Dell recently unveiled two servers designed to reduce power consumption and deliver improvements in performance and performance per watt for enterprise customers.Dell's PowerEdge 2970 and PowerEdge Energy Smart 2970 will be the first servers from a major systems provider to market with the new Dual Dynamic Power Management feature ready to enable optimized quad-core performance and power management, according to Dell. Both servers are designed to handle multiple generations of AMD Opteron processors, providing a seamless upgrade path to quad-core and allowing customers to increase computing capacity, consolidate and deploy virtualized environments without altering their data center infrastructure.The PowerEdge 2970 server is engineered to draw up to 34% less power and deliver up to 105% greater performance per watt over the previous generation of Dell servers featuring dual-core processors, claimed the company.The Dell PowerEdge 2970 is available worldwide with pricing starting at US$1,849. The Dell PowerEdge Energy Smart 2970 will be available in the coming weeks. PowerEdge 2970 server specifications Item Detail Processors Up to 2 Dual-Core AMD Opteron 2200 series processors at up to 3.0GHz Chipset Broadcom HT-2100 and HT-1000 Server I/O Controllers Memory Up to 32GB (8 DIMM slots): 512MB/1GB/2GB/4GB ECC DDR2 667MHz SDRAM Sources: Company, compiled by DigiTimes, April 2007Dell's PowerEdge 2970 Server Sources: Company, compiled by DigiTimes, April 2007

Samsung Electronics today announced it will begin producing a 24-inch LCD panel with an LED backlight that enables monitors to deliver color quality resembling that of the highest-quality TVs later this quarter.The LED-backlit monitor panel has an color saturation level of 111% (of NTSC standard), compared to a saturation level of only 72% of NTSC for conventional monitors and will satisfy consumers used to the crisp colors prevalent in high-definition (HD) broadcasting, according to Samsung.The 24-inch screen size is optimal for systems equipped with the Windows Vista operating system (OS). While conventional thinking has been that Windows Vista works best with a 22-inch screen (the size of two A4 pieces of paper), the 22-inch segment is not wide enough to support full-HD. In addition, industry experts now say that a 24-inch display provides a better Windows Vista fit to also include the Vista right side bar and margins.The new monitor display also features Samsung's S-PVA (Super Patterned-ITO Vertical Alignment) technology that provides the widest viewing angle possible –180 degrees – at the highest contrast ratio for LCD monitors today (over 1,000:1). It also supports WUXGA resolution (1,920×1,200), which is the computer equivalent to full HD resolution.Samsung 24-inch LED-based LCD panelPhoto: Company

Lanner Electronics has announced the FW-7876, an Intel 945GM based network security appliance supporting Core 2 Duo processors. The FW-7876 allows security providers to deliver increased network system performance while simultaneously reducing heat and noise, claims the company.Based on Intel's long-life span embedded 945GM and ICH7R chipsets, the Lanner FW-7876 supports a range of embedded processors including the Core 2 Duo, Core Duo, Core Solo, Celeron M, LV and ULV series. When coupled with the Core 2 Duo, the FW-7876 allows security vendors to make use of Intel Virtualization technology and 64-bit execution code, Lanner pointed out.The FW-7876 features six Gigabit network ports with two pairs supporting fail-over by-pass, making it suitable for a range of network security and management applications including unified threat management, firewall, VPN, IDS, IPS, content filtering, bandwidth management, and anti-virus gateway, said the company.The FW-7876 is available for sample evaluation with further product information is available on the Lanner website. Features of the Lanner FW-7876 Item Description High network throughput Six enterprise grade Intel 82573L Gigabit NICs with two pairs supporting port by-pass Faster memory access Dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz for faster database reads and better overall system performance RoHS compliant Pre-test RoHS compliant hardware solutions for Europe and China Expansion options PCI-X and PCI-E VPN and content inspection network accelerators Source: Company, compiled by DigiTimes.com, April 2007Lanner FW-7876 network security appliancePhoto: Company

Avermedia Technologies announced on April 10 the release of its AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB High Definition and Analog USB TV Tuner for both notebooks and desktops with a hybrid worldwide analog and ATSC tuner.The Avermedia AVerTV Hybrid USB is a high speed USB 2.0 TV tuner combining analog and ATSC capabilities into one tuner. Users can watch and record analog and high-definition (HD) TV through the bus-powered USB design. The hardware compression allows for sharp, clear video while reducing CPU resources.The AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB enables users to watch over-the-air, or coaxial analog or over-the-air HD TV on either a notebook or desktop PC and is able to support up to 1080i HD signals with variable aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. The tuner is certified for Windows XP, XP Media Center Edition (MCE) 2005 and Windows Vista Premium 32/64-bit.An MCE certified remote control with IR blaster and receiver are also included with the tuner.The Avermedia AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB (Media Center Upgrade Kit), including Windows Media Center Remote Control and Receiver is available now at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$129.99.The Avermedia AVerTV Hybrid Ultra USB High Definition and Analog USB TV TunerPhoto: Company

OCZ Technology has introduced a new line of Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) flash memory cards. The new cards comply with the SDA 2.00 specification which defines that the cards should use FAT32 instead of FAT12/16, allowing them to support capacities above the 2GB limit of original SD cards. The OCZ range will initially be available in 4GB and 8GB configurations.As well as the new file system, SDA 2.00 also defines three Speed Class ratings, 2, 4 and 6 which indicates the minimum write speed of the card. OCZ SDHC cards are Speed Class 4 rated ensuring a minimum write speed of 4MB/s.The new SDHC cards are only compatible with SDHC compliant products and are not backwards compatible with traditional SD format products without a firmware update for the device. However, OCZ noted that more next generation devices are expected to host SDHC.The OCZ SDHC Cards come backed with a three year warranty.OCZ SDHC 8GB memory cardPhoto: Company

SiS and PCChips jointly announced that the PCChips P33G motherboard is based on SiS' SiS671FX chipset and has been certified Windows Vista compatible and currently is being mass-produced.The P33G motherboard uses a SiS671FX northbridge and SiS968 southbridge and supports Intel Core 2 Duo, Celeron D processor with FSB (front side bus) of 1066, 800 and 533MHz plus support for single channel DDR2-667/533 memory up to 4GB. The motherboard also has a built-in Mirage 3 graphics core to support Windows Vista with 2D and 3D performance.The SiS968 fully supports PCI Express x1 interface and has two independent integrated SATA ports. The motherboard has eight built-in USB 2.0 ports and functions like HDA (high definition audio). P33G motherboard specifications Item Detail CPU LGA775 socket for latest Intel Core 2 Duo/ Celeron D processors FSB 1066/800/533 MHz Chipset SIS 671FX/968 VGA Embedded Mirage3 Graphics with 256M share memory Memory 2 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support two DDR2 SDRAMs (DDR2 667/533) Maximum: 4GB Expansion Slots 1 x PCI Express x 16 slots 1 x PCI Express x 1 slot 2 x PCI slots 1 x CNR slot LAN AC131 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet PHY Audio Realtek ALC660 6-channel High Definition audio Codec Source: Company, compiled by DigiTimes.com, April 2007PCChips' P33G motherboardSource: Company, April 2007

Toshiba recently announced its Satellite A135-S4527, a sub-US$800, 15.4-inch diagonal widescreen notebook computer.Keeping multimedia enthusiasts and families in mind, the Satellite A135-S4527 sports a 120GB removable serial ATA hard disk drive. The Satellite A135-S4527 is built around a 15.4-inch diagonal widescreen display, and is equipped with a standard DVD Super Multi optical drive for watching DVDs and burning data and personal multimedia projects to one of 11 major DVD/CD formats, including double layer media, noted Toshiba.Preloaded with Windows Vista Home Premium, the Satellite A135-S4527 incorporates the Intel Pentium dual-core processor and has 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM memory.With a starting estimated single unit price of less than US$800, the Satellite A135 notebook line is available in multiple configurations at a variety of major consumer electronics and computer stores in the US as well as Toshiba's online store.The Satellite A135 notebook series comes with a standard one-year limited warranty, which includes carry-in support at Authorized Service Providers, or the customer may utilize any of the more than 3,000 UPS stores for packaging and delivery of the product to a centralized depot for prompt service. Customers can also choose to upgrade their notebook's service plans for up to four years of extended service.The Toshiba Satellite A135-S4527 notebook computerPhoto: Company

Intel has introduced the Core 2 Extreme processor QX6800, the company's twelfth quad-core processor offering.Running at 2.93GHz – the fastest native clock speed yet reached with the Intel Core microarchitecture for the quad-core desktop – the QX6800 is for gamers, digital design professionals and enthusiasts, said Intel.Some of the year's high-profile game titles such as Crytek's Crysis, Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander and Flagship's Hellgate London have undergone substantial joint engineering efforts with Intel to use more than two processing threads to their advantage, highlighted Intel.The Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX6800 is also appealing to media users and developers; Adobe, Cakewalk, DivX, Sony Creative Software and other developers have delivered applications that use all four cores, enabling media professionals to capture creativity quickly and reliably, noted Intel. According to the company's figures, the Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor QX6800 is up to 65% faster than the Intel Core 2 Extreme dual-core processor X6800 on video encoding.The QX6800 is produced on Intel's 65nm process, key to enabling the 8-megabyte cache. A 1066MHz system bus is supported and the processor is available now at a cost of US$1,199.Intel Core 2 Extreme processor QX6800Photo: Company

Coolermaster's X Craft 360 provides a storage solution for 3.5-inch hard disk drives (HDDs) with hot swap capability for frequent data transfers.Featuring a tool-free 10 second installation, the X Craft 360 does not use internal cables and the patented non-scratch SATA (NSS) connector can support hot-swapping a HDD at least 50,000 times, according to the company.The X Craft 360 converts to any 3.5-inch PATA (IDE) HDD into a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed connection (480Mb/s) to a PC by its plug and play and hot-swappable functions. It also supports data transfer rates up to 1.5Gb/s or 3.0Gb/s for SATA hard disks.The HDD enclosure comes with a portable protection caddy with a rewritable nameplate and a vertical stand to keep the enclosure in an upright position.The Coolermaster X Craft 360 hard disk drive enclosurePhoto: Company

Plextor recently announced the immediate availability of the TurboPlex PX-800A DVD Super Multi Drive. Fully compatible with the new Windows Vista operating system, the new DVD±R/RW CD-R/RW drive features 12X DVD-RAM and a software bundle that includes Roxio Easy Media Creator 9, according to the company.The Plextor PX-800A drive features an E-IDE ATAPI interface for easy connectivity with personal computers running the Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista operating systems. The PX-800A drive also supports 12X-speed DVD-RAM functionality for removable data storage applications. A user simply inserts a blank DVD-RAM disc and the system automatically formats the disc and assigns a driver letter. Users can drag-and-drop files, use the "save as" command, and remove the disc, which can then be read in any PC or desktop player with a drive that supports the DVD-RAM format, noted Plextor.The PX-800A internal multi-drive delivers DVD recording speeds of 18X DVD±R on single-layer media, 8X DVD±R on double-layer and dual-layer (DL) media, and 12X DVD-RAM. The drive also supports 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW, 16X max DVD-ROM, 48X CD-R/RW/ROM, 12X DVD-RAM. DVD±VR is supported for direct disc recording, while DVD+RW background format eliminates the need to manually format a DVD+RW disc, noted Plextor.The PX-800A multi-drive features a 2MB buffer and buffer underrun proof technology to prevent buffer underrun errors and allow multi-tasking.Plextor's bundled software package offers ease-of-use and extensive functionality for Windows 2000/XP/Vista computers, according to Plextor. The PX-800A drive ships with Roxio Easy Media Creator9 software suite for burning video, music, photos, and data to DVD or CD.Plextor's PX-800A drive ships to distributors in North and South America in April 2007, with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of US$79.00. All retail packages include one-year full warranty and unlimited toll-free technical support.