Over the past few weeks we have taken a look at the cards from the NVIDIA stable - the GTX 470 and the GTX 580 which were both amazing cards in their own right and achieved high scores in our tests. But now it's time to take a look at the Red side, AMD's. They recently launched the 6800 Series of GPUs and XFX was kind enough to send us one. The AMD HD 6850 is based on the ‘Barts’ core and in comparison to previous generations offersimproved tessellation, eyefinity and performance.The first thing that we noticed as we took the card out of the box was how small and light it was. At just 235mm in length, it should fit in almost any modern chassis. In comparison, the GTX 470 and GTX 580 look like hulking monsters. XFX have used a non-reference design and have used dual fans to help with heat management. The copper heatpipes jutting out of the side help in giving it a more rugged look, but at the same time they also make direct contact with the GPU which helps in cooling. One very cool design, although superficial, is the XFX logo carved into the I/O panel. It doesn’t serve a purpose, but it looks good.In terms of connectivity options, the XFX HD 6850 has two DVI-D ports along with one Displayport 1.2 and one HDMI 1.4a port. On the other end of the card; we have a single 6-pin PCIe connector that takes care of all its power needs.

There is a DX11 gaming system lurking deep in Computex but we managed to hunt it down as usual. We can't provide you a close up right now but judging from the looks of it, the card is about 8.5" long, dual slot and requires a 6-pin power. This card probably belongs to the mainstream segment (RV840), part of the AMD's DX11 Evergreen family. The silicon is at A10 revision right now and we can expect another spin before it enters mass production. Targeted launch of the first DX11 part is in September before the Windows

New Delhi, India — June 2, 2009 — AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced availability of the world’s first six-core server processor with Direct Connect Architecture for two-, four- and eight-socket servers. Six-Core AMD Opteron™ processors (code-named “Istanbul”) extend AMD’s commitment to offering server customers superior value at every price point with unmatched platform flexibility.

Across a single platform, AMD can address the need for more cores and greater scalability with the new Six-Core AMD Opteron processor and offer a cost- and power-efficient solution with Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors. Systems based on Six-Core AMD Opteron processors are expected to be available beginning this month from leading OEMs including Cray, Dell, HP, IBM and Sun Microsystems, along with support from motherboard and infrastructure partners. HE, SE and EE versionsof the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor are planned for the second half of 2009.

· Six-Core AMD Opteron processors leverage existing platform infrastructure and a low-cost, power-efficient DDR-2 memory architecture which can help lower system acquisition costs;

· HPC, virtualization and database workloads can benefit from increased 4P STREAM memory bandwidth of up to 60 percent[i] enabled by HyperTransport™ technology HT Assist, which helps reduce processor to processor latency and traffic;

· AMD Virtualization™ (AMD-V™) technology and the AMD-P suite of power management features are available across all performance and power bands, ensuring no-compromise choice;

· The new Six-Core AMD Opteron processor has up to 34 percent more performance-per-watt over the previous generation quad-core processors in the exact same platform.

“Based on close collaboration with our customers, we believe there is a clear value shift changing the economics of the server market,” said Patrick Patla, vice president and general manager, Server and Workstation Business, AMD. “The new Six-Core AMD Opteron processor meets the increasing need for a combination of low total cost of ownership, superior performance-per-watt and scalability. Simply put, Six-Core AMD Opteron processors deliver top-line performance that’s bottom-line efficient.”

Earlier today, we covered ECS coming up with two motherboards, based on Intel P55 (LGA-1156), and AMD 785G (AM3). Coincidentally, ASRock has a similar pair which is gearing up for launch at the upcoming Computex event. The P55 Deluxe could be the company's premium LGA-1156 motherboard, while the M3A785GXH/128M a rather high-end board, especially looking at its feature-set, that expands that of the the chipset typically offers.

The P55 Deluxe supports LGA-1156 processors sans the Flexible Display Interface feature (FDI), since it looks devoid of common display connectors. It supports four DDR3 DIMMs, with the Dual-Channel DDR3 memory interface, advertising support for DDR3-2000 (probably by overclocking). The board provides three PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, (x16, NC, x4) or (x8, x8, x4, when the slots are populated). Apart from ATI CrossFireX, NVIDIA 3-way SLI support is advertised.

Over to the M3A785GXH/128M, and there is an interesting feature here. Although AMD 785G isn't specified to support CrossFire, ASRock used andexternal lane switch card to support it. The first two PCI-Express x16 are eletrically (x16, NC) or (x8, x8, when both are populated). The third slot seems wired to the southbridge and is electrically x4. The board supports AM3 socket processors, with four DDR3 DIMM slots offering support for dual-channel DDR3-1600 memory. The Radeon HD 4200 IGP makes use of 128 MB of DDR3 SidePort memory. Standard display connectors such as DVI, D-Sub and HDMI apply. An external storage controller ups the number SATA channels, by providing an internal, and an eSATA port. ASRock wasn't very generous with its photography.

PC speed-freaks from across Europe will be pushing their processors to the limit in a series of extreme overclocking trials over the next month. The trials, which have been organised by AMD (NYSE:AMD), will see forum users from 19 leading technology forums from across the continent compete in a series of pedal-to-the-metal contests where they will attempt to push AMD platform technology, codenamed "Dragon," to the fastest speed possible. During the trials, the contestants will try to clock up the highest scores in categories such as 3D Mark performance, calculation speed and highest CPU clock speed.(i)

The first of these events was held in London on Thursday 23rd April 2009, where sparks flew, literally! In this special event,eight teams of daredevil journalists went head to head in an attempt to break through the sonic wall in 3D Mark05 and CPU clock speeds. Things got so fast and so furious that sparks actually flew from one of the team's "Dragon" rigs!(i)

It was a closely fought battle, but two winners emerged victorious. Clive Webster from Custom PC won the 3D Mark05 competition with a score of 24,689, while Tim Smally & Rich Swinburne from Bit-Tech won the CPU clock frequency competition with a speed of 4,211MHz. For this special opening event, both winning teams won a prize of $1000 each. The Custom PC donated their winnings to the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and the Bit-Tech team gave their winnings to the Myton Hamlet Hospice.
Video to the overclocking event in London: http://links.amd.com/OCUK

AMD (NYSE:AMD) today launched the ATI Radeon™ HD 4770 graphics processor, a groundbreaking product that harnesses the state-of-the-art 40 nanometer manufacturing process for the desktop PC market, delivering best-in-class performance and energy efficiency at anticipated launch prices as low as $991. The ATI Radeon HD 4770 graphics card is the newest addition to the award-winning ATI RadeonTM HD 4000 series.· The new card features third-generation hardware support for the latest DirectX® 10.1 games like Battleforge, HAWX, S.T.A.L.K.E.R Clear Sky and Stormrise, delivering higher game performance and improved visual quality when compared to DirectX® 10.
· The ATI Radeon HD 4770 continues the AMD tradition of bringing industry-leading technology to market that drives a superior user experience. The ATI Radeon HD 4770 makes use of the latest GDDR5 memory technology, providing incredibly high data rates for fast game performance.
· Gamers looking to get the most value out of their graphics hardware investment can scale their performance using ATI CrossFireX™ technology, allowing a second ATI Radeon HD 4770 card to be added for a near-linear increase in performance.2
· The ATI Radeon HD 4770 graphics card allows users to enjoy HD digital content3 with incredible visual fidelity. The new card helps enhance the definition and clarity of lower resolution media, and through the second generation AMD Unified Video Decoder (UVD 2.0) technology, users can be assured of smooth video playback, crisp images, and vibrant colors on all HD content including Blu-ray discs.4 With support for HDMI, picture-in-picture (PiP) and the latest HD audio technologies like 7.1 surround sound, the new graphics card enables an impressive cinema-quality home entertainment experience.
· Celebrating the company’s 40th Anniversary, AMD continues its heritage of focusing on the design and development of new products and platforms that deliver compelling user experiences at an exceptional value. By combining new AMD Athlon™ X2 7850 processors, AMD 7-Series chipsets and ATI Radeon™ HD 4770 series graphics cards, AMD enables a PC platform that can bring HD video to life while delivering massive performance headroom and video processing acceleration.3

“Consumer pressure in this economic downturn is shifting demand to lower prices and the price band around $100 has the highest demand and highest volume,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, Graphics Products Group, AMD.5 “AMD has responded with the launch of the ATI Radeon HD 4770, targeting this market with cutting-edge technologies like 40 nm processors, support for DirectX 10.1 gaming and GDDR5 memory. This strategy stands in stark contrast to the old “trickle down” technology approach some still use to address this important segment.”

“As a leading source of cutting-edge game development tools, Emergent has a passion for delivering realistic, visually stunning game play as well as improved performance,” said Doug Kubel, vice president, Product Development, Emergent. “By supporting DirectX 10.1 in the Gamebryo LightSpeed development system, we are able to deliver improvements in both image quality and frame rates. DirectX 10.1 graphics hardware like the ATI Radeon HD 4770 makes it possible to fully unlock the experience delivered by the combined power of DirectX10.1 and Gamebryo LightSpeed.”

Bangalore, India, April 07, 2009— Offering partners and customers another cost-effective way to benefit from the performance and efficiency of AMD OpteronTM processor technology, AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced a global AMD Opteron Upgrade Program. The program includes 2000 series and 8000 series dual- and Quad-Core AMD Opteron processors along with the upcoming six-core processor codenamed “Istanbul”. Channel partners and customers can receive up to a 35% discount in price ($50 off 2000 series, $100 off 8000 series) by upgrading the generation of their AMD Opteron processor, providing a fast upgrade path to improve performance and energy efficiency within the data center without needing to replace and buy entirely new systems

“AMD Opteron processors have always provided exceptionally long life cycles and consistent platforms,” said John Fruehe, director, Business Development, AMD. “In the current economic environment customers are trying to stretch their IT budgets and to extend the life of their technology investments more than ever, all while improving performance and energy efficiency. This program offers a unique value to our partners and customers,

particularly when you consider the enhancements to the 45nm Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor and upcoming six-core ‘Istanbul’ processor.”And here is the rest of it.

Sapphire Technology Limited, the only partner of AMD workstation graphics (except Japan) today announced — ATI FireGL™ and ATI FirePro™ 3D workstation graphics cards have completely passed all Solidworks 2009 tests and gained global certifications. Meanwhile, two mid-range models — ATI FireGL™ V3600 and V5600 have been certified by the other two SolidWorks’tools — COSMOS 2008 and eDrawing 2008. COSMOS 2008 is designed for the SolidWorks models and predict how they will behave in the real situations. Whereas with eDrawings viewer, anyone with a PC can interpret and understand 2D and 3D design data. SolidWorks users can enjoy the most stable work and optimized performance by using AMD workstation graphics.
Solidworks is outstanding for 3D mechanical CAD field, also offer a wide range of simulation products. They have innovative creativity and the biggest users’ community. The newest version “Solidworks 2009” speeds up to 65% over SolidWorks 2008. SolidWorks has added lots new features, such as SpeedPak Technology, apply filters and Sort BOM by Column, sensors monitor, electrical component library etc. By using AMD certified workstation graphics, you can spend more time on productivity, less time at work.
Here introducing a special feature in Solidworks2009-- Vertex Buffer Objects. VBO is activated by default in SolidWorks 2009 and ATI FireGL™ and ATI FirePro™ are completely support. It is a buffer which is stored on the GPU memory and when activated, the application stores vertex data for triangles and lines in this location. VBO is a way for an application to render data without repeatedly accessing the computer’s sub systems suchas the hard drive and therefore help achieve higher operational performance. Additionally, the other fantastic function “RealView Graphics” which was released in SolidWorks 2008, it is hardware support of advanced shading in real time. By applying appearances and scenes, your models come to life without going through rendering processes such as PhotoWorks. Your system must have a workstation class graphics card capable of supporting RealView. See the SolidWorks Hardware support web site for a complete list of supported graphics cards and drivers, and you will see ATI FireGL™ and ATI FirePro™ series are passed with all strict testing.
Why Choose ATI FireGL™ and ATI FirePro™:

http://workstation.sapphiretech.com/archive/newsletter/eng/0175/eng_8_20090211_9157.pdf

For more product information, please visit Sapphire and AMD website: http://workstation.sapphiretech.com/

Seagate and AMD will be demonstrating the world’s first SATA 6Gbps hard-drive today, theoretically offering twice the throughput of the existing SATA 3Gbps standard. The demo will compare an existing Barracuda 7200.12 HDD and a SATA 6Gbps HDD that uses a prototype AMD chipset to offer 5.5Gigabits per second performance.
The companies are hoping to provoke interest in the new SATA 6Gbps standard, which will begin showing up in hard-drives before the end of 2009. It uses the same cables and connectors as previous 3Gbps and 1.5Gbps SATA, but introduces new power-efficiency technology among other things.

New drives will be backward compatible with motherboards that only support the existing SATA speeds, so we’re hoping to see them hit themarket sooner rather than later. No word from Seagate as to when a commercial version of the current prototype will be launched.

Press Release:

Seagate and AMD Unveil World’s First Demonstration of Serial ATA 6Gigabit/Second Technology for High-Speed PC Applications

Seagate (Nasdaq: STX), teaming with microprocessor manufacturing leader Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) at the Everything Channel Xchange Conference in New Orleans this week, today unveiled the world’s first public demonstration of next-generation high-speed data transfer - Serial ATA 6Gigabit/second - for bandwidth-hungry desktop and laptop PC applications including gaming, streaming video and graphics multimedia.

The Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/second storage interface will deliver the highest performance - burst speeds of up to 6Gigabits per second - for all PC applications, maintain backward compatibility with the SATA 3Gb/second and SATA 1.5Gb/second interfaces, and use the same cables and connectors as previous SATA generations to ease integration. The third generation of the mainstream storage interface for desktop and notebook computers also enhances power efficiency and improves Native Command Queuing, a SATA feature, to increase overall system performance and data transfer speeds of mainstream PC applications but especially applications with heavily transactional workloads such as scientific modeling and forecasting, and engineering design and simulation.

“The increasing reliance of consumers and businesses worldwide on digital information is giving rise to gaming, digital video and audio, streaming video, graphics and other applications that require even more bandwidth, driving demand for PC interfaces that can carry even more digital content,” said Joan Motsinger, Seagate vice president of Personal Systems Marketing and Strategy. “The SATA 6Gb/second storage interface will meet this demand for higher-bandwidth PCs. Seagate has a long history of being first to market with new technologies such as Serial ATA, perpendicular recording and self-encrypting drives, and is pleased to be teaming with AMD to stage the world’s first public demonstration of SATA 6Gb/second storage.”

“AMD strives to deliver platform technology that our technology partners can use to create high- performance desktop and laptop PCs,” said Leslie Sobon, vice president of Product Marketing, AMD. “The new SATA 6Gb/second technology not only incorporates the best features of previous SATA generations but also includes new enhancements. This innovation enables AMD to continue to evolve its technology platforms and to develop low-cost designs that our technology partners can use to improve their own PC and laptop products.”

The Seagate and AMD demonstration features two Seagate SATA disk drives - one a shipping Barracuda(R) 7200.12 3Gb/second hard drive and the other a prototype Barracuda 6Gb/second drive - in a desktop PC to show the performance difference between the two generations. The PC is powered by an AMD prototype SATA 6Gb/second chipset. The Seagate SATA 3Gb/second drive runs at more than 2.5Gigabits per second and the SATA 6Gb/second drive at 5.5Gigabits per second, with the performance of each storage interface displayed on the PC monitor.

Serial ATA 6Gb/second - Blazing speed for next-generation personal computing

Serial ATA (SATA), the mainstream storage interface for desktop and notebook disk drives, is currently available in two speeds - 3Gb/second and 1.5Gb/second. SATA 6Gb/second was developed by the Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) under the Serial ATA Revision 3.0 specification.

In keeping with SATA-IO objectives for designing a low-cost interface for desktop and notebook PCs, SATA 6Gb/second maintains the low cost and low-power design requirements of previous SATA generations, and is designed to be backward compatible with SATA 3Gb/second connectors, cables and other hardware.

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphics cards, is thrilled to offer the most exciting game bundle to all gamers: the latest DirectX 10.1 support game-S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky with PowerColor HD4870 series graphics!

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is set in 2011 and brings forth the events to have preceded the third campaign of Strelok to the Zone center. It has enabled DirectX 10.1 in game, numerous features and optimizations improvements, and has offered up 7% or more performance when compared to DirectX 10 games. PowerColor gamers can take full advantage of the featuring assets of DirectX 10.1 with HD4870 series graphics, promoting superior visual experience.Quizzed S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Win big for PowerColor HD4870!
PowerColor not only offers superior bundle package of PowerColor HD4870 series & S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear sky, we are also offering a chance to win the exclusive HD4870 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. edition withour quiz contest, Quizzed S.T.A.L.K.E.R., which will launch on Mar. 2nd. For more details on superior game bundle and other awesome prizes, check it out here.

“We’re ecstatic to offer our new game bundle to the PowerColor fans!” says Ted Chen, C.E.O of TUL Corporation. “With this perfect gaming set, gamers can now fully enjoy the maximum gaming quality possible; it’s time for DirectX 10.1! “

Although Advanced Micro Devices was previously expected to get ready to produce central processing units under the 32-nanometer process technology only in 2011, it seems that the chip maker plans to speed things up a little. Dirk Meyer, chief executive of AMD, stated recently that the company was set to “ramp up” production in the middle of next year, and that it expected volume production to start in the fourth quarter of the year.

Currently, the CPUs shipped by both AMD and Intel are fabricated using the 45nm process. The Sunnyvale company has managed to come to the market with processors manufactured under the 45nm process only in the fourth quarter of last year, but it seems that it expects to be able to move to the next-generation 32nm fabrication by mid 2010.

Unlike the previous generation of chips made by AMD, the 32nm CPUs will only be designed by the company, The Foundry Company being the one that will take on the manufacturing process. It seemsthat the spinoff of its facilities into a new entity helped the chip maker keep on track with rolling out new-generation processors only about a year behind archrival Intel.

According to Meyer, AMD and Advanced Technology Investment Co., formed by the Abu Dhabi government, will close today the deal regarding the spinoff of the chip maker's manufacturing operations into a joint company. This move is expected to help AMD put an end to an entire line of quarterly loses.


Meyer says that the chip maker expects the Foundry Co to provide it with the necessary resources, mainly due to the fact that AMD will own 34 percent of the newly formed joint venture. At the same time, he seems to believe that the spinoff was a great move for AMD. “We've been actually impressed to see the quality and depth of the relationship a fabless company can have with its partners,” Meyer said.

April 6th is gonna be a big day for AMD as they are going to launch a slew of new cards. As we have told you back in February, Radeon HD 4890 (RV790) is slated for April release and the confirmed date is now 6th of April. Interestingly, we also heard RV740 is pulled in from May to early April release so AMD will probably launch the new cards on the same day.

Radeon HD 4890 (RV790) is still 55nm based and is basically a higher clocked version of RV770. The RV790 card comes with 10 layers PCB and is 9.5" long witha new dual slot cooler. We told you previously, there are 2 versions; standard and OC edition. The OC edition will come later in April. The price for standard 512MB edition is US$199 while the price for 1GB OC edition is US$299.

Radeon HD 4750 and 4770 is 40nm based and we already have seen a preview of it. Price of HD 4750 is expected to be around US$99 while HD 4770 is priced at around US$119. Apparently, the yield is so good that AMD decided to pull in from May to early April release to give GeForce GTS 240 and 9600 GT a run for its money.

It is clear now, that AMD's next performance GPU, theRV790 will be built on the 55 nm manufacturing process. To build on this information, sources tell German website Hardware-Infos that one of the factors that will help the new GPU perform better and run at higher clock-speeds than its predecessor, the RV770 does, is the newer improved 55 nm manufacturing process it will be built on. Going by the foundry-partner codename "55GT", the RV790 may get a little help from its superior silicon fabrication, which invariably makes it more expensive to manufacture.

One of the reasons behind why AMD is starting its 40 nm GPU lineup with a mainstream GPU such as RV740, is that the 40 nm process needs further development by foundry companies. It hasn't developed to the level that safely permits manufacturing high-end GPUs with stellar transistor-counts. For the same reason, NVIDIA's 40 nm conquest will be flagged off by the entry-level GT218 GPU. High-density circuits builton the current 40 nm process are known to be very prone to electrical leakage.

RV790 engineering-samples undergoing testing are known to be coming in two flavours according to the source: a base model and an overclocked model. The base model comes with the same exact clock speeds as the RV770XT: 750/900 MHz (core/memory), while the overclocked model is known to come with clock speeds of 850/975 MHz (core/memory). To achieve that 100 MHz increment in core frequency, the voltage is known to be stepped-up from 1.24 to 1.30 V. Products based on this GPU are known to surface by April.

"AMD is preparing the way for a new CPU Athlon dual core, still based on 65 nanometer technology of CPU Phenom"

AMD is preparing the debut of the cpu which will take place in the segment of the solutions with Athlon X2 dual core architecture, the model Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition recently presented.

We talk about the Athlon X2 7850 cpu, expected to debut during the second quarter 2009. This processor family presumably cpu Black Edition, characterized by frequency multiplier unlocked upwards so as to facilitate the overclocking by users.

The new CPU will be characterized by the clock frequency of 2.8 GHz, compared with 2.7 GHz CPU Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition; to find its own two cores, each tied to 512 Kbytes of L2 cache. Completing the technical characteristics of this cpu 2 Mbytes of unified L3 cache between two cores, memory controller and DDR2-1066 HyperTransport 3.0 bus for connecting to the motherboard.

The technical specifications of this processor reflect those of cpu Phenom X4 and Phenom X3, because this is the L3 cache from 2 Mbytes featuring cpu Phenom family.

The production technology used by AMD is at 65 nanometers for a transition to 45 nanometers have to wait until the third quarter 2009 with the launch of the first cpu family Regor, based on the same architecture of cpu Phenom II but with a quantity of L3 cache that presumably remain equal to 2 Mbytes, exploiting this to the modularity of L3 cache of the cpu.

Gigabyte today has annunced its first AMD “Dragon Platform” qualified motherboard with AM3 Phenom™ II processors support, the Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P. The board is based on AMD 790FX + SB750 chipset and features Ultra Durable 3 technology with 8+2 power phase design. It supports Dual Channel DDR3 1666+ and has 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 interface for Crossfire, 2 Gigabit Ethernet LAN with Teaming functionality, Power/reset/Clr CMOS onboard button for power users and 106dB SNR ALC889A HD audio supporting Blu-ray playback.

Here's the official press release :

GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P, their first AMD “Dragon Platform” qualified motherboard with next generation AMD AM3 Phenom™ II processors support, enabling the very latest in definitive high performance platforms for work, home and play.

Sportting the new AMD AM3 socket, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P allows users to elevate their rig beyond the standard limits with support for support the highest performing ever 45nm AMD Phenom™ II processors featuring HyperTransport 3.0 and integrated DDR3 memory controller. The first motherboard to provide DDR3 memory support for the AMD platform, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P isable to reach memory speeds up to 1666+MHz (OC) for blazing fast memory access for today’s latest applications and games with greater energy efficiency. Build with top-notch high performance engineering, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P features the highest quality 8+2 CPU VRM power phase design, able to handle the power demands from 140W CPUs with ease.

No performance platform would be complete without the very latest in graphics technologies and the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P doesn’t disappoint. Equipped with the AMD 790FX North Bridge, the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P offers Dual x16 PCI-E 2.0 graphics interfaces to deliver up the latest ATI CrossFireX™ support for the ultimate gaming platform. Plugging in dual graphics cards also enables support for up to 4 monitors, ideal for users wanting to boost their productivity by maximizing their multitasking capabilities.

Getting the most performance out of your system has never been easier as the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P delivers AMD OverDrive™ support, allowing high-end users the ability to fully customize and monitor the performance and settings of their system. In addition, high-end performance junkies will love the latest EC AOD-ACC Embedded Controller, which allows AMD Phenom™ II Black Edition CPUs to be overclocked using the AMD OverDrive™ utility further than was previously possible.

The GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is the latest edition to the GIGABYTE lineup of Ultra Durable™ 3 motherboards. Featuring the industry's first consumer desktop motherboard design to introduce 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 3 motherboards deliver dramatically lower system temperature, improved energy efficiency and enhanced stability for overclocking. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 3 motherboards also feature Japanese Solid Capacitors boasting 50,000 hours of operation, Ferrite core chokes with higher energy efficiency compared to the commonly used iron core chokes and Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs that features a lower resistance, which reduces power consumption and heat generation. The GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 3 series motherboards promises to provide the stability, reliability and longevity essential to meet the power needs of high-end processors and other components running today's most demanding applications and games.

Advanced connectivity options are key to any high end system, and the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P delivers with a combined total of up to 10 SATA 2.0 device support. In addition to the 6 SATA 2.0 (3Gb/s) ports from the SB750 (with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, and JBOD support), the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P provides an additional 4 SATA 2.0 ports through the onboard JMicron controller (JM363 & JM322 with RAID 0, 1, and JBOD support), enabling GIGABYTE's Smart Backup technology which allows users to connect up to 4 SATA 2.0 devices for effortless hardware-based RAID data protection on-the-fly. The GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P also features Dual Gigabit LAN connections with Teaming, which allows 2 single connections to act as 1 single connection for twice the bandwidth to improve overall throughput.

Other Unique GIGABYTE Features

Ultra Durable™ 3 Design

The GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is yet another example of GIGABYTE engineering at its finest with its revolutionary GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 3 design, featuring 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers which dramatically lowers system temperature by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. GIGABYTE’s Ultra Durable™ 3 also lowers the PCB impedance by 50%, which helps to reduce electrical waste and further lowers component temperatures. A 2oz Copper layer design also provides improved signal quality and lower EMI (Electromagnetic Interference), providing better system stability and allowing for greater margins for overclocking.

* Low RDS(on) MOSFETs are specially designed to produce lower switching resistance for faster electric current charging and discharging.
* Ferrite Core Choke Design - Low Power Loss
Ferrite core chokes comprised of a compound of iron oxide and other metal elements whose properties hold energy much longer than common iron core at high frequency.
* All-Solid Capacitor Design - Longer Life
Solid capacitors contain a solid organic polymer, while electrolytic capacitors use a common liquid electrolyte, hence, the terms solid capacitor versus electrolytic capacitors.

Easy Energy Saver
GIGABYTE now makes it even easier for users to take advantage of power savings with the new GIGABYTE Easy Energy Saver. Featuring an advanced proprietary software design, GIGABYTE Easy Energy Saver is able to dynamically adjust CPU power depending on workload, delivering just the right amount of power needed for the task.

Dolby Home Theater® - Enjoy a Rich Home Theater Surround Sound Experience

* Dolby Home Theater places listeners in the middle of the action, giving their PCs a powerful set of tools to deliver a cinema-style experience in vivid surround sound.
* Delivers vivid surround sound for music, movies, and games, using two to eight speakers or any set of headphones.
* Designed to automatically deliver the best possible listening experience.

Smart Backup – Plug & Play Hardware RAID

GIGABYTE's Smart Backup allows users to connect up to 4 Serial ATA devices for effortless RAID data protection. Dual onboard RAID controller chips automatically configure RAID setup without user intervention, making it easier than ever for users to enjoy enhanced data transfer performance, low CPU utilization, real-time backup on-the-fly and protection against HDD failure.

DualBIOS™ - Patented Dual Hardware BIOS Protection

DualBIOS™ is a GIGABYTE patented technology that automatically recovers BIOS data when main BIOS has crashed or failed. Featuring 2 physical BIOS ROMs integrated onboard, GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ allows quick and seamless recovery from BIOS damage or failure due to viruses or improper BIOS updating.

2 Gigabit LAN through Teaming

* Teaming functionality enabled allows 2 single connections to act as 1 single connection for twice the bandwidth, improving overall throughput with lower CPU utilization.
* Prevents network downtime by transferring the workload from a failed port to a working port.
* Receive Side Scaling balances the network traffic load evenly between 2 CPU cores in order to improve performance.
* Adjusts power consumption automatically according to your LAN cable lengths, up to 10% power savings.

EasyTune6

GIGABYTE has completely redesigned EasyTune6 from the ground up to make it easier than ever to manage and monitor your hardware resources as well as tweak your system settings in order to achieve maximum system performance. Whether you are an overclocking enthusiast, or a computer novice, EasyTune6 provides the tools you need to quickly and effortlessly fine tune your system.

Onboard Quick Switches

Onboard Power, Clear CMOS and Reset buttons allow for quick and easy tweaking for power users working in an in chassis environment.Specifications

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AMD 790FX + SB750 Chipset
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Ultra Durable 3 Technology with copper cooled quality for lower working temperature
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Revolution energy saving design with Easy Energy Saver technology
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Supports socket AM3 45nm AMD Phenom II series processors
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Advanced 8+2 power phase design for 45nm CPU highly efficiency support
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Dual Channel DDR3 1666+ for remarkable system performance
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2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 interface with ATI CrossFireX support for ultimate graphics performance
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2 Gigabit Ethernet LAN with Teaming functionality
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Power/reset/Clr CMOS onboard button for power users
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Blu-ray playback supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC889A HD audio
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Supports Dolby Home Theater audio to enjoy a rich surround sound experience
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Patented DualBIOS with dual hardware BIOS protection

Advanced Micro Devices has plans to release its dual core Neo processor by the end of this year. The AMD-dual core Athlon Neo is slated to be part of the chip maker's platform code-named Congo and designed for a line of ultraportable, affordable laptops.

AMD has unveiled its single core new processor, Neo for the ultraportables last week at CES based on Yukon platform. , which includes a chipset and ATI graphics controllers. Even the platform was announced on HP Pavilion dv2.

The leaked specifications for the dual-core Neo chips indicate that the dual core processor will be part of the Congo platform, which will deliver better performance and integrated graphics capabilities to ultraportable laptops.

With Congo, AMD plans to use the dual-core Athlon Neo processor along with its own RS780M chip set that includes a SB710 southbridge. Neo chips consume maximum of 15 watts assuring improved battery life to users. Neo chips are pitched as an effective combination of graphics, processor and chipset for a balanced computing performance. They are not the straight forward competitor to Intel’s Atom, which is what the analysts and vendors are updating.

No release date is mentioned as of now.

BIOSTAR MICROTECH INT’L CORP., a professional manufacturer of motherboards today announced the BIOSTAR TA760G M2+ / A760G M2+, powered by ATI’s latest IGP-based chipset, the AM2-compatible 760G. 760G, a value-conscious alternative to the impressive 780G, is paired with AMD's SB710 south bridge and offers integrated Radeon 3000-series graphics.

* AMD AM2+/AM2 Platform
* Support latest AMD Phenom/Athlon/Sempron processors
* AMD 760G / SB710 chipset
* Dual-Channel DDR2 -1066/800/667/533
* Integrated HD3000-based graphics (DX10)
* Solid Capacitors designed in CPU VRM area# Support AMD Hybrid CrossFire X Technology
# 2 x PCI Slots, 1 x PCI-E x1 2.0 Slot, 1 x PCI-E x16 2.0 Slot
# 6 x SATA2 3Gb/s Connector, 1 x IDE Connector
# 4 x USB 2.0 Port, 3 x USB 2.0 Header
# Realtek RTL8111C - 10/100/1000 Controller
# Realtek ALC662 6-Channel HD Audio
# Micro ATX Form Factor Dimension: 24.4cm X 21.5cm ( W x L )

SAPPHIRE Technology, the leading manufacturer and worldwide supplier of AMD/ATI based graphics solutions is now shipping a new version of the SAPPHIRE HD 4670 equipped with GDDR4 memory – bringing new levels of performance to enthusiasts on a budget.

The new SAPPHIRE HD 4670 GDDR4 has been production engineered by SAPPHIRE to bring new levels of performance to the mainstream previously associated only with high end cards. With its 320 stream processors and carrying 512MB of GDDR4 memory the SAPPHIRE HD 4670 GDDR4 is now the best product in its class. Clock speeds are 750MHz for the core and 1100MHz (2.2GHz effective) for the memory making this the fastest HD 4670 card available. The card is cooled by a new large diameter fan based cooler which keeps noise levels to the minimum (<20dba). class="fullpost">or more cards to be used together on a CrossFireX compatible mainboard for higher graphics performance. The series uses the powerful graphics architectures from the ATI division of AMD, incorporating multi-purpose stream processing units and improved memory management architecture. With the latest drivers, this product offers ATI Stream processing for the acceleration of supported applications.

SAPPHIRE graphics cards in the HD 4600 series incorporate the latest ATI Avivo™ HD Technology for enhanced Video display. They feature a new generation of built in hardware UVD (Unified Video decoder) considerably reducing CPU load and delivering smooth decoding of Blu-ray™ and HD DVD content for both VC-1 and H.264 codecs, as well as Mpeg files. Three types of video outputs are provided on the rear bracket - DVI, VGA and HDMI - allowing direct connection to a variety of displays. Two simultaneous displays are supported.

SAPPHIRE HD 4000 series graphics cards are Microsoft Windows Vista™ Premium certified and supported by the ATI Catalyst® suite of software, ensuring customers have ongoing access to software updates for performance, stability and added features. Like the previous generation, these cards support DirectX10.1 for enhanced rendering performance and lighting effects.

GIGABYTE Technologies INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to introduce their revolutionary Ultra Durable 3 Classic technology, featuring ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers to a dramatically lower system temperature, improved energy efficiency and enhanced stability for overclocking on a wide range of current AMD motherboards.

GIGABYTE once again leads the motherboard industry for the highest quality, most innovative motherboard design with the launch of their latest Ultra Durable 3 Classic technology. Equipped on the latest GIGABYTE AMD chipset-based solutions including the AMD 790GX, 790X, 780G and 770, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards feature double the amount of copper for the Power and Ground layers of the PCB. Most traditional motherboard designs utilize a single ounceof copper for each layer, whereas GIGABYTE’s ultra Durable 3 motherboards feature 2 ounces per layer.

Benefits of 2 oz Copper design
Doubling the amount of copper provides a more effective thermal cooling solution by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. In fact, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards are able to deliver up to 50°C cooler working temperatures than traditional motherboards.

In addition, doubling the amount of copper lowers the PCB impedance by 50%. Impedance is a measure of how much the circuit impedes the flow of current. The less the flow of current is impeded, the less amount of energy is wasted. For GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards, this means total PCB electrical waste is reduced by 50%, which also means less heat is generated. 2 ounces of copper also provides improved signal quality and lower EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) providing better system stability and allowing for greater margins for overclocking.

50,000 Hour Japanese Solid Capacitors
GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards are equipped with solid capacitors developed by leading Japanese manufacturers. With an average lifespan of 50,000 hours, these solid capacitors provide the stability, reliability and longevity essential to meet the meet the power needs of high-end processors and other components running today’s most demanding applications and games.

Native DDR2 1200+ Memory Support
Delivering native support for DDR2 memory up to 1200+MHz, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards allow users to take advantage of higher memory performance to run consumption to run the even the most memory intensive applications such as high-definition video and 3D visualization with ease.

Easy Energy Saver
GIGABYTE now makes it even easier for users to take advantage of power savings with the new GIGABYTE Easy Energy Saver. Featuring an advanced proprietary software design, GIGABYTE Easy Energy Saver is able to dynamically adjust CPU power depending on workload, delivering just the right amount of power needed for the task.

Patented Dual Hardware BIOS Protection
GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ feature two physical BIOS ROMS mounted onto the motherboard. One chip acts as your "Main" BIOS, or the BIOS your system primarily uses during boot up. The second chip acts as a "Backup" BIOS and has the factory default BIOS version on it. If your "Main" BIOS happens to fail or stops functioning, the "Backup" will automatically take over on your next system boot with little or no down time.

AMD® AM3/AM2+ 45nm Processor Support
GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards also deliver an easy upgrade path for users wanting to take advantage of AMD’s latest 45nm process technology enhancements including higher core clocks with greater energy efficiency over past generations, integrated DDR2/DDR3 memory controller (DDR3 memory support for AM3 processors and AM3 designed motherboards only), HyperTransport 3.0 and C1E enhanced power savings.

For additional information on the GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards, please visit the GIGABYTE website at: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Default.aspx

Following annoncements by most motherboard manufacturers about their AM3 CPU compatibility lists, plans of motherboards based on the new DDR3-supportive platform socket have been coming to surface. After a list of eight motherboards by ASUS under the M4A and M4N series, Gigabyte's first motherboard based on the AM3 socket has been pictured. The GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is the company's first AMD motherboard that uses the Ultra Durable 3 construction, with 2-oz copper layered PCB, high-grade conductive polymer capacitors, and MOSFETs with lower RDS.

As the name suggests, this motherboard is based on the AMD 790FX chipset. It features two full-bandwidth PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots supporting ATI CrossfireX, four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting DDR3-1600+ MHz memory. The motherboard supports AM3 socket processors with TDP of up to 140W. A totalof 10 SATA II ports are provided, six of which are routed to the SB750 southbridge, four to an additional SATA II controller. Other features are common with Gigabyte motherboards in its class, with high-quality 7.1 ch audio, two gigabit Ethernet connections, twelve USB 2.0 ports (8 external), and FireWire. Gigabyte is planning two more AM3 socket models: GA-MA770T-UD3P and GA-MA790X-UD4P based on the AMD 770 and 790X chipsets respectively.