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New iMacs and Mac minis to use NVIDIA chips?
AppleInsider is reporting that the speculated refresh for the iMac and Mac minis lines might include NVIDIA graphics chips. This information was discovered while an InsanelyMac forum poster found some extension files included with the new MacBooks/MacBook Pros. The exentions were named, "iMac9,1" and "Macmini3,1."Currently shipping iMacs and Mac minis have the model numbers of "iMac 8,1" and "Macmini2,1," respectively. The kernel extension .plist file is part of the SMC (System Management Controller) and ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface), and made reference to "CFG_MCP79." The MCP79 is a graphcis chipset offered by NVIDIA that is found on the current line MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air. For more information, you can read the forum posting at InsanelyMac.[via AppleInsider]
Twin-GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX295 expected at CES
The next installment of CES is under a month away (crazy, right?), and the leaks around the hinges are already starting to show. The latest dirt on the graphical front is this bit from NVIDIA: a twin-GPU behemoth that'll likely destroy anything else on the market today. Purportedly dubbed the GeForce GTX295, the device will pack two 55-nanometer GT200 chips, 480 total stream processors, 1,792MB of DDR3 memory and a power consumption rating of 289-watts. Other details are currently missing, but don't be shocked to see this locked and loaded in a few brand new machines come January 8th.
NVIDIA still interested in jazzing up the netbook space
A month ago to the day we were weeping our poor hearts out as we heard that VIA and NVIDIA had canned whatever netbook plans the two had going on. Now, however, we're being given a glimpse of hope that all may not be lost... at least in relation to NVIDIA. During a webcast from the Credit Suisse annual technology conference being held in Scottsdale, Arizona, NVIDIA's CFO confessed: "We're not saying we're not interested [in the netbook space]; it's a matter of how the market will evolve." In other words, it's taking a wait-and-see approach before plunging in headfirst. Honestly, we're not too shocked to hear that it may still one day invade the swath of 7- to 12-inch mini-laptops out there -- after all, it already branched out significantly with Tegra and Tesla. C'mon NVIDIA, we've got legions of folks waiting to fire up Crysis on their next Eee, and you could be the one to make it happen.
Firecoder Blu, Thomson's SpursEngine graphics card, available in December
"Bag of hurt" or no, it doesn't look like Blu-ray is going to disappear any time soon. Firecoder Blu is Thomson's new graphics card aimed at the HD set, and the second one based on Toshiba's SpursEngine chip. Using same technology as the PS3, the chip is capable of hardware accelerated decoding of the MPEG2 and MPEG4 AVC/H.264 codecs, which lends the card some serious processing capabilities -- the company claims it will transcode AVCHD files to and from MPEG2 up to five times faster than real time. On sale in Japan for ¥52,290 (US$539), those of us in the States should see the card sometime in December for $599.[Via PC World]
S3's Chrome 500 graphics processors handle Blu-ray, HD video
Movin' on up in the world, are we S3? Just a month after the VIA-owned S3 Graphics returned to the scene with its Chrome 400 line of discrete graphics cards comes this, the predictably named Chrome 500 series. The new line is capable of handling Blu-ray / streaming HD video playback and provides support for DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0 applications. You'll also find a built-in Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound processor, GPGPU (General Purpose GPU) technology, ChromotionHD (which offloads video processing from the CPU) and compatibility with DisplayPort / HDMI / DVI (with HDCP). The first off the blocks is the 512MB Chrome 530 GT (pictured), and the bargain-bin-styled $44.95 should work wonders given the economy.
NVIDIA's Quadro FX 5800 with 4GB graphics memory is 'the most powerful graphics card in history'
That's some serious boasting by NVIDIA, but this is some serious graphics horsepower. The Quadro FX 5800, already seen in NVIDIA's Quadro Plex D data cruncher, replaces the 5600 at the top of the NVIDIA heap with 240 CUDA-programmable parallel cores and the industry's first card with 4GB of graphics memory. MSRP? Just $3,499 for you big spender -- pennies for the companies who can harness the power for the purposes of oil and gas exploration, 4D modeling, and graphics design.
Palit's Radeon HD 4870 X2 has preposterous clock speeds, marketing hype
Hong Kong-based video card manufacturer Palit is excited about its Revolution 700 Deluxe video card -- so much so that we're a little frightened by the force of its enthusiasm. The ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 GPU is no slouch to begin with, but this iteration has cores overclocked to 750MHz and 2GB of GDDR5 memory at a face-melting 3.8GHz. As imposing as clock speeds are, they likely can't measure up to the epic hype from Palit. "All other cards beware," the press release boldly cries, "there is a new king in town and it only comes from Palit!" Tap the read link for the whole thing -- best enjoyed while listening to the Mortal Kombat theme song.
Microsoft disses Hybrid SLI and CrossFire, won't support them in Windows 7
We're expecting a ton of new laptops to support hybrid graphics thanks to chipsets like NVIDIA's soon-to-be-ubiquitous GeForce 9400M, but Microsoft isn't as enamored with hybrid graphics as most everyone else seems to be -- it says it won't be natively supporting them in Windows 7. In a just-released document titled Guidelines for Graphics in Windows 7, the company discourages manufacturers from shipping systems with hybrid graphics like ATI's CrossFire and NVIDIA's Hybrid SLI, claiming they're "unstable and provide a poor user experience." Oh, snap. One less reason to install Windows 7 on your MacBook Pro, eh wot?
AMD rolls out budget-minded ATI Radeon HD 4830 graphics card
It's not quite a $39 graphics card but, at "less than $150," AMD's new ATI Radeon HD 4830 is still quite the bargain compared to ATI's higher-end offerings, and you'll get a good deal more oomph for those extra bucks. That includes a 256-bit GDDR3 memory interface (the actual amount of memory will vary from card to card), an impressive 640 stream processing units, AMD's second generation Unified Video Decoder for improved HD video playback, DirectX 10.1 support, two dual-link DVI ports, and, of course, support for ATI's CrossFireX technology. What's more, while AMD isn't willing to mention any specific prices below $150, The Tech Report has already turned up one card from MSI that's selling for just $120 after a $10 rebate and, if you're looking for a bit more information to inform your purchase, you can check out their review and benchmarks by hitting up the link below.[Via Computer Monger]Read - AMD Press ReleaseRead - The Tech Report, "AMD's Radeon HD 4830 graphics processor"
NVIDIA details settlement for price fixing fiasco
Way back in December of 2006, NVIDIA and AMD were both pegged for potential price fixing, and nearly two years later it seems it'll finally be paying the piper. A settlement agreement is detailed in a recently filed 8-K form, which asserts that NVIDIA would pay $850,000 into a total fund of up to $1.7 million, with AMD / ATI probably left to make up the rest. Of note, the 8-K filing does mention that all of this is still "subject to court approval," but it's likely that the green light will eventually be given. Outside of that, we're also informed that NVIDIA will be handing over $112,500 to the individual plaintiffs who brought the case to court. Well, we're glad that's settled.[Via CustomPC]
NVIDIA rumored (again) to be renaming its GPU lineup in the name of simplicity
We won't even begin to suggest that NVIDIA is the only company out there with, shall we say, less than crystal clear naming schemes, but we're really hoping the latest whispers (which we've heard once before) about the outfit are true. TG Daily has it that undisclosed "industry sources" have suggested that the GPU maker will be dropping the 8000- and 9000-series names in an effort to simplify the model tags that appear on its products. Instead of breaking into the 10k+ club, the outfit will purportedly resort to using simple(r) letter prefixes to denote performance levels: "G" for baseline, "GS" and "GT" for mid-range and "GTX" for high-end. We're told that the new naming arrangement could be revealed officially as early as October 15th, but 'til then, we'd recommend doing some hefty research before buying something you only thought could run Crysis.[Via Electronista]
Ask Engadget HD: What's the best graphics card for my HTPC?
So, you've decided to build yourself an HTPC, huh? Splendid! Now, what GPU are you going to toss in there? That's the gist of Marcus' question: "I'm looking to assemble a living room PC to play back Blu-ray Discs, internet video, streamed HD clips, etc. I'm stuck when it comes to selecting a graphics card powerful enough to handle all of that. I haven't decided whether or not to get a full-sized tower or just a mini-tower, so I'd appreciate suggestions for both setups. Cheaper is better, but I'll pay to make sure all playback is buttery smooth." So, dearest readers, what's the GPU to get these days for handling multimedia content? Is ATI's new All-in-Wonder HD worth a look? Drop your advice in comments below.Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
Intel hoping to get Larrabee within next-gen Xbox?
Quite honestly, there's absolutely zero proof that Intel and Microsoft are yapping it up in regard to Larrabee, but considering just how logical it sounds, we couldn't help but pass along the latest whispers surrounding the two. According to those fabled "industry insiders," The Inquirer has it that Intel is currently on bended knee asking Microsoft to integrate Larrabee into the next-generation Xbox. If it were to land such a deal, developers would -- in essence -- be forced to develop for Larrabee given the need for console titles, which could then make things all the easier for Intel on the PC side. Like we said, this is all speculatory for now, but so long as the dots continue to connect, we'll at least give this one a fighting chance at materializing.[Via Joystiq]
NVIDIA throws another punch, sez Larrabee would've been hot in 2006
You've got to love it, don't you? The prolonged hatefest between Intel and NVIDIA is continuing on today, with Andy Keane, general manager of the company's GPU computing group, delivering the latest blow. While speaking to reporters at the outfit's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, he was quoted as saying that there is still "an incredible amount about Larrabee that's undefined." Furthermore, John Mottram chimed in by suggesting that "as [blogger and CPU architect] Peter Glaskowsky said, the 'large' Larrabee in 2010 will have roughly the same performance as a 2006 GPU from NVIDIA or ATI." We're beginning to wonder if these guys aren't just passing disses while sharing a cold one afterwards just to get attention, but being that it's more fun to envision suits from rival firms intensely angry with one another, we'll just keep believing this actually isn't a joke.[Via Slashdot]
AMD's ATI All-in-Wonder HD gets reviewed
Loyal All-in-Wonder users from years past have probably been watching the progression of AMD's revised version of the card with extreme interest. After such an absence, however, we understand the need to be cautious before snapping this up for your upcoming HTPC. HotHardware recently received one of these units for testing, and while it was only deemed "entry level" in the gaming department, the multimedia performance was smiled upon. To quote, "the [card] did an excellent job presenting digital video content in a quality manner without creating excessive power consumption in order to do so." As expected, the unit wasn't recommend for everyone (read: non-TV buffs), but those who'd utilize the built-in ClearQAM support probably can't go wrong for $199. Hit the read link for a whole gaggle of test results.
Dell offers 1-year limited warranty enhancement for NVIDIA GPU issues
Details are slim at the moment, but one thing's for sure: Dell customers affected (or not affected... yet) by those wonky NVIDIA GPUs will have their warranties extended by 12-months to compensate. The 1-year "limited warranty enhancement" will add coverage for this issue to everyone who recently purchased one of the 15 NVIDIA-equipped machines listed in the read link, and we're told to expect further details about the whole ordeal in short order. Breathe easy, folks -- you'll be taken care of somehow or another.
NVIDIA uncorking PhysX support for GeForce cards on August 12th
It's arriving a month later than anticipated, but at least it's arriving (we hope). According to a first look at PhysX on NVIDIA's GeForce cards, The Tech Report is reporting (ahem) that the graphical outfit will dish out new drivers that add PhysX support on August 12th. The new software will allow owners of GeForce 8, GeForce 9 and GeForce GTX 200-series cards to use PhysX acceleration without shelling out any additional coinage, which means that you all will surely be giving it a shot just for kicks, right? Keep next Tuesday clear -- you and Unreal Tournament 3 have a date, like it or not.[Via UberReview]
NVIDIA gets official with GeForce 9800 GT / 9800 GTX+ GPUs
We already had a glance at NVIDIA's newest low-ender, the GeForce 9500 GT, but the outfit clearly wasn't done. In case the previously mentioned card was just a tad too weak for your needs, you can also check out the GeForce 9800 GT and / or 9800 GTX+, which feature 112 / 128 stream processors and support for HybridPower and PhysX. Both cards can be found just about everywhere right now for $149.99 and $199.99, respectively, with 512MB of RAM on board. [Via Hardware Revolution]
NVIDIA's sub-$100 GeForce 9500 GT gets introduced and reviewed
Should the GTX 280 be a bit too rich for your blood, NVIDIA's lookin' out. Introduced (and reviewed) today, the PCIe 2.0-compatible GeForce 9500 GT checks in a few bucks south of $100 depending on where you go and provides a 550MHz core clock, 1,400MHz shader clock, 32 stream processors, 800MHz memory clock, 256MB / 512MB of RAM and twin dual-link DVI ports. Assuming the specifications meet your standards, you're probably curious about performance. Based on the first reviews, it was found to be "measurably faster than the Radeon HD 3650, and pretty much on par with the GeForce 8600 GTS." For under a C-note, it's a solid buy for those okay with being a few steps behind, and HTPC builders will find the low power consumption, quiet operation and small size to be quite appealing. Check out the links below for pages upon pages of in-depth coverage.Read - Introduction, benchmarks and reviewRead - Benchmarks, images and another review
Dell explains NVIDIA GPU issues, throws out BIOS updates to help
So yeah, quite a few NVIDIA GPUs have been acting up. Nothing new there. However, Dell's attempting to help its laptop owners out by making a few notable BIOS updates readily available for download. Apparently the issue "is a weak die / packaging material set, which may fail with GPU temperature fluctuations." In order to combat the problem, Dell's BIOS flashes "modify the fan profile to help regulate GPU temperature fluctuations," though the Round Rock powerhouse only promises that the updates will "help reduce the likelihood of GPU issues." Hit the read link and give it a go -- it can't hurt... we hope.[Via Electronista]
