Xigmatek NRP-HC1001 and NRP-HC1201 Power Supplies

Not too long ago, we tested a 600W power supply from Xigmatek, and Xigmatek wanted us to look at one of their higher end models as well. As there is no need for a 1500W power supply we passed on their most powerful model and went with the 1200 and 1000W versions instead. For most users, these two high power units will be overkill, but a small group of overclockers, multiple high-end graphics card users, or people with a Skulltrail system may have need for something like one of the units tested today.

Xigmatek are more famous for their coolers, where they offer very low prices and high performance. However, they are working to expand their PSU presence. As the capacitors and coils show on the picture below, these units come from CWT - just like the previously tested 600W unit. We have also tested a Thermaltake 1000W unit that delivered good performance and was also built by CWT.

Xigmatek wants its power supplies to have a unique appearance to help them stand out from other companies. All of the shrink hoses and heatsinks inside are covered in orange, which looks pretty cool and contrasts with the green of the PCB. The housing is quite long for a normal ATX power supply, but the 1000W+ understandably needs more space than usual. The total length is 8”/20cm, which will cause problems with smaller PC cases. The weight also needs to be considered, as there have been some issues reported where the whole rear of the case has bent and distorted because of the weight of heavy power supplies. User’s with a thin plate, aluminum chassis should take this may experience difficulties

The label has a strange layout, similar to what we saw with Thermaltake. There are two sides each with two 12V rails and one smaller voltage rail. We will see later on why this is the case and what makes these two units so special amongst 1kW+ units. The numbers on the labels look similar and only the max output differs between these two units. Both have four 12V rails with 36A and 30A and a 3.3V and 5V rail each with 30A. Xigmatek states that the 1000W unit’s 12V output should not exceed 82A. The 1200W version has a maximum output of 99A on the 12V rails. That’s a hell lot of power that can be drawn from these rails.

Dell Latitude XFR D630

Dell announced its new Latitude XFR D630, the company’s first fully ruggedized laptop.

The Dell Latitude XFR D630 meets MIL-STD 810F standards from the Department of Defense for products that operate in extreme temperatures, moisture, altitude and more, and can withstand shocks and drops. The thermal management system allows the Latitude XFR D630 to deliver “up to four times better graphics performance than the Panasonic CF-30″.

This rugged Latitude is based on the Latitude D630 14.1-inch system and shares common images and components with the current line of Latitude laptops. The XFR is configurable with the Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 2GHz and T7500 2.2GHz CPUs, up to 4GB of RAM, a 32GB or 64GB solid state drive, a Combo drive or DVD burner, and various broadband options. The 14.1″ display managed by the Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics.

The XFR D630 priced at $3,899.

First 320GB 7200rpm laptop disk

Fujitsu announced its new a world’s first 320GB 7200rpm laptop HDD. The 3Gbps SATA-equipped MHZ2 BJ series measures in at a standard 9.5-mm and spins at 7,200rpm with a 16MB cache and 25dB idle noise level. Average seek times are listed at 10.5-ms for data reads and 12.5-ms for writes while drawing 2.3 watts of power. Sales of the new Fujitsu MHZ2 BJ-series begins in June.

IBM boosts performance, cuts power intake on chips

New high-k/metal gate technology boosts performance by up to 30 percent, reduces power consumption by up to 50 percent on chips manufactured using 32-nm process

IBM demonstrated technology on Monday that improves performance and reduces power consumption on chips used in devices from mobile phones to high-performance servers.

The technology, called high-k/metal gate, boosts performance by up to 30 percent and reduces power consumption by up to 50 percent on chips manufactured using the 32-nanometer process, IBM said. This compares to chips manufactured using the 45-nanometer process operating at the similar voltage, according to IBM's benchmarks.

For example, when a 45-nm process chip operating at 1.1 volts is scaled to the 32-nm process with high-k metal gate technology, it will have a 24 percent increase in speed and a 40 percent reduction in power consumption, said Mukesh Khare, senior manager at IBM's microelectronics division. If the voltage is dropped to 0.95 volt, the chip has an 18 percent increase in speed and a 45 percent reduction in power consumption.

A nanometer equals about one billionth of a meter. In chip manufacturing, the figure refers to the smallest features etched on chip surfaces. The measurement was done on circuits and components generally used to benchmark the speed and performance of a chip, Khare said.

The company is shipping an evaluation kit that includes chip models and shows customers how to design chips using the high-k/metal gate technology, Khare said. High-k/metal gate technology uses material to reduce electricity leaks on chips. IBM said it may incorporate the technology when it starts volume production of chips using the 32-nm process. IBM has said it plans to start volume production of chips using the 32-nm process in late 2009.

For computing devices to deliver power savings and performance gains, chip manufacturers are consistently upgrading manufacturing technologies. Intel last year started incorporating high-k/metal gate technology when it began manufacturing chips using the 45-nm process. Intel's chip rival, Advanced Micro Devices, does not use high-k metal gate technology in chips.

Monday's announcement was one more step in IBM's efforts to advance semiconductor technology. The company last month announced an alliance with Hitachi to jointly research the miniaturization of chip circuitry from 32-nanometer and 22-nm semiconductor. It is also developing silicon nanophotonics technology, which could replace some of the wires on a chip with pulses of light on tiny optical fibers for quicker and more power-efficient data transfers between cores on a chip. It is also working with U.S. universities to develop carbon nanotubes, smaller transistors that could deliver better performance than current transistors.

IBM made Monday's announcement with its partners: Chartered Semiconductor, Freescale Semiconductor, Infineon Technologies, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, and Toshiba. IBM has a manufacturing partnership with AMD, and although AMD wasn't part of the official announcement, it will have access to the new technology, Khare said.