For those who are buying into the future, the Gigabyte Z77X-UP5TH is now available in Singapore. The board features dual Thunderbolt ports giving you access to external peripherals at amazing speeds. Although Thunderbolt peripherals are still not readily available, this board is all ready to tap into the high speed connectivity. It now retails for a suggest retail price of S$485.00.

Dual Port Thunderbolt™ Motherboards

GIGABYTE motherboards, the very first to offer fully certified dual onboard Thunderbolt™ ports. Capable of connecting up to 12 devices plus 3 digital displays simultaneously, with breathtaking data transfer speeds that can transfer 1TB of data in only five minutes, GIGABYTE Thunderbolt™ motherboards offer the fastest connection interface ever on the desktop PC.

Daisy Chain Technology – Up to 12 devices + 2 Display monitors

Compatibility may vary according to system configuration and device specifications. Requirement of 3 monitors output : Thunderbolt or display monitors plus 1 RGB or HDMI monitor.

GIGABYTE Thunderbolt™ motherboards allow users to daisy chain up to 12 devices simultaneously via an incredible bi-directional 10Gbps data pipeline that includes both PCIe and DisplayPort traffic. GIGABYTE Thunderbolt™ motherboards redefine desktop PC connectivity to make it far easier to connect multiple high speed storage devices and HD displays to your PC than ever before.

Performance may vary according to system configuration and device specifications.

Dual Thunderbolt™ – Fast, Flexible and Simple Connectivity for your Motherboard
GIGABYTE Thunderbolt™ motherboards are the first to be certified by Intel featuring dual Thunderbolt™ ports directly on the motherboard back panel I/O, with each Thunderbolt™ port supporting a maximum data transfer speeds with simultaneous bi-directional data transfer at speeds of up to 10Gbps – this means you can transfer a full HD 1080p movie in under 30 seconds.

GIGABYTE’s dual port Thunderbolt™ implementation ensures the absolute maximum potential connectivity, with support to connect up to 12 individual devices simultaneously, with each port offering full 10Gbps bandwidth.

BIOSTAR Officially Launches Latest Intel Z77 Based Hi-Fi Motherboard
World’s First Motherboard with Exclusive Integrated BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Technology

July 16, 2012, Taipei, Taiwan – BIOSTAR, major manufacturer of motherboards, VGA cards,

industrial computer systems and other peripherals, officially launches their latest edition to
their high-end motherboard lineup, the Hi-Fi Z77X. This newest ATX form factor motherboard
supports all Socket 1155 CPUs and offers native support for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and dual-
channel memory up to DDR3-2600 in overclocking mode. But what sets the BIOSTAR Hi-Fi
Z77X really apart from all the rest of the competition is exactly the integrated BIOSTAR Hi-
Fi technology called “Puro Hi-Fi Technology”, targeting audiophiles, HTPC enthusiasts and
high-end gamers alike, Puro Hi-Fi sports an integrated independent audio power design with a
built-in amplifier.

The Puro Hi-Fi technology utilizes audio components with an independent power design for a
significant reduction in electronic noise and superb sound quality. The unique noise-blocking
multi-layer PCB layout is ideal for exceptional clarity and high fidelity sound. With sampling
rate of 192kHz/24-bit which delivers a high quality audio through an analog connection to
your home theater system, multi-channel speakers and high-end headphone. You can enjoy real
Blu-ray grade high-definition sound that you’ve never experienced before in true 7.1-channel
surround sounds.

High quality ‘Non-Polarized Electrolysis Electric audio capacitors’ for each individual audio
channel circuit deliver low noise, low distortion, and wide bandwidth to achieve the highest
sound resolution and sound expansion to ensure the most realistic sound effects. Furthermore,
the Hi-Fi Resistors are made of metal-oxide film resistors with metal oxides such as tin oxide.
The electric characteristics are greater stability and reliability than regular metal film resistors
when operating in an extremely broad working temperature range. This special component is
used in applications with high endurance audio demands.

With BIOSTAR’s four unique technologies, Puro Hi-Fi, THX, Lucid MVP and
SmartSpeedLAN, the brand new Hi-Fi series of motherboards increases sound, network and
graphics performance dramatically. For a unique gaming masterpiece even with a limited
budget, this new Hi-Fi series is surely the best choice and will become a favorite among gamers.

Link to Hi-Fi series web page
Link to Hi-Fi series video
Link to “Hi-Fi Z77X”

http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/event/hifi/index.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Wbl-RAihs
http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=608

ASUS Presents Full Range of Windows8-Ready AMD Platform Motherboards

Loaded with new features and exclusiveinnovations tailored to the upcoming operating system

Singapore (July 23, 2012) ― to provide the best userexperience on the AMD platform, ASUS has refreshed a variety ofmotherboards, including mainstream channel models, dedicated products fromROG and the TUF Series, plus FM1 socket-compatible and power-efficientAPU-based models. Each product offers a variety of new ASUS exclusivetechnologies such as digital power control, Remote GO!, and NetworkiControl, alongside innovative Fast Boot, ASUS Boot Setting, and DirectKey,all specifically leveraging upcoming Windows 8 capabilities. Both new andexisting features have been tailored and tested to comply with the Windows8 architecture for total stability and maximized utility, while allmotherboards have gone through a full series of compatibility assurancetests in getting ready for the move to Windows 8.

M5A99/97 R2.0 and TUF Series: refreshed AM3+ with exclusive Windows 8features

Fully upgraded AM3+/990FX motherboards now include a variety of featuresthat are designed to enhance the Windows 8 experience. Fast Boot ensurescustomers make the most of Windows 8 expedited boot up, creating a smootherand more responsive experience. By enabling Fast Boot, system power-up toWindows 8 login takes just two seconds, cutting out annoying waits. Adirect result of Windows 8 optimization efforts, ASUS Boot Setting affordsgreater flexibility in customizing a PCs startup process. It allows forinstant one-click access to the user-friendly BIOS upon reboot or theability to choose between various expedited startup profiles. ASUS BootSetting saves preferences permanently, and no further selections areneeded. Exclusive DirectKey has been developed for customers who demandfrequent and effortless BIOS access, even with the PC on standby power. Onekey press goes to the BIOS immediately, eliminating the tradition ofrepeatedly pressing the DEL key for greater convenience and accuracy.

The above features all tie in directly to Windows 8 capabilities, butASUS has gone even further. New Dual Intelligent Processors 3 with SMARTDIGI+ Key, a digital power delivery design that offers dedicatedcontrollers for the CPU and DRAM, makes delicate power tuning of bothavailable on the AMD platform for the first time. Overall system stability,power efficiency and overclocking potential all see an improvement as aresult of the new design, which is available on the M5A99/97 R2.0 Seriesand the TUF SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0. Also on board is the new and compactRemote GO!, catering to diverse home entertainment needs, based on ASUSWi-Fi GO! technology. With the app installed on mobile devices, smartphonesand tablets transform into a PC remote control, with three useful wirelessfunctions: DLNA Media Hub, Remote Desktop, and File Transfer.

Crosshair V Formula-Z: Windows 8 on AMD with the Republic ofGamers

The all-new ROG AM3+ gaming motherboard arrives loaded with most of theabove mentioned features, reinforcing them via added ROG exclusivetechnologies to provide hardcore gamers the most powerful and stable AMDplatform Windows 8 choice. Gaming and overclocking-specific featuresinclude ROG Extreme Engine Digi+ II precision digital power control anddelivery, again covering both CPU and DRAM for refined tuning and a wideroverclocking margin. Upgraded SupremeFX III™ audio boosts onboardsound to pro-gaming standards, offering enhanced immersion and audiopositioning in games. Its Red Line shielding technology maintains clearanalog/digital signal separation for cleaner sound quality, while ametallic EMI cover blocks interference from adjacent components inside thecase. For better online multiplayer and overall networking, exclusiveGameFirst II now features the all-new EZ mode, an intuitive user interfacethat lets gamers quickly manage bandwidth prioritization and trafficshaping to reduce ping and lag.

F1A75/A55 Series: addressing a wider customer base

For the AMD FM1 socket with A75 and A55 chipsets, ASUS has also readieda refresh of models ahead of Windows 8 general availability. F1A75-M PROR2.0 and F1A55 R2.0 Series motherboards feature hardware tuned for the newoperating system alongside ASUS exclusives that make the most of FM1socket-compatible CPUs and the energy-efficient AMD APU design. The F1A75-MPRO R2.0 is equipped with Dual Intelligent Processors 2, featuring TPU andEPU performance and energy optimization controllers alongside DIGI+ VRMdigital power delivery, which offers precision voltage adjustments forcustomized power based on APU characteristics while creating moreoverclocking headroom. Additional features include Network iControl,LucidLogix Virtu™ MVP, UEFI BIOS and AI Suite II.

    ###

About ASUS

ASUS, the world’s top 3 consumer notebook vendor and the maker ofthe world’s best-selling and most award winning motherboards, is aleading enterprise in the new digital era. ASUS designs and manufacturesproducts that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home,office and person, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards,graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktops, Eee Box and all-in-onePCs, notebooks, netbooks, tablet devices, servers, multimedia and wirelesssolutions, networking devices, and mobile phones. Driven by innovation andcommitted to quality, ASUS won 3,886 awards in 2011, and is widely creditedwith revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PC™. With a globalstaff of more than 11,000 and a world-class R&D team of 3,100engineers, the company’s revenue for 2011 was around US$11.9billion.

October 26th, 2012! That’s right! Just a few minutes ago, Steven Sinofsky announced at Microsoft’s annual sales meeting that customers will be able to get Windows 8 – whether in upgrade fashion or on a new PC – starting on October 26th. Earlier this month at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Tami Reller told attendees Windows 8 would be available in October. But now everyone has a specific date to mark on their calendars. It’s on mine!

SINGAPORE, July 18, 2012 – LG will debut its first Quad-Core smartphone, the Optimus 4X HD, for purchase in Singapore on July 28, as mobile users eagerly anticipate the power of LG’s most advanced smartphone to date. Selected as one of the most innovative products at this year’s Mobile World Congress, by Tom’s Hardware, a global publication specializing in consumer electronics, the Optimus 4X HD has been the object of much buzz and anticipation.

Leveraging on a combination of NVIDIA’s 4-PLUS-1™ Quad-Core mobile processor, Tegra3, and the LG Optimus 3.0 UI, the Optimus 4X HD delivers unparalleled speed and a unique user experience. The Optimus 4X HD is also equipped with LG’s new User Experience (UX), Optimus UI 3.0, which includes QuickMemo™ and Media Plex™.
 
“The LG Optimus 4X HD has eagerly been anticipated all around the world not just because of its speed,” said Mr. Scott Jung, Managing Director of LG Electronics Singapore. “LG has taken great care to enhance the user experience for the Optimus 4X HD with exclusively designed features, such as the fun QuickMemo, topped up with a Tegra 3 brain. We’ve certainly raised the bar for the industry and competition with the Optimux 4X HD.”
 
The Optimus 4X HD will be available in Singapore on July 28, 2012, at a recommended retail price of S$738. With each purchase of the Optimus 4X HD, consumers will receive a specially designed leather case, while stocks last. For a video demonstration of LG’s most advanced smartphone, please visit http://2url.kr/cmj .

In our review of the ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional-M, we discovered something odd with the USB 3.0 performance. In our tests, we have used the latest BIOS and Intel USB 3.0 and ASmedia USB 3.0 driver on the same board to test it’s performance. In the results below, we also tested the same SSD, a Kingston SNB 425 Vseries SSD using the external Sunbeamtech USB 3.0 docking station.

Here are our results with the docking station attached to the ports. We first tested it using SiSoft Sandra 2012 Physical disk test.

Using the ASmedia USB 3.0 support ports

We get a read performance of 202.15MB/s. This is consistent with our tests of the SSD on the docking station months ago on the older platforms using ASmedia or Etrontech controllers.

Using the on board Intel Z77 supported USB 3.0 ports

To ensure everything is working correctly, we checked the device manager and also ensure that the latest driver (available from the ASRock support website) is installed.

We were astonished that the USB 3.0 performance read tests give us only 41MB/s. That is way below the normal performance of a USB 3.0.

On page 2, we used CrystalDiskMark to verify our results :

ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional-M
bluetooth 9 Jul 2012

In gaming competitions, most users will want to equip themselves with their gaming rig. A gaming notebook does give you the portability but it lacks the processor power to run gpu intensive games. The better solution is to equip yourself with a smaller footprint desktop PC. The ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional-M definitely fits the bill as it is a mATX, small in size yet big in performance that matches it’s full fledge size cousins.

This board based on the Intel Z77 chipset supports 4 DIMM slots with Dual Channel DDR3 2800+(OC). In addition, with the Core i5-3x70k processors, you are ready to use it as a machine for playing less GPU intensive games or use it for work. That is thanks to the Intel HD graphics built in to the processor. The board supports output ports DVI-D, D-SUB and HDMI.

For those who require more graphics power, plug in your own graphics card and you can run 2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 Slots, Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX™, 3-Way CrossFireX, CrossFireX™ and NVIDIA® Quad SLI™, SLI™. You can also improve the onboard graphics performance by adding a single graphics card and enable Lucid Virtu MVP.

When it comes to heatsink mounting, this is something I loved, C.C.O (combo Cooler option). It helps you to save some costs, reusnig your older LGA775 heatsinks on this board with the 4 extra mounting holes.

Gamers want  a responsive system, ASRock understands that and has equipped it with PCie Gigabit LAN. Moreover, it has a 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC898 Audio Codec), Supports THX TruStudio™ for audio support.

ASRock has also bundled software to speed up your system, they include XFast RAM which is a virtual ram system. With it enabled, it can be used a Readyboost drive to speed up access to cache files etc. XFast LAN on the other hand lowers latency of your system for the utmost packet for best LAN performance. XFast USB speeds up USB transfers with a On/Off switch.

Other than that, there is OMG which is online management in BIOS that allows certain days and time of the day for internet access which will be welcomed by parents to control when their children accesses the internet. There is also a dehumidifier function on board which reduces humid and prolongs the life of the components on board. The BIOS also has a UEFI system browser which shows you the various components in visual, showing what is connected etc.

As it is a Intel Z77 based board, it defniitely supports the Intel functions - Intel® Smart Connect, Intel® Rapid Start and the Lucid Virtu Universal MVP for speeding up graphics performance when an add on graphcis card is inserted onto the board. 

F-Stream is another software that allows you to change the settings of the system all within Windows 7. You can fine tune the voltages, clk speed etc.

HP today has expanded its all-in-one desktop PC portfolio with business and consumer designs that deliver multimedia-rich performance, trusted reliability and enhanced security in a small footprint.

·         HP Elite 4300 All-in-One Business PC

·         HP Elite 6300 All-in-One Business PC

·         HP Elite 8300 All-in-One Business PC

·         HP Pavilion 23 All-in-One PC

·         HP ENVY 23 All-in-One PC

Local pricing and availability are as follows:

·         The HP Compaq Elite 8300 Touch All-in-One Business PC starts from SG$1,599 and is expected to be available in September 2012. The HP Compaq Elite 8300 All-in-One Non-Touch starts from SG$1,499 and is expected to be available in September 2012.

·         The HP Compaq Pro 6300 All-in-One Business PC starts from SG$1,299 and is expected to be available in September 2012.

·         The HP Compaq Pro 4300 All-in-One Business PC starts from SG$1,099 and is expected to be available in August 2012.

·         Local pricing and availability for the HP ENVY 23 All-in-One and HP Pavilion 23 All-in-One will be announced at a later date.
HP today expanded its all-in-one desktop PC portfolio with business and consumer designs that deliver multimedia-rich performance, trusted reliability and enhanced security in a small footprint.

The new all-in-ones are designed as cost-, space- and energy-efficient alternatives to a traditional desktop and monitor combination for consumers and businesses, including government, healthcare, education and retail customers. The new lineup includes non-touch PCs, as well as touch-enabled solutions that build on 30 years of touch technology innovation for convenient and intuitive computing.
 
“Customers have been asking for all-in-one PC designs that do not compromise on performance, reliability or security. With these sleek, elegant designs and powerful options, HP continues to innovate to meet the needs of a growing marketplace.”

- Christoph Schell, Vice President, PC Division, Asia Pacific, HP

“All-in-one form factor PCs are expected to grow in popularity, accounting for 27 percent of worldwide desktop PC sales by 2016. This trend puts vendors with a broad offering of AIO products and options – like HP – in a very good position to meet that growing commercial demand.”

- Danielle Levitas, Group Vice President
IDC
 
Products announced today include:
The HP Compaq Elite 8300 All-in-One, HP’s most powerful and multimedia-rich all-in-one, provides proven performance for demanding user deployments. It sports an attractive, space-efficient design with a 23-inch diagonal, full HD display and standard SRS Premium Sound PRO™. It is also powered by Intel® Core™ vPro™ processors for optimum performance. With added touch functionality, the HP Compaq Elite 8300 Touch All-in-One employs multitouch, optical technology for interactive applications.
The HP Compaq Pro 6300 All-in-One is designed for reliable and consistent computing and offers the optimal combination of productivity, performance and serviceability. Sporting third- and second-generation Intel Core processors with optional discrete graphics, this PC is designed for solid performance and simple manageability in growing business environments. It offers a 21.5-inch diagonal, full HD, LED backlit display, internal stereo speakers and optional 2MP webcam.

Rounding out the HP all-in-one business portfolio, the previously announced HP Compaq Pro 4300 All-in-One is HP’s most cost- and space-efficient offering. The 20-inch diagonal form factor is powered by third- and second-generation Intel® Core™ processors at a value that will not break tight budgets.

The HP ENVY 23 All-in-One and HP Pavilion 23 All-in-One PCs combine elegant design with robust performance. The HP ENVY 23 is an ideal PC for consumers who demand a sleek design and enhanced performance. It offers an elegant, free-standing display with edge-to-edge glass that can be wall-mounted. Engineered for an enriched entertainment experience, the HP ENVY 23 comes standard with Beats Audio™ and optional HDMI-in port, Blu-ray disc drive and TV tuner. The HP Pavilion 23 All-in-One offers essential features and processing power for everyday computing tasks, sporting a slim and elegant easel design and choice of Intel® or AMD processors.

Both PCs feature 1080p, HD, 23-inch diagonal displays, multicore processors, advanced graphics and up to 2 terabytes of storage. Also included in both the ENVY 23 and Pavilion 23 PCs are HP TrueVision HD Webcams, HP Magic Canvas and HP LinkUp for the latest in connected entertainment and convenience.

Singapore’s MRT City Hall MRT station was hit by a power trip early this Friday afternoon. Parts of the station were pitch dark after a power trip at about 1.30pm, one commuter told Channel NewsAsia.

When contacted, SMRT said the blackout affected the platforms serving the north-bound and west-bound trains but all trains were running. When contacted, Singapore Power said its power grid supply to the City Hall station was in order.

Mr Tan, a commuter at the MRT station, said: “In some areas, it’s totally pitch dark – near to the toilet area, it’s totally dark… the ticketing area is still visible. I saw everyone still (moving) in an orderly manner. No one is panicking, because announcements were being made by the station masters to inform the commuters about what happened.

“I saw an MRT personnel bringing out a signboard, and on the signboard it is indicated that the station is encountering a power failure. But the MRT trains are in working condition.”

Source

An industry wide team has developed easy “are you infected” web sites.  They are a quick way to determine if you are infected with DNS Changer. Each site is designed for any normal computer user to browse to a link, follow the instructions, and see if they might be infected. Each site has instructions in their local languages on the next steps to clean up possible infections.

How can you detect if your computer has been violated and infected with DNS Changer?

An industry wide team has developed easy “are you infected” web sites.  They are a quick way to determine if you are infected with DNS Changer. Each site is designed for any normal computer user to browse to a link, follow the instructions, and see if they might be infected. Each site has instructions in their local languages on the next steps to clean up possible infections.

For example, the http://www.dns-ok.us/ will state if you are or are not infected (see below).

• No Software is Downloaded! The tools do not need to to load any software on your computer to perform the check.
• No changes are performed on your computer! Nothing is changed on your computer when you use sites like http://www.dns-ok.us/.
• No scanning! The “are you infected with DNS Changer” tool does not need to scan your computer.

If you think your computer is infected with DNS Changer or any other malware, please refer to the security guides from your operating system or the self -help references from our fix page (http://www.dcwg.org/fix).

The following table is a list of all easy “are you infected”  sites. It includes the links to the security organizations who are maintaining the sites. Each site has instructions in their local languages on the next steps to clean up possible infections.

If you are not affected by DNS Changer then do nothing.

If the Check-Up Site indicates that you are affected then either follow the instructions on that site or go to the “FIX” page.

Manually Checking if your DNS server have been Changed

The following pages would help check to manually see if you have DNS Changer DNS servers configured on your computer. Use of the “check up” pages are more effective, but some would want to check manually.

• Checking for DNS Changer on Windows XP
• Checking for DNS Changer on Windows Vista (pending)
• Checking Windows 7 for Infections
• Checking OSX for Infections

Would my Service Provider Help Me?

Many service providers are notifying their customers. They are creating help pages that will help you detect and clean up DNS Changer from your system. Here is a partial list. Please contact your SP if you do not see them on the list.

BIOSTAR announced the world’s first AMD FM2 motherboard approved by Microsoft Windows 8

July 5, 2012 Taipei, Taiwan – BIOSTAR, major manufacturer of motherboards, VGA cards, industrial computer systems and other peripherals, today announces that its’ AMD FM2 motherboard “Hi-Fi A85X” has received the Windows 8 hardware certification from Microsoft.

With the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) certification, BIOSTAR guarantees to deliver the most reliable, performance-driven solutions to power Microsoft Windows 8 and setting a standard for future Windows 8 certified motherboards.

You can enjoy the benefits and features of Microsoft new generation operating system, while having access to easy upgradability without any compatibility from BIOSTAR products. Please visit www.biostar.com.tw to learn more about us.

– GIGABYTE Launches World’s First Fully Certified Dual Port Thunderbolt™ Motherboards –

– Connects a Massive Twelve Thunderbolt™ Devices on the Fastest Connection to Your PC Ever –

Taipei, Taiwan, July 5th, 2012 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards,today announced the latest GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards, the very first to offer fully certified dual onboard Thunderbolt™ ports. Capable of connecting up to 12 devices plus 3 digital displays simultaneously, with breathtaking data transfer speeds that can transfer 1TB of data in only five minutes, GIGABYTE Thunderbolt™ motherboards offer the fastest connection interface ever on the desktop PC.

GIGABYTE Thunderbolt™ motherboards allow users to daisy chain up to 12 devices simultaneously via an incredible bi-directional 10Gbps data pipeline that includes both PCIe and DisplayPort traffic. GIGABYTE Thunderbolt™ motherboards redefine desktop PC connectivity to make it far easier to connect multiple high speed storage devices and HD displays to your PC than ever before.

“It’s easy to see how our unique dual port Thunderbolt implementation simply offers more,” commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. “We’re the only motherboard vendor currently offering DIY PC builders the absolute maximum in terms of device connectivity.”

“Thunderbolt technology represents a leap in performance and simplicity for media creators and entertainment enthusiasts,” says Jason Ziller, Intel’s director of Thunderbolt marketing. “We are pleased to be working with GIGABYTE as they bring the first dual Thunderbolt port motherboard to market. It’s a great example of what Thunderbolt makes possible.”

GIGABYTE Dual Thunderbolt™ motherboards open up a wealth of new possibilities regarding high-performance storage devices. GIGABYTE has worked closely with several leading device partners, including Promise® Technology, LaCie, BlackMagic, Western Digital, Seagate, Elgato, CalDigit and cable manufacturer Sumitomo:

“Working with GIGABYTE has been very exciting,” said Kosta Panagos, Director of Creative Marketing, at CalDigit. “GIGABYTE’s new line of Intel 7 series motherboards featuring dual Thunderbolt ports, will usher in a new era of flexibility to the PC platform. It is also a perfect match with CalDigit’s new T1 and T2 Thunderbolt drives which provide professional level performance on all platforms at consumer prices, a feat that was previously unattainable, thanks to GIGABYTE and Thunderbolt technology.”

“GIGABYTE’s new dual port Thunderbolt motherboards are an exciting innovation, giving incredible performance and are perfect for video and film professionals using Thunderbolt and the PC,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “Customers using our wide range of Thunderbolt devices will now be able to choose to work in whatever format they need, giving them the flexibility to build whatever production and post production workflow they need.”

“In line with GIGABYTE and its dual on board Thunderbolt ports, WD’s My Book® Thunderbolt™ Duo offers dual Thunderbolt ports for amazing creative flexibility while allowing daisy-chaining of up to six My Book Thunderbolt Duo drives or other high performance peripherals for fast and efficient workflow,” said Craig Davis, Director Sales & Marketing, Retail Division, Western Digital Asia Pacific & Japan Region.

“Thunderbolt technology is a fantastic way to deliver both data and display via one interface. It provides unparalleled performance and plenty of flexibility,” said Leo Paskin, Product Marketing Manager at Seagate. “With the ability to daisy chain up to 12 devices on GIGABYTE’s new dual port Thunderbolt motherboards, you can turn a desktop PC into a central device hub by plugging in a single cable!”

“As the first Intel certified cable vendor, Sumitomo is delighted to see GIGABYTE bring the first dual port Thunderbolt motherboard to market, creating the ultimate connectivity for desktop PCs, commented Motoi Matsuo. “These new Thunderbolt motherboards are also the perfect fit for Sumitomo’s exclusive high speed 20m optical cables.”

“Thanks to their dual Thunderbolt™ ports, Gigabyte’s new 7 series motherboards deliver unbeatable flexibility”, says Adam Steinberg, Vice President Marketing at Elgato. “The unique dual port feature enables users to combine multiple portable Thunderbolt™ devices like the powerful Elgato Thunderbolt™ SSD.”

“LaCie is pleased to see GIGABYTE announce Thunderbolt technology on their lasted motherboards,” said Erwan Girard, Professional Business Unit Manager, LaCie. “The time is now for demanding PC users, especially digital content creators, to experience the unprecedented speeds and advantages enabled by Thunderbolt Technology. The desire for computers and peripherals to keep up with their work flow is a concern of the past.”

Dual Thunderbolt™ – Fast, Flexible and Simple Connectivity for your Motherboard

GIGABYTE Thunderbolt™ motherboards are the first to be certified by Intel featuring dual Thunderbolt™ ports directly on the motherboard back panel I/O, with each Thunderbolt™ port supporting a maximum data transfer speeds with simultaneous bi-directional data transfer at speeds of up to 10Gbps – this means you can transfer a full HD 1080p movie in under 30 seconds.

GIGABYTE’s dual port Thunderbolt™ implementation ensures the absolute maximum potential connectivity, with support to connect up to 12 individual devices simultaneously, with each port offering full 10Gbps bandwidth.

Thunderbolt™ combines both DisplayPort and PCI Express protocols over a single cable so that users can connect a multitude of device types in tandem with HD streaming video and 8-channel audio, simultaneously in one specially developed cable. Users can also enjoy improved flexibility by ‘daisy-chaining’ several devices while still enjoying low latency and industry-leading data transfer speeds.

GIGABYTE Thunderbolt™ Motherboards Models

Dual Thunderbolt™ Ports are featured on the following GIGABYTE motherboard models:

GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH

GIGABYTE Z77X-UP4 TH

GIGABYTE Z77MX-D3H TH

According to WSJ and AFP news, Apple is preparing to launch a smaller tablet to compete with the Android tablets of various sizes.

Early leaked information claimed that the new iPad will feature a smaller than eight inches (20 centimeters), compared to the 9.7-inch (25-centimeter) screen on Apple’s market-leading iPad, launched in 2010.

It is cited that Apple was working with screen-makers LG Display of South Korea and Taiwan’s AU Optronics.

So will you be getting one ?

Here are the results tested on a Intel H55 board with an external 1.5TB Seagate USB 2.0 HDD. 

As the patch increases the block size, it will have more impact on sequential read and write.

From CrystalDiskMark, we can clearly see that the sequential read increases from 34MB/s to 43MB/s giving a 26% increase in speed. Likewise the write performance is increased from 23MB/s to 27MB/s, a 15.58% improvement.

Here are the results before patch.

Results after patching

How to improve your USB transfer speed by increasing the maximum transfer size of 64KB block to 2MB in the Usbstor.sys driver

Those who are using USB 2 devices would complain about the slowness in USB 2.0 transfers being capped at ~ 30MB/s

In fact, this is limited due to Windows default setting of a 64KB transfer block size. By updating your windows registry and modifying it to 2MB transfer, the USB performance can easily exceed 30MB/s reaching 40MB/s and above. The results using CrystalDiskMark can be found here.

You will need to download the hotfix from here.

After you install this update, to increase the maximum transfer size of USB storage devices, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   

   , type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.

2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\usbstor\VVVVPPPP
3. Click Edit, point to New, and then click DWORDValue.
4. Type MaximumTransferLength, and then press Enter.
5. Click Edit, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type a value to specify the maximum transfer size between 64KB and 2MB. For example, you select Decimal and type a value between 65535 (64K) and 2097120 (2M).
7. Exit Registry Editor.

Notes

• VVVV represents device descriptor idVendor in hexadecimal.
• PPPP represents device descriptor idProduct in hexadecimal.

Additional file information

Additional file information for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2

Additional files for all supported x86-based versions of Windows 7

Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows 7 and of Windows Server 2008 R2

Additional files for all supported IA-64–based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2

The results before and after the patch can be found here.

OCZ Vertex 4 series, the fastest SSD available on the market, just became even faster with the latest 1.5 firmware release. The higher capacity drives have a significant increase on sequential writes which now reaches up to 510MB/s.

Physical
Usable Capacities (IDEMA)	64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
NAND Components	2Xnm Synchronous Multi-Level Cell (MLC)
Interface	SATA III / 6Gbps (backwards compatible with SATA II / 3Gbps)
Form Factor	2.5 Inch
NAND Controller	Indilinx Everest 2
DRAM Cache	Up to 1GB
Dimensions (L x W x H)	99.8 x 69.63 x 9.3 mm