Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has announced that it will start to install equipment needed to produce 10nm chips in one of its semiconductor fabrication facilities next month. The company hopes to start risk production of 10nm chips late this year. TSMC will start to construct its 10nm pilot line at …
Read More »OCZ readies its first TLC NAND-based Trion SSDs
OCZ Storage Solutions, a maker of solid-state drives controlled by Toshiba Corp., is working on a new family of client SSDs powered by triple-level cell (TLC) NAND flash memory. The new solid-state storage devices will be aimed at inexpensive PCs, they will provide performance comparable to that of advanced SATA-6Gb/s …
Read More »Adata’s and G.Skill’s DDR4 memory modules hit 4GHz with air cooling
Adata, one of the world’s largest independent makers of memory modules, and G.Skill, a leading producer of enthusiast-class memory solutions for overclockers, this week said that their commercially available DDR4 modules can hit 4.0GHz frequency without use of extreme cooling methods. Engineers from Adata used MSI’s X99 Xpower AC mainboard, …
Read More »Silverstone debuts ultra-small 700W SFX PSU with 80 Plus Platinum certificate
Silverstone, a leading producer of power supply units, computer cases and other PC hardware, is about to introduce the world’s first small form-factor SFX PSUs that can deliver up to 700W of power and which are compliant with Ecos Consulting’s 80 Plus Gold and Platinum guidelines. The Silverstone 700W SFX-L …
Read More »Oculus VR headset and a PC to run it will cost $1500 – CEO of Oculus VR
Brendan Iribe, chief executive officer of Oculus VR, said that virtual reality gaming will be a relatively expensive thing, when it becomes commercially available early in 2016. The head of the company claims that a starting VR package will cost around $1500, which is considerably more than the price of …
Read More »LG quietly introduces 27-inch 4K UHD FreeSync monitor
LG Electronics has quietly added one of the most advanced AMD FreeSync-supporting displays announced to date into its product lineup. The monitor combines AMD’s variable refresh rate technology with ultra-high-definition 4K resolution, a combination not available previously. The display is about to become available in Australia. The LG 27MU67 monitor …
Read More »Be quiet! shows how its PSUs are made
Be quiet!, a leading producer of power supply units, cooling systems and other similar devices, has decided to show its customers how its products are made in a bid to demonstrate why its quality is higher compared to that of its rivals. Manufacturing of microprocessors and computer memory requires state-of-the-art …
Read More »JEDEC finalizes standard for ‘hybrid’ DDR4 NAND memory modules
JEDEC, a leading stanard setting organization, this week announced the first standards for support of “hybrid” memory modules that fit into DDR4 DRAM memory slots, but contain NAND flash memory. Such non-volatile dual in-line memory modules (NVDIMMs) will be used for ultra-high-performance storage devices as well as for ultra-secure DRAM …
Read More »Intel Core i7-6700K ‘Skylake’ test results: 4–8% faster than Core i7-4790K
A web-site has published what it claims to be early benchmark results of Intel Corp.’s Core i7-6700K microprocessor based on the “Skylake” micro-architecture. If the results are accurate, then the new chips will be at least four to eight per cent faster than the current mainstream processors with unlocked multiplier. …
Read More »Nvidia strengthens positions as market of graphics cards shrinks
Nvidia Corp. has managed to increase its share in the market of standalone graphics cards for personal computers, according to Jon Peddie Research. The market of graphics adapters for desktops in Q1 2015 decreased again to a new low in years, which is an alarming sign for developers of graphics …
Read More »Qualcomm teams up with Chinese government for server CPUs
Qualcomm Technologies has reportedly signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Chinese government under which it will develop server-class microprocessors. The chips will eventually be used inside Chinese servers, which will ensure a steady revenue stream for Qualcomm. Under the terms of the document signed by Qualcomm and the authorities, …
Read More »Colorful could become world’s second largest maker of graphics cards
Colorful is not a brand name that is well known in Europe and the U.S. because the company’s primary focus market is China. However, this manufacturer of graphics adapters may well become one the world’s largest suppliers of appropriate products this year in terms of unit sales, only behind Palit …
Read More »Intel: We know how to produce 7nm chips
Intel Corp. will likely start making central processing units using 10nm fabrication process next year, but the company is already hard at work developing an even more advanced process technology. According to Intel, it already knows well how to produce chips at 7nm node. “After 10nm, comes 7nm [manufacturing technology] …
Read More »DRAM prices hit new lows in May – report
Prices of dynamic random access memory have been declining rather rapidly this year because of weak demand for personal computers and tablets. According to a media report, DRAM prices are the lowest in about 26 months. DRAM sport prices dropped around 9 per cent in the second quarter of 2015, …
Read More »Biostar demonstrates Intel Z170 mainboard for ‘Skylake’ processors
Biostar has published the first image of its Intel Z170-based mainboard for Intel Corp.’s upcoming processors code-named “Skylake”. The motherboard will be hit the market later this year and will be demonstrated at Computex trade-show next month. Biostar’s Gaming Z170X4 mainboard for LGA1151 processors is equipped with 12-phase voltage regulation …
Read More »Samsung vows to start 10nm chip production in 2016
Samsung Electronics this week announced that it will start high-volume production of semiconductors using its 10nm manufacturing process by the end of next year. The company also showcased a wafer processed using the technology for the first time. Samsung Foundry did not reveal a lot of information about its 10nm …
Read More »Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti: Specifications and photos revealed
As the launch of Nvidia Corp.’s GeForce GTX 980 Ti graphics card is approaching, more details about the upcoming add-in-board get revealed. Two web-sites have published specifications of the new enthusiast-class graphics solution from Nvidia as well as the first photos of the reference GeForce GTX 980 Ti adapter. As …
Read More »Sharkoon introduces a tiny card that adds USB 3.1 to every PC
Sharkoon, a well-known maker of personal computer peripherals, has introduced a new host controller card that adds two type-A USB 3.1 ports to existing PCs. The card is compatible with all mainboards in use today and will reach retail market shortly. Unfortunately, the card is not exactly perfect. Sharkoon’s USB …
Read More »Samsung to release Ultra HD Blu-ray disc player this year
Samsung Electronics has confirmed plans to release an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc player this week. The new company did not reveal any details, but reaffirmed that leading makers of electronics are on track with devices that will playback 4K video later this year. Yonhap News reports that a representative of …
Read More »AMD’s new flagship Radeon ‘Fiji XT’ pictured: moderate size, LCS
Johan Andersson, technical director of Frostbite at Electronic Arts, has published a picture of AMD’s next-generation flagship graphics card code-named “Fiji XT” in a Twitter post. The new top-of-the-range AMD Radeon graphics solution does not look like graphics cards available today. As it appears, the new enthusiast-class AMD Radeon “Fiji XT” graphics …
Read More »Intel: We will reveal schedule for 10nm chips later this year
Intel Corp. has been particularly tight-lipped about its roadmap concerning microprocessors to be made using 10nm fabrication process. However, on Friday the company said that development of the 10nm technology is progressing well and it will share more information about products it plans to produce using the process later this year. …
Read More »Intel bids adieu to DDR3: Majority of ‘Skylake-S’ mainboards to use DDR4
Intel Corp.’s upcoming code-named “Skylake-S” microprocessor will promote the new DDR4 memory standard considerably more aggressively than it was initially believed. Although integrated memory controller of “Skylake” supports different types of DRAM, the processors will not officially support DDR3, but will only be compatible with a low-power version of the …
Read More »EA preps Need for Speed reboot: new NFS Underground could be in development
Electronic Arts this week announced that it will reboot the Need for Speed franchise later this year with a new game that promises to start a new era for the series. Based on the initial information, the new title will inherit the soul of the legendary Need for Speed Underground. …
Read More »Asustek readies 21 mainboards for Intel’s ‘Skylake-S’ processors
Being the world’s largest maker of mainboards, Asustek Computer traditionally offers the broadest lineup of motherboards for all new microprocessors. This fall Asus plans to introduce 21 new platforms designed for Intel Corp.’s upcoming code-named “Skylake-S”central processing units. Intel’s “Skylake-S” processors will be supported by the company’s new 100-series core-logic sets, …
Read More »Super Talent unveils external SSD with USB 3.1, up to 750MB/s read speed
Super Talent Technology, a well-known producer of various NAND flash-based storage devices, has unveiled one of the world’s first external solid-state drives with USB 3.1 interface. The new product combines portable sizes, high storage capacities and very high performance. The Super Talent USB 3.1 portable RAIDDrive consists of two M.2 …
Read More »Sharp Aquos 4K Next TV: RGBY panel, virtual 8K UHD upconversion
Ultra-high-definition televisions with 8K (7680*4320) resolution are expected to hit the market only sometimes in 2018, but Sharp this week introduced its new ultra-high-definition television that promises to upconvert FHD and 4K UHD video to virtual 8K resolution with the help of complex graphics rendering algorithms. The new TV also …
Read More »AMD clarifies cross-license with Intel: change of control terminates agreement for both
Advanced Micro Devices has clarified terms of the cross-license agreement with Intel Corp. on Thursday. As it appears, if either AMD or Intel change their control (i.e., gets acquired), the cross-license agreement between the two companies is automatically terminated for both parties. AMD and Intel have a cross-licensing agreement, which …
Read More »FSP debuts Hydro G PSUs: 90% efficient, cool, quiet, affordable
FSP, a leading manufacturer of power supply units for personal computers, has announced its new Hydro G series PSUs that combine high efficiency, improved cooling, modular design, silent operation, mainstream price and even changeable logotype colours. The FSP Hydro G power supply units are compliant with Ecos Consulting’s 80 Plus …
Read More »OCZ unveils Z-Drive 6000/6300: up to 6.4TB, 2.9GB/s, NVMe 1.1b
OCZ Storage Solutions has officially announced its new Z-Drive 6000- and 6300-series solid-state drives for high-performance computing systems, such as servers, workstations and ultra-high-end desktops. The drives offer various capacity points, different performance and PCI Express x4 3.0 interface. The new SSDs fully support non-volatile memory express (NVMe) 1.1b protocol …
Read More »Intel ‘Skylake’ launch schedule revealed: CPUs to arrive in August
Intel Corp. has reportedly finalized its launch schedules for the upcoming code-named “Skylake” central processing units. According to a timetable published by a Chinese web-site, various “Skylake” chips are set to arrive to the market between August and November. Intel plans to demonstrate its next-generation “Skylake” microprocessors at its Intel …
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