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AMD

Submission + - AMD's Phenom II 965: 3.4GHz, 140 Watts, $245 (techreport.com)

Submitted by AnInkle
AnInkle writes: At a time when power consumption is a top concern and most applications are rarely constrained by the CPU, AMD bolsters it's lineup by releasing a new top-end 140-watt TDP rated processor. The Phenom II X4 965 clocks in at 3.4GHz and debuts at about the same price as Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9550, indicating it's not intended to steal the performance crown. Nevertheless, this processor could further enhance AMD's competitiveness across the middle of the market, where even most performance-minded shoppers make their selections. Check out The Tech Report's benchmarks and analysis for the scoop, including a careful look at total system power use and those oh-so-much-fun scatter graphs, which illustrate the value proposition among 21 processors from both teams.
Graphics

Submission + - $700 may be all you need to spend on a gaming PC (techreport.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The recession is hitting hard, but this doesn't have to be a bad time for PC gamers. On the contrary: hardware has gotten cheap enough that you can build a surprisingly powerful gaming desktop for surprisingly little. The Tech Report's latest system guide is a prime example. The fourth page details a $689 configuration that has a triple-core AMD Phenom II, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 (with 216 SPs), four gigs of RAM, and an accompaniment of fast, quiet, and high-quality components (including an 80%-efficient PSU). The result? A PC that lets you play every current game at 1920x1200--usually with a healthy dose of antialiasing--which should be enough for the vast majority of gamers out there.
Intel

Submission + - Intel's kid-friendly tablet netbook turns heads (techreport.com)

Submitted by J. Dzhugashvili
J. Dzhugashvili writes: The first two generations of Intel's Classmate PC were little more than glorified netbooks, but the latest model looks to turn the platform on its head... literally. Featuring an 8.9" swiveling touch screen, a rugged design, and a variety of education-centric applications, the new Convertible Classmate PC aims to revolutionize the way children learn—and steal the One Laptop Per Child project's thunder in the process. The Tech Report's in-depth review of the Convertible Classmate PC concludes, "[this] might very well be the ideal netbook for kids. Adults who are simply looking for a durable, ultra-portable tablet may find the system interesting, as well." Indeed, unlike with the OLPC XO-1, you can cough up the $500 and buy a Convertible Classmate PC for your personal use (or your kid's) right now.
Input Devices

Submission + - Das Keyboard vs. Model M: fight! (techreport.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Can a newfangled clicky keyboard with a $130 price tag outdo the venerable Model M in terms of comfort and tactile feedback? The Tech Report got to the bottom of the issue in a thorough review of the Das Keyboard Professional, comparing the purported 'best keyboard on the planet' with IBM's old-fashioned classic. Which one comes out on top? The author says it's like picking between 'two slightly different flavors of delicious ice cream.'
Portables

Submission + - Intel's third-gen Classmate PC tablet previewed (techreport.com)

Submitted by J. Dzhugashvili
J. Dzhugashvili writes: As the OLPC organization cuts huge chunks of its staff, Intel has revealed its third-generation Classmate PC for kids in developing nations. The Tech Report has posted a hands-on preview with plenty of photos and a look at the machine's hardware and capabilities. Apparently, the new Intel netbook has plenty of perks, including a convertible tablet design with a stylus and 8.9" touch-sensitive screen, a 1.6GHz Atom processor, Windows XP, and 3.3-5 hours of battery life (depending on the model).
AMD

Submission + - 45nm Phenom II matches Core 2 Quad, trails Core i7 (techreport.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: AMD is debuting its 45nm Phenom II processors today, and The Tech Report has already run them through a complete suite of benchmarks to see how they perform compared to Intel's latest and greatest. The result? The new 2.8GHz and 3GHz Phenom IIs are in a dead heat with like-priced Core 2 Quads, but they generally fall well behind Intel's new Core i7 chips. TR concludes that AMD's future doesn't look as bleak as some say, and future Phenom IIs could compete favorably with more affordable Core i7 derivatives.

Comment Re:Breaking news! (Score 1) 366

by JohnnyBigodes (#25804363) Attached to: AIX On the Desktop Is Getting the Boot

Conquering the world :D

Seriously, I'm sure they would come up with something. And I would be okay with BG3 not following BG2 in terms of story. NWN was nice but it wasn't really a sequel IMO. Little actual roleplaying, and the main campaign was short and kinda weak. Personal opinion anyway.
AMD

Submission + - AMD postpones Fusion CPU-GPU hybrids until 2011 (techreport.com)

Submitted by J. Dzhugashvili
J. Dzhugashvili writes: While it previously intended to launch x86 processors with built-in graphics cores in 2009, AMD announced during its Financial Analyst Day presentation that its first "Fusion" chips won't debut until 2011. The company now intends to launch CPU-GPU hybrids together with its new Bulldozer architecture on a 32nm process technology, leaving its current architecture to compete against Intel's Nehalem processors (which will start featuring built-in graphics cores next year) in the meantime. On the upside, AMD has also announced four new processors aimed at mainstream notebooks, ultra-light laptops, and netbooks.
Portables (Apple)

Submission + - Apple's aluminum MacBook: a PC enthusiast's take (techreport.com) 1

Submitted by J. Dzhugashvili
J. Dzhugashvili writes: You often hear Mac fans talking about the latest and greatest Apple hardware, but what's it like for a PC enthusiast to make the switch? Cyril Kowaliski at The Tech Report has traded his ThinkPad for one of Apple's $1,299 aluminum MacBooks in order to answer that question. How does the MacBook compare to a rugged PC laptop, and does Mac OS X really have what it takes to compete with Windows? Also, can the new MacBook handle Windows Vista and Team Fortress 2 as well as it runs iTunes and iPhoto?
Data Storage

Submission + - "Green" 1TB Caviar popular enough for refr (techreport.com)

Submitted by AnInkle
AnInkle writes: "Green" versions of popular tech products, including PC hardware, are long past the novel stage. Many are popular enough that companies are releasing 2nd and 3rd generations of the supposedly eco-friendly products. When Western Digital released its GreenPower Caviar GP earlier this year, it had decent performance and consumed significantly less power than other terabyte hard drives. Apparently it's been successful enough that Western Digital has come out with a 2.0 version, of sorts, for this terabyte drive, with three 333 GB platters and a variable (still undeterminable) spindle speed. The Tech Report compares the new version to twelve other hard drives, including the original Caviar GP, and finds improvements in some areas, not so much in others. But for the marquee features of this model (power, heat, and noise), tree lovers should be pleased with the improvements.
Software

Submission + - Badaboom 1.0 uses NVIDIA GPUs to transcode video (techreport.com)

Submitted by AnInkle
AnInkle writes: NVIDIA has made a lot of noise about its CUDA general-purpose programming interface, and Elemental Technologies announced several weeks ago that they were preparing a GPU-based encoder for release. Though CUDA-based consumer applications are hard to find, version 1.0 of Badaboom Media Converter is now available, harnessing a GPU to convert videos for use on portable devices. The Tech Report spoke with Elemental CEO Sam Blackman about the software and shares what they learned about format and hardware compatibility, Elemental's performance claims, how DivX will be supported, and whether Badaboom can automagically send your copy-protected DVDs to your iPhone (with apologies to David Lynch).
Data Storage

Submission + - An in-depth look at Seagate's 1.5TB Barracuda

Submitted by
theraindog
theraindog writes: "More than a year and a half after the first terabyte hard drives became widely available, Seagate has reached the next storage capacity milestone. With 1.5 terabytes, the latest Barracuda 7200.11 serves up 50% more capacity than its peers, and at a surprisingly affordable $0.12 per gigabyte. But Seagate's decision to drop new platters into an old Barracuda shell may not have been a wise one. The Tech Report's in-depth review of the world's first 1.5TB hard drive shows that while the latest 'cuda is screaming fast in synthetic throughput drag races, poor real world write speeds ultimately tarnish its appeal."

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