Thread: Anandtech News

As we discussed yesterday with AMD’s latest round of GPU rebadges, both AMD and NVIDIA are locked into playing the OEM rebadge game in order to fulfill their OEM partner’s calendar driven schedules. OEMs want to do yearly updates (regardless of where the technical product cycle really is), so when the calendar doesn’t line up with the technology this is achieved through rebadges of existing products. In turn these OEMs put pressure on component suppliers to rebadge too, so that when consumers compare the specs of this year’s “new” model to last year’s model the former look newer. The end result is that both AMD and NVIDIA need to play this game or find themselves locked out of the OEM market.
In any case, the bulk of these rebadges coincide with CES, which is where the OEMs announce their calendar-refresh products. We often see the specs for these systems leak out a couple of months in advance – and accordingly see the product numbers for the rebadged components they contain – but it’s not until CES that AMD and NVIDIA publish the specs of these products. So we’ve known these products were coming, we just haven’t had any solid details about them until now.
Jumping right into things, this morning NVIDIA updated their GeForce product page with a link to a PDF with the specifications for two new mobile products: GeForce GT 730M and GeForce 710M. NVIDIA’s PDF doesn’t go into great detail – in particular they aren’t listing the clockspeeds at this time – but from the specs provided we can divine some more information about these first members of the 700M family.

NVIDIA GeForce 700M Series GPU Specification Comparison
 	NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M	NVIDIA GeForce 710M
Was	640M?	620M?
Stream Processors	384?	96?
Texture Units	32?	16?
ROPs	16?	4?
Core Clock	?	?
Boost Clock	?	?
Memory Clock	? GDDR5 / DDR3	? DDR3
Memory Bus Width	128-bit?	128-bit?
VRAM	?	?
Transistor Count	1.17B	585M
GPU	GK107	GF117
Manufacturing Process	TSMC 28nm	TSMC 28nm
Architecture	Kepler	Fermi

For the time being we have a few unknowns and a few assumptions on our parts, but based on NVIDIA’s specs and naming scheme we are very confident about which GPUs are actually behind these products. The 730M is some kind of GK107 rebadge – almost certainly 640M – as evidenced by its support for Kepler family features such as TXAA, PCIe 3.0, and DisplayPort 1.2. We beiieve this to be 640M in particular based on the use of both GDDR5 and DDR3 and the product name, though a 650M rebadge is also a possibility due to the very similar features of those parts.
The other part on NVIDIA’s current 700M series list is the GeForce 710M. This we believe to be a GF117 rebadge – almost certainly 620M – as evidenced by its lack of support for Kepler family features such as PCIe 3.0, TXAA, or support for resolutions over 2560x1600. This means that yes, just like the 600M series, the 700M series will contain some last-generation Fermi parts too, so any hope of a unified mobile family have been dashed by this product. Like the 620M this is a DDR3-only part, and exists as NVIDIA’s entry-level part over Intel’s iGPUs.
It’s interesting to note that in lieu of clockspeeds (or really any other hard details) NVIDIA is listing something called the “GeForce Performance Score”, which is defined as the performance of the part relative to Intel’s HD4000 iGPU. The 730M and 710M are 4.8x and 3.0x respectively, and while NVIDIA is almost certainly being overgenerous in their performance estimations here, it does lend further proof to these being GK107 and GF117 rebadges.
Finally, although NVIDIA has only published information on the 730M and 710M so far, based on previous experience we believe that this is only the tip of the iceberg. In the coming weeks (if not days) we would expect to see more mobile rebadges, along with some kind of desktop rebadge. We’ll keep our eyes peeled, so until they stay tuned.

More...

Lenovo was at the Aquanox as usual, with a slew of products on display. We'll take the items that caught our eye in turns, starting with the ThinkPad Helix. Simply put, the Helix is an Ivy Bridge based tablet with a keyboard dock, with the added bonus feature being that you can reverse the way the screen connects to the dock (what Lenovo is calling "Rip and Flip"). This would allow you to use the keyboard base as a stand for watching movies or doing presentations.
The Helix can be configured with up to a full Core i7 ULV processor, and all of the "smarts" are housed in the tablet/screen portion. There are obviously going to be some thermal constraints with the design, but when you dock to the keyboard portion--which includes additional battery capacity--you also get improved cooling to unlock the full performance potential.
The tablet portion of the Helix weighs in at 835 grams and should provide around five hours of battery life. The keyboard includes additional battery capacity that doubles battery life up to ten hours (though Lenovo didn't specify the weight, it's probably close to that of the tablet). The display is a 1080p IPS panel, and in additional to the usual 802.11n WiFi the Helix has optional LTE support and contains NFC technology.
It's not for the faint of wallet, though, with an MSRP starting at $1499. Availability is expected in late February.
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkPad Helix

More...

Last year at CES 2012, Lenovo unveiled their Yoga 13 laptop/tablet hybrid. The product was one of the most interesting ideas I saw at CES 2012, and it started shipping alongside Windows 8 a few months back. Along with the Yoga 13, Lenovo launched a second device, the Yoga 11. The Yoga 13 is a full-blown Ivy Bridge laptop/tablet, while the Yoga 11 is a Tegra 3 Windows RT device. Despite the similar look and feel and the same family name, the core hardware makes the two devices feel very different in practice.
Lenovo is now showing the Yoga 11S, which puts a full Core i5 processor (i7 worldwide) into the smaller form factor. The display is a 1366x768 IPS panel with 10-point multitouch, and you can get up to 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage. Availability is slated for June, with a starting MSRP of $799.
Gallery: Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S

More...

Lenovo was particularly proud of their Horizon all-in-one (AIO)/Table PC touchscreen computer, which at first glance seems much like any other AIO. Lenovo is adding their own special sauce via added software goodness to create what they hope will be a new class of device, the “interpersonal computer”. I shot a video of Horizon in action, which I'll have to wait to upload (sorry—slow Internet here in Vegas!), but I do have some images below.
One of the main attractions besides software is that the device can lie completely flat against the table, at which point the Lenovo Auro interface activates. Auro is designed to support interaction with two or more people (10-point multitouch), allowing for a more family/group oriented experience. The Horizon comes with a variety of accessories including four joysticks, four “sliders” (think air-hockey equipment), and even a Bluetooth enabled e-dice. Much of what was shown seemed to target the gaming market with Horizon-enabled titles like Monopoly, Draw Race 2 HD, Raiding Company, and King of the Opera, but the Horizon can also function as a standard AIO.
The hardware on the Horizon includes a 27” 1080p IPS display, NVIDIA GeForce GT 620M 1GB graphics, up to 8GB RAM and a 1TB hard drive (with an optional 64GB SSD), and processor support goes all the way up to Core i7. Other features include 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, USB 3.0, a card reader, and an integrated 720p webcam. It features a battery as well, though it only lasts up to two hours. The whole unit measures just 27mm (1.1”) thick and weighs 8.06kg (17.8 lbs).
The Horizon is currently scheduled to begin shipping this summer, with a starting price of around $1699.
Gallery: Lenovo’s Horizon All-In-One/Table PC

More...

Wrapping up our Lenovo postings (for now), we conclude with something I didn’t realize was practical: a matted touchscreen AIO system, the ThinkCentre M92z. Normally, I would think that long-term the "rough" coating would show some wear and that would create problems, but Lenovo says they've used some special etched glass that's resistant to wear as well as fingerprints.
I snapped an oblique angle shot of the display just to show how "invisible" the fingerprints are, and I was quite impressed (I had just rubbed my fingers all over the display before snapping this shot). I'm not sure how long it will take to see this sort of touchscreen in other devices, but for those that despise gloss it's a welcome option for the future. Consider the alternative, shown in the third image (which is not the anti-glare M92z).
Gallery: Lenovo ThinkCentre M92z: Anti-Glare Touchscreens

More...

Continuing our Lenovo coverage, we have another gaming-centric system from Lenovo, and I have to admit I never saw this one coming. The new Lenovo Erazer X700 is a high-end gaming desktop that sports a case design that reminds me of Alienware’s chassis.
The Erazer X700 will sport high-end options like liquid cooling and Core i7 Extreme processors with OneKey overclocking. On the graphics front, Lenovo looks to be pushing AMD more than NVIDIA as they support CrossFireX with two HD 8950 3GB GPUs (basically 7950 Boost rebadges) and were showing the system with Eyefinity pushing three displays. However, NVIDIA GPUs are also available, albeit not quite as high-end: you can get up to two GTX 660 1.5GB cards in SLI.
Other features include support for up to 16GB DDR3 RAM, anywhere from 2x 1TB HDDs on the low-end configuration up to 4TB hard drives at the high-end, two external hot-swappable hard drive bays, tool-less expansion options, and integrated WiFi. Lenovo didn’t specify any pricing or a time frame for the launch of the Erazer, so it could be a few months or more before the product ships.
Gallery: Lenovo’s Erazer X700 Gaming Desktop

More...

While Lenovo is normally thought of as a business brand, their IdeaPad (and IdeaCentre and IdeaTab) range of products tend to focus more on the consumer market. Case in point is the Y series of IdeaPad gaming notebooks, which have traditionally been relatively price competitive with other options. Lenovo usually keeps the specs a bit down from the top-end mobile GPUs, but they’re looking to at least up the ante this next round with the option for SLI graphics. That’s not all that amazing, but what is cool is the way that Lenovo gets there.
The IdeaPad Y400/Y500 gaming notebooks are getting an overhaul with a new industrial design that's reminiscent of ASUS' "stealth" G-series notebooks. But that's not the really interesting part; what was pretty cool is that the UltraBay has a variety of supported devices, including the option to slot in a second GPU (GT 650M) for SLI capability. With two GT 650M cards you should have a decent amount of performance, though I suspect a single GTX 680M would still be faster (and likely more expensive). Other UltraBay options include an optical drive, a 2.5” hard drive caddy, and a secondary cooling fan.
We didn’t have a chance to do any benchmarking, but the option to enable/disable the second dGPU any time you choose by simply removing it from the UltraBay is definitely cool. Actually, what might be even better is to forget about SLI and instead make laptops with UltraBay support for a single dGPU—allowing users to slot in a GPU in this fashion should give more control than other external interfaces that haven’t really caught on, though there are still plenty of things to work out to make that happen. Given the Y400/Y500 features, though, it seems more a question of “when” than “if”.
Gallery: Lenovo IdeaPad Y400/Y500 Gaming Notebooks (with SLI!)

More...

 

 
Polaroid has been struggling to define itself in the last … well, few decades. In the pursuit of new markets, they’re blazing a trail to become the first interchangeable lens Android camera to come to market. The 18MP camera will ship during the second quarter of 2013, and retail for $349 as a kit with a 10-30mm lens. The mirror-less shooter is unique by including its sensor within the lens, itself (not encouraging in terms of sensor size). Later in the year Polaroid plans to release a telephoto lens and a 50mm prime; and eventually they plan on providing an adapter to fit competitor’s lenses. 
 
As for the operating system, the Jelly Bean build is modified to create three different modes, a shooting mode, an editing mode and an app mode. WiFi and Bluetooth are on hand for connectivity, but there’s no current plans for wireless broadband options. Polaroid didn’t have a huge amount of technical details for us, but we’ll try and chase down more information as soon as we can. 

More...

Okay, so consume isn't entirely accurate. But what started as NewEgg's house brand has continued to show unusual vitality and growth each year, and here at CES 2013 we continue to see them growing and expanding. Rosewill may have begun as a house brand, but in the process they're evolving into something bigger. Try to imagine Sam's Choice or Insignia products, but with gradually increasing quality, and gradual appearance on store shelves outside of their home base and you might get some idea of what's going on with Rosewill.

As far as cases go, Rosewill is aiming to follow up our personal favorite Thor v2 enclosure with something they call Throne. Throne is an essential refinement on the Thor v2 design, including integrated dual-channel slider-based fan controls, four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, and a hotswap SATA bay. At the same time you get a slightly cleaner look (available in white with blue LED fans or black with red LED fans). We should be getting one in for review sometime in February if not earlier.

What we already have in for review, and should be going up within the next couple of weeks, is the Armor Evolution. The Armor Evolution was geared to be a reasonably small case that could still support an E-ATX board, but Rosewill's engineers extruded the top vents to increase headroom for 240mm/280mm radiators. From the looks of it, the Armor Evolution could wind up being a smaller, more affordable alternative to the Thor v2 (already a budget champion in its own right).

Rosewill is also continuing their mechanical keyboard push, and their keyboards continue to rank among the most affordable entry-level mechanical keyboards available. I spoke with a product manager who asserted a desire to keep the designs as clean and simple as possible, and that conservative approach is something I can get behind. This year they had a dual-illuminated keyboard available called the Helios, with both green and red backlights, along with toggleable brightness and illumination zones. It's an attractive keyboard and will be available with four different types of Cherry MX switches (black, blue, brown, and red), but I'm still waiting something with straight-up color-configurable backlighting like Alienware laptop keyboards. Given the increased complexity of implementing that kind of solution in a mechanical keyboard, I may be waiting a while.

Outside of their peripherals, Rosewill was showing off their monstrous Hercules 1600 power supply. It's the size of a small shoebox and features 80 Plus Silver certification and modular cabling. It also includes a turbo fan switch for when powering just two GTX 690s isn't sufficient, and comes with all-Japanese capacitors and a five year warranty.

And lest I forget, something I found pretty cool: they're offering a super-slim HDMI cable with RedMere technology. The cable is designed to only function in essentially one direction (one connector is labeled source and the other TV), but it's substantially thinner at every point than a conventional HDMI cable. I think I was mostly just happy to find an HDMI cable that would actually fit the oddly low-placed HDMI port on my Radeon HD 7750.

More...

Truth be told I'm a little bit surprised I haven't heard from our friends over at Antec in a while. I do have one of their cases sitting at home waiting to be reviewed, but all told, 2012 was kind of a quiet year and unfortunately for PC enthusiasts it looks like 2013 may be moving in the same direction. They had their usual quality power supplies on tap, but everything is just inching towards better certification and efficiency anyhow (I know, woe is me).
Antec was showing off three cases: two are modified versions of the P280 and Eleven Hundred respectively (both solid offerings in their own right), but the third one completely broadsided me: the GX700.

The GX700 is a mostly toolless design and its aesthetic seems to be cut from the same mold as Corsair's Vengeance C70. That may or may not excite you depending on how you felt about the C70's styling, but what got me was the value proposition. Construction is primarily steel and plastic, with smart cable routing mehind the motherboard tray, and the same general ATX case cooling layout, but Antec extruded the top venting of the case slightly and includes two 140mm fans standard. Rear exhaust is handled by a single 120mm fan. I/O is the usual two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, and there's an integrated fan controller. None of that is hugely exciting until you realize Antec is putting this case on the market for just $59 MSRP. I guessed $119, and at $119 it looks like it would be a fairly competitive enclosure, but at $59 I expect it's going to provide serious competition. Look forward to it.
Next to it in the photo is the "new" M-1100. This is a new Eleven Hundred, mostly the same as the old Eleven Hundred (not necessarily a bad thing), but with the one change I really wanted them to make: a pair of 120mm fan mounts (and fans) in the top of the chassis instead of the single 200mm exhaust fan. I was always perplexed as to why the P280 had the mounts for a 240mm radiator and the more gamer-oriented Eleven Hundred didn't, but apparently someone at Antec was too. So there you go. Not pictured is the new white version of the P280, which also features a window on the side.
So what has Antec busied themselves with? Launching a new division as it turns out.

I have no doubt that there's money to be made in producing excellent mobile peripherals, and Thermaltake and Rosewill have been branching out in the same direction (although to be fair, Rosewill makes everything at this point), but the new Antec Mobile Products (a.m.p) division seems like an oddball fit for an old warhorse like Antec. It remains to be seen how well this focus will work out for them, but I'm mostly sorry to see it back-burnering a case division that was fairly revitalized not too long ago by the P280/Eleven Hundred. In addition to ear buds and portable speakers, you can get a.m.p branded power peripherals for smartphones and tablets, and Antec does say they include some of their own secret sauce from their power supplies to produce more reliable, higher quality stuff.

More...