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OCZ Jumps on the Fatal1ty Bandwagon with latest DDR2 and DDR3-July 23, 2008
OCZ Technology has introduced a new series of enthusiast-level DDR2 and DDR3 memory, branded as the Fatal1ty Series, and which OCZ contends were co-developed with the expertise of Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, a 12-time World Champion professional gamer. These OCZ Fatal1ty Series modules are specifically tuned for the requirements of high-end gamers, and are the official memory of the Championship Gaming Series (CGS). The first memory kits to be introduced under the OCZ Fatal1ty Professional Series line include DDR2-800/1066 and DDR3-1333 matched pairs, in high-end configurations.
The OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Fatal1ty Edition dual channel kit features 2x2GB modules running at 800 MHz and featuring EP-ready timings of 5-4-4-18. The OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 Fatal1ty Edition upgrades the clock to 1066 MHz, but backs down to a 2x1GB configuration, along with EPP timings of 5-5-5-15. The DDR3 PC3-10666 Fatal1ty Edition ramps up to a full 1333 MHz, while offering standard timings of 9-9-9-26 and is available in both 2x1GB and 2x2GB kits. The Fatal1ty Edition all share one thing: Fatal1ty-branded XTC heatspreaders with OCZ's XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) technology. "Fatal1ty knows what it takes to win at the highest level of eSports, and these new kits deliver superior stability and performance to gamers whether you are a professional player on the Championship Gaming Series, or a weekend warrior looking to dominate when playing the latest titles," commented Alex Mei, Chief Marketing Officer of the OCZ Technology Group. OCZ has not yet announced suggested retail pricing on the Fatal1ty Edition memory.
Related Link: OCZ Technology Toshiba Extends Notebook Line with 5400 and 7200-RPM Drives-July 17, 2008
Toshiba Storage has updated its 2.5" mobile hard drive lineup with a pair of new product introductions. The Toshiba MK4058GSX is a 400GB, 5400-RPM mobile hard drive in the 2.5" form factor. It is Toshiba's 58th generation 2.5-inch hard drive, and provides 400GB through dual 200GB platters, an industry first at this range. The MK4058GSX features a SATA 3.0 Gb/s interface, an 8MB data buffer, and an average seek time of 8ms. Toshiba contends that this combination of high capacity, light weight, quiet seeks, and 5400-RPM speed has reduced acoustics to nearly imperceptible levels.
The Toshiba MKxx54GSY series offers a wide variety of capacities, including 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, 250GB, and 320GB, all featuring a 7200-RPM spindle speed. The MKxx54GSY models feature a 16MB data cache and a SATA 3.0 Gb/s interface, while average seek times are 10.5ms for read and 12ms for write duties. For added durability in mobile applications, there is an option of adding a free-fall sensor to this series. Toshiba is also promoting the eco-friendly design and power-saving features of these new drives, adding that the MK4058GSX takes this initiative further by discontinuing the usage of specified hazardous halogens and toxic chemicals across all components incorporated in the drive, while achieving low power idle specifications of 0.6W on the MK4058GSX and 0.9W for the MKxx54GSY series. Toshiba has not yet announced suggested retail prices on these new 2.5" hard drives.
Related Link: Toshiba Storage Patriot Hits "Warp" Speed with New Line of Solid State Drives-July 17, 2008
Patriot Memory is the latest company to join the Sold State Drive (SSD) revolution, having unveiled its new Warp lineup of SSDs. These latest Sold State Drives are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities, and offer the usual selection of advantages over standard, mechanical hard drives. With no moving parts, and dispensing with traditional magnetic platters, the NAND flash technology present in Patriot's Warp SSD series allows for lower seek times, faster data read/write performance and enhanced reliability, all with a lower power-usage envelope.
Data integrity is also of paramount importance, and Patriot's Warp SSD provides Error Checking and Correction (ECC), along with proprietary wear-leveling algorithms, which ensure both an extended lifespan and increased data integrity. The Patriot Warp drives offer a SATA 3.0 Gb/s interface, sequential read data rates of up to 130MB/s, sequential write speeds of up to 60MB/s, a MTBF of 1,000,000 hours, data retention of 10 years, a weight of 88 grams, and a power consumption spec of only 540mA. Patriot is also marketing these outside the notebook market, projecting these high-speed drives as solutions for desktops, laptops, workstations, servers, and PC enthusiasts. OS support includes Windows 2000/XP/Vista, MAC OSX, and Linux, but Patriot has yet to announce suggested retail pricing.
Related Link: Patriot Memory OCZ Adds the Elixir Keyboard to its Alchemy Gaming Line-July 15, 2008
OCZ Technology has incorporated the new Elixir Keyboard to its line of Alchemy gaming peripherals, expanding its influence into the controller market and offering another OCZ-branded solution for enthusiast gamers. The keyboard itself offers a sleek and sturdy rectangular format, with 10 tri-mode programmable macro keys up the left and right sides of the unit. Other features include a pop-up menu shortcut and Windows Media Players optical controller, and there are five Internet hot keys, eight media keys and a Mode Selection button to switch between standard and gaming modes.
The Elixir keyboard features membrane tactical keys with 100% rubber-coating for no-slip gaming and excellent comfort. The OCZ Elixir supports a USB 2.0 connection, and functions as a single USB hub. The keyboard weighs 1.85 pounds and has a lifespan of 5 million cycles. "Just because gamers have a budget doesn't mean they shouldn't enjoy premium gaming features, and our first Alchemy solution the Elixir gaming keyboard is designed with quality ergonomics and offers efficient game-play with programmable macro keys," said Eugene Chang, Product Manager of the OCZ Technology Group. The OCZ Elixir series is compatible with Windows XP SP2 or higher, and Windows Vista.
Related Link: OCZ Technology Seagate Unleashes 1.5TB of Storage with the Latest Barracuda Hard Drive-July 11, 2008
Seagate has upped the storage ante with the latest Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB hard drive being the first single drive to reach that capacity. The 500GB increase is also the largest disk capacity jump in the history of hard drives, adding 50% to the current crop of 1TB performance models. This new model naturally uses perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology to squeeze 1.5TB onto a 4-platter drive. The rest of the specifications are standard for the Barracuda 7200.11 class, including a Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s interface, a 7200-RPM speed, and 32MB of cache.
In addition to the 1.5TB desktop unit, Seagate has also extended the Momentus line to include a pair of new 500GB mobile 2.5" hard drives. The Momentus 5400.6 mobile drive is a standard notebook model, sporting a 5400-RPM spindle speed, a Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s interface, and 8MB of data cache. The higher-end Momentus 7200.4 500GB hard drive is also a 2.5" mobile unit, but it has been upgraded in some very important areas. In addition to sharing a SATA 3.0 Gb/s interface, the drive spins at 7200-RPM and includes a 16MB of cache. All Barracuda and Momentus drives feature a 5-year warranty, and Seagate states that the Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB will ship in August 2008, while the Momentus 5400.6 and 7200.4 500GB drives will hit a bit later, in the 4th quarter of 2008.
Related Link: Seagate Lancool Unveils their K1 and K1-Pro Mid-Tower Cases-July 10, 2008
Lancool, a brand owned by Lian-Li, has announced a set of new mid-tower cases. The Lancool K1 and K1-Pro are somewhat hybrid designs, offering a steel inner-core for additional strength, but with a lower weight than a full-metal frame. Lancool states that this makes the cases 40% stronger than all-aluminum chassis, and at a significant cost savings, and while the 7.2kg weight exceeds that of an aluminum case, it is lighter than a standard design. The cases support full ATX, and micro-ATX form factor motherboards, features an all aluminum chassis exterior, and all case internals have been honed and smoothed for added safety.
Both the Lancool K1 and K1-Pro cases feature blue LEDs mounted in the front and back, and a windowed side-panel. Lancool also promotes these to the modder community, as the outer aluminum housing is easily cut and configured, while the internal steel core provides exceptional stability. As for system cooling, both cases feature a back-mounted 120mm extraction fan (1000RPM), while a 140mm intake fan (900RPM) supplies cool air at the front. Silent padding to the front panel reduces noise levels, and the side panels have special anti-vibration clips. Other features include a removable motherboard tray, vent holes on the PCI slot brackets, 7x PCI slots, 5x 5.25" bays, an I/O bracket with dust cover on the top panel (2x USB2.0 / 1x IEEE1394 / and HD+AC97 Audio), and a secure PSU bay designed to keep the power supply rigid during transportation. Special clips on the back of the motherboard tray handle cable management, and there is a set of pre-bored holes for water pipes/water cooling.
Related Link: Lancool Albatron Adopts Retrotechnology with new PCI Graphics Cards-July 10, 2008
Just when we thought AGP was on its last legs, Albatron has sent word that they are introducing a new series of GeForce 8-based graphics cards... in the PCI format. The company refers to this as Albatron Retrotechnology and promotes the idea that there are millions of existing motherboards without AGP or PCI Express slots, illustrating a very large potential market for these new models. Whether owners of these older platforms will rise to the bait is another question entirely, and it seems more likely to attract new platform owners looking to expand to a multi-LCD desktop using secondary PCI graphics cards.
There are three new Albatron PCI video cards, the PCI8600GT-256X, the PCI8500GT-256X and the PCI8400GS-256, all of which retrofit mainstream GeForce 8400-8600 graphics onto older PCI technology. This type of video card not only supplies PCI-based platforms with a huge performance boost, but also provides multi-monitor capabilities. Albatron certainly promotes the "add in a PCI graphics card, add on 2nd, 3rd or 4th monitor" mantra, which will allow virtually any system to create additional LCD real estate and functionality, all through a single PCI video card upgrade. Albatron also states that their PCI GeForce 8 Series VGA cards significantly outperform integrated graphics by up to 1329%, and the cards are low-profile models that allow for easy installation even in smaller cases. Albatron has not yet provided suggested retail pricing.
Related Link: Albatron Lian-Li Releases New Case Accessories-July 9, 2008
Two new products have been announced by Lian-Li, the well-known case manufacturer. The first is the EX-H33 HDD rack mount kit, which is an all-aluminum frame and housing that supports up to 3x 3.5" hard drives. The EX-H33 HDD rack sports a front-loading door and a back panel PCB that supports SATA HDD configurations in a Hot Swap Plug & Play configuration. A 120mm fan running at 10,000 RPM keeps things cool, and a washable nylon filter keeps dust out. The rack takes up the same space as 3x5.25" drives, and can be installed into the front 5.25" panels of most modern cases. This helps current system owners with storage upgrade needs, but without the available 3.5" drive bays.
The second new product from Lian-Li is the TR-5 Fan Bus & Temp gauge combo unit, which takes up a single 5.25" drive bay, and displays and controls various fan speeds, temperatures and other data using a front-mounted LCD panel. The options are quite detailed, and allow control of up to four different temperature and fan speeds - the CPU, VGA and System temperature/fan settings and read-outs. The unit can switch between readings at a touch of a button, and features an Alarm/Date and Time function. Fan speeds can also be regulated according to the temperature readings and end user settings, providing an automatic adaptable option, or by forcing a manual setting for consistent fan speeds. If temperatures rise past allowable limits, or a fan stops working, the TR-5 will sound an alarm. The TR-5 Fan Bus & Temp gauge combo unit comes in two designs, metallic silver and matte black, but Lian-Li has yet to announce pricing.
Related Link: Lian-Li Newest OCZ DDR3 Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profiles-July 7, 2008
OCZ Technology has unleashed its latest DDR3 memory, this time for the Intel X38 and X48 platforms, and offering full support for Intel Extreme Memory Profiles (XMP) technology. XMP is a proprietary extension of SPD (Serial Presence Detect), and it functions like NVIDIA EPP, offering users an easy way to overclock memory on supported Intel motherboards. The XMP settings on these OCZ DDR3 modules allows multiple profiles at different clock speeds, memory timings and voltage settings. The new series includes matched pair kits rated at DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1600 speeds, and both feature an all-new Intel branded black XTC heatspreader.
The OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666 Intel Extreme Edition modules are available in both 2GB and 4GB matched pair kits, and run at a 1333 MHz default clock at 7-7-7-20 timings using a 1.75V default voltage. The second XMP profile allows for a 1600 MHz clock, while easing the timings to 9-9-9-28 and using a slightly higher 1.8V voltage. The EVP (Extended Voltage Protection) on these DDR3-1333 kits is 1.9V. The DDR3 PC3-12800 Intel Extreme Edition memory (also available in 2GB/4GB configurations) runs at a higher 1600 MHz default clock, but at lower 7-7-7-24 timings and a 1.9V voltage. Profile 2 provides an 1800 MHz clock, at 9-9-9-31 timings and 1.9V. The EVP is a bit higher at 2.0V. OCZ has not yet announced suggested retail prices on these DDR3 modules.
Related Link: OCZ Technology |
