General Gaming Article |
- Moore's Law Nearing Collapse, Says Physicist
- 2012 Alienware Notebook Range Gets Ivy Bridge
- Forget The GTX 690: The Cloud-Based "GeForce Experience" Could Mean More For PC Gaming
- Boutique System Builders Embrace Ivy Bridge En Masse
- Barnes & Noble Spins Off Nook Business, Microsoft Snaps Up A Chunk Of It
- Semiconductor Sales on the Up and Up, Will Continue to Grow, IDC Predicts
- Eurocom Launches 11.6-inch 'Monster' Gaming Laptop for Around 800 Bones
- Low Cost PC Makers Freaking Out as Windows 8 Nears Release
- Overclocking Site Solves Mystery Behind Higher Ivy Bridge Temperatures
| Moore's Law Nearing Collapse, Says Physicist Posted: 30 Apr 2012 07:18 PM PDT In a 1965 paper, Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore predicted that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit would double approximately every two years. This prediction has proven to be uncannily accurate over the years and has come to be known as Moore's Law. But it's not going to hold true forever, is it? Well, it's believed that like all things good, Moore's Law too will come to an end one day. The question that remains, though, is when. Noted theoretical (and often theatrical) physicist Michio Kaku feels he has the answer. Kaku believes the days of Moore's Law are numbered, and foresees its demise in around 10 years or so. Like many others, he feels it's becoming increasingly difficult for us to sustain this exponential growth using just traditional silicon-based computing. According to the theoretical physicist, who is a co-founder of the string field theory, even three-dimensional chips like the ones recently introduced by Intel aren't going to be of much help due to problems like leakage and heat. "So, what's beyond silicon?" Kaku asks in a recent BigThink.com video. "There have been a number of proposals: protein computers, DNA computers, optical computers, quantum computers, molecular computers." "If I were to put money on the table, I would say that in the next ten years we'll simply tweak Moore's Law a bit with chip-like computers in three dimensions, but beyond that we may have to go to molecular computers and perhaps late in the 21st century quantum computers." Image Credit: Murketing |
| 2012 Alienware Notebook Range Gets Ivy Bridge Posted: 30 Apr 2012 03:43 PM PDT
The entire range has been moved to Ivy Bridge, with the exception of the M14x, which still comes with a 2nd generation Core i5 if one opts for the most basic model. The various processor options available with each model are as follows:
The good news is that the prices of the various models in the 2012 Alienware notebook range remain unaffected by the introduction of Ivy Bridge chips and the M14x, M17x and M18x still start at $1,100, $1,400 and $1,700, respectively. |
| Forget The GTX 690: The Cloud-Based "GeForce Experience" Could Mean More For PC Gaming Posted: 30 Apr 2012 11:06 AM PDT
It's all based around an Internet connection and (presumably Nvidia-powered) GeForce Experience supercomputers, which scan your system configuration when you boot up a game. Hardware components, operating system, driver status -- it'll all make a difference. After launching a game, you'll be presented with a listing of default game settings alongside a listing of settings recommended by Nvidia for achieving the maximum eye candy possible with your PC. One simple click activates the optimal settings. The GeForce Experience is remarkably ambitious, but it could also be remarkably handy for the everyday gamer; Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang claims that a whopping 80 percent of players never adjust game settings away from default configurations. He (perhaps unwisely) likened the GeForce Experience to console gaming -- just pop on a game and it looks as good as it possibly can. Usually, PC gamers turn their noses at any console-inspired ideas, but this one could actually end up being a major boon for hardcore fraggers who hate fiddling with resolution and graphics quality settings. (Assuming that Nvidia can actually pull it off, of course.) Expect to see a beta on June 6th, and expect to hear data-mining privacy concerns soon thereafter. |
| Boutique System Builders Embrace Ivy Bridge En Masse Posted: 30 Apr 2012 10:32 AM PDT
Maingear's flagship Shift PC was the first to sport the company's VRTX Cooling Technology -- basically, a case design that allows heat to flow up and out of the chassis, complete with vents at the top. VRTX Cooling is now coming to the micro-ATX Maingear F131 as well as the newly announced Maingear Potenza, a customizable mini-ITX-based build that starts at $899. Despite being 76 percent smaller than the Shift, the Potenza can still accommodate the GTX 680 and any other graphics cards less than 10-inches long. Going forward, all of Maingear's desktop PCs and its Alt and eX-L series notebooks will include Ivy Bridge procs. Digital Storm's also rolling out Ivy Bridge to each and every one of its desktops. Plus, they're bringing good news for overclocking fanatics: "We've tested Ivy Bridge in every one of our systems and we've measured extraordinary overclocks at 4.8GHz at unbelievably low temperatures across the board," Rajeev Kuruppu, Digital Storm's Director of Product Development, said in the company's press release. Puget Systems' announcement was a bit more reserved, but it, too, is bringing Ivy Bridge to all of its PCs, from the small form factor Echo all the way up to its top-of-the-line liquid-cooled Deluge. "This is a major refresh to our product line" president Jon Bach said in the company's press release. Velocity Micro also announced Ivy Bridge availability, but only on select models; namely, the Razor Z90, the Vector Z20, and the Edge Z40. Likewise, Alienware announced that Ivy Bridge mobile processors will start working their way into the M14x, M17x and M18x gaming laptops. Alienware's new guts include recently released Nvidia and AMD Radeon mobile GPUs, too. AVADirect's in the on the game, too, and makes a point of saying that the company's pumped to add Intel HD 4000 graphics to its line of custom HTPCs. Of course, beefier CPUs (and their overclocking capabilities) are also available for systems with a bit more oomph. Note: edited to add AVADirect's Ivy Bridge support. |
| Barnes & Noble Spins Off Nook Business, Microsoft Snaps Up A Chunk Of It Posted: 30 Apr 2012 10:13 AM PDT
Microsoft's stake cost the company a cool $300 million, but gives it a foothold in a booming e-reader market that Microsoft has been largely locked out of up until this point. In fact, one of the first concrete payoffs will be in the form of a Nook app for the upcoming Windows 8 O.S. And on Barnes & Noble's end, the Nook won't die even if physical stores do. (Admittedly, that's a long way off -- we're just sayin'.) The new company doesn't have a name yet -- in fact, it's called "Newco" throughout the B&N press release -- but it will continue to have a major presence in the brick-and-mortar stores. Newco will also work hard to expand the Nook Study line and bring more educational materials and textbooks to market. "The shift to digital is putting the world's libraries and newsstands in the palm of every person's hand, and is the beginning of a journey that will impact how people read, interact with, and enjoy new forms of content," Microsoft's Andy Lees said in the press release. |
| Semiconductor Sales on the Up and Up, Will Continue to Grow, IDC Predicts Posted: 30 Apr 2012 07:14 AM PDT
Interestingly, out of the 100 semiconductor companies IDC's SAF tracks, over 40 saw their revenues grow by more than 5 percent and about the same number saw revenue decline by the same amount. Intel, which is predominantly focused on PCs and servers, stole most of the spoils with some $51.8 billion in revenue in 2011, well ahead of Samsung in second place, which collected $29 billion. Texas Instruments, Toshiba, and Renesas Electronics rounded out top 5 semiconductor suppliers. "There is a trend underway toward more integration, as companies try to position themselves for the next phase of growth and as device applications become more and more intelligent and move toward supporting high-level operating systems, connectivity, and application processing capabilities. In addition, as large companies with strong cash balances vie for competitive positions, mergers and acquisitions will be a key theme," said Mali Venkatesan, research manager, Semiconductors at IDC, who led the study and compiled the SAF results. Venkatesan added that he still expects the current semiconductor cycle, which started in mid-2011, to "bottom out" in the current quarter before fab utilization rates pick up and spur a 6-7 percent growth in revenue this year. Image Credit: Intel |
| Eurocom Launches 11.6-inch 'Monster' Gaming Laptop for Around 800 Bones Posted: 30 Apr 2012 06:48 AM PDT
That initial investment translates into an 11.6-inch Ivy Bridge-ready notebook with a fairly respectable spec sheet:
You'll need to add an operating system (Eurocom will install Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit for $105), but even after doing so, it's still a better deal than the dead-end Alienware M11x, which starts at $900 and wields weaker graphics (GeForce GT 540M) and a lesser CPU (Core i3 2375M) with no Ivy Bridge upgrade path. "Eurocom Monster 1.0 provides gaming on the go graphics capabilities and high performance storage in an extremely small, under 4 pounds, lightweight notebook computer. This little Monster has the power of a full sized notebook, and has up to 410 minutes of battery life, it's truly the best of both worlds," states Eurocom President, Mark Bialic. It's also upgradeable, not just to Ivy Bridge once mobile parts start shipping, but straight away with up to 16GB of RAM and faster, more robust storage options. If you want take home a little Monster, you can adopt one here. Image Credit: Eurocom |
| Low Cost PC Makers Freaking Out as Windows 8 Nears Release Posted: 30 Apr 2012 06:25 AM PDT
It has to do with the touchscreen interface. As DigiTimes tells it, notebook vendors are "facing great pressure" to implement costly touchscreens on upcoming notebook models expected to run Windows 8, and by doing so, it could push prices right out of the mainstream sector and obliterate demand. This is especially true for Ultrabooks, which have struggled to maintain a low price point to begin with. But with Microsoft promoting the touch-friendly interface in Windows 8, notebook and Ultrabook makers have no choice but to bite the bullet and hope for the best. To make matters worse, notebook vendors reiterate that Intel has been unwilling to budge on CPU prices, a move that could ease the burden on PC makers and ultimately lead to lower priced Ultrabook models. Will you be willing to pay a little extra coin for a touchscreen notebook/Ultrabook once Windows 8 ships, or are you sitting this next round out? Image Credit: Flickr (chad050) |
| Overclocking Site Solves Mystery Behind Higher Ivy Bridge Temperatures Posted: 30 Apr 2012 05:45 AM PDT
Overclockers.com set out to solve the mystery of why Ivy Bridge can run as much as 20C higher than Sandy Bridge. The two prevailing theories are that power density is greater on Ivy Bridge than Sandy Bridge, and that Intel is running into issues with the manufacturing process. But the real reason, according to Overclockers, has to do with Intel's decision to use TIM paste between the IHS and CPU die on Ivy Bridge instead of fluxless solder as found on Sandy Bridge. "If you've been paying attention, we saw similar issues between the E6XXX and E4XXX processor lines," Overclockers explains. "The E6XXX used a solder attach under the IHS and were far easier to keep cool. The E4XXX used a TIM paste under the IHS and ran hot!" Overclockers pried apart an Ivy Bridge processor to verify the existence of thermal paste, and according to the U.K.'s The Inquirer, Intel has already "admitted" that Ivy Bridge runs hotter than Sandy Bridge. Intel, however, isn't concerned. "This is as designed and meets quality and reliability expectations for parts operating under specified conditions," Intel explained about the increased thermal density, according to The Inquirer. Are you concerned that Ivy Bridge may run a little hotter than Sandy Bridge, or do you trust Intel's decision to use thermal paste? Image Credit: Overclockers.com |
Last month, Dell revamped its Alienware notebook range, which includes the 18.4-inch M18x R2, 17.3-inch M17x R4 and the 14-inch M14x R2. But with Dell's 2012 Alienware notebook lineup debuting a month ahead of Ivy Bridge's launch, the new notebooks only featured Sandy Bridge parts at launch. That has now changed, with Dell on Monday announcing the 
The 
Low-cost PC manufacturers may be 
Print media hasn't fared super well in the face of digital distribution. Turns out, a lot of people prefer live pixels to dead trees. So what's a company like Barnes & Noble -- with serious cash invested in both brick-and-mortar stores and the digital Nook ecosystem -- supposed to do in this new era of reading? The answer, apparently, lies in spinning off the Nook into an entirely new company completely -- and giving Microsoft a 17.6 percent stake in the fresh venture. B&N did just that this morning.
Well, well, well, the latest version of the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Semiconductor Applications Forecaster (SAF) is something that PC doomsayers can shove right in their ill-informed pie holes. According to IDC, the worldwide semiconductor market grew by 3.7 percent in 2011 to $301 billion, and barring any unforeseen events, IDC expects the market to grow another 6-7 percent in 2012 with Intel leading the way. That's hardly the sign of a shrinking market, though mobile is playing a big role as well.
Dell may be all finished with 11.6-inch gaming notebooks, at least as it pertains to the Alienware M11x, but if you're a fan of such powerful pint-sized PCs, don't feel obligated to cry yourself to sleep. The 11.6-inch form factor for gamers lives on, not only with Maingear's 
Microsoft has high hopes for Windows 8, the Metro-sexual operating system slated to ship around six months from now. The elephant in the room is Windows 8's Metro user interface and whether or not consumers are ready for such a drastic change to what's been a mostly familiar layout up to this point, and it could be taken as encouraging signs (for Microsoft) that its Developer Preview, Consumer Preview, and Release Preview builds have all seen a high number of downloads. If that's the case, why are some PC makers freaking out?
Intel stepped up to the plate and seemingly | You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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