MSI launches the world’s first PCI Express Gen 3 mainboard
and exclusive Click BIOS II with unified interface

2011/6/30

Z68A-GD80 (G3)-PLA_phbo-resized [Taipei, Taiwan] MSI, the world-renowned mainboard and graphics card manufacturer, officially launches the Z68A-GD80 (G3), featuring world’s first large bandwidth PCI Express Gen 3 mainboard, and the latest UEFI technology: Click BIOS II which features a homogenous interface both under Windows and the UEFI interface. Conforming to Intel’s latest design standard, the MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3) with PCI Express Gen 3 provides a data transfer rate that is 200% faster than PCI Express Gen 2, enhancing the performance of graphics cards without bandwidth limitations. Click BIOS II, allows simple and intuitive system adjustments in both Windows and the UEFI interface! In addition, Z68A-GD80 (G3) utilizes MIL-810STD Certified Military Class II components and are equipped with OC Genie II technology which increases the performance of hard drive up to 457%. The MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3) enables next generation superior performance with PCI Express Gen 3 and OC Genie II, ultimate stability with certified Military Class II components and an extreme user-friendly Click BIOS II interface both in Windows and in the UEFI BIOS.

If you want to own the highest specification, components and the most superior performance and technology, the best choice is MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3). The product is expected to hit the market in the very early Q3 2011 as the first PCIe Gen 3 mainboard available in the global market.

The world’s 1st PCI Express Gen 3 Mainboard – unparalleled performance

With the Z68A-GD80 (G3) MSI introduces the world’s first PCI Express Gen 3 mainboard. With ultra-high 32GB/s transfer bandwidth, PCI Express Gen 3 is 200% faster than PCI Express Gen 2. This allows the MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3) to process huge amounts of data and information, maximizing the performance of AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI multi-GPU solutions.

MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3) is backwards compatible with all the devices with PCI Express 2.0 or older devices already available on the market and enhances their performance considerably. For example, PCI Express 2.0 SSD devices on MSI Z68-GD80 (G3) mainboards perform 14% faster than on competitors mainboards.

Click BIOS II with unified interface – provides the best experience

ClickBIOS IIAs an industry leader of UEFI technology, MSI

revolutionizes the industry again with the world’s first UEFI BIOS which utilizes a unified graphical interface in both Windows and in the UEFI BIOS, Click BIOS II. Click BIOS II brings the ease of a clear, unified interface with all the benefits of MSI’s UEFI interface. This allows both die-hard overclockers or first-time system users to get the maximum out of their system through an easy-to-use Graphical User Interface. This interface supports all traditional input devices like a Keyboard, Mouse or new touch-screen interfaces for the most flexibility.

OC Genie II unleashes total system power

OC Genie2MSI’s exclusive OC Genie II provides stunning system performance within a single push of a button and unleash the true performance of CPU, memory and integrated graphics all at once. By maximizing system performance and guaranteeing the most stable condition, it gives users the best benefits in the shortest time. When measuring with industry-standard benchmarking software such as 3DMark Vantage and PCMark Vantage, the results show that OC Genie II boosts 3D game performance up to 145% and hard drive reading speed up to 457% along with Intel Smart Response Technology.

Military Class II brings top quality and stability

Military Class IIMSI has equipped all its Z68 mainboards with the leading-edge Military Class II components. In addition to Hi-c CAPs made out of the rare element Tantalum and the Solid CAPs with a lifespan longer than 10 years, Military Class II includes Super Ferrite Choke (SFC) that provides 30% more power and is 10% more efficient. Military Class II components ensure ultimate stability and performance under any circumstance.

The MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3) and Z68A-GD65 (G3) both provide exclusive next generation PCI Express Gen 3 with support for NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX and Virtu smart switchable graphics visual technology as well as MSI exclusive technologies like ClickBIOS II, OC Genie II, Military Class II Standard components.

Please contact your local agent or visit MSI official website www.msi.com to get more information about Z68A-GD80 (G3

WHile we are waiting for AMD to officially announce the sales of this processor, we already got one in our hands. Here is a short video of us unboxing it. Stay tuned to our review at OCWORKBENCH in the coming month of July 2011.

In less than a week, AMD will be selling it’s A series processors the so call APUs. With these new CPUs, new motherboards are required as it spots a totally different socket type.

Today, we just received the Gigabyte A75-UD4H AMD A75 chipset mainboard. We will first show you what is inside the package with this short video below.

If you were to check out Xbox live Tile on your Windows Phone 7 today, you will be delighted as the long awaiting game “Angry birds” has landed on the Windows Phone 7 platform. Check it and play it today on your WP7.

StarHub Revises Cable TV Subscription Rates From 1 August 2011
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Singapore, 28 June 2011 – StarHub will revise its residential cable TV monthly subscription by an additional $2 (before GST) with effect from 1 August 2011.

Ms Iris Wee, StarHub’s Vice President of Home Solutions and Content, explained that this rate revision is necessary because of rising content costs over the past few years. “StarHub has been absorbing these costs while enhancing our TV content to customers,” said Ms Wee. “We have managed to hold our prices for the last four years but we are unable to continue absorbing the increased costs. We hope that our customers will understand our situation and support us so that we can continue to provide them with quality entertainment for their enjoyment.”

StarHub has through the recent years, added as many as 15 channels for customers at entry level at no additional charge. These include Animax, BBC Knowledge, Bloomberg Television, E City, Eurosportnews, Food Network Asia, FOX, National Geographic Wild, ONE, Playhouse Disney, SuperSports Arena and TVBS-News. In addition, StarHub had dedicated channels that were event-based such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Youth Olympic Games. All these helped to enhance the viewing experience of its customers.

For more information on the StarHub TV rate revision, customers may SMS ‘CATV’ to 76333 or call 1633 and press ‘7’ after the ‘language’ and ‘StarHub product’ options for more details. They can also visit a specially created StarHub-Facebook page at www.starhub.com/tvraterevision. Alternatively, customers may email their queries to starhubtv@starhub.com.

StarHub currently carries about 170 channels over its cable TV platform. For more information on StarHub TV, visit www.starhub.com/tv.

Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3
TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 28, 2011 – PCI Express 3.0 season is coming. The new PCIe 3.0 configuration offers more bandwidth to enable faster communication between components inside a system. The world of gaming moves fast. Can your motherboard offer a viable way to play the heavy-loading games? Designed for gamers and advanced users, the Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 brings the best package for smooth gameplay. It is the world’s first motherboard that supports PCIe 3.0 and goes on sale now. Plus, it comes with plenty of options for gaming excitements and upgrading components.

“ASRock-Fatal1ty Co-Brand motherboards represent the quality. The vision of Fatal1ty board is to create the fastest and most stable computer equipment on the face of the planet.” commented James Lee, V.P of ASRock Sales and Marketing. Keep this in mind; ASRock is keen on delivering the most powerful motherboard products to satisfy the serious gamers. “Not only focusing on performance boosts, the newly launched Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 also pays special emphasis on the latest hardware enhancements that include the newest PCIe 3.0 support” said James Lee.

Gaming Giant : Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3
Gaming is a way of life. A high-spec system is a must for playing the latest games. For unbelievably powerful gaming without being tied to a desktop, the serious gamers should look no further than the Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3: the world’s most powerful Z68 motherboard.

Supporting the next-gen of PCIe 3.0 configuration, the Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 comes with 2 PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots and 1 PCI Express 2.0 slot which are capable of NVIDA Quad SLI and AMD 3-Way CrossFireX. Compared to PCIe 2.0, PCIe 3.0 could double the bandwidth of PCI Express and boost data transfers in systems. Coupled with the upcoming Intel Ivy Bridge processors with PCIe 3.0 support and next-gen PCIe 3.0 VGA graphics cards, users are assured to enjoy the full power of PCIe Gen3 standard.

This is a premium motherboard coming with the top-end specifications. The integrated PLX PEX8608 chip allows all PCIe devices to work at the proper speed simultaneously. Anyone who really wants an x4 slot should view this as mandatory. Digital PWM design improves the CPU power solution and delivers Vcore voltage to the processor more efficiently. To provide the ultimate way to control the games, gamers should look no longer than this customizable function: Fatal1ty Mouse Port. With a wide range from 125 Hz to 1000 Hz to make mouse polling rate adjustment, gamers can obtain more precise control of their mouse.

Functionability is incredibly important for computing, so you’ll need to ensure you have the right motherboard. Supporting the Intel Smart Response technology, this board can make the SSD become the “Cache of the HDD” to boost up the HDD access speed. In addition, the ultimate Lucid Virtu Switchable Graphics technology allows dynamic switching between the GPU of the Sandy Bridge processors and a discrete graphics card, without the need for a system reboot.

The Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 comes with some VGA outputs, D-Sub, HDMI, DVI-D (supported by the bundled HDMI to DVI adapter), 7.1-channel audio with THX TruStudio™ and integrated Dual Gigabit LAN with Teaming function. To build up your unique gaming masterpiece, the Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 motherboard will surely serve all gamers’ needs very well.

When Intel released its Sandy Bridge processors in January, they were met with general applause and excitement. ASRock’s Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 mainboard is the first to meet the latest PCIe 3.0 standard and go on sale based on Z68 chipset. To be the very first to enjoy the advance function of PCIe 3.0, you should never miss out the Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3!

Integrated graphics board has always been ignored as a low end platform. With the introduction of the APU, this is going to change the mindset of many.

The upcoming AMD A8 and A6 processors paired with the new A75 series boards blow away the competitor with impressive DX11 graphics performance.

With a typical AMD LIano A8-3850 processor running at 2.4GHz, DDR3-1866 (2x2G), it is able to achieve a 3DMark Vantage score of P5600+. If the APU is overclocked, 3DMark Vantage score can scale up to 5650 marks.

With a HD 6670 GPU added on board, AMD Radeon DUal Graphics kicks in and can boost the performance up to 10000 marks giving it a 1.5x improvement over the standard APU.

Stay tuned for more information.

The GA-A75-UD4H is the AMD A75 chipset mainboard. It supports the AMD APU using the Socket FM1 for 32nm AMD A series processors.

With the integrated graphics of Radeon class HD65xx/64xx (DX11), the APU is capable to deliver better quality 3D graphics than before.

Although it has integrated graphics, it also support AMD Dual Graphics technology with the 2 PCIe 2.0 interface on board.

For graphics, the board supports output port DisplayPort, HDMI, Dual link DVI of up to 2560×1600 FULL HD playback. The board also supports 3x USB power On/Off charge USB ports, 8 USB 3.0, 6 SATA3 (6Gbps) ports. Other features include Dual BIOS, 3TB+ HDD boot up, 108db S/N audio playback, auto green etc.

Hello APU : ASRock Launches AMD A75 Chipset-Based Motherboard Stunners

TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 27, 2011 – Hybrid chip architecture is a huge revolution. Say hello to the new-gen of AMD APU. Today, ASRock is confident to release their A75 Motherboard Stunners featuring the perfect integrated graphics performance to mainstream DIY market. Based on the latest AMD A75 chipset and FM1 socket, the ASRock A75 Motherboard Series support AMD’s new Llano APUs. Coupled with the outstanding ASRock A75 mainboard and the exciting APU processor, ASRock is ready to rock the world with the best graphics performance ever seen on an integrated processor.

“The motherboard is the beating heart of every PC, as ASRock’s motherboards can be trusted to unlock the maximum potential from your PC.” commented James Lee, V.P of ASRock Sales and Marketing. “ASRock always live up to our promise! The latest A75 motherboards bring the best kits for the users who demand astonishing gaming and media-focused performance on a budget platform. The A75 boards also offer several advanced functions that include Dual Graphics technology.”

Featuring AMD A75 Hudson-D3 chipset, ASRock A75 boards are wonderfully suited to the latest 32 nanometer AMD APUs and can natively support USB 3.0 and SATA3 technologies. The APU is the architecture to feature a GPU on the same silicon die as the CPU and is a perfect combination of DirexX11 technology and high performance graphics, offering powerful visual experiences similar to a discrete graphics configuration.

ASRock A75 Extreme6

A75 Extreme6, the top-of-the-line board of the innovative A75 APU motherboards. It is super powerful and brings visual enhancements in the field of integrated graphics. The APU processor integrates AMD Radeon HD 65XX/64XX and DX11 graphics technology, delivering the optimized visual enjoyment to users. AMD Radeon™ Dual Graphics Technology combines the powers of APU and discrete GPU, providing significant performance boost and immersive gaming experience. Steady Video™ leverages the processing power of the GPU in order to remove shakiness from the home/online video.

Powered by V8 + 2 CPU phase design, the ASRock A75 Extreme6 improves power solution and delivers Vcore voltage to the CPU more efficiently and smoothly. The board is also marked for its versatile. PC DIYers will definitely appreciate the onboard power/reset and clear CMOS switch buttons as well as the integrated display outputs (D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI). Moreover, the board gives decent multi-GPU options as well – 3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots cater for Quad CrossFireX, 3-Way CrossFireX and CrossFireX settings.

In addition to the flagship board A75 Extreme6, the much-anticipated A75 platform comes with several models – A75 Pro4 / A75 Pro4-M / A75M / A75M-HVS. All of the excellent A75 Motherboard Stunners come in a feature-rich package too is likewise impressive. The full series supports a hot of unique features such as tweak-friendly graphical UEFI, XFast USB, On/Off Play and Cyberlink MediaEspresso 6.5 Trial software. The most important feature of the bundled package is obviously the THX TruStudio™. It has been applied on all ASRock A75 Motherboard Series, bringing unparalleled audio experience. With the industry leading surround sound technology, you’ll see a different A75 mainboard here.

Focus tightly to high performance and quality, ASRock has thrown everything essential to its A75 Motherboard Series. Picking an ideal board is so easy only at ASRock A75 Motherboard Stunners!

ECS Presents A75 Series, the Latest AMD Fusion^TM APU Platform to Color Your Vision.

Taipei, Taiwan, June, 2011 – Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) introduces the latest AMD based motherboard series – ECS Black Deluxe A75F-A, and ECS mainstream series A75F-M and A75F-M2 motherboards. ECS A75 series motherboards powered by AMD Hudson D3 chipset support the latest AMD A series APU.

One More Black Deluxe Member, A75F-A

As one of the ECS Black Deluxe series, ECS A75F-A has passed 50℃ burn test, presenting high quality and unbelievable durability. ECS Black Deluxe A75F-A also equips with complete expansion slots from PCI Express 2^nd generation x16, x4 to PCI 1^st generation for users to enlarge the power of yours computers with every possibility. To match the amazing graphics power of APU, ECS A75F-A has full video output options: HDMI/DVI/D-Sub with optical audio output for you to enjoy the ultimate entertainment moment.

The High Speed Transportation Era

ECS Black Deluxe A75F-A, A75F-M and A75F-M2 all support the latest AMD A series APU with AMD Hudson D3 chipset and AMD FM-1 socket. With native USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gb/s powered by AMD Hudson D3 chipset, ECS A75 series represents the official arrival of new age of high transportation speed, and that USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gb/s have also officially become the basic equipment for every computer.

The Latest AMD Fusion^TM A Series APU Platform

Supporting the latest AMD Fusion^TM A series APU means that ECS A75 series has great graphics ability to support DirectX 11, UVD 3 and all provide at least two outputs of HDMI and D-Sub(VGA). ECS A75 series motherboards all supply ECS unique applications: EZ Charger/eDLU/eBLU/MIB III for users to experience the convenient using environment. Last but not least, all A75 series motherboards have anti-static (ESD) protect, ensure the durability of your computer to keep your motherboard safe from electrostatic damage.

MSI announces Military Class II-accreditedAMD Llano mainboard supporting DirectX 11 for smooth operations of DiRT3 games

  (Taipei-Taiwan)World famous mainboard and graphic card manufacturer MSI today officiallyannounces their brand new AMD A75-Series mainboard A75MA-G55 with MilitaryClass II components to equip the mainboard with the best quality and higheststability. The amazing graphical performance of the A-Series APUs iscomplimented by the implementation of USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s ports to give thefastest performance when you’re playing games, video editing, transferringfiles from mobile devices. With support for HDMI, DVI and 7.1 channel audio,the A75MA-G55 in its small MicroATX form factor is the perfect choice whetherit is as a complete and powerful desktop PC or a versatile and efficient HTPC.MSI’s A75MA-G55 is truly the best choice in high quality, high performance andhigh convenience.

CertifiedMilitary Class II: The highest quality and  Stability components

With MSI’s A75MA-G55 you never have tocompromise on system stability. MSI’s Military Class II mainboards are onlybuilt with the best Military Class II components available, which have beenMilitary Certified to US Department of Defense stands. They provide theultimate stability when playing games or overclocking and give reduced powerconsumption when watching a movie or working on documents. 

MSI’s Hi-c CAP, Super Ferrite Choke andSolid cap improve overall lifespan, power consumption and system stabilityregardless of the way the MSI A75MA-G55 is operated.

Amazing Graphical performance

With the MSI A75MA-G55, a whole newlevel of integrated graphics is achieved. With support for the latesttechnologies such as DirectX11 for the most detailed games and ‘Steady Video’ whichremoves shaky images from home videos. The latest AMD APUs offer betterperformance than general mainstream video cards meaning that not only yourgames will run smoother, but also Full HD Blu-Ray can be played back withoutslowdowns and converting videos from your PC to your smartphone or tablet issped up greatly!

With MSI’s A75MA-G55 today’s hottestgames like StarCraft II, DiRT3 and the ever so popular World of Warcraft:Cataclysm run at smooth frame rates with rich detail.

Winki 3 free full operating system.

Providing consumers with the mostconvenient solution possible is the unchanged focus of MSI. That is why theA75MA-G55 comes with Winki3 the fully operational and free operating systemthat supports everything you need for daily computer use and more. Whetheryou’re just browsing the internet or want to use the fully functional officesuite with word processor and spreadsheet program, Winki 3 supports that aswell as photo editing software,  Instant Messaging programs, Skype and ahard-disk backup utility. Winki 3’s versatility is its greatest strength andserves everyone from first time owner to power user.

Native USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s for ultrafast data transmission

The A75MA-G55 is equipped with thenative USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s interfaces for users to connect any lateststorage devices. These interfaces are ten times faster than USB 2.0 and twotimes faster than SATA 3Gb/s. This means they support ultrafast datatransmission at 5Gb/s and 6Gb/s respectively. When connecting any USB 3.0external devices or devices or SSD supporting SATA 6Gb/s, users can fully enjoythe true sense of speed in data transmission.

MSI Click BIOS

The A75MA-G55 with Click BIOS Conceptis based on the new UEFI technology which supports todays latest hardware. Fromfaster booting to supporting large hard drives with a capacity of over 2.2TB.MSI’s Click BIOS can be controlled with both a keyboard, but it also supportsmouse control which simplifies navigating and manipulating system settings.

i-Charger energizesiPad at any time

The A75MA-G55 with i-Charger technologyallows anyone to quickly charge the newest networking device

To deal with the rising popularity ofmobile networking devices like the Apple iPad, the A75MA-G55 is also equippedwith the i-Charger technology for users to recharge their mobile networkingdevices. After installing the and activating i-Charger software, users canfreely recharge their iPad at any time to enjoy the true convenience of mobilenetworking.

ASUS Announces New F1A75 Series Motherboards with DIP2, DIGI+ VRM and UEFI BIOS

Singapore (June 27, 2011) — ASUS today announced the launch of their new AMD A75 chipset-based F1A75 Series motherboards. Designed specially to optimize performance for the AMD Llano APUs, the F1A75 Series motherboards have exceptional overclocking capability for the versatile APU with a variety of integrated graphics built directly on the same die. This new series is also equipped with the latest ASUS-exclusive technologies and features, including the Dual Intelligent Processors 2 (DIP2) with DIGI+ VRM* for precise power control, a graphical and mouse-controlled UEFI BIOS and the easy-to-use auto tuning for better performance.

New ASUS motherboard design to complement the new AMD Fusion platform

The ASUS F1A75 series are designed with the exclusive DIGI+ VRM and the most intuitive UEFI BIOS on the market. The F1A75-V EVO is the world’s first FM1 socket motherboard with dual x8/x8 PCI-Express for AMD CrossFireX™ support, while the entire range of ASUS F1A75 Series motherboards are designed to natively support the latest USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps standards.

ASUS F1A75 Series motherboards are based on the latest AMD A75 chipset and FM1 socket, which supports AMD’s new APUs. These include class leading performance from AMD Radeon™ HD 6000 series processor graphics with AMD Dual Graphics support. With an additional PCI-Express Radeon GPU to initiate Radeon Dual Graphics mode, the performance can be boosted up to 128 percent.**

The APU Radeon™ processor graphics offers DirectX® 11 technology, OpenCL Direct Compute and superb low power performance that is ideal for home media entertainment and gaming, without the need for an extra PCI-Express graphics card.

ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM on board

The premium F1A75 Series motherboards are equipped with DIP2, which features DIGI+ VRM technology in addition to the TPU and EPU. DIGI+ VRM power delivery allows a user to precisely adjust and control power settings digitally perfectly serving the APU specification’s power demand. Digital control differs from analog controls by eliminating digital-to-analog conversion lag, which helps to improve overclocking capabilities. This enables precise power flow adjustment and management as well as easy and flexible tuning, including extra DRAM power control for the AMD platform. System stability is also more efficient thanks to a smart thermal function, which includes phased temperature controls. For full system control, all features are accessible either by UEFI BIOS or AI Suite II. This all-in-one software offers diverse and easy-to-use functions, without the need to switch back and forth between different utilities while in Windows.

Media recognized most intuitive UEFI BIOS

Included on all F1A75 Series motherboards is the previously mentioned UEFI BIOS menu interface. UEFI BIOS allows a user to control and adjust their BIOS settings through a mouse-enabled interface for more user-friendly navigation. The built-in EZ Mode option also provides a drag-and-drop boot priority option for easier management of boot devices, while the Advanced Mode allows experienced performance enthusiasts to tweak more intricate system settings. Overclockers can also save screen caps of their settings by pressing F12 on the keyboard and saving it onto a USB thumb drive.

*ASUS DIGI+ VRM available on selected models)

**(Test Configuration: MB: F1A75-V PRO/APU: AMD A8-3850

Memory: DDR3-1333 2048MB*2/ VGA：ASUS-EAH6670/DIS/1GD5/ OS: Win7 64bit)

AMD Desktop APUs A6 and A8 series specs have been leaked on the net prior to Computex. Boards were also on display at Computex Taipei 2011. To date, there seems to be a lack of processors to satisfy the market.

To our surprise, our HK correspondent told us that he came across the retail box of the processors on a Hong Kong site. Apparently, the boxes are at one of the retail shops. It means stocks are ready for sale awaiting for an early July launch. Pricing is not provided.

AMD APU A6-3650 and A8-3850  The speeds are rated at 2.6GHZ (A6-3650) and 2.9GHZ (A8-3850).

Source

If you have been looking for a directory of our feature reviews and articles, we have just updated it. You can find them in the following URL :

2011 – http://en.ocworkbench.com/reviews-and-articles-list-ocworkbench/

2010 – http://en.ocworkbench.com/tech/ocworkbench-articles-and-reviews-list-2010/

2009 – http://www.ocworkbench.com/2009/reviews2009.htm

Year 2008, Year 2007, Year 2006, Year 2005, Year 2004, Year 2003, Year 2002, Year 2001 and earlier

RBS analyst Didier Scemama this morning writes that ARM Holdings (ARMH) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) appear to be strengthening their relationship, given that both companies gave talks about AMD’s “Fusion” chip architecture at the recent “Fusion11″ conference, discussing the ability for other chip makers to combine AMD’s CPU designs with ARM CPU designs and “graphics processing unit,” or GPU, designs.

The mixing and matching of CPUs and GPUs has broad implications, Scemama writes:

The chaining of CPU’s and GPU’s together from different vendors opens up the world of heterogeneous computing. Heterogeneous computing allows computers and servers to run software tasks across different types of CPUs and GPUs. Effectively the software is indifferent to the underlying hardware (i.e. could be x86-based or ARM-based).

AMD’s contribution, notes Scemama, is a proposal for a “virtual CPU bus” to link all those cores together when using the x86 instruction set.

All that’s very theoretical, Scemama points out. What’s more interesting is that AMD is perhaps looking to combine its GPU with ARM’s CPU cores, the way Nvidia (NVDA) has done. And the thinks that suggests some new license business for ARM with AMD:

Given the 10-20% market share of AMD in PCs (more skewed towards desktop PCs and servers than notebooks) and the momentum ARM has got in PCs, post the Windows on ARM announcement by Microsoft, we believe it would make sense for AMD to contemplate licensing ARM IP to combine it with its own GPU and CPU IP. Given ARM’s strength in low power and AMD’s relative weakness in tablets, netbooks and notebooks, it seems reasonable to us that AMD would benefit from licensing ARM IP to grow their market share in these segments of the market. Similarly ARM would benefit from a closer collaboration with AMD to penetrate the server market given AMD’s relative strength in high performance PC systems, in our view. While the ARM/AMD relationship is still in the early phase we think this open architecture initiative is positive for ARM and potentially Imagination Technologies Group

Source

– GIGABYTE Rolls Out A75 Motherboards For AMD Llano A8 and A6 APUs –

– Delivers Industry’s Most Powerful Integrated Graphics to Mainstream DIY PCs –

Taipei, Taiwan, June 30th 2011 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched its latest series of motherboards supporting the new AMD A75 series chipsets, and the latest AMD A-Series APUs (codenamedLlano) that are set to take the world by storm with the best graphics performance ever seen on an integrated processor. GIGABYTE A75 based motherboards offer DIY PC builders and integrators a new world of 3D and multimedia performance with the most scalable, and best value upgrade path imaginable.

“At GIGABYTE, we are delighted to bring to market this new and exciting motherboard range, delivering our renowned durability and exceptional feature support to AMD’s ground breaking APU technology,” commented Henry Kao, VP of Worldwide Service and Marketing at GIGABYTE. “As well as bringing AMD A-Series technology to DIY users who demand excellent gaming and multimedia performance on a budget, these motherboards also offer a compelling upgrade path that includes Dual Graphics configurations.”

GIGABYTE A75 Series Feature Highlights

AMD A-Series APU Support

GIGABYTE A75 series boards features an AMD A75 ‘Hudson’ chipset supporting the latest 32 nanometer AMD A-Series APUs or Accelerated Processor Units. These processors are the first ever to combine a DX11-capable, high performance graphics processor with a choice of a dual or quad core CPU in one silicon die, offering a 3D gaming and multimedia experience similar to a discrete graphics configuration.

AMD A-Series Graphics: Most Powerful Integrated Graphics Ever

Supporting Microsoft® DirectX® 11, OpenGL 4.1 and OpenCL 1.1 standards, AMD A-Series graphics deliver a 3D gaming experience similar to entry-level discrete graphics card solutions, with 3DMark Vantage (Performance setting) scores of around 4000 points. Using GIGABYTE’s Easy Tune™ 6 utility, users can overclock the AMD A-Series APU to gain further performance enhancements over stock settings, offering 3DMark Vantage (Performance setting) scores of over 6000 points*.

AMD Dual Graphics: Unrivalled Upgradability

The AMD A75 series platform showcases AMD Dual Graphics technology, allowing users to further boost 3D graphics performance by adding an additional discrete AMD Radeon™ HD 6000 series graphics card to the system. This unique Dual Graphics technology means users can enjoy higher frame rates on the latest gaming titles, utilizing the processing power of both discrete and integrated graphics processors.

GIGABYTE Super4™ Motherboards

All GIGABYTE A75 series motherboards are part of theGIGABYTE Super4™ motherboard range, and as such areequipped with the very best components and a comprehensive range of unique features thatguarantee flawless system stability and extended product longevity without compromising on performance, features and device connectivity.

Super Safe
DualBIOS™ 3TB+ HDD Support(Hybrid EFI Technology)
One Fuse per USB Port
50,000 hr. Solid Capacitors

GIGABYTE Super Safe includes features that guard against system malfunction and ensure extended system longevity, including GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ to ensure that you never experience system failure due to BIOS corruption. Additionally, each USB port has its own dedicated power fuse that prevents unwanted USB port failure, helping to protect USB connected devices from malfunction and safe guard your important data during transfer. All Super4™ motherboards also use solid capacitors that guarantee system longevity with a minimum 50,000 hr lifespan.

Super Speed
Ultra Durable™ design
3 x USB Power Boost + On/Off Charge

GIGABYTE Super Speed ensures that you’re always on the cusp of PC performance, data transfer and device charging speeds. GIGABYTE 3x USB power means better device compatibility and faster charging on USB connected devices like portable storage devices without needing to use two USB ports. The additional power provided by 3 x USB Power allows iPad, iPhone and iPod devices to charge up to 40% faster compared to standard USB implementations, while On/Off charge allows fast device charging even when your PC is on standby or turned off.

Super Savings
Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs
Lower CPU Zone Temperature
High Power-Efficiency

All GIGABYTE Super4™ motherboards are equipped with the very best quality components that ensure that you PC is running at maximum power efficiency. Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs reduce energy wastage through unnecessary residual heat dissipation. This amounts to tangible energy savings which are beneficial for both end-users and the environment without impacting system performance.

Super Sound
High-end 108dB HD Audio (3.5x better audio quality than standard PC audio solutions)

As the HD multimedia revolution continues to gain momentum, so too must hardware standards in audio quality. All GIGABYTE Super4™ motherboards offer excellent 7.1 surround sound audio backed by a proprietary converter that is able to achieve 108dB noise ratio (SNR) playback quality. This means that users will enjoy a better audio experience with lower levels of noise and hiss when enjoying the latest HD content.

GIGABYTE A75 Series Models

GA-A75-UD4H

GA-A75-D3H

GA-A75-DS3P

GA-A75M-UD2H

GA-A75M-D2H

GA-A75M-S2V

GA-A75N-USB3

*Overclocking configuration: GIGABYTE A75M-UD2H – AMD APU A8-3850 at 3.77GHz (Aircooling) – DDR3 – 2320MHz/ FSB-145MHz/GPU-870MHz

First look of the Sony Ericsson txt QWERTY feature phone
bluetooth 22 June 2011

Looking for a cheap entry text entry phone for your kids ? This entry level feature phone would be the answer to it. The txt is somewhat an alternative to the Sony Ericsson txt with a QWERTY keypad for quick text entry.  Sony Ericsson txt has a full view QWERTY keyboard and a SMS shortcut key. The phone also features a “friends” application that enables users to see Facebook™ and Twitter™ updates at a glance from their top five friends.

Sony Ericsson txt is Wi-Fi™ enabled and comes equipped with a 3.2mp camera with video recording. The phone feels comfortable in the hand with a rounded back.

As it is a GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 with no 3G support, battery life should last more than 1.5 days.

Sony Ericsson txt will be available globally in selected markets from Q4 2011.