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Corsair pushes speed envelope with 2,333MHz Dominator GTX RAM modules
Corsair and speed generally run in the same circles, so it follows logic to see said memory outfit cranking out the planet's fastest Intel XMP-certified RAM. The 2,333MHz Dominator GTX now has Intel's stamp of approval, and it easily surpasses the company's 2,000MHz stuff that was king of the castle just yesterday. As the story goes, each module is "hand screened" and tested to the hilt before being shipped to end users, which apparently explains the $200 per 2GB stick that you'll be asked to lay down. Speed kills... the wallet.
Component shortages lead analysts to forecast rise in prices of personal electronics
As you might well know, we're not the biggest fans of analyst blather, but this piece of research by Gartner is backed by some substantial numbers. The FT reports that DRAM prices have recently risen by 23 percent, followed closely by LCD prices with a 20 percent jump, both in response to the financial crisis the whole globe seems to be suffering from. Because the effects of recently renewed investment in capacity building won't be felt for a while, we're told to prepare for higher prices throughout this year -- a significant combo breaker from the previous decade's average of around 7.8 percent drops. Oh well, let's just cling to the encouraging signs for the future and ignore this bump on the road to gadget nirvana. [Thanks, Ben W]
Intel and Numonyx pave the way for scalable, higher density phase change memory
Both Intel and Numonyx have been talking up phase change memory for years now, but for some reason, we're slightly more inclined to believe that the latest breakthrough is actually one that'll matter to consumers. In a joint release, the two have announced a new non-volatile memory technology that supposedly "paves the way for scalable, higher density phase change memory products." Put as simply as possible, researchers have been testing a 64Mb chip that "enables the ability to stack, or place, multiple layers of PCM arrays within a single die," and the two are calling the discovery PCMS (phase change memory and switch). We know, you're drowning in technobabble here, but if these two can really apply Moore's Law to density scaling, you'll be thanking 'em as you pick up your $50 6TB hard drive in 2014.
WoW Rookie: A computer to love WoW with
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic, and be sure to visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide for links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's.WoW Rookie has already answered the first question asked by so many new players when they realize "You know, I think I'd like to have my own characters and my own account -- but will my computer run WoW?" This week, we'll burrow into the next level: "We've been engaged for months now. I'm in love, I'm committed, I'm of legal age (level 80, baby!) and I'm ready to drop some cash. What should I be looking for in a computer system to settle down in?" If you're not into PvP, you may have missed PvP specialist Zach Yonzon's excellent series this summer on gearing up for PvP. But wait -- this is no in-game gear guide. Surprise! It's a look at the best hardware for running World of Warcraft. Whether you enjoy PvP or PvE content, here's a look at the gear that'll deliver the eye-popping, mind-blowing, mouse-clicking madness you crave for endgame WoW performance.
TurpsterDoubleVision: Mounting Your Squire
We can't believe it either – Turpster has been let loose on WoW.com to bring you videos from in and around the World of Warcraft! You've heard him on the WoW Insider Show, and now see him on TurpsterVision right here on WoW.com.Drinking alcohol might make you feel big, but you wont be clever! Don't do drugs kids! Now I've got that out of the way, I can leave you all to enjoy the video and to get in game and complete the achievements. If you need any help then make sure you check out Allison Robert's fantastic guide on the Brewfest 2009 achievements!Also, as some of the less filthy minded of you out there might have guessed from the title, this week's TurpsterVision features the Argent Tournament reward and the achievement of Pony Up! And I have it on fairly good word that this is indeed THE Pony that Ghostcrawler promised us -- well at least that is how I am treating it in-game (RP ftw!). Check out more of Turpster's work, from his WoW parody songs to TV previously on Massively.com, not forgetting everyone's favorite podcast 'The WoW Insider Show' and of course, TurpsterVision right here on WoW.com!
Intel announces 22nm chips for 2011
Paul Otellini just held up a 22nm wafer at his Intel Developer Forum keynote, saying that chips with the technology would be out in the second half of 2011. Take a good look, kids: that's 2.9 billion transistors right there.
Rambus and Kingston build a threaded module prototype, claim 50 percent better memory throughput
How do you thread memory tasks and are women naturally better at it than men? Such were the questions that roamed our limitless minds as we sought to understand what exactly Rambus and Kingston had achieved. Based on standard DDR3 chips, the new threading tech essentially creates multiple independent channels per memory module, allowing multicore processors to utilize the available RAM more efficiently. That results, says Rambus, in systems that offer 50 percent higher throughput that the standard stuff and suckle 20 percent less power due to the compartmentalization of each module. Neat. More details are promised at the Intel Developer Conference, which kicks off tomorrow in San Fran.[Via SlashGear]
Brewfest 2009: Coren Direbrew's new level 80 loot revealed
With Brewfest now underway, I hope everyone's had a crack or two at seasonal boss Coren Direbrew -- I myself am going to try to get a group for him as soon I'm done writing here. If you have, there's probably two major things you've noticed: He's level 80 now, and he has some new loot.Let's take a look at his loot, both old and new.
Flickr Find: Apple homepage, 1983
Of course, we didn't have Flash, or web designers, or shiny browsers with big graphics, or the actual connections to load those graphics back in 1983 when Apple introduced the Lisa. But what if we did? That's the premise of this slick little photoshop by Dave Lawrence, imagining Apple's current homepage advertising their products of yesteryear.It's good for a chuckle -- if the blistering 1mb of RAM doesn't get you, the iPhone preorder or the "BASIC" on the menubar probably will. But wait; what's all of this about Apple Retail Locations? We've never heard of an "Apple Store," and actually won't until Steve takes a bunch of investors to the first location in 2001. We know all about Apple Authorized Resellers, though. Maybe that's what you meant?
Samsung debuts first 32GB DDR3 memory module
Samsung has been making promises about a 32GB DDR3 memory module since it rolled out its first 50nm 4Gb DDR3 memory chip way back in January, but it looks like it's now finally delivered. While it won't be headed for regular desktops or laptops just yet, the company does have a new 1.35 volt 32GB module for servers which, in addition to packing that record-breaking capacity, also boasts a 20% better throughput compared to previous 1.5 volt modules and, of course, a lower power consumption to boot. As some math not performed by us will reveal, the module itself is made up of 72 of those 4Gb memory chips, which are lined up in rows of nine quad-die packaged 16Gb DDR3s mounted on each side of the circuit board. No word on pricing just yet, nor is there any word about Samsung's promised desktop and laptop memory, which are apparently still in the works -- in the form of 8GB DIMMs, at least.
Dell's Mini 10v gets unboxed, cracked wide open, fitted with OS X
Not that Dell's other Mini machines aren't perfect candidates for creating your own hackintosh, but it's stellar to know that the outfit's newest member is as well. After going on sale earlier this month, the Mini 10v has been procured, unboxed and dissected, all in the name of unabashed discovery. Interestingly, it seems as if the RAM slot requires that the keyboard and motherboard be lifted for access, but for even the mildly seasoned computer user, that's absolutely nothing they can't handle. If you're into hardcore, uncensored splayings of newfangled netbooks, the read link is where you need to be, holmes.[Via MyDellMini, thanks Erik]
Corsair DDR3 memory clocked at 2533MHz, women swoon 'round the world
Corsair -- the swashbucklin' favorite of privateers in need of RAM and SSDs -- has just announced that its Dominator GT DDR3 memory has been overclocked at a pretty astonishing 2533MHz. As you'd expect from a company made of braggarts and rogues, its claiming the world record for itself -- unless, of course, one of you other memory manufacturers feels like taking this bad boy on. Kingston, we're looking at you. Hit that read link for all the salacious details.
Rumor: Apple working towards putting background processes on the iPhone
Apple's push notifications sure are neat, but they aren't the brass ring for developers on the iPhone. That, so far, would be background processes. And while Apple has said that background processes would just be too much of a drain on the iPhone's battery, that doesn't mean they don't want them, too. Ars Technica reports that Apple is still trying to figure out a way for certain apps to do it. There's two options laid out here: one is user-based, in which the user actually approves certain apps to run in the background, with the consequence (if you do choose to enable that) of lower battery lifetime. The second has Apple approving apps for background action, allowing certain developers to run based on limits of "resource usage such as RAM or network bandwidth."Obviously, there are pros and cons to each plan -- giving the power to the user means they will be able to choose when the battery is drained (on a particularly busy day, for instance, or when the iPhone is plugged in), but it also means that users will have the ability to crash their own phones (allowing too many background processes could cause issues). And of course, while leaving the choice in Apple's hands will make sure background processing is only used in the "right circumstances," we all know how great Apple is at app approval. Ars concludes on the same point that I would: if background processes are really going to make a difference, they'll likely rely on a future iteration of the iPhone, as the one we've got now is just not built to run apps all the time, no matter who chooses them. Even if Apple is working out a way to run certain apps in the background, they are almost certainly spending more time beefing up the iPhone hardware as well.
Samsung's PRAM chips hit mass production in June
Mark your calendars, memory enthusiasts, for the date you've all been waiting for. Samsung's phase change RAM will go into mass production starting in June. The PRAM chips -- not to be confused with parameter RAM, often what you curse / reset if you've got a Mac on the fritz -- can rewrite data without having to erase what's already on there first. The company's still boasting it's 30x faster and has 10x the lifespan of traditional flash memory. You want to know what gadgets and gizmos will first use these chips? Us too, but we're all gonna have to wait because Sammy's not talking yet.
The limits of Video Mode Ultra
I think I've found the limits of Video Mode Ultra -- when we first hard in the 3.1 patch notes that Blizzard was adding in a superspecial video mode for high-end computers to use, I was excited. I just recently "updated" my PC (read: "it broke and I had to spend a lot of time and money to fix it"), and it's been running like butter, so I was interested in putting it to the test. The day after the patch dropped, I flipped the switch to Ultra, and had no problems -- until this past Saturday. While wandering around Dalaran, I noticed my framerate had dropped quite a bit. I lowered a couple of the environmental settings just a bit and I was fine again, but apparently even with a 2.5 GHz quad core CPU, 4gb of RAM, and a GeForce 9600GT, Video Mode Ultra is still just a little too hardcore for me.What's interesting is that I ran Wintergrasp a few times before having those slowdowns in Dalaran, and never had a problem. But then again, Blizzard did say that they had spent a lot of time making sure Wintergrasp was streamlined enough to run huge battles with minimal slowdown, so maybe Dalaran didn't get that same makeover. And I should say as well that I had no issues anywhere else in the world -- even my Naxx run the other evening looked perfect with Ultra flipped on.Having a "future" graphics mode on PC games is nothing new -- for most games, the highest graphics setting is usually "experimental," so there's a little leeway in terms of release time (the game looks good with current hardware, but even better with next year's gear). And Video Mode Ultra is just that -- Blizzard trying to send a shot across the bow at those who are already saying the graphics look a little dated.
OE-A shows off nonvolatile RAM, RFID tag formed by printing
While it's far from being noteworthy to the mainstream public, printable electronics hold a lot of promise. Over at Printable Electronics 2009 in Tokyo, the Organic Electronics Association (OE-A) demonstrated some of the most extreme, useful printings that we've seen to date. By utilizing an eclectic array of printing methods, the agency was able to produce nonvolatile RAM with a capacity of 1,024 bits (for use in ID and game cards) along with a printed RFID tag that could be launched today in logistics operations. We doubt very seriously that mere consumers will soon have access to printers of this nature, but if we can now print memory and wireless identification tags, one must wonder: what on Earth is next?
DDR3 shootout pits OCZ, Kingston and Corsair against one another
DDR3 modules aren't exactly new or anything, but given just how low the prices of big time kits have become, we figured it prudent to pass along one of the most thorough shootouts on the subject that we've seen. HotHardware grabbed a few DIMMs from the labs of OCZ Technology, Corsair and Kingston, threw 'em all in a Core i7 rig (not simultaneously, silly!) and benchmarked the lot until they literally fell asleep at the keys. The results? We'd love to tell you which sticks came out atop the pile, but that would just be spoiling the fun for you, now wouldn't it? Give the read link a look if you're ready for the action.
Toshiba makes progress on FeRAM, still no tangible product in sight
Phew. For a moment year or so there we reckoned that amazing FeRAM discovery had been pushed aside and forgotten entirely. Thankfully, Toshiba has picked up the ball and refined the original chainFeRAM architecture by creating a new architecture that prevents cell signal degradation -- which, as you may or may not know, is the usual tradeoff from chip scaling. In essence, this has allowed the company to design the world's highest bandwidth, highest density (128-megabit) non-volatile RAM. Unfortunately, this amazing device -- which should realize read / write speeds of 1.6 gigabytes a second and combine the fast operating characteristics of DRAM with flash memory's ability to retain data while powered off -- is still in prototype form, which probably means we're months (if not years) away from actually seeing a tangible end product hit store shelves.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Rambus introduces 4.3Gbps mobile memory
It's not all just lawsuits and overinflated posturing for Rambus -- the prickly memory firm will later today demo what its calling the Mobile Memory Initiative, a 4.3Gbps phone-oriented variant of the XDR RAM used in the PS3 that requires just 100mV of power. That means companies can either build super-powerful phones that take advantage of a complete MMI system's estimated 17GBps throughput, or build cheaper devices that offer performance equivalent to today's memory with fewer MMI parts. Rambus won't say who it's working with to bring out MMI, but we're going to have to wait a bit before we all score cheap HD videophones -- the first products aren't scheduled to hit until early 2010.[Via Electronista]
Samsung seems pretty proud of world's highest density DRAM chip
Those of you who actually keep track of which outfits are on top of others in terms of density (yeah, all 8.4 of you) have a new winner to document, as Samsung has just announced the development of the planet's highest density DRAM chip. By utilizing 50 nanometer technology, Sammy has concocted a four gigabit DDR3 DRAM chip, and if it has its druthers, the low-power device will be used in data centers and servers the world over. The module can be produced in 16GB registered dual in-line memory modules (RDIMM) for servers, as well as 8GB unbuffered DIMM (UDIMM) for workstations and desktop PCs, and 8GB small outline DIMM (SODIMM) for laptops. If dual-die package technology is tapped into, the new device can scale as high as 32GB, though Samsung is careful not to mention just how much you'll have to pay for this stuff.[Via I4U News]
