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Nvidia New SLI Driver for Vista

Nvidia has release yet another beta series driver, ForceWare version 100.54, this driver enabling the latent SLI support lacking in earlier drivers. Now, GeForce 6, 7 and 8 series cards will be able to have SLI support in Vista, though as a beta driver Nvidia is not giving any guaranty as to functionality.

ForceWare version 100.54 includes the following support in Vista:

• DirectX 9 support for GeForce 6/7/8 series GPUs

• DirectX 10 support for GeForce 8800 GPUs

• OpenGL support for GeForce 6/7/8 series GPUs

• DirectX 9 and OpenGL NVIDIA SLI support for GeForce 8800 GPUs will be available on January 31, 2007 in a new driver from NVIDIA

• DirectX 9 and OpenGL NVIDIA SLI support for GeForce 6 and 7 series GPUs and DirectX 10 NVIDIA SLI support for GeForce 8800 GPUs will be available in a future driver

Motorola Confirmed MOTO RIZR Z8

Motorola has plans for releasing a handful of new handsets in 2007. Those include MOTO RIZR Z8, MOTO KRZR K3, MOTO Q2 HSDPA, MOTO Q GSM/EDGE plus the budget W360, W205, w510, W395 mobiles. The new handset confirmed in a presentation that Ron Garriques, Executive Vice President of Motorola, gave to investors.

The long expected Motorola RIZR Z8 which is an updated version of the Motorola RIZR Z6, already officially announced but isn’t yet available. Its front camera most clearly reveals that we are dealing with a 3G handset here. The next mobile, MOTOKRZR K3, is again an updated version - this time of the Motorola KRZR K1 clamshell. It would also boast 3G functionality with video calls as the pictures reveal.

Intel Set Up A Digital Health Research Centre

Intel is partnering with Irish universities to set up a $30m research hub digital health research centre that will investigate the challenges of independent living for the elderly.


"We have to invent a new way to care for our planet's aging population. Current healthcare systems are not equipped to face the epidemic of age-related illnesses and injuries that are coming," said Eric Dishman, general manager of Intel's Health Research and Innovation Group.

"Information and communication technologies offer us a means to prevent disease and injury, to detect problems earlier before they become catastrophes, to help older people better manage their own health conditions at home, and to personalise care to their unique needs and preferences. All of us will benefit from these kinds of technologies, first as caregivers for our own aging parents and, if we're lucky, for ourselves some day."

Intel Prepares Core 2 Extreme for Laptop

Intel has prepared to launch Core 2 Extreme for Laptop. Codenamed Merom XE , the two 65nm parts will contain the usual 4MB of shared L2 cache and operate over an 800MHz frontside bus. The first of the two, the Core 2 Extreme X7800 will be clocked at 2.6GHz, it's claimed; the second, the X7900, will run at 2.8GHz.Pricing for the X7900 hasn't been set yet, though the X7800 is expected to go for around $795.

The Devious ATI: HDCP Secretly Removed

ATI putting some sneaky scheme on his business practices. Apparently most products that are HDCP ready are silently removed from its HDCP features. Yet there were no press release or information regarding this.

According to the Microsoft specification, high-definition video content that is transported using a DVI signal must be encrypted with HDCP. If HDCP is not present, regardless of whether an attempt at copying is made or not, the video is scaled down to low resolution to deter copying. For a manufacturer that wishes to use HDCP technology on its products, a signup with Digital CP is required. Upon a signed agreement, the manufacturer must pay the committee an annual fee of $15,000 and a royalty fee of $0.005 per product sold. This allows a manufacturer to provide DVI/HDCP support, sufficient for high-resolution output. If a manufacturer wants to implement HDMI, a DVI-compatible connector, an additional $15,000 annual fee to HDMI is needed along with $0.04 per product. To actually implement HDCP protection, unique keys are required on a per product basis which is provided by the committee and requires implementation at the manufacturing level. According to NVIDIA, an extra chip is required that stores unique decoding keys.

Until now ATI still unreachable, Instead, ATI's website has been changing gradually to remove any previous mention of "HDCP-ready" and specifications have been replaced with a more generic "HDMI interoperable" spec.

Unfixed USB Bugs Will Drain Your Laptop Battery

Again unfixed Windows XP Service Pack 2 confirmed by Microsoft. This time will drain your laptop battery when you plug a peripheral on USB slot. In a statement through its public relation firm, Waggener Edstrom Inc., Microsoft also admitted that the flaw, which lies in the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) driver of Windows XP SP 2, will remain without an easy-to-apply fix indefinitely. The ACPI is latest standard for USB peripheral ports on Laptop and part of the operating system's power management scheme for USB 2.0.

The bug will affect Intel-based Laptop. And the fix will still wait to be released to public since it required deep understanding of Operating System and there are also risk involved when apply the fix. Microsoft claim the fix is not for ordinary users because of the reason above.

"While there is a noticeable impact on battery life when USB 2.0 devices are plugged into some specific models of laptop computers, these systems are still fully functional and newer systems have significantly longer battery life than their predecessors, whether a USB 2.0 device is plugged in or not," Microsoft said in its statement.

Sony New Vaio Core Duo Laptop

Sony plan to release Vaio Core Duo this month on Japan yet maybe will be available internationally on spring. The new Vaio SZ series replaces the S series and will come with a 945GM Express or GeForce Go 7400 graphics card and a 13.3" WXGA screen that uses LED's on the high end models. the casing is made out of Carbon Black or Premium Carbon. The CPU's clock range from a T2300 (1.66GHz) to a T2600 (2.16GHz).

Besides SZ series they also launched F TV series, as the name imply this will focus for TV uses. Don’t worry it will include remote for your pleasure. This will have T2300 at 1.66 GHz, a 160GB HDD, a DL burner and a 945GX Xpress graphics card that offers a 1280x800 resolution.

nVidia Preparing to Launch its GeForce 7600 plus 7900GT and 7900GTX on March

nVidia already preparing to release its upcoming weapon to defeat its one and only contender. The 90nm GeForce 7900 both GT and GTX will be launch at March 9 according to Taiwan source. Beside those two, nVidia also preparing to release G73 or known as GeForce 7600 by the end of next month.

nVidia seems responding to market by reducing the pricing of GeForce 7900GT and 7900GTX and also said that have more competitive price than its competitor’s product Radeon X1900 that are roughly between $500-650. I wonder how much will it be.

Nvidia Geforce 7xxx GPUs
Series	GeForce 7800 GTX 512/GTX/GT/GS	GeForce 7300 GS/LE	GeForce 7900 GT/GTX*	GeForce 7600*
Core name	G70	G72	G71	G73
Memory	256/512MB DDR3	256/512MB DDR2	256/512MB DDR3	-
Manufacturing node	0.11-micron	90nm	90nm	90nm
Launch date	June 2005	January 2006	March 9	End March

Intel’s Averill Platform Revealed

A new detail revealed regarding Intel’s plan to manufacture a Centrino-like PC platform with a codename ‘Averill’. It appears Averill will show up in two types, Pro and Fundamental. Both will be incorporate the upcoming Windows Vista and has been said that it will also integrate the future generation of Intel Active Management Technology plus LaGrande, a new security system that has been held up because of Windows Vista late release.

Averill Pro will be based on Intel's next-generation architecture desktop chip, the dual-core, 65nm 'Conroe' processor, due to ship in Q3. The specification will also include the upcoming Q965 'Broadwater' chipset. Averill Fundamental is based on the current generation Pentium D processor and the Q963 chipset. Both chipsets will support DDR 2 SDRAM, with the Q965 running memory clocked up to 800MHz, while the Q963 tops out at 667MHz. Both parts can host a 1066MHz frontside bus.

Sony Optimism to Ship 100 Million PlayStation 3 This Year

Ok time for lil bit off topic stuff. Sony Corp. believes that they capable to ship over 100 million PS3 this time of year. According to Sony Corp. Executive Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Asia, Tetsuhiko Yasuda, Sony has not yet decided the specific launch date as well as the price. But he does say that not all regions will have same launch date.

Sony has shipped over 100 million PSX game consoles and similar amount of the PS2 game console, with Taiwan and Hong Kong accounting for 10% of its PS2 sales in Asia, Yasuda indicated. He also added Sony might work together with Microsoft to develop games together.

Personally I can’t imagine how games develop by both of them turns out… ouch... sorry to all fanboys out there.

AMD Prepare to Launch Power Efficient Processor

On recent roadmap, AMD revealed its plan to release Energy Efficient Processor. The Energy Efficient Processors will have a slightly redesigned Sleep, Power and Suspend states. These states are controlled by the operating system, but will require BIOS updates. They also revealed launch date for each new chips including the not-Energy Efficient AM2 Socket Processor.

AMD will also soon unveil a new set of desktop Sempron and Athlon 64s specifically geared for HTPC and other low noise / low power devices. The goal is to build processors that do not need a lot of cooling -- specifically to reduce the noise of the overall system to the 27dBA range for idle and 30dBA under load. One of the upcoming Windows MCE requirements for CPUs is that the processor fan not exceed 30dBA for MCE certification.

ASUS A8R32-MVP Deluxe Motherboard for Radeon Xpress 3200

The new ATI RD580 chipset known as Radeon Xpress 3200 are still waiting to be launch. Yet ASUS already prepare new motherboard, A8R32-MVP Deluxe to facilitate the features within. Rumor has it this will be the best overclocking board available.

ASUS is still tweaking the board and we heard that the RD580 should be the most overclocked platform available. It will sure surpass the Nforce 4 SLI overclockability as we know that the reference RD580 can go at more than 300 MHz FSB easily, and even more than that. Nforce 4 SLI will win on features, but it is up to motherboard manufacturers to include all the nice features on the boards as you can use external chips to include support for all the nice features that are not part of the chipset. Crossfire is finally becoming a mature player.

The board features will be:

• ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 (RD580)/ULi M1575
• USB 2.0/Gb LAN/SATA II RAID
• 2x PCIe x16, 1x PCIe x1, 3x PCI

DonaMon Fan : Multipurpose Laptop Cooler

Ever heard a laptop cooler with a 2.5" harddisk slot, USB hub and memory card reader? well this baby have it!. You just need one USB port to use all the features on this cooler. not bad huh? Equipped with 70x70x10 mm fan, the cooling capabilities should be sufficient . This cooler fit for almost Laptop from 10" to 17"

Specification
Maker / Model	DonaMon Fan
Dimension	315x240x28 mm (WxLxH)
Weight	1.15 Kg
Fan	70x70x10 (2600 RPM 26.0 dBA)
USB	USB 2.0 Hub (2x USB)
Memory	HDD 2.5" (9.5 mm) Slot CF/SD-MMC/MicroDrive/Memory Stick Reader 11 types of memory Card Supported
Power	DC 5V/2A 100-240 International

LG Launched L1770HQ and L1970HR LCD Monitor

The FLATRON L1770HQ delivers not only superior performance, but also superior design. A shiny chrome base and thin bezel highlight the L1770HQ’s striking features for consumers looking for leading technology and high-end display amenities. The 17-inch L1770HQ features a 1,600:1 contrast ratio, 4ms response time, striking 300cd/m2 brightness and anti-glare panel to ensure the best possible picture. . Its unique construction and its dual-hinged stand allows this LCD to fold flat – a great feature for anyone on the go. Measuring only 65mm when completely folded, the 1770HQ is a unique package of high-end features at a reasonable price. The 19-inch L1970HR offers similar attributes as the 17-inch with an added, mind-blowing 2ms response time.

Corrent Announced New WiFi Protection, SR25

Corrent Corp. has announced the release of its security appliance, Corrent SR25 with integrated WiFi for small businesses and branch offices. The firewall/VPN appliance is based on Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004, and provides protection for small business.

The SR25 desktop unit provides protection for wired and wireless networks with up to 100 users. An 802.11g router and access point are integral parts of the firewall, enabling protection for the wireless portion of a network through its own set of access rules. The Corrent SR25 also features a choice of WPA, WEP and IPsec-over-wireless encryption, while offers four 10/100 Ethernet ports for wired networks.

The SR25 will be available for shipment in the beginning of March, and offers a three-year hardware warranty and a year of software support in the purchase price. Uplifted and multi-year support contracts are also available. The product is distributed through Ingram Micro and is sold through a network of VARs worldwide.

LG Xnote S1 : Stylish Core Duo Laptop

Beautiful design plus ultra thin laptop yet equip with Intel Core Duo processor. and With a 15.4 inch WSXGA (1680x1050) screen and excellent 5.1 surround sound, you have yourself a pretty powerful portable theatre on your lap.A very excellent choice if you want Intel Dual Core laptop. There’s even a dedicated “Direct Media Experience Button” that shoots you straight into an interface designed for DVD, CD, or MP3 playback. Gaming should be a lot of fun with the ATI Mobility Radeon X1K GPU for all your 3D graphical needs.

ATi Radeon X1900 XTX - Project World Record Underway @ NordicHardware

Robert "Crotale" Kihlberg is the author of NordicHardware’s Radeon X1900 XTX review and has just before this he had been crowned Swedish Overclocking Champion, through his amazing world record with an astonishing 203% overclock as Crotale pushed his Intel Celeron Mobile 1.4GHz to fantastic 4.242GHz. Robert has also recently done some successful extreme overclocking attempts with Intel's flagship Pentium 955 Extreme Edition and to create a real "dynamic duo" we paired Crotale up with multiple 3Dmark world record holder Marcus "Kinc" Hultin. Kinc recently took home the 3DMark05 category in the Swedish Performance Championship.

This “dynamic duo” will attempt multiple world records, and now still underway. The first attempts way with Intel 955XE, Radeon X1900 XTX and 30 liters of liquid nitrogen. Ouch…the result pretty amazing also. I’ll put few summaries of these attempts

The test system they were using on this first attempt is:

Hardware
Motherboard : Asus P5WD2 - vcore, vdimm, vdroop
Processor : Intel 955XE 3.46GHz
Processor cooling : Mousepot + LN2 (-140C)
Video card : ATI Radeon X1900XTX
Video card cooling : Natrium Single Stage (-45C)
Memory : Corsair 5400UL
Power Supply : OCZ PowerStream 520W

Software
Operating system : Windows XP (SP2)
Drivers:

• nForce 6.70
• Catalyst 8.203

Benchmark program:

• 3DMark2001 SE (3.3.0)
• 3DMark03 (3.6.0)
• 3DMark05 (1.2.0)
• 3DMark06 (1.0.2)

The second attempts were be Athlon 64 FX-60 + Radeon X1900 XTX and more liquid nitrogen. Ouch… Well the test system used was:

Hardware
Motherboard : DFI NF4 SLI-DR Expert
Processor : AMD FX-60
Processor cooling : Mousepot + LN2 (-43C basetemp)
Video card : ATI Radeon X1900XTX
Video card cooling : Chefnr1 LN2-tub (-50 basetemp)
Memory : 2x512MB Corsair XMS 3200LL BH-5
Power supply : OCZ PowerStream 600W

Software
Operating system : Windows XP (SP1)
Drivers : Catalyst 6.2
Benchmark program:

• 3DMark2001 SE (3.3.0)
• 3DMark03 (3.6.0)
• 3DMark05 (1.2.0)
• 3DMark06 (1.0.2)

The results were amazing three world records:

3Dmark2001 SE:
World record with Intel's NetBurst architecture (955XE)
First over 50000 points with Intel's NetBurst architecture (955XE)
3Dmark05:
World record with Intel's NetBurst architecture (955XE)
First over 15000 points with Intel's NetBurst architecture (955XE)
World record with a single video card (FX60)
3Dmark06:
World record with a single video card (955XE)
The second attempts will be Athlon 64 FX-60 + Radeon X1900 XTX

The last attempt however is not yet being done. They said next week they will continue the project with two GPU to test out Crossfire capability. If you are an overclock enthusiast you must visit this!

AMD Prepare to Release AM2 Socket Processor on June 6

AMD is expected to launch two dual-core CPUs for Socket AM2 on June 2006: Athlon 64 X2 5000+ and Athlon 64 FX-62. Both processors will be based on F core revision working at 2.6GHz and 2.8GHz respectively. This way, the new AMD core will not only acquire DDR2 memory support, but also will increase the frequency potential of the dual-core AMD processors without switching to new production technology. Just as the previous E core revision, the upcoming F core revision will still be manufactured with 90nm SOI process. Also it have been said that it will support DDR2 memory up to 800MHz.

The new die is of bigger size and features higher transistor count: the die size increased from 194 sq.mm to 220 sq.mm , while the transistor count grew from 233mln to 243mln (for the dual-core processors). Single-core CPUs have also grown bigger: the die size increased from 106 sq.mm to 126 sq.mm and the number of transistors – from 120mln to 129mln. Here we are talking about the Athlon 64 or Opteron with 1MB L2 cache.

It is important to point out that the L2 cache size has become slightly smaller: it used to be 82.8 sq.mm and now it is only 77.4 sq.mm . Since the cache memory capacity remained the same, I dare assume that AMD will be using more compact SRAM memory cells in the new processors, which will automatically result into higher density of the L2 cache. Now L2 cache takes 39% of the die, and in the new F revision it will only occupy 30%.

One of the most interesting things about the new processors is their heat dissipation. Dual-core CPUs with F core stepping and up to 2.6GHz frequency and 2x1MB L2 cache will boast maximum 89W TDP. The today’s processors with similar technical specifications demonstrate 110W TDP at 2.2-2.4GHz core clock rate. Although one of the recent Athlon 64 4400+ modifications with 2.2GHz clock speed boasts 89W TDP.

ATI All-In-Wonder X1900: Quiet a Match for 7800GT

ATI finally released its new All-In-Wonder X1900. For one who doesn’t know what it is, the All-In Wonder GPU focuses on multimedia elements. All-In-Wonder capable to record and display TV signals, play a FM/AM radio, and several output of multimedia presentation plus you can play a game, well... maybe not a high-end game.

ATI All-In-Wonder X1900 has been tested on our favorite Anandtech’s lab. The result quiet nice, it can perform well against nVidia GeForce 7800GT. the All-In-Wonder X1900 has about the same clock speeds as the X1800 XL version of the All-In-Wonder, with just a slightly lower memory clock (960MHz vs 1GHz). What makes the All-In-Wonder X1900 much faster though is the 48 Pixel Pipelines as opposed to the All-In-Wonder X1800 XL's 16.

Where nVidia loses the most points is in the Film Cadence tests, as well as the Noise Reduction test. We can conclude then that these benchmarks show that ATI has a wider set of capabilities in their DVD decoding than nVidia does. Add to that the fact that ATI's DVD decoder is free to ATI customers while nVidia 's PureVideo decoder costs an extra $30 and ATI definitely has a winning solution on their hands.

On the test done by Anandtech, we can see how well ATI does with DVD processing, and the benchmarks show that ATI does a better job at this overall than NVIDIA. Here are the final HQV benchmark scores.

ATI: 111 NVIDIA: 68

Last word, This GPU is still pretty expensive so you might think twice before buying it.

MSN Giving Away Prizes for A Search.

MSN.com which is Microsoft’s search engine now giving away prizes up to $1million for any user using the search facility. The company announced the three-month promotion Tuesday, inviting Web searchers to visit MSNSearchandWin.com to take their chances at winning a prize.

According to Nielsen-NetRatings, MSN's search engine ranks third, trailing Google and Yahoo. In December, MSN had 10.9 percent of Web searches, down from 14 percent in December 2004.

Ken Cassar, senior director of analytics for Nielsen-NetRatings, called MSN's move a "smart promotion," adding that he has tried each of the major search engines and isn't convinced that he could differentiate the results of one from another.

Digital marketing firm WebSideStory Inc. also has found that MSN Search has lost traction over the past year. "MSN's problem is that when people think of 'search,' they think of Google," Erik Bratt, the firm's spokesman, wrote in an e-mail.

This isn't the first time a company has handed out prizes or other incentives to attract Web searchers. Amazon.com, for example, already offers discounts to people who use its A9 search engine.

"We're hopeful that once people give it shot, they'll want to come back again and again," said Lisa Gurry, director of marketing at MSN Search.

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New Windows Flaws Discovered After the Patch

Microsoft has warned of two "critical" security flaws that could allow attackers to use its media player or web browser to take control of a computer. Microsoft issued patches to fix the problems as part of its monthly security bulletin. It listed both as critical vulnerabilities.

One flaw in some versions of the Windows Media Player makes it possible for an attacker to use a malicious file that controls the appearance of the player to launch other programs on a computer. Another hole in some versions of Internet Explorer would make it possible for an attacker to take total control of a PC.

Apple Prepare to Ship MacBook Pro

Apple Computer Inc. said Tuesday it will begin shipping this week the new MacBook Pro, the first laptop computer to feature an Intel Corp. microprocessor. Apple says the MacBook Pro delivers up to four times the performance of its former flagship laptop, the PowerBook G4, which uses PowerPC chips from IBM Corp. and Freescale Semiconductor Inc.

Analysts expect the new Intel-based Macintosh products to boost Apple's perennially small share in the U.S. PC market, which increased slightly last year to more than 4 percent as the popularity of Apple's iPod media players drove consumers to give the Macs another look.


The 1.67 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:

* 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
* 1.67 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
* 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
* 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
* the infrared Apple Remote;
* 60 Watt hour lithium polymer battery; and
* 85W AC power adapter with MagSafe magnetic power connector.

The 1.83 GHz, 15-inch MacBook Pro, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

* 15.4-inch widescreen 1440 x 900 LCD display with 300 cd/m2 brightness;
* 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor;
* 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM, expandable to 2GB;
* 100GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* a slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
* PCI Express-based ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
* DVI-out port for external display (VGA-out adapter included, Composite/S-Video out adapter sold separately);
* built-in Dual Link support for driving Apple 30-inch Cinema HD Display;
* built-in iSight video camera;
* Gigabit Ethernet port;
* built-in Airport Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
* two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port;
* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
* scrolling TrackPad and illuminated keyboard;
* the infrared Apple Remote;
* 60 Watt hour lithium polymer battery; and
* 85W AC power adapter with MagSafe magnetic power connector.

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Intel and GSMA Collaborated to Bring 3G into Every PC

Intel and the GSMA has sign a deal on Tuesday and will be publishing guidelines for laptop manufacturers to encourage them to integrate modems capable of picking up various networks, including 3G, HSDPA or EDGE, in their products.

Craig Conway, CEO of the GSMA, said: "This is important because it means the PC has gone mobile. We see this in the most positive way," adding that mobile operators can expect to see new revenue streams as a result of the union.

Few Laptop Manufactures like Dell also put interest on 3G, they recently announced a deal with Vodafone to offer HSDPA modems as an optional add-on for its laptops, while Lenovo also announced its intention to include super 3G in its hardware. Several phone makers including BenQ and Samsung have debuted HSDPA enabled phones, though most European countries have yet to see HSDPA networks launched.

However, analysts remain skeptical that embedded 3G will be the best option for road warriors. A recent research note from analyst house Gartner said: "We recommend buying laptops and mobile connectivity separately. Certain applications will continue to require handheld devices with integrated 3G connectivity. But for most businesses, add-on cards are a better investment and provide much more flexibility than integrated systems.

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ATI R590 Will Be Release As ATI Radeon X1800 GTO

The new ATI R590 will launch at the beginning of March for roughly $279. The R590 ASIC is effectively the Radeon X1900 core, but at a lower clock speed with some disabled features. This new GPU expected to be released as Radeon X1800 GTO with 256 MB memory.

A year ago, ATI used a very similar tactic by labeling R480 and R423 ASIC as Radeon X800 GTO video cards. Several clever users were able to use BIOS hacks to unlock the disabled pipelines on these cards. This may not be possible with the X1800 GTO as it uses a dedicated R590 ASIC spun specifically for these card models.

The same source also indicated that 80nm R600 would be available this October

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