Featured Reviews
E3 2013: Wrap Up Coverage
This year’s E3 Expo turned out to be surprisingly good for new hardware announcements and manufacturer partnerships. We conclude our E3 coverage with a look a quick look at what NVIDIA, Razer, Alienware, SteelSeries, Skullcandy, Turtle Beach, Polk Audio and Oblanc had on display! We also have nearly half a dozen videos for you to take a look at!
LightDims LED Dimming Sticker Review
Do you have really annoyingly bright LEDs on your PC case or cable set top box? Is your digital nightstand clock is overly bright and blinding you at night? LightDims has a very simple yet genius solution to dim those pesky LEDs down! Read on to see how the LightDims work and what we thought of the original strength, black out edition and the silver edition!
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 WindForce 3X 2GB Video Card Review
Gigabyte has come out with a rather impressive NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 2GB/4GB video card that has the company's WindForce 3X GPU Cooler and a custom designed PCB. This card stands out from the crowd due to the WindForce 3X GPU cooler that uses six copper heatpipes (2x 8mm and 4x 6mm) and three cooling fans to keep this factory overclocked card running smoothly. Read on to see what we think of the Gigabyte GV-N770OC-2GD!
The 50 Best Booth Babes of E3 2013
E3 has just ended and we are still trying to get our hearing back and strength back in our legs from walking around for 3 days. While we are sifting through our notes with conversations with AMD, Microsoft, Sony and the likes, we thought you might like to see what we thought were the best looking assets from this year’s E3. Yes, sir, it’s that time to take a look at the Top Fifty Booth Babes of E3 2013!!!
What Enabling C6/C7 Low-Power States Do on the Core i7-4770K Haswell CPU
Intel’s 4th Generation Core series processors have been out for a couple weeks and we have had a chance to better look at Haswell’s C6/C7 low-power states. This is a power saving feature that will help reduce temperatures and lower power consumption, but sadly most motherboard vendors have chosen to disable C6/C7 by default in the BIOS. Read on to see what happens when we enable it on the Intel Desktop Board DZ87KLT-75K with the Core i7-4770K processor
ASUS RT-AC66U 802.11ac Wireless-AC1750 Router Review
Today we look at the ASUS flagship 802.11ac Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router. This router is built on around a Broadcom processor and, like other wireless-AC devices, is designed for gigabit Wi-Fi speeds. If this router looks familiar, it should since it has the same exact shape and dimensions of ASUS’s successful wireless-n dual-band router. Read on to see how this ASUS AC1750 router does against our suit of 802.11ac routers and if the step-up to wireless-ac is worth the cost.
Mad Catz R.A.T. M and M.O.U.S. 9 Gaming Mice Review
Mad Catz newest additions to the iconic R.A.T. mice are mobility focused designs featuring Bluetooth connectivity and 1-year battery cycles. Are you wondering if these mice are actually robots in disguise? Well they do have lasers! The R.A.T. M is a notebook gaming mouse with a 6400 DPI sensor and the M.O.U.S. 9 has a R.A.T. form with a glass tracking sensor. There's plenty to see and we have you covered with much more!
Legit News
Cooler Master Announces CM Storm Havoc Gaming Mouse
Cooler Master today introduces the Havoc, a new laser gaming mouse into its CM Storm line of gaming peripherals. The CM Storm Havoc was designed with extreme precision in mind, capable of a blistering 8200 DPI that allows you to control the chaos at light speed. The Havoc provides full RGB color options to customize your mouse to your needs and 128kb onboard memory for profile management. All 8 programmable buttons are equipped with Japanese Omron micro-switches capable of over 5 million clicks, meaning your razor sharp actions will out-last even the toughest opponents. The CM Storm Havoc is now available and priced at $54.99 MSRP.
CM Storm Havoc Gaming Mouse Features:
- Avago 9800 laser sensor with 100-8200 DPI
- Highest grade Japanese Omron micro switches
- Smooth super grip rubber coasting
- 8 programmable buttons
- Up to 5 million button clicks
- Rubber side grip for stability and fast mouse swipes
- 1.8 meter flexible and extremely durable mousecord
- Up to 4 profiles setting
- Build in memory for easy plug and use
Posted by | Wed, Jun 19, 2013 - 09:51 AM | Comments
Nvidia To License Graphics Technology - Major Business Model Change
NVIDIA announced via their blog that they will expand their business model by offering customers the ability to license their GPU cores and/or visual computing patent portfolio. This is a clear sign that NVIDIA will be licensing chip technology to third parties as a way of more efficiently addressing the expanding demand for GPU technology in the mobile marketplace. Back in the summer of 2012 it was reported that Imagination Technologies PowerVR GPUs had control of 78% of the mobile GPU market. Imagination Technologies seems to be ruling the mobile GPU market, but NVIDIA wants to be number one in that market space. Get ready for a battle as it looks like NVIDIA is planning on no longer being just a fabless chip designer. It looks like they are trying to adopt part of ARM's business model and is also going to be licensing the technologies that they are developing. By doing this they can look at Apple, HTC, Samsung and others as potential customers. NVIDIA plans to start by licensing its Kepler GPU architecture. You might be thinking how will a high-end desktop GPU help NVIDIA in the mobile market, but NVIDIA's next-generation Tegra mobile processor codenamed Logan uses a Kepler design.
NVIDIA also recently hired Bob Feldstein from rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and he was part of the team that licensed ATI Radeon graphics and helped get them into the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii game consoles. We expect that NVIDIA will be using Mr Feldstein and others to help win some licensing deals in a number of industries.
PC sales are declining with the rise of smartphones and tablets. High-definition screens are proliferating, showing up on most every machine. Android is increasingly pervasive. Yesterday’s PC industry, which produced several hundred million units a year, will soon become a computing-devices industry that produces many billions of units a year. And visual computing is at the epicenter of it all.
The consequences of these changes are apparent everywhere. New industry leaders are emerging. Companies differentiate not only on products but on business models. Some create systems from industry-standard chips. Others are vertically integrated and build their own chips, systems, software and even services. Some do both.
Posted by | Wed, Jun 19, 2013 - 09:44 AM | Comments
Samsung to Give Away 1 Million Copies of Jay-Z’s New Album
In Game 5 of the NBA finals Sunday night, a 3-minute long Samsung TV ad aired near the end of the second quarter featuring rap star Jay-Z and ended by saying the "The Next Big Thing." It turns out that Samsung has purchased 1 million copies of Jay-Z’s coming album, entitled “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” slated for release July 4, and plans to give them to Samsung Galaxy smartphone users for free – 72 hours ahead of the release. Samsung paid $5 apiece for the albums, according to a person familiar with the matter, so this is great news for Galaxy owners. The real winner here is Jay-Z, he has $5 million in sales before the album even releases! The Magna Carta app needed to get the album will be available for download starting on June 24th and you can download it here.
The 3-minute ad announcing the project just aired during the NBA Finals and can be viewed at this link:
JAY Z's new album "Magna Carta Holy Grail" comes to Samsung Galaxy fans first. Be among the first million to download the app on June 24th and get the album free July 4th, three days before the rest of the world.
Posted by | Mon, Jun 17, 2013 - 11:33 AM | Comments
Intel Haswell-E Halo Platform Will Have 8-Cores, DDR4, X99 Chipset and More
The Intel 2014 enthusiast halo platform called Haswell-E is looking like it is going to some major changes when it debuts in the second half of 2014. This processor will bring the first 8 core desktop CPU for the first time and will have Hyper Threading and up to 20MB of L3 cache. The maximum TDP is say to be in the 130-140W range for these upcoming 22nm processors.
The Intel Haswell-E CPU and Intel X99 chipset will support 288-pin DDR4 quad-channel memory kits, which is great news as performance they use just 1.2V and get more done per clock cycle than current DDR3 modules.
The Intel roadmap shows that these use the LGA 2011-3 socket, so it does look like a socket change will take place. The XY dimensions of the socket is the same (58.5x51.0mm), so we are hopeful that existing CPU coolers for the LGA 2011 socket will continue to work on LGA 2011-3. The processor keys have changed, so there is no way to use say an Ivy Bridge-E processor in a Haswell-E socket.
Lots of changes coming and they all look good!
With Haswell-E, Intel will introduce their new Wellsburg family of motherboard chipsets. The biggest new feature (and it’s really big) is the support for DDR4 RAM clocked up to 2133 MHz (of course, you can overclock and take it much further than that). The Wellsburg X-PCH will support a number of connectivity options:
- Up to 6 x USB 3.0 ports
- Up to 8 x USB 2.0 ports
- Up to 10 x SATA 6 Gbps ports
- Integrated Clock support
- TDP of 6.5W
Posted by | Sat, Jun 15, 2013 - 07:22 AM | Comments
SteelSeries H-Series Gaming Headsets @ E3 2013
We stopped by to see SteelSeries' new 'tournament-grade' headsets during E3 2013. The H-Series all feature custom-engineered soundscapes and the newest generation of SteelSeries audio drivers designed specifically to enhance audio performance and sound details. The engineers at SteelSeries want the H-Series to be recognized by its design and construction. Here is a breakdown:
- The SteelSeries 9H with Dolby® Technology ($159.99 MSRP) features up to 7.1 surround sound and tournament-grade audio performance with new sound isolating double enclosure ear cup technology.
- The SteelSeries 5Hv3 Headset ($79.99 MSRP) upgrades the sought-after features found in its predecessor, the 5Hv2, including the 3-piece breakdown, new all-leather ear cushions, and new custom-engineered audio drivers.
- The SteelSeries 3Hv2 Headset ($39.99 MSRP) is built for gamers who are looking to experience SteelSeries audio for the first time or without having to make a large investment, the 3Hv2 encompasses the four components that set SteelSeries audio above the rest: performance, convenience, durability and comfort.
We tried them on and have to admit, these are some of our favorite headsets of E3. Yeah, they are that good.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 13, 2013 - 07:04 PM | Comments
Intel Desktop Processor and Chipset Roadmap Leaked For 2013 and 2014
A number of interesting slides have been posted online that are supposedly show the Intel desktop processor roadmap for the next year. If you are curious about the Haswell refresh that appears to be happening in Q2 2014, the upcoming Intel Z97 chipset or some of the new processors that are coming out, this is a must read!
At first glance it doesn't look like Intel has too much going on when it comes to desktop processors, but take a closer look. Intel will be busy launching the next generation of Core i7 Extreme processors (Ivy Bridge-E) in Q3 2013. This is good news for Intel LGA2011 fans as they will be able to upgrade to the Intel Core i7-4820K, i7-4930K and i7-4960X. Also in Q3 2014, the just released 4th Generation Intel Core 'Haswell' line of processors will see the addition of the Core i7-4771. We have no idea what this could be, but could it be an LGA1150 processor with Intel Iris Pro graphics? We can only hope! It also looks like Intel will have a speed bump on the Intel Core i7-4770K in Q3 2013!
The mainstream Intel processors are also going to get a refresh with the introduction of the Core i3-4130, i3-4330 and i3-4340. The first two CPUs are going to replace recently launched Core i3-3240 and i3-3240/i3-3245 and the top tier Intel Core i3-4340 is in a whole new class. It also appears in Q3 1023 that the Intel Pentium G2030, G2130 and G2140, all based on Ivy Bridge architecture, will be updated to the Pentium G3220, G3420 and G3430 processors with Haswell architecture. Intel will be refreshing the entire mainstream processor lineup in Q2 2014 with the Haswell refresh.
The desktop chipset roadmap shows that the Intel Z87 and H87 chipsets will be the latest and greatest chipset available until Q2 2014. It appears that when the Haswell refresh happens in Q2 2014, that Intel will simultaneously launch the Z97 and H97 chipsets to coincide with the refresh. The mainstream Intel H61 chipset will be replaced in Q3 2013 by the Intel H81 chipset to coincide with the launch of the new processors. Who said desktop PCs are dead? Looks like they have plenty of life left in them!
Posted by | Thu, Jun 13, 2013 - 09:17 AM | Comments
Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active Coming To AT&T On June 21st For $199
AT&T and Samsung Mobile today announced the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active, an evolution of the popular Galaxy S 4 that has been designed to withstand the hazards of everyday life. The Galaxy S 4 Active is IP67 certified to be water-resistant and dust-resistant, making it perfect to take on any summer vacation whether it’s camping or the beach. It also has an Aqua Mode feature that lets you capture photos and videos underwater. Its 5-inch FHD TFT display is made from Gorilla Glass, which is specially built to be tougher and more scratch-resistant. When it comes to the hardware and software it is identical to the regular Galaxy S 4, so it has Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a quad-core processor.
“Continuing AT&T’s legacy as the first carrier to launch the Samsung Galaxy series, we’re excited to offer the next evolution of the popular Galaxy S 4. The Galaxy S 4 Active is a high-performance smartphone with a stylish, protective design to keep up with the demands of everyday life. It’s truly summer-proof,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices and Developer Services, AT&T. “With its quad-core processor and access to the nation’s largest 4G network and fastest 4G LTE network you can stay connected nearly anywhere life takes you.”
Posted by | Thu, Jun 13, 2013 - 08:46 AM | Comments
Snoop Lion Lets The Bass Go for DreamWorks' Turbo @ E3 2013!
In conjunction with the upcoming DreamWorks film Turbo, Snoop Lion (Formerly Snoop Dogg) and his friends held a not-so-impromptu concert just outside the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center at Nokia Theater L.A. Live where the 2013 E3 Expo was being held. Snoop dressed in his typical West Coast fashion performed “Let the Bass Go” the lead single for the soundtrack of the film. Snoop’s voice will also appear in the film as “Smoove Move” one of the main characters. Snoop also performed his hits “Drop it Like It’s Hot” and “The Next Episode”. The DreamWorks-sponsored concert event had others from the "Turbo" cast who showed up like Michelle Rodriguez and Michael Pena. Ryan Reynolds stars as the lead character, Turbo, who is a snail trying to live life in the fast lane. Snoop definitely brought energy to the stage and it was nice to see him up close and personal. There were Turbo inspired Tacos for the crowd as well as a gaming booth sponsored by Verizon. Turbo, the film is due in theaters on July 17.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 13, 2013 - 04:38 AM | Comments
Alienware 14 Gaming Laptop Sneak Peek @ E3 2013
Legit Reviews is in Los Angeles covering this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3. We visited the Alienware booth for a tour and one of the first things we showed us was the brand new Alienware 14 gaming laptop designed for enthusiasts and hard-core gamers. Alienware teased us earlier this week, but today we were lucky enough to be one of the first to actually get our hands on it and feel the difference between earlier generations. Alienware has changed their industrial design first time in many, many years, so a consumer still gets the same Alienware engineering but the look and aesthetics are newer, sleeker, and more durable. There are lights integrated throughout the notebook – not just in the keys, but in the touchpad, and along the edges of the unit. Of course, Alienware has loaded the latest technology in the package and will find the latest Intel Haswell core processor along with a NVIDIA 700 series GPU. We will have more on the Alienware 14 as well as the other goodies we found at the Alienware booth soon!
The latest laptops are exceptionally durable, with over 60 percent of the main mechanical components made of various metals. The keyboard is protected by a reinforced plate to ensure a solid typing experience, while the travel and responsiveness is specifically designed with gamers’ needs in mind. Based on customer feedback, the new Alienware 14 now features an anti-glare LCD display with wide viewing angles for reflection-free gaming in nearly any lighting condition, including a premium Full HD panel option with IPS.
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 05:56 PM | Comments
Razer Shows Off New Blade Gaming Notebook @ E3
We stopped by the Razer booth and was able to get our hands on the new Razer Blade Gaming Notebook. The Razer Blade is being marketed as the world’s thinnest gaming laptop measuring in at just .66 inches thin powered by a Haswell Intel Core processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTYX 765M running Windows 8 64-bit. There is 8 GB of onboard RAM and the 14-inch screen has a resolution of 1600 x 900. Razer packs the Blade with a standard 128 GB SSD, Qualcomm Killer NIC N1202, and tons of ports like 3 USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI, and a built in HD webcam. The notebook is due to be released later this summer.
Designed entirely in-house by the multi-award winning Razer design team, the Razer Blade has an incredible 14-inch LED-backlit HD+ display with a native resolution of 1600 x 900 and its custom-made gaming grade trackpad offers multi-touch gesture support. The Razer Blade also features a full-size backlit gaming keyboard that has full anti-ghosting capabilities and programmable keys powered by the revolutionary Synapse 2.0.
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 05:22 PM | Comments
Legit Reviews Takes a First-Look at NVIDIA's SHIELD at E3 2013
NVIDIA has debuted a new open platform gaming system called the NVIDIA SHIELD. Shield is an Android-based, open platform designed so that you can play when, where, and how you want. The NVIDIA Shield runs on the NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor loaded with android Jelly Bean operating system from Google which powers a 5-inch 720p multi-touch display. The display is attached to a console-type game controller that has custom bass reflex integrated speakers built into the controller. The NVIDIA Shield has 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth 3.0. Shield will also ship with Google Play, Tegrazone, Sonic 4 Episode II THD, Expendable: Rearmed, Hulu plus, and Twitch TV installed. After getting to handle SHIELD at E3 2013, we like the way it feels comfortable and lightweight in your hands. We will certainly be ordering one soon! NVIDIA SHIELD will be release June 30 for $349.00.
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 11:12 AM | Comments
NVIDIA Shows Legit Reviews The GeForce GTX 780 at E3 2013
Legit Reviews was able to sit down with Justin Walker, Senior Product Manager at NVIDIA, at E3 2013 to talk about the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 video card. Justin also talks about how GeForce Drivers supporting games the day they come out and touches on GeForce Experience software. One new GeForce Experience feature that is discussed is not released yet, which is ShadowPlay. ShadowPlay uses a built-in H.264 encoder on the GPU to continuously record up to the last 20 minutes of any gaming session. You then end up with a nice compressed file that allows you to save and share your greatest gaming moments. NVIDIA expects the ShadowPlay video capture tool to be out later this summer. Check out the video clip below!
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 10:09 AM | Comments
Samsung Introduces the GALAXY S4 zoom - Smartphone w/ 10x
Samsung today announced the launch of the Samsung GALAXY S4 zoom, a powerful new device which combines the stylish heritage of the latest GALAXY S4 smartphone with advanced photographic capabilities. 
Part of the GALAXY S4 family, the GALAXY S4 zoom is the realization of Samsung’s mission to create a single device that can fulfill the role of both an industry leading smartphone and a high-end compact camera. Combining 10x Optical Zoom, 16 Mega Pixel CMOS Sensor, OIS and Xenon Flash with the very latest Samsung GALAXY S4 technology, the GALAXY S4 zoom sets new standards for perfect mobile photography. It is the ultimate smartphone and camera experience in one, and the only device you’ll ever need.
“The Samsung GALAXY S4 zoom represents yet another step forward in the way Samsung is working to enhance the lives of our customers around the world,” said JK Shin, President and CEO, Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. “As communication continues to become increasingly visual in nature, people wish to capture and share their moments in the highest quality possible, but often do not have the space or inclination to carry a dedicated camera for this purpose. The GALAXY S4 zoom changes this forever, combining the industry leading functionality and connectivity of the GALAXY S4 with the high quality photographic experience you’d expect from a compact camera. The result is truly the best of both worlds, without compromise.”
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 09:46 AM | Comments
Final Fantasy XV Coming To Both PS4 and Xbox One Consoles
Final Fantasy is back and is coming to both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Final Fantasy XV was originally Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Versus XIII was announced back in 2006 as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, but it didn't end up that way. 
Square Enix has already released a video trailer than can be watched below for the 15th installment in the long-running game series.
Previously known as FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII, the title’s development expanded and evolved to take full advantage of the capabilities of next generation platforms. While the main concept, world and story continue to be developed as originally envisioned, the First Production Development Team has further improved FINAL FANTASY XV’s action, gameplay elements and graphic quality to match the technology of the next generation hardware, as well as the expectations of players eagerly awaiting the game’s release.
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 09:36 AM | Comments
Don't Have Internet Access? Microsoft Says Stick with the Xbox 360
The Xbox One requires an Internet connection. If that is a concern for you, Microsoft has some advice for you: stick with an Xbox 360! In an interview with Spike TV at the E3 show Tuesday, Xbox executive Don Mattrick responded to the complaints about the Xbox One's demand for an Internet connection. "Fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity," Mattrick said. "It's called Xbox 360." 
The interviewer then chimed in, saying "So stick with 360, that's your message...?" To which Mattrick responded, "Well, if you have zero access to the Internet, that [360] is an offline device." Don Mattrick than said that he read in a blog comment from someone who serves on a nuclear sub that doesn't have internet access and said he didn't even get what that means. Talk about digging a hole!
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 08:50 AM | Comments
Club 3D Now Offering Just AMD Radeon HD Graphics Cards
Club3D announced this week that they are going to only offer AMD graphics cards and related products. Judith Ma Tseng, Club3D CEO, said “we are showing our commitment to AMD because we believe that AMD is ideally positioned to deliver a complete solution to our customers, and after 16 years in the business offering solutions from a variety of processor partners, we truly believe that we can offer a better solution going forward with AMD alone.”
Club 3D offers numerous NVIDIA GeForce 600 series graphics cards, but none of the new GeForce GTX 700 series cards. It looks like that will be it for the Club 3D NVIDIA offerings!
“With products like the Radeon HD 7990 Dual GPU, Club3D has a long-standing reputation for delighting enthusiasts with spectacular products based on AMD Radeon™ graphics chips,” said Zvika Greenstein, Director of Desktop Product Management, AMD Graphics. “Their decision to join AMD as an exclusive hardware partner is a powerful acknowledgment of our leadership in the graphics space, and a tremendous contribution to the technical expertise in the AMD Radeon graphics ecosystem.”
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 08:40 AM | Comments
RambusTo Get $240M in Settlement With SK Hynix
Rambus and SK Hynix today announced that they have signed a five-year patent license agreement for the use of Rambus memory-related patented innovations in SK Hynix semiconductor products and have also settled all outstanding claims. The agreement includes a license to certain DRAM products for payments of $12 million per quarter for the next five years. Other terms of the agreement are confidential. The case has been going on since 2000 and it looks like $240 million dollars was the sum needed to make it end!
“This is a milestone agreement for both companies that puts years of legal disputes behind us and gives us the opportunity for collaboration,” said Dr. Ron Black, president and chief executive officer at Rambus. “With this agreement, we can focus more on engaging with the industry as we work on future challenges where we can bring invention and value to the market with superior solutions and products.”
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 08:24 AM | Comments
LenovoEMC Rebrands Iomega
LenovoEMC Ltd, a joint venture between industry-leaders Lenovo and EMC that includes the Iomega network storage product business, today announced the rebranding of Iomega products and programs worldwide, emphasizing the identity of this transformative joint venture and laying the foundation for new product and partnership announcements, beginning with a new Acronis agreement to provide PC backup software for select Lenovo network storage products. Effective immediately, the former Iomega-branded network storage products are available worldwide with new branding that reflects the LenovoEMC business while continuing to utilize the Iomega mark on entry-level consumer network storage products.
“The LenovoEMC joint venture is based upon the success of the Iomega network storage solutions business and our plan at Lenovo to develop a unified storage platform within Lenovo’s Enterprise Product Group,” said Roy Guillen, vice president, Enterprise Product Group, Lenovo, the majority owner of the joint venture. “With the transition from the highly successful standalone Iomega brand to the power of the combined Lenovo and EMC brands, our Lenovo network storage solutions from the LenovoEMC joint venture will continue to evolve in features and capabilities as world class network storage that complements server products from the Lenovo Enterprise Product Group. This is an important element in Lenovo’s continued growth in the PC Plus world.”
Posted by | Wed, Jun 12, 2013 - 06:27 AM | Comments
Alienware Unveils the Most Powerful Gaming Laptops in the Universe
Alienware introduced its latest and most powerful gaming laptops with the unveiling of the Alienware 14, Alienware 17 and Alienware 18 at E3 in Los Angeles. The new laptops include the Alienware 14 for the enthusiast gamer who requires a laptop that provides enough performance for any task, yet is mobile enough to fit into a backpack; the Alienware 17 for an immersive, graphics-intensive experience with the latest technologies for desktop-grade performance; and the Alienware 18, the ultimate gaming laptop that commands respect among top gamers for its unparalleled performance and construction. All of the laptops are powered by 4th Generation Intel Core i7 'Haswell' processors and NVIDIA GeForce 700 series discrete mobile graphics. The systems feature a bold new design and extraordinary performance, uniquely engineered to deliver the ultimate gaming experience.
All three laptops feature a new, iconic, angular design that takes its cues from jet engines and stealth bombers with an anodized aluminum shell and magnesium alloy body. The latest laptops are exceptionally durable, with over 60 percent of the main mechanical components made of various metals. The keyboard is protected by a reinforced plate to ensure a solid typing experience, while the travel and responsiveness is specifically designed with gamers’ needs in mind. Based on customer feedback, the new Alienware 14 now features an anti-glare LCD display with wide viewing angles for reflection-free gaming in nearly any lighting condition, including a premium Full HD panel option with IPS. For 3D gaming enthusiasts, the Alienware 17 has an optional 3D panel for an immersive visual experience, while the Alienware 18 will feature a Full HD display with PLS wide viewing-angle technology.
“The new laptops and matching Vindicator bags are the latest culmination of listening and learning from our customers since we delivered our first gaming system back in 1996”, said Frank Azor, General Manager of Alienware. “We spent countless hours meticulously thinking through every detail of these new products to ensure they would be the most amazing line-up we’ve introduced yet.”
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 04:04 PM | Comments
Square Enix Announces 'Thief' Is Optimized For AMD Radeon Graphics
AMD today announced exclusive collaboration with Square Enix to optimize “THIEF” for the Graphics Core Next architecture in select AMD Radeon graphics processors, as well as the x86 and graphics architectures featured in AMD A-Series APUs. 
Developed in conjunction with the AMD Gaming Evolved program, "THIEF" will extensively leverage the advanced capabilities of AMD Radeon graphics processors, including AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology for panoramic gaming, AMD CrossFire multi-GPU technology for supreme performance, and state-of-the-art DirectX 11 rendering for pristine image quality.
“The 'THIEF' franchise has a storied history that we are proud to join in this latest installment,” said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, Graphics Business Unit, AMD. “We are even more pleased to work so closely with their development team to realize the vision for these games with the incredible gaming performance of a PC powered by AMD Radeon graphics. And as the exclusive hardware partner for 'THIEF,' we continue to demonstrate that the best experience for gamers and developers lives at AMD with the Gaming Evolved program.”
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 03:38 PM | Comments
Intel Solid-State Drive Data Center S3500 Series Released
Intel Corporation today announced the Intel Solid-State Drive DC S3500 Series, its latest solid-state drive (SSD) for data centers and cloud computing. Designed for read-intensive applications such as Web hosting, cloud computing and data center virtualization, the Intel DC S3500 Series is an ideal replacement for traditional hard disk drives (HDD), allowing data centers to save significant costs by moving toward an all-SSD storage model.
The new SSDs will be offered in capacities ranging from 80 gigabyte (GB) to 800GB and both 2.5 and 1.8 inch form factors. Available through Intel distributors and resellers, the Intel DC S3500 Series is offered at the suggested channel price of $115 for a 1.8-inch 80GB drive and $979 for a 2.5-inch 800GB drive. It is also accompanied by a 5-year warranty.
"The Intel SSD DC S3500 Series breaks through barriers – like the need for high throughput/low latency storage with a low total cost of ownership – to deliver the storage solution that meets the needs of the cloud, and its demand for storage, which has exploded in recent years," said Rob Crooke, Intel corporate vice president and general manager for the Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. "Intel's data center family of SSDs helps make cloud computing faster and more reliable, enabling more transactions and richer experiences."
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 03:32 PM | Comments
Seagate Releases NAS HDD Drives For Storage Systems
Seagate today took the wraps off its new Seagate NAS HDD - a cutting-edge drive custom-built for always-on, one- to five-bay network attached storage (NAS) systems. Engineered with performance and reliability in mind, the new drives are available in 2TB, 3TB and 4TB capacities. The 4TB drive (part number ST4000VN000) is now the industry’s highest capacity NAS hard disk drive (HDD) solution available and launches with support from nine NAS system partners. The Seagate NAS HDD series is already available on Amazon for $211.16 shipped for 4TB, $162.37 shipped for 3TB and $126.29 shipped for the 2TB drive. The WD Red 3TB NAS hard drive that has been out since July 2012 currently retails for $150.89 shipped, so Seagate is slightly more expensive. The Seagate NAS HDD series drives all use the SATA III 6Gbps interface and have 64MB of multisegmented cache. The max systained data rate is 180MB/s read/write on the 3TB and 4TB drivers and 159MB/s on the smaller 2TB drive.
Featuring up to 4TB of storage the drive now enables NAS systems, such as those utilized in homes and small to midsize businesses (SMB), to provide up to 20TB of data in a five-bay NAS array. And with over 30 percent capacity improvement over competitive offerings, the NAS HDD 4TB drive delivers the highest capacity available on the market. Built to provide up to 10 percent performance advantage, over the competition for 24x7 NAS applications, the NAS HDD is engineered for performance in always on applications and can support multiple HD video streams and user profiles.
“Today about 50 percent of NAS arrays are sold diskless meaning that customers are challenged with identifying and installing the right storage for their system. By developing a drive like NAS HDD, we’ve taken the guesswork out of it and made it easy for customers to identify the right drive for their system,” said Scott Horn, Seagate vice president of marketing. “By collaborating closely with a variety of partners who specialize in NAS systems, we’re making what was a confusing effort into a plug-and-play one.”
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 02:50 PM | Comments
Dead Rising 3: E3 Game Trailer Released - Xbox One Exclusive Title
Dead Rising 3 is being developed by Capcom Vancouver and will be published by Microsoft thanks to information released at E3 2013. The game is set three days after a massive outbreak in the city of Los Perdidos and stars new protagonist Nick Ramos. Footage shown during today's conference featured Ramos walking through the ruined town, taking on zombies with a massive wrench. The game will be open world with no load times. Anything and everything is a weapon, but players won't be limited to what they find. The game will feature a crafting system that will allow players to build new weapons. The game title will be exclusive to Xbox One this holiday season.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 02:34 PM | Comments
The Elder Scrolls Online Coming to Xbox One and PS4 - E3 2013 Gameplay Trailer
Bethesda has announced plans to bring The Elder Scrolls Online to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in spring 2014! The game will come to Sony's next-generation console in Spring 2014. 
A beta will be exclusively available first for PS4. You can sign-up for the beta here. Don't worry about the previously announced PC and Mac versions as they are still alive and kicking. A brand-new trailer was released to coincide with the announcement and can be watched below.
The Elder Scrolls Online is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and we're celebrating with this new gameplay trailer! Three powerful alliances struggle for control of war-torn Tamriel as the Daedric Prince Molag Bal schemes to destroy it entirely. Gather your allies and get ready to join the battle for Tamriel in Spring 2014.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 02:27 PM | Comments
New Apple MacBook Air Uses PCIe-Based SSDs For Super Fast Data Speeds
Yesterday Apple updated its MacBook Air with new models for 2013. The notebooks don't look too different, but inside they have been updated to Intel's 4th Generation Core processors that go by the code name Haswell and it turns out that they have significant improvements when it comes to the storage drives. The new MacBook Air no longer uses SATA drives, but has moved on to the PCIe interface instead. It appears that the Macbook Air uses a PCIe 2.0 x2 interface that is capable of 1GB/s in each direction. Initial benchmarks done by Anand and others show that the new MacBook Air is capable of nearly 800MB/s read and write speeds. Not too shabby at all and we all knew that the retail SSD market was headed to the PCIe interface. It's taken years to get there, but go figure that Apple was the first to fully embrace it. Time for the Intel Ultrabook to keep up!
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 02:19 PM | Comments
China Launches Fifth Manned Space Mission - Spies Moon Landing
A Shenzhou spacecraft carrying a crew of three, including China's second female astronaut, streaked into orbit Tuesday at 5:38am EDT for a planned 15-day mission to practice docking with the country's orbiting laboratory. The launch was broadcast live on Chinese state television from the Gobi desert and the craft made it successfully into orbit. 
The launch marked the China's fifth human space mission since 2003. The Tiangong 1 laboratory with which the spacecraft will dock was launched in September 2011. One thing that is interesting to note is that it will take the Chinese two days from liftoff to dock. Russia's Soyux craft doxks with the International Space station just six hours after liftoff. Regardless about how quickly they can dock, China sees this as an initial step toward putting a full-fledged space station in orbit by 2020. China also plans to land on the moon and deploy a rover in the future, but there is no timetable for that mission just yet.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 02:06 PM | Comments
Google Asks DOJ Permission To Publish Number of FISA Data Requests It Receives
Google's top lawyer is asking Washington law makers to let the company expand its transparency report to include secret court orders like the kind involved in the NSA surveillance scandal. In a letter posted to Google's blog, David Drummond addresses Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller, arguing that when the government allowed Google to disclose the number of National Security Letters the company gets (another form of data request), nothing bad happened. So why not extend the disclosure permissions to requests under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), as well? Google says this will improve transparency and not harm national security at all.
We therefore ask you to help make it possible for Google to publish in our Transparency Report aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope. Google’s numbers would clearly show that our compliance with these requests falls far short of the claims being made. Google has nothing to hide.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 01:53 PM | Comments
Will the Microsoft Xbox One Event at E3 Be Remembered For Rape Joke?
Did Microsoft make a rape joke at its E3 presentation? Microsoft debuted the Xbox One console at E3 on Monday, but during a demonstration of "Killer Instinct" a male producer of the game was matched up against a woman that was clearly not at his gaming level in this round of gaming. 
At one point in the game demo, he appeared to make a rape joke toward a female employee as an example of “friendly” trash talk.
"I can't even block correctly, and you're too fast," she says.
"Here we go. Just let it happen. It'll be over soon," he says.
The audience laughed, but many took it as a really as a rape reference and that it was offensive. Some of those in the audience were big shots like Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg. What do you think? Was this just some friendly smack talk between gamers that was totally harmless or was this a bad rape joke? I doubt they planned in advance to have a rape joke in the show, but it looks like that is how it came across. Watch the "Killer Instinct" demo at E3 below where you can see and listen to how it all went down.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 01:45 PM | Comments
Apple's New Mac Pro - Revolutionary Trash Can Design?
Apple showed off the next generation Mac Pro yesterday and we still are not sure what to think about the new round design. Apple says that the desktop is designed around a revolutionary unified thermal core.
We aren't too sure about the new round chassis, but it certainly is different.
Inside the new 9.9-inch tall Apple Mac Pro you'll find Intel Xeon processors, dual AMD FirePro workstation-class GPUs, Thunderbolt 2, PCIe-based flash storage, and ultra-fast ECC memory. The Mac Pro is one of Apple's priciest products, starting at $2,499 for the most basic setup and can go up to nearly $13,000 fully loaded. Not too many people are in the market for a $2500 and up desktop PC, but we all know that some photographers, videographers, designers and animators will be picking one up. The best part about the launch of the new Apple Mac Pro is all the jokes that are going around about it. My favorite is this one over at 9GAG.
“With the latest Xeon processors, dual FirePro GPUs, ECC memory, PCIe-based flash and Thunderbolt 2, all built around a revolutionary thermal core, the next generation Mac Pro is the most radical Mac yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “All this performance and expandability is packed into a dramatic new design that’s one-eighth the volume, and best of all, it will be assembled here in the USA.”
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 01:22 PM | Comments
MAINGEAR Offering Systems With AMD’s New FX 5.0GHz CPUs
MAINGEAR today announced that they will be offering desktop systems with AMD’s new FX 5.0 processors to give gamers more speed, power and performance. The new AMD FX 5.0 processor features the world’s first 8-core solution and a new architecture developed from the ground up that deliver an entirely new level of performance while minimizing power usage. Combined with AMD Radeon graphics such as the Radeon HD 7990 and the HD 7970, gamers will experience unlocked performance with maximum cores.
MAINGEAR will offer the AMD FX-9590 at 5GHz and the AMD FX-9370 at 4.7GHz processors on their flagship SHIFT desktop that also sports the EPIC 180 liquid cooling solution and offers hand painted auto-finishes for the perfect custom desktop.
“AMD is excited to partner with Maingear as we unveil the worlds-first 5.0 GHz 8-core CPU,” said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Products Division at AMD, “Today we announce our most powerful line-up of AMD FX CPUs and continue to lead the way in innovation, while providing our customers with a best-in-class experience. “
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 10:44 AM | Comments
Xbox One and Sony PS4 Available For Pre-Order - Xbox One Selling Better
The pre-order listings for the Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PS4 appears to be the first battle for the competing consoles. Amazon is currently selling both gaming consoles and confirmed that the Xbox One has 2.3% more sales than the Sony PlayStation 4. That is pretty close though and there is no clear leader in the the next-generation console war. When it comes to pricing, Sony has the PS4 priced at $399, undercutting the $500 Microsoft Xbox One by $100 dollars! The Sony PS4 release date is set for the holiday season this year, and PS4 pre-orders show that the PlayStation 4 will ship by December 31st, though we expect this will happen much sooner. The Microsoft Xbox One release is set for November, so you know Sony will want to release as early as possible. The Sony PS4 price is a shocker, as it uses a similar AMD 'jaguar' processor as the Xbox One, but has faster RAM. The $399 PS4 price could help Sony win the first console battle this holiday season, and it will be interesting to see how pre-order sales do over the next few months!
“It’s not clear yet which of the two will have the edge when they launch later this year,” said Xavier Garambois, VP of Retail at Amazon EU. “What’s certain, though, is that fans are already excited about how the next generation of consoles will change the world of gaming and home entertainment.”
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 10:30 AM | Comments
AMD Unleashes First-Ever 5 GHz Processor - AMD FX-9590
AMD today unveiled its most powerful member of the legendary AMD FX family of CPUs, the world's first commercially available 5 GHz CPU processor, the AMD FX-9590. These 8-core CPUs deliver new levels of gaming and multimedia performance for desktop enthusiasts. AMD FX-9000 Series CPUs will be available initially in PCs through system integrators. The new 5 GHz FX-9590 and 4.7 GHz FX-9370 feature the "Piledriver" architecture, are unlocked for easy overclocking and pave the way for enthusiasts to enjoy higher CPU speeds and related performance gains. Additionally, these processors feature AMD Turbo Core 3.0 technology to dynamically optimize performance across CPU cores and enable maximum computing for the most intensive workloads. The new AMD FX CPUs will be available from system integrators globally beginning this summer.
Two models will be available:
- AMD FX-9590: Eight "Piledriver" cores, 5 GHz Max Turbo
- AMD FX-9370: Eight "Piledriver" cores, 4.7 GHz Max Turbo
"AMD continues to push the envelope when it comes to desktop capabilities and power performance," said Wallace Santos, CEO and founder of MAINGEAR. "In unveiling the world's first 5 GHz 8-core CPU, AMD continues to lead the way in innovation while providing our customers with a best-in-class experience. We are thrilled to be part of this exciting launch."
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 08:27 AM | Comments
Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video Released
Are you curious how you share your games on the PlayStayion 4? Sony has released an in-depth step-by-step video tutorial that shows how to lend games to your friends on the PS4. Notice the fine print during the video that says the Sony PS4 requires a PSN account & PS Plus subscription for access to PS4 multiplayer.
Posted by | Tue, Jun 11, 2013 - 08:21 AM | Comments
Apple Announces iTunes Radio
Apple today announced iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service featuring over 200 stations and an incredible catalog of music from the iTunes Store, combined with features only iTunes can deliver. When you tune into iTunes Radio on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC or Apple TV, you’ll have access to stations inspired by the music you already listen to, Featured Stations curated by Apple and genre-focused stations that are personalized just for you. iTunes Radio evolves based on the music you play and download. The more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more it knows what you like to listen to and the more personalized your experience becomes. iTunes Radio also gives you access to exclusive “first listen” premieres from top selling artists, Siri integration, plus the ability to tag or buy anything you hear with just one click. iTunes Radio is ad-supported and free for everyone. iTunes Match users get iTunes Radio ad-free and costs $24.99 for a year.
“iTunes Radio is an incredible way to listen to personalized radio stations which have been created just for you,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “It’s the music you love most and the music you’re going to love, and you can easily buy it from the iTunes Store with just one click.”
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 03:43 PM | Comments
Respawn Entertainment Unveils Titanfall and Releases Game Trailer
Electronic Arts and independent videogame developer Respawn Entertainment today revealed the world debut of Titanfall, the studio's inaugural title. Crafted by one of the co-creators of Call of Duty and other key developers behind the Call of Duty franchise, Titanfall is among the most highly anticipated of E3 2013, having been shrouded in mystery for nearly three years. The visionaries at Respawn have drawn inspiration from their proven experience in first-person action gaming, and are building on that pedigree by taking a new approach to game design and creating an all-new universe with Titanfall. The game is entirely multiplayer, in a new experience that combines fast-paced multiplayer action with the heroic set piece moments traditionally found in campaign mode. Set in a distant frontier torn apart by war, players will have the freedom to switch between fighting as elite assault Pilots or agile, heavily armored, 24-foot tall Titans.
The E3 2013 announcement trailer for Titanfall is shown below. Available spring 2014, Titanfall will be available for Xbox One, PC and Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 version of Titanfall is in development at an external development studio with support from Respawn.
"It's an exciting time in the industry and it feels like the perfect time to be unveiling Titanfall," said Vince Zampella, a Co-Creator of Call of Duty and Co-Founder of Respawn Entertainment. "Our passion at Respawn is games and we are focused on bringing something exciting to kick off the next generation of software."
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 03:08 PM | Comments
NVIDIA SHIELD Showcase: Cribs Edition w/ Randy Pirchford from Gearbox Released
NVIDIA has released a new video today that features Gearbox CEO and President Randy Pitchford showing off the NVIDIA SHIELD while giving us a behind the scenes tour of Gearbox Studios and his private home. Drool at his expansive gaming collection, marvel at the magical home theater and join his family as they demonstrate their combined love of gaming. Check it out below!
Welcome to the SHIELD Showcase: Cribs Edition featuring Gearbox CEO and President Randy Pitchford who gives us a behind the scenes tour of Gearbox Studios and his private home. Drool at his expansive gaming collection, marvel at the magical home theater and join his family as they demonstrate their combined love of gaming. Check it out!
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 03:01 PM | Comments
E3 2013 EA Press Conference Live Stream Stating At 4PM ET
What will EA reveal at their E3 2013 press conference? Electronic Arts will be holding their E3 press conference this afternoon at 3 p.m. central time, and we’ll have a stream embedded right here so you can watch it live. EA already showed off Battlefield 4 earlier today at Microsoft’s press conference, as well as Titanfall, the long-awaited game from Respawn (comprised of former Call of Duty developers). Legit Reviews is at the press conference to find out what EA is up to! We hope to see some multiplayer action from Battlefield 4 and some more details on Need For Speed Rivals and other game titles!
A live stream from Ustream is below, so be sure to watch it!
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 02:44 PM | Comments
Transcend Launches New SSD740 SATA III SSD Series
Transcend recently announced the addition of the SSD740 2.5” SATA III 6Gb/s solid state drive (SSD) to its industrial SSD product line. Combining cutting-edge SATA III technology with a number of performance and reliability features, the SSD740 is the ultimate SSD upgrade solution – especially for devices equipped with modern processors running more advanced operating systems, such as Ultrabooks, Industrial PCs and notebooks, gaming systems, and handheld appliances.
Transcend's SSD740 SSD takes advantage of the next-generation SATA III 6Gb/s interface, DDR3 DRAM cache, and an advanced JMicron JMF667H controller to achieve extremely fast transfer speeds of up to 530MB/s read and 470MB/s write. Essential for handling incompressible data, such as videos, music, and images, the SSD740 also delivers impressive 4k random read/write speeds of up to 283/267MB per second. Full support of the TRIM command, which automatically removes deleted data permanently, and Native Command Queuing (NCQ), which optimizes the order in which received read and write commands are executed, allow the SSD740 to sustain an incredibly high level of performance while enhancing SSD durability and efficiency. Transcend's SATA III 6Gb/s SSD740 SSD is available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB capacities.
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 10:30 AM | Comments
Mad Catz Announces S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 Pro Gaming Keyboard
Mad Catz announced today the S.T.R.I.K.E.3 Professional Gaming Keyboard for Windows PC. Expected to ship fall 2013, the S.T.R.I.K.E.3 has been designed with the competitive gamer in mind, offering an impressive feature set and a unique membrane key-bed designed to offer the full tactile feedback of mechanical keys but without the excessive noise or the need to ‘bottom out’ the keys.
The S.T.R.I.K.E.3 features a full RGB backlit key-bed, capable of displaying up to sixteen million customizable colors. In addition to full media controls and a removable wrist-rest, the S.T.R.I.K.E.3 features a total of twelve macro keys and three separate modes of operation, providing a total of thirty-six programmable buttons. The S.T.R.I.K.E.3 will be available in gloss black, gloss white and gloss red colors.
“The S.T.R.I.K.E.3 demonstrates our commitment to providing gamers with a product range that meets their budgets and exceeds their expectations,” said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive. “Our range of S.T.R.I.K.E. keyboards has captured the imagination of passionate gamers and we are pleased to expand the range with the S.T.R.I.K.E.3.”
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 10:20 AM | Comments
Mad Catz Announces TRITTON Kunai Stereo Gaming Headset
Mad Catz announced today the TRITTON Kunai Universal Headset. The TRITTON Kunai Universal features striking aesthetics, 40mm Neodymium speakers, and an in-line remote offering easy access to volume and chat controls. The TRITTON Kunai Universal is compatible with most popular consoles, Windows PC, and Mac, as well as smart phones and smart devices. The TRITTON Kunai Universal headset will be available in gloss black, gloss white and gloss red colors. The new console stereo headset is expected to ship Summer 2013.
Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, said, “The TRITTON Kunai range has proven popular thanks to its balance of performance, value and aesthetics and today’s announcement will allow us to reach passionate gamers on virtually any platform.”
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 10:13 AM | Comments
SK Hynix Develops World’s First High Density 8Gb LPDDR3
SK Hynix announced that it has developed the world’s first 8Gb (Gigabit) LPDDR3 (Low Power DDR3) using its advanced 20nm class process technology. This product is a top-performance mobile memory solution which features high density, ultrahigh speed and low power consumption. The product works at 2133Mbps which surpasses 1600Mbps of existing LPDDR3 in the aspect of its data transmission speed and is the world’s fastest mobile DRAM. With a 32-bit I/O it processes up to 8.5GB of data per second in a single channel, and 17GB in a dual channel. It works at ultra low-voltage of 1.2V. Samples of this new product have been shipped to customers and the SK Hynix plans to start mass production of it at the end of this year.
“With the development of this high density LPDDR3 using 20nm class, SK Hynix is now able to supply a top-performance product suitable for mobile devices to the market”, Senior Vice President Richard Chin, the Head of Global Sales & Marketing said. “Especially, this development has its significance since the Company has secured top-level competitiveness in mobile products by developing it simultaneously with PC DRAM using the same 20nm class process technology” he added.
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 10:09 AM | Comments
ASrock Z87M OC Formula Breaks DDR3 World Record Again w/ 4285.6MHz
ASRock today announced that Nick Shih continues to push DDR3 memory frequencies to new boundaries which no man has ever seen. He has reached a ludicrous DDR3 4285.6MHz in single channel mode with CL14 timings of 14-31-31-50 and a command rate of 2T with ASRock’s Z87M OC Formula. This little micro-ATX Intel Z87 motherboard was specifically for overclocking and it looks like it is the real deal. Nick Shih helped design the board, so it is a good thing to see him breaking records with it! Nick used a Team Group Xtreem-LV-2666 memory module and an Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell processor for the world record run.
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 10:06 AM | Comments
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Now Available
Adobe today announced the availability of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 for Mac OS and Windows. The product is available as an individual license or as part of Adobe Creative Cloud. Designed for both photography enthusiasts and professionals alike, Lightroom 5 adds critical photo editing capabilities and creates groundbreaking workflows. Lightroom 5 was initially released as a free, public beta in April 2013. Standalone software is available at Adobe.com and participating retailers for US$149 or US$79 for upgrades. You can find out more about it here or try it out here.
New Features in Lightroom 5
Lightroom 5 adds powerful new editing tools to help photographers create better images faster. The Advanced Healing Brush enables customers to fix irregularly shaped imperfections such as dust spots, splotches, and other distractions with the precision and flexibility of a fine brush. The Upright tool analyzes each image to automatically straighten objects such as buildings and level horizons. Radial Gradients offer customers the control to make photo subjects stand out by applying off-center and multiple vignettes in a single image.
Lightroom 5 also brings extended sharing and publishing capabilities. New video slideshows enable customers to combine still images, video clips and music in a creative HD slideshow that can be viewed on almost any device. Updates to the Book module bring the ability to create, personalize and print elegant photo books from a variety of tailored, easy-to-use templates, as well as create customer-specific templates.
Smart Previews, new in Lightroom 5, enable photographers to make edits to their images offline, without bringing their entire library of original files with them. Edits and metadata changes to Smart Preview files are automatically applied to the original images when they are reconnected.
“Lightroom was originally conceived through the requests of Adobe customers, and this feedback continues to drive each new iteration,” said Winston Hendrickson, vice president of products, Creative Media Solutions, Adobe. “As the digital photography landscape advances and evolves, Lightroom is the best solution for photographers and passionate hobbyists who want to get the most out of their digital images.”
Posted by | Mon, Jun 10, 2013 - 09:58 AM | Comments
Sercret NDA Data Center in Utah Revelaed In Images
The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies, extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track foreign targets, according to a top-secret document obtained by The Washington Post. It appears that the NSA is able to collect data directly from the servers of these U.S. Service Providers: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple through a program code-named PRISM. PRISM was launched from the ashes of President George W. Bush’s secret program of warrantless domestic surveillance in 2007. This means that the government is collecting an astonishing amount of data, but where and how is the government doing that? That would be at a secret Data Center that is being built for the National Security Agency in Bluffdale, Utah. The heavily fortified data center is expected to cost around $2 billion and construction should be complete in September 2013. Everything that you do would basically flow through this building where a network of super computers would intercept, decipher, analyze, and store vast swaths of the world’s communications. It is rumored that the super computers inside this building would also be used to break heavily encrypted data and data written in secret code. I guess we need to start reviewing processors by how many trillions of words a second that they can decipher. I also wonder if they use Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, or HGST hard drives for mass data storage.
An aerial view of the NSA's Utah Data Center in Bluffdale, Utah, Thursday, June 6, 2013. The government is secretly collecting the telephone records of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon under a top-secret court order, according to the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Obama administration is defending the National Security Agency's need to collect such records, but critics are calling it a huge over-reach.
Posted by | Fri, Jun 07, 2013 - 03:51 PM | Comments
Mushkin Launches New Scorpion Deluxe PCIe SSD Drive
Mushkin today the launch of their new Scorpion Deluxe PCIe SSD. The Mushkin Scorpion PCI Express SSD was conceived to offer multimedia designers maximum performance and a scalable 4-way format. With up to 2,100MB/s throughput and 100,000 4K random write IOPS, the Scorpion PCI Express is a natural for the digital effects arena. Available worldwide starting mid-June, Scorpion Deluxe PCIe SSDs will come in 240GB, 480GB, 960GB and 1920GB capacities. This PCIe SSD was used to make the visual effects on the upcoming movie Pacific Rim. The Mushkin Scorpion PCIe SSD is pictured below to show you what the circuit board looks like as the Deluxe model (second image) has a cover on it.
"An insane amount of image data is required to produce motion picture visual effects," said VFX award-winning, Kelly Lee Myers, CG Supervisor on Iron Sky. "SSD storage devices like Muskin's Scorpion Deluxe PCIe provides artists with blazing-fast read and write speeds that reduce image editing and compositing tasks by several factors over and above spinning disc RAIDs. I count on Muskin hardware and will continue to do so in production."
Posted by | Fri, Jun 07, 2013 - 01:33 PM | Comments
SteelSeries Introduces The New H-Series Headset Line
Today, SteelSeries announced the H-Series Headsets. SteelSeries’ goal is to deliver tournament-grade audio to users and game enthusiasts. The 3 new H-Series headsets all feature custom-engineered soundscapes and the newest generation of SteelSeries audio drivers designed specifically to enhance audio performance and sound details. As with all the SteelSeries professional headsets, the H-Series are designed with solid construction for best-in-class durability. The line-up includes:
- The SteelSeries 9H with Dolby® Technology ($159.99 MSRP) features up to 7.1 surround sound and tournament-grade audio performance with new sound isolating double enclosure ear cup technology.
- The SteelSeries 5Hv3 Headset ($79.99 MSRP) upgrades the sought-after features found in its predecessor, the 5Hv2, including the 3-piece breakdown, new all-leather ear cushions, and new custom-engineered audio drivers.
- The SteelSeries 3Hv2 Headset ($39.99 MSRP) is built for gamers who are looking to experience SteelSeries audio for the first time or without having to make a large investment, the 3Hv2 encompasses the four components that set SteelSeries audio above the rest: performance, convenience, durability and comfort.
The SteelSeries H-Series will be available starting with the 5Hv3 and 3Hv2 headsets this summer and the 9H with Dolby® Technology coming this Fall in Q3.
“The H-Series Headset line was introduced to the competitive gaming world in early 2005 with first-to-market features like the retractable microphone system and a custom engineered soundscape that was so good that the world tagged them as the cheating headsets, ” said Bruce Hawver, SteelSeries CEO. “Twelve years ago we believed that eSports would see incredible growth and we designed entire product lines for this emerging market. Today, we introduce this next generation of competitive players to our new H-Series and believe that the audio experience, combined with the comfort and features, will set a new standard for today's competitive gaming headsets.”
Posted by | Thu, Jun 06, 2013 - 11:51 AM | Comments
Intel Releases 9.18.10.3165 GPU Drivers For Ivy Bridge and Haswell
Intel Iris Pro, Iris and HD graphics users will be happy to know that they have a new graphics driver to use! Intel released 9.18.10.3165 graphics drivers for Windows users this morning that adds support for 4th Generation Intel Core Processors and fixes bugs reported on 3rd and 4th Generation Intel Core Processors. This driver supports both 32-bit and 64-bit variants of Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows 8. We have these drivers running on an Intel Core i7-3770K processor with no issues yet!
Issues Fixed in Intel 9.18.10.3165 Graphics Drivers
- Fixed an issue where monitors not supporting EDID were locked to 1366x768 resolution.
- Resolved DWM.exe crash error “Desktop Window Manager stopped working and was closed ” reported on systems with discrete graphics with Switchable Graphics enabled.
- Resolved a crash issue that may be seen after inserting H.264 file in to a timeline of the Corel VideoStudio Pro software.
- Resolved an issue where 2560x1080 resolution was not available on the third DisplayPort 1.2 monitor when daisy chained. ( DisplayPort 1.2 is supported only on 4th Generation Intel Core Processors).
- Resolved an issue where power on the second and third monitors are not detected while daisy - chained.
- Resolved a corruption issue seen in Resident Evil 5 Benchmark (DirectX 10).
- Fixed an issue where a vertical line unexpectedly appears on the right side while at the Windows locked screen, when screen is unlocked, or when resuming from Sleep or Hibernate state.
- 8 Fixed issue where screen may turn black after switching to Clone mode.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 06, 2013 - 10:00 AM | Comments
Dead Trigger 2 E3 Game Trailer Released For Zombie Fans
The Dead Trigger 2 E3 trailer went live yesterday and it hows off how good the game looks on NVIDIA Tegra 4 mobile platforms. NVIDIA and Mad Finger Games says that the graphics enhancements include: PCF shadows, enhanced normal maps, real-time lighting, bloom as a post process effect, more particle effects and refraction on water. The trailer looks pretty good! Mad Finger Games says that Dead Trigger 2 will run on Tegra 3 devices too, so don't think this is a Tegra 4 only game title.
In Dead Trigger 1 the game had water simulation and didn't include shadows, normal maps, parallax, realtime reflection, etc. Dead Trigger 2 looks way better.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 06, 2013 - 08:02 AM | Comments
In Win Tou Chassis - PC Case with 3mm Safety Glass!
The In Win X-Frame, D-Frame and H-Frame case were all impressive case designs by In Win, but it looks like they wanted to do something different for Computex 2013. The new innovative case design by In Win this year is the Tou Chassis. This case has an aluminum frame that is covered in 3mm thick safety glass that has been covered by a specular film with a mirror finish. Inside In Win has LED's that give the case a look that is totally unique!
Posted by | Thu, Jun 06, 2013 - 07:55 AM | Comments
X2.6017 Silent PC Case Announced By X2
X2 has a new “Silent Series” PC case, the X2.6017, which is an aluminum tower that is said to be well constructed. The X2.6017 chassis is all about being silent and comes with a complete set of Sound Pads which enable you to dampen the front and side panels with the sound‐damping material, the top and side panels have their own pre‐assembled sound‐damping mats. The X2.6017 case is sold under part number X2-6017B-CE/R and you are looking at $116.95 or EUR 89.95 when it comes to the MSRP.
Main features: • Contemporary & Modern design • Premium all‐aluminum chassis for ATX and Micro ATX motherboards • Full Folded, Full Screen and Radiation protected • Micro ATX and Mini ITX Motherboard, Compatible • Rear and front 120mm fan space available
The extra touches like front panel side air intake, pre‐drilled water cooling‐set holes and front panel eSATA and USB3.0 ports make the X2.6017 a real nice and enjoyable PC case. Expansion made is easy, with seven expansion slots, five hard drive bays with removable caddies and integrated 2.5” SSD support and four optical drive bays. The lower drive cage can be removed to accommodate GPUs of up to 452mm in length. The diamond‐cut brushed aluminum front panel houses one high‐speed USB 3.0 connector, one USB 2.0 connector, one eSATA connector and HD audio ports. Build it your way and gear up with performance PC hardware by X2 products.
Posted by | Thu, Jun 06, 2013 - 07:46 AM | Comments
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