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Mac OS X 10.6.7 suggests support for generic video cards
Hacker Tony of TonyMacx86 discovered that the latest Mac OS X 10.6.7 update for the 2011 MacBook Pro includes native graphics acceleration for select AMD and ATI video cards. These cards include seven Radeon 5xxx and three 6xxx models that are not present in any shipping Mac products. Several of these AMD/ATI cards may debut in the upcoming refresh of the Apple iMac line, but Tony believes Apple's support for these cards extends beyond built-in hardware. The hacker proposes the idea that Apple may support off-the-shelf video solutions in its upcoming desktop models. In this scenario, a Mac user would be able to swap out their video card, similar to how PC users replace video hardware on their Windows machines. Most Macs do not currently offer user-replaceable video cards, with the exception of the Mac Pro line; even there, only a very small subset of the cards on the market have Mac-compatible drivers. [Via MacNN]
ATI Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 reviewed, deemed worthy of the midrange
AMD's Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 graphics cards are here, but they might not be what you expect -- though alphanumerics suggest they'd succeed the lauded Radeon HD 5870 and 5850, these new "Bart" chips are actually a pair of solid plays for the PC gaming mainstream. $180 buys you a Radeon HD 6850 with 960 stream processors, a 775MHz core clock and 1GB of GDDR5 memory at a 1GHz effective rate, and $240 nets the HD 6870 with 1120 stream processors and 900MHz / 1,050 MHz clocks respectively. On paper that puts them a good bit behind the finest, but a collection of reviews show they can keep up with the pack, as the 6870 consistently manages to surpass the framerates possible with NVIDIA's $200 GeForce GTX 460, and even the cheaper 6850 can do the same in certain games. Some reports indicate they run a good bit hotter than their predecessors, however, so despite the bevy of ports they're probably not right for your next HTPC. Hit up the reviews below for some promising benchmarks, and if you aren't turned away by AMD's lipsticking of the pig, you'll find ten varieties already for sale at our source link. PR after the break. Update: NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 460 768MB now sells for $170, so there's definitely still some mid-range muscle in the green camp. Read - AnandTech Read (1), (2) - Guru3D Read - HardOCP Read (1), (2) - Bit-tech Read - Hot Hardware Read - PC Perspective Read - Legit Reviews Read - Techgage Read (1), (2) - TweakTown Read - Hexus Read (1), (2) - TechPowerUp Read - HotHardware Read - TechSpot Read - Vortez
AMD kills ATI brand, you can look forward to blood-stained Radeons
This, dear friends, is a sad, sad day. ATI, the name of hope for all PC gamers who were sick and tired of NVIDIA rebadging the same GPU over the past couple of years, is to be no more. The callous souls over at AMD have decided that our little consumer brains aren't sophisticated enough to handle two awesome brands, so they're just axing the use of the ATI moniker from here on out. Product line names will be retained, with the Radeon and FirePro branding still intact, but ATI Eyefinity will now be known as AMD Eyefinity. The first graphics cards to, erm, benefit from the new nomenclature will ship "later this year," and the whole thing is said to have been motivated by AMD's move to Fusion APUs -- hybrid CPU and GPU chips -- where it's considered beneficial to have a unified branding strategy. Great, but did anyone consider the fact that the graphics wars will now be fought between two teams wearing green jerseys?
HP Envy 14 review
The HP Envy 14 is like the final revision of a C+ term paper that always had potential, but just needed an bit of extra information and refinement to get an A. In fact, when HP introduced the Envy 14, the company was rather blunt about the fact that many of the issues that plagued the original Envy systems had been addressed, including the lack of an optical drive and backlight keyboard, the frustrating touchpad and the heat caused by the Core i7 processor. On paper, the 14.5-inch Envy 14 has everything we wanted to see in those first models while still maintaining its beautiful yet tough etched aluminum chassis. It's also got a new lower $999 starting price, though our review unit rang up at $1,290. So, has the Envy 14 finally make its way to the head of the class? We've spent some quality time with the rig to find out. %Gallery-98777%
ASUS ARES cries havoc, lets slip the GPUs of war: a review roundup of the world's fastest graphics card
When you name your graphics card after the God of War, you'd better hope it brings some heat, but judging by early reviews, that's just what ASUS has done. The three slot monstrosity above is the ARES, a $1200 limited edition, fully custom board, sporting twin Radeon HD 5870 GPUs, four gigabytes of GDDR5 memory and practically enough raw copper to smelt a sword. We're not joking: the thing weighs nearly five pounds and requires a 750 watt power supply with three power connectors (two 8-pin, one 6-pin) to even run. Of course, you're getting a graphical behemoth for that kind of price, steamrolling every other GPU on the planet -- paired with even a 3.8GHz Core i7-930 CPU in 3DMark Vantage (on Extreme settings), Overclock 3D racked up a fairly ludicrous 15,000 score, and the card ripped past 25,000 with a Core i7-980X and a second ARES in CrossFire. The card was less impressive in actual gameplay, merely spanking the (much cheaper) Radeon 5970 and GeForce GTX 480 by a modest amount, and several reviewers complained it was fairly loud... but as the old adage goes, nobody needs a Ferrari to drive the speed limit, but we'll all drool over them anyhow. Bring on the liquid nitrogen, folks. Read - Legit Reviews Read - Overclock3D Read - Guru3D Read - PC Perspective Read - TechPowerUp Read - Hot Hardware
Acer Aspire One 521 and 721 review
On the surface Acer's 10.1-inch Aspire One 521 and 11.6-inch Aspire One 721 appear to be fairly run-of-the-mill netbooks -- or ultraportables for those that are morally opposed to calling a laptop with a 11.6-inch display a netbook. They're rather small machines, measure just about an inch thick, and ring up at under $430. But there's a lot more than meets the eye with this Aspire One duo – instead of Intel Atom or ULV processors, both are powered by a new AMD 1.7GHz Athlon II Neo K125 processor and promise 1080p playback thanks to ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics. We've certainly been pumped about these two systems since their French debut, but fear of AMD's usually poor battery life and scorching temperatures have been holding us back from all-out excitement. Do we have nothing to fear but fear itself? We've spent the last few days with these two systems, and will reveal all in our full review after the break. %Gallery-96636%
Sony selling AMD powered VAIOs for the first time in years
We've been keeping a close eye on AMD's big laptop comeback over the last couple of months, and in addition to gaining steam with HP, Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo, it appears AMD's also gotten Sony back into its court. Both Fry's and Best Buy are now carrying AMD Athlon II X2-powered machines, and as you may expect, the prices are quite tempting. Conversely, the Intel-based lineup ranges from $699 to $799, but until we get our hands on one of these ourselves, there isn't exactly a fair comparison to draw at this point. You can hit the source links for the complete specs, but the 15.4-inch EE Series with 4GB of RAM / 320GB of storage and a Blu-ray player is going for $650 while the 17.3-inch EF with a 500GB hard drive for $720. Both also have integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 graphics, but regardless, the move certainly bodes well for AMD's newest processor / graphics, since it appears that Sony hasn't used AMD in its systems since 2005. We guess a welcome back hug is in order.
AMD promises better battery life and thermals with new Neo CPUs, more power with Phenom II platform
Could 2010 be the year AMD poses a real threat to Intel on the laptop front? Well, you know that rumor that it's gonna be powering 109 new laptops? Not only is that true, but it's also going to be in 26 more thin and light systems. Frankly, we're not all that surprised, particularly since it's been no huge secret that AMD's had a bunch of new processors floating about -- some of which have been finding homes in new HP, Lenovo, Acer, and Dell laptops. Thankfully, the silicon heavyweight is finally revealing the source of all this mojo by sharing details about these mighty, yet energy efficient slabs of silicon. Up first is the Ultrathin platform (codenamed "Nile"), which now includes the new 23w Turion II Neo dual-core, Athlon II Neo dual-core, and Athlon II Neo processors -- there's clock speed and TDP specifics of each in the gallery, if that's your sort of thing. To be found in 11- to 13- inch laptops like HP's dm1 and Acer's Aspire One 721, the CPUs can be coupled with ATI Radeon HD 5400 or Radeon 4200 integrated graphics options, not to mention DDR3 and Direct X 10.1 support. The biggest change? Apparently, the line up has been improved in terms of battery life and thermals, and AMD's promising over eight hours of usage when fully charged. Given that battery life and heat were our biggest issues with the previous Neo processors, we're happy to see those problem areas being addressed, but we'll believe it when we really test some of these bad boys in the near future. On the mainstream side of things, AMD continues to cram desktop power into its Athlon II dual-core, Athlon Turion II dual-core, Phenom II dual-, triple- and quad-core processors. There's 12 new chips in all, but the top of the line 2.3GHz quad-core Phenom II Black Edition X920 is definitely the most juicy, and should give some Core i7 rigs a run for their money. Obviously those powerful CPUs can all be paired with ATI's Radeon HD 4500 or higher discrete graphics (which will support Direct X11) or a lower-end Radeon 4200 integrated graphics option. Because AMD now likes to use simple terms with its Vision branding, it didn't provide any hard benchmark numbers, but it promises 80 percent smoother gaming performance than comparable competitive mainstream systems, and 30 percent longer battery life than AMD's previous generation of processors. Hit the break for the full presser, and click on through the gallery for a closer look at the technical details. %Gallery-92770%
Overclocked ATI Radeon HD 5870 shootout: HIS, MSI and Gigabyte trade blows
ATI's Radeon HD 5870 first saw the (official) light of day in late September of last year, but the GPU has managed to age well. In the months since that original debut, we've seen an Eyefinity 6 Edition hit the market for multi-monitor maniacs, and quite a few factory overclocked options have also made their way out. The benchmarking gurus over at Hot Hardware scrounged up three of the latest and greatest, all priced just below the $500 mark, which have core clock speeds that are 100MHz higher than standard and memory clock speeds that are up 50MHz above the norm. Cards from MSI, HIS and Gigabyte were represented, and while each of 'em put up a better-than-average fight, the latter card came out on top in nearly every single test. Gigabyte's Super Overclock technology tended to outperform the other OC'ing solutions, but the whole lot managed to show up the non-overclocked alternatives by a good bit. Still, you'll be forced to pay a 25 percent premium for an 11 to 16 percent boost in performance, so these are still probably best for enthusiasts who can't stand to leave a single frame behind. Peep that source if you're in need of more coaching before pulling the trigger either way.
MSI launches Radeon HD 545V-boasting CX705MX laptop
MSI's just outed a new 17.5-inch (1600x900 resolution) laptop, the beautifully named CX705MX. This one's got an Intel Core 2 Duo under the hood, an up to 500GB hard drive, a 4-in-1 card reader, HDMI and VGA output, three USB ports and an Ethernet port and Windows 7 Home Premium. Most notably, of course, is that it's packing ATI's brand new Radeon HD 545V discrete graphics chipset, giving this bad boy HD video capabilities. We don't have specific information about availability or pricing yet, but we'll let you know when we do.
PowerColor HD5970 Eyefinity 12 makes six screens yesterday's news
Alright, so your six-screen Eyefinity rig may not be obsolete just yet, but it's definitely just been knocked down a few notches on the jaw drop-o-meter. What you're looking at above is a prototype of PowerColor's HD5970 Eyefinity 12, which -- you guessed it -- packs twelve Mini DisplayPorts, along with a full 4GB of DDR5 memory. Unfortunately, there's no images or video of an actual twelve-screen rig in action just yet -- PowerColor is saving that for Computex in June -- but you can check out a few more shots of the card itself after the break.
The Engadget Show Live! With roboticist Dr. Dennis Hong, Ryan Block, Rick Karr, and more!
Keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 6:00 PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live, with roboticist Dr. Dennis Hong of the RoMeLa Lab at Virginia Tech, investigative correspondent Rick Karr, gdgt founder Ryan Block, our own Ross Miller and Paul Miller, plus music from Neil Voss and visuals from NO CARRIER and much, much, more! You seriously don't want to miss it! Can't make it? We forgive you, and there's a live video stream that can be found after the break. In the spirit of awesome, we've enabled tweeting directly to the live stream! To be a part of The Engadget Show broadcast, just include the hashtag "#engadgetshow" and watch for your tweet on the ticker at the bottom of the screen. One thing to note, The Engadget Show is a family program, so any single instance of swearing or trolling will force us to turn off the ticker... and it won't come back on. So, keep it clean and have fun! Update: Well that's another show done and thanks for joining us. Don't worry if you missed it -- we'll be delivering the edited video (without the echo from earlier; sorry about that) to you within a day or two, so keep an eye out on iTunes, Zune Marketplace, and our RSS feed. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
PowerColor jumps on the Eyefinity bandwagon, breaks off a wheel
Sure, the Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition is the latest and greatest in desktop multi-monitor solutions, but if you happen to be hexaphobic (or financially challenged, perhaps) you'll need something a wee bit smaller. To that end, PowerColor just introduced the Radeon HD 5770 Eyefinity 5. With a whole one less mini-DisplayPort than its heftier cousin, the Eyefinity 5 has all the mid-range muscle of a regular Radeon 5770 -- down to the megahertz, we checked -- but has five independent display controllers for that wrap-around HD monitor matrix you've always dreamed of. Whether the 5770 can actually run games across five monitors is another question, but we expect that reviews of just that functionality will surface (along with pricing, availability, dongles, and everything else that wasn't in the press release) well before you count to seven.
ATI's six-screen Eyefinity madness reviewed, fatal flaw found
Along with its introduction of the HD 5830, ATI announced the HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 card yesterday, which predictably comes with six DisplayPort outputs and enables that hallowed six-screen gaming overload that the Eyefinity branding has been about since the beginning. Some lucky scribes over at PC Pro have been treated to a live demonstration of what gaming at 5,760 x 2,160 feels like, and their understated response was to describe it as "far more immersive." No kidding. They did raise the spectral figure of those monitor bezels, however, pointing out that bezel correction -- where the image "behind the bezel" is rendered but hidden making the overall display look like a window unto the game world -- habitually obscured text and game HUD elements. In their view, the sweet spot remains a triple-screen setup, and we're inclined to agree (particularly if they look like this). For those interested in getting their multi-monitor gaming up and running, we've linked an invaluable guide from HardOCP below, which breaks down how much you can expect from ATI's current HD 5000 series of cards, and also provides a video guide to setting your rig up.
ATI busts out Radeon HD 5830, covers all bases
Whether you wanna call it the affordable high end or the really supercharged midrange, ATI has decided that there is a space to be filled between its scorching 5850/70 cards and the only somewhat slower 5770 SKU. So let's all meet the $239 HD 5830, shall we? As is par for the Evergreen course, it's a 40nm DirectX 11 card, and while it matches the 2.15 billion transistor count of the 5850, the new contender makes do with only 16 ROPs and 1,120 stream processors. To compensate for that processing loss, the core clock is raised to 800MHz while maintaining the 1GHz memory speed of the elder 5850. If this sounds like the 5830 will basically be composed of 5850 chips that didn't quite make the high grade, good, because that's exactly what's happening. Internet reviewers have already had some time to play around with ATI's latest card, and if we can draw a consensus, it would be that while the performance is pretty much spot on between its nearest siblings, the price is that little bit too steep to make the HD 5830 an easy recommendation. Read - AnandTech Read - HotHardware Read - HardOCP Read - PC Perspective Read - Legit Reviews Read - ExtremeTech
MSI Launches GE600 laptop for gamers who need 'low-keyed luxury and nobleness'
We try not to single out auto-translated press releases that have funny phrases in them, but when your English missive promises a laptop with "low-keyed luxury and nobleness," well, it's hard to ignore. That's what's on the docket with MSI's GE600, a gaming and general entertainment machine that's been given a (rather subtle) golden hue for the luxe crowd. More importantly it features a discrete ATI Radeon HD5730 video card with 1GB of memory and DirectX 11 compatibility, Intel Core i5 processors, up to 500GB of storage, and a 720p-capable webcam. At 2.7kg (5.95lbs) it's not the lightest machine, but few DX11-compatible notes are exactly svelte these days. No word on price or availability, but we're going to go ahead and guess it'll cost less than other golden portable offerings.
AnandTech goes behind the scenes of ATI's RV870 / Evergreen GPU development
Anyone familiar with the constantly shifting release dates and delays that characterize GPU refresh cycles will have been impressed by ATI's execution of the Evergreen series release. Starting out at the top with its uber-performance parts, the company kept to an aggressive schedule over the winter and can now boast a fully fleshed out family of DirectX 11 graphics processors built under a 40nm process. The fact that NVIDIA has yet to give us even one DX11 product is testament to the enormity of this feat. But as dedicated geeks we want more than just the achievements, we want to know the ins and outs of ATI's resurgence and the decisions that led to its present position of being the market leader in features and mindshare, if not sales. To sate that curiosity, we have our good friend Anand Shimpi with a frankly unmissable retrospective on the development of the RV870 GPU that was to become the Evergreen chips we know today. He delves into the internal planning changes that took place after the delay of the R5xx series, the balancing of marketing and engineering ambitions, and even a bit of info on features that didn't quite make it into the HD 5xxx range. Hit the source link for all that precious knowledge.
ATI Radeon HD 5570 fills the last remaining gap in DirectX 11 empire
ATI seems to be so enamored with its 40nm DirectX 11 Evergreen chips that at this point it's bringing out new graphics cards just to remind us of how awesome its technology is. Slotting in between the $100 HD 5670 and $50 HD 5450, the new Radeon HD 5570 will predictably retail at around $75 to $80, with up to 1GB of onboard GDDR3, a 650MHz core clock speed, and a thrifty 43W power budget under full load. Reviewers were big fans of its performance relative to the HD 5450 -- nearly doubling it in some cases -- but still struggled to recommend this as a better value for gamers than the only marginally more expensive HD 5670. Then again, the low profile card, single-slot cooler, and minimal power requirements make the 5570 an absolute gem for HTPC or SFF setups, so whether you're in that particular market or just curious, we recommend you check out the full reviews below. Read - HotHardware Read - AnandTech Read - HardOCP Read - Legit Reviews
ATI's dual-GPU Radeon HD 5970 pictured in the wilderness
And now... fighting out of the red corner, weighing in with two Evergreen GPUs, and wearing black trunks and red trim, it's the Radeon HD 5970. ATI's latest challenger for the title of undisputed graphics champion has been snared in the wild, and its photo shoot reveals a suitably oversized beast. Measuring in at 13.5 inches and requiring both an eight- and six-pin power connector, the pre-production sample can fit inside only the roomiest and best-powered rigs around. It's named somewhat confusingly, with AMD dropping its X2 nomenclature for dual GPU setups, but it features two HD 5870 chips running in onboard Crossfire on the same PCB, and foreshadows a HD 5950, which will combine a pair of the more affordable HD 5850s. Performance figures available earlier have been pulled, at the behest of AMD, but we've got plenty of eye candy to admire, and there's also no price tag in sight to spoil our daydreaming pleasure. [Via PC Perspective] %Gallery-76900%
ATI Radeon HD 5850 provides scorching performance for a relative pittance
When the covers were slipped off the HD 5870 last week, what emerged was the new champ in graphics performance that could also boast a pretty aggressive price to performance ratio. The only question left for many was whether the slightly hamstrung version of the same Cypress chip, the HD 5850, would be able to offer even better value for money. With a suggested retail price of $259, lower power consumption under load and a shorter circuit board to cram into your case, the 5850 certainly appeals to the more sensible end of the graphics card market. All we really need to say is that Editor's Choice awards rained down upon this thing like they were going out of style -- so take a deep breath and hit the links below to plunge into the bar chart-intensive analysis.Read - Hot Hardware reviewRead - HardOCP reviewRead - Hexus reviewRead - PC Perspective reviewRead - Tech Report reviewRead - Legit Reviews review
