Info-dll: 2011-11-06

Colorful Launches the Most Powerful and Feature-Rich GeForce GTX 560 Ti

After showing off the PCB of the new design GTX560Ti days before, Colorful today releases this new graphics card and named iGame GTX560Ti Kudan.

iGame GTX560Ti Kudan requires three slots and assembles three fans, one is 80mm, and the other two are 70mm which with "Shark Bionic" design in order to reduce the noise. Users need to remove the cooler to install the expansion card on the obverse side near the rear plate. Both WHDI card and Television Card are available to be installed independently to satisfy users' requirement.

There are two BIOS onboard and each of them stores a clock, and the different clocks are controlled by the button on the rear plate. When users press the button, the clock will be overclocked to 900MHz/4200MHz from default clock (820MHz/4000MHz). However, when you install the extra Power-Kit into the slot on the back of the PCB, the clock will change to the amazing 1010MHz/4500MHz.

The iGame GTX560Ti Kudan has the unprecedented in dimensions of the packaging, which is up to 820mm (H) X165mm (L) X140mm (W), and with Chinese characters on it. With the huge packaging, there are three sets of accessories provided, and the quantity of the items is more than 20.

The first set is called Air-Kit, which is assembled by five detachable heat pipes that draw heat from the main heatsink. The Air-Kit can be installed to the corresponding position that previously prepared on the graphics card, and can efficiently reduce the heat of the graphics card.

The second set is called Power-Kit, which is introduced in the previous paragraph. The Power-Kit provides extra six phases of VRM, and have a "Monster BIOS" equipped. It is the first choice when users overclock this card after installing the Power-Kit.

The third set is called Color-Kit, which is made up by acrylic paints and brushes. It is provided for those users who have interest of painting on the shell of the cooler.

The expansion WHDI card and Television card for the front PCB slot is not provided in the accessories, Colorful may sell them separately latter. The retail price of iGame GTX560Ti Kudan is not mentioned at present.

Thermaltake Announces Smart Series PSUs

Thermaltake, being the industry pioneer brand with expertise in PC power and thermal solutions, carrying the corporate vision of “building Thermaltake Technology into a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology, and lifestyle” and continues to drive toward the corporate mission of “delivering the perfect user experience” for all users. This November, is presenting the essence of mainstream systems – the SMART Series PSU, a value series of power supply units (PSU) that incorporated various PSU high-tech components, leading technology and Eco-friendly credentials, ranged between 430w and 750w with the choice of modular and none-modular that will accommodate any mainstream build under any circumstance.

Modular SMART Series – 450W / 550W / 650W
Thermaltake modular SMART Series offers three set of wattages to choose it from. All three of PSU are built with a robust and dedicated single 12V rail, industrial-grade protection circuit, high quality of Japanese made capacitor, and active PFC which guaranteed to deliver continuous output at 40℃ operating environment with superb performance and reliability. Moreover, the 140mm ultra-quiet cooling fans with intelligent RPM control and low-profile flat modular cables that not only increased the airflow but also allow for effortless cable routing. On top of all that, the new SMART modular Series is 80 Plus Bronze certified, offers up to 88% efficiency at 20-100% load under real world load conditions and promise lowest power losses.

Non-Modular SMART Series – 430W / 530W / 630W / 730W
The none-modular SMART Series has integrated the double-forward switching circuitry with 80 Plus certified, offers up to 86% efficiency at 20-100% load under real world load conditions and promise lowest power losses and high reliability, universal AC input 100V~240V automatically scans and detects the correct voltage, and ultra-silent operation with intelligent 12cm cooling fan speed control. All four of PSU are built with a robust and dedicated single 12V rail, industrial-grade protection circuit, and active PFC which guaranteed to deliver continuous output at 40℃ operating environment with superb performance and reliability. The none-modular SMART Series offers pretty much the same high-tech components as the modular SMART Series with just a few minor differences.

The new Thermaltake SMART Series is not only a series of PSU built with smart components to support all types NVIDIA and AMD graphic cards but it also offers mainstream systems with a stable and reliable environment and bargain hunters with value and integrity at the same time.

Product Pages
SMART Series – Modular

SMART Series – None-Modular

Colorful Shows Off The Most Powerful GeForce GTX 560 Ti PCB Featured in iGame Card

Asian graphics card vendor Colorful is at it again with its innovative board designs. This time, the company is after a GeForce GTX 560 Ti (GF114-based) graphics card that boasts of very strong power delivery, and a few mysterious expansion options. Colorful's emphasis has always been on PCB design and choice of high-grade components. This particular card, most likely called the Colorful GTX 560 Ti iGame, is no exception to that. The PCB is particularly long (as much as a GF110-based board).

The additional length is put to use by an innovative arrangement of VRM phases in two rows of four phases. This card employs high-grade chokes with driver-MOSFETs (a component that integrates up/down MOSFETs and driver IC into a single compact package). This 8-phase VRM draws power from three 6-pin power connectors, and can deliver 300W of power to help with record-seeking overclocking feats. There are consolidated voltage measurement points to help manually measure voltages.

The clock speeds of the GPU and memory out of the box are unknown at this point but one can expect them to be pretty high. The card features redundant VGA BIOS loaded into separate EEPROM chips, which can be switched between using a push-switch on the rear-panel. The GF114 GPU is backed by eight Samsung-made 0.4 ns GDDR5 memory chips that are binned to offer the highest overclocking potential.

There are two features on this PCB that are particularly intriguing. On the obverse side, there is what appears to be a mini PCIe slot. We don't know what Colorful plans to use it for, but one can speculate that Colorful could try something similar to Galaxy WHDI, and seat a wireless HD video streaming device there. Moving on to the reverse side, we find another larger slot that looks somewhat like an SO-DIMM slot. We haven't the slightest idea what it could be used for.

All this power demands high-grade cooling, and so Colorful is using a complex heatsink-based cooler. From the GPU base arise 10 heat pipes (arranged in two layers). Five of these bend into a U-shape go to the larger aluminum fin stack with fins stacked parallel to the plane of the motherboard. The other heat pipes pass through a slightly smaller fin stack (over the VRM area), with fins stacked perpendicular to the motherboard's plane. This assembly is ventilated by at least two large (80 mm or more) fans.

As usual, Colorful designs its products for the Asian and European markets.

Galaxy Selects AMIMON for First Wireless Graphics Card Enabling PC-to-TV Connectivity

Galaxy Microsystems, a leading manufacturer and worldwide supplier of NVIDIA based graphics solutions, announced today that it has selected WHDI technology from AMIMON as the platform for it’s new Galaxy GTX 460 WHDI Edition shipping in October. “Teaming with Galaxy introduces AMIMON’s WHDI technology to the gaming community; with Galaxy and the WHDI technology gamers will be able to maximize high-quality HD graphics of HDTVs utilizing an uncompressed HD wireless link,” said Shimon Greenberg, vice president of sales for AMIMON. “AMIMON’s WHDI technology is gathering tremendous momentum across the consumer electronics ecosystem: gaming, PC-to-TV, wireless HDTV, etc.”

“Gamers and PC users alike want to take the PC games and content from a small monitor to the superior image of an HDTV,” said Alex Lam, CEO of Galaxy Microsystems Ltd. “Fusing Galaxy’s high-performance graphics cards with AMIMON’s WHDI technology provides gamers and consumers with the highest quality wireless HD video connection.”

The Galaxy GeForce GTX 460 WHDI Edition provides an uncompressed wireless PC-to-TV connection enabling consumers to view the entire content of their PC screen on their big screen TV. AMIMON’s WHDI technology has no noticeable latency (less than one millisecond) making it an ideal solution for gaming. The no-latency link enables consumers to enjoy full interactive PC applications on their TV. Content such as Internet video, flash media, digital photos and PC games can all be viewed and experienced on the TV with a convenient wireless connection.

Giada Unveils Mini-ITX Z68 Motherboard

Chinese company JEHE is launching its latest compact mini-ITX motherboard in Europe under the Giada brand, the MI-Z68. As the name suggests, it is based on Intel Z68 chipset, and supports Core i3/i5/i7 processors in the LGA1155 package. There is no TDP restriction, as the board features a full-fledged CPU VRM that draws power from a 4-pin 12V connector apart from a 20-pin ATX connector (any of today's PSUs with 24-pin connector will support it). The board uses a 4+1 phase CPU VRM, with single phase memory. There are two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel memory. The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16.

There's impressive storage connectivity, this includes two mSATA 3 Gb/s (on on either side of the slot), two SATA 6 Gb/s (blue), and two SATA 3 Gb/s (black). There are just two USB 3.0 ports, both on the rear panel, and driven by a Renesas-made controller. 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output, one gigabit Ethernet connection (driven by Realtek-made PHY), display outputs that include DVI and HDMI, a number of USB 2.0 ports and PS/2 keyboard, make for the rest of the rear panel. The Giada MI-Z68 will be priced at €88.

VIA Releases VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX Mainboard for Digital Home Media Enthusiasts

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX Mainboard, immediately available worldwide at incredibly competitive pricing. The VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX provides the ideal platform for DIY enthusiasts to custom build stylish home desktop and media center PCs.

Featuring a high-performance 1.4GHz VIA Nano X2 dual core processor and the VIA VX900 unified all-in-one media system processor, the VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX Mainboard delivers a highly optimized platform that boasts stunning HD video performance of the most demanding video formats at resolutions of up to 1080p. The VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX also supports high fidelity surround sound through the VIA VT1708S HD audio codec which delivers amazing stereo 24-bit resolution and up to 192kHz sample rates and adds HDMI support in a compact, power-efficient package.

"November 6th marked the 10 year anniversary of the Mini-ITX form factor which spurred a revolution in the modding community," said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "The VIA VE-900 delivers an affordable, high performence Mini-ITX mainboard that will spur a new wave of inspiration and innovation in the next generation of enthusiasts."

VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX desktop board
The VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX Mainboard, measuring 17cm, x 17cm, pairs a 1.4 GHz VIA Nano™ X2 CPU with the VIA VX900 MSP. In addition to enabling support for up to 8GB of DDR3 system memory, the VIA VX900 MSP features the latest ChromotionHD 2.0 video engine, boasting comprehensive hardware acceleration for the latest VC1, H.264, MPEG-2 and WMV9 HD formats at screen resolutions of up to 1080p without incurring a heavy CPU load. Display connectivity support includes onboard HDMI and VGA.

Rear panel I/O includes a Gigabit LAN port, HDMI port, VGA port, four USB 2.0 ports, one PS/2 K/B and M/S port, one serial port and three audio jacks for line-out/in/Mic-in. An onboard PCI slot is accompanied with 2 SATA pin headers, four USB 2.0 ports and LPT support.

Pricing and availability
The VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX Mainboard is currently available, for pricing and ordering information please contact your local VIA representative or us at mkt@via.com.tw.

For more information about the VIA VE-900 Mini-ITX Mainboard please visit this page.

Coolink Announces Corator DS Compatible with Socket LGA2011

Coolink today presented its first CPU cooler to support the upcoming Intel LGA2011 platform for Core i7-3000 series Sandy Bridge-E processors. Based on the award winning Corator DS, the new Corator DS – LGA2011 is equipped with the proven SWiF2 - 120P PWM high-performance fan as well as the latest edition of the SecuFirm 2 mounting system for LGA2011, featuring optimized mounting pressure for excellent cooling performance.

“The upcoming release of Intel's Core i7-3000 series Sandy Bridge-E processors will raise the computing performance for enthusiast and professional users alike, so they can look forward to an interesting platform. However, these high performance processors need an adequate cooling solution to unleash their full potential and the Corator DS is predestined for this task”, explains Timothy Chu, Coolink CEO. “With the Corator DS – LGA2011, which is based on the successful and award-winning Corator DS, we are proud to offer an attractive Core i7-3000 cooling solution for customers who are looking for great performance at reasonable costs.”

Coolink's exclusive GDT-technology gives the Corator DS - LGA2011 a large gapless all copper contact area to ensure superior heat transfer and even spreading of the thermal compound for excellent cooling performance with high-end processors, be it at stock clocks or in overclocked environments.

The new SecuFirm 2 mounting system for LGA2011 combines easy installation with outstanding reliability, topped of by optimized mounting pressure for excellent performance with Sandy Bridge-E processors.

Featuring wider fin spacing on the first of its two fin stacks, the Corator’s asymmetrical dual stack design was fine-tuned for maximum airflow efficiency and quiet operation in combination with the supplied SWiF2 - 120P fan. Altogether, the Corator’s 70 fins provide a surface area of more than 7500 cm² for optimal heat dissipation.

The included fan is part of Coolink’s renowned and awarded SWiF2 series, featuring a high-performance hydro-dynamic bearing for outstanding durability and superb running smoothness as well as an innovative 11-blade impeller design that provides excellent airflow, especially at low fan speeds. Thanks to the support of PWM, the SWiF2 - 120P fan can be controlled by the mainboard according to the current CPU temperatures and thus remains whisper quiet at typical usage, unleashing its full power only when really needed.

The package is completed by a tube of Coolink's high-end Chillaramic thermal compound and full 5 years manufacturer's warranty, making the Corator DS – LGA2011 an ideal Core i7-3000 cooling solution for everyone looking for excellent performance at an attractive price point.

Pricing and Availability
The Corator DS - LGA2011 is available immediately at a suggested retail price of EUR 39.90/ USD 44.90.

Upgrade Path for Existing Owners of Corator DS
Customers who already own the original Corator DS have the possibility to use their cooler on the upcoming LGA2011 platform as well. The Noctua SecuFirm 2 NM-I2011 Kit includes all the parts necessary to install the Corator DS on LGA2011 mainboards and is available at selected resellers or can be request directly at Coolink.

Corsair Expands SATA 3 Support With New Performance Pro SSD Line

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the Performance Pro Series SSDs.

The Performance Pro Series, designed with the Marvell SATA 6 Gb/s SSD controller, delivers an impressive ATTO Max performance of up to 515MB/s Sequential Read and 440 MB/s Sequential Write, and can sustain very similar performance when reading and writing compressed and non-compressible data, such as audio, images, and video files. Additionally, the Performance Pro Series has built-in advanced background garbage collection to allow for consistently strong performance even with operating system that do not support the TRIM command. This integral performance optimization makes Performance Pro SSDs an ideal solution for RAID configurations, which typically do not support TRIM.

Performance Pro solid-state drives provide fast SATA III connectivity that pushes the limits of the new SATA III 6Gb/s interface. They are also backward compatible with SATA 2 3GB/s, and include an 3.5" adapter for easy installation in both laptop and desktop PCs.

"We are pleased to provide a fast SATA 3 SSD that's designed specifically for real-world performance," said Thi La, Vice President of Memory Products at Corsair. "High-performance PC users work heavily with media files, and unlike some other SSDs, the Performance Pro can save, load and move music, photos and movies without significantly reduced performance. It offers consistent, reliable speed regardless of whether you're running Windows, OS X or Linux, and whether you’re using a single drive or a RAID configuration."

The new Performance Pro Series SSDs are backed by a three-year warranty and are available in 128GB and 256GB configurations from authorized distributors and retailers worldwide. Note that stated capacities are unformatted and actual capacities will vary depending on the formatting and operating system used. For more information on Performance Pro solid-state drives, please visit this page.

Arctic unveiled the latest accessory for its VGA coolers, the S1 Plus Turbo Module. Arctic releases "turbo module" accessories to provide active air-flow for its passive (silent) VGA coolers. The S1 Plus Turbo Module works with the recently-released Accelero S1 Plus VGA cooler. It's not much more than a 120 mm with a special mount hole spacing. The fan spins at speeds between 600 and 1000 RPM, with noise levels as low as 0.25 sone. Its package includes rubber bolts, that dampen vibrations, a Molex power adapter, and a syringe of Arctic MX-4 thermal compound (you'll probably need to remove the heatsink to attach this, and so you'll need fresh thermal compound). Backed by a six-year warranty, the Arctic S1 Plus Turbo Module is priced at about $12.

Exceleram Unveils 32 GB Quad-Channel DDR3 Memory Kit for Sandy Bridge-E

German memory maker Exceleram is among the first to release quad-channel DDR3 memory kits, in time for Intel Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processor platform. Sandy Bridge-E processors pack a massive four-channel DDR3 integrated memory controller, and require at least four DDR3 modules to perform optimally. The kit released by Exceleram features in its "Grand" series, and totals 32 GB in size, spread across four 8 GB modules. These modules run at DDR3-1333 MHz speed, with timings of 9-9-9-24, and DRAM voltage of 1.5V. Exceleram did not give out pricing details, but you should be able to buy one of these in time for your big fat Sandy Bridge-E build.

XFX Intros New Kilowatt PSU Models Under ProSeries

XFX' line of high-grade power supplies targeting gaming PC builds, ProSeries, got an overhaul with three zesty new kilowatt models, including 1000W, 1050W, and 1250W. Among these, the 1050W and 1250W models bear 80 Plus Gold certification, while the 1000W 80 Plus Platinum. The three feature completely modular cabling including with essential cables such as 24-pin ATX, and CPU power. The units feature XFX' signature body design, which looks like a futuristic weapons crate.

The PSUs feature what XFX calls SolidLink technology. Each of the cable connectors are soldered straight to the main PCB, and not connected through wires. This works to minimize energy loss. All three feature a single 12V rail design, which ensures efficient power distribution. Other regulars include active PFC, and active protection against over voltage, over current, overheat, and short-circuit. The units are cooled by a large 135 mm fan, backed by an active fan control that prioritizes silence. The three are backed by 5 year warranty by XFX. Pricing and availability are not known.