freezer i30 Cooler @ Technic3D.de

Audio

Wavemaster Stax @ HW-Journal.de

Miscellaneous

Yammm vs Meta Browser vs Media Center Master @ Computing on Demand

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 @ HotHardware.com

The post-flood decline of hard drive prices is slowing @ The Tech Report

Home Secretary Theresa May is under increasing pressure to reverse her decision to extradite 24 year old student and TVShack.net foundr Richard O’Dwyer after a petition started by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales receives more than 160,000 signatures in just five days.

The campaign, launched by Wales in conjunction with the Guardian newspaper on Monday, has been backed by celebrities and politicians including Labour Deputy Chair Tom Watson MP, Conservative MP Louise Mensch who referred to the extradition as “unconscionable”, and Liberal Democrat MP Mike Crockart.

Speaking when launching the campaign on Monday, Jimmy Wales said:

“Given the thin case against him [Richard], it is an outrage that he is being extradited to the US to face felony charges for something that he is not being prosecuted for here. No US citizen has ever been brought to the UK for alleged criminal activity that took place on US soil.”

Julia O’Dwyer, Richard’s mother, said:

“I’m blown away by the response to Jimmy’s petition. It’s been a tough year campaigning for my son but this outpouring of support from around the world has really made politicians sit up and take note of Richard’s case. Now it’s time for Theresa May to do the right thing by Richard.”

Graham Linehan writer of sitcoms The IT Crowd, Black Books and Father Ted, signed the petition, saying:

“It just seems to me that people like Richard are being punished for being able to navigate the modern world. The Internet has changed everything, they’re doing what comes naturally in these new uncharted waters and suddenly they’re getting their collars felt by people who still have Hotmail addresses.”

Source:PR

RunCore is officially launching the world’s first single chip SATA II DOM SSD for advanced embedded SSD solutions, the RunCore Mini DOM. With a miniature size of no more than 43.38 mm(L) × 27.75mm(W), the RunCore Mini DOM, is the very first single-chip SSD utilizing the SATA II interface reaching up to 113MB/s read and 50MB/s write speeds. The Mini Dome is available in a wide capacity range from 8 GB up to 64 GB. Being able to withstand extreme temperatures between -55℃ and 95℃ RunCore’s Mini DOM is designed for usage in a variety of different mission-critical system setups even under most demanding circumstances.

Highly Implementable

Various solutions for different power inputs make the RunCore Mini DOM highly implementable for almost any system requirements such as Defense and Navigation systems, Automobile PCs, TVM, Medical computers and POS machines. Power input options consist of external 5V or 3.3V via a 22-pin connector, 7-pin VCC or external 5V input via a 7-pin connector.

Data Protection

Additionally the MiniDOM SSD implements RunCore’s data self-destruction technology, allowing for data-elimination. Users can easily activate the Write protection and the Quick Erase function by simply mounting 2 jumpers.

Miniature Rugged Design

As the miniaturization in computing is continuously progressing, this is also the case for storage demands. RunCore is addressing this demand with their Rugged SSD for Embedded Market – rSSD series – offering highly sophisticated small form factor SATAII SSD solutions for embedded systems. Dimensions of these rSSD are compressed dramatically by virtue of the 104-ball FBGA packaging when compared to conventional drives, while reducing power consumption to 670 mW.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ4Z67qO6a4[/youtube]

Source:PR

QNAP is extending the number of compatible peripherals for its Turbo NAS products. The additions, including five 500GB to 1TB 2.5-inch internal SATA hard drives, ten 2.5-inch 60GB to 480GB internal Solid State Drives, two USB Wi-Fi adapters, and one USB camera are now fully compatible. The expanded peripherals are expected to give users greater convenience and deployment flexibility.

The compatible 2.5″ internal SATA Hard Drives are listed below:

• SAMSUNG – HN-M101MBB (1TB), HN-M500MBB (500GB)
• Toshiba – MQ01ABD100 (1TB), MQ01ABD050 (500GB), MK5059GSXP (500GB)

The compatible 2.5″ internal Solid State Drives (SSD) are listed below:

• OCZ – D2CSTK251M11-0060 (60GB), D2CSTK251M11-0120 (120GB), D2CSTK251M11-0240 (240GB), D2CSTK251M11-0480 (480GB), D2CSTK251M11-0120.7 (120GB), D2CSTK251M11-0240.7 (240GB), D2CSTK251M11-0480.7 (480GB), D2CSTK251A10-0120.7 (120GB), D2CSTK251A10-0240.7 (240GB), D2CSTK251A10-0480.7 (480GB)

The compatible USB Wi-Fi adapters are listed below:

• yxel – NWD2105
• D-link – DWA-125 (H/W v.A3, F/W v1.50

The compatible USB camera is listed below:

• Creative – Live! Cam Optia AF (VF0280)

Source:PR

16 of the UK’s best gaming talent will battle it out this weekend in a bid to become the first Red Bull Gridsters champion at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The competition is set to be fierce and for those not lucky enough to be at the festival, all the action will be streamed live at www.redbull.co.uk/gridsters.

Red Bull Gridsters is a new, unique competition format that aims to find who is the fastest, most versatile racing gamer in the UK, across three different racing titles on two different platforms (Forza Motorsport 4 (XBOX 360), Gran Turismo 5 (PS3) and F1 2011 (PS3)).

Having made it through the tough first selection process, the 16 finalists, who were selected by industry experts, now face two days of intense competition.  Contestants will be battling it out for some astonishing prizes including a trip to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as well as the accolade of being crowned the first ever Red Bull Gridsters champion.

‘Young Guns’ is the theme for this year’s Goodwood Festival and with youngest ever double Formula 1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, in attendance, Gridster viewers will get the chance to see him take on world Trackmania champion Hakki Jr. on Gran Turismo 5. With the British Grand Prix just a week away, there will also be question and answer sessions with Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber which are both being streamed live on redbull.co.uk/gridsters

Speaking of the new collaboration at the event Festival of Speed founder Lord March said, “It is great that we have this exciting new gaming concept coming to Goodwood this year which ties in perfectly with the Young Guns theme of the Festival. I look forward to seeing some of the best virtual racers competing at the same Festival as some of the greatest racing drivers of all time.”

• Red Bull Gridsters will be streamed from 9.00 to 17.00 on Saturday 30th and Sunday 1st July
• Sebastian Vettel’s Q&A will be streamed on Saturday 30th June at 11.05
• Mark Webber’s Q&A will be streamed on Sunday 1st July 11.55
• The Goodwood Festival of Speed will run from the 28th June to the 1st July with the Red Bull Gridsters competiton taking place on Saturday 30th June and Sunday 1st July

Rosewill has just released their first 80+ Platinum certified power supply. Codenamed FORTRESS, it is the first among several 80+ Platinum certified power supplies that will be added to their already distinguished line of power supplies.

With an efficiency rating up to 94%, you’ll get the maximum performance from every FORTRESS power supply which will be available in 450W, 550W, 650W, and 750W ratings. The 80+ Platinum rating translates into cooler temperatures across the board which provided the opportunity to use a silent 135mm fan.

Equipped with a single 12V rail that outputs up to 62.5A and comes with four 6+2 PCI-e connectors on the 750W model, you can power almost any combination of two video cards on the market. Coupled with the 80Plus Platinum Certification, you’re components will be getting clean and efficient power at all times.

The FORTRESS is built for efficiency and comes in a simplistic design. Featuring exceedingly stable voltages with low ripple and noise, it is the perfect complement to any system.

Source:PR

External enclosures are a great way to have high capacity data storage on the go. Data can also be a critical factor for users in the media business or who work with data centers. Some of the top tier hard drive companies have made their own all in one enclosure with hard drive included. However, one of the known major causes of hard drive failure is due to excessive heat buildup caused by a lack of a proper cooling system.

Also, a majority of hard drive manufactures only allow a 1 year warranty on their all in one external hard drives. This can be fatal for someone who has just lost their data and has to spend a significant amount of money in order to recover their data. There are other external enclosures in the market that provide a cooling system to help prevent this, but the physical placement of the cooling system does not always allow for the optimal airflow to cool the hard drive. Going above and beyond, the MB080U3S-1SB Blizzard is the next generation of external enclosures dedicated for maximum performance in cooling.

Elegantly Designed Hardware

The Blizzard has a uniquely designed front panel integrated with a massive 80mm fan for an elegant and nonintrusive design for the best ventilation, all in a single 3.5″ hard drive that is installed into the front of the enclosure. There are two important reasons for the particular fan placement and design. First, the MB080U3S-1SB will be able to cool all sides of the hard drive and create only one direction of airflow from the front to the back, where the air then exits. This extends the life of the cooling fan as it only intakes cool cold air and increases the overall cooling efficiency of the hard drive, in comparison to other enclosure cooling designs. Second, the 80mm fan is integrated into the detachable front panel which allows to easily swap your hard drive without any screws or tools to worry about. On the sides, includes two slightly concealed button ejectors that when pressed, will eject the front panel enabling the user to swap the hard drive as needed, similar to popular hard drive docking stations.

Smarter Cooling Functionality

The rear panel comprises of a multitude of defining features coming all together from only the best ideas of our previous external enclosure models. The enclosure has a single LED brightness dial to effortlessly adjust the ambient LED brightness to your preferred liking. To increase the level of functionality, the Blizzard’s LED color will turn red when the hard drive temperature is over 50°C. The built in fan controller allows you to select low, high, and auto to properly cool the hard drive to help if such a case appears. The auto mode properly adjusts accordingly to your hard drive’s requirements by increasing or decreasing the fan speed as needed.

Lighting Quick Speed

Taking advantage of the new ultra fast USB 3.0 interface, users will be able to transfer at high speeds at a maximum of 5 Gbps or perhaps use the similarly fast eSATA interface for system when there is a lack of USB 3.0. The USB 3.0 interface is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 so using the MB080U3S-1SB on your legacy PC or Mac is not a problem. With tool-less drive installation, you can easily swap the drives in between systems. The Blizzard is perfect for users in the fields requiring the best cooling and performance on the market.

Key Features:

• Unique & Elegant design.
• Massive 80mm fan for optimal cooling.
• Direct airflow design to completely cool all sides of the hard drive.
• Completely screw-less / tool-less design for any 3.5″ SATA I/II/III HDD.
• USB 3.0 & eSATA interface for the fastest connections anywhere.
• Backward compatible with USB 2.0 for wide-ranging use.
• 3 Speed Adjustable Cooling Fan, including auto setting featuring.
• Smart Cooling technology. Smart Cooling Technology is active in auto mode and accurately adjusts the fan speed according to your hard drive’s needs.
• Cool blue ambient LED with adjustable brightness control.
• Smart-Temp functionality – Front LED changes from blue to red when over 50° C.
• Supports SATA 6Gbit hard drive up to 3TB capacity.
• Great for Media and IT Professionals.
• Designed for PC & Mac systems.

For more information, visit the product page.

Source:PR

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) today announced the release of the Mobility DisplayPort (MyDP) Standard. MyDP is an extension of the DisplayPort connectivity standard that enables mobile devices to share high-definition video, audio, and 3D content with the broad universe of larger external displays through common, widely adopted connectors. Offering the industry’s highest mobile-to-display image resolution, MyDP allows consumers to experience their mobile content in full, uncompressed 1080p (HDTV).

“Today’s mobile devices with powerful processors and mass storage capacities have become the new hub of media content,” said Soumendra Mohanty, senior director of marketing for Analogix. “However, consumers wish to experience their mobile content in a more diverse manner, beyond what a four-inch screen can offer. MyDP gives the industry a standard interface to break down screen size limitations, and Analogix is ready today with its compatible SlimPort products.”

With the MyDP standard, high-quality audio, video, and 3D content can be shared from a mobile device to a larger external DisplayPort or HDMI equipped display, including a PC monitor, digital signage display or HDTV, using the micro-USB connector found on the majority of smartphones and tablets. By leveraging a simple passive cable, consumers can instantly experience their content at 1080P full HD resolution, 24-bit color, and 60Hz. Consumers can also access the millions of legacy DVI and VGA displays, projectors and TVs through the use of MyDP adaptors and active converters. The MyDP interface also includes a robust 1Mbps sideband channel that provides enough bandwidth to support accessory functions including multi-touch, keyboard, mouse, and remote control of the external display. Furthermore, MyDP enables charging of the mobile device battery, through the MyDP cable, from the power provided by the DisplayPort-enabled display, while content is enjoyed.

“MyDP is a win-win for consumers and technology manufacturers,” said Ganesh Tekkatte, senior product marketing manager at STMicroelectronics. “MyDP is simple and flexible allowing content to be shared with today’s displays through common connectors that are widely adopted, and will support the advanced media and connectivity standards through the foreseeable future.”

Backed by VESA’s nearly 180 member companies, MyDP adoption is expected in next-generation tablets, ultrabooks, and smartphones, with the first products scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter of 2012. MyDP’s simple plug-and-play functionality with any external display benefits the entire mobile ecosystem by enabling better experiences and the delivery of new features and services. Consumers will benefit from the entertainment and productivity value of viewing and editing mobile content on a large screen; hardware manufacturers can evolve their systems to have more robust business and gaming features; software developers can create more mobile-centric office and 3D entertainment apps; and carriers can provide a variety of new value-added services to leverage data plans and sell accessories like cables, docking stations, and more.

“Consumers expect their mobile devices to interface with other CE products. However, in order to get this functionality, consumers are often forced to either purchase products from a single vendor, or leverage interfaces that have limited industry backing and adoption,” said Bill Lempesis, executive director of VESA. “MyDP is an open standard that is backed by a large ecosystem of the leading technology companies. This gives consumers the ability to choose the devices they want, and share whatever content wherever they go.”

Source: PR

VTX3D, today adds three new models to the X Edition series, the HD 7770, HD 7850 and HD 7870 all of which were shown off at Computex 2012.

Equipped with 2GB of GDDR5 memory, the HD7870 X-Edition clocks at 1100MHz for core and 1225MHz of memory speed. There are two types of memory size, 1GB and 2GB of GDDR5 for HD7850 X-Edition, and both with 860MHz/1200MHz for core and memory respectively. HD7770 X-Edition is fitted with 1GB of DDR5 memory clocked at 1150MHz of core and 1250MHz of memory speed.

Based on the latest 28nm GPU technology, gamers benefit greatly with support of AMD Eyefinity technology and AMD HD3D technology. With AMD App Acceleration support, it can boost up the speed of communication between CPU and GPU, and enhance everyday tasks. Thanks to the AMD exclusive power technologies and AMD PowerPlay technology maximum GPU efficiency is ensured by dynamically scaling clocks speeds and power consumption in response to GPU loads.

More here.

Source: PR

Plextor will be expanding its portfolio of Solid State Drives (SSD) to encompass a new model, the M5S, which will be launching later this year.

The M5S drive, showcased at Computex earlier this month, will complement the existing M3 and M3 Pro drives with a simple yet high quality format, and won’t feature as many advanced utilities or accessories. Instead, the M5S has been designed specifically to provide an easy, effortless solution for users looking to make their first switch from HDD to SDD.

Continuing the trend from previous models, the M5S SSD maintains exceptionally high quality and performance, utilising the proven server-grade Marvell 88SS9174 controller paired with 25nm NAND flash.  It is likely to feature sustained random read/write speeds of up to 73,000/70,000 IOPS as well as continuous read/write speeds of up to 520/390 MB/s.

Users will also be able to download PlexTools, which offers a range of services including monitoring drive status and upgrading firmware.

Expected to be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities, the M5S will offer plenty of robust storage space for important files and media. With True Speed technology, users can rest assured that the drive will maintain the same, consistent high performance and speed -even after years of usage.

Pricing, Availability & Warranty:

Details on pricing, availability and warranty will be made available nearer the launch date (expected end of Q3).

Source:PR

Shuttle Computers today announces the launch of the third generation of its award-winning and completely fanless XS35 model from their slim PC series.

“Even our dealers keep telling us how impressed they are with the quietness of this model,” says Tom Seiffert, Head of Marketing & PR at Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH. “It’s very rare that the elimination of a particular component has been greeted with such positive comments. However, we’ve certainly achieved this by doing away with the use of fans.”

As has been the case since the market launch of the series in 2010, the new XS35 models are all available in a version with integrated and discrete graphics. The two designs therefore differ primarily in terms of graphics performance as HDMI and VGA are now available on all models. Depending on the desired application area, an Intel GMA 3650 graphics card can be chosen for the XS35V3 or an AMD Radeon HD 7410M graphics card for the XS35GTA V3.

An Intel Atom D2700 processor with 2x 2.13 GHz is installed in both machines. Two SO-DIMM ports are therefore able to accommodate a total of 4 GB DDR3 RAM. The case offers space for one 2.5″ SSD/HDD drive and one slimline drive (a second 2.5″ drive can be fitted instead of the slimline drive with the optional PHD2 accessory).

The 36 mm thin PC also comes with a card reader, WLAN (n) and Gigabit LAN. Peripheral devices (e.g. TV tuner, USB sticks, multi-functional devices etc.) can be connected via the five USB 2.0 ports. Both the XS35V3 and the XS35GTA V3 can be operated in upright position using their pedestal or otherwise attached to a suitable monitor or surface with the optional VESA PV01 mount.

Shuttle’s recommended retail price for the XS35V3 barebone is Euro 172.00 and for the XS35GTA V3 Euro 233.00 (ex VAT). Both products described here are available immediately.

Source:PR

MSI today announces a new 22″ All-in-One PC in its line-up: the MSI Wind Top AE2281G. Equipped with a 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 Quad-Core Processor and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M graphics card with NVIDIA Optimus Technology, this All-in-One PC supports 1080p Full HD resolution images on its 22″ FHD Multi-Touch display. The AE2281G comes with an Anti-Glare screen, which prevents light reflections. To ensure a stable working environment, the AE2281G comes with high quality Military Class components that have an optimal lifetime during heavy conditions. Connecting external devices to this user-friendly system is also no problem thanks to two high speed USB3.0 ports with MSI Super Charger technology and four USB2.0 ports.

With the MSI Instant Display Technology, the AE2281G can also be used as monitor for external devices (via HDMI-in), such as a gaming console or desktop. Now every familymember can enjoy using the MSI AE2281G in their own individual way.

Ensuring quality and durability: Military Class II components

The MSI AE2281G uses the highest quality and most stable components such as Super Ferrite Chokes, Solid caps and Hi-c Caps. These components provide unparalleled quality, extreme performance and superb efficiency. These Military Class II components are officially certified according to the US Department of Defense component standards.

Great connectivity possibilities

The MSI AE2281G is equipped with two USB 3.0 ports and four USB 2.0 ports with MSI’s Super Charger technology, which not only makes it possible to charge your USB device while the computer is switched off, but also reduces charging times up to 40%. HDMI-out is also supported for displaying videos on a larger display such as projectors and TVs. Moreover, the MSI AE2281G can also be used as external display with MSI’s unique Instant Display Technology, in combination with the HDMI-in port. That way, the 22″ anti-glare screen with LED technology can perfectly show all video-, picture and gaming content in 1080p Full HD resolution, even from an external desktop or console.

File sharing and synchronizing

The MSI AE2281G is equipped with MSI’s exclusive Smart Media Link software, which lets you play multi-media files simultaneously on different devices in the same LAN or WiFi network. You can also synchronize important Outlook contact data, calendar information, photos, songs, video content, documents and even website bookmarks with other computers easily thanks to MSI’s Smart Sync software.

Energy efficient and cost saving

The LED panel on the AE2281G makes sure the display has a low energy consumption. When the All-in-One is not used, the display can be turned off without going to standby mode, saving even more electricity. This is not only good for the environment, but saves you a lot of money too.

System Specifications

• CPU: Intel Core i5-3450S “Ivy Bridge” Quad-Core Processor
• OS: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
• Display: 22″ 1920×1080 Full HD Anti-Glare MultiTouch screen
• Chipset: Intel H61
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M with 2 GB memory
• Memory: DDR3 4GB , 1333 MHz, (4G*1), Maximum 8GB
• HDD: 500GB 3.5” SATAII / 7200rpm
• Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 3.0
• ODD: Tray-in DVD Super Multi
• Card Reader: 6-in-1(XD, SD ,mini SD ,Micro SD, MMC, MS)
• Connectivity Side: USB3.0x2, 6-in-1 Card Reader, Power
• Back: Mic in x1, Headphone out x1, USB2.0 x4, HDMI out x1, HDMI in x1, RJ45x1
• Camera: 1.3 megapixel camera and microphone
• TV Tuner: Hybrid TV Tuner built-in
• Keyboard/Mouse: Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
• Wall Mount: Support standard VESA Wall Mount, optional wall mount kit
• Dimension / Net Weight: 555.1mm* 404.98mm* 66.46mm / 9.1kg
• Power draw: 150W

Source:PR

Sharkoon is expanding their gaming product line with an extravagant looking laser mouse: The Sharkoon Drakonia Gaming Laser Mouse suitably matches its name with its bright green dragon scales and illuminating tribal dragon logo. The ergonomic design and rubberized sides ensure that the associated dragon rider has a comfortable and secure ride during long and turbulent missions.

The fire of the Drakonia burns from within: The AVAGO-ADNS-9500 laser sensor delivers to up 5,000 DPI resolution, 11,750 FPS frame rate, 30 G acceleration and 150 IPS speed. The set DPI rate is always in view of the gamer through the use of four colored LEDs. Low-sense gamers who frequently allow their dragons to be lifted in the air are supported by the Drakonia by its low lift-off distance of up to five millimeters.

The Sharkoon Drakonia can be tamed with its 11 function keys including the 4-way scroll wheel, which with the enclosed software to include the macro-manager can be fully programmable. Software and on-board memory provide numerous configuration options which can be stored in five user profiles. Individual players can also adjust the weight of the mouse: The Weight Tuning System consists of six 5 gram weights. The 180 cm long connection cable has been reinforced by Sharkoon with a textile cover, gold laminate coats the USB plug. A set of replacement sliders is included within packaging.

As a suitable playing surface, Sharkoon also introduces a durable textile mouse pad with the Drakonia design motif. The 355 x 255 x 2.5 mm large pad has a nano-coated playing surface with a nonslip “rubber base” and double stitching around the edges to prevent fraying. Alternatively, a “DarkGlider” mouse pad versions is available with a matching design of Sharkoon’s similarly named high-end gamer mouse.

Sharkoon Drakonia Gaming Laser Mouse: MSRP 29.99 euros Sharkoon Drakonia / DarkGlider Gaming Mouse Mat: MSRP 9.99 euros.

Source:PR

Graphics Cards

MSI GTX 670 Power Edition Twin Frozr IV 2 GB @ techPowerUp

AMD Radeon HD 7850 / 7870 round-up @ HW Info

Cases

Cooltek CT Skiron @ HW-Journal.de

Diablotek Abyss White ATX Mid Tower Case @ Hi Tech Legion

Peripherals

Roccat Savu Gaming Mouse @ XSReviews.co.uk

Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless Headset @ Benchmark Reviews

Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless Headset @ Rbmods

CM Storm Quick Fire Pro Gaming Keyboard @ ThinkComputers.org

Power Supplies

Rosewill CAPSTONE-550MM Power Supply @ Hardware Secrets

Xigmatek Tauro 700W Power Supply @ HardwareHeaven.com

Storage

Crucial m4 128GB SSD at OCInside.de

Crucial Adrenaline Caching SSD @ HardwareLOOK

Audio

Microlab H21 2.0 Bluetooth Speaker Set @ HardwareLOOK

Miscellaneous

Samsung SGH-i717 GALAXY Note 16GB 4G LTE (Carbon Blue) Android Phone @ ModSynergy.com

KINGMAX has launched the PD-06 USB flash drive, a retractable and capless flash drive. The capless design avoids the risk of losing cap. The curve of grip is streamlined and ergonomic and there are two colours, red or green. Capacities range from 2GB to 32GB suits individual’s need.

KINGMAX new PD-06 flash drive meets the RoHS regulations and was certified by CE and FCC. It supports Microsoft Windows 7 and other major operating systems. That means safety and compatibility is never a worry. All Kingmax products undergo testing before being shipped and this is backed up by the peace of mind of a 5 year warranty.

Features:

• Push key design
• Capless
• 5 years warranty

Specification:

• Capacity: 2GB/4GB/8GB/16GB/32GB
• High-speed USB2.0 standard
• Size: 59 x 20.7 x 9 mm
• Color: Bright Red/ Turquoise Green

Source:PR

ADATA launches the XPG SX910 solid state drive, a significant broadening of the popular and powerful XPG line of storage products. The SX910 features a 7% capacity increase over common SSDs that use a SandForce controller, delivering a powerful combination of capacity and high performance with a five-year warranty.

The ADATA XPG SX910 uses new optimized firmware to maximize utilization of the NAND Flash components, allowing for full use of the available storage capacity. This zero percent over-provisioning in the design and engineering of the SX910 is implemented with no loss to performance: maximum 4k random read/write speeds are 50,000 and 85,000 IOPS respectively, with sequential read and write speeds reaching 550 and 530MB/sec.

In addition, the SX910 undergoes an improved screening process for the Flash IC chip selection. This results in improved stability and performance, that is demonstrated by the five-year warranty that comes as standard for this SSD. With capacities of 128, 256 & 512 gigabytes, the SX910 is positioned to meet the rigorous standards of the world’s most serious gamers and professionals.

Availability

The ADATA XPG SX910 is now available through selected distributors and resellers in the Europe.

More here.

Source:PR

Valve today announced the Source Filmmaker (SFM) and the release of “Meet the Pyro.”The SFM is a storytelling tool Valve developed inside the Source Engine to create all its animated short films, including those in the “Meet the Team” series of Team Fortress 2 shorts. The SFM condenses the production pipeline of an animation studio down onto a single gaming PC.

To celebrate the announcement of the SFM, Valve also released the ninth and final short in the “Meet the Team” series today, “Meet the Pyro.”

 “The goal of the SFM was to develop a story telling tool that allowed us to create computer animated movies more efficiently, and with greater creative freedom,” said Bay Raitt, designer at Valve. “Over the past five years, we’ve produced more than 50 animated shorts with the SFM. The Source Filmmaker will allow our community to create their own movies in Team Fortress 2 and in their own Source SDK-created mods.”

The SFM is currently in closed beta and will be made available – free of charge – later this year via Steam. More information on the SFM may be found at www.sourcefilmmaker.com

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zri1c_If6Ic[/youtube]

Source:PR

Giada today announce its top of the line mini PC – the D2305. Available with Intel Ivy Bridge Core i3, i5, or i7 processors and Intel HM77 Express Chipset as well as NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 GPU, the D2305 offers solid performance in a low power design, perfect for a HTPC.

The Giada D2305 mini PC incorporates premium features such as slot-in HDMI 1.3-complaint Blu-ray drive, DirectX 11 3D graphics support, and 7.1 channel HD audio. The built-in mSATA SSD drive can be used in parallel with the normal hard drive, so you have the operating system running on the SSD and the hard drive to store the media files. There’s full Windows 7 support out-of-the-box, and a 500 GB of hard drive space to store thousands of hours of music and movies. Additionally, a wireless remote control is included not just for comfortable viewing and listening but allows you to turn the D2305 mini PC on and off.

Giada’s D2305 includes 4GB of DDR3 memory upgradeable up to 8GB. Ports include a 4-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO), a DVI, HDMI, eSATA, S/PDIF, 2x USB 2.0 and 3x USB 3.0. Two mini PCIe expansion slots supporting mSATA plus Trusted Platform Module (TPM) are available. For connectivity, this high-end D2305 model has Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, and Bluetooth.

The Ivy Bridge processors provides more than enough computing power for all your needs, but this low energy consuming mini PC runs on just 90W. One fan keeps Giada’s D2305 mini PC at the optimal operating temperatures while staying quiet.

Source:PR

LSI Corporation today introduced its latest MegaRAID 6 Gb/s SAS+SATA controllers and host bus adapters (HBAs) featuring the PCI Express 3.0 interface.Seven new LSI MegaRAID controllers are offered with four or eight ports and provide a powerful combination of intelligent performance, enterprise RAID data protection and proven interoperability. Three new LSI HBA models provide state-of-the-art connectivity for servers and appliances in a variety of enterprise-level environments including corporate datacenters, the cloud and high-performance computing.

The MegaRAID controllers announced today increase performance and protection for business and mission-critical data stored on high-performance SAS hard drives, high-capacity SATA hard drives or application-accelerating solid state drives (SSDs). Each controller is powered by the LSI SAS 2208/2308 RAID-on-Chip using 6Gb/s SAS technology and includes dual 800MHz PowerPC Processor cores with 1GB cache memory.

The PCIe 3.0 interface delivers a bit rate of 8 gigatransfers per second (GT/s), roughly twice the bandwidth of the prior generation, and incorporates a number of key new features to improve data transmission and protection as well, including transmitter and receiver equalization, PLL improvements and clock data recovery.

The 9271-8iCC and 9286CV-8eCC MegaRAID cards come in easy-to-order prepackaged configurations that include the LSI CacheCade Pro 2.0 application acceleration software that optimizes SSD caching performance. Additional models include the onboard LSI flash-based CacheVault data protection option for even greater system protection.

Pricing and Availability

LSI MegaRAID SAS+SATA Controllers:

• MegaRAID SAS 9270-8i single/kit: $780/$835
• MegaRAID SAS 9271-4i single/kit: $540/$575
• MegaRAID SAS 9271-8i single/kit: $780/$835
• MegaRAID SAS 9271-8iCC single: $1,050
• MegaRAID SAS 9286-8e single: $995
• MegaRAID SAS 9286CV-8e single: $1,255
• MegaRAID SAS 9286CV-8eCC single: $1,525

LSI SAS+SATA HBAs:

• SAS 9207-4i4e single/kit: $335/$415
• SAS 9207-8i single/kit: $305/$385
• SAS 9207-8e single: $510

The new LSI HBAs listed above are available immediately. The MegaRAID products are sampling now with general availability expected during Q3 2012. The products are supplied through the LSI worldwide network of distributors, integrators and VARs.

Source:PR

Graphics Cards

Sapphire HD 7870 FLeX @ LanOC Reviews

Motherboards

Z77 Motherboard Roundup II: EVGA, ASRock, Gigabyte, Zotac @ HotHardware.com

Cases

3R System L700 Eclipse Case @ Hardware Secrets

In Win Mana 137 Mid Tower Case @ ThinkComputers.org

Storage

Intel 330 Series SSD 120GB @ HardwareHeaven.com

QNAP TS-669 Pro @ techPowerUp

Netgear ReadyNAS Duo V2 @ Hardware Info

Power Supplies

Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500 Watt Power Supply @ Pro-Clockers

FSP ZEN 400 watts Fanless PSU @ CowCotland

Peripherals

CORSAIR Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming Headset @ Future Looks

CM Storm QuickFire Pro Mechanical Keyboard @ eTeknix.com

Roccat Isku and Kone Gaming Keyboard and Mouse @ Ninjalane

Cooling

BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 2 CPU Cooler @ Pro-Clockers

Miscellaneous

Force Disk Usage Refresh on QNAP at Computing On Demand

Max Payne 3 Gaming and 3D Vision Experience @ Hi Tech Legion

The Arctic Accelero Hybrid 7970 offers an all-in-one solution with 200% more cooling performance and up to 13 times quieter than the AMD HD 7970 stock cooler. While existing VGA Liquid Cooling Solutions (LCS) are restricted to a specific graphics card, this cooler is compatible to a vast range of AMD graphics cards. It is also the LCS to have an integrated active fan specifically designed to cool RAM and VR heatsinks. Moreover, it is simple to use, maintenance-free and excellent value-for-money.

Main Features:

• Especially compatible with AMD 7900/7800/6900/6800/5800 and 6790 series
• Unmatched cooling performance
• Active Cooling Unit and thermal adhesive for lower RAM and VR temperatures
• Maintenance-free closed-loop liquid system
• Lightest high-end graphics card cooler (363g)
• All fans PWM-controlled by graphics card
• Virtually-silent operation
• 2 Year limited warranty

Source:PR

Zalman and Bacata today announced the immediate availability of new notebook coolers: Z9U3 ZM-NC11, ZM-NC3500 and ZM-NC3500 Plus.

These new Zalman cooling devices can accommodate 12″ to 17″ laptops. They are equipped with a quiet 220mm cooling fan which operates at a low speed. The notebook coolers also have a fan control function.

The ZM-NC3500 incorporates a 4 port USB hub and the ZM-NC3500 Plus includes two speakers and an amplifier for mobile sound. Both the ZM-NC3500 and ZM-NC3500 Plus have an optional AD100 power adapter for more flexibility.

Source:PR