HotHardware and Gigabyte New Year's Giveaway

Now that the holidays and CES craziness are over, we thought it would be a good time to launch our latest giveaway! This time around, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Gigabyte to give away a few of pieces of HOT hardware. Up for grabs, we have a Z68 series, Z68XP-UD3P motherboard, GeForce GTX 560 N56GOC-IGI graphics card, and a Force K3 keyboard and M6900 mouse...

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 560 N56GOC-IGI!

The First Runner Up will receive and a Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P motherboard!

The Second Runner Up will receive the Force K3 keyboard and M6900 mouse!

To be entered into this sweepstakes, please follow these quick and easy guidelines below. If you're brand new here, there might be a few more steps necessary, but otherwise it's pretty simple!

1) - First: Make sure you're a registered member at HotHardware.com. You can also login with your Facebook or Twitter accounts if you'd like.

2) - Be active in news and article discussions and the forum community here at HotHardware.com. Your posts are your entries! (Only quality posts will count. No Spam please.)

3) - "Like" the Gigabyte and HotHardware Facebook pages if you haven’t already done so.

4) - That's it!

The contest will run through February 3, 2011, at which point we'll pick and announce the lucky winners. Get in early and post here, in the HH news discussions and in our forum often!

** Please note, this give-away is for U.S. or Canadian residents only. The winner, if selected and located at a Canadian ship-to address, will assume all duties / taxes associated with delivery. Any / all winners are responsible for any applicable taxes associated with contest prize.

This is a great chance for to you to win some hot new gear from Gigabyte! Good Luck!

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MSI Ballyhoos 3DMark 11 World Record Set by X79A-GD65 (8D) Motherboard

Motherboard makers have long gone after the enthusiast crowd by implementing overclocking friendly features into their products, and these days companies get just as excited about benchmarking and OCing world records as end users do. Take MSI, for example, which is happy as can be that its X79A-GD65 (8D) was part of an overclocked system that set an official world record for the Physics portion of Futuremark's 3DMark 11 benchmark.

Singapore overclocker "Spyboy48" broke the record during an overclocking contest sponsored by MSI, Kingston, Enermax, and Cougar.

"The new record score, 19090, set with an Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition processor and MSI X79A-GD65 (8D) motherboard is a great achievement in overclocking skill. At stock settings, a similar system would get a score of about 11000, so Spyboy48 improved the CPU performance of his system by almost 75 percent," MSI said in a statement.

MSI says eight different overclockers scored over 18,000 in the same benchmark, and seven out of the 10 Hall of Fame Physics scores came from this contest.

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Thecus Unveils Cavium-Powered N4100 EVO NAS Device

The folks at Thecus have just unveiled their latest low-power Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, the N4100 EVO. This new N4100 looks just like previous iterations of this 4-bay NAS, and sports Thecus’ useful LCD and front panel buttons (among many other features), but this latest device is powered by a new, lower-power dual-core SoC from Cavium. The full scoop is available in the PR below...

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Thecus N4100EVO: The First Dual-core Cavium-based 4-bay NAS 
Intelligent design: Evolve your digital office

12/12/2011 – Taipei (Taiwan): Thecus is well known in the market for always putting innovative hardware and state of the art technology on the table for a fair price in order to guarantee our customers the best value. Thecus’s new N4100EVO NAS offer a broad range of advanced features and differentiate themselves with low-energy hardware for those who place strong value on cutting down their electricity costs and carbon footprint. This cost-effective hardware is the first four-bay NAS on the market to feature the speedy and efficient dual-core Cavium CPU to get the quick transfer speeds necessary for large backups and heavy use. The N4100EVO is designed to change the way you run your office, at home or at work.

Dual Core CPU The N4100EVO doesn't bust your budget and still has plenty of power to throw around. It integrates a Cavium dual-core processor, making file sharing, web hosting, and even heavy data backups easy and fast. This four bay NAS will also have 2 USB 2.0 ports for easy data backup to and from external hard drives and an LCD screen for more convenient administration.

Hardware RAID and the Powerful XOR Engine
The XOR Engine makes the N4100EVO the first SMB/home NAS on the market to use dedicated hardware to lighten the load of building RAID and free up the CPU to keep your NAS running fast. The N4100EVO embeds a dedicated XOR engine in order to speed up all RAID 5 computations and minimize one of the main drawbacks of RAID protection: rebuilding time!

A Well Rounded Software Bundle
It is important to give users the support and applications they need to take full advantage of storing and networking their data. That’s why Thecus provides a lot of useful tools to be sure their NAS can be pushed to the fullest extent. If you feel you are a tinkerer, you can also develop your own modules and share them with the community.

• Thecus Firmware includes support for all the newest advances: XFS, 3TB HDD, SATAIII HDD, iSCSI, an open source module system, and more.
• The powerful Acronis Backup software makes backups easy and keeps your data safe!
• More than a dozen free modules are available on the Thecus website, including:
  • A download manager for BitTorrent, eMule and HTTP. You don’t even need to switch on your computer!
  • The brand new Piczza! photo server, which allows you to share your pictures with friends and family in a smart and easy-to-use interface.
  • A Web Disk module to upload and download data simply and easily to and from your NAS.

"As the demand for storage capacity continues to grow, SMB/home users are requiring greater integration of storage into their environments,” said Florence Shih, Thecus Technology General Manager. “The N4100EVO is designed to deliver performance, features, and reliability at an affordable price to satisfy these needs.”

“Cavium is delighted to be working with Thecus in introducing the revolutionary 4-Bay NAS product to the market,” says Douglas Cheung, Director of Marketing for Consumer and Home Networking at Cavium. “Our ECONA family of dual-core System-On-Chips (SoCs) deliver best–in-class NAS performance with the lowest power consumption. N4100EVO leverages these attributes of ECONA SoC to deliver an energy efficient 4-bay solution without compromising the performance or cost targets.”

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Brace Yourself for Higher RAM Prices, Adata Says

If you spot a good deal on DRAM and could use an upgrade, you may want to pull the trigger rather than wait and hope prices will fall even further. According to Adata CEO Simon Chen, DRAM prices are likely to rebound in January 2012, mostly because of cuts in DRAM output made earlier in the year. The effects of those cuts are about to take effect, especially as PC makers get ready to replenish their inventories, Chen warns.

Chen was also quick to point that Adata is one of two companies that kept a steady focus on DRAM modules (Kingston is the other), while most other companies shifted the bulk of their operations away from system memory in order to focus on NAND flash memory for SSDs and other more stable markets.

Adata might also be making a mountain out of a mole hill here. DRAM is almost as inexpensive as tap water, so even if prices go up next month, it probably won't be enough to sway most users out of making a purchase. On the flip side, the timing is crummy, as hard drive prices are also higher these days, though for a different reason (flooding in Thailand).

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AMD Radeon HD 7970: 28nm Tahiti GPU Review

We have been hearing about AMD’s “Southern Island” family of graphics processors for quite some time. Even during briefings for the Northern Island series of products which ultimately became the Radeon HD 6000 series, news about Southern Islands was already trickling out. Rumors about these parts have been rampant for what seems like ages, but now, just in time to get all you hardcore gamers fired up this holiday season, AMD is officially taking the wraps of Southern Islands. More specifically, today AMD is announcing their latest flagship single-GPU, the Radeon HD 7970.

As you may suspect, if you paid attention to Eric Demer’s excellent keynote address at the AMD Fusion Developer Summit and the resulting onslaught of news that followed, the top-of-the-line GPU in the Southern Islands family—codenamed Tahiti—features AMD’s totally new Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture. In addition to being the firstGPU to feature GCN, Tahiti is also AMD’s first GPU to be manufactured at 28nm, their first with PCI Express 3.0 connectivity, the first with DirectX 11.1 support, and the first to sport a few other new technologies we’ll cover a little later (ZeroCore, PRT, multi-point audio).

There’s a lot to cover, so we’re not going to take up any more bandwidth telling the backstory. Up next are some preliminary details regarding the Radeon HD 7970 and other GPUs in the Southern Islands family, followed by a deep dive into the technology and a full performance profile of the fastest single-GPU money can (almost) buy...

The AMD Radeon HD 7970 3GB Graphics Card

AMD Radeon HD 7970 Specifications & Features

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We’re going to go into much more detail a little later, but here are some preliminary details regarding the Tahiti-based Radeon HD 7970. The GPU is outfitted with 2,048 stream processors featuring AMD’s Graphics Core Next architecture and is paired to 3GB of GDDR5 memory connected over a 384-bit wide memory bus. The maximum number of displays supported per GPU is six, just like the previous generation Radeons, but the display output configuration has changed; one of the DVI outputs has been nixed.

The "Southern Islands" Family of AMD GPUs

The Tahiti GPU isn’t the only memory of the Southern Islands family slated for release, however. It is the only one to feature GCN, but new mainstream and “sweet spot” 28nm GPUs are coming too. The Pitcairn core will power the Radeon HD 7800 series, while Cape Verde will be the foundation of the Radeon HD 7700 series. We’ll have more details regarding those parts in the coming months.

Before we move on to the inner working of Tahiti and the Radeon HD 7970 in general, we should highlight a few previous HotHardware articles that are pertinent to today’s announcement. Although it’s based on a new GPU, the Radeon HD 7970 shares many features with previous-generation Radeons, like CrossFire, Eyefinity, PowerTune, UVD, and more. Since we won’t be covering those topics in depth here again, we’d suggest giving the following articles a glance.

• AMD Radeon HD 6970 & 6950 Debut: Enter Cayman
• AMD Radeon HD 6870 & 6850 Graphics Cards Debut
• AMD ATI Radeon HD 5870: Unquestionably Number One
• ATI Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition Gaming
• AMD Radeon HD 6870 CrossFire with 5x1 Eyefinity

In the Radeon HD 6800 and 6900 series launch articles, we discuss a number of features like PowerTune, the UVD video engine, and Eyefinity. In the Eyefinity specific articles, we further explain the technology, discuss performance, and show a number of demos of Eyefinity in action on a variety of screen configurations. 

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Gigabyte Issues Emergency BIOS Update for Certain X79 Series Motherboards

Overclocking used to be a dark art reserved for a power users who didn't mind taking potentially catastrophic risks in order to squeeze a few more ounces of free performance out of their components. Things have changed dramatically in recent years, but lest anyone forget, overclocking can still be dangerous, even with all of the modern day safe guards. YouTube user "japan0827" found this out the unfortunate way when his overclocked system went up in smoke...literally (see video here).

He was using a Gigabyte X79-UD3 motherboard and narrowed the culprit down to a faulty MOSFET that couldn't handle the stress from the board's CPU VRM. Pictures are littered all over the Web on various forums, and they aren't pretty. Unfortunately, the problem is more serious than bad part on a single motherboard.

"It has come to our attention that certain X79 Series motherboards (see models below) may malfunction due to excess heat when performing Extreme Overclocking beyond the board’s limit. To address this issue and to ensure our product is being used as intended, we urge existing X79 users to either visit Gigabyte’s official website to download and update their X79 series BIOS, or contact Gigabyte’s regional service center," Gigabyte said in a statement.

Below is a list of affected boards with links to an updated BIOS:

• G1.Assassin 2 (Update to BIOS F7 or later)
• GA-X79-UD7 (Update to BIOS F7 or later)
• GA-X79-UD5 (Update to BIOS F7 or later)
• GA-X79-UD3 (Update to BIOS F7 or later)

Some early reports suggested Gigabyte was recalling the above models, but that's not the case in the U.S. Instead, Gigabyte is taking a three pronged approach to resolving the problem:

1. Gigabyte will make its best efforts to ensure that all partners, distributors and retailers have the latest firmware (BIOS) installed on existing X79 Series Motherboard models.
2. Gigabyte's commitment to service excellence will not be compromised. The GIGABYTE X79 Series Motherboards offer an unprecedented 5 year warranty, the longest offered in the industry. We encourage users to register for this FREE 5 year warranty here: http://e-service.gigabyte.com/Productregistration/webevent/ExtendWarranty_US.aspx
3. If any existing user is still unsatisfied after the recommended firmware (BIOS) update of their X79 Series Motherboard, Gigabyte will offer an unconditional replacement of their X79 Series Motherboard (same model). No Questions Asked.

As to the BIOS update, there are reports that it throttles the CPU when pushed too far, which will prevent things from burning up, but also gimps the boards' overclocking potential.

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AT&T Wraps Up 700MHz Spectrum Purchase From Qualcomm

Mobile fanatics may remember a time when mobile TV had a chance in America. And those who blinked probably don't remember anything of the sort. America never has been much on mobile TV -- perhaps our lifestyles are just too crazy for long-term viewing on a mobile device, but the spectrum used for Qualcomm's short-lived FLO TV service is certainly valued. And AT&T, just days after calling it quits with their proposed T-Mobile USA acquisition, wants it.

The carrier that gets slammed on a seemingly weekly basis for not ever having enough capacity in major urban areas has just wrapped up a purchase of wireless spectrum from Qualcomm. AT&T purchased 700 MHz spectrum licenses covering more than 300 million people for approximately $1.9 billion. 700MHz spectrum is super valuable, and it's getting harder and harder to find these days. The real question is this: when will the purchase translate to more capacity for users?

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New JXD S7100 MID Feels Awfully Familiar

If the website and slogan (“We are different”) that are clear Apple rip-offs are any indication, JXD’s new S7100 MID borrows heavily from other companies...and presumably doesn’t have the rights to anything the device does.

The S7100 is an Android-based tablet designed to play arcade and older ROMs, or as the site says: “Apple games, Android games, Sony games, Nintendo games, Arcade games, Sega games”. The JXD website specifically features the likes of MarioKart 64, Fruit Ninja 3D, Metal Slug, and more.

Under the hood, the device runs on an ARM Cortex A9 chip and features 2-16GB of onboard storage, 512MB of internal DDR2 memory, an 800x480 7-inch touchscreen, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, and HDMI out. The game buttons include a D-pad and PlayStation buttons. Under Extras, the specification chart simply says “Gravity”.

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RunCore To Showcase New Solid State Drives At CES 2012

CES isn't too far away, and it looks like RunCore will be there showcasing new goods. What's on tap? A few things, actually. The Xapear, Falcon series and Pro V 7mm 2.5" SSD, along with other production representations. RunCore Xapear is the world's first encryption solid-state drive that has the technology of RFID and the function of Mobile Phone Encryption. RFID User access control uses AES128 encryption algorithm to control the access permission, and the private space of the drive can only be recognized and accessed if users were using the authorized RFID tag. Also, users can check the SSD status or activate the self-erase function by using a mobile phone with the binding SIM card through the GSM network. With the world's leading data encryption technology, Xapear is the most preferable solution for the anti-compromised applications of military, government as well as high-end enterprises.

Falcon series and Pro V 7mm 2.5" SSD are the two new products that RunCore is intending to have them launched in the exhibition. Falcon series is another super-performance product that is Marvell-based. Comparing it to Pro V SATA 6Gbps SSDs, it has even higher R/W IOPS, which is able to better satisfy those customers who seeks high-end performance. In addition, for the possibility of a dramatic increase in Ultrabooks in the near future, RunCore has added a new SSD to its Pro V series which will also be displayed, 7mm 2.5" SATA 6Gbps with the R/W performance of 540/500MB

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Toshiba Thrive 7 Tablet Review, Android Honeycomb On the 7-Inch Screen

We called the 10-inch Toshiba Thrive the "Swiss Army Knife" of tablets when it first arrived, with its copious amounts of connectivity options and full-sized ports.  It's a large-than-most tablet but the sort of device that differentiates itself in a crowd of too similar designs.

The second coming of the Thrive, the Toshiba Thrive 7 that we're going to take a look at today, however, has to squeeze features and functionality into a decidedly smaller form factor.  Though Toshiba once again does there level best here, to offer as much openess to connectivity as they can in this smaller version of the Thrive.  We'd almost call this version the "Thrive Mini."  At the internal component level, the Thrive 7 shares a lot of similarities with the original 10-inch Thrive, it's just packed into a petite frame with a slightly trimmed down price tag of $379.

Toshiba Thrive 7 Review - Honeycomb at 7 Inches

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Samsung Galaxy S III Expected To Debut At MWC 2012

Samsung's Galaxy S II line of smartphones has enjoyed tremendous success worldwide, selling 3 million units in just 55 days. As we found during our review of Sprint's variant of the phone, the Galaxy S II is definitely a great handset—dare we say one of the better ones to ship this year. As is typical in the world of electronics, however, this handset won't stay at the top for long.
In fact, we're already experiencing gadget envy now that we're seeing more details about the upcoming successor to the Galaxy S II, appropriately called the Galaxy S III. This new smartphone is rumored to feature a 2.0GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 10 megapixel camera with full 1080p video capabilities, and 32GB of internal storage. Those are certainly some attractive specs to say the least. The new variant of the Galaxy family is also expected to feature Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
Word on the web suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S III will make its debut at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012 which will take place in Barcelona, Spain from February 27 through March 1. Needless to say, we've marked our calendars and will be anxiously awaiting official word from Samsung.

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Biostar Announces TPOWER X79 Motherboard with Gusto

Biostar this week rolled out its new TPOWER X79 motherboard, which is apparently "the most powerful motherboard on the planet" (Biostar's words, not ours). Part of the reason Biostar is marketing its motherboard as such is due to its "extreme overclocking" capabilities, a notion that might have seemed silly coming from Biostar a few short years ago when the focus was primarily on budget boards, but not so much after the company racked up several overclocking records.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty, the new TPOWER X79 boasts a 9-phase power design, 100 percent solid capacitors, a 2-ounce copper PCB, 8-layer PCB, dual 8-pin EPS connectors, USB 3.0 support, four DDR3 memory slots with support for up to 32GB of DDR3-2400 (OC) memory, three PCI-E x16 3.0 slots, two PCI-E x1 2.0 slots, a single legacy PCI slot, four SATA 6Gbps ports, three SATA 3Gbps ports, a single eSATA 3Gbps connectors, support for RAID 0/1/5/10, AMD 4-way CrossFireX and Nvidia 3-way SLI support, and a whole bunch of other odds and ends.

There's also a Debug LED indicating lamp, buttons for booting, and a clear CMOS button, all of which are handy for hardcore overclocking and testing.

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LG's 84" 3D "Ultra-Definition" TV Boasts 3,840 x 2,160 Resolution

Say hello to the TV you'll go to bed dreaming about. This is more than just a platter of pixels; this is what technology lust is made of. LG has just announced plans to formally unveil the largest 3D Ultra Definition TV at CES 2012. It's an 84" beast that truly breaks new ground, boasting 8 million pixels, four times the resolution clarity (3840x2160) of existing Full HD TV panels.

Combined with LG's Slim and Narrow Bezel Design, the 3D UD TV provides the most convincing 3D viewing experience currently available outside of a movie theater. What's more, 3D Depth Control allows users to customize their viewing experience by controlling the 3D effect while 3D Sound Zooming provides users with 3D sound that rivals the output of all but the best home theater systems.

Via the superior display panel, users can access LG's Smart TV ecosystem, which comprises over 1,200 apps and gives users access to a growing range of premium content services such as the 3D Zone where viewers can select from a wealth of 3D movies. The imbedded 2D to 3D conversion engine expands the availability of 3D content to limitless levels. Users can easily browse and navigate the Smart TV ecosystem using LG's new, ergonomically-designed Magic Remote which now recognizes four different types of command input: Voice Recognition, Wheel, Magic Gesture and Point.

The only thing missing? A price, go figure.

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