Gigabyte and ASUS RD790 Boards  



ASUS and Gigabyte both announced boards based on AMD's 790FX chipset. The AMD 790FX is the successor to AMD's dated 580X chipset and serves as AMD's new primary single and dual-processor platform. The new boards come with support for AMD's latest features, including compatability with AMD's upcoming Quad-Core desktop Phenom processors.

ASUS officially launched its M3A-MVP Deluxe WiFi, which comes with the latest bells and whistles. Highlights of the board include support for HyperTransport 3.0, 8-channel HD Audio, and Crossfire-support.

The most unique feature of the board, though, is its cooling system. Avid overclockers will be please to know that the board's memory slots come fitted with heatsinks that are connected to the central cooling system. The board's entire cooling system is passive, translating to less overall system noise, and is made of copper.



In addition to ASUS, Gigabyte is also releasing its first RD790 board, the Gigabyte GA-MA790FX-DQ6 Ultra Durable motherboard.

The board features support for AMD AM2+ Phenom desktop processors along with support for AM2 Athlon 64 processors and HyperTransport 3.0. The board also comes with 4 PCIe 2.0 slots, meaning it support ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU technology.

Similar to the M3A-MVP, the GA-MA790FX-DQ6 also comes based on a passive cooling system made out of copper, however, it doesn't include cooling for memory.
Gigabyte will also introduce two slightly cut down version of RD790, the GA-MA790FX-DS5 and the GA-MA780X-DS4. The GA-MA780X-DS4 will only feature a single PCIe x16 lane.

MSI previously also announced its 790FX-based motherboard. The board supports Triple-Play Technology along with ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU technology.


Source

Read More...

32GB SanDisk Sansa View  



SanDisk shocked more than a few people when it announced its 16GB Sansa View MP3 player in early September. SanDisk aggressively priced the player at $199.99, while its 8GB sibling was priced at $149.99.

To put those prices in perspective, Apple charges $199 for its 8GB iPod nano while the 8GB iPod touch and 16GB iPod touch go for $299 and $399 respectively.

Despite the relatively low price tags, neither SanDisk player is currently available for purchase -- this more than a month after the first announcement. A quick jog over to PriceGrabber shows that no store currently has the players in stock.

It looks as though SanDisk has another model to add to the non-existent Sansa View family. dapreview.net stumbled across the product page for the Sansa View on SanDisk's Sansa Store and noted a small reference to a new 32GB model.

Under the specifications link for the Sansa View, there are listings for an 8GB, 16GB and 32GB model. The price range listed for the players shows $150 to $330 so the retail price for the unannounced 32GB Sansa View will likely be $329.99 -- a full $70 less than Apple's much-hyped 16GB iPod touch.

In addition to the reference to a 32GB model, the Sansa Store also notes that the 8GB and 16GB Sansa Views will bereleased on November 6 -- two months after they were first announced.

It's anyone's guess when SanDisk will formally announce the 32GB player, but CES 2008 would be an opportune time to announce the player with shipments coming sometime in Q1 2008.


Source

Read More...

My DVR Expander Western Digital  




Digital video recorders are quickly becoming as common in a home theater as a DVD player. With the proliferation of HD programming on DVR systems, more storage space is needed. Currently when your TiVo fills up your option is to delete content.

Western Digital announced a new product today called the My DVR Expander that adds another, much better option to the list. The My DVR Expander looks just like the Western Digital My Book external hard drives, which is what the My DVR Expander is in the grand scheme of things.

The 500GB external hard drive connects to all TiVo HD and Series3 DVRs via the eSATA port and is recognized automatically by the DVR. The additional 500GB of storage space allows for up to 300 additional hours of standard definition video and up to 60 additional hours of high definition video.

The drive uses passive cooling for silent operation and a low intensity LED light to minimize distractions while using your home theater. Western Digital also says that the My DVR Expander will work with Scientific Atlanta models including the Explorer 8300 series DVRs. Included in the package are the drive itself, an eSATA cable, AC adapter and the quick install guide. The drive is available now for $199.


Source

Read More...
Clicky Web Analytics