ASRock P67 FATAL1TY mainboard review – Introduction
Bluetooth 24 Dec 2010 (updated 2nd Jan 2011)

Over the years, we have seen ASRock grow up, from a young start up company that does entry level motherboards and slowly evolving to mid range and high end motherboards. If you remember, the then defunct ABIT was the only manufacturer that has very unique looking boards with the FATAL1TY branding. ASRock has the top gamer to be the board’s spokesman with the introduction of the first on FATAL1TY series – the ASRock P67 FATAL1TY Intel P67 mainboard.

The P67 Motherboard belongs to the PROFESS1ONAL Series and it has some interesting features, some inherited over from the regular P67 Deluxe series.

Based on the INTEL P67 Chipset, this mainboard supports the LGA1155 socket type CPUs. It also supports up to DDR3-2133 dual channel memory. The mainboard looks elegant with it’s red/black blended colour design. Even the capacitors are ‘gold’ plated to give a sense of superemecy. On top of that, the V16+2 CPU Power phase and Digital PWM design ensures a rock stable board even at high clock speeds. Inherited from the ASRock tradition, the board has two sets of holes. ASRock calls it C.C.O, allowing you to use your older heatsink on this mainboard.

The P67 FATAL1TY supports both AMD and NVIDIA multi GPU solutions. It supporst QUad CrossFireX, 3 way CrossFireX and CrossFireX. For NVIDIA< it supports quad SLI and SLI.

In terms of connectivity, the board supports Dual PCIe GbE with Teaming function, 1 eSATA3 port, 1 x FATAL1TY mouse port, 1 1394 port, 4 USB 3.0 ports, 6 SATA3 ports, 1 Frotn USB 3.0 header support front USB 3.0 panel. One thing i particular like about the free bundle – front usb panel provides 2 USB 3.0 ports and a 2.5″ SSD/HDD rack for mounting your drive there. ASRock P67 choose to use EtronTech USB 3.0 controller over USB 3.0, it claims that the USB 3.0 speed is 37.6% faster in CrystalDiskMark3.0 (Read Sequential) and 97.7% faster in ATTO disk benchmark 8M write when compared to the NEC solution.

Other features on this board include a UEFI BIOS, providing GUI interface to access the BIOS functions with a mouse. There is also F-Stream, a all in 1 utility that supports overclocking, hardware tuning incluiding fan speed, mouse port configuration etc. There are also two PCIe GbE on board which can be TEAMED to double the bandwidth.

For gamers and video buffs, the board supports THX Trustudio pro so that you hear the best audio quality. In addition, it also comes with SmartView, a smart start page for the browser combines your most visited websites, history, real time Facebook feeds. If you have an iPhone, you can turn it into a remote control usnig the AIWI software bundle that comes with the package.

Digitimes reports that Elitegroup Computer System (ECS), Asustek Computer and Micro-Star International (MSI) are all preparing to showcase their latest tablet PCs at CES 2011.

In addition to ECS’ already introduced Marvell chip-based 9.7-inch e-book reader, the company is set to announce more e-book readers including 6-, 8- and 9.7-inch models, featuring capacitive touch screens and support for Android and Linux operating systems as well as several document and music file formats. The devices will also have built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G.

ECS is also set to showcase several Windows 7- and Android-based tablet PCs at the show. Some models feature 10.1-inch multi-touch panels with Intel Atom CPUs, while some feature ARM-based processors from Marvell or Samsung Electronics to allow eight hours of running time and are also equipped with wireless modules. The company will also display 7-inch models at the show.

As for notebooks, ECS will display several power-saving enterprise notebooks equipped with 14- or 15-inch LED panels that support functions such as USB 3.0 and ECS’ exclusive power saving software Super POSH.

Although ECS currently does not receive many Classmate PC orders from Intel, the company will still showcase its Intel Atom-based Classmate PC at the show.

On the other hand, MSI is set to display its 10-inch Wintel-based tablet PC as well as engineering samples of its ARM-based Google Android model. MSI is also prepared to sell an Nvidia Tegra 2-based model in April or May after Google releases Android 3.0 in March.

Asustek will have three major product lines for tablet PCs, Eee Reader, Eee Note and Eee Pad. The company will showcase a 12-inch Windows 7-based Eee Pad at CES, targeting the enterprise market, and will launch two 10-inch Eee Pads, one with Windows 7 and Intel’s Oak Trail platform, and one with Nvidia Tegra 2 and Google Android, for a price of US$499-599 which will start selling in March 2011 at the earliest.

Asustek will also have a 7-inch model featuring either Tegra 2 or solution from Qualcomm paired with Android. The company will also introduce a model with 3.5G support to allow phone functionality. The 7-inch models will be launched as soon as March or April 2011.

Source

Amidst the buzz of the new Windows Tablets, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft would be unveiling ARM architecture supporting Windows operating system at CES. Two people who preferred to stay anonymous stated that Microsoft’s plans are confidential for the software that would be tailored for tablet computers and other handhelds.

Microsoft already has been rumored to show off several tablets and devices Windows 7 at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 in Las Vagas starting January 6. Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, might be showing a sneak preview to Windows 8 on tablets and other mobile devices as well. It’s quite possible that these new Slate tablets and mobile devices come loaded with new Windows operating system that supports ARM chips microarchitecture.

Till now only Apple iOS and Google Android mobile operating systems supported ARM microchips. Microsoft Windows on the other hand is written to support the X86 microarchitecture chips. Not only tablets but even smartphones carry ARM microarchitecture based chips. In a way, Windows was left out from rest of the handheld devices since it was basically limited only to x86 architecture only.

In July this year, Microsoft had signed an agreement to license the ARM microarchitecture and following that Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7 devices that support ARMv7 chips in October.

So far, Microsoft claims of having sold 1.5 Million Windows Phone 7 devices already to mobile operators and retailers. These figures do not represent the actual number of users owning a Windows Phone 7 device. With self-proclaimed Windows Phone 7 success, Microsoft obviously would be looking to go heavily into tablets and other mobile devices segment.

Microsoft didn’t include ARM chips support in Windows 7 and that’s where Google is looking to make the most in Netbook segment. That’s why Microsoft might be showing Windows 8 with ARM architecture support. It would be interesting to see Windows 8 running on 64-bit ARM implementation based microchip. If that happens then ARMs arch rival Intel and AMD might just nudge to get ready for a competition.

The ARM support to Windows will make the operating system run on low powered devices and still continue to make the best of hardware just like Windows CE does.

In short, Microsoft may show off tablets and mobile devices running a new Windows version that supports ARM architecture.

Source

Microsoft announced figures regarding sales of Windows Phone 7 devices. In a Q&A posted on Microsoft’s website, Achim Berg, Microsoft’s vice president, mobile communications business and marketing group, said manufacturers sold 1.5 million phones to mobile operators and retailers in the first six weeks. However, this number does not represent how many of those devices were sold to consumers.

When asked whether the figures met Microsoft’s expectations, Berg commented:

Yes, and I think our expectations are realistic for a new platform. We started fresh with Windows Phone 7, and it’s a different kind of phone. Measuring for success is more long term than short term. We launched with many of the top mobile operators in the world, and even more in the coming year in 2011. We have 18,000 developers who are developing for our marketplace. It’s just getting better and better.

Berg acknowledged that WP7 faces stiff competition:

We all know that the competition is extreme in this industry, and we have to compete on multiple fronts. We have to deliver a great product that people want to use. We have a different point of view than just delivering apps, and we have received great customer feedback on our approach. We are working on updates that will take us to the next level. Plus, we have great support from the ecosystem including developers, operators and device manufacturers, which will add to momentum we are already seeing.From this perspective, we’re in a good place. We are on a path to begin releasing the first of several updates in the next couple of months, and several more mobile operators around the world will introduce Windows Phone 7 on their network in 2011 and we will have a broader portfolio of devices from phone manufacturers at different price points delivering on our commitment of providing customers choice. We believe doing these things right will lead to continued success. 

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Microsoft announced figures regarding sales of Windows Phone 7 devices. In a Q&A posted on Microsoft’s website, Achim Berg, Microsoft’s vice president, mobile communications business and marketing group, said manufacturers sold 1.5 million phones to mobile operators and retailers in the first six weeks. However, this number does not represent how many of those devices were sold to consumers.

When asked whether the figures met Microsoft’s expectations, Berg commented:

Yes, and I think our expectations are realistic for a new platform. We started fresh with Windows Phone 7, and it’s a different kind of phone. Measuring for success is more long term than short term. We launched with many of the top mobile operators in the world, and even more in the coming year in 2011. We have 18,000 developers who are developing for our marketplace. It’s just getting better and better.

Berg acknowledged that WP7 faces stiff competition:

We all know that the competition is extreme in this industry, and we have to compete on multiple fronts. We have to deliver a great product that people want to use. We have a different point of view than just delivering apps, and we have received great customer feedback on our approach. We are working on updates that will take us to the next level. Plus, we have great support from the ecosystem including developers, operators and device manufacturers, which will add to momentum we are already seeing.

From this perspective, we’re in a good place. We are on a path to begin releasing the first of several updates in the next couple of months, and several more mobile operators around the world will introduce Windows Phone 7 on their network in 2011 and we will have a broader portfolio of devices from phone manufacturers at different price points delivering on our commitment of providing customers choice. We believe doing these things right will lead to continued success.

Source

In Jan 2011, the new generation LGA1155 Sandy bridge processors will be released. With it, a new series of P67/H67 boards will be put to test the overclockability of the processors.

According to some early tests from online publications, the default bclk of the Socket 1155 processor is at 100MHz.

In the past for Intel processors, we would try two methods of overclocking, firstly by pushing the max BCLK with default multiplier. Secondly, we could fix the BCLK to default and push up the multiplier.

This will change with LGA1155 as BCLK overclock is very limited. In fact, in a demo we saw earlier, the auto overclocking engine of a certain board actually first increases the multiplier to it’s max before trying it’s luck on BCLK. The last BCLK I saw with a high multiplier didn’t even pass 105MHz. All these probleems arises because a single clock generator to control the speed of all electrical buses.

However, Intel will allow overclocking through modifying the unlocked clock multiplier of up to 57 times the speed of base clock, which will be available in K-edition processors.

There has been tests done by other publications, achiving 4.9GHz on AIR. That is quite impressive isn’t it.

Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 (DTU30) 64 GB USB 3.0 stick Review – Intro
bluetooth 20 Dec 2010

If you are one that relies on USB sticks for your important documents and large files, you would have long wanted this, a USB 3.0 based device that delivers faster reading and writing.

Kingston, the renown storage king now brings you the 64GB USB 3.0 stick. The Kingston’s DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 (DTU30) features the latest technology for USB Flash drives, making it ideal for early adopters who want to take advantage of all the performance improvements offered by USB 3.0 right away.

In the past, transferring from USB 2.0 is always a pain in the neck. We are stucked with a reading of only 30MB/s for read/write.  With the new USB 3.0 stick,  data transfer rates for USB 3.0 to 80MB/sec. read and 60MB/sec. The new USB 3.0 is 2.6x faster in read and 2x faster in write.

If you use an existing board or notebook with USB 2.0 only interface, this stick is backward compatible with USB 2.0. The package comes with a USB 2.0 Y cable for you to plug the DTU30.

In the subsequent pages, we take a look at the performance of it running on USB 3.0 capable board and running it in the compatible USB 2.0 mode. The first chart shows the performance using USB 2.0 while the second shows the performance when paired with a USB 3.0 port on a NEC USB 3.0 controller chip on board.

Features/Specifications:

• Capacities* – 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
• Requirements – system with USB 3.0 port
• Fast** – data transfer rates for USB 3.0 to 80MB/sec. read and 60MB/sec. write; USB 2.0 = 30MB/sec. read and 30MB/sec. write
• Backwards compatible*** – with USB 2.0.
• Dimensions – 2.90″ x 0.87″ x 0.63″ (73.70mm x 22.20mm x 16.10mm)
• Operating Temperature – 32° to 140°F (0° to 60°C)
• Storage Temperature – -4° to 185°F (-20° to 85°C)
• Simple – just plug into a USB port
• Practical – durable casing with a solid lanyard loop
• Guaranteed – five-year warranty

If you intend to buy a new motherboard for the upcoming INTEL Sandy bridge platform, you better hurry as prices might soar in 2011.

According to news from Digitimes, it is reported that Taiwan-based motherboard makers including Asustek Computer, Gigabyte Technology and Micro-Star International (MSI) plan to hike the prices of their motherboards to reflect rising raw material, chipset and labor costs.

Motherboard prices are likely to be hiked by 10% on average in the next three months, but some models could increase by 15-20% if labor costs in China continue to rise, the sources added.

PCB suppliers have raised their quotes drastically as copper prices have climbed to US$9,000 a ton recently from the previous US$6,000, the sources noted.

While labor costs in China have continued to escalate due to a shortage of workers, chipset vendor Intel has recently decided to suspend its production of G31 chipsets and instead is asking motherboard makers to take up G41 chipsets, which are more expensive, the sources said.

Get prepared for more expensive boards.

Corsair Launches Low Voltage 2133MHz DDR3 DIMMs

– Dominator GT DDR3 memory supports 2133MHz memory speed at VDIMM of only 1.5 volts –

FREMONT, California — December 14, 2010 — Corsair®, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the launch of a new, highly overclocked, low voltage memory kit. This 4GB Dominator® GT memory kit, implemented using a matched pair of 2GB DIMMs, is guaranteed to operate at 2133MHz, with latency settings of 9-11-9-27, and at a memory voltage of only 1.5V.

“We have seen an increasing number of requests from overclockers for memory that can achieve high clock speeds at lower voltages,” stated Thi La, Vice President of Memory Products at Corsair. “At 2133MHz, this 4GB memory is the world’s fastest commercially available memory at 1.5 volts.”

The new CMT4GX3M2B2133C9 Dominator GT memory kit, complete with signature racing-red livery, will be available within two weeks from selected Corsair distributors and resellers. This kit includes Corsair’s patented DHX+ heatsink, as well as the GT Airflow module, for exceptional thermal performance. MSRP for this memory kit is $169.99 USD.

The kits are supplied with a limited lifetime warranty and are backed up by Corsair’s legendary customer service and technical support.

Huawei launches IDEOS S7 – Android Tablet in Singapore
l IDEOS S7 Tablet compliments Huawei’s tier 1 position in the global mobile broadband device market
l Huawei Device’s first tablet in Singapore

Singapore, 16 December, 2010 – Huawei, a leader in providing next generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, today announced the launch of the Android-based tablet IDEOS S7 in Singapore. The tablet, which is powered by Android 2.1, continues the Huawei “Smart for all” concept by combining full feature performance with high-quality hardware and software at a very competitive price.

The 7-inch designed IDEOS S7 provides a variety of ways to access the internet, boasting downlink speeds of up to 7.2Mb/s and offering 3G + Wi-Fi support. With more than 100,000 applications available in the Android Market, IDEOS S7 offers a wide range of communication, entertainment, and business management applications in a larger form factor while also doubling as a traditional mobile phone.

Singapore will be the fourth market in the world to launch the IDEOS S7 following Australia, USA and Austria.

Alan Wong, Regional Director, Marketing, Huawei Device in South Pacific, said, “Huawei IDEOS have been successfully launched in the region and the introduction of the IDEOS S7 Tablet will address markets that are already familiar with IDEOS Android™-powered smartphones.”

Huawei Device’s Android and wireless mobile broadband offerings are performing well in the global market. In 2009, device shipment hit over 90 million units globally with revenues of more than US$5 billion. Huawei is now a tier 1 vendor to major global operators.

The Huawei IDEOS S7 will be available in Singapore in December at M1 shops from 18 Dec onwards and selected IT stores in January 2011; RRP for sales via IT stores is S$499 excluding GST and without contract.

Viber is an iPhone application (Android and Blackberry versions coming soon!) that lets you make free phone calls to other iPhone users that have Viber installed.

When you use Viber, your phone calls to any other Viber user are free, and the sound quality is much better than a regular call. You can call any Viber user, anywhere in the world, for free. All Viber features are 100% FREE and do not require any additional “in application” purchase.

If you have tested it, please comment on this application.

December 15^th, 2010 – SPB Software, a leading mobile software developer announces the launch of a skinnable time toolset for iPhone/iPad devices with lots of useful features and an eye-catching user interface – SPB Time.

iPhone users can now enjoy the variety of analog and digital clocks with more than 50 time skins available in the built-in online catalogue. The clock appearance, hands, digits, alarm icons, and background are highly customizable. World timer, stop watch, calendar and moon phases are also included in the toolbox.

Especially useful will the new application be for those iPhone users who have difficulties with waking up. SPB Time offers the choice of alarms for all types of sleepers. Along with classic alarm that has over 20 tunes, it includes the Bio and Paranoid alarms. Bio alarm is for those who prefer thegentle and slow way of waking up on the correct stage of their sleep. It starts the slight ticks and sounds of nature before the actual alarm time. Paranoid alarm is on the other hand for those who consider the regular alarm too weak to wake them up. In paranoid mode the alarm suggests the sleeper to solve the puzzle and won’t stop until it’s done correctly.

SPB Time for iPhone/iPad Main Features:

• Classic, Paranoid and Bio alarms
• More than 20 alarm tunes
• 50+ free time skins
• Both Analog and Digital clocks
• Stopwatch and Countdown timers
• Scrollable Calendar with weeks numbers
• Moon phases
• World time

Pricing and Availability

SPB Time for iPhone is compatible with Apple iPhone, Apple iPod touch and Apple iPad devices with firmware version 3.0 and above. The lite version of application can be downloaded for free. It can be upgraded to the full version for $1.99. SPB Time is also available for smartphones running Windows Mobile.

LiteON iHAS524 DVD-DL Writer Review

“Advances are still happening in the world of optical drives believe it or not, and more than just boosts to DVD write speed! In this review PCSTATS is testing a particularly neat technology built into the LiteOn iHAS524 12x DVD-DL (24x DVD±R) recorder that may just convince you to spring for a sleek new SATA drive…. The iHAS524 can write text to the underside of any DVD-R or CD-R media, but this isn’t LightScribe and it does not require specially coated disks. Interesting, yes? “

URL: http://admin.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2563