| Intel Treats PAX Attendees to SSD Overclocking Demonstration Posted: 02 Sep 2013 11:27 AM PDT  Sneak peek at how to supercharge an SSD
Intel recently posted a public agenda revealing that it plans to demonstrate SSD overclocking technology at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) next month, but a bunch of lucky PAX attendees got to see how it works ahead of schedule. They also got to leave their feedback at the conclusion of the demo in a survey that asked some interesting questions about what they'd be willing to sacrifice in exchange for an overclockable SSD. According to Legit Reviews, which was on hand at PAX to witness the demo, Intel is thinking about releasing a K-Series SKU for its SSDs. Similar to how Intel's K-Series CPUs have unlocked multipliers for easier overcocking, K-Series SSDs would have unlocked parameters that would allow users to goose the controller clockspeed and speed of the NAND flash memory chips. To demonstrate the technology, Intel used an S3500 Series 480GB SSD with a 400MHz controller and NAND chips running at 83MHz. At those speeds, the drive registered sequential read and write performance of 474.27MB/s and 400.82MB/s, respectively. After overclocking the controller to 625MHz and NAND chips to 100MHz, read and write performance jumped to 493.38MB/s and 431.32MB/s. The performance gains are interesting, but at what costs? A survey at the end of the demonstration hints that longevity of the drive may be adversely affected by overclocking. What is your opinion on SSD overclocking? Are SSDs fast enough already, or would you be willing to sacrifice drive longevity for overclocking performance? Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Intel Expected to Launch Ivy Bridge-E Processors During IDF 2013 Posted: 02 Sep 2013 10:09 AM PDT  The wait is almost over
Power users take note, Intel will likely unveil its long-awaited Ivy Bridge-E processor lineup during the Santa Clara chip maker's Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco later this month. The IDF conference runs from September 10 through 12 and figures to be an interesting one with so much emphasis lately on non-traditional computing devices, such as smart TVs, wearable computing devices (smart watches), and mobile products. Intel will undoubtedly detail its Bay Trail-T Atom processors built on a 22nm manufacturing process. These will power a new generation of Windows 8 tablets, convertibles, tablets, and more. Based on Intel's Silvermont architecture, Bay Trail-T will deliver superior power savings and performance compared to previous generation Atom parts as the chip maker attempts to wrestle mobile share away from ARM. Getting back to Ivy Bridge-E, Digitimes claims to have heard from "PC players" that Intel will release the following processors at IDF: - Core i7 4960X (six-core, 3.6GHz)
- Core i7 4930K (six-core, 3.4GHz)
- Core i7 4820K (quad-core, 3.7GHz)
All three chips will have a 130W TDP and slip in LGA 2011 boards with X79 support. Prices will scale as high as $1,000. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Acer Turns to Android for Latest All-in-One Desktop Solution Posted: 02 Sep 2013 08:15 AM PDT  Android steps onto the big stage
Apparently Acer is so excited about its upcoming lineup of products that it decided to unveil a number of gadgets just days ahead of IFA 2013 in Berlin, one of the largest trade shows for consumer electronics and home appliances. One of those products is a 24-inch all-in-one desktop (DA241HL) running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 System-on-Chip (SoC). Android is most popular on smartphone and tablet devices, as well as a spattering of gaming handhelds. There have been attempts to port the mobile operating system over to the desktop before, but nothing that's really caught fire among consumers. One thing working in Android's favor is that nearly everyone is familiar with its interface. Nearly 80 percent of the world's smartphones run Android, so navigating an all-in-one with Android should be old hat for most people. The DA241HL will offer complete access to the Google Play Store. It will support up to five different profiles, each of which can have their own custom settings and applications installed. Other features include the ability to connect to any PC with Windows 8 via HDMI and/or USB port, and a tilt angle of 20 to 75 degrees for a "comfortable touch experience." Acer says the DA241HL will be available in mid-October starting at €429 (~$566). Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Labor Day Edition Posted: 02 Sep 2013 07:08 AM PDT |
| Kenji Inafune Kickstarting Mighty No. 9 Platformer For PC Posted: 01 Sep 2013 10:52 PM PDT  Possible spiritual successor to Mega Man coming to PC
Mega Man fans, rejoice! Keiji Inafune, creator of the iconic Blue Bomber, is taking to Kickstarter in order to bring his own game, Mighty No. 9, to fruition. The platformer, which Inafune wants to bring to PC, looks like an awesome amalgam of classic Mega Man action, modern art direction, and slick new stages. The Kickstarter campaign has already raised over $700k in just 24 hours, with a goal of $900k to get the game fully funded. Though it's never directly stated in any of the promotional material, it's safe to say the game is more than a little inspired by Mega Man. The description is as follows: "You play as Beck, the 9th in a line of powerful robots, and the only one not infected by a mysterious computer virus that has caused mechanized creatures the world over to go berserk. Run, jump, blast, and transform your way through six stages (or more, via stretch goals) you can tackle in any order you choose,using weapons and abilities stolen from your enemies to take down your fellow Mighty Number robots and confront the final evil that threatens the planet!" 
If that sounds right up your alley, check out the Kickstarter here and pledge away. If the project exceeds its goal, possible console versions could be a reality as well. |
| Peter Molyneux's Godus Beta Arriving September 13 Posted: 01 Sep 2013 10:34 PM PDT  Play god with Godus, literally
Peter Molyneux's Godus, often referred to as the "reinvention of the god game genre," will be available for purchase on September 13 via Steam's Early Access Program. The beta, via TechSpot, will be ready for play when users purchase at $19.99, with more features to roll out as the concrete release date approaches. Godus allows you to play at being a god, where you'll create every inch of the world you're ruling. Create and cultivate civilizations, go to battle with other gods, and watch as your people do your bidding in ways you may never have thought possible. If you're interested, head on over to Steam on the 13th for some good old-fashioned world creation, and let us know, especially if you're a Kickstarter backer, if it's worth the hype. |
| Facebook Testing Trending Topics With Some Users Posted: 01 Sep 2013 10:24 PM PDT  Facebook borrowing from Twitter in certain ways
If you find yourself flocking to Twitter when you need a quick update on what's hot online, you may soon be checking Facebook as an alternative. According to The Wall Street Journal (via PCMag), Facebook is currently trying out a "trending" box of its own. Located at the right side of your news feed, the Trending topics would be based on hashtags, used in the same way as Twitter. So while you might still be looking at hashtags on Facebook and feeling as though they're completely alien to the social networking site, it appears Facebook has plans for them to go even further. 
Privacy and security settings are, as always, a hot topic when it comes to the 1.1 billion monthly active users, so the usage of hashtags and Trending topics may also cause some controversy of their own if not implemented correctly. Is Facebook desperately trying to implement more of the features that make Twitter so addictive? |
