New chips give twice the performance but idle at only half the power -- a good mix for a mobile chip.
Nvidia this week announced five new additions to its mobile GPU family that boast up to twice the speed with only half the idle power draw as the previous generation of chips.
The new chips are all a part of the 200M series (G210M, GT 230M, GT 240M, GTS 250M, GTS 260M) and are based on the still-current G200 architecture and built on the 40-nm process.
According to Nvidia, the GTS 260M and 250M GPUs are for enthusiast notebooks; GT 240M and 230M GPUs are for performance notebooks; and GeForce G210M is for mainstream notebooks.
The new additions to the 200M series also mark two firsts for Nvidia: full DirectX 10.1 compliance and use of DDR5 memory.
The GTX 280M and GTX 260M, even though based on 55-nm G92 designs, will continue to occupy Nvidia’s top-end offerings.
Nvidia claims that the GTS 260M with its 1 GB of DDR5 memory running at 3,600 MHz on a 128-bit interface is nearly as fast as the GTX260M, which makes it a compelling alternative given the power savings and the added battery life that comes along with it.
Nvidia said that it has over 100 notebook design wins “in the bag” but can’t disclose any of them due to NDA commitments. We'll just have to wait and see who will be first out the gate with one of the new chips.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Nvidia Intros New GPUs for Over 100 Secret OEMs
Kingston Launches 128 GB USB Stick, Costs $546
Remember how impressed we all were once upon a time when we saw a USB thumb drive? It was clearly the most convenient and portable of all storage devices thus far, even if it only held data in the “megabytes” range.
That was then, and this is now; and today Kingston makes all of our USB sticks look puny with its introduction the DataTraveler 200, the world's first 128 GB USB Flash drive.
"The new DT200's robust storage capability lets consumers store complete libraries of music, photos and videos. It is also a great tool for business users who carry around large databases or files," said Andrew Ewing, USB business manager, Kingston. "The password protection helps safeguard data and requires no admin rights, making the DT200 a terrific solution for the home or office."
Kingston didn’t reveal the speed of the drive, but did say that it’s fast enough to be compatible with Windows ReadyBoost.
With a drive that big, it’d be a viable solution for a user to load onto it an entire OS, programs and even media files. The DT200 is also available in 32 and 64 GB models. The 128 GB model will be a special order item, so don’t expect to see them on store shelves.
Prices are $120 for the 32 GB; $213 for the 64 GB; $546 for the 128 GB.
What would you do with a USB stick that big?
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Sign Up for Outright.com, Get a Free Domain
Domain names don't cost that much anymore, but they're usually not free. Starting this week, though, through the end of July 2009, you can get a free domain name and Web site from Network Solutions for one year by signing up for Outright.com.
Outright.com is a free online accounting solution designed for startups and very small businesses that need help tracking income and expenses and planning for estimated taxes. Outright integrates with services like FreshBooks and Shoeboxed to make data input easier.
I like Outright and have reviewed it favorably, though it's early in the site's life -- I'd expect to see even more integration in the future, and would love to see it evolve into an even more robust site. As it is, it's extraordinarily helpful to get an estimate of your estimated taxes based on your income and expenses.
Outright.com is designed for sole proprietors and single-member LLCs who file a Schedule C tax form, says the company. Outright.com plans to introduce fee-based services at some point in the future, but the company says that the core service for self-employed individuals will remain free.
Originally posted to the PCMag.com @Work blog.
Rumor: New Core i7, Celeron Soon
Intel plans to launch the Celeron E3000 series and a new Core i7 processor during the second half of 2009.
DigiTimes is reporting from un-named motherboard sources that Intel is invading the entry-level CPU market with two new processors from the 45nm Celeron E3000 series. Set for a third quarter release, The Celeron E3200 will feature a core clock of 2.5 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache, an 800 MHz FSB, and a 65 W TDB. The Celeron E3300 will offer the same base features, but will provide a slightly higher core speed of 2.5 GHz and support for VT-x virtualization (Virtual XP on Windows 7).
Additionally, Intel's Core i7 960 processor is set for a release in the fourth quarter, offering a core clock frequency of 3.2 GHz, 4.8 GT/s bus speed, 8 MB of L3 cache, and a 130 W TDP. The CPU will replace the reigning champ, Intel's i7 950 clocking in at 3.06 GHz, and even looks to go neck-and-neck with the i7 965 Extreme Edition, also with a core clock of 3.2 GHz (but offers QPI bandwidth).
In the mobile department, the dual-core Atom D510 CPU for netbooks also shares the same timeslot, followed by the single-core Atom D410 processor in Q1 2010; both are replacing the Atom 230 and 330 processors. This is also the same launch window Intel plans to release Pine Trail, the new platform that will offer only two components: the CPU/GPU/Memory controller Pineview package, and the Tiger Point I/O controller. Pine Trail is expected to reduce material costs for OEMs.
Intel said that it does not comment on "unannounced products" thus, we're reduced to classifying this bit of information as rumor only.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
Microsoft Decides No IE with Win 7 in Europe
Microsoft has come up with its own solution to the whole EU antitrust issue that has been plaguing the company since January of this year: don't ship Internet Explorer with Windows 7, but only in Europe.
Citing a confidential memo that was sent to PC makers and seen by Cnet News, Cnet yesterday reported that the company plans to offer a version of its latest operating system, Windows 7 to Europeans but without the browser. Computer makers would then have the option to add the browser back in, ship another browser or ship multiple browsers.
“To ensure that Microsoft is in compliance with European law, Microsoft will be releasing a separate version of Windows 7 for distribution in Europe that will not include Windows Internet Explorer," the Redmond company said in the memo to PC manufacturers. "Microsoft will offer IE8 separately and free of charge and will make it easy and convenient for PC manufacturers to preinstall IE 8 on Windows 7 machines in Europe if they so choose,” the company continued, adding that “PC manufacturers may choose to install an alternative browser instead of IE 8, and has always been the case, they may install multiple browsers if they wish."
This sheds new light on yesterday’s news in which European regulators were said to be investigating whether or not Microsoft had pressured PC makers into voting against a ‘ballot screen’ solution that would see users choose their own browser the first time they connected to the internet.
Microsoft confirmed that the document seen by Cnet is legit and as far as we can tell, however, the company’s solution offers PC makers the choice of browser and not the user. Do you agree with this remedy by Microsoft? Let us know in the comments below!
Click here to see the original story.
Source : Tom's Hardware US
