Ultrabooks, aluminum, Kepler, Zalman, 4 TB, Windows Store, 14 nm, Phenom II... Some of the keywords of the week for a news reviewed and corrected.
Yet a week loaded with computer and high-tech, news which ended with us with the publication of our selection of Christmas on devices, in which we have not dared integrate the new design toy signed Art Lebedev to €750. Side hardware, the news made reassuring for hard drives with a production that starts in Thailand while Hitachi is facing this difficult time to launch a 4 To disk. SSD manufacturers are not in rest, anxious to better position themselves on a booming market. Result, we learn that Intel could choose a SandForce controller for its upcoming flash drives, while Zalman precisely launches a new range based on chip memory Intel and SF-2200, without forgetting the new SuperTalent attractive models on paper or Western Digital that installs a new centre of R & D for DSS. For info, we have resumed testing of SSD and should publish a first article standard, fast enough to propose later regularly testing of flash drives coming out.
ZOTAC GTX 580 3 GB, Lian Li PC-TU200 and Toshiba Z830, our tests of the week...
It was also a week of hectic on graphics cards. Necessarily, 28 nm of the Radeon HD 7000 of AMD chips are in approach, and the rumour evokes the prices of these cards, a first picture appeared on the canvas. 7600M HD even appeared in some notebook PC manufacturers options, while in Nvidia the roadmap of Kepler, 28 nm of the Chameleon, is a little unveiled. This is the test of a GeForce GTX 580 with 3 GB of memory that we have proposed to you early in the week. Confirmation that the surplus memory is not used much. A card that does not fall in case PC-TU200 way of Lian-Li Briefcase also passed by our lab this week.
On the CPU, this is the 22 nm which is pouring ink, with interesting leaks regarding the Ivy Bridge Mobile Intel, and even 14 nm referred to by the skier who is also planning the extinction of the processors on socket LGA 1366 and 1156 to the end of year 2012. Meanwhile, AMD apologizes to have overstated the number of transistors of its FX-Series on Bulldozer architecture. Criticized in their launch processors which visibly work rather well in shops, so also that AMD is obliged to give them priority on its aging Ahtlon II and Phenom II, neglected.
HP and LG will soon land on the market of the ultrabooks...
Another major theme in the news: the ultrabooks. Moving around these portable ultra-fine who will be the next of these Las Vegas stars (talking about 40 announced models!). We have this week released our test of the Toshiba Z830, third ultrabook to pass our hands after the S3 Acer and Asus UX31. And it makes not, far from it. While we triturions this machine, Acer announced consider stopping the entry on the ultrabooks, not profitable enough, and he murmurait that AMD was preparing its response in developing a form identical to the one pushed by Intel, but around his house APU. Finally, we have read on Folio 13 HP price, when LG presented his ultrabook: X - Note Z330.
And the matos?
Finally, Windows 8, and Free Mobile were both large topics in software and telephony. The operating system of Microsoft will develop well shop for applications in the next version, including the ARM tablets-oriented. The Publisher presented this Store, which will have a said kill-switch mechanism, while some analysts are seriously starting to question the success of the OS to its output next year. For them, not enough new features and a confused integration compatibility ARM could seal the commercial fate of Windows 8.
For Free Mobile, the big rumour of the time would effective December 17, Free subscribers begin to receive - without anything - a card SIM Free Mobile incorporating a time offered. A strategy which, if it is confirmed, would certainly mark the spirits for the launch of the fourth French mobile operator, which is intended to be the troublemaker of the sector.
Read also...
Among our colleagues, some articles have caught our attention this week. The Geek log launched the week on the hats of wheels with the Nexus of Samsung Galaxy under Android 4.0 test. Engadget Americans tested Kobo Vox, a Tablet eReader just walking on the flat bands of Fire Kindle and the Nook, but also the Xoom 2 of Motorola, we had ourselves taken in hand there are few. In Tom's Hardware, a folder is interested in cooling of the housing, while Cowcotland farm tested the AI6 Anidées (in French this time therefore). Finally, a somewhat apart in BenchmarkReviews article, devoted to the SteelSeries DESMO glasses, thoughts to mitigate to a screen visual fatigue and allow players to stay focus for hours without migraines...
Red card: the renaming of mobile GPUS
This week, Nvidia and AMD have both introduced their new mobile GPU: 600 M GeForce and Radeon HD 7000M. However, not 28 nm for these chips and not new architectures. Worse, no significant performance gains to wait. How? The magic of renaming many maps course, which allows these manufacturers sell novelty hiding in fact of aging cards. Result, as at each time, the non-savvy consumers are unfortunately mistaken and believe pay to offer recent and high-performance, equipment wrongly!
However, one would think that the arrival of 28 nm graphics processor would allow Nvidia and AMD to avoid this masquerade this year, but it had to be honoring the new lines of laptops from manufacturers, and since real new mobile GPUS are ready, take this opportunity to rename the old cards in the new range. Thus for example, magic of marketing, the GeForce GT 555 M becomes the GT 635 M but is equipped with a GF106 chip 40 nm with the same number of units of calculation, to texturing, the same memory, the same bandwidth and the same frequencies. The worst? Is that this GT 555 M was itself already a renaming of the GT 445 M... When in AMD, entry cards and mid range of the HD 6000M family become 7000M HD.
However, it is not known if the frequencies will be modified by AMD. Indeed, the two manufacturers are likely to alter the frequencies of their cards according to the needs of assemblers of portable computers. It will be spring see disembark on portable computers the first GPU engraved at 28 nm. But the marketing, he has no time to wait to sell machines.
Deployment of very high speed, Arcep (Telecoms Regulator) asked Numericable provide access to the network cable the horizontal work of renovation for the optical fiber. This returned, of course, in a rule of equity between operators, to share the cost of installation.
