Alienware M11x Notebook Review

What did M17x say to M15x- “Honey, I’ve shrunk the kids.” Bad jokes aside, M11x is Alienware’s new baby laptop and it certainly looks like it will be a worthy successor to the family. I saw it first at TechEd in Dubai last week and instantly fell in love. Luckily Dell had one available for review and I picked it up the very next day. In a nutshell, the M11x looks and behaves exactly like you’d expect an Alienware laptop to- except that its really tiny in size. Think of it as a netbook on steroids.

Our review unit came packaged in a white box with the power adapter and some DVDs, but expect full Alienware treatment when you buy the retail package. One thing that confused us was the inclusion of DVDs in the package yet no external optical drive. Considering that this is a gaming notebook and you’d probably end up buying most of your games on a DVD, may that is something Alienware should include in the packaging. Also helpful would be a wireless mouse as gaming on a trackpad isn’t ideal- but every gamer has their weapon of choice so we’ll let the exclusion of a mouse slide.

The M11x measures 28.5 x 23.3cms in length and width which makes its thickness of 3.2cms and weight of 2kg seem a bit out of proportion- you expect it to be thinner and lighter when you pick it up, but you’ll see that’s justified when you read the specifications. Instead of a low performing Atom CPU with integrated graphics or even NVIDIA’s ION chipset, this little monster comes equipped with Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU running at 1.3GHz as well as the NVIDIA GeForce GT335M graphics controller with 1GB VRAM. The beautiful screen is 11.6″ in size with a resolution on 1366×768. Our unit had 2GB RAM and 250GB Hard Drive, both of which are upgradeable. On the connectivity side, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet are standard but if you want WAN or Bluetooth, you’d have to pay for that.

Looks wise, the M11x is very much like its bigger siblings with the typical Alienware LEDs on the front. On the left, you have outputs for VGA, HDMI and DisplayPort along with one USB port, Gigabit Ethernet, an unpowered 4-pin Firewire connector and a card reader. The front side is free of any switches or ports allowing for the cool glow that Alienware laptops are famous for while the right side features two additional USB ports as well as audio in and out connectors. Your charger connects to the back side. The belly of M11x looks quite sexy as well with grills for speakers and a battery measuring button that lights up a number of LEDs like you see on Macs. You can also see a meshed grill with a fan behind it to output the heat from the laptop. Finally, there is a nameplate that can be customized to your liking.

Flipping the lid up reveals the instantly recognizable backlit Alienware keyboard and the logo with the glowing eyes that acts as a power button. Using the AlienFX software, you can change the color of lights on the unit. They keyboard has a nice soft touch feel but was a bit small for my linking- a chiclet style keyboard works better on smaller laptops. I also prefer the backspace and enter keys to be on the far right side so the extra column of keys on the far right side of M11x with “Home, Page Up, Page Down and End” was a bit inconvenient- I feel that they could’ve been mapped to the arrow keys with the Fn button pressed. The trackpad has a bit of a nice rubberized finish and tracks really well, however, its not in the center of the palm-rest but a bit towards the left which caused my left wrist to continuously rest of the sharp edges of the laptop making it uncomfortable for extended periods. Also the buttons are a bit squishy to my linking- I prefer them to be more clicky.

WD introduces Solid State Drives

PR: WD today announced that the company is shipping its first consumer-oriented solid state drive (SSD) with the new WD SiliconEdge™ 2.5-inch SSD family. WD SiliconEdge Blue™ SSDs offer fast read/write speeds and high SSD capacities, making them an ideal storage solution for read-intensive applications requiring high performance and plug-and-play compatibility.

WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs, in capacities up to 256 gigabytes (GB), feature a native SATA 3.0 gigabits per second (Gb/s) interface with read speeds up to 250 megabytes per second (MB/s) and write transfer rates up to 170 MB/s. Fast and rugged, WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs accelerate application performance and deliver maximum tolerance for drops, shock and vibration along with silent and low-power operation.

“The development of the WD SiliconEdge Blue product family leverages WD’s extensive experience in designing and manufacturing highly reliable storage products and the company’s worldwide sales and distribution network to accelerate SSD technology adoption by OEMs, technology enthusiasts, gamers and road warriors,” said Saif Khwaja Sales Director, Western Digital, Middle East & Africa. “Customers who demand the ultimate in performance will find the WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs exceed all their requirements.”

The new WD SiliconEdge Blue product family has passed WD’s extensive functional integrity testing procedures, which subjected the WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs to over 130,000 hours of testing to ensure they meet the industry’s highest data integrity, reliability and compatibility standards. Designed for both read-intensive client/consumer applications and write-intensive, 24/7 OEM applications, WD’s new multi-level cell (MLC) -based SSDs feature patented and patent-pending technologies, such as advanced wear-leveling and error correction control, as well as TRIM and NCQ (Native Command Queuing) command support to ensure maximum drive performance and endurance with easy plug and play compatibility.

Price and Availability
WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs are available through select distributors and resellers. The manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) for WD SiliconEdge Blue SSD 64 GB (model SSC-D0064SC-2100) capacity is $279.00, the 128 GB (model SSC-D0128SC-2100) capacity is $529.00 and the 256 GB (SSC-D0256SC-2100) capacity is $999.00 USD. The WD SiliconEdge Blue drive is backed by WD’s world-class technical support and comes with a three-year limited warranty. More information on WD SiliconEdge Blue SSDs may be found on the company’s Web site at

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=789.

HP dv6 2150ev Notebook review

Its a known fact that laptops have more momentum in sales compared to desktops. For reasons of portability and space saving, a good chunk of new computer buyers look at laptops and today we’re looking at the dv6 from HP which is not necessarily a very high-end laptop, but is good for those looking for a laptop that will mostly sit on the desk- be that your office or your bedroom.

Measuring 25.8cms x 37.85cms and weighing 2.88kg, the dv6 is not necessarily the easiest laptop to carry around with you. It has a 15.6″ widescreen with a resolution of 1366×768 which is easy on the eyes, however, I feel that a higher resolution would have helped as everything looks pretty big. On the plus side, you will certainly enjoy 720p hi-def movies on the dv6, especially with the Altec Lansing speakers. The graphics controller is powered by the Radeon 4650 graphics card with 1GB RAM which has plenty of muscle of show 720p on the native screen or 1080p through the HDMI port.

Along with the beefy GPU, HP uses the Intel Core 2 P8800 CPU which is a dual core 2.66Ghz CPU, 4GB RAM and a 500GB Hard Drive making the DV6 a pretty good performer. Rounding off the specs, you have a light-scribe enabled DVD Writer, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth and 802.11n Wireless Networking and a webcam. An ExpressCard slot is also present for any expansion needs. Other than that, you have 3 USB ports on the device along with 1 eSATA port to connect storage devices. A DSUB is also present for VGA output to projectors along with audio outputs and memory card reader.

Usability-wise, the dv6 has a pretty big and comfortable keyboard along with the usual HP trackpad with a smooth glossy finish. I personally prefer a more textured finish to the trackpad but that’s just a personal choice as I know others who are happy with the HP trackpad. Because of the large size of the laptop, HP had enough room to fit in a keypad to the right of the laptop which is a plus for people that deal with lots of numbers. The unit never really got very hot to work on, however, the fan could have been a quieter and you continuously hear a bit of a humming in the background. With higher CPU utilization, the noise goes up a bit.

Performance on the dv6 was very much lives upto the specifications. Using Passmark, we got a CPU score of 2223, a 3D score of 572 and a hard disk score of 388.5. These are all good numbers and should allow you to use the notebook for reasonably powerful applications. We played a 1080p movie on the notebook without any issues although 3DMark Vantage refused to run because of the low screen resolution. Battery life on the dv6 produced just under two hours of general usage which is a bit underwhelming

Priced at AED 4,599 (US$1,250), the dv6 is a decently priced laptop as long as you don’t intend of moving around with it. It works great on a desk but the bulky form factor and less than stellar battery life don’t make it an ideal platform for someone looking for mobility.

BBM to stop working in Saudi Arabia?

The Arab News daily quoted the Al Watan newspaper as saying that Saudi Arabia’s Communication and Information Technology Commission wants to have access in order to monitor the messages in the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) network, threatening to shut down the service for noncompliance. Arab News added that the CITC was unavailable for comment over the weekend.

Meanwhile, BBM maker Research in Motion (RIM) on Friday said it is investigating reports in the Arab press that Saudi regulators have asked the company for access to its unique messaging service for its BlackBerry devices.

“RIM operates in more than 170 countries around the world and respects the regulatory requirements of governments,” the company said in a statement issued to Arab News. “RIM is investigating the reported matter in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and will provide an update once further information is available to share,” the statement added.

BBM or Blackberry Messenger is an instant messenger type of application that runs on Blackberry Smartphones and allows users to send text messages, voice notes and pictures to each other over their data plan.

Source: ITP

Thecus launches N4200 NAS with 6D Technology

PR: Whether people are taking photos of their baby’s first steps, or filming their vacations with their digital camcorder, the need for more digital storage is growing at a rapid rate. For these users who need to make sure that their precious memories are protected, Thecus has created the N4200 featuring exclusive 6D Technology.

Dual Core CPU – The Thecus N4200 is powered by the new Intel Atom™ D510 dual-core processor. Running at 1.66GHz, this CPU, paired with 1GB of DDR2 memory, delivers quick system response and can even smoothly handle multiple client access. Data can be accessed and transferred quickly, so you don’t have to wait around to enjoy your favorite movies, music, photos and more. The N4200’s Intel® Atom™ D510 dual-core CPU offers wicked performance for the home user.

Dual DOM Technology – The Disk On Module (DOM) of a NAS device contains all of the software necessary to operate the machine. Should it fail for any reason, your NAS will become inaccessible and your data could be at risk. To ensure maximum uptime, the N4200 includes Thecus’ Dual DOM Technology, which allows a secondary DOM to reprogram the primary one if anything goes wrong.

Dual Displays – Take control of your NAS with the Thecus N4200’s Dual Display Technology. The N4200 comes with an LCD display that shows you critical system information, while the 2.8” OLED display allows you to change a number of settings right from the device including WAN, LAN, Link Aggregation and language. Managing your home NAS just doesn’t get any easier than with the N4200.

Dual Power – If the power happens to go out during a critical firmware upgrade, your NAS could be in trouble. The N4200 comes equipped with its own Battery Backup Module (BBM) – a lithium-ion battery pack that kicks in during a power outage and allows the system to save unwritten data to the hard disks, thereby maintaining data integrity.

Dual HDD Profile Support – The N4200 features combo drive bays that allow users to install either 2.5” or 3.5” hard disks. Users can install the smaller 2.5” drives to save power and lower noise, or choose 3.5” drives for huge capacity, making the N4200 an incredibly flexible NAS.

Dual RAID – Why choose between performance and security? The N4200 allows you to configure two RAID modes simultaneously for optimum data transfer rates and rock-solid data integrity. With the power of Dual RAID, the N4200 is your digital data fortress.

Fast, secure, and incredibly easy-to-use, the N4200 with 6D Technology is the ideal storage device for the digital lifestyle.

NVIDIA NextGen ION Preview

“An ION is an energized Atom” is what NVIDIA’s CEO, Mr. Jes Hsun mentioned in our interview with him a couple of months back. When NVIDIA released the original ION chipset for the Atom, it suddenly became this incredibly cheap platform that was capable of doing a lot more than surfing Web 1.0- especially if you’re a fan of HTPCs connected to your big screen TV. Devices like the Acer Revo or the Zotac MAG could fit on the back of your TV and deliver 1080p content without much of an issue. Now, about a year later, NVIDIA is back with a follow up to the original ION- with a tag line of “10X Performance and 10 Hours of Battery Life.”

Lets start by taking a look at the block diagram of the original ION and the new ION.

As you can see, the new ION now works in conjunction with a chipset instead of replacing it. No longer will the ION be handling everything as Intel has already announced that the new Atom D410, N450 and D510 CPUs will have a built-in graphics and memory controller. The NextGen ION now features a dedicated Frame Buffer or graphics memory up to 512MB DDR3 so it wont be b be borrowing anything from your system memory. It will also handle all the output such as HDMI, VGA, DVI and Display Port on a desktop/nettop On a netbook, NVIDIA’s Optimus technology will automatically take over the integrated CPU graphics when needed such as when playing back a 1080p movie or a DX10 application

For the netbook, the ION2 will come in two configurations- NVIDIA recommends the 8 CUDA Core version for any netbook that is 10″ or under in size or the 16 Core version for anything bigger as well as desktops. Both these versions are DX10 capable and will continue to outperform Intel’s integrated solution by leaps and bounds as shown by NVIDIA in the graph below.

While I don’t doubt these graphs, I’ll leave my opinion for when I receive a test sample of  a Next Gen ION platform. NVIDIA also claims a battery life of unto 10 hours- again, something I would like to verify since Intel advertises the same for their Pinetrail platform add the new ION builds upon it using a few extra components which would potentially suck additional power.

Being an avid HTPC user, what I’m most pessimistic about is what would this new ION bring to the table. I already have an ASRock ION 330 system with the first generation of ION running 1080p flawlessly under XMBC. I also have Skype and uTorrent running in the background on this machine and other than the slightly sluggish interface in XBMC when using a skin like Aeon or Xpreience, I really don’t see any issues or need to upgrade.

The good thing is that I wont have to wait very long to test this Next Gen platform as, unlike the original ION which took a while to show up, NVIDIA already has a healthy line up for this new version. Acer has already announced their Aspire One 532G while we saw Shuttle’s X35 leak out a couple of days back as well. Here are some more upcoming products utilizing the next generation ION. Enjoy.

MSI unveils R5870 Lightning Graphics Card with 15-phase Power Design

PR: MSI has officially launched a new generation of the Lightning series, the R5870 Lightning. Not only are top-quality components used in the design, but the following features are also included: exclusive all Hi-c CAP for GPU power, 15-phase power design, two 8-pin external power connectors, special PCB design called LPL (Lightning Power Layer), Twin Frozr II Thermal design with 8mm SuperPipe technology. These outstanding features boost overall performance and reliability to a whole new level. This can be described as a top-performing product specifically designed for the extreme gamers and built to be perfect.

15-phase power supply designs, two 8-pin external power connectors* and LPL design to enable more stable power supply
The new MSI R5870 Lightning features the industry’s first 15-phase (13+2) power supply design; comparing to the reference-design 7 (5+2)-phase power supply module, it provides more than twice the power required by the GPU; It also features two 8-pin external power connectors, allowing more ample power supply for the R5870 Lightning; In addition, the design of the new R5870 Lightning has also incorporated a dedicated LPL (Lightning Power Layer) design, which is designed for GPU and memory power. This helps to increase the stability of power supply and also reduce noise.

All Hi-c CAP for GPU Power, All-new standard defined with military-class components
In addition to its innovations in power supply design, the all-new MSI R5870 Lightning continues its previous generations’ practice of employing military-class components. Moreover, in order to enhance the quality of power supply of GPU, a next-generation capacitor – the Hi-c CAP has been all adopted. Compared with the solid-state capacitors currently used in high-end graphics cards, this new design has 8 times of lifespan, as well as being low-temperature and having better transmission efficiency and other technical characteristics. With the new Hi-c CAP, the life of the graphics card can be substantially extended, operating temperature significantly reduced, thus rewriting the standards for military-class components. To provide better power quality, MSI R5870 Lightning has also introduced the Proadlizer capacitors, which is not only able to accommodate very high current, but can also provide a more stable power supply. Combined with its low ESR, unnecessary heat is reduced to provide a lower operating temperature.

Exclusive Twin Frozr II Thermal Design and SuperPipe Technology
In addition the Twin Frozr II Thermal Design, which follows in the footsteps of the previous Lightning series, is equipped with dual 8cm PWM fans and the best-in-class 8mm SuperPipe technology for cooling efficiency. Heat can be distributed more quickly to the heat-sink, and removed by the dual fans. A single operation takes care of the GPU, memory and PWM modules, and is both efficient and silent; it is currently one of the most advanced thermal designs in the industry.

Exclusive Over Voltage Function of GPU & V-Check Points Support
Apart from the enhanced power supply structure, when the R5870 Lightning graphics card is configured with MSI’s exclusive Afterburner overclocking software, not only can common GPU and memory clock adjustment functions be provided, but Over Voltage Function of GPU can be supported as well. This has completely freed up the potential of the graphics card; Meanwhile, MSI R5870 Lightning graphics card also provides the function of V-Check Points. When a multi-meter is attached, the current voltage status of the GPU and memory can be easily obtained without modding any circuit hardware. This provides a very convenient monitoring design.

ECS A890GXM Series Motherboard Delivers Total Experience in Visual Entertainment

PR: Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) launches the latest AMD® 890GX chipsets based motherboard family supporting AMD next generation 6-Core CPU with the best visual experience for users.

Foremost Designs, from A to A+
ECS A890GXM-AU and A890GXM-A are powered by ATI Radeon™ HD 4290 IGP with “ECS 4most™ Display Design” providing HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI and D-Sub connectors on the rear panel providing great convenience to meet both home entertainment and gaming requirement. For home entertainment, A890GXM-AU and A890GXM-A motherboards bring Full HD 1080P video experience.

For gamers, A890GXM-AU and A890GXM-A support Microsoft® DirectX®10.1 with stunning 3D effects. The on-board SidePort DDR3 1333 memory is a great plus on graphics for gamers. It enhances the gaming experience by ATI Hybrid Graphics technology with no doubt. In addition, A890GXM-AU and A890GXM-A assist with ATICrossFireX™ technology giving hardcore gamers magnified gaming performance.

User-friendly Technologies
A890GXM-AU and A890GXM-A comes with user friendly technologies:
－ ECS eBLU: ECS easy BIOS Live Update Utility which benefits users with easy on-line link the latest BIOS for right model.
－ SATA 6.0Gbps: provides 2 times faster than previous data transfer rate.
－ SuperSpeed USB 3.0: breakthrough the bottle neck of system performance up to 5Gbps data-transfer rate.
－ ECS Qooltech™ III: comes with twin-heat-pipe cooling solution, which provides a stable working environment when system is on.
－ ECS 15 μ Gold Contact: offers 3 times extra protection to secure the motherboard stabilities and durability
－ ECS Easy Button, Easy Clear and Easy Debug: designs offer an easy way to enjoy boosting system performance without pain.
－ All solid capacitors and lower RDS(on) MOSFET: improves up to 50% efficiency and lower temperatures by 16%.

ECS A890 series :
Model Name A890GXM-AU A890GXM-A IC890GXM-A
NB / SB 890GX / SB850 890GX / SB850 890GX / SB850
CPU Socket AM3 AM3 AM3
PWM 6+1 Phase with 7 Phase LED 6+1 Phase with 7 Phase LED 3+1 Phase
CPU TDP Support 140W 140W 125W
Storage 5x SATA6Gbps (Raid 0,1,5,10) / 1x eSATA 5x SATA6Gbps (Raid 0,1,5,10) / 1x eSATA 5x SATA6Gbps (Raid 0,1,5,10) / 1x eSATA
DRAM Support 4x DDR3 1800 (OC) 4x DDR3 1800 (OC) 4x DDR3 1600 (OC)
PCIe x16/ x4/ x1/ PCI 2/1/2/1 2/1/2/1 1/1/2/2
LAN Dual Gigabit LAN with teaming technology Dual Gigabit LAN with teaming technology Gigabit LAN
Video Output DP+HDMI+DVI+VGA DP+HDMI+DVI+VGA DVI+VGA
Audio 8-ch Blue-ray HD audio with optical S/PDIF out 8-ch Blue-ray HD audio with optical S/PDIF out 8-ch Blue-ray HD audio
Cooling Solution Heatpipe Heatpipe Heatsink
USB Support 3.0 / 2.0 2.0 2.0
ECS M.I.B. III Yes Yes Yes
ECS Buttons Power / Reset / Clear CMOS Power / Reset / Clear CMOS -
ECS eBLU Yes Yes Yes
ECS eJIFFY Yes Yes Yes
Form Factor ATX (305×244mm) ATX (305×244mm) ATX (305×244mm)

Gigabyte Launches Radeon HD 5800 Ultra Durable VGA Card

PR: GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to launch the latest in-house designed GIGABYTE GV-R5800 series graphics cards featuring GIGABYTE’s own Ultra Durable VGA Technology which can provide outstanding overclocking capability, lower GPU temperature, and excellent power efficiency. Building on the ultimate kernel of ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 art-of-the-state single-GPU architecture and advanced GDDR5 memory technology, the GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD deliver seamless frame rates with massive graphics processing muscle for any tomorrow’s demanding applications. In addition, the GIGABYTE the GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD feature a wide range of the latest graphics technologies, including native DispalyPort, native Golden-Plated HDMI, TeraScale graphics engine, ATI CrossFireX™, and ATI Stream™, to deliver supreme scalability so gamers can take their games to new heights.

Built on the highly anticipated ATI RadeonTM HD 5800 Series GPUs which are based on 40nm process and advanced GDDR5 memory technology, these powerful new GPUs provide for a host of innovative new features including Microsoft DirectX® 11, ATI Eyefinity Technology, ATI Stream technology, Quad mode ATI CrossFireX™ multi-GPU support, UVD 2 and PowerPlay™, and offer an incredibly immersive HD gaming experience and unrivaled performance. The GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD feature ATI’s latest 2nd Generation TeraScale graphics engine, boasting the power of more than 2 teraFLOPS with 1600, 1440 and 1120 stream processors respectively. With 1GB GDDR5 memory, the GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD provide twice the data per pin of GDDR3 memory at the same clock speeds. Benefiting from ATI Eyefinity Technology, every gamer can run up to 3 displays from a single graphics board and expand the field of view across all displays. End-users can enjoy the ultimate gaming experience with innovative “wrap around” multi-display capabilities with ATI Eyefinity Technology. Furthermore, using ATI Stream Technology, every user can easily unleash the massive parallel processing power of GPU for physics, artificial intelligence, stream computing and ray tracing calculations, and tackle demanding tasks like video transcoding with incredible speed.

In order to provide the best digital audio/ video interconnection between a computer and display monitor or home-theater system, the GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD are capable of outputting DispalyPort signals. The new generation DisplayPort interface supports higher resolutions, richer color depth, and increased refresh rate performance, delivering 10.8Gbps of bandwidth over previous generations of connectivity options such as DVI, LVDS and VGA. The GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD also provide advanced connectivity to TVs and displays with HDMI with 7.1 digital surround audio support. Delivering the ultimate solution for high definition home theaters, the GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD are able to take full advantage of Blu-ray functionality with dual-stream, picture in picture (PIP) capabilities and one-cable HDMI™ connectivity. Furthermore, the GIGABYTE GV-R5800 Series are equipped with ATI PowerPlay™ technology for breakthrough power and consumption, maximizing performance per watt by delivering the highest level of high performance when needed and conserving power when the demand on the GPU is low.

The GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD feature GIGABYTE’s own Ultra Durable VGA Technology, which can provide outstanding overclocking capability, lower GPU temperature, and excellent power efficiency. GIGABYTE unique technology Ultra Durable VGA features 2 oz copper PCB board, Samsung and Hynix memory, Japanese solid capacitor, Ferrite /Metal Core Chokes, and Low RDS (on) MOSFET. Compared with traditional graphics accelerators, Ultra Durable VGA graphics accelerators can lower GPU temperature by 5%~10%, decrease power switching loss by 10%~30%, and increase overclocking capability by 10%~30%. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA graphics accelerator GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD can provide truly “high-performance” and “green” graphic card resolutions.
Anti-turbulence Inclined Dual Fan
The outstanding dual fan design doubles the cooling capability and offers extreme silent environment. GIGABYTE builds up an inclined cooling fan which helps heats can spread effectively from hot areas. 4 heat-pipes contribute to 13℃cooler than reference fansink.

For more details of the GIGABYTE GV-R587UD-1GD, GV-R585OC-1GD and GV-R583UD-1GD, please visit the GIGABYTE VGA website at: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/VGA/Default.aspx

TwinMOS Mobile Disk Q7 64GB USB Drive Review

USB drives are a popular way of carrying your data with you because they are small in size and don’t need any additional power to work. Just plug them into any USB port (found in almost all computers today) and you have access to your data. The amount of data that you can carry on a USB drive has also been increasing with capacities of such drives doubling every few months.

Today, we take a look at out first 64GB USB drive which comes from TwinMOS and is modeled as Mobile Disk Q7 and comes in one of those semi-hard plastic cases that requires a scissor if you don’t want to cut yourself.

The size of Q7 is not very large- it is in fact, smaller that some of the 32GB flash drives that we’ve looked at in the past. I like how the cover of the USB drive is attached to the unit and slides across it making it not only convenient to use but also reducing your chances of losing the cover- believe me, that is quite easy to do if you look at the number of headless USB drives in our office. Here is a short video of it showing you how that works.

The drive, as I mentioned earlier, is 64GB in capacity and after a FAT32 format, leaves you with about 60GB of usable space. On the Disk TwinMOS bundles the UFD utility that lets you do small tasks such as partition the drive into public and private sections as well as save your bookmarks from IE or your emails/contacts from Outlook Express to access from another PC. you can also make the Q7 as a USB-ZIP or USB-HD bootable drive and install an operating system on/from it.

To test the speed, we ran Sandra on it and got the following results.

The Q7 scored 2227ops/minutes under Sandra which is a bit on the slower side. To give you an idea, the fastest USB we’ve tested is the OCZ ATV 8GB and the SanDisk Cruzer 32GB both of which have scored over 4000 in this test. The TwinMOS is a bit faster than the Patriot 64GB we tested that came up with a score of 166ops/minute.

The Q7 is not an incredibly fast USB drive as you can see from the numbers above but speed isn’t necessarily your top-most priority when chosing a USB drive. Capacity and price certainly play an important role along with Warranty. The TwinMOS Q7 sells for AED 540/- (about US$150) which is a pretty impressive price point for a 64GB drive. Most of them cost a good hundred Dirhams more. Warranty on the Q7 is also a very decent 2 years and we definitely like that.

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