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  • Lian Li Launches PC-T70 Test Bench (AnandTech)

    Lian Li has been one of the few large case manufacturers to consistently offer test benches over the years, and they have now launched their newest model, the PC-T70. First unveiled at CES 2017, this new test bench was developed with feedback from PC hardware reviewers and it has been designed with an eye towards easy access and simple hardware swapping. There is also an optional accessory kit that encloses the test bench with an acrylic cover, which simulates a closed-air environment and allows for testing conditions that more closely match a regular closed case. For those who would rather have the whole kit from the start, Lian Li will also be offering the PC-T70FX, which comes with the acrylic cover and side panels included.

    Starting off with the fundamentals, the PC-T70 is manufactured from both aluminium and steel and it is available in both black and white. It can handle motherboards ranging from Micro-ATX to E-ATX, and it has eight expansion slots that support cards up to 330mm in length, though longer cards should be fine as well if you don't install the acrylic cover. There is one small and six large pass-through ports that are used to cleanly route cables to the lower half. The bottom chamber can handle one ATX power supply up to 330mm in length, and it is also where you can install your choice of either five 2.5” and one 3.5” storage drives or one 2.5” and two 3.5” storage drives. There is also mounting space for some liquid cooling hardware, namely an up to 360mm radiator, a reservoir, and a pump. The front of the test bench features a small I/O area consisting of a 3.5mm audio input, a 3.5mm audio output, two USB 3.0 ports, and both power and reset buttons.

    If you have more advanced cooling needs, or if you're a reviewer that wants to be able to simulate a closed-air case environment, the T70-1 option kit is an accessory ​that is going to be of great interest:

    As mentioned above, the optional T70-1 upgrade kit encloses the test bench with an acrylic cover and side panels that serve as radiator mounts. The idea is that by enclosing the motherboard and other heat-generating components, reviewers will be able to simulate closed-air case environments that are more representative of the insides of regular PC cases. This should ensure more accurate testing of both thermals and acoustics. It should be mentioned that with the cover installed, CPU cooler height is reduced from an effectively unlimited height down to 180mm. Magnetic strips help secure the cover and keep it closed during transport.

    Also helping to secure the cover are the panels that enclose the side and back of the test bench. The aluminium side panels feature large cutouts with removable dust filters, and that is because each side panel can hold two 120-140mm fans or a single 240-280mm radiator. The rear panel has mounting holes for one additional 120mm or 140mm fan.

    The PC-T70FX model, which includes the T70-1 option kit, is available right now at Newegg.com for $180 USD. It is unclear if the solo PC-T70 will be available for sale in the future, though we suspect that it will because it has its own product page on Lian Li's website.

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  • Giving Out Replacement Hotel Keys (Schneier on Security)

    It's a tough security trade-off. Guests lose their hotel room keys, and the hotel staff needs to be accommodating. But at the same time, they can't be giving out hotel room keys to anyone claiming to have lost one. Generally, hotels ask to see some ID before giving out a replacement key and, if the guest doesn't have his wallet with him, have someone walk to the room with the key and check their ID.

    This normally works pretty well, but there's a court case in Brisbane right now about a hotel giving a room key to someone who ended up sexually attacking the woman who had rented the room.

    In civil action launched yesterday, the woman alleges the man was given the spare access key to her room by a hotel staffer.

    The article doesn't say what kind of authentication the hotel requested or received.

  • Micron Introduces 9200 Series Enterprise NVMe SSDs (AnandTech)

    Today at Flash Memory Summit, Micron is announcing their next generation of high-end enterprise NVMe SSDs. The new Micron 9200 series is the successor to last year's 9100 series and uses Micron's 32-layer 3D TLC NAND flash and a new generation of Microsemi SSD controllers. As with the 9100 series, Micron's 9200 series covers a wide range of capacities, but adds a third tier of write endurance: ECO joins the PRO and MAX tiers, respectively aimed at read-heavy workloads, mixed workloads, and write-intensive workloads.

    The Micron 9200 series will be available in either 2.5" U.2 form factor or PCIe add-in card. Thanks to the new generation of SSD controllers, the add-in card version can now use a PCIe x8 interface and offer significantly higher sequential access performance than the U.2 version, with read speeds reaching up to 5.5GB/s. The range of capacities is also far different from the 9100 series, which topped out at 3.2TB for the 9100 PRO and 2.4TB for the 9100 MAX. The 9200 MAX now offers up to 6.4TB, the PRO up to 7.68 TB, and the new 9200 ECO is available in 8TB and 11TB capacities.

    Micron's enterprise SATA SSD lineup moved to 3D TLC NAND early this year with the introduction of the 5100 series. Micron's 7100 series of lower-power enterprise NVMe SSDs has not been replaced with a 3D NAND-based successor and it appears Micron is phasing out the current generation.

  • Verizon Announces Price And Availability For Moto Z And Moto Z Force Droid Editions (AnandTech)

    Today Motorola and Verizon announced the availability and pricing details for the Moto Z Droid Edition and the Moto Z Force Droid Edition, the Verizon exclusive versions of Motorola's Moto Z smartphones. The Moto Z Droid with 32GB of internal storage costs $26 per month for 24 months using Verizon’s device payment plan or $624 total. The Moto Z Force Droid costs $30 per month for 24 months or $720 total. Both phones will also be available with 64GB of NAND through Motorola’s Moto Maker website for an extra $50. The new Moto Z Droids are up for preorder online starting today and will be available for purchase in Verizon stores beginning July 28.

    Pricing for the Moto Mods, the modular accessories that snap onto the back of the phones using strong magnets, was also revealed. The JBL SoundBoost speaker, which includes two speakers, a kickstand, and an additional 1000mAh battery, costs $79.99. The Moto Insta-Share DLP projector, which outputs a 854x480 WVGA image at 50 lumens nominal and also includes an 1100mAh battery, is $299.99. Incipio, Kate Spade, and TUMI offer several 2200mAh Power Packs that range in price from $59.99 to $89.99. Each design comes in both standard and wireless charging versions, with the latter supporting the Qi and PMA standards.


    Moto Insta-Share Projector, Style Shell, JBL SoundBoost speaker

    Just like with past Motorola phones, there are several decorative back plates that allow you to customize the look and feel of the new Droids. These come in several colors and materials, including real wood, leather, and fabric, and sit flush with the rear camera when snapped into place. The decorative Style Shells start at $14.99, with the nylon fabric and wood versions costing $19.99 and the leather-covered plates costing $24.99. All of the Moto Mods and back plates will be available the same day as the phones.

    Motorola first announced the Moto Z and Moto Z Force at Lenovo’s Tech World event in June. These new phones replace the Moto X family as the company's flagship devices. Both phones have a 5.5-inch QHD (2560x1440) AMOLED screen and come with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB LPDDR4 RAM, and either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage that's expandable via microSD.


    Moto Z Droid (left) and Moto Z Force Droid (right)

    There are a few notable differences between the two models. The Moto Z Droid comes with a smaller 2600mAh battery packed inside an especially thin all-aluminum chassis. The Moto Z Force Droid bumps battery capacity to 3500mAh and increases rear camera resolution to 21MP versus 13MP for the Moto Z Droid. It also includes a hybrid autofocus system that combines PDAF with a laser, which should be a step up from the standard Z's laser autofocus. Both cameras have f/1.8 apertures and OIS.

    While the Moto Z Droid’s screen is covered edge to edge with Corning Gorilla Glass, the Moto Z Force Droid uses Motorola's second-generation Moto ShatterShield technology, which should improve the screen's resistance to cracking or shattering if dropped.

    For more information about these phones, including a full list of specifications and additional pictures and discussion, please see our original Lenovo Tech World article.

  • Apple Discontinues iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle (AnandTech)

    Apple has discontinued its iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle personal media players. The only iPod that remains in Apple’s fleet is the iPod Touch, which is based on the iOS device hardware and software stacks. At present, Apple’s iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle are still available from retailers like BestBuy, but EOL of the outdated iPods once again signals that MP3 players are essentially a dead product category.

    Apple launched its first iPod in late 2001 and the player quickly gained popularity among users of Apple’s Mac computers. Initially, Steve Jobs did not want iPod to be compatible with Windows-based PCs as he considered the player to be an important selling point for the Mac platform as back then MP3 players from other makers were not sophisticated or user friendly. Moreover, in the lack of smartphones in Apple’s arsenal, iPod and iTunes (launched in early 2003) were in the center of its personal digital media strategy of the company.

    Other executives at Apple persuaded the CEO to make iPod and iTunes compatible with Windows in 2004 and this is when sales of the music player started to grow rapidly. Several years later, the iPod became Apple’s most successful product ever and brought the company billions of dollars. Over time, many third-party accessories were developed for iPods, creating an industry around one product. Besides, Apple’s iPod players were among of the most desired Christmas gifts in the U.S. in the second half of 2000s.

    Throughout its more than 15-year history, Apple’s iPod has changed its form-factor multiple times and switched hardware platforms for a dozen of times. For example, Apple’s initial iPods used miniature HDDs (including HGST’s  and Seagate’s 1” hard drives in the iPod Mini), but eventually all of them switched to NAND flash memory. With iPod Touch, the players obtained hardware found in iPhones and started to use iOS.

    As sales of Apple’s iPhones increased, shipments of the company’s iPods declined because people now use smartphones to watch videos and listen to music. As a result, the company began to phase out the iPod. At first, Apple discontinued the iPad Classic player in 2014. This week, the company EOLed its iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, as well as iPod Touch with 16 GB and 64 GB of memory. The only iPods left are the iPod Touch models with 32 GB and 128 GB of storage.

    The discontinued iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle were released on 2012 and 2010, respectively. Moreover, the existing iPod Touch was launched in mid-2015. Officially, Apple claims that the discontinuance of the outdated iPods is a way to simplify the product family. On the other hand, due to dropping sales of personal media players (the company has not reported sales of players for years), it may simply make no sense for Apple to keep the cheap and unpopular models in the lineup.

    "Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod Touch, now with double the capacity, starting at just $199, and we are discontinuing the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano," a statement by Apple reads.

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    Sources: The Verge, Business Insider.

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  • Alphacool Releases Two New SSD Coolers: Passive HDX-2 and Watercooled HDX-3 (AnandTech)

    This week Alphacool announced the availability of their new M.2 SSD Coolers, the HDX-2 and HDX-3. Some may recall the original HDX M.2 cooler was a simple, passive, clip on heatsink for M.2 SSDs, and was designed to help prevent thermal throttling which has a tendency to plague synthetic test results on some M.2 based drives. With the advent of the HDX-2 and HDX-3, they have moved beyond the simple clip cooler and to using a PCIe x4 card. This design change allowed a full sized heatsink to be mounted on it giving more surface area to cool the attached M.2 device. The HDX-3 takes the HDX-2 and its passive setup a step further and uses a waterblock instead of the large heatsink to remove the heat created from these SSDs.

     

    The dimensions both the of HDX-2 come in at 100 x 81.5 x 20 mm with the HDX-3 being slightly taller at 120 mm while sharing the same width and height. According to Alphacool, the included 4x PCIe card allows a maximum bandwidth of around 3900 MB/s. Existing M.2 drives on the market will not be able to saturate it. Though it is double sided, both M.2 coolers hold one M.2 based device. Contact from the M.2 device to the heatsink is provided by included thermal pads. These thermals pads cover both single and double sided M.2 drives. The HDX-2 and HDX-3 both support up to one 80mm M.2 SSD. Both devices connect to the PCIe slot and mount to the case for a stable platform. 

    Alphacool HDX-2 and HDX-3 M.2 SSD Coolers
    Technical Data HDX-2 HDX-3
    Dimensions (LxWxH) 100 x 81.5 x 20 mm 120 x 81.5 x 20 mm
    Material Aluminum Copper, Acetal
    Threads N/A 2x G 1/4"
    PCIe Form Factor PCIe 3.0 x4
    Compatibility M.2 2280 PCIe SSDs
    Max. Bandwidth PCIe Card 3938 MB/s

    The HDX-2 uses large aluminum heatsinks on both sides of the included PCIe card easily covering the M.2 drive it aims to cool. The heatsinks are black with αCOOL and HDX-2 stenciled on it in white as well as having cooling fins to increase cooling area - the heatsinks cover the entire PCB of the PCIe card. The drive is mounted to the PCB, thermal pads applied to the drive, then mount the heatsink to the board. 

    The HDX-3 block is made of nickel-plated copper with the top made from a single piece of acetal. The block mounts to one side of the PCIe card leaving the other side open. Alphacool says water flows over the entire SSD to help keep things cool. The water enters and exits the block at the opposite end to the PCIe connector using standard G ¼” a threads. 

    Pricing and availability were not listed in the press release. 

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  • Dell’s Visor Available for Pre-Order: A Mixed Reality Headset, Ships in Mid-October (AnandTech)

    Dell has begun to take pre-orders on its Visor headset for Windows Mixed Reality applications. The company will start shipments of the device in mid-October, just in time for Microsoft’s Windows 10 Creators Update that arrives on October 17 and ahead of the holiday season.

    Starting from September 14, Dell’s Visor WMR headset is available for pre-order from Dell.com/Visor in the U.S. and from PCWorld in the U.K. The headset itself is priced at $349.99, the controller kit costs $99.99 and a Visor with controllers is priced at $449.99. In the U.K., the whole kit is available for pre-order at £429.99. In order to play non-controller based AR/VR games on the Visor, users will also have to get an Xbox One controller. Dell will start to ship its Visor product on October 17, 2017. In addition, the company plans to make the device available in BestBuy stores and directly from Microsoft (online and offline).

    Dell’s Visor AR/VR headset complies with Microsoft’s requirements for headsets compatible with the Windows Mixed Reality platform: it connects to Windows 10-based PCs using HDMI and USB cables, it features two 1440×1440@90 Hz LCD panels (for a total resolution of 2880×1440) and two cameras to capture the outside world. While ergonomics and industrial designs of WMR-compliant headsets from Dell, Acer, ASUS and Lenovo are different, internally they end up being very similar.

    The shipments date of the Dell Visor coincides with the launch date of Microsoft’s Windows 10 Creators Update, which will bring support for Windows Mixed Reality headsets to end users. That said it is highly likely that other makers of WMR gear will try to ship their products around the time of the official launch of the platform. In the meantime, Dell seems to be the first with pre-orders.

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  • Lian-Li Announces Availability of the DK-05 Motorized Adjustable PC Desk (AnandTech)

    Lian-Li has been a staple in the PC industry for a number of years now, producing a number of well built and equally well designed aluminum PC cases. They have come out with chassis to hold SFF Mini-ITX up to E-ATX based systems, all the way to full-size desks. However, the company isn't just in the traditional chassis business, and a few years ago they branched out with the release of their unique DK-Q2, their first computer desk which housed full sized components underneath a layer of tempered glass. Since then they have released the DK-03, last year’s first motorized, height adjustable enclosed DK-04, and now they are taking the wraps off of the latest version of their PC desk design: the DK-05.

    Lian-Li DK-05

    The DK-05 was first shown in Lian-Li’s booth at CES earlier this year. Lian-Li says they have added more cooling and more flexibility in the latest iteration of their motorized adjustable PC desk. The jet black aluminum DK-05 is able to support two complete workstations under the tinted tempered glass surface, capable of fitting up to E-ATX sized motherboards. By comparison, the outgoing DK-04 was only able to accommodate one system. Consequently, the overall size of the DK-05 has grown a bit to 140cm(55.1”) wide x 689mm(27/1”) tall (minimum) x 780mm(30.7”) deep in order to have enough room to house two systems comfortably. These dimensions allow for plenty of workspace on top for multiple monitors, keyboards/mice, and other accessories.

     

    Since it now has the ability to hold two systems, the number of fan locations increased from 8 in the DK-04 to 12 for the DK-05 (6x front, 6x rear – all 120mm w/ 12 fans included). This was likely necessary in order to remove the heat created by two complete PCs inside the tempered glass top. Designed for liquid cooling, the DK-05 can hold one 480mm radiator (left side rear), and 3 360mm radiators in various locations. Between the motherboard trays are mountings for pumps, reservoirs, or additional drive storage. Each side has a removable motherboard tray where owners mount their systems, including ATX power supplies up to 280mm in length, graphics cards up to 360mm in length, while the headroom for CPU coolers maxes out at 160mm high.

     

    There are two independent front panels connecting to each system, with one on the left and one on the right. Both are mirror images of each other, containing 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x HDMI, HD Audio, power button (no reset buttons?), and dials for adjusting RGB LEDs. Lian-Li considers the desk VR ready, as there is are HDMI outputs on both front panels to connect your VR headset of choice. The right side of the desk below the front panel is where users will find buttons to control desk height. A digital display shows the current height (in CM) and to the right of it are the control surfaces for adjustment. There are two up and down arrows for manual height control, as well as having four user-programmable presets. The desk has enough range to accomodate both sitting and standing configurations, with a minimum height of 68.9cm(27.1”) to maximum height of 117.5cm(46.3”).

    Full specifications list below:

    Lian-Li DK-05 Specifications
    Model DK-05
    Dimensions (W)1400mm x(H)689mm~1175mm x(D)780mm
    Color Black
    Body/Leg Material Aluminum / Iron
    Net Weight -kg
    5.25"/3.5" drive bays (External) None
    Motherboard Tray S1 E-ATX
    S2 E-ATX or Mini-ITX (choose one)
    Expansion Slot S1 8
    S2 8 or 2
    Maximum Compatibility S1 VGA length: 360mm / PSU: 280mm / CPU cooler height: 160mm
    S2
    HDD Bay S1
    3.5"/2.5" HDD x4 + 2.5" HDD x2
    S2
    I/O Ports S1
    USB3.0 x2 / HDMI x1 / USB3.1(Type-C) x1 / HD Audio
    S2
    System Fan 120mm fan x6 (Front) / 120mm fan x6 (Rear)
    PSU Type ATX PSU (Optional)

    More images below:

    Gallery: Lian-Li DK-05

    The Lian-Li DK-05 is available now at an MSRP of $2099.99. 

    Buy LIAN LI DK-05X on Newegg

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  • Aquantia Launches New 2.5G/5G Multi-Gigabit Network Controllers for PCs (AnandTech)

    Frequent readers of AnandTech will have recognized that our coverage of higher speed network interfaces over copper, particularly 10G, for the home and business has increased recently. This is perhaps no surprise: 1 Gbit speeds for wired networking have been the norm for fifteen years on consumer level products, but there are certainly some users that require faster network availability in their home/business due to the increased number of devices and size of content, particularly video content, that has exploded this decade.

    Arguments aside about external network availability and infrastructure, streaming inside the home or in the office typically comes down to a couple of key factors – the size of the networking backbone and the capability of each device connected to it. For consumer infrastructure that stays on copper, 1Gbit or teamed connections has been the limit for long distance Cat 5a/Cat 6 cabling, which is fairly cheap, and some solutions have moved to the more expensive 10GBase-T solutions which are power hungry, more enterprise focused and simultaneously a lot more expensive by at least an order of magnitude. 10GBase-T also requires Cat 7 cabling for any serious distance requirements.

    Back at the Supercomputing 2015 show, there were several talks about the utility of 2.5G and 5G copper networks. These discussions were primarily focused in the data-center and high-performance categories rather than the consumer, and at the time I commented that it was likely where these standards were to stay as it would require a significant step up to drive a 2.5x/5x adoption for the consumer over a 10x adoption. It was expected that the cost of 10G would start to come down, but over 2016 it has remained consistent, much to the chagrin of enthusiasts.

    At the time in 2015, the 2.5G/5G standards were not yet ratified by IEEE. There were chips in the market, solely from Aquantia, for enterprise configurations that were happy to go with an evolving standard for their solution. From September 2016 this changed, and the standards have been ratified with Aquantia, Intel, Cisco and others all involved in the specification. Aquantia’s earlier generation silicon adhered to the standard, and has been deployed in a number of enterprise backbone deployments to the tune of 5M ports a year. Today’s announcement surrounds the launch of two new controllers based on the multi-gigabit standards aimed at more consumer level solutions – specifically ‘client connectivity in enterprise, gaming and SMB applications’.

    The chips are small, 11x7mm, and use Aquantia’s expertise in both MAC/PHY management to produce the AQtion brand (as in, ‘Action’), to complement the AQrate (‘accurate’) currently in the ecosystem. The two AQtion controllers are single channel, single port solutions and differ in their speed support:

    AQC107: 100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10G
    AQC108: 100M/1G/2.5G/5G

    The AQC107 will support 10GBase-T on Cat 6 copper cables, adhering to the 8 02.3an standard, although at a different set of distance limitations. Both chips are targeting a large market of motherboards, routers, office PCs, switches, routers, dongles and anything that a consumer or small/medium business might purchase. This includes add-in PCIe cards. Both chips will support up to PCIe 3.0 x4 connectivity, going down to PCIe 2.0 x1 as required (peak rates will be limited in this mode, obviously).

    On price comparisons to current gigabit solutions, Aquantia was unwilling to release the information given that individual contracts will govern the price but they were willing to say that a number of partners are already in production of their hardware. Aquantia wanted to make it clear that they will leave it up to their partners to market and promote the feature set of the controller. This will become important, especially as the motherboard PC networking controller market has a number of options.

    Currently the big players are Intel and Realtek, using the I219-V/LM and RTL8111E/F families respectively. Certain versions of the controllers have more management functions, or prioritize some capabilities over the others, and key defining elements are both cost and consumer requests (distributors or clients). Rivet Networks is also a significant player with their Killer brand of networking ICs, focusing primarily on the gaming crowd with controller specific QoS features that are promoted to gamers and prosumers, and used extensively with MSI laptops and MSI/Gigabyte motherboards. Technically Realtek has the Dragon brand here, although we’ve only seen them on one generation of ECS motherboards so far. It’s important to note that only the Killer ICs come with any form of default controller software aimed at consumers for QoS and traffic shaping; Intel has management software at a more admin level. We asked Aquantia about additional consumer software, and was told that currently none is bundled but they are aware of the current market.

    For now, the AQtion 2.5G/5G controllers coming to market look to be a premium component, destined for high-end notebooks/PCs, and if the pricing is right, more expansive than the current array of 10G integrated options. One of the issues Aquantia will have, which they also acknowledge, is the switch problem that currently stops 10G being more widespread – the lack of consumer grade and consumer budget level switches. We were told that there are some enterprise models of 2.5G/5G switches currently for more backbone type of work, and it will be up to Aquantia’s partners to spot opportunities in the consumer market. From a personal perspective, the switch side of the equation will be the slowest to change and be a defining aspect for the widespread adoption of this technology. We’ve seen this with 10G, or the fact that the Killer gaming NICs do not have corresponding switches/routers to assist in a number of features that might become irrelevant in a general network. Publicly Aquantia isn’t stating which switch developers they are working with, and as before, leaving those companies to decide/announce their product lines, but I think the switch aspect will be more important to watch over 2017.

    On performance metrics, Aquantia have told us that the AQ107 can achieve 9.5 Gbps in each direction in the 10G mode with a CPU utilization of 12-20%, and in 5G mode it can do 4.6 Gbps in each direction with 6-14% CPU use. Due to the higher clock rate of the controller, in 1G mode the controller is quoted as having has lower latency than standard 1G controllers. The AQC107, in 5G mode, will have a typical power consumption around 3W when in use.

    We were told that the chips support Wake-on-LAN and Energy Efficient Ethernet standards for power saving (wake-up in the microsecond range), as well as various offloads for reducing CPU use (LSO, LRO, header checksum, receive side scaling). QoS features allow for 32 queues/traffic in each direction, as well as rate shaping capabilities. Drivers will be available for all major flavors of Windows (7 to 10, 32/64-bit), Linux and macOS.

    Aquantia stated that they are using their deep contacts at TSMC and GloFo for their product range, but stopped short of stating which process or which node they are using. Behind the scenes we have already have a sniff of upcoming products using Aquantia’s solution that are due to be announced over the next few months.

    Source: Aquantia

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  • HGST Ultrastar SS200 SSD: Up to 7.68 TB, 1.8 GB/s, Dual-Port SAS 12 Gbps (AnandTech)

    Western Digital has introduced a new family of Ultrastar SS200 SAS SSDs that wed high-performance with capacities up to 7.68 TB as well as relatively high endurance. The drives are aimed at mixed-use and read-intensive workloads that require not only maximum throughput, but also reliability. To guarantee the latter, the Ultrastar SS200 uses the company's Guardian technology.

    The HGST Ultrastar SS200-series SSDs are designed for datacenters that rely on SAS backplanes, which are used for modern read-intensive and mixed-use workloads that benefit from performance and reliability (e.g., financial transactions, e-commerce, virtualization, database analytics, etc.). The drives come in 2.5”/15 mm form-factor with two SAS 12 Gbps ports and are based on the Guardian platform originally developed by SanDisk. The Guardian technology handles flash management, signal processing, end-to-end data path protection, power-loss protection and so on. Unlike the previous-gen products featuring the Guardian, the Ultrastar SS200 SSDs are based on a proprietary Western Digital controller and firmware, not a third-party chip with a custom firmware, the company told us. The manufacturer claims that the SS200 drives use “commercial-grade” MLC NAND memory, which probably means 128 Gbit ICs made using 15 nm fabrication process.

    HGST Ultrastar SS200 Series Specifications
      Ultrastar SS200
    Capacities 400 GB
    800 GB
    1,600 GB
    3,200 GB    		 480 GB
    960 GB
    1,920 GB
    3,840 GB
    7,680 GB
    Form Factors 2.5"/15mm
    Interface dual-port SAS 12 Gbps
    Controller Proprietary
    NAND 128 Gb MLC made using 15 nm process tech (?)
    Sequential Read 1800 MB/s
    Sequential Write 1000 MB/s
    Random Read (4 KB) IOPS 250,000
    Random Write (4 KB) IOPS 86,000 37,000
    Mixed Random Read/Write
    (max IOPS 70%R/30%W, 4KB)    		 154,000 90,000
    Write Latency 512 B 100 ms
    Power Idle 3.8 W - 4.3 W
    Operating 9 W - 11 W (configurable)
    Endurance 3 DWPD 1 DWPD
    Encryption AES-256
    Power Loss Protection Yes
    MTBF 2.5 million hours
    Warranty Five years

    Since different workloads mean different demands for capacities and endurance, Western Digital plans to offer capacity-optimized versions of the SS200 that can store 480 GB – 7.68 TB of data and rated for one drive write per day (DWPD) for five years as well as endurance- and performance-optimized models rated at 3 DWPD for five years that can store 400 GB – 3.2 TB of data. Power consumption of the Ultrastar SS200 SSDs is configurable and can be as low as 9 W or as high as 11 W.

    When it comes to performance, the HGST Ultrastar SS200 supports sequential read speeds of up to 1800 MB/s as well as sequential write speeds of up to 1000 MB/s. Random read performance of the Ultrastar SS200 is up to 250K, whereas random write performance is rated at 86K/37K (performance-/capacity-optimized models).

    Samples of the HGST Ultrastar SS200 SAS lineup of SSDs are available to select customers now and Western Digital intends to begin their volume shipments in the first quarter of 2017. The drives will be covered with a five-year warranty and will be rated at 2.5 million-hour MTBF.

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  • Google Chrome prolonge avec Windows 7 pour 18 mois de plus... au minimum (Génération NT: logiciels)
    Au moins jusqu'en juillet 2021 (et voire davantage), Google Chrome pour Windows 7 bénéficiera d'un support complet.
  • Corsair Announces 16GB DDR4-4600 Vengeance LPX DRAM Kits (AnandTech)

    Corsair on Thursday announced two fresh Vengeance LPX memory kits that set new performance records for the product family. The new dual-channel memory kits are intended for Intel’s Kaby Lake-X CPUs and Intel’s X299 platforms, and they operate at DDR4-4500 and DDR4-4600 MT/s data transfer rates and require over 1.4 V.

    Corsair’s new fastest-ever DDR4 memory kits have a combined capacity of 16 GB and are rated for DDR4-4500 with CL19-19-19-39 timings at 1.45 V and for DDR4-4600 at CL19 26-26-46 at 1.5 V. Corsair verified stable performance of its DIMMs at transfer rates well beyond those recommended by JEDEC using an Intel Kaby Lake-X CPU and ASRock’s X299 OC Formula motherboard. The OC Formula motherboard only runs at one DIMM per channel (vs. 2 DPC on most X299 mainboards) in a bid to guarantee a  “cleaner” data path and stable power supply to maximize overclocking potential for DRAM. Given the increased speeds and required overvoltage over the standard, the quality of the motherboard DRAM VRM becomes crucial for stability in case of DDR4-4500 and DDR4-4600 modules. For the same reason, Corsair does not equip its ultra-fast Vengeance LPX DIMMs with RGB LEDs because they may affect power supply and stability.

    The new Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-4500 and DDR4-4600 memory kits are based on Samsung’s B-die, produced using 20 nm process technology. These memory ICs have been used by makers of leading-edge DDR4 memory modules (Corsair, G.Skill, GeIL, etc.) for a couple of years and by now they all know what to expect from these devices even in extreme conditions, such as operation with a 20 or 25% overvoltage.

    The new Vengeance LPX memory modules from Corsair come with regular black aluminum heat spreaders that work well with all types of CPU coolers. The embedded XMP 2.0 SPD settings to make it easy for end users to set up correct timings and sub-timings.

    Corsair's 'Extreme' Vengeance LPX Memory for Intel's X299 Platform
    Speed CL Timing Voltage Kit Capacity P/N
    DDR4-4500 CL19 19-19-39 1.45 V 2×8 GB 16 GB CMK16GX4M2F4500C19
    DDR4-4600 CL19 23-23-43 1.5 V CMK16GX4M2F4600C19

    Corsair’s new Vengeance LPX 16 GB (8 GB×2) DDR4-4500 and DDR4-4600 kits are going to hit the market in the coming days, and they are going to be expensive. The DDR4-4500 kit will retail at $479.99, whereas the DDR4-4600 kit will retail for $549.99.

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  • Google Chrome : un bouton de contrôle multimédia intégré (Génération NT: logiciels)
    Le navigateur Google Chrome a droit à un bouton dédié pour le contrôle multimédia. Son déploiement avait été annoncé pour la version stable actuelle. Il est possible de le retrouver si besoin dans les flags.
  • Intel voudrait vendre aux enchères son portefeuille de brevets liés aux modem GMS (MacBidouille)

    Intel a annoncé son retrait du marché des modem GSM destinés aux téléphones mobiles. Sa division est en train d'être fermée et on savait qu'Apple était intéressée pas le rachat de certains de ses actifs.
    Selon IAM, la société pourrait mettre aux enchères ses portefeuilles de brevets, 6000 concernant les 3G, 4G et 5G et 1700 sur les technologies sans fil.

    C'est un trésor de guerre qui pourrait fortement intéresser Apple pour non seulement se lancer dans la production de telles puces ou pour négocier dans le futur avec Qualcomm.

  • Intel fait une démonstration de ses barrettes DIMM à mémoire persistante (MacBidouille)

    Intel a fait une démonstration de ses futures barrettes de mémoire DIMM utilisant de la mémoire 3DXpoint produite conjointement avec Micron.

    Ces barrettes, avant tout destinées aux serveurs, sont destinées à servir de tampon mémoire entre le processeur et les supports de stockage.
    Le format DIMM va permettre au CPU d'y accéder à des débits très élevés et on peut les considérer comme une nouvelle cache entre la RAM et les SSD.

    Bien entendu ceci n'est qu'une étape et à terme la 3DXpoint devrait remplacer totalement la Flash NAND dans les supports de stockage.

  • Imagination Announces OmniShield: Hardware Security Zones For MIPS + PowerVR Ecosystem (AnandTech)

    Though it would be unfair to state that there was a point where device security never mattered, it’s safe to say that the interest in security from hardware manufacturers, developers, and consumers alike has never been greater. Thanks to a combination of greater hardware capabilities, wider than ever deployments of computers in all facets of life (e.g. IoT), and yes, no shortage of high-profile security breaches, device security has become increasingly important.

    So far pretty much every vendor has taken their own crack at the matter, and Imagination Technologies is no different. As the owner of the MIPS architecture and the PowerVR family of GPUs, Imagination has been working on the matter for some time now. Most recently, as our long-time readers may recall, the company announced that their forthcoming PowerVR Series 7 GPUs would support multiple hardware security zones.

    This brings us to today. Building off of the earlier PowerVR announcement and in conjunction with this week’s US Imagination Summit, today Imagination is announcing that they are expanding their hardware security zone technology in to its own brand, OmniShield. Under the OmniShield banner, the technology will eventually be supported across Imagination’s MIPS CPUs, PowerVR GPUs, and Ensigma communications processors.

    Though Imagination doesn’t say so by name, OmniShield is essentially Imagination’s answer to ARM’s TrustZone technology, but for the Imagination ecosystem. With Imagination’s latest CPUs and GPUs supporting OmniShield, Imagination has the ability to setup hardware security zones that cover both the CPU and the GPU, isolating not only the CPU but preventing the GPU from being used as a backdoor as well.  And though the technology can be used to some extent piecemeal, it is clear that for best results the technology is best used as part of a complete MIPS Warrior + PowerVR design.

    From a technology standpoint, OmniPath works by using hardware virtualization to create multiple zones where various applications and system components can be isolated from each other, allowing them to communicate only as much as desired by the hypervisor. There are several ways that developers can setup secure environments with this technology, the most basic of which is simply isolating the important parts of the OS inside a secure zone, and letting everything else run in an insecure zone. However with the ability to support up to 8 zones – a feature unique to OmniShield – Imagination is also pitching the possibilities of having various classes of applications located in their own zones, so that not only is the OS protected from apps, but apps are protected from each other as well.

    As for why a developer would want to do this, the use cases are varied, but all pretty straightforward. In the consumer space this would include isolating the OS and sensitive apps (e.g. banking) from wilder apps such as web browsers, and by the same token isolating DRM-enabled apps to prevent the breaking of DRM. Meanwhile in server and embedded scenarios, this can include everything from isolating various systems operating in a firewall/router to securing core systems from entertainment systems in cars that make heavy use of embedded processors (e.g. self-driving cars).

    Ultimately Imagination is responding to customer demands for additional security options in their products, but at the same time Imagination is looking to get ahead of the curve by rolling out improved security technologies ahead of the competition. Doing this level of fine grained zoning can definitely incur some overhead in weaker systems, which is why Imagination is pushing hardware virtualization so hard for both CPUs and GPUs. As for what systems the technology will end up in, with today’s launch being a branding of existing technology, OmniShield is already available in some product designs. Though from the sounds of it, shipping products using OmniShield-enabled SoCs may be a bit further off.

  • G.Skill Announces Trident Z RGB DDR4 Kits with 16 GB Modules, Up to 128 GB (AnandTech)

    G.Skill has recently launched new Trident Z RGB memory kits, this time aimed at Intel X99 platforms, and following the RGB trend they give owners of high-end desktops an opportunity to customize the look of DRAM inside their machines. This is also the launch where the company introduces its first 16 GB memory modules with programmable LED lighting.

    The Trident Z RGB memory modules feature programmable LED lightbars and can change their colors in accordance with user’s demands (G.Skill offers special software to customize lighting effects), providing the ability to modify the look of a PC on the fly. G.Skill first announced its Trident Z RGB memory modules in late 2016 and started to sell them early in 2017. Initially, G.Skill’s Trident Z RGB dual-channel kits were only focused on Intel’s Z270-based platforms and contained 8 GB DIMMs running at up to DDR4-3866 MT/s. Going forward, G.Skill will offer 16 GB Trident Z RGB modules in both dual-channel and quad-channel kits.

    Just like the Trident Z RGB 8 GB modules, the Trident Z RGB 16 GB DIMMs are based on Samsung’s 8 Gb B-die memory chips made using 20 nm process technology. The 16 GB modules will run at DDR4-2400 to DDR4-3866 with CL14-18 latencies at 1.2 V or 1.35 V, depending on the kit performance. The Trident Z RGB fully support Intel’s XMP 2.0 as well.

    G.Skill’s fastest dual-channel Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2×16 GB) kit will run at 3866 MT/s with CL18 18-18-38 timings. RGB commands a premium, so while the company’s fastest DDR4 kits (rated for DDR4-4266) are not RGB, the new modules are still a very high data rate for 16 GB modules. As for the fastest quad-channel kits, G.Skill now offers the Trident Z RGB 64 GB (4×16 GB) rated to operate at 3600 MT/s with CL17 19-19-39 latency settings as well as the Trident Z RGB 128 GB (8×16 GB) DDR4-3333 kit with CL16 18-18-38 timings.

    G.Skill's New Trident Z RGB Memory for Intel's X99 and Z270 Platforms
    Speed CL Timing Voltage Kit Configuration Kit Capacity
    DDR4-2400 CL15 15-15-35 1.2 V 2×16 GB
    4×16 GB
    8×16 GB
    8×8 GB    		 32 GB
    64 GB
    128 GB
    64 GB
    DDR4-3000 CL14 14-14-34 1.35 V*
    DDR4-3200 CL14 14-14-34
    CL15 15-15-35
    DDR4-3333 CL16 18-18-38 8×16 GB
    8×8 GB    		 128 GB
    64 GB
    DDR4-3466 CL16 18-18-38 2×16 GB
    4×16 GB
    8×8 GB    		 32 GB
    64 GB
    64 GB
    DDR4-3600 CL17 19-19-39 2×16 GB
    4×16 GB    		 32 GB
    64 GB
    DDR4-3866 CL18 18-18-38 2×16 GB 32 GB

    *1.35V is the standard high-performance voltage setting for DDR4

    While these kits are aimed at Intel systems, we would assume that qualification on Ryzen systems will be an ongoing process. G.Skill has just sent us a 2x8GB DDR4-3200 C14 kit of G.Skill FlareX (non-RGB) modules for our Ryzen testing, so it's clear that G.Skill (and others) will have AMD qualified kits in their roadmaps. Motherboard manufacturers typically have memory qualified validation lists on their websites for each motherboard, showing which modules have been confirmed to work. Initially it was hit and miss on DRAM qualification with the launch of Ryzen 7 due to timing, but most vendors are falling into place with appropriate BIOS updates.

    G.Skill traditionally does not announce MSRPs for its memory modules, due to the volatility of the DRAM ICs, but given the fact that DRAM pricing is generally increasing, expect the new Trident Z RGB kits to be priced at high levels. Moreover, since it is not easy to handpick 8 Gb chips for high-speed 16 GB DDR4 memory modules, expect the manufacturer to charge a premium for kits that use high-capacity DIMMs. As an example, right now G.Skill offers 32 GB (4×8 GB) DDR4-3600 and DDR4-3866 kits without RGB for $410 and $460, respectively.

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  • Lexar Launches 'JumpDrive Tough' USB Drives up to 128GB: Focusing on Physical Endurance (AnandTech)

    Over the last week, Lexar has introduced a new series of USB flash drives with enhanced endurance. The new drives are built to survive in tough conditions, such as very cold or very hot temperatures or water. As for performance and capacities, we are talking about fairly mainstream products with USB Type-A interface with low price points.

    The Lexar JumpDrive Tough are designed to withstand physical impact (up to 750 PSI or 50 atm), extreme temperatures (from -25°C to +148.9°C) and water (it is claimed to be water resistant up to 98 feet, or 30 meters). This is compared to typical flash drives that can be stored at -20°C and operate at 0°C, or some that are also water resistant from use of resins. There are ranges of products on the market aimed at the physical endurance crowd, and the combination of extended temperature ranges, water resistance, and physical durability is the main selling point of Lexar’s new drives.

    Lexar JumpDrive Tough Family of Flash Drives
      LJDTD32GABNL LJDTD64GABNL LJDTD128GABNL
    Capacity 32 GB 64 GB 128 GB
    Type of NAND Unknown
    Maximum Transfer Rate Read: 130 MB/s
    Write: 25 MB/s    		 Read: 150 MB/s
    Write: 60 MB/s
    Physical Impact 750 PSI
    Water Resistance Up to 30 Meters
    Storage Temperature -25°C to +148.9°C
    -13°F to 300°F
    Warranty Three Years
    MSRP $19.99 $34.99 $59.99

    The JumpDrive Tough family of USB drives consists of three models with 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB capacities. As for performance, the manufacturer declares up to 150 MB/s read speed as well as up to 60 MB/s write speed (for the 128 GB and 64 GB versions, the 32 GB version is slower). To enable advanced security, Lexar bundles the EncryptStick Lite software with 256-bit AES encryption.

    Lexar has already started to ship its JumpDrive Tough family of USB drives at MSRPs of $19.99 (32 GB), $34.99 (64 GB), and $59.99 (128 GB). All the USB sticks are covered with a three-year limited warranty.

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  • Mise à jour AirPort pour les bases 802.11n (MacBidouille)

    Près d'un mois après avoir proposé une mise à jour pour ses bornes AirPort 802.11ac, Apple propose maintenant son pendant pour ses anciens produits 802.11n (bornes AirPort, Time Capsule et AirPort Express).
    Il s'agit d'une mise à jour de sécurité importante à réaliser.

  • TSMC Teams Up with ARM and Cadence to Build 7nm Data Center Test Chips in Q1 2018 (AnandTech)

    TSMC has announced plans to build its first test chips for data center applications using its 7 nm fabrication technology. The chip will use compute cores from ARM, a Cache Coherent Interconnect for Accelerators (CCIX), and IP from Cadence (a DDR4 memory controller, PCIe 3.0/4.0 links). Given the presence of the CCIX bus and PCIe 4.0 interconnects, the chip will be used to show the benefits of TSMC’s 7 nm process primarily for high-performance compute (HPC) applications. The IC will be taped out in early Q1 2018.

    The 7 nm test chips from TSMC will be built mainly to demonstrate capabilities of the semiconductor manufacturing technology for performance-demanding applications and find out more about peculiarities of the process in general. The chip will be based on ARMv8.2 compute cores featuring DynamIQ, as well as a CMN-600 interconnect bus for heterogeneous multi-core CPUs. ARM and TSMC do not disclose which cores they are going to use for the device - the Cortex A55 and A75 are natural suspects, but that’s a speculation at this point. The new chip will also have a DDR4 memory controller as well as PCI Express 3.0/4.0 links, CCIX bus and peripheral IP buses developed by Cadence. The CCIX bus will be used to connect the chip to Xilinx’s Virtex UltraScale+ FPGAs (made using a 16 nm manufacturing technology), so in addition to implementation of its cores using TSMC’s 7 nm fabrication process, ARM will also be able to test Cadence’s physical implementation of the CCIX bus for accelerators, which is important for future data center products.

    TSMC's 7 nm Test Chip at Glance
      Logic PHY
    Compute Cores ARM v8.2 with DynamIQ
    Internal Interconnect Bus ARM CMN-600
    CCIX Cadence
    DDR4 DRAM Controller ? Cadence
    PCI Express 3.0/4.0 Cadence
    Peripheral Buses I2C, SPI and QSPI by Cadence
    Verification and Implementation Tools Cadence

    As reported multiple times, TSMC’s 7 nm manufacturing process will be a “long” node and the foundry expects the majority of its large customers to use it. By contrast, the current 10 nm technology is aimed primarily at developers of smartphone SoCs. TSMC projects that its first-generation CLN 7FF fabrication technology, compared to its CLN16FF+, will enable its customers to reduce power consumption of their chip by 60% (at the same frequency and complexity), increase their clock rate by 30% (at the same power and transistor count) and shrink their die sizes by 70% at the same complexity. Sometime in 2019, TSMC plans to start making chips using its CLN7FF+ process technology with EUV for critical layers. TSMC claims that the CLN7FF+ will enable the company’s customers to further increase transistor density while improving other areas, such as yields and power consumption.

    TSMC does not disclose which of its 7 nm process technologies announced so far it is going to use for the test chip, but the use of EUV for test chips is something that cannot be excluded. For example, GlobalFoundries claims that they use EUV to accelerate production of test chips. On the other hand, since design rules for CLN7FF and CLN7FF+ are different, it is highly likely that TSMC conservatively uses the former for the test chip.

    TSMC’s CLN7FF process tech passed qualification in April and was expected to enter risk production in Q2 2017, according to TSMC’s management. The foundry expected 13 CLN7FF tape outs this year and it is projected that the fabrication technology would be used commercially starting from Q2 2018. Therefore, taping out the test vehicle using the first-gen DUV-only 7 nm process in Q1 2018 seems a bit late for early adopters who intend to ship their 7 nm SoCs in the second half of next year. Meanwhile, early adopters (read: Apple, Qualcomm, and some others) get access to new process technologies long before their development is completed and final PDKs (process development kits) are ready. Keeping in mind that the test chips feature a CCIX and PCIe 4.0 buses, it is clearly designed to show advantages of TSMC’s 7 nm process technologies for HPC applications. In fact, this is what TSMC says itself:

    “Artificial intelligence and deep learning will significantly impact industries including media, consumer electronics and healthcare,” said Dr. Cliff Hou, TSMC vice president, Research & Development/Design and Technology Platform. “TSMC’s most advanced 7nm FinFET process technology provides high performance and low power benefits that satisfy distinct product requirements for High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications targeting these markets.”

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  • AMD Announces Carrizo and Carrizo-L, Next Gen APUs for H1 2015 (AnandTech)

    Today AMD is announcing the long anticipated upgrade to Kaveri, codenamed Carrizo. Carrizo is the natural successor to Kaveri, featuring x86 ‘Excavator’ cores alongside a Radeon-class GPU and promising an increase in performance all around.  The second part of today’s announcement is for Carrizo-L, an SoC pairing “Puma+” (upgraded Beema) cores also with AMD’s R-series GCN GPUs and a FCH into a single package.  Both Carrizo and Carrizo-L will feature ARM Trustzone, giving potential hardware-based built-in security when used by developers.

    The Excavator cores are an architectural improvement over Steamroller, but are fundamentally based on the original Bulldozer concept. Excavator will be AMD’s fourth iteration of the concept, following Bulldozer, Piledriver and Steamroller. This new generation of APUs are still set to be built on the 28nm Super High Performance process at Global Foundries, delaying AMD’s shift to 20nm, but AMD are still claiming that the new GPU in Carrizo is their best yet, giving better performance and efficiency than before.

    Given AMD's discrete GPU lineup, the GPU for Carrizo could be based on AMD's latest GCN 1.2 architecture, which was first introduced in the desktop Tonga part earlier this year. GCN 1.2's lossless delta color compression algorithms help improve the performance in memory bandwidth limited scenarios, such as in APUs. This could result in a bigger-than-expected jump in performance, although we will wait until we can test to find out how much it helps.

    The Carrizo platform will be fully HSA 1.0 compliant, compared to Kaveri which only had ‘HSA Features’, as AMD puts it in their latest mobility roadmap update:

    The push from AMD into HSA compliant APUs was well documented back at the launch of Kaveri earlier this year. This enabled the CPU and GPU components of the silicon, while under OpenCL 2.0 mode, to have access to the main block of system DRAM with zero-time copy functions, offering the potential for large classes of applications especially those in the prosumer and industry space to be accelerated by having instant access to the parallelization afforded by the GCN GPU. One of the big drawbacks of being an earlier adopter to HSA, as we noted at the time, was that software developers required time to bring their code to market, as well as AMD having to go out and teach the developers how to cater for HSA topology.

    Both Carrizo and Carrizo-L on the mobile side will be targeted at the same power bands as Kaveri and Beema, although the socket will be new. The use of FP4 BGA also indicates that a single socket will cater for both the Excavator and Puma+ based APUs and would be interchangeable. A video by AMD’s VP/GM for Computing and Graphics, John Byrne, states that Carrizo and Carrizo-L are currently being tested internally ready for a 1H 2015 release, along with support for DirectX 12, OpenCL 2.0, Mantle and Freesync.

    One of the big features that AMD is pushing with Carrizo is energy efficiency, with it being a keystone of the message. Because AMD have been on the same process node for a short while, they have to essentially follow the Maxwell example, by providing more performance for less power without the advantage of shrinking resistors. We were provided with an energy efficiency roadmap as well, showing the different methods AMD is using to achieve this:

    One example of the efficiency improvement was provided by AMD’s Voltage Adaptive Operation. Rather than compensate for voltage variations which wastes energy, this technology takes the average operating voltage and detects when the voltage increases beyond a smaller margin. To compensate for this increase, the CPU speed is reduced until the voltage drops below the threshold and then the CPU speed is moved back up.

    The changes in speed are designed to be so minute that it does not affect overall performance, however it might only take an errant voltage delivery component to consistently make the voltage go above that threshold, causing erratic slowdown that might be statistically significant. It will be interesting to see how AMD implements the latest version of this feature.

    The 2015 desktop roadmap remains unpublished so far. AMD’s perception of a mobile-focused strategy would tend to suggest that the mobile comes first, with desktop following behind, although at this point it is unclear. A number of AMD’s marketing materials with this launch gave examples of the use of Carrizo and HSA for the prosumer, indicating that a desktop version should be announced in due course.

    As of yet there was no discussion on the APUs to be launched, the speeds or the capabilities. All the roadmap tells us is 'up to four cores' (Excavator for Carrizo, Puma+ for Carrizo-L), some GCN compute units and 10-45W overall. There is no mention of DDR4 support, although the timeframe might be relevant for AMD to make the jump. Given the launch is still at least two quarters away, I would expect better details in due course. That timeframe fits in nicely around or just after Computex, perhaps indicating more details then.

    Source: AMD

  • L'écran 5K de LG est maintenant disponible en moins de 10 jours (MacBidouille)

    Suite aux problèmes d'interférences rencontrés par les possesseurs d'écran LG 5K, Apple les avait retirés de la vente.

    Ils sont maintenant de nouveaux disponibles, en moins de 10 jours.

    On ignore en revanche jusqu'à quand ils seront disponibles à un tarif réduit.

    [MàJ] 9to5Mac a testé la nouvelle version ce qui a permis de confirmer que son blindage électromagnétique est maintenant efficace, permettant à l'écran de fonctionner sans problème à proximité immédiate d'un routeur Wi-Fi.

  • Le MacBook Pro 16" pourrait arriver en septembre (MacBidouille)

    Selon de nouvelles rumeurs, le MacBook Pro doté d'un écran 16" et d'un tout nouveau design, dont on parle depuis quelques mois, pourrait être présenté en septembre
    La dalle aura une définition 4K et cette machine ne fonctionnera que sous Catalina.
    Si au niveau processeur ces machines auront droit aux mêmes processeurs que les Retina 15" 2019, nous ne serions pas surpris qu'Apple donne à ces machines de nouvelles cartes graphiques.

    Comme d'habitude, on pourra certainement s'attendre à atteindre de nouveaux sommets tarifaires, Apple surfant de record en record dans ce domaine depuis que les chiffres de vente ne permettent plus d'en atteindre.

  • ARM At GDC 2015: Geomerics Enlighten 3 Released (AnandTech)

    One of ARM’s more unusual acquisitions in recent years has been Geomerics, a fellow UK company who specializes in video game lighting technology. Geomerics is a far cry from ARM’s day-to-day business of developing hardware blocks and ISAs to license to customers who want to put together their own chips, but Geomerics has been a long-term play for the company. By investing in a company with strong ties to the video gaming industry, ARM would in turn gain an important tool in helping to bring higher quality lighting to SoC-class GPUs, and also help to ensure that such important middleware was including SoC-class GPUs in their feature & performance targets.

    With GDC 2015 taking place this week, the ARM is seeing the first real payoff from their acquisition with the release of the latest version of Geomerics’ lighting technology, Enlighten 3. Enlighten 3 in turn is designed to be one of the most advanced global illumination systems on the market, designed to scale up from mobile to desktop PCs. Previous versions of Enlighten were already in several games and engines, including the Frostbite 2 engine backing Battlefield 3, and now with Enlighten 3 the company is hoping to extend its reach further with its inclusion into the ever popular for mobile Unity 5 engine, and as an add-on for the similarly popular Unreal Engines 3 and 4.

    From a feature standpoint Enlighten 3 introduces several new features, including a greatly improved indirect lighting system. Also on the docket is a richer materials system, allowing for improved support for transparent surfaces, which in turn allows for the lighting to be updated to reflect when the transparency of a surface has changed. Alternatively, for scenarios without real-time lighting, the middleware also has increased the quality of lightmaps it can bake.

    Ultimately ARM tells us that they believe 2015 will be a big year for Geomerics in the mobile space, saying they expect a number of mobile titles to use the technology. To that end, as part of their GDC launch, ARM and Geomerics are showcasing several Enlighten 3 demos, including an in-house demo they are calling Subway, and a demo showcasing Enlighten 3 running inside Unreal Engine 4.

  • Patriot Adds Two Dual-Channel DDR4-3733 Memory Kits into Lineup (AnandTech)

    Patriot this week unveiled two new DDR4 kits rated to run at DDR4-3733. The dual-channel kits are designed for Intel’s latest platforms and belong to Patriot’s Viper Elite and Viper 4 families. The new DDR4-3733 memory modules will be the fastest in Patriot’s lineup.

    Patriot’s new Viper Elite and Viper 4 dual-channel memory kits are rated to run at 3733 MT/s with CL17 19-19-39 timings at 1.35 V. The sets consist of two 8 GB modules, which use modern 8 Gb memory ICs (integrated circuits) from an undisclosed manufacturer. The new modules are designed for Intel’s 100-series platforms and come with XMP 2.0 profiles to make it easier for end-users to run them at their rated specifications with the right timings and voltage.

    Specifications of Patriot's DDR4-3733 Kits
      Module Capacity Kit
    Capacity    		 Latencies Voltage Height Part Number
    Viper Elite 8 GB 16 GB 17-19-19-39 1.35 V 43.0 mm PVE416G373C7KRD
    Viper 4 42.6 mm PV416G373C7K

    The difference between the Viper Elite and the Viper 4 modules in all in the look. Typically, Patriot positions its Viper Elite products below the Viper 4, and aims them at modders. These modules come with heatsinks of three different colors (red, blue and grey). The Viper 4 family typically focuses on the faster segments and features red extruded aluminum heatsinks. Nonetheless, in this particular case both the Viper Elite DDR4-3733 devices also come only with silver and red heatsinks. Therefore, the difference between two types of DDR4-3733 solutions from Patriot lies only in aesthetics and dimensions.

    Patriot’s Viper 4 and Viper Elite 16 GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3733 dual-channel memory kits will be available for purchase online and in stores starting from August 3 for the recommended price of $159.99.

    Only a few memory module makers offer DDR4 sticks rated to run above 3400 MT/s speeds because it requires sufficient binning, as well as an appropriate volume of sales to make it worthwhile. It gets rather tricky to cherry pick a sufficient amount of such ICs to build appropriate products. The fact that Patriot rolled out two DDR4-3733 kits indicates that the company is willing to compete for very high-end systems featuring fast memory as well as showing the ability of mass-produced DDR4 chips to run at higher frequencies.

  • Epson révolutionne le modèle économique des imprimantes jet d'encre (MacBidouille)

    Depuis fort longtemps les fabricants d'imprimantes à jet d'encre ont créé un modèle économique biaisé.
    Plutôt que de vendre leurs imprimantes à leur juste prix, elles étaient bradées et les revenus étaient ensuite générés sur la vente de cartouches à des tarifs très élevés, transformant le litre d'encre en un des produits les plus coûteux au monde, loin devant les plus grands crus classés de Bordeaux.
    Cela a conduit à la prolifération des fabricants de cartouches compatibles et à des sécurisations de plus en plus complexes des imprimantes et des cartouches pour éviter les contrefaçons.

    Epson vient de décider de changer de business modèle et commercialise une nouvelle gamme d'imprimantes utilisant une technologie appelée EcoTank.

    Sous ce nom se cache une imprimante tout en un dotée d'un appendice sur le côté qui est en fait un gros réservoir (en fait quatre) d'encre.
    Il est suffisant selon la société pour imprimer pendant deux ans (4000 pages en noir et 6500 en couleur), soit la contenance de 20 jeux de cartouches.
    De plus, il est possible de recharger cette imprimante avec de gros flacons d'encre qui seront vendus à un faible prix.

    En échange, l'imprimante coûtera au moins 380$, soit à peu près le triple du prix habituel mais somme toute, c'est un bon deal qu'il faudra confirmer en calculant son coût par page.

    La société profite de ce nouveau business modèle pour lancer aussi des modèles à jet d'encre professionnels destinés à concurrencer les produit laser couleur.

    Ils sont dotés d'énormes réservoirs d'encre capables d'assurer l'impression de 20 000 pages en couleur ou autant en noir et vendus 1200$.