Tech Gadget Review

AMD has released a patch for the Intel x58 platform, branded Catalyst 8.11 Intel x58 I7 driver. The amendment is compatible with all ATI Radeon graphics cards that are the X1600 series or later. It also covers the card with the latest HD 4800 line-up. The amendment is intended to resolve some problems in games Far Cry 2, Stalker: Clear Sky and Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway, using both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista. The following improvements were listed:

* Increased efficiency in many applications, Direct3D and OpenGL on the x58 platform.
* Improved performance in DirectX 9 version of Far Cry 2 on the systems based on AMD’s CrossFire.
* Improved execution in the DirectX 10 version of Far Cry 2
* High resolution enhancement both DirectX 10 and DirectX version 10.1 Stalker: Clear Sky.
* No more image distortion in the “Black Friday” level of Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway.

[Hardware.Info]

AMD Radeon HD 4830 made it into the news several times recently. Previously, images of the cards by Sapphire, MSI and PowerColor have been released. The RV770 LE, as the chip is called the Radeon HD 4830 is based on the function 640 Shader units. AMD has sent several pre-production samples with modded BIOS for the producers. This card will allow the BIOS to use only 560 from 640 shader processors. The fact that some rumored Radeon HD 4830 graphics card with Shader 560 processors have found their way to the retail market. It would be for less than 400 graphics cards in the wrong version of the BIOS, all the cards are from the manufacturer. According to AMD, these graphics cards are certainly not meant to be distributed, the Radeon HD 4830 is to have 640 shader units. They report that the problem can be easily resolved by an update to correct version of BIOS, so all the cards to use them again shading 640. AMD advises all members in 4830 to check on their graphics card with the GPU-Z. In the case of cards you receive is less than 640 shader processors, consumers can download the correct BIOS and further instructions from him.[Hardware.Info]

In terms of features, please see little to distinguish ATI HD 4670 brethren from their more powerful. As well as elements of 3D graphics, can be obtained from ATI Universal Video Decoder (UVD) and Avivo video that accelerate and improve the quality of video playback. There is also support for the latest edge detection of anti-aliasing mode, which offers by far the best image quality we’ve seen on any graphics card.[Trustedreviews]

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Point of View has upgraded + GeForce 9800GTX graphics card. The company has added cooling solution by Arctic Cooling. Point of View claims that the cards will be able to be overclocked, as well as produce less noise. Copper heatpipes transfer the heat to full size heatsink. Arctic Cooling has two windmills placed on the heatsink. In accordance with their construction should be a difference of temperatures from 10 to 20% compared to the reference model.[Hardware]

After the official launch of the ATI HD4600 series, brands and MSI HIS showed their versions of the midrange cards. It is remarkable that both brands have been chosen to use their own coolers, instead of the one-slot model of reference. MSI will issue a version of the HD4650 and HD4670 that are very similar to each other. They use the same PCB and cooler only minor differences. However, it is quite clear that the HD4650 is designed for the lower segment, the card does not have a connector Crossfire and has VGA and DVI instead of 2x DVI.[Hardware]

At the end of NVISION 08 visual computing conference, NVIDIA pulled together with several members of the press revealed some very interesting news for the SLI and Intel x58 chipset platform for the coming future chipsets based on Nehalem microarchitecture-based processors, aka Core i7. Until that announcement, NVIDIA plans to support only x58 SLI motherboards that also featured their NF200 chip, as was the case with Skulltrail as NVIDIA had no plans to produce Intel chipsets QuickPath Interconnect (QPI). But as now, will be to support NVIDIA SLI natively on x58, as well as a chipset, provided that the motherboard NVIDIA goes through the certification process.[HotHardware]

Fast-forward a few months and we have a new card that sits at approximately the same price of 280 GTX. It’s Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 packing two cores on a single PCB, the same core speed and memory, as a rate card brothers and hope a whole bunch of additional results. Not only we do not have one HD 4870 X2 here we have a few! — Today, we saw how the card is inconsistent with certain other top of the card, not only from AMD, but also from NVIDIA.[tweaktown]

MSI has proudly announced its latest R4870-T2D1G graphics cards for the hardcore players. It is in memory of 1G DDR5 Teraflop computing capacity, which enables users to use the DirectX ® 10 high-performance 3D games rapidly and efficiently. MSI R4870-T2D1G advanced graphics features 2.0 video decoder UVD basic, built-in HDCP key encryption, which supports the Blu-ray and HD DVD playback discs and 100% complete hardware acceleration MPEG-2/VC-1/H. 264 video format. You can combine 2 - 4 sets of R4870 on CrossFire ready home in order to achieve more spectacular results. Price was not revealed, but its close siblings R4870-T2D512 is currently selling 319 U.S. dollars. [MSI]

Asetek’s cooling solution is now available for AMD world fastest multi-GPU ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2. Studies have shown that Asetek’s cooling solution lowers the temperature of GPU found on the 4870 X2 by as much as 28 degrees. This allows the best cards for overclocking potential uses extreme, but also to run completely silent. Asetek can boast only cooling, which stringent shocks, vibration, stress testing and thermal-50000 hours ensures the viability of any end user requires maintenance. Unfortunately, currently only provides Asetek cooler for OEMs, rather than retail, but he hit the consumer market real soon. [TweakTown]

With the recent launch of new graphics cards ATI, as well as from nVidia can be forgiven for thinking that the fall of the previous generation of cards would be swift and bezlitosne. However, that has so far proved to be the case, ATI, in particular, assuring us that in 3000 a series of papers is to stay here for a moment. In addition, fresh for the return of some hefty reductions in the prices of the old stalwarts like nVidia 9800 GTX HD 3870 and ATI can continue to offer great value, especially when you look at some Overclocked card. It is in that looking at XFX 9800 GTX Black Edition - the most Overclocked 9800 GTX even meet with us.[Trustedreviews]