| Samsung's 1TB Capacity 840 Evo Series SSD Solves Your Storage Woes Posted: 17 Jul 2013 06:04 PM PDT  Pick your jaw up off the floor
Excuse us a moment as we wipe the dribble from our chin and compose ourselves. You see, we just received word that Samsung lowered the gauntlet by launching a massive 1TB solid state drive that performs in between its 840 Series and 840 Pro Series. The new Samsung 840 EVO is a potential game changer, depending on how the drive maker decides to price its latest SSD, which we hope to know soon. In the meantime, we can share other details, such as the fact that the new 840 EVO makes use of the industry's most compact 10-nanometer class 128Gb (gigabit) NAND flash memory available, which Samsung began mass producing back in April. The 840 EVO combines these chips with Samsung's proprietary multi-core MEX controller, resulting in a rated 520MB/s sequential write speed -- more than twice as fast as the previous generation -- and up to 540MB/s reads, along with random read and write performance of 98,000 IOPS. "After accelerating the growth of the SSD market with last year's launch of entry-level, high-performance SSDs, we are introducing much faster SSDs with up to 1TB capacities offering consumers a wider range of choices," said Young-Hyun Jun, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Samsung Electronics. "Samsung continues to enhance its SSD brand image by delivering the industry's highest quality solutions and continuously increasing its SSD market share by expanding the adoption of higher density SSDs especially in client PC segments." Don't need 1TB? No need to fret, Samsung is also offering the 840 EVO Series in 120GB, 250GB, 500GB, and 750GB flavors. We'll provide a pricing update as soon Samsung gives us the skinny. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Steam Summer Sale: Day 7 Posted: 17 Jul 2013 11:54 AM PDT |
| 8 Software Easter Eggs Posted: 17 Jul 2013 10:31 AM PDT For the Geek in all of us We love finding Easter eggs at Maximum PC, but because we're all geeks, we love finding software Easter eggs even more! We've rounded up 8 of our favorite software Easter eggs for you below. Do you have a personal favorite you would like to share? Let us know in the comments below! |
| We're Drowning in a Sea of Smartphones, Handsets Shipments to Top 1.5 Billion in 2017 Posted: 17 Jul 2013 09:40 AM PDT  Smartphone sector is a buyer's market
Unless you live a cave far removed from society (yet somehow have Internet access to read this), chances are high that either you or someone you know owns a smartphone. They're everywhere these days, and if you're in the market for a high-end device, you have more choices than ever. According to IHS iSuppli, it's this phenomenon of choices, fueled by top brands introducing new flagship models in the first half of 2013, that will contribute to an expected doubling of shipments from 2012 to 2017. Smartphone shipments totaled 712 million in 2012, less than half of the expected 1.5 billion units IHS iSuppli expects to see shipped in 2017. As for 2013, smartphone shipments are on pace to reach 897 million units, followed by 1.1 billion units in 2014 and 1.2 billion in 2015. "The volume of new flagship smartphone releases from top original equipment manufacturers (OEM) this year has been astounding," said Wayne Lam, senior analyst for consumer and communications at IHS. "These include the new BlackBerry Z10, the aluminum uni-body HTC One, and an update to the Samsung Galaxy S4 featuring a Full HD 5-inch active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display." What of Apple's iPhone line? IHS iSuppli says the iPhone franchise appears to be stalling, noting that the 37.4 million units shipped in the first quarter fell below expectations. It's not clear when Apple will launch a new iPhone model, though many suspect it will debut later this year. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| AMD's 5GHz FX-9590 Processor Gets Benchmarked Posted: 17 Jul 2013 09:18 AM PDT  Peppy chip put through its paces
AMD once tried to dispell the MHz/GHz myth when Intel's Netburst architecture was pushing clockspeeds to new heights. That was a long time ago, and these days AMD is totally psyched about its new FX-9590 processor, a Piledriver part that qualifies as the world's first commercially available 5GHz processor. It's actually stock clocked at 4.7GHz, though it can reach the braggadocios 5GHz mark under load (Turbo). Wondering how it benchmarks? Wonder no more! The folks at KitGuru tossed the FX-9590 chip onto its treadmill of benchmarks, slapped its backside, and watched as it was off and running. The testbed it used consisted of a Gigabyte 990FXA-UD5 motherboard, 16GB of Corsair Vengeance Pro Series RAM clocked at 2,133MHz (10-11-11-28), Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 6GB Toxic graphics card, Patriot 240GB Pyro SE solid state drive (SSD) as the boot device, Patriot 240GB Wildfire SSD for storage, Corsair HX850 power supply, Asus Blu-ray drive, Lian Li X2000 chassis, and an Apple 30-inch Cinema HD display. There are a whole bunch of benchmarks to digest, including PCMark 7, 3DMark 11, Cinebench R11.5, Tomb Raider, Metro: Last Light, and many more. As was the case in the Netburst days, clockspeed isn't everything, which would explain why Intel's Core i7 4770K quad-core processor clocked at 4.5GHz trumped AMD's flagship part in several tests, including video encoding. We'll save our verdict for when we post our own evaluation, but in the meantime, it's looking like the FX-9590 is a pricey part that's going to have a tough time justifying the expenditure. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Cisco Study Finds 40 Percent of IT Workers are Clueless About Virtualization Posted: 17 Jul 2013 08:52 AM PDT  Virtualization a foreign concept to many IT workers
Well now, here's something that's a bit surprising. According to a recent study by a nationwide network of Cisco Partners, there's a pretty sizable gap between IT managers and everyday employees when it comes to the topic of virtualization, what it's used for, and what its many benefits are. Taking it a step further, statistically speaking (based on the study), 4 out of 10 IT managers have never even heard of virtualization. That isn't to say many aren't already using virtualization. Many are benefiting from the deployment of virtualization supported technologies, Cisco says, adding that 46 percent of workers can access their work desktops from any device. Nearly two-thirds -- 65 percent -- of workers who have had a virus on their work PC had it restored in a single business day, and a majority of workers reported that software is automatically deployed onto their machines. "It's often that a revolutionary but functional technology goes unheralded by the greater public. Ask a group off the street what DNS or HTTP stands for and you won't get many right answers," Cisco notes. "On the other hand, most people can see how smartphones, tablets and netbooks are changing the modern workplace," Cisco added. "Mobility as a tech trend is easier for people to see in progress. It means being able to work anywhere on any device. The Cloud is another example. The public is becoming more comfortable with the concept as brands like Apple and Spotify now offer consumers hosted offerings for music, file storage and disaster recovery. Yet a tech concept enabling all these technologies, virtualization, is still 'virtually' unknown among full-time information workers." So, what's the big deal if IT workers are clueless about virtualization? According to Cisco, it's problematic because public opinion and conventional wisdom often guide the decisions of CEOs and managers. It's also worth noting that 80 percent of senior management are unaware of how virtualization will benefit their business. Image Credit: Flickr (Lord Jim) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Logitech Launches Z600 Bluetooth Speakers for Ultrabooks Posted: 17 Jul 2013 08:11 AM PDT  For when built-in speakers don't cut it
Disappointed with the audio in your Ultrabook or ultrathin laptop? It's a common complaint, and the only real solution is to invest in a pair of external speakers. If that's the road you're going down, Logitech hopes you'll gear up with its new Z600 set of Bluetooth speakers, an "elegantly designed" pair of cans intended to "complement the sleek good looks of Mac and Ultrabook computers." One of the neat features of the Z600 is that you can sync up to three devices at once. You could, for example, stream audio from your Ultrabook, smartphone, and tablet simultaneously, and switch between feeds by pressing pause on one and play on another. "The Logitech Bluetooth Speakers Z600 were designed to resemble an object of art using shapes, materials, and colors that meld with the modern living space and complement the look of ultrathin laptops," said Charlotte Johs, Logitech global vice president of brand development and portfolio for PC accessories. "And with built-in Bluetooth connectivity, a first for Logitech multimedia speakers, these speakers are ideal for today's wireless, multi-device lifestyle." Each speaker is equipped with three drivers. There's also a 3.5mm port hidden in the back if you'd rather go wired instead of use Bluetooth. Even the cables were designed with aesthetics in mind, as they lay flat between the speakers and power adapter. 
The power button also sits in the back, and if you want to adjust the volume, you just glide your finger around the edge of the top panel of the right speaker. Logitech says the Z600 will be available in August for $150 MSRP. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i7 3770 CPU, Samsung 840 Series 120GB SSD, and More! Posted: 17 Jul 2013 05:42 AM PDT |
