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.

After the ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Plam left a very good impression because of good performance and overclockability we are now happy to test the ASUS Rampage Extreme II. On this Board you'll find a lot of overclocking features and we also hope good overclockability and performance.Further you'll find a very solid power supply on this board: 16 phases CPU, 3 phases QPI/DRAM, 3 phases NB and 3 phases memory is much more than you can wish. Even the BIOS is optimized for overclockers and enthusiasts. These and other features we mention later make the Rampage II Extreme interesting to overclockers as well as enthusiasts.

It may be 2009, but the GeForce 9M series, just introduced last summer, is already last year's news: yesterday, Nvidia announced the new GeForce 100M series at CES.

Engadget reports that the GeForce 100M series' first three members exceed the performance of comparable GeForce 9M series GPUs by 17 to 35 percent. Initially, the GeForce 100M family includes:

* The entry-level GeForce G105M contains eight processor cores producing 38 gigaflops and running at 1.6GHz. It supports up to 512MB of DDR2 or DDR3 memory accessed over a 64-bit memory bus.
* The mid-range GeForce G110M features 16 processor cores producing 48 gigaflops, and runs at 1GHz. It features the same memory bus, memory type support, and memory clock speed as the G105M, but supports 1GB of RAM.
* The high-end GeForce GT 130M features 32 processor cores producing 144 gigaflop performance, running at 1.5GHz. It also supports faster DDR3 memory than the G105M/G110M, and * offers a 128-bit memory bus. It supports up to 1GB of RAM, and can run in up to two-way SLI configurations.

Lenovo's new Y-series IdeaPad computers, which we told you about earlier this week, will be the first to include members of the family: The top-end Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 will be powered by the GeForce GT 130M, while the lower-end Y550 and Y450 models will use the GeForce 110M part.

Hit Comment and let us know if the GeForce 100M series is the GPU family you'll be demanding in your next laptop.

ASUS, world-leading producer of motherboards, has today launched the brand new M4 Series motherboards to fully support the AMD? next generation AM3 processors. The Phenom II AM3 processors are able to support up to DDR 3 2000MHz memory speed, so DDR3 tech. is finally realized in AMD platform. To unleash the AM3 processors’ full potential, ASUS’ constant development of the 8-Phase power design has resulted in superb performances—reaching an excellent 91% in power efficiency. With the ASUS TurboV’s intuitive overclocking utility, and the easy-to-use ASUS Turbo Key, users can easily overclock and overvoltage the new processors like never before. The ASUS M4 Series thus brings the AM3 CPU performance into full play—providing users with the perfect choice for the AM3 processors usage.
Breakthrough 8-Phase Power Design Tailored for Optimal Performance

ASUS is proud to introduce the brand new 8-Phase power design on the M4 Series; which with the highest phase number of VRM power in the AMD platform, leads industry specifications. The ASUS M4 Series isalso designed with an additional 1 to 2 power phases dedicated to the CPU embedded memory and HT controller—guaranteeing delivery of appropriate voltages for more stable operations and longer CPU lifespan—regardless of heavy or light system loading. ASUS has also adopted EPU function—a well-liked feature in ASUS P5Q series launch, in AMD platform. This unique EPU technology will provide total system power management by detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power in real-time. The ASUS M4 Series also utilizes high quality 5000-hour long lifespan (at 105ºC working temperatures) capacitors that improves power efficiency and lowers system temperatures—providing a durable working environment and better overclocking capabilities.

Easy and Outstanding Overclocking with Turbo Key and TurboV

The ASUS Turbo Key is an exclusive feature that transforms the PC power button into a physical overclocking button. Completing the easy setup provides users with the ability to boost performance levels with just a push of a button—presenting users with faster, more powerful performances without interrupting ongoing work or games—overclocking has never been easier! For hardcore users, the ASUS M4 Series also features TurboV, an advanced overclocking tool that utilizes a micro-controller to provide precise 0.02V voltage adjustments. Furthermore, users can save their preferred OC profiles and easily apply the best O.C. settings for different scenarios. Now anyone can enjoy performance boosts—without needing to exit the operating system or rebooting; -with the ASUS M4 Series motherboards.

Sunnyvale, California-based AD has unleashed a new product as part of the company's range of ATI Mobility Radeon graphics solutions. Designed to boost the performance for portable computer systems, the chip maker has unveiled, at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, its latest Mobility Radeon HD 4000-series graphics chips, its next-generation series of notebook graphics processors. According to the company, the new solutions are capable of providing up to twice the performance capabilities of their predecessors, the HD 3000 series of mobile GPUs.

"We’re proud to highlight ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4870 as the first notebook GPU to support specially designed, ultra-high bandwidth GDDR5 graphics memory to unleash the full-throttle gaming experience normally reserved for the high-end desktop gaming rigs," said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager of AMD, Graphics Products Group. "Now, notebooks equipped with one or a pair of these speedy graphics processors can take on just about any PC game and run them smoothly at their maximum option settings."

The new Mobility Radeon HD 4800-series graphics processors are the industry's first solutions that boast the GDDR5 memory technology, enabling twice as much memory bandwidth as the GDDR3 and GDDR4 standards. This significantly increases the performance capabilitiesof all the upcoming gaming laptops designed by leading PC makers. Meant for gaming, these new 55nm notebook GPUs are capable of providing up to 800 stream processors, compared to the 320 stream processors available for the HD 3800 series of graphics chips.In addition, the new Mobility Radeon HD 4000-series GPUs have been designed with energy efficiency in mind, providing a balance between optimal performance and reduced power consumption. According to AMD, its high-performance Mobility Radeon 4870 GPU is capable of providing a 60-percent increase in performance-per-watt, coming with technologies such as the ATI PowerPlay, ATI PowerXpress and ATI Switchable Graphics.

Systems running on the HD 4000-series graphics processors have already been designed by leading system makers, such as ASUS, MSI and others, with availability expected to begin as early as Q1 2009.

As NVIDIA celebrates the launch of its two new flagship products: the GeForce GTX 295 and GeForce GTX 285, Sparkle made an addition to its mainstream graphics lineup with a 1 GB variant its GeForce 9600 GSO accelerator (model: SX96SO1024D3-HM). Traditionally, the G92 graphics processor in the 8800 GS, 9600 GSO should have a 192-bit memory bus, but with this particular card, Sparkle chose a 128-bit memory bus and added 1 GB of GDDR3 memory.

The card features a dual-slot cooler for the GPU. Its core is clocked550 MHz. Its 96 stream processors are clocked at 1375 MHz. The memory runs at 800 MHz (1600 MHz DDR). It supports NVIDIA CUDA and PhysX technologies and is SLI capable. It will be priced around US $100.
*

1GB Extreme Fast Large-capacity GDDR3 memory
Today‘s game, such as Crysis, Alone in the Dark 5, Stalker: clear sky, they normally use a large number of bump texture, transparent texture to describe faces of characters and render realistic gaming scenes, so these games put higher demands on the capacities of video memory. The current situation demands at least 512 MB video memory to run these games. Compared with ordinary GeForce 9600 GSO graphics cards on market, SPARKLE GeForce 9600 GSO 1GB Graphics Cards come with incredible large 1GB GDDR3 video memory can let mainstream users to pass the 3DMark Vantage High Test which strictly demand at least 512MB video memory, providing much more detail information to mainstream users for better understanding its graphics capability.

*

2nd Generation PureVideo HD
High-definition video decoder and post-processor delivers unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video and accurate color for movies and video.

*

Cooling System
Exquisitely made cooling fans or passive cooling system with heat-pipe, which have high performance thermal compound ensures optimal thermal dissipation even after years of use.

*

Full Microsoft DirectX 10 support
World’s first DirectX 10 GPU with full Shader Model 4.0 support delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects.

* NVIDIA™ PhysX
GeForce GPU support for NVIDIA PhysX technology, enabling a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic experience with GeForce.

* NVIDIA™CUDA Technology
CUDA technology unlocks the power of the GPU's processor cores to accelerate the most demanding system tasks such as video transcoding delivering up to 7x performance over traditional CPUs.

XFX, following its recently announced collaboration with AMD, today introduced its first Radeon™ HD-powered 4000 series cards, the XFX Radeon™ HD 4870, 4850, 4830, 4650 and 4350.

All five models feature exceptional memory bandwidth, board power and compute power as well as a number of industry-firsts. For example, the XFX Radeon™ HD 4870 is the first graphics card with GDDR5 memory.

To introduce the new GPU line, XFX selected these five models for their highly desirable gaming features, including superior scalability, state-of-the-art DirectX® 10.1 graphics capabilities, optimal power performance and HDMI support. Designed for serious HD gaming, these graphics cards offerexceptional performance at a variety of price points.

Future collaborations will include over-clocked versions of these and other popular Radeon™ HD-powered cards.

AMD, the chip rival for Intel has released “the fundamental Linux code” that is needed to develop open-source 3D-acceleration drivers for its R600 and R700 ATI graphic-processors series.
The news is intended for those who want to create drivers for potent GPU series of ATI Radeon HD 2x00, HD 3x00 (both R600), and Radeon HD 4x00 (R700). Also, unleash of open source code is good for Linux-lovers who have access to the R600/700’s 3D powers.
The announcement made by GPU to support the recently released open-source OpenCL 1.0 allowing GPU to be used for general-purpose computing (GPGPU), it is expected that GPUniverse is moving slowly toOpen Source Software (OSS) model.
The OSS future looks bright for GPUs. The segment was still new to AMD as Intel is open with its drivers. OSS development should proceed swiftly, both in 3D acceleration and GPGPU.

AMD, on the brink of making a start with its first desktop CPUs made on the 45nm manufacturing process, seems to have updated time-frames in which it will introduce new CPUs and manage inventories of currently available CPUs. Data compiled by DigiTimes from sources in the motherboard manufacturing industry points towards the following in 2009:

* The introduction of four new SKUs in the months of April, that include Athlon X4 (Propus core) 615 and 605, Athlon X3 (Rana core) 420 and 410, followed by Athlon X2 (Regor core) 240 and 235 in June
* Last# orders for Phenom X4 9850 and 9950 (140W) to be taken in March, Phenom X4 9750, 9850 (95W) and 9950 (125W) will be in June, before which Phenom II X4 920 and 940 in May (in most likelihood replaced by models 925 and 945)
# Phase-out of Phenom X3 8450 and 8550 started, that of Phenom X3 8650 in March followed by Phenom X3 8850 and 8750 in June
# Last order notice for Athlon X2 4450e to be issued in March

One thing that has always bothered many people is how long it takes to actually get to a computer to a working state after you power up the system. We live in such an instant society that it is hard for us to wait for the minute or so. We forget that not too long ago, it took several minutes to get a system up and running, and sometimes you even had to change out a floppy disk to continue! Man, times have changed! ASRock has decided to help us cope with those changes by introducing a technology called Instant Boot on their nForce 740i SLI motherboard based motherboard - N7AD-SLI. ASRock says that your system can be up and running in as little as four seconds. Though we did not experience that kind of speed, it was a nice feature to work with. We put together a short little video review to show you how it works.Understanding how Instant Boot works is really not that difficult. It really is nothing morethan an enhanced S3/S4 state that is used.The whole reboot process is necessary to make the start-up so quick. Instead of a user having to mess with the OS or BIOS to set S3/S4 up, Instant Boot uses a software interface to accomplish the task. It goes even further than just a typical S3/S4 state though, as the reboot process also sets the machine to be almost instantly useable (in fast mode). The novice computer user should have no issues using Instant Boot at all. It is safe and VERY self explanatory. I was a little surprised that there was not a single mention of Instant Boot in the owner's manual for the board. That was certainly an oversite that needs correcting!

XFX confirmed Monday that information circulating in the form of rumors for several days: none devoted exclusively to the production of Nvidia graphics cards signed, the firm decided to expand its product portfolio by partnering AMD also. She says that the first Radeon signed XFX arrive early 2009, probably around the CeBIT in Hanover. It will not surprise card HD 4000 series, XFX traditionally present on the segment of upmarket.

In a statement, Michael Chiu, president of Pine Technology Holdings - the company behind XFX says that its Radeon HD 4000, AMD wasable to redefine the market for graphics card, and address the multiple needs of players, without neglecting aspects multimedia, video encoding to playback high definition content. For its part, AMD logically welcomes the arrival of this new partner.

In a market increasingly competitive, XFX likely see in this an opportunity to follow more closely the buying trends of consumers, according to the temporary superiority of one or the other providers on the GPU Market players.

While NVIDIA has released a number of new graphics cards for the gaming market over the last year and a half, we have seen relatively few updates to their workstation lineup in that same timeframe. It's been since mid-2007 that we saw the last major performance update to the QuadroFX lineup with the launch of their flagship QuadroFX 5600. While the monstrous G80 GPU-based QuadroFX 5600 has no doubt had competition since its release, it's been able to effectively hold off competing ATI products to reign as the performance champ throughout this last year and a half or so.

Early in 2008, NVIDIA released the QuadroFX 3700 board priced at the more cost-conscious (only $1,700) high-end workstation market. Using the less powerful, but more efficient G92 architecture, it delivered raw GPU performance close to that of the QuadroFX 5600, but had only 512 MB of memory and overall lukewarm specs given the price tag. Nevertheless, NVIDIA still held the performance crown with the QuadroFX 5600, and all was well in the workstation realm.

Now, as we've seen in the labs, ATI is assaulting that performance crown with their new FirePro lineup of workstation graphics cards. The top-tier FirePro V8700 model which we looked at a few weeks back uses ATI's exciting new RV770 graphics processor and was able to wallop the QuadroFX 5600 board in terms of performance while also being a lot less expensive. Of course, NVIDIA is right there with a solution of their own to compete against the newly rejuvenated FirePro lineup, but the question is, are NVIDIA's new models enough to stave off a newly energized ATI?

Two new models just hit the QuadroFX lineup. On the high-end, theyhave the QuadroFX 5800 card, using the same powerful GT200 architecture which powers the GeForce GTX 280, coupled together with 4 GB of memory and a 512-bit memory interface. Of course, this beast costs $3,499, and it's going to be a tough sell in this economic market, powerful as it may be. Perhaps the more reasonable solution is the card we're looking at today, the QuadroFX 4800, the QuadroFX 5800's little brother.

The QuadroFX 4800 is a much more palatable high-end solution, coupling together a GT200 graphics processor with 1.5 GB of memory and a price tag nearly half that of the QuadroFX 5800. Let's find out how NVIDIA's massive GT200 graphics processor handles workstation-class loads instead of crunching pixels in Crysis...

Long awaited Nehalem architecture got its official name: Core i7. We have tested two CPUs based on this architecture along with one motherboard based on X58 chipset also signed by Intel. But let’s cut to the chase and go straight to testing and results.
New Chipset

Code name for X58 chipset is “Tylersburg”. This chipset is made in 65 nm manufacturing process and it is direct descendant of X48 chipset, which means that it belongs to Intel Extreme chipset series. There will be more than one version of X58 chipset: EP, EN and WS version that will be differentiated by number of PCI Express lines and QPI (QuickPath Interconnect) connections (links, busses). On server or WS (WorkStation) motherboards we can expect larger number of QPIs (used for I/O communication of integrated memory controller), while EP versions will have more PCI Express lines. Motherboards based on EP and EN versions of X58 chipset will be used more frequently than WS version. Weexpect that EP versions of X58 motherboards will have at least 3 PCI Express slots of which 2 slots will operate in x16 mode. Maybe the best detail of X58 chipset is that it will support CrossFire and SLI technologies.X58 chipset consists of two chips but MCH (Memory Controller Hub – memory controller) is integrated in CPU so there is no memory controller in NorthBridge. Because of that it is wrong to call it NorthBridge but many of us will continue to call it that way. Right name for that chip would be: I/O Hub, because almost only function of this chip is to connect CPU with PCI Express bus and SouthBridge. ICH10 or ICH10R (I/O Control Hub) is known from the past, and we encountered it for the first time on P45 chipset. Technical specifications are the same: 6 SATAII ports, two GB LAN controllers, 12 USB 2.0 ports, 6 PCI Express x1 slots, Intel HD audio etc. Real difference is existence of one PCI slot and no PATA connectors.At first sight Intel DX58SO is so different from any other tested motherboard and since we got technical sample we cannot comment on accessories that will be in retail package. Motherboard itself looks conservative and at the same time very contemporary. As you may already conclude, it is based on X58 chipset. This model belongs to Intel Extreme series of motherboards. Layout is drastically different from earlier models from this series. DDR3 memory slots are located on same positions as on legendary DFI NF4 LanParty Ultra-D model. There are 4 DIMM memory slots but it is not clear why Intel didn’t implement all 6 slots. Triple Channel mode for memory is achievable by inserting memory modules in blue colored DIMM slots. Fourth slot is almost useless in this configuration because it can be cause of problems with memory addressing (degradation of performances can occur), especially if we take into account integrated memory controller. Location of memory slots affected position of CPU socket that is located almost at the center of motherboard. Six-phase power unit is placed right beside CPU socket and mosfet transistors are covered with aluminum heat-spreaders. On the right are positioned 24-pin power connector and I/O Hub (IOH) that is also cooled by blue colored aluminum heat-spreader on which can be mounted 40mm transparent fan. This small fan is lighted by blue diodes and can be mounted thanks to supplied plastics clips. EPS12 connector has unusual location: at the middle of motherboard closer to right edge. We assume that this location is used because of closeness with CPU power unit so current will be more “ironed” and with less loss. Other components on motherboard have more or less standard positions.
Besides standard and many times seen options, most interesting options are those that are used for overclock. Overclock options can be found in “Processor Overrides” section while other important settings can be found in “BUS Overrides” and “Memory Overrides” sections. In BUS Overrides menu you can set voltage and basic speed of integrated memory controller and QPI bus. In Memory Overrides section can be found settings for all memory timings. Interesting detail is that only upon inserting Core i7 965 CPU we unlocked some of the options in Memory Overrides section. One of those “new” options were two additional multipliers for memory (10 and 12) besides “old” 6 and 8 values. After we plugged in “weaker” Core i7 920 CPU those options disappeared but despite that we managed to achieve stable clock for QPI of 195MHz which resulted in 3.9 GHz frequency for Core i7 920 CPU model. Very impressive! Unfortunately we didn’t manage to determine are those 195 MHz limit of motherboard or is it only for our CPU. The fact was that motherboard booted even on QPI set on 210 MHz but system was very unstable. Most surprising fact was that even with new BIOS (updated) motherboard didn’t allowed us to lower multiplier so we didn’t manage to test limits of QPI bus. Nor “regular” (920) nor EE (Extreme Edition – 965) Core i7 didn’t allowed us to lower multiplier so we think that it is “fresh” BIOS to be blamed for that and the hope remains that this “bug” will be ironed in next BIOS version.

The Japanese cooling specialist Scythe Co., Ltd. offers Socket LGA1366 mounting clips for all Scythe CPU coolers.

"Since we want to provide our customers with optimal support and guarantee a long life for our CPU coolers, we decided to offer special mounting clips, which make all Scythe CPU coolers available on the market compatible for the new Intel Socket LGA1366", said Stefan Watzinger, Marketing Manager of the Scythe EU GmbH.For Scythe CPU coolers with the VTMS system (Mugen, Andy Samurai Master, Shuriken, Samurai Z Rev. B and Mine Rev. B) mounting clips will be available in the next few days. For users of Scythe CPU coolers usingconventional Clips (Ninja Series, Kama Angle, Zipang, Kama Cross and Katana 2) mounting clips will be provided during the same period. The MSRP for both mounting clips is 2.50 EUR (excl. VAT) / US$ 2.95 (excl. VAT).

Model-Name:
Mounting Clips for Socket LGA1366

Model-Number:
SCCL4-1366

Compatibility:

Ninja 2 (SCNJ-2000)
Kama Angle (SCANG-1000)
Zipang (SCZP-1000)
Ninja Mini (SCMNJ-1000)
Kama Cross (SCKC-1000)
Katana 2 (SCKTN-2000)
Model-Name:
Mounting Clips for Socket LGA1366 (VTMS)

Model-Number:
SCCLV-1366

Compatibility:

Shuriken (SCSK-1000)
Andy Samurai Master (SCASM-1000)
Samurai Z Rev. B (SCSMZ-1100)
Mine Rev. B (SCMN-1100)
Mugen (SCINF-1000)
For more information, please visit the product pages for SCCL4-1366 and SCCLV-1366 (VTMS).

NVIDIA is certainly not the one to stand arms crossed as its competitor AMD can still claim the number one spot in the high-performance graphics card market segment. After the recent series of rumors on the new 55nm, dual-GPU-based GTX295, which the green company is expected to unveil in early 2009, it appears that several details have emerged on the upcoming single-GPU flagship card, dubbed GTX285. Basically, the new card is going to build on the current highest performance offering from NVIDIA, the GTX 280, but provide a significant boost in performance, while still keeping the same dual-slot design.
As with the dual-GPU GTX295, the upcoming GTX285 is based on a 55nm graphics processor. This translates into a lower power consumption and more room for the much needed performance boost. According to a recent article on Expreview, the 55nm GTX285 can actually be considered a GTX280 Overclocking Edition, as it will be bring about a 110% boost in performance over the GTX280. However, at this time, detailson the card's core frequency are not available, but according to Expreview, the GTX285 will come with 1GB of GDDR3 and 240 stream processors.
In addition to higher performance, the GTX285 is also said to provide a much better power consumption rate, which has been reduced to 183W from 236W on the GTX280. Also, the GTX285 boasts just two 6-pin PEG power connectors, whereas the current GTX280 requires both 6-pin and the 8-pin PEG power connectors.
Given the available info on the GTX285, it is generally believed that NVIDIA is on the verge of claiming the number one spot in the high-performance single-GPU graphics department. However, rival AMD and its graphics subsidiary, ATI, are also expected to come out with an improved version of the current RV770 GPU, which will be dubbed RV775XT. A card based on this graphics processor should basically compete with NVIDIA's updated offer in the high-performance single-GPU graphics card market.

The latest reports by industry insiders reveal some interesting updates on the IALP/Atom roadmap.

The most important update is about a new code name, Medfield. It is the 2H/2010 32nm successor to Lincroft, part of the Moorestown platform. The interesting thing about this code is while Moorestown and the current Menlow platforms have a CPU + chipset, Medfield will be an all in one package.

Medfield will be offered in two variants, one with handheld level graphics, the other with netbook graphics. As per speculations, the netbook variant will usea version of the current Intel integrated GPU, and the handheld version will carry on with a PowerVR core.

In addition, Atom sales have the potential to open new markets. They are win-win package for the market.
Related to this, recently a update indicated that AMD can loose market on grounds of absence of netbook chips.

"The software for converting video with NVIDIA GeForce GPU will be updated soon, introducing several innovations"

Around the middle of the month of December Elemental will present an updated version, release 1.1 of its software Badaboom, well known to fans of video cards as possible to exploit a NVIDIA GeForce video card with support Cuda to perform conversion of video streams.

The first release of Badaboom, available in full at a price of 30 U.S. dollars, requires a video card NVIDIA GeForce equipped with unified shader architecture that can be used then the solutions of households GeForce 8 onwards. Currently this software supports MPEG2 video formats, AVCHD, H.264, HDV and RAW, providing an opportunity to have the output of video suitable for use with portable devices or consoles.

Elemental will support various video introducing new formats also support multi GPU, which will run on multiple processing video streams simultaneously, combininga GPU to a specific video. It will not be possible, at least for the time being, manage multiple GPUs in parallel in a single video stream.

The debut of this new release should happen around mid-December, the official price has not been announced yet but we likely will remain aligned to 30 dollars.

The new release will implement the following innovations:

Support for additional input file formats and containers: DivX, Xvid, MpegPEG-1, VC-1, AVI, MKV, among others. The file formats supported by Badaboom 1.0 will still be supported as well.

Multi-GPU Support: Effectively doubles the performance of transcode Badaboom by letting the users run two or more Badaboom applications to run on separate video clips simultaneously with multiple NVIDIA GPU working on a separate video clips to get the work done faster.

New output profiles: YouTube, Blackberry Bold and Microsoft Zune have been added. User-customizable outputs are available as well.

H.264 Main profile output: Provides even higher quality output than version 1.0, especially useful when outputting at resolutions higher than 480p. Baseline profile is still supported.

1920x1080 (1080p) output: The largest ATSC standard video resolution now available output is an option, which provides great video quality when combined with Main profile.

We have already got used to the way details on unreleased products keep leaking on the Internet, a good time before the official announcement from producers. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that, while browsing the Internet this morning, we stumbled upon an article talking of NVIDIA's 2009 GeForce GTX 295. More specifically, the aforementioned card appears to have already had its first photo session, thus partially showing itself to all technology enthusiasts and anyone else interested in it.
The two graphic processors featured on the card have been built on NVIDIA's new 55nm process technology, which should ultimately provide support for a higher performance level. The card itself is expected to be showcased and launched at the Consumer Electronics Show next year, set to take place between the 8 and 11 of January in LasVegas, Nevada. Specific details regarding the technical specifications of the card aren't available at this time, but a single look at the picture posted on Vr-Zone will offer us some clues as to what to expect.
As with NVIDIA's GeForce 9800GX2, the new GTXX 295 will be featured with two GPUs placed on two separate PCBs, a solution that differs from that of AMD, which builds its dual-GPU card by placing the two graphic processors onto the same PCB. The card displayed in the picture features 2 DVI ports and 1 Display Port, and will boast the same sandwich-like design as the earlier mentioned 9800GX2.
Given its impressive size, and the fact that it will have to power two of NVIDIA's latest GT200 GPUs, the card has been featured with a 8+6 pins power connector combo, which should be more than enough to offer you a general idea of how much power the card needs.
As with all officially unreleased products, pricing details for NVIDIA's GTX 295 are yet to emerge, but things should become clearer as we approach its debut date in January.

If you've been thinking about upgrading to Nvidia's GeForce GTX 260 videocard, you may want to hold off for a few weeks. According to Chinese site Expreview, Nvidia will release a new 55nm-based GTX 260 along with a 55nm GTX 295 (GTX 260 GX2) in January 2009. And if history tells us anything, Nvidia tends to do well with core revisions (G92-based 8800GT, for example). Expreview posted several pics of the revised GTX 260, which it claims were sent in from Zotac.

In addition to a die shrink, the new GTX 260, or at least Zotac's version, looks to be built with a 10-layer PCB design rather than 14 layers as foundon current GTX 260/280 videocards, Expreview says. The new revision also upgrades its 3+2 phase power modules to 4+2 phase.

Other specs look to remain the same, such as the number of stream processors (216) and core and memory frequencies. This means you might not see a leap in stock performance, but in theory, the power consumption, heat output, and overclocking potential should all be improved.

No word yet on projected pricing, which could either sweeten or spoil the whole deal.