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SUNNYVALE, Calif. — AMD on Monday, Jan 28, announced the immediate availability of the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics processor, expanding the visual boundaries of PC entertainment well beyond the 1080P High Definition (HD) threshold.

The industry’s first graphics processor to break the Teraflop (one trillion floating point operations per second) barrier, the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 nearly doubles the performance of the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 3870 introduced in November 2007.

Through an elegant yet aggressive design, the 55 nanometer process-based ATI Radeon 3870 X2 combines two ATI Radeon HD 3870s on a single graphics board, connected through integrated CrossFire technology.

ATI Radeon 3870 X2 is also the first performance-leadership graphics product in the world to support Microsoft’s upcoming DirectX 10.1 technology. The ATI Radeon 3870 X2 delivers a new class of price and performance leadership with unbelievable enthusiast value at a suggested retail price of US $449.

This launch follows on the success of the recently released ATI Radeon HD 3400 and ATI Radeon HD 3600 series graphics products, completing a comprehensive portfolio of next-generation 55nm GPUs that deliver unparalleled price, performance and energy efficiency from entry-level to performance-leadership class products. More at AMD.

Dec 07, ‘07 — Apple Leopard users say their systems have taken to randomly flashing the color green, InformationWeek reports.

InfoWeek further writes, “A poster to Apple’s support forum named “Matthew Hickey1″ recently reported that his Leopard-based PowerBook displays the green flashes whenever he tries to close applications.

Numerous follow-up posts indicate that the problem isn’t unique to Hickey’s machine. Other users of Leopard, officially known as Mac OS X 10.5, say they’ve experienced the weird green flashes. Apple support forum member “bob812″ likens them to “a strobing effect.”

So far, Apple does not appear to have a fix for the issue. “I was on the phone with support for three hours trying to resolve the problem but no luck,” wrote “DJS223.”"

Comments on Apple Discussions:

User “Matthew Hickey1″ Posts:
“Before anybody suggests it, no I haven’t been drinking or taking drugs….

I’m curious if anybody else has noticed a random green flash (like the flash that photobooth provides only green) from time to time when closing applications or performing other similar tasks. I can’t decide whether it’s some kooky “feature” or whether there are compatability problems with my ATI X800 graphics card, or whether my display has decided to give up.

Anyone? ”

User “Chrissli” writes:
“I also have a 30″ and get these green flashes, but these are not the only graphic errors I have. I also have problems when entering time maching (1 third of the screen seems to be slower) and i sometimes get small green flashes behind the dock.

Also my menu bar is not transparent.

When I switch my resolution to a lower one, the problem is gone.

I have a radeon 9650.”

User “Andrew Hoyt” writes:
“Yes! I have gotten green and purple flashes (at first I thought this was a feature) and my time machine appears exactly as in the picture you linked. I can still use it, it’s just crazy.

I have an ATI Radeon X800 XT for a graphics card, I am thinking that could be a problem. I did a clean install of Leopard on another disk and got absolutely no problems.

Tried archiving and installing on my main drive array- no such luck, still flashes.”

More at InformationWeek, Apple Discussions.

Taipei, Taiwan — Nov 30, ‘07 — DigiTimes is reporting on AMD’s plan to drop the price of its Radeon HD 3850 and 3870 GPUs by around $20, citing sources at graphics card makers.

DigiTimes further writes,”In response to AMD’s plans, Nvidia also notified its partners that it will consider following up with price reductions of its own, causing several makers to delay mass orders to prevent themselves from absorbing the price damage, according to the sources.”

The original official Radeon HD 3850 and 3870 prices were US$179 and US$219. More at DigiTimes.

Taipei, Taiwan — Nov 19, ‘07 – Dell will soon launch a 12.1-inch notebook featuring touch panel technology with the panel being sourced from AU Optronics (AUO) with Chi Ling Technology, an affiliate of the Chi Mei Group, being in charge of assembling LCD panels with touch screen panels, Digitimes is reporting citing chinese daily, Economic Daily News.

Digitimes further writes, “The new 12.1-inch notebook uses a touch panel solution from Israel-based N-trig, according to the paper. Instead of adopting capacitive or resistive touch panel technology, the Dell notebook uses a battery-free electrostatic pen, the paper added.” Digitimes.

Nov 19, ‘07 — Long Zheng of istartedsomething.com has gotten his hands on leaked specs and a pic of Dell’s first ever multi-touch tablet PC, Dell Latitude XT. According to Zheng, the Latitude XT was supposed to be released on Nov 16 in most regions and on Dec 03 in the US but got delayed because of recent LCD shortages. There’s no word on when it’d available.

Dell Latitude XT Specs
- Intel 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo, ULV
- Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
- Windows Vista Business / Ultimate 32/64 Bit Options
- ATI RS600ME/SB600 Chipset
- 1GB DDR2 667MHz RAM, Max up to 3GB
- 12.1″ 1280×800 WXGA LED Back-Lit / Dual-Bulb CCFL
- ATI Radeon Xpress 1250
- 256MB Graphics Memory
- 8X DVD +/-RW
- Dell Wireless a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0
- Broadcom BCM5756 Gigabit Ethernet
- Express Card / SD Card Slots
- 3xUSB 2.0, 1394a Connectors
- Weight: LED Back-Lit 1.6Kg(with 4 cell battery) / Dual-Bulb CCFL LCD 1.8Kg(with 6 cell battery)

More at iStartedSomething.com

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif –BUSINESS WIRE– Nov 19, ‘07 — Kingston today announced it is shipping 1066MHz ValueRAM designed specifically for the new AMD Phenom Processor. Kingston worked closely with AMD on the launch of the Spider Platform, comprised of the new Phenom Processor, ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series graphics card and the AMD 7-Series Chipset, to ensure peak memory performance. Kingston’s 1066MHz ValueRAM modules help take advantage of Phenom’s ability to deliver true quad-core performance.

“The new Phenom processor from AMD will give high-performance and multi-threaded applications room to excel,” said Mark Tekunoff, senior technology manager, Kingston. “DDR2 1066MHz ValueRAM desktop memory has been designed and tested to complement AMD’s new chipset and CPU technologies, giving high-end users the ultimate experience.”

Memory is essential in optimizing the performance of the new Spider Platform. Kingston’s DDR2 memory modules help fuel Phenom’s four natively integrated processor cores, breaking system bandwidth barriers and turbo-charging platform performance.

Kingston DDR2 ValueRAM 1066MHz Specifications
Part Number                    Capacity and Features                                    MSRP (US only)
KVR1066D2N7/512           512MB 1066MHz (CL7-7-7-20 @ 1.8V)              $ 89.00
KVR1066D2N7/1G            1GB 1066MHz (CL7-7-7-20 @ 1.8V)                  $ 178.00
KVR1066D2N7K2/1G        1GB 1066MHz (CL7-7-7-20 @ 1.8V) kit of 2       $ 170.00
KVR1066D2N7K2/2G        2GB 1066MHz (CL7-7-7-20 @ 1.8V) kit of 2       $ 340.00

SAN JOSE, Calif –BUSINESS WIRE– Nov 19, ‘07 — Samsung announced today that its highest-speed DDR2 main memory and its fastest graphics memory have been designed to work smoothly with the new AMD Phenom processors and new ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of graphics processing units (GPU) for desktop PCs.

AMD Phenom processors provide a high-speed L3 2MB cache to enhance the information flow between processor cores, main memory, and graphics and video accelerators.

The Samsung 512 megabit (Mb) DRAM (dynamic random access memory), capable of 1066 million data transfers per second, is Samsung’s fastest DDR2 chip and is available in densities up to 1 gigabyte (GB) per module.

“AMD is delighted that Samsung is producing a high performance memory solution well suited for our new AMD Phenom processors,” said Bob Brewer, corporate vice president of marketing and strategy, AMD. “Samsung’s leading-edge GDDR4 and GDDR3 graphics memory can provide a significant performance boost for systems that use our ATI Radeon HD GPUs.”

Samsung’s fastest memory chip – its GDDR4 1.2Ghz has been designed to be fully compatible with AMD’s new ATI Radeon HD 3870 GPU. ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of GPUs transfer data at 72 gigabits (Gbps) per second, while consuming less power than current ATI graphics processors. In addition, Samsung’s 900Mhz GDDR3 is engineered to work seamlessly with the ATI Radeon HD 3850 GPU. Samsung’s 1.2 Ghz GDDR4 is offered in a 16Mx32 configuration, while the 900 Mhz GDDR3 is available in a 8Mx32 configuration.

The AMD Phenom processor incorporates four natively integrated processor cores and provides a system bandwidth of up to 14.4 Gbps of high bandwidth I/O. The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series is designed for Windows Vista, with the ability to navigate the Windows Aero 3D user interface.

Samsung‘s 1.2 Ghz GDDR4 and 900 Mhz GDDR3 are now in mass production. Samsung’s DDR2-1066 DRAM is planned to be mass produced beginning at the end of the year.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — November 19, 2007 –Rewriting the rules for enthusiast computing, AMD today unveiled its new platform codenamed “Spider”, with the first true quad-core processor supporting scalable graphics for The Ultimate Visual Experience. The AMD Spider platform combines the introduction of AMD Phenom quad-core processors, ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series graphics processors with Microsoft DirectX 10.1 support, AMD 7-Series chipsets with CrossFireX and AMD OverDrive software. The AMD Spider platform is a major milestone on the path to Accelerated Computing, AMD’s vision for platform-level acceleration through co-processing.

AMD’s Spider platform advances enthusiast computing by delivering the most sophisticated multi-GPU enthusiast platform ever with ATI CrossFireX technology. The combination of the energy-efficient 55nm ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of graphics processors and the increased system bandwidth of PCI Express® Generation 2.0 and HyperTransport 3.0 technology, provide optimal processing power for a scalable HD multi-GPU experience. AMD design and manufacturing innovation has enabled the AMD Spider platform to easily scale to three or four graphics processors and deliver a true gaming supercomputer.

HD Technology
With HyperTransport 3.0 technology, AMD Phenom processors have more system bandwidth than ever before with up to 14.4 GB/second of high bandwidth I/O. When combined with the additional bandwidth of AMD PCI Express 2.0 chipsets and graphics processors, the AMD Spider platform enjoys maximum bandwidth to support smooth 1080P video playback, enhanced multi-GPU and high-speed disk and network interfaces. With the only true quad-core processor and infrastructure flexibility with AM2+ socket, AMD processors are designed to be compatible with future 65nm and 45nm AMD Phenom processors to deliver key performance gains.

The addition of UVD ensures exceptional platform efficiency and image quality in HD-DVD and Blu-ray decoding for both H.264 and VC-1 specifications. Big screen gaming and entertainment is also made easy with enhanced HDMI connectivity with integrated HDCP and audio for HDMI video.

Scalable Platform Performance
The multi-core design of AMD Phenom quad-core processors, based on Direct Connect Architecture, features an integrated memory controller designed to support memory speeds up to DDR2 1066, 128-bit floating point units and AMD’s Balanced Smart Cache for rapid access to memory, with a shared L3 cache for leading-edge performance on multi-threaded software.

Availability and pricing
AMD Phenom processors 9600 (2.3GHz) and 9500 (2.2GHz) are now available for $283 and $251 respectively in 1,000-unit pricing. The ATI Radeon HD 3850 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory begins at US $179 MSRP and the ATI Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB GDDR4 memory from US $219 MSRP, available from AMD’s selected graphics products partners.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — November 15, 2007 –AMD today announced the introduction and immediate availability of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series of graphics processing units (GPU).

As the world’s first series of graphics processors to deliver Microsoft’s DirectX 10.1 support, 55nm process technology and tri and quad multi-GPU support with ATI CrossFireX, the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series ushers in a new era of enthusiast gaming performance at mainstream price points.

The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series will be introduced in two variants at launch, from US $179 MSRP, the ATI Radeon HD 3850 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and from US $219 MSRP, the ATI Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB GDDR4 memory. The launch of the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series redefines the enthusiast segment and puts high performance gaming in reach of more users than ever before. This innovative new series of graphics products also represent the first step in the launch of AMD’s upcoming enthusiast platform codenamed “Spider.”

The ATI Radeon HD 3800 series also introduces the world to ATI CrossFireX, AMD’s innovative next-generation multi-GPU technology designed to deliver unprecedented performance scaling with support for two, three and four graphics processors in CrossFire configurations. At launch, the ATI Radeon HD 3800 series will support dual-GPU CrossFire with tri and quad-GPU support scheduled for January 2008.

Graphics bandwidth is also greatly enhanced with the introduction of PCI Express 2.0. Delivering over 16 gigabytes per second of bi-directional bandwidth, PCIe 2.0 doubles the bus data rate over the previous generation. The combination of PCIe 2.0 and HyperTransport3 on next-generation AMD platforms provides a dramatic increase in the amount of system bandwidth for high definition, multi-GPU PC gaming.

With the launch of the ATI Radeon HD 3850 and ATI Radeon HD 3870, AMD has answered the call of HD video enthusiasts with top-to-bottom support for the Unified Video Decoder (UVD). The addition of UVD ensures exceptional platform efficiency and image quality in HD-DVD and Blu-rayTM decoding for both H.264 and VC-1 specifications. Enhanced HDMI functionality also continues on this series of products with integrated HDCP and audio for HDMI video. More at AMD.

AMD Firestream 9170 and Supporting Software Development Kit Unlock Stream-Based Accelerated Computing.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. –BUSINESS WIRE–Nov 07, ‘07– AMD today announced the AMD FireStream 9170 Stream Processor and an accompanying Software Development Kit (SDK) designed to harness the massive parallel processing power of the graphics processing unit (GPU). AMD leveraged its unique collective expertise in both GPUs and CPUs to deliver the first integrated hardware and software development solution that meets the needs of the demanding high-performance computing (HPC) market. AMD plans to deliver the FireStream 9170 and supporting SDK to market in the first quarter of 2008. With this launch AMD expects to achieve another important milestone on the path to Accelerated Computing by delivering the first in a series of next-generation heterogeneous compute architectures.

“With a broad range of customer engagements underway, notably customers in the oil and gas, financial and engineering analysis industries, AMD is delivering on its vision of Accelerated Computing with breakthrough benefits for our enterprise customers,” said Rick Bergman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Graphics Products, AMD. “Leveraging the immense graphics processing capabilities acquired from ATI and the HPC domain expertise of AMD, we are developing strong relationships with system vendors and the supporting technology eco-system to deliver processing innovation through an open platforms approach.”

AMD FireStream 9170

The AMD FireStream 9170 will be the world’s first Stream GPU with double-precision floating point technology tailored for scientific and engineering calculations. Competitively priced at an MSRP of $1999 USD, it features up to 500 GFLOPS of compute power, rivalling many of today’s supercomputers, and providing dramatic acceleration for critical algorithms. This second generation Stream Processor is built with 55 nm process technology and consumes less than 150 watts of power – delivering an exceptional performance per watt. In addition, the reduced heat dissipation allows it to function in dense design configurations. The FireStream 9170 is a single card solution with two GB of onboard GDDR3 memory to compute large datasets without CPU traffic. The asynchronous direct memory access (DMA) ensures data can flow freely without interrupting the stream processor or CPU.

“GPUs have long been known for their immense parallel processing performance but many challenges still remain in driving widespread customer adoption for general purpose compute,” said Jon Peddie, President, Jon Peddie Research. “Leveraging its unique capabilities in high-performance CPU and GPU technologies, AMD is well positioned to drive an integrated hardware and software proposition that can deliver the best of both processing worlds to its HPC customers.” More at BusinessWire.

In line with earlier reports nVidia has released new mainstream GeForce 8800 GT today.

Santa Clara, CA—OCTOBER 29, 2007—The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT, the latest in the standard-setting GeForce 8 Series of graphics processing units (GPUs), is hitting store shelves today. Specifically developed to answer enthusiast gamers’ demand for high-performing graphics at the $199 to $259 price point, GeForce 8800 GT offers a hyper-reactive, intensely robust gaming experience for the latest next-generation DirectX 10 games, such as Crysis, Hellgate: London, and Gears of War, as well as full support for current DirectX 9 games. 

“When we introduced the GeForce 8 Series family, our most savvy customers and press demanded a product with 64 stream processors and a 256-bit memory interface to deliver more performance at the popular $199 to $259 price point. Today we decided to raise the bar and deliver GeForce 8800 GT with 112 stream processors, a fast 256-bit memory interface, and our second-generation PureVideo HD technology, giving our customers an incredible value proposition.” said Ujesh Desai, general manager of GeForce desktop GPUs at NVIDIA. “At this price point, gamers are getting more performance and features than ever before.” 

In addition to 112 stream processors—each individually clocked at 1. 5GHz—and a 256-bit memory interface running at a blazing-fast 900MHz, the GeForce 8800 GT is designed for the new PCI Express 2.0 bus standard and is backwards compatible with the original PCI Express standard. 

The GeForce 8800 GT also marries the best-in-gaming with the best-in-HD. It leverages NVIDIA’s revolutionary second-generation video processing engine to deliver high-quality playback of HD DVD and Blu-ray movies on everyday PCs. The new programmable video processing engine takes on all of the high definition H.264 video decoding, freeing the CPU to perform other tasks and significantly reducing power consumption, heat, and noise. More at nVidia

Although Vista Media Center supports up to 4 CableCARDs for a while this is the first stand alone ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner made available by VAIO, Sony. It works as an Optional/secondary external TV tuner supporting NTSC, ATSC, Clear QAM and CableCARD™ (to be obtained from local Cable TV provider).

With the addition of a CableCARD and depending on cable TV subscription, this tuner enables viewing and recording of premium channels, including HD (ESPNHD, HBOHD, etc.) Adds ability to simultaneously watch and record TV signals on models that ship with ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable tuner.

It requires Windows Vista® Home Premium or Ultimate, at least 2GB of RAM and an Intel Core 2 Duo or Core Duo processor.

More at SonyStyle

Sunnyvale, Calif. — October 15, 2007 –AMD is expanding its TV Wonder product lineup that enables HDTV on the PC. Available through VisionTek at Best Buy stores across North America, ATI TV Wonder 650 Combo USB, TV Wonder 600 PCI and TV Wonder 600 PCI Express transform PCs into exceptional high definition digital video recorders. The TV Wonder family of products is AMD LIVE! Ready and Certified for Windows Vista — delivering The Ultimate Visual Experience and strengthening the value of multimedia PCs.

ATI TV Wonder 650 Combo USB, with a manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) of $149, includes two TV tuners allowing users to watch and record off-the-air Digital TV/HDTV, unencrypted Digital TV (ClearQAM) cable programming, analog TV, and listen to FM broadcasts. TV Wonder 600 PCI and TV Wonder 600 PCI Express TV tuners break new ground by offering ClearQAM at a value of $99 MSRP.

The ATI TV Wonder 650 Combo USB is a combo-tuner DVR (digital video recorder) allowing users to switch between analog and digital TV to watch and record a digital TV program while watching/recording an analog TV channel. The ATI TV Wonder 650 Combo USB features ClearQAM tuning to receive unencrypted digital content from local cable television providers. The new offering also features high image quality, advanced 2D and 3D comb filtering, and FM tuner powered by ATI Theater 650 Pro.

The ATI TV Wonder 600 PCI and PCI Express add-in TV tuners feature: ClearQAM; powerful PVR based on ATI Theater 600 Pro video decoder; world-leading ATI Theater ATSC reception technology; and, analog TV reception.

More at ATI TV Wonder 650 Combo USB, 600 PCI Express, 600 PCI and AMD Press Release