Computex Taipei 2007 - Part 10
In the final installment of our Computex 2007 coverage, we take a look at upcoming products from Antec, KYE, Glofiish, Sapphire, SiS, Shuttle and more goodies from MSI and Foxconn. Of course to end it all in a cheerful note, check out the Computex beauties of the show floor.
More Goodies at MSI (I)
MSI and Hardware Zone also put up a demonstration of their latest MSI 5000X Speedster server board equipped with the latest quad-core Intel Xeon X5355 2.66GHz processors. This little demonstration is a little different this year because unlike all the overclocking that others are doing (which we think is great but highly unpractical), we chose to demonstrate the power of multi-core processing. Whether you like it or not, multi-core PCs will be the trend next year and beyond, and that is really the way to increase the computing performance of the PC.
Now, with eight processing cores, how do you actually make full use of it? We took the system, installed the latest Windows Vista Ultimate in it and then created two other virtual machines using VMware Workstation 6. One of the virtual machine was an Ubuntu Linux Desktop and the other was based on the older Windows XP. Both virtual machines were made to run tasks, as if they were another two other PCs, while the main base system was running a multi-core benchmark simultaneously. All three instances of the operating system executed flawlessly. This little demonstration showed how a typical power user could make use of Intel's virtualization technology to do more on his multi-core PC, by running other operating systems at the same time (without the hassle of configuring a multi-boot system). Basically, the idea is to do more in a single machine. More performance with less hardware, and much less power.
The MSI EX600 notebook comes with a large 15.4-inch wide screen display and is powered by an NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G 256MB graphics. The notebook is based on Intel Centrino Duo technology and it comes with a 1.3Mpixel webcam.
The MSI GX600 may look like just another 15.4-inch wide screen notebook based on the Intel Centrino Duo technology. However, this notebook features the world's first laptop with a Turbo button that overclocks the processor on demand, with a single touch of a button. The notebook is based on the Intel PM965/ICH8-M chipset and is powered by an NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 512MB graphics memory. The notebook also comes with a 1.3Mpixel webcam and an external eSATA port.
The MSI GX610 is powered by an AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core mobile processor. This laptop may look tame, but its built-in Radeon HD 2600 graphics with 512MB HyperMemory should be able to tackle most 3D games.
The MSI GX710 is a gaming notebook that features Intel's Centrino Duo technology using the Intel PM965/ICH8-M chipset. For graphics, you'll find an NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT GPU with up to 512MB memory. This full DirectX 10 supported notebook comes with a large 17-inch wide screen LCD display, 1.3Mpixel embedded webcam, HDMI output, 4.1-channel speakers and an optional TV tuner.
The MSI GX710 is built for gaming enthusiasts as it comes with an AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor and an ATI Radeon HD 2600 graphics with 512MB HyperMemory. This full size notebook comes with a large 17-inch wide screen display, 1.3Mpixel webcam, 4.1-channel speakers, HDMI output and an optional TV tuner.
More Goodies at MSI (II)
The MSI PR200 is a small and light 12.1-inch wide screen notebook based on the Intel Centrino Duo technology. It features the Intel GM965/ICH8-M chipset, integrated GMA X3100 graphics, a 1.3Mpixel webcam, HDMI output and dual security protection (fingerprint and TPM).
The MSI PR210 is based on the ATI Radeon Xpress 1270 chipset and it's powered by an AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor. This ultra-portable notebook features a 12.1-inch wide screen display, a 1.3Mpixel webcam, dual security protection (fingerprint & TPM) and HDMI output.
The MSI PR300 is based on the Santa Rosa which uses integrated graphics found in the GM965/ICH8-M chipset. This portable laptop comes with a 13.3-inch wide screen display, a sturdy Mg-Al alloy chassis and four built-in speakers.
The PR600 is a full sized 15.4-inch wide screen notebook based on the Intel Centrino Duo technology. It is the latest Santa Rosa platform based on the Intel GM965/ICH8 chipset - which means it uses the chipset's integrated GMA X3100 graphics. It comes with a 1.3Mpixel webcam and it has a full size keyboard with a numeric keypad.
This full sized 17-inch wide screen notebook features AMD's Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor and integrated Radeon Xpress 1270 graphics. The notebook also comes with an HDMI output jack, 1.3Mpixel embedded webcam and an optional TV tuner.
The MSI Theater 650PRO is a TV card that features two tuners for ATSC HDTV and analog TV (NTSC) which allows one to watch these two channels together. It has a powerful 12-bit video engine and motion adaptive 3D comb filter as well as a built-in hardware MPEG compression engine. Other features include radio receiver, addition AV/S-video input for other video sources and a fast PCIe x1 interface.
More Goodies at MSI (III)
MSI also demonstrated the world's first MXM SLi using the latest NVIDIA GeForce 8600M graphics. This card is known as the 8600M Geminium.
Another unique graphics card spotted at the MSI booth was the innocent looking MSI NX8600GT Twin Turbo. This card comes with two BIOS and a one-click button for instant overclocking. The button, seen in the picture above, activates the second overclocking BIOS for instant performance gratification.
The MSI Luxium is an external graphics solution for notebook users. It uses the PCI Express interface found in modern notebooks to connect the external graphics to the notebook's subsytem.
The Luxium also comes with a USB hub, a USB to LAN connectivity and a 7.1-channel audio system with S/PDIF support too.
This is probably the fastest graphics card in the world. It's based on the NVIDIA 8800 Ultra GPU with 768MB of memory. MSI will offer the card overclocked, which explains why the card is called the MSI NX8800Ultra-T2D768E-HD-OC. The clock speed on this card is 660MHz on the core and 2.3GHz on the memory. As a comparison, a standard GeForce 8800 Ultra card would be clocked at 612MHz and 2160MHz for the core and memory respectively.
Foxconn's Graphics Cards, Chassis and Coolers
Introduced recently and without the usual fanfare associated with graphics chipsets is the extremely low end GeForce 7200 series. With only 4 pixel pipelines and a 64-bit memory bus, this Foxconn GeForce 7200 GS may have 256MB of DDR2 memory but is actually only a step above integrated graphics performance-wise.
The lower-end GeForce 8500 GT gets a memory boost to 512MB from the standard 256MB variant. However, the DDR2 memory used means consumers will not see much benefit from having double the onboard graphics memory.
This overclocked GeForce 8600 GTS is equipped with a custom two-slot cooler that kept the card healthy even at its higher core of 700MHz and DDR3 memory at 2200MHz DDR. Together with its PureVideo HD capabilities and HDCP support, it's a competent mid-range DirectX 10 graphics card.
One of the earliest DirectX 10 game demos to be released is this Lost Planet demo, used to showcase the performance prowess of a next generation system featuring AMD's new 7 series of motherboards for its recently announced Phenom processors. This DirectX 10 capable graphics card is the overclocked GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB from Foxconn.
The ordinary looking chassis housing the powerful system running the Lost Planet demo. We were rather surprised that Foxconn has gone for a closed chassis demonstration instead of showing off its brand-new innards.
This micro-ATX chassis is obviously targeted at the HTPC crowd, with the control knob a huge giveaway to its main function. Options include having an integrated card reader at the front.
Another micro-ATX casing, this lightweight chassis comes with a total of 4 external drive bays and has an option of having an 80mm or 92mm rear chassis fan.
This 80mm copper CPU cooler weighs about 630g and is meant for the LGA775 and spins around 3600RPM, emitting a noise level of roughly 38 decibels. Not exactly what you'll consider quiet.
Suited for LGA775 processors up to an overclocked Prescott 4.0GHz, this 92mm CPU cooler spins at 2500RPM and is rated at 26dBA.
Antec's Booth (I)
Antec's Nine Hundred casing is a new favorite of the gaming enthusiasts crowd, but for even more serious users, Antec has this new Twelve Hundred casing in its upcoming lineup. The case is taller with 12 front facing 5.25-inch bays with a couple of improvements - filters for the front intake, easier tool-free drive installation, a huge 200mm top exhaust fan and an option to have a radiator with flow indicator to mate with the top exhaust unit for the water cooling enthusiasts.
Here's an interior shot of the Twelve Hundred casing which carries much of the hallmark traits of the existing Nine Hundred model.
The Antec P180 mid-tower case made quite an impact to the chassis scene for several innovative features and shown here is a new Mini P180. It's mATX case with 200mm top fan included, dual chamber design, 3 x 5.25-inch bays, 5 x 3.5-inch bays, 120mm rear fan and triple layer side and front panels for a sturdy and quiet case.
As seen in this interior shot, the Mini P180 has everything the award winning original P180 has, but in a smaller form factor.
If you don't have many storage drives, you could remove one of the storage bay units and install an expansion slot card holder for lengthy graphics cards (such as the GeForce 8800 GTX / Ultra) among others.
As part of the Veris product family, this new media center casing from Antec comes with a 140mm side fan, a 120mm rear fan, has four HDD bays, and accepts full-length PCIe graphics cards. Besides USB connectivity at the front, there's even a eSATA port just like the Twelve Hundred case.
Here's a close-up of up the interior and the hallmark traits of Antec such as the PSU and drive bay isolation chambers that are present among others.
Antec's Booth (II)
To accompany the chassis of a demanding user, here's the Antec TruePower Quattro 850W PSU that's tested and earned the 80-plus efficiency seal for great power efficiency at low or high loading levels, quad +12V rails and has designed with cable management in mind.
Here's a close-up of the PSU that clearly shows the modular cabling system.
A 1000W edition of the Antec TruePower Quattro is also available in a similar physical form factor as well and should be available soon.
Beyond the realm of chassis and its related components, Antec also had this A/V cooler base unit, which facilitates close stacking of A/V equipment while keeping the unit below cool. At the bottom of this base are dual silent blower fans that pull and channel warm air to the back; this design comes in handy when you have limited space and need to stack a component (such as a DVD player or others) over an amplifier for example.
With Antec offering various cooling solutions, here is Antec's very own external hard drive enclosure with active cooling that further extends its portfolio.
SiS' Booth
Over at the SiS booth, the spotlight was on their latest SiS 672 chipset series for both desktop and notebook implementations.
Here's a wall of motherboards bearing the new chipsets on the desktop front. The SiS 672 series has a faster and better-featured integrated Mirage 3+ graphics engine that's qualified for Windows Vista Premium logo certification versus the basic certification and a less competent video engine on the existing 671 series.
Here's Foxconn's implementation of the SiS 672FX Northbridge with the SiS968 Southbridge and supports all current Core 2 series processors.
An ECS motherboard based on the SiS 672FX chipset as well.
For slightly lesser requirements, this MSI board is based on the SiS 672 chipset that limits FSB support to 800MHz but retains all other features of this chipset series.
On the notebook side of things, Fujitsu just recently announced a value-line notebook based on the SiS M672 chipset and that's a strong testimony to the capability, stability and reliability of SiS chipsets. In fact other than price, SiS based platforms consume as low as only 5W of power - a rather strong tipping point when maximizing battery life is crucial.
SiS' Booth (continued)
And in another design win for SiS, this is Intel's design solution for an affordable near-full-function PC system based on an Intel D201GLY desktop board, which doesn't use an Intel chipset, but a SiS 662 chipset.
Here's a close-up of the board. An Intel Celeron processor is soldered on the board while a 2GB NAND flash acts as the primary storage device for this system. As the system specs indicate, this is targeted at office and schools requiring thin-client like machines where most data and applications are stored and accessed via central servers.
Even Dell has got a low cost system offering based on the SiS platform � but it will only be available in selected regions.
Sapphire's Booth (I)
Sapphire's Booth (II)
Shuttle's Booth (I)
Shuttle's Booth (II)
KYE's Booth (I)
KYE's Booth (II)
KYE's Booth (III)
Glofiish's Booth
For those who don't know, Glofiish is the new brand name for E-ten, a pretty well known manufacturer of smart phones. We went over to their booth to see some of their latest devices.
Computex Beauties (I)
Computex Beauties (II)
Computex Beauties (III)
Computex Beauties (IV)
Computex Beauties (V)
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