HP has answered the curiosity of onlookers who wondered what a vendor might call an ultra-thin portable with an AMD processor that disqualified it from Intel's ultrabook trademark: Meet the Sleekbook.

Actually, the AMD APU-equipped, 15.6-inch HP Envy Sleekbook (shipping June 20 for $599.99) is accompanied by an Intel-powered 14-inch model (shipping May 9 for $699.99) with optional discrete graphics, as opposed to the "discrete-class" graphics of the AMD laptop. Each starts at 4 pounds, measures just 20mm thick, and features HP's Beats Audio with two speakers and a subwoofer. The 14-inch Envy Sleekbook offers a 500GB hard drive and, HP claims, up to eight hours of battery life; the 15.6-inch model comes with a 320GB drive and up to nine hours of battery life.

read more at PCMag.

Utilitzing SATA-3 as SAS 6gbps used SATA-2 before it, the new SAS 12Gb/s standard is nearly finalized and the first devices ready to be showcased, leveraging the increase bandwidth for Enterprise and Workstation storage:

Seagate will demonstrate a variety of technologies at the SCSI Trade Association (STA) Technology Showcase this week aimed at improving the performance of servers, datacenters and cloud computing applications, including the first public demonstration of solid-state drives operating at 12 gigabits per second.

Seagate will show Pulsar.2™ solid-state drives working with the new 12Gb/s SAS standard at the showcase, taking place at the Hyatt Hotel in Santa Clara, Calif. on May 9, 2012. The new standard doubles the data throughput of industry-standard drives equipped with the enhanced SAS interface, enabling much faster server and storage solutions. The enhanced standard also fully maintains the rich data integrity, scalability, serviceability, and hot swappable protocol feature set that enterprises depend on to safeguard critical data, minimize costly downtime, and ensure infrastructures easily keep up with growing data storage demands.

While Seagate will first demonstrate the technology on its solid-state drives to optimize the high performance benefits of SSDs, the 12Gb/s SAS standard is also compatible with high-performance and high-capacity hard disk drives. These can be seamlessly integrated within existing infrastructures using 6Gb/s SAS because the new faster SAS standard is backwards compatible with all previous generations of SAS speeds. Seagate’s implementation of 12Gb/s SAS is fully compatible with controllers and other technologies from PMC-Sierra and LSI, two of the leading Host Bus Adapter and Expander vendors.

The 12Gb/s SAS standard is currently stable and expected to be finalized by the end of the year. Products based on the 12Gb/s standard will start to hit in the market in 2013 with general availability in the second half of the year.

Source - Seagate

TechpowerUp reports that there are Windows 8 community preview drivers for Intel's new Ivy Bridge graphics processing unit. This leads the minor lulz-worthy situation of Intel supporting Windows 8 HD 4000 graphics, and beating AMD to supporting Windows 8 with their latest generation of Graphics processors.

Lulz, indeed....

Windows 8 will come without native DVD playback capability, a Microsoft blog has disclosed. The new version of Windows Media Player won't include the ability to natively play DVD's. If you want that functionality, plus the ability to play Blu-Ray's, you'll need to but Windows Media Center through the Microsoft Store using functionality previously known as Windows anytime upgrade.

Given the changing landscape, the cost of decoder licensing, and the importance of a straight forward edition plan, we’ve decided to make Windows Media Center available to Windows 8 customers via the Add Features to Windows 8 control panel (formerly known as Windows Anytime Upgrade). This ensures that customers who are interested in Media Center have a convenient way to get it. Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD playback support. For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray.

Clearly, this is a cost-based decision; the cost for licensing DVD and BluRay proprietary technology (and it's associated DRM) as well as recording broadcast television just came home to roost. In real terms, this will affect small system builders/value added resellers and home brewers the most, as typically new OEM PC's have shipped with DVD/BR playback and DVR software (if tuner equipped) from Arcsoft, Corel, Cyberlink or Sony for the last decade anyway.

Now you guys building your own HTPC's need to decide on if you're buying WMC/Corel/Sony/Arcsoft/Cyberlink and Hauppauge packages, or are going to open source it. So, no change there, really. You do get Dolby Digital + from streaming sources/local hard drive for free, though. Pay the same for windows and get less, hooray!

Read the full blog post here.

Chuck Moore, chief engineer of AMD's Bulldozer architecture, has passed away after battling Pancreatic Cancer, it was announced today. I met him briefly last year at AMD's inaugural Fusion Developer Summit, where he spoke with assembled world press about AMD Fusion system Architecture.

Chuck achieved a long and distinguished career not only as a technology innovator and visionary, but also as a mentor and leader. He spent a large part of his career working at IBM on computer chips based on the POWER architecture. During this time Chuck completed a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. He continued at IBM as Chief Engineer and project co-lead for the PowerPC 601 Microprocessor, and eventually led the POWER4 Chip Architecture project. He was also elected to the IBM Academy of Technology and was named an IBM Master Inventor.
In 2001 Chuck decided to venture out of his comfort zone to work at a startup, Chicory Systems, and after acquisition by Parthus Technologies (of Dublin, Ireland) in May 2001, became Vice President of Engineering.
Next he accepted a position as a Senior Research Fellow back at UT, where his work focused on scalable computer architectures and helped bridge technology innovation back into industry.
Then, in 2004, Chuck returned to the corporate world working for AMD in California, where he served as Chief Engineer of AMD's next-generation microprocessor core ("Bulldozer"), and achieved the final position of Corporate Fellow. As Technology Group CTO and Chairman of the Technology Advisory Board (TAB) Chuck was instrumental in setting AMD's technology and product direction.
In addition to being granted 31 US patents, with several others pending, Chuck was highly active in industry organizations like IEEE and ACM, and the annual Hot Chips symposium held at Stanford University.

His obituary is posted here.

AMD announced today that Colette LaForce, 39, will join the company as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, reporting to President and Chief Executive Officer Rory Read. In her new role, LaForce will lead global integrated marketing for AMD, including marketing strategy, branding, internal and external communications, corporate events, sponsorships and entertainment marketing.

"Colette brings strong technology marketing and brand-building experience, a fresh perspective and a results-oriented approach that will strengthen AMD's global marketing organization," Read said. "Her deep expertise will accelerate the revitalization of the AMD brand, amplifying our voice in the marketplace while helping position the company for long-term growth."

LaForce will join AMD this month from Dell, where she is currently global vice president and chief marketing officer of the approximately $8 billion Dell Services business unit.

Read the full release here.

Note - This is a joke.

A new report from Jon Peddie Research indicates that MMO's like EVE and WOW are driving PC Gaming hardware purchases worldwide, increasing spending and estimated to bring a 50% increase in PC Gamers in the next two years:

Jon Peddie Research estimates there are 54 million Performance and Enthusiast class PC gamers worldwide, with new entrants and console converts bolstering this to 72 million by 2015.

The recession is winding down and the Enthusiast and Performance class PC gamers (those who spend over $1000 on equipment) have spoken...with their wallets. With chips from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia, new machines from Alienware, HP, Lenovo and others, components and accessories from companies like ASUS, EVGA, Corsair, Logitech, and MadCatz, and new games in the pipe like Far Cry 3, BioShock Infinite, Crysis 3, ARMA 3, rFactor 2, and Interstellar Marines, the financial engine of the world's most elite gaming platform is fully fueled and will drive the global market to $32 billion by 2015.

Read the full report at JPR

AMD today announced an agreement with GameFly, Inc., to give gamers who leverage the quality and performance of AMD CPUs and APUs easier access to GameFly's leading online video game rental and PC download services for a limited time. Gamers purchasing select AMD A-Series APUs, AMD Athlon(TM) II CPUs, AMD Phenom(TM) II CPUs or AMD FX Series CPUs in regions where GameFly is accessible receive a free, 30-day GameFly membership as well as a 20 percent discount on a new PC game purchase via the new GameFly PC store.

"AMD draws inspiration from gamers, game developers and the PC gaming industry," said John Taylor, director of Global Product and Technology Marketing at AMD. "Hand-in-hand with the AMD Gaming Evolved program, we continue to listen to gamers and fulfill our 'Gamers Come First!' pledge. AMD's close affiliation with GameFly shows our gratitude to gamers and to GameFly for recognizing how AMD represents best-in-class PC gaming experiences."

"GameFly is excited about its agreement with AMD because we've recently expanded into the PC gaming market with our robust new digital client," said Sean Spector, GameFly co-founder and SVP of Business Development and Content. "We strive to deliver the best consumer experience and we believe AMD's innovative technology and dedication to the PC gaming community amplify our mission as we continue to cater to our customers and enhance the value of our services."

Source - AMD News Release

VR-Zone reports that NVIDIA appear to be executing in a very-AMD like strategy for their high end this time; a midsize chip with high perf/$ and perf/w going to into four products, spanning the sweet spot through the ultra enthusiast and hyper enthusiast.

NVIDIA will launch not one, but two cut-down versions of the GK104 chip: the Geforce GTX 660 (or 660 Ti) and GTX 670 (or 670 Ti). According to WCCFTech, the GK104-335-A2 will power the GTX 670, while GTX 660 may be powered by another revision.

GeForce GTX 670 should feature 1344 CUDA cores, same uncut 256-bit memory controller and paltry 2GB GDDR5 memory. The clocks should be set at around 915-950MHz for the GPU, and 1.25GHz QDR for video memory, resulting in 156GB/s of video memory bandwidth. Estimated price for the part should be around $399-429, going head to head against the Radeon HD 7950.

GeForce GTX 660 would be a different bird, with no less than whole GPC (Graphics Processing Cluster) disabled , resulting with 1152 CUDA codes. Memory bus would be cut to 192-bit, meaning again - the odd combination of either 768MB or 1.5GB. Given that it's 2012, we don't see anyone launching a product with 768MB of video memory. This part should go for $199-249, targeting AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series (Pitcairn GPUs).

Read more here

The M14x, M17x and M18x notebooks from Alienware are now shipping with Intel's Ivy Bridge processor and NVIDIA GeForce mobility graphics options on all models, and AMD's Radeon HD 7970M as an option in the M17x and M18x notebooks.

Alienware, Dell’s high performance PC gaming brand, is taking the mobile gaming experience to a new level with its enhanced gaming laptop portfolio that lets gamers choose a system that best fits their mobile lifestyle. The enhanced systems include: the M14x, the most powerful 14-inch laptop in the universe, for the gamer who requires a balance between mobility and performance; the 3D-capable M17x for an immersive high-definition, surround-sound sensory experience, and the M18x – also the most powerful 18-inch laptop in the universe – for gamers whose priority is performance above all else but who also require the option to occasionally ‘go mobile.’

The Alienware M14x, M17x, and M18x laptops deliver immersive sensory experiences, with each offering the latest NVIDIA GeForce and AMD Radeon HD graphics cards and the Creative Sound Blaster audio chipset with THX 7.1 digital surround sound and Klipsch-branded speakers.

High-Performance Mobile Gaming
A perfect balance of performance and mobility, the Alienware M14x allows gamers on-the-go to experience uncompromising gaming performance. The M14x features optional dual drive configurations, up to 16GB of memory for extreme multitasking, a Blu-ray combo optical drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics engine with GDDR5 graphics memory[ii] – the most advanced GPU in a 14-inch form factor and the first time Alienware is offering GDDR5 graphics on a laptop of this size.

The Alienware M17x immerses the customer in the game with every dimension, pixel and sound, for a bigger, richer gaming experience. The M17x delivers the latest NVIDIA and AMD graphics card options, up to 32GB of memory[ii], optional 17.3-inch 120Hz WideFHD WLED 3D display, and THX 3D surround sound. It is one of the first laptops to offer the AMD Radeon HD 7970M graphics card and the latest GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 660M and 675M graphics solutions[ii].

Alienware’s flagship gaming laptop, the Alienware M18x, is equipped with technology capable of matching high-performance gaming desktops. The M18x delivers up to 200w of mobile graphics power when configured with the optional Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M graphics enabling an NVIDIA SLI experience and up to 4GB of GDDR5 graphics memoryii. A configuration featuring dual AMD Radeon HD 7970m with CrossFire will be available in the coming weeks. An 18.4-inch Full HD 1080p WLED backlit LCD, up to 750GB 7200RPM SATA hard drives , support for a triple solid state drive option – 768GB SSD (3 x 256GB SSD), and a stylish, anodized aluminum shell all combine to make the M18x a gaming and entertainment powerhouse like no other.

Availability and Pricing:
Alienware M14x, M17x and M18x are available now on Dell.com and Alienware.com with standard configurations starting at $1099 for the M14x, $1499 for the M17x, and $1999 for the M18x.

Source - Dell | Alienware

AMD has launched a virtual scavenger hunt to win prizes, surrounding AMD's upcoming AMD Fusion Developer Summit:

Be the first to find all 10 “Easter Eggs” and you could win an AMD-powered iBUYPOWER Gamer Extreme 579D3 Desktop PC complete with AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology. Not too shabby, huh? We also have some great runner-up prizes including a Hewlett-Packard dv6 laptop with VISION Technology from AMD for second place and an AMD HD RadeonTM 7970 series GPU for third place.

Mark your calendar – the AMD Fusion Developer Summit (AFDS) is just around the corner and will be coming to Bellevue, WA June 11-14. The Summit will bring together visionaries in software development across consumer devices, gaming, cloud computing and much more with keynotes from AMD, Adobe, Cloudera, GaiKai, Penguin Computing and to-be-announced special guests. Academics, OEMs, and software developers from around the world will be at AFDS to network and learn more about the latest in heterogeneous computing, OpenCL and advanced software development.

What: AMD Fusion Developer Summit

Keynotes:

• Tom Malloy, Adobe Senior Vice President and Chief Software Architect
• Mark Papermaster, AMD Senior Vice President and CTO
• Phil Rogers, AMD Corporate Fellow
• Dr. Amr Awadallah, Cloudera Co-Founder and CTO
• Phil Pokorny, Penguin Computing Chief Technical Officer
• David Perry, Gaikai Co-Founder and CEO
• Breakout sessions: More than 150 breakout sessions focused on the latest tools, techniques and advancements in OpenCL, C++AMP, OpenGL and APUs
• Experience Zone: The place to go for a hands on experience featuring the latest in technology innovation from ultrathin notebooks to software developments and more.

When: June 11-14, 2012
Where: Bellevue, Washington

Please visit the AFDS website or check out the latest AFDS news for more information about the event .

Read more about the scavenger hunt here

This weekend saw the NVIDIA GeForce Lan party in Shanghai, where NVIDIA CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang announced a new ultra enthusiast product - the GeForce GTX 690, based on dual GTX 680 GPU's:

April 29, 2012—NVIDIA announced the GeForce® GTX 690, the world’s fastest consumer graphics card1—with a bold industrial design to match.

Powered by dual Kepler™ architecture-based GeForce GPUs, the GTX 690 is meticulously designed—inside and out—to deliver the most refined, elegant and smooth PC gaming experience possible.

Engineered to reach a new threshold in gaming performance, the GTX 690 also looks the part. Its array of innovative technologies is complemented by sleek materials that contribute to the exotic design of the card, including:

• An exterior frame made from trivalent chromium-plated aluminum, providing excellent strength and durability
• A fan housing made from a thixomolded magnesium alloy, which offers excellent heat dissipation and vibration dampening
• High-efficiency power delivery with less resistance, lower power and less heat generated using a 10-phase, heavy-duty power supply with a 10-layer, two-ounce copper printed circuit board
• Efficient cooling using dual vapor chambers, a nickel-plated finstack and center-mounted axial fan with optimized fin pitch and air entry angles
• Low-profile components and ducted baseplate channels for unobstructed airflow, minimizing turbulence and improving acoustic quality

The GTX 690 is powered by a total of 3,072 NVIDIA CUDA® cores, all working to deliver awesome gaming performance for ultimate gaming setups. Designed for the discriminating gamer and ultra-high-resolution, multimonitor NVIDIA Surround™ configurations, the GTX 690 delivers close to double the frame rates of the closest single GPU product, the GTX 680. Plus, it is more power efficient and quieter when compared to systems equipped with two GTX 680 cards2 running in NVIDIA SLI® configuration.

“The GTX 690 is truly a work of art—gorgeous on the outside with amazing performance on the inside,” said Brian Kelleher, senior vice president of GPU engineering at NVIDIA. “Gamers will love playing on multiple screens at high resolutions with all the eye candy turned on. And they’ll relish showing their friends how beautiful the cards look inside their systems.”

The GTX 690 graphics card is designed using GeForce GPUs based on NVIDIA’s 28-nanometer Kepler architecture, following the introduction late last month of the GTX 680.

Availability
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 GPU will be available in limited quantities starting May 3, 2012, with wider availability by May 7, 2012 from NVIDIA’s add-in card partners, including ASUS, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Inno3D, MSI, Palit and Zotac. Expected pricing is $999.

AMD apparently haven't noticed the card yet, as their AMD Game page still proudly proclaims itself to be home of the world's fastest graphics card - for 894 days, and counting. Perhaps they're waiting to see if the benchmarks really do show the GeForce GTX 690 to be 50% faster than the Radeon HD 6990?

A public pat on the back for TSMC from NVIDIA, after rumors they are looking for 28nm capacity at other foundries and publicly stated 28nm yields were to blame for Kepler's late appearance and slow ramp up.

Kepler is manufactured using TSMC’s 28nm high performance (HP) process, the foundry’s most advanced 28nm process which uses their first-generation high-K metal gate (HKMG) technology and second generation SiGe (Silicon Germanium) straining. Both technical advances improve the performance per watt of the transistor translating to a more power efficient system.

Using TSMC’s 28nm HP process enabled us to reduce active power by about 15 percent and leakage by about 50 percent compared to 40nm, resulting in an overall improvement in power efficiency of about 35 percent.

Today, the primary constraint on processor performance is the power consumption budget. So our goal is always to develop solutions that deliver the highest performance within a fixed power budget. Having a more efficient process enabled us to add more processing cores, thus increasing performance. Put simply, greater efficiency equals greater performance and optimal performance per watt.

Read the full blog at NVIDIA.com

Those eagle-eyed fellows over a The TechReport have noticed that AMD's processor pricing has adjusted itself recently:

You might not know it from looking at the date stamps on AMD's processor pricing pages, because they're still a few months old. A quick comparison of the existing pages versus those stored in Google's cache reveals the truth, though: prices have dropped across nearly the entire FX and A series of processors.

Read the TechReport for the full details.