Asus water cooled, triple GPU card April 23, 2008

ASUS has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s first on-board triple GPU solution with the concept model ASUS EAH3850 TRINITY/3DHTI/1.5G graphics card. With three RV670PRO GPUs onboard, users can enjoy a 139% improvement in speeds when compared to single-GPU solutions. Additionally, the EAH3850 TRINITY is equipped with a MXM module for upgrade possibilities and two exclusive extra DVI outputs.

It also features a specially designed water cooling solution – ensuring efficient heat dissipation for stable performance. On top of all this, the ASUS EAH3850 TRINITY is equipped with a world-exclusive large onboard memory size of 1.5GB – designed to provide feature-rich DirectX 10 gaming and the best multimedia playback at ultra-high resolutions and maximum quality settings.

Now if you’re slavering over this piece of water cooled, graphic goodness, just hold on a second. As we’ve written above, its still a concept model so until ASUS actually anounces an actual for sale model, we just have to hold on to our horses. Until then just read on for more info on this card and its specifications.

As the world’s first onboard triple GPU solution, the ASUS EAH3850 TRINITY/3DHTI/1.5G is able to elevate 3DMark06 scores from 4880 to 11662 – an astonishing 139% speed improvement when compared to the single-GPU solutions *. Gamers can now truly feel the exhilarating rush of extreme gaming performance only with the ASUS EAH3850 TRINITY.

The EAH3850 TRINITY comes with the MXM module design that allows users to obtain the flexibility to upgrade the MXM VGA module in regards to GPU and memory size with lower costs. The EAH3850 TRINITY also utilizes a specially designed water cooling solution that effectively dissipates heat away from the three GPUs through heatpipes that are specially connected to the main board of the graphics card instead of the GPUs. Due to the fact that the water cooling solution works exceptionally well even with upgraded GPU and memory, the hassles of displacing the thermal module when upgrading the MXM VGA module is avoided for minimized upgrading costs. On top of all this, the EAH3850 TRINITY is equipped with two extra DVI outputs for a maximum of four-display video outputs.

Memory size is paramount if one does not want to suffer from graphic bottlenecks. With most current and upcoming games requiring high video memory requirements; plus the fact that game developers still constantly increasing the estimated video memory size, the ASUS EAH3850 TRINITY/3DHTI/1.5G is able to truly deliver a world-class graphical performance – allowing users to fully enjoy games or movies without lag or stuttering even at very high resolutions and maximum quality settings.

In line with the Rock Solid promise of quality from ASUS, the EAH3850 TRINITY comes with several solutions to provide top quality graphic performance. The temperature of the newly adopted DIP Spring Chokes is 5~10°C lower in comparison to traditional Toroidal Coil Chokes; while the Japan-made polymer capacitors lowers power loss to provide more stability. Users will thus feel at ease while enjoying extreme performance with ASUS’ uncompromising quality only with the ASUS EAH3850 TRINITY.

Specifications

Specifications

Model	EAH3850 TRINITY/3DHTI/1.5G
Graphics Engine	Radeon HD 3850
Video Memory	1.5G DDR3
Engine Clock	660MHz
Memory Clock	850 MHz (1.7GHz DDR3)
Memory Interface	256-bit + 256-bit + 256-bit
DVI Max. Resolution	2560 * 1600
Bus Standard	PCI Express
DVI Output	DVI *4
HDCP compliant	Yes
HDMI Output	Yes, via DVI to HDMI adaptor
D-Sub Output	Yes, via DVI to D-Sub adaptor
HDTV Output	Yes, via HDTV Out cable
TV Output	Yes, via S-Video to Composite
Thermal Solution	Water Cooling System
Adaptor/Cable Bundled	DVI-to-D-Sub adaptor DVI-to-HDMI adaptor HDTV-out cable Power Cable
Software Bundled	ASUS Utilities & Driver

Abit’s new AMD motherboard April 23, 2008

abit has announced their latest AMD platform motherboard, the A-S78H, supporting ATI Hybrid CrossFireX Technology. The A-S78H is based on the AMD 780G chipset with ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics and the SB700. It supports AMD AM2+/AM2 processors running HT3.0 up to 5200MT/s. It has four 240-pin DIMM sockets offer a maximum of 8GB memory capacity for Dual Channel DDR2 1066 modules. 1 x PCI-E X16, 1 x PCI-E X1, and 2 x PCI slots hold enough potential for further expansion and system upgrades with different add-on cards.

The ATI Hybrid CrossFireX Technology offers multi-GPU performance capabilities by enabling the integrated graphics processor and a discrete graphics processor to operate simultaneously with combined output to a single display for blisteringly-fast frame rates. Enabled hybrid graphics cards models so far include ATI HD2400XT, HD2400Pro, HD3470 and HD3450 based VGA cards, providing the ultimate visual experience.

Stay tuned for pricing and availability. Read on for specifications.

Specifcations

abit A-S78H
CPU Support	AMD Socket AM2/AM2+ Processors
System Bus	AM2+ runs HT3.0 5200MT/s, AM2 runs HT1.0 2000MT/S
Chipset	AMD780G chipset with ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics/SB700 chipset
Expansion Slots	1 x PCI-Ex16, 2 XPCI-Ex1, 3x PCI
LAN	Gigabit Ethernet
Memory	4X240-pin DIMM sockets support max. memory capacity 8GB Dual channel DDR2 1066/800/667
SATA	6XSATA 3Gb/s connector
Audio	5.1-Channel HD
abit engineered™	abit SoftMenu, abit EQ

Intel unveils second-generation Intel-powered classmate PC April 12, 2008

Intel Corporation unveiled a new design of the Intel-powered classmate PC today at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai. As announced in a keynote by Andrew Chien, Intel vice president, Corporate Technology Group and director of Intel Research, the second-generation Intel-powered classmate PC is an affordable, fully functional, rugged Internet-centric computer platform. These simple-to-use PCs have wireless capability, longer battery life, water resistant keyboards and are more shock resistant if dropped. Intel is calling this category of PCs “netbooks”

The Intel designed computer offers different choices to manufacturers so each can tailor laptop models for a variety of education needs. The new classmate PC blueprint is the latest innovation and educational tool for parents and teachers to use technology, computers and Internet access to better educate students around the world.

“Only 5 percent of the world’s children today have access to a PC or to the Internet,” Chien said. “Education is one of the best examples of how technology improves our lives. We have seen how technology helps teachers create fun learning experiences more efficiently. We have also been touched by children’s excitement when they are inspired by technology. The Intel-powered classmate PC is one of the ways we support the IT industry in spreading the benefits of technology in education for children around the world.”

The second-generation classmate PCs are built on Intel® Celeron® M processor with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and mesh network capabilities. The top range of these netbooks includes a 9-inch LCD screen, 6-cell battery life, 512 MB memory, a 30 GB HDD (hard disk drive) storage and an integrated webcam. An Intel powered classmate PC supports Microsoft* Windows* XP and variants of the Linux* operating environment. When pre-installed with the education software stack, these netbooks are ideal for classroom-learning environment. Software and content will be available in more than eight languages.

More than 80 software and hardware vendors, content providers, educational services providers and local OEMs have been working with Intel to develop a complete infrastructure that supports the Intel-powered classmate PC. They were present at today’s announcement in Shanghai.

Chien also said future Intel-powered classmate PCs will be built with the Intel® Atom^TM processor. It is an energy-efficient, low-cost computer chip designed to provide wireless capability to small mobile computing devices such as netbooks.

The updated child-sized computer will continue to be deployed as part of the Intel World Ahead Program, a global initiative aimed at spreading digital accessibility and educational opportunities.

The Digital Transformation

Chien also discussed how the second-generation classmate PC is a proof point of the digital transformation he believes is underway today. He highlighted several more digital advances including the use of a cascaded silicon Raman laser as a low-cost Methane gas detector and talked about a novel “holistic” platform power management technology to significantly improve the energy efficiency of a wide range of platforms. He addressed emerging digital consumer applications such as personal robotics and computational photography as fronts where this transformation is taking place by demonstrating “Fuwa,” a personal robot from the Fudan University and ReFocus Imaging’s light field camera.

Intel architecture is also transforming with the multi-core movement in mainstream, parallel computing. This will require new programming techniques and languages at the heart of Intel’s tera-scale computing research program. Chien, along with Dr. Zhang Xia, chief technology officer of Neusoft Co., demonstrated Ct, a new parallel programming language from Intel research that will make programming for many-cores more efficient than what is possible
today. Chien says Intel’s research is poised to tackle both the opportunities and the challenges that lie ahead with the Digital Transformation.

Renee James: Creating the Future in Software

Also at IDF, Renee James, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Software and Solutions Group, illustrated the crucial role software plays in unlocking the power of hardware and ultimately creating a better computing experience. She highlighted visual computing and mobile applications for MIDs as two important, rapidly growing areas of software development and announced the Intel® C++ Software Development Tool Suite for Linux* OS Supporting MIDs.

James also announced the Intel® Certified Solutions program. This new software testing and validation service will enable Intel® Software Partner Program members to deliver high-quality solutions that are certified to meet rigorous standards for security, interoperability and maintainability, and are optimized for Intel technologies. This new service offering, provided by SpikeSource*, will help software vendors reduce development costs and produce more trustworthy solutions that work well on Intel platforms. In conjunction with this certification initiative, Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment organization, has made an additional investment of $10 million in SpikeSource. Intel and SpikeSource are initially offering the service as an early adopter program with broader availability expected later this year.

Intel and Epic Games launched the “$1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest” for aspiring game developers to create modifications (“mods”) for the PC version of “Unreal Tournament 3.” Winnings include an Unreal Engine 3 license and more than $500,000 in cash and prizes, including Intel® Software Development Products and PCs based on Intel® Core^TM2 Extreme quad-core processors.

Asus’ Supercooled EN9600 April 12, 2008

Asus has introduced their ASUS EN9600GT SILENT/HTDI/512M graphics card which incorporates the latest thermal solution – the V-Cool Heatsin and features the V-Engine concept and Intercooler technology. This innovation guarantees absolutely quiet operations, and an efficient means of heat dissipation for the most stable performances.

The unique design of the V-Cool Heatsink will lower GPU temperatures by 10ºC in comparison to reference designed boards with 0dB noise generation; while the integrated SmartDoctor feature provides users with the option to overclock the Shader Clock for even better graphical performances.

Keeping in line with ASUS’ Rock Solid promise for quality, the EN9600GT SILENT/HTDI/512M comes with several solutions to provide top quality graphic performances. With the EMI shield, 66% EMI Interference can be reduced for more stable signals; while the DIP Spring Chokes can lower temperatures by 5~10oC in comparison with traditional Toroidal Coil Chokes. Additionally, the LF PAK MOS guarantees more efficient power with less heat generation.

Read on for more info and specificaitons.

The V-Cool Heatsink’s super racing car engine design stands as a testament to the unique and high-precision craftsmanship from ASUS; and combines a stylish outlook with powerful cooling performance. Phasing in the V-Engine concept*, the ideally arranged V-fins dissipate heat evenly with a minimum of space required; while the high-density zipper array fin module utilizes the Intercooler technology** to maximize the surface area exposed to the air to help heat dissipation. Additionally, three powerful heatpipes are arranged to enable the average temperature on the heatsink to enhance heat transfer effects, and the special material aluminum alloy used is lighter and provides excellent thermal conductivity. With such specialized features, the V-Cool Heatsink can quickly transfer heat away from the GPU and lower temperatures by a whopping 10ºC in comparison to reference design boards with 0dB noise generated.

ASUS garners a world’s first by providing an overclocking utility that is able to tweak the Shader Clock on GPUs with the new SmartDoctor. With this handy application, users will be able to overclock the Shader Clock and Engine Clock independently for astonishing performance boosts without the hassles of rebooting or re-flashing their BIOS.

Specifications

Model	EN9600GT SILENT/HTDI/512M
Graphics Engine	GeForce 9600GT
Video Memory	512M DDR3
Engine Clock	650 MHz
Shader Clock	1625MHz
Memory Clock	1.8GHz (900MHz DDR3)
Memory Interface	256 bit
DVI Max. Resolution	2560 * 1600
Bus Standard	PCI Express 2.0
DVI Output	DVI-I * 2
HDCP compliant	YES
HDMI Output	YES, via DVI to HDMI adaptor**
D-Sub Output	YES, via DVI to D-Sub adaptor
HDTV Output	YES, via HDTV Out cable
TV Output	YES, via S-Video to Composite
Adaptor/Cable Bundled	DVI-to-D-Sub adaptor HDTV-out cable Power Cable DVI-to-HDMI adaptor S/PDIF cable
Software Bundled	ASUS Utilities & Driver
Notes	**To enable HDMI audio out function, a motherboard with internal S/PDIF header and the correct connection of S/PDIF cable with graphics card and motherboard are needed.

Acer Aspire 4520 : Configuring HDD mode from SATA AHCI mode to IDE mode April 9, 2008

INSTALLING WINDOWS XP ON ACER ASPIRE 4520

When you try to install Windows XP on new Acer Aspire 4520, you’ll find error message like this :-

“Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer”

Basically, if you are installing Windows XP on Acer Aspire 4520 you just need to configure SATA mode in f2 options from AHCI mode to IDE mode. But, if you are installing Windows Vista, you should ensure that the SATA mode is in right selection ; AHCI mode. This is because, Windows XP can’t be read in AHCI mode. We should thanx to Acer because they flashed the bios so we can choose to install Windows XP or Windows Vista without installing particular SATA AHCI driver before beginning to install Windows XP. So, here we goes.

1. Turn on aspire 4520

2. Press F2 to enter bios, -> “Main” -> select “SATA mode”

3. Change AHCI Mode to IDE Mode

4. Finally, windows xp will detect the HDD.

Acer Aspire 4520 Driver for Windows XP :

UPDATE :
169.21_forceware_winxp_32bit_english_whql.exe (VGA) December 19, 2007
14.10_nforce_630a_winxp_english_whql.exe (Chipset)
Atheros wireless win xp driver (WiFi)

Other drivers from Acer CD is compatible with windows XP

UPDATE :
Download complete driver acer aspire 4520 : Download link

This is the device manager :

Mainboard : Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6 (Intel X48) April 9, 2008

Most of our readers would be very familiar with Intel’s 3-Series core logic chipsets, the P35 and its high-end sibling, the X38. However, soon after Intel launched their desktop Penryn processors last year, they also released a quiet update to the X38 chipset – the X48. Now, it seems to us that Intel has taken a stealthy approach to chipset announcements of late as there hasn’t been any fanfare. And while the X48 chipset and motherboard product samples have been around since late September 2007, we’re not really seeing these models updated on either Intel or their partners’ websites.

Still, the X48 is real and its here. Initial rumors floating around the Net painted a picture that the X48 could be a special niche segment for the ultra-elite that removed DDR2 support, and instead would only support 1600MHz FSB with DDR3-1600 XMP memory, requiring a platform upgrade for the hardcore enthusiast.

Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6 motherboard.

However, the reality is that there isn’t much to talk about, which explains the silent rollout. In a nutshell, the Intel X48 chipset is just the X38 with official support for native 1600MHz FSB. And the chipset was incidentally launched in conjunction with the very exclusive and limited Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770, chip-zilla’s first 1600MHz FSB processor. That’s about it really. DDR2 support is still around as well, as is evident from the Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6, one of the earliest X48 boards to have been spotted ‘in-the-wild’.

One of the most packed I/O panels on a motherboard with everything you every need, from digital and analaog audio, eight USB 2.0 ports, two LAN ports and even two different FireWire port sizes.

Altec Lansing T612 (NEW) April 9, 2008

Full-range Sound
Four specially engineered speakers smoothly reproduce music across the full audio spectrum.

Powerful, Deep Bass
XdB™ bass-enhancement technology creates deep bass without a subwoofer.

Built-in Dock for iPhone and iPod
Docks and recharges your iPhone and dockable iPod.

Never Miss a Call
When a call comes in, the music stops so you can hear your call.

Immune to mobile phone interference
The T612 doesn’t pick up annoying intermittent noises emitted by mobile phones. So there’s no need to put your iPhone in flight mode!

Wireless Remote
Track forward/back, volume, and bass/treble controls are at your fingertips.

Elegant, Wall-mountable design
Looks great in your living room or mounted on the wall (wall-mounting kit available separately).

MP3 Player Jack
Connect your MP3 player or CD player at the same time as your iPhone.

Live your iPhone life to the fullest by pairing it with the extraordinary sound and intuitive convenience of the Altec Lansing T612. Made to complement iPhone’s command of the digital world, the T612 extends your iPhone’s high-end audio capabilities with beautifully transparent music reproduction. 60 Watts of power RMS (120 Watts Peak) fill the room while keeping you perfectly in touch – because with the T612 there’s no need to use “Flight Mode” while you listen to music. Instead, keep the phone turned on; when a call comes in the T612 gives priority to the call by interrupting the music.

More details, click here