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Gigabyte Doubles Up Copper in Mobos

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:52:01 +0800

Gigabyte announced this week a new technology which it calls Ultra Durable 3, promises that motherboards featuring the new technology will achieve better overclocking, reduced heat and increased energy efficiency. The premise of the new technology is actually rather simple; increasing the amount of copper used in a motherboard will lower the impedance, reduce heat and improve signal quality.

According to Gigabyte, Ultra Durable 3 motherboards will be the first consumer desktop motherboards to feature 2-ounces of copper for each power and ground layer, doubling that of traditional motherboards.

A bit like how a larger copper heat sink often works better than a smaller one, having more copper throughout the motherboard allows for more efficient spreading of heat. As such, heat created by critical components on the motherboard will spread out across the entire motherboard more effectively, which Gigabyte claims can deliver 50°C cooler working conditions than traditional motherboards. Somehow that claim seems to be a bit misleading, but it should be interesting to see in tests how much cooler the motherboard components actually do get.

Doubling the amount of copper should also help to reduce the amount of impedance, which Gigabyte says is lowered by a factor of two. Impedance is like resistance in that is opposes the flow of electrical current, so reducing the impedance will also reduce wasted power. Less wasted power means less generated heat, cooler components and a lower power bill. Gigabyte claims the extra copper cuts the total amount of PCB electrical waste in half, which probably still does not amount to actually a whole lot, but every bit helps.

One last aspect in which the added copper apparently comes in handy is with improving signal quality, which results in a more stable system and greater overclocking margins. Of course, all these claims still need to be substantiated, but the theory behind adding extra copper looks sound enough.

For some users, the need for extra copper in motherboards may not be really all that important or necessary, especially if it comes at a premium cost. For serious overclockers and enthusiasts however, the little extra copper found in those motherboards will likely be welcomed, even if the effect turns out to be minor.

Kingston HyperX KHX8500D2K2-4G

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:23:18 +0800

Kingston is one of the larger memory vendors and has
long offered upgrade kits and enthusiast memory, along with related
products such as flash memory devices. When we called for a 4 GB DDR2
memory kit, we received a HyperX kit with two 2 GB DDR2 DIMMs called
KHX8500D2K2-4G, from which you can already tell these are PC2-8500
DIMMs (DDR2-1066 speed). The HyperX family is Kingston’s product line
for enthusiasts, and there are DDR, DDR2 and DDR3 memory kits
available. However, Kingston does not belong to the group of memory
vendors that races for maximum clock speeds. This isn’t really a bad
thing. In fact, Kingston is actually the only memory company that
provides a truly solid technical specification sheet. You can get information on Kingston products on the corporate website www.kingston.com, while there is a microsite to deal with the HyperX line.

Package, Specifications

Believe it or not, we really liked the way Kingston
boxed its memory. Both DIMMs fit into an anti-static plastic box with a
clear cover, which is sealed with the product specifications. That’s
not as fancy as a huge color box, but it’s as much as you really need
to box a pair of memory modules. Both DIMMs are inserted in such a way
that prospective buyers can examine the product stickers. These tell
you about the part number and the voltage specification (2.2 V in the
case of our test samples), but they don’t tell you anything about
memory latencies. Only CL5-5-5-15 timings are supported, at 1.8 V
default voltage or at 2.2 V maximum voltage. The SPD ROM is programmed
to run the memory at DDR2-800 speed, 1.8 V and CL5-5-5-15 timings,
which are the default values.

When we tried to find the best prices for the Kingston
KHX8500 4 GB kit, we instantly found a great deal on shop.kingston.com,
where the regular $150 price was discounted to $135—not bad for a 2 x 2
GB memory kit. You may also go for a product version that is based on 4
x 1 GB modules, but the 2 x 2 GB kit we reviewed was temporarily out of
stock when we checked.

Overclocking

We started our overclocking attempts at the default
DDR2-1066 voltage of 2.2 V, which didn’t take us much further than the
default speed. However, a slight increase to 2.3 V helped to reach
DDR2-1130 reliably. Any faster speed would result in the system
becoming unstable.

Kingston provides an amazingly attractive price for
performance within the expected range. If you can live with the fact
that it doesn’t overclock much, this product provides an excellent
value and receives our Recommended Buy Award.

Guy Makes a PC Out of Nintendo Wii

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:50:00 +0800

Modding
your computer to look cooler is one thing, and overclocking it your
processor and memory is pretty cool too. But someone has managed to
stuff a fully operational desktop PC into Nintendo's Minuscle Wii.!! Of course, the internals of the Wii were gutted and
everything taken out. But the end result is very interesting. While the
Wii is very small, similar desktops are available from companies such
as Dell and Apple — like the Mac Mini and Dell Studio desktop.

The
feat of course is doing it yourself. And this guy has stuffed an Intel
Celeron 1.3 GHz processor, a motherboard based on Intel’s 852 chipset,
512 MB of memory and a 40 GB hard drive. Other included accessories are
integrated Wi-Fi, digital video output via a DVI connector and even
three USB ports — one at the back and two where the original GameCube
controller ports were.

Despite the available disc slot on the face of the Wii,
he was unable to integrate an optical drive to utilize the opening.
However, this is easily remedied by attaching an external optical
drive. The builder also managed to stuff in two fans to keep the unit
cool. Unfortunately, the fans are small and because of this, have to
run at high speeds to keep the overall unit cool. However, if you were
building your own miniature PC like this, you can source out small fans
that don’t spin so loudly.

The "Wii PC" runs a copy of Windows XP SP3 and while it
isn’t the fastest PC out there, it is certainly one of the coolest —
especially if you’re a fan of Nintendo and its Wii.

Dell to Get Killer NICs Inside XPS Desktops

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:30:00 +0800

A
lot of readers might remember the release of the Killer NIC in 2006
from Bigfoot Networks. At a ludicrous price for a network card, it was
big news. Bigfoot Networks pioneered the concept of a Network
Processing Unit (NPU) for consumers when it launched its first
generation of the Killer NIC. The whole idea behind the Killer NIC was
to offer consumers a very high-end network interface card that would
reduce lag/latency while playing online games.

It looks as though Dell remembers the whole craze about
the Killer NICs as well – according to a Dell press release they now
offer the Killer NIC K1 in its XPS 630 and XPS 730 gaming desktops.
Dell tosses this into the mix along with Nvidia’s PhysX card under
Dell’s “Gaming Essentials” section when customizing the said system
models. Dell has it priced at $149 – which is what you can expect to
pay for this specific model of Killer NIC at other online retailers
currently.

The Killer NIC is however a client-side device on a
network, so it is quite limited as to what it can actually do for the
user in terms of improving actual performance over the wire. It does
have tricks up its sleeves however. In all reality though, one could
sacrifice the cool black PCB of the Killer NIC and big fancy heat-sink
on its more expensive model and just purchase an Intel Server NIC for
less than half the price and get the exact same features and
performance. You’ll just be stuck with a non-attractive card – for
those of you with windows on your side panels.

In the end though, the biggest factors will always be
the path the packets are taking from your desktop to the server you are
playing on. There is nothing you can do about what happens in between.

Corsair Dominator TWIN2X4096-9136C5DF

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:20:00 +0800

Corsair’s Dominator memory is the state-of-the-art
product line offered by the memory specialist. Launched in 2008, it has
been extended from 2 GB kits to 4 GB kits and from DDR2 to DDR3 memory.
You’ll recognize it by a great mixture of low latencies, high clock
speeds and Corsair’s proprietary Dual Heat Exchange (DHX) cooling
technology, which dissipates heat through the inside of the memory
module as well as through the outside.

We looked at various types of Dominator memory, and
found all of them to offer great performance, while often still having
some overclocking margin despite their high stock speeds. However,
Dominator comes at a price: they are among the best, but also the most
expensive memory options at around $400. That said, the PC2-8500 kit,
which reaches only 1066 speeds, is much more affordable at less than
$200.

Product Details

We received a TWIN2X4096-9136C5DF kit for review, which
represents the top-of-the-line DDR2 memory kit. It consists of two 2 GB
modules, both supporting the Enhanced Performance Profile that is used
by Nvidia nForce 600 chipsets and higher models to automatically set
the fastest possible settings. The SPD-ROM is programmed for JEDEC
default CL5-5-5-18 timings.

Performance Specifications

PC2-9136 specifications equal DDR2-1142 speeds, which
represents a 571 MHz base clock speed. Corsair specified CL5-5-5-15
timings at this maximum clock speed, and requires a 2.1 V memory
voltage. An EPP-capable chipset is able to automatically set these
parameters, while you will have to make settings manually on Intel or
AMD chipsets.

All Dominator DIMMs include the Dominator Airflow, a
memory cooling device based on three 40 mm fans. The Dominator Airflow
can be snapped onto almost all memory sockets, so it can also be used
with non-Corsair hardware. We found the Dominator Airflow to be a nice
addition to ensure stable memory operation at high clock speeds, but we
consider it not a real advantage to reaching those faster memory
speeds. These are typically limited by the memory ICs and the cooling
solution, which is very solid in the case of the Dominator memory.

Overclocking

We wanted to see how far the new 2 GB DIMMs could go,
given that this 4 GB memory kit is already rated as PC2-9136. We looked
at the maximum clock speed using the specified CL5-5-5-15 timings at
the default 2.1 V voltage; the fastest stable speed was DDR2-1142 or
571 MHz base clock speed. Our next step was a voltage increase to 2.3
V, which we applied for all of the memory products to check maximum
overclocking, since we consider this the maximum value that should be
reliable over time. DDR2-1200 speed was possible here, but we found it
to be not entirely stable. Further voltage increase helped to make the
setting reliable, but this wasn’t what we wanted to do. Our goal was
secure overclocking at the specified timings and voltage, so we reached
a maximum of DDR2-1176 speed, which represented only a small overclock.

Enabling the Windows Server Backup feature in Windows Server 2008

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:27:55 +0800

NTBackup is not a fancy backup mechanism, but it generally worked and could easily be scripted. Windows Server 2008 replaces NTBackup with Windows Server Backup.

I bet at one time or another you had an NTBackup script for a specific part of a server that you used between versions of Windows. Unfortunately, these scripts will no longer work, so the migration to Windows Server Backup will need to be considered for the local backup mechanism.

Windows Server 2008 offers many components that are not part of the base installation but need to be added as a feature. Figure A shows the Windows Server Backup being added through the Add Features Wizard.
Figure A

When adding Windows Server Backup, be sure to add the command-line tools option because it is not a default. Once you select the features, the server will not need to be rebooted in most configurations. At this point, you can enter the Windows Server Backup program to perform tasks.

If you selected to install the command-line tools, you can also work on creating backup tasks with the wbadmin command. The wbadmin command offers a more extensive command-line environment compared to NTBackup; all functionality can be performed via the command line. Windows Server Backup also has PowerShell support so that backups can integrate more closely to products like Exchange or SQL.

Both Windows Server Backup and wbadmin can be used to interact with remote computers for jobs to back up the remote system, which is entirely new functionality.

For more information on the new backup functionality, read the TechNet article Windows Server Backup Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2008.

Stay on top of the latest Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 tips and tricks with our free Windows Server newsletter, delivered each Wednesday.

The Fit-PC Slim Is One Super Small PC

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:20:16 +0800

The fit-PC Slim is an ultra-compact Windows-capable PC that uses just 4 Watts of power.

While the fit-PC Slim may not be the worlds smallest PC, it sure is still impressive. Measuring a tiny 100mm x 110mm x 30mm in size, it is smaller than a 3.5-inch HDD and weighs only 380-grams. What is even more impressive is its power consumption, using just 4 to 6 W of power from a 12 V power supply.

The system uses an AMD Geode LX800 processor running at 500 MHz, which has a TDP of 3.6 W. The integrated display controller can support up to a 1920 x 1440 resolution display and the system is available with up to 512 MB of DDR 333 MHz soldered on-board memory. A 60 GB 2.5-inch HDD is optional, but along with the hard drive is the choice of a preloaded Windows XP Home or Linux operating system. Although the fit-PC Slim is not the fastest computer around, for simple tasks it should handle Windows XP fine.

Despite the small size, the designers of the fit-PC Slim were still able to fit quite a few ports on the system, such as a 100 Mbps Ethernet port, three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, a mini serial port and audio ports. An integrated 802.11b/g WiFi option is also available, making the system an excellent choice for use as a wireless router. For those wishing the system had two Ethernet ports instead, to use the fit-PC Slim as a wired router, there exists an older model similar to the fit-PC Slim that does feature two Ethernet ports.

The fit-PC Slim is available in several configurations starting at $220, but the basic configuration lacks WiFi, comes with no HDD and has only 256 MB of RAM. A configuration with WiFi and 512 MB of RAM is available for $245, but to include a 60 GB HDD with Ubuntu and Gentoo preloaded in dual-boot mode will cost an extra $50. To have Windows XP Home preloaded instead will cost an additional $40.

The Fit-PC Slim Is One Super Small PC

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:17:34 +0800

Intel Launches NEW ECO-friendly Xeon processors

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:46:27 +0800

ntel has begun shipping four new eco-friendly Xeon processors today with power-efficiency as low as 12.5 W per core.

ZoomIntel is promising that besides the lower power requirements, the new processors will offer an increase in performance and a savings for the environment. The new Intel Xeon X5492, X5470, X5270 and L5430 processors are Intels first Xeon processors to be halogen-free, although from this point on, all Xeon 5200 and 5400 series processors will be. Intel is looking to make most of its 45 nm processors and 65 nm chipsets halogen-free by the end of 2008. The new Xeon processors will also offer greater energy efficiency in part to a 45 nm manufacturing process and a reinvented transistor technology using a halfnium-based high-k metal gate formula.

The new quad-core Intel Xeon L5430 processor is the least power hungry of the new chips, featuring a 2.66 GHz clock-speed, 1333 MHz FSB and a very power-efficient TDP of just 50 W. The Intel Core 2 Quad Mobile processor for comparison has a TDP of 45 W and a 2.26 GHz clock-speed. The new X5470, also a quad-core, features a 3.33 GHz clock-speed, 1333 MHz FSB and a 120 W TDP, while the new X5492 quad-core features a 3.4 GHz clock-speed, 1600 MHz FSB and 150 W TDP. Lastly, we have the new Xeon X5270, which is a dual-core processor that features a 3.5 GHz clock-speed, 1333 FSB and an 80 W TDP.

The new processors are all drop-in compatible with existing platforms, though the Xeon X5492 will be only drop-in compatible with the Xeon 5400 chipset. Intel claims the X5470 processor has set a world record score of 150 using SPECint*_rate2006, which measures integer throughput performance. Prices for the new Xeon L5430, X5470, X5492 and X5270 are set at $562, $1386, $1493 and $1172, respectively.

AMD turns bad PC's into Super PC's

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:50:00 +0800

The first bit of Fusion that AMD is releasing today is an in-house designed software utility that was described to us as being able to turn a mainstream PC into a lean, mean gaming machine.

Essentially, this Fusion Gaming tool is a utility that automates many of the tweaks that hardcore enthusiasts carry out in order to free up system resources for the purpose of maximizing gaming performance. The utility works by temporarily disabling background services and processes, freeing up memory and CPU cycles in an effort to make games run more smoothly.

AMD demonstrated the application to us clicking the gigantic Fusion button on a Windows Vista desktop, which immediately shut down usually active applications such as Skype, Google Talk, as well as many other background services. The utility will not, however, override any applications that have a shutdown or save dialog, meaning that clicking the button will still allow Microsoft Word to prompt if you wish to save before closing.

This utility would be of great use to those who use shared computers, whose family members may have installed many unwanted, useless programs that clog up the system. Those with prebuilt machines with preloaded bloatware may also find that the Fusion button does wonders to free up system resources. AMD told us that the software is careful not to disable any crucial services that might make the system unstable, but does carry with it a disclaimer that it may disable security and antivirus software though the utility setting does allow for custom settings so that the user may fine tune to his or her liking.

Besides just reducing system overhead, the Fusion tool also helps to boost performance by incorporating other tweaking tools, such as Auto-Tune for both CPU and ATI GPU, overclocking with AMD Overdrive. AMD also introduced a Hard Drive Acceleration setting, which enables the SATA mode of performance over quiet.

The AMD Phenom X4 9550 Black Edition processor used as part of the demo went from a stock 2.6 GHz to 2.8 GHz, which is a conservative and safe measure for mainstream users. Those wanting to go a bit more hardcore can set more aggressive settings.

The enthusiast user, however, likely wont find as many advantages in using the tuning utility. The extreme PC gamer will already run a tight ship with tweaked settings and a lean OS free of excess processes.

While not being marketed as such, the tuning tool may also be applied in the other applications when pure speed isnt the main goal. AMD said that users can set up profiles where the goal is to achieve low power consumption or decreased noise output for applications such as a home theater PC.

Regardless, the AMD Fusion tool makes isolating the full power of the system easier than ever, and is the first demonstration of the chipmakers new company direction.