Friday, September 19, 2014

ASUS Announces STRIX GTX 980 and STRIX GTX 970

ASUS Announces STRIX GTX 980 and STRIX GTX 970
-- Latest NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics cards with factory-overclocked cores deliver
an extremely cool and silent game play experience
--

Fremont, CA (19th September, 2014) - ASUS today announced the STRIX GTX 980 and STRIX GTX 970, all-new gaming graphics cards packed with exclusive ASUS technologies, including DirectCU II and GPU Tweak for cooler, quieter and faster performance.  The STRIX GTX 980 and STRIX GTX 970 are factory-overclocked at 1279MHz and 1253MHz respectively and are fitted with 4GB of high-speed GDDR5 video memory operating at speeds up to 7010MHz for the best gameplay experience.
Play League of Legends® and StarCraft® in silence!
The STRIX GTX 980 and STRIX GTX 970 both come with the ASUS-exclusive DirectCU II cooling technology. With a 10mm a heatpipe to transport heat away from the GPU core, operating temperatures are 30% cooler and 3X quieter than reference designs.  Efficient cooling and lower operating temperatures allow STRIX graphics cards to incorporate an intelligent fan-stop mode that can handle games such as League of Legends1 and StarCraft1 passively, making both cards ideal for gamers that prefer high-performance, low-noise PCs.
Improved stability and reliability with Digi+ VRM technology
STRIX GTX 980 and STRIX GTX 970 graphics cards include Digi+ VRM technology. This 10-phase power design in the STRIX GTX 980 and 6-phase design in the STRIX GTX 970 uses a digital voltage regulator to reduce power noise by 30% and enhance energy efficiency by 15% – increasing long term stability and reliability. The STRIX GTX 970 is designed to use a single 8-pin power connecter for clean and easy cable management.

Real-time monitoring and control with GPU Tweak software
The STRIX GTX 980 and STRIX GTX 970 come with GPU Tweak, an exclusive ASUS tool that enables users to squeeze the very best performance from their graphics card. GPU Tweak provides the ability to finely control GPU speeds, voltages and video memory clock speeds in real time, so overclocking is easy and can be carried out with high confidence.

GPU Tweak also includes a streaming tool that lets users share on-screen action over the internet in real time, meaning others can watch live as games are played. It is even possible to add a title to the streaming window along with scrolling text, pictures and webcam images.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

ASUS STRIX GTX 980 and GTX 970 graphics cards will be available at ASUS authorized resellers and distributors starting on September 19, 2014.  Suggested US MSRP pricing is $559 for the STRIX GTX 980 and $339 for the STRIX GTX 970.  For additional product information and specifications please visit: www.asus.com
1 Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors.
###
About ASUS
ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning, motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets and smartphones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,256 awards in 2013 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 12,500 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of 3,800 engineers. Company revenue for 2012 was approximately US$14 billion. 


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Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Kingston SSDNow mS200 mSATA SSD 3.0 Review







Computers are continually getting faster and faster and components seem to be getting smaller and smaller. Along with that mSATA drives are also gaining in popularity. Not only are they fast like their full sized mSATA counterparts, they are also significantly smaller in size. Up for review today is a 256 Gb mSATA drive from Kingston.


Features and specs:
Form factor: mSATA
Interface:
SATA Rev. 3.0 (6Gb/s), SATA Rev. 2.0 (3Gb/s), SATA Rev. 1.0 (1.5Gb/s)
Capacities1: 30GB, 60GB, 120GB, 240GB, 480GB
Encryption: AES 128bit
Sequential Read/Write2:
30GB – 550 MB/s / 510MB/s
60GB, 120GB – 550 MB/s / 520MB/s
240GB – 540 MB/s / 530MB/s
480GB – 530 MB/s / 340MB/s
Maximum 4k Read/Write2:
30GB – up to 86,000 / up to 77,000 IOPS
60GB – up to 86,000 / up to 79,000 IOPS
120GB – up to 86,000 / up to 48,000 IOPS
240GB – up to 72,000 / up to 40,000 IOPS
480GB – up to 72,000 / up to 18,000 IOPS
Random 4k Read/Write2:
30GB – up to 7,500 / up to 71,000 IOPS
60GB – up to 14,000 / up to 77,000 IOPS
120GB – up to 17,000 / up to 45,000 IOPS
240GB – up to 21,000 / up to 41,000 IOPS
480GB – up to 21,000 / up to 13,000 IOPS
PCMARK® Vantage HDD Suite Score: 60,000
Power Consumption:
0.4W Idle / 1.2 (TYP) Read / 1.8 W (TYP) Write
Storage temperatures: -40°C ~ 85°C
Operating temperatures: 0°C ~ 70°C
Dimensions: 50.88mm x 30mm
Weight: 6.86g
TRIM: Supported
Vibration operating: 2.17G Peak
Vibration non-operating: 20G Peak
MTTF: 1,000,000 Hrs
Warranty/support:
30GB: two-year warranty with free technical support
60GB, 120GB, 240GB, 480GB: three-year warranty with free technical support
Total Bytes Written (TBW)3:
30GB: 121TB, 3 DWPD4

 60GB: 218TB, 3 DWPD4
120GB: 337TB, 2 DWPD4
240GB: 585TB, 2 DWPD4
480GB: 1562TB, 3 DWPD4











































The Kingston mSATA drive came in a small, plastic molded box, much like you typically find in memory sticks. It was just a standard box custom molded to fit the devise with a clear plastic cover so you can see the device. Quality of materials as well as construction was very good, similar to your standard computer components such as memory sticks. You could see the sanforce controller chip as well as the actual memory chips in other devices slaughtered to the board. Sautered connections were clean and secure as I have come to expect with Kingston components. Overall, it was a well made product.


mSATA drives have come long way having the same speed as a standard SSD drive, they are significantly smaller and now their capacities can be found in excess of even 256 Gb. With that size and capacity, they make for a legitimate option for a primary drive in a modern laptop with a mSATA slot. Previously used by some manufacturers to improve drive speed and performance, they can now be used such as with the Kingston drive as a full primary drive instead of just as a catch. When compared to a traditional platter based hard drive, these SSD drives can be very fast. Especially when paired with a controller such as the sanforce as Kingstone had done with this drive.

Installation was quite simple. It was a lot similar to upgrading to higher speed memory. My Lenovo laptop came with a mSATA slot and even came with a small 32Gb cache drive to improve the performance of my standard platter drive. Installation was very simple having the computer powered off, I simpley took off the back cover, unscrewed the one screw holding the mSATA drive in place took out the included small included mSATA drive, slid the new Kingston drive into place then pressing down on the drive, I reattached the screw to hold the drive in place. After reattaching the bottom cover to my laptop, I was then ready to reinstall windows onto my new Kingston mSATA memory drive.


Performance was impressive!  As listed from the specs, it will go up to 540MB/s read and 530MB/s write.  And as you can see from ATTO Disk Benchmark, it was over 550MB/s read, and just a hair under the 530MB/s write.  It you want screaming performance in a small size, this mSATA drive is the way to go!  With an MSRP is $249, it is a good value, especially when space is a premium.  Based on it's design, features, quality, and specs, the Kingston SSDNow mS200 mSATA drive has earned our Editor's Choice Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website as www.kingston.com.


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Peavey Electronics® and Antares® Release Updated Software Packs for AT-200™ Guitar with Auto-Tune®

Peavey Electronics® and Antares® Release Updated Software
Packs for AT-200™ Guitar with Auto-Tune®

Software Packs Feature Improved Sonic Quality for More Realistic Tones,
Now Available for 30% Less

Download High Resolution Photo: Peavey AT-200™ Guitar

September 8, 2014, Meridian, MS –– Peavey Electronics®, creators of the award-winning AT-200™ guitar powered by Antares® Auto-Tune®, is proud to announce newly enhanced software packs. 

With innovative technologies allowing players to create music in perfect tune and intonation with the simple push of a button, the AT-200 now features improved sonic quality and realistic tones with enhanced software packs developed by Peavey and Antares. Plus, with a 30% decrease in price, the software packs are now more accessible than ever before. 

In addition to overall improvements to sound and clarity, engineers made additional advancements to the Acoustic, Lipstick, and Bass models, and added the all-new SLO Custom HSH and Japan Custom HSH models. These models allow AT-200 players to achieve incredibly versatile tones that no other guitar can match. 

Featuring three options, the Essential Pack, the Pro Pack, and the Complete Pack, the software packs add a variety of powerful new features to the AT-200, including the aforementioned guitar models, along with alternate tunings, doublings, capo settings, global transposition, fine tuning, MIDI control, the ability to save and load presets and more. 

The new features can be accessed directly from the AT-200 via the Fret Control system or from any MIDI controller, including the free Auto-Tune for Guitar layout for the MIDI Designer Pro iPad app. In order to transfer software updates and new Feature Packs, players will require a special MIDI Y-cable to connect the AT-200 to the MIDI interface.

Essential Pack – Price: $79.00
  • Tuning Technologies: Solid-Tune™ Intonation System, String Tune
  • Tunings: Standard Tuning, Drop D, DADGAD, Open E, Open A
  • Doubling: Twelve String #1
  • Guitar Models: Modern Humbucker, California Single Coil, Acoustic
  • Virtual Capo Range: 2 half-steps up, 2 half-steps down, Baritone (5 half-steps down)
  • MIDI Features: 16 Save/Load Presets, Function Control, Pickup Select Control, Tone Control, Pitch Shift Control, Pitch Bend Message, Software Select, Global Fine Tune, Global Gain, Global Tone Offset, Global Transposition
Pro Pack – Price: $149.00
  • Tuning Technologies: Solid-Tune™ Intonation System, String Tune
  • Tunings: Standard Tuning, Drop D, DADGAD, Open E, Open A, Open E minor, Open G, Open D, Open A minor
  • Doubling: Twelve String #1, Polyphonic Octaver Down, Seven String #1 (E1 + A0), Fifth Up
  • Guitar Models: Modern Humbucker, California Single Coil, Acoustic, Nashville Single Coil, Mini Humbucker, P-90
  • Virtual Capo Range: 12 half-steps up, 12 half-steps down
  • MIDI Features: 32 Save/Load Presets, Function Control, Pickup Select Control, Tone Control, Pitch Shift Control, Pitch Bend Message, Software Select, Global Fine Tune, Global Gain, Global Tone Offset, Global Transposition
Complete Pack – Price: $199.00
  • Tuning Technologies: Solid-Tune™ Intonation System, String Tune
  • Tunings: Standard Tuning, Drop D, DADGAD, Open E, Open A, Open E minor, Open G, Open D, Open A minor, Open D minor, Double Drop D, Bass, Bass Split
  • Doubling: Twelve String #1, Polyphonic Octaver Down, Seven String #1 (E1 + A0), Fifth Up, Twelve String #2, Polyphonic Octaver Up, Seven String #2 (E1 + B0), Fourth Up
  • Guitar Models: Modern Humbucker, California Single Coil, Acoustic, Nashville Single Coil, Mini Humbucker, P-90, SLO Custom SHS, Vintage Humbucker, Vintage Lipstick-tube, Bass, Japan Custom HSH
  • Virtual Capo Range: 12 half-steps up, 12 half-steps down
  • MIDI Features: 64 Save/Load Presets, Function Control, Pickup Select Control, Tone Control, Pitch Shift Control, Pitch Bend Message, Software Select, Global Fine Tune, Global Gain, Global Tone Offset, Global Transposition
To purchase or find out more about the AT-200 software packs, visit https://transactions.antarestech.com/atgconnect/GuitarProducts.aspx

More Peavey AT-200 information can be found at http://www.peavey.com/products/at200/index.cfm/item/118115/at200.html


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Thursday, September 4, 2014

Bryston Introduces BDP-1USB Digital Music Player

Bryston Introduces BDP-1USB Digital Music Player
 
Peterborough, Ontario September 3, 2014 — Bryston has announced today the introduction of the BDP-1USB digital music player. The BDP-1USB is Bryston’s most affordable high-performance music player designed specifically for those customers using one of many popular USB external DAC’s (Digital to Analog Converters) available on the market. The BDP-1USB can comfortably manage large music libraries of up to 30,000 tracks—from MP3 to high resolution files stored on external USB or NAS drives. The BDP-1USB has a US MSRP of $1795. Please see Bryston at CEDIA 2014, Booth 320.
 
The BDP-1USB joins Bryston’s flagship BDP-2 in the company’s music player lineup. Because the BDP-1USB is engineered to work with an external USB DAC, Bryston is able to build the new player without including the premium-grade internal sound card featured in the BDP-2. This reduces the cost of the new player without any penalty in sound quality and opens the world of high-resolution audio playback to a broader audience. As media coverage and prominent recording artists have touted the benefits of better digital formats, consumer interest has been on the rise and the BDP-1USB targets this demographic. “Our digital music players have been tremendously successful for us globally, and with the increased prevalence of USB DAC’s available in a wide range of prices, the BDP-1USB opens the door for music lovers seeking Bryston performance and build quality in an affordable package,” explained Bryston CEO Chris Russell. “Of course we suggest that consumers consider the Bryston BDA-2 DAC—audio writers and reviewers agree that the Bryston BDA-2 is one of the very finest DAC’s available on the market today—but the BDP-1USB can also be the foundation of an amazing multifaceted sound system,” Russell added.  
 
The BDP-1USB is powered by a noiseless linear power supply carefully isolated from the digital audio path and AC power circuits. A vast array of features such as UPnP compatibility, Squeezebox® emulation, DoP (DSD over PCM) and more are all built in to Bryston’s intuitive and attractive firmware that is easily accessible from most web browsers. Users can also comfortably control the BDP-1USB using Apple or Android phones and tablets using Bryston’s built-in interface or a selection of several third-party apps. The BDP-1 USB is expected to ship to Bryston dealers beginning October 1, 2014.
 
 
BRYSTON BDP-1USB Features:
 
  • Linear Power Supply - not switching common to computers and other digital music players
  • 4 USB inputs/outputs any of which can be used to connect mass storage or Digital to Analog Converter
  • Compatible with Asynchronous USB DACs
  • DSD over PCM (DoP) playback with compatible DACs
  • Back bottom USB provides high current for large capacity buss powered hard drives
  • Fast Ethernet 100mbps connectivity to network
  • Connect to music stored on NAS
  • UPnP/DLNA Client, Server, Renderer availability
  • Large library support up to 30,000 tracks
  • Gapless playback
  • Intuitive Graphical User Interface accessible by virtually all web-browsers including on mobile devices
  • Support for FLAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV, MP3, and a huge variety of other audio formats
  • Seamless control with iOS, Android, or other mobile devices
  • Bit perfect digital audio playback
  • 5 year parts and labor warranty
 
 
 
About Bryston:  Bryston (www.bryston.com) first opened for business in 1962 as a manufacturer of medical equipment. The company was purchased in 1968 by John W. Russell, an ex-NASA engineer. Together with sons Chris, Brian and John D., they first started exploring the field of accurate, reliable audio amplification in the early 1970s. Since that time Bryston has become legendary for their hand-built quality, superb performance and dependability under load in the home, professional and commercial markets. Bryston amplifiers are used in some of the world’s most renowned recording studios and owned by many discerning music professionals. Bryston applies precision manufacturing techniques and materials in the assembly of their electronic equipment that are more typically utilized by the military and aerospace industries. Bryston is based in Peterborough, Ontario Canada, northeast of Toronto, and is sold through over 150 dealers in North America and 60 countries worldwide.


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