• Includes the latest PhysX runtime builds to support all released PhysX content.
• Changes & fixed issues in this release
  • Fixes a bug that prevented PhysX from being accelerated on Optimus PCs.
• Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series, 100-series, 200-series, 300-series and 400-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB dedicated graphics memory and 32 CUDA cores. Note: Some applications may have higher minimum requirements.
• Experience GPU PhysX acceleration in many games and demos, some of which are highlighted in PowerPack downloads.
• Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on GeForce via CUDA 3.0 for SDK versions 2.7.1, 2.7.3, 2.7.4, 2.7.5, 2.7.6, 2.8.0, 2.8.1 and 2.8.3 (requires graphics driver v196.21 or later).
• Supports control of your GPU PhysX configuration from the NVIDIA display driver control panel. (Requires graphics driver v196.21 or later).
• AGEIA PhysX processors users should use and install older PhysX system software such as version 8.09.04. Note
  

N465GTX Twin Frozr II review

We test and review the MSI N465GTX Twin Frozr II, MSI's customized GeForce GTX 465. The end result is a much better looking card that you honestly can hardly hear, it comes with really first-class GPU temperatures.

Thus the end result is a spectacular looking GeForce GTX 465 that remains very silent. And combined with with some overclocking with the help of AfterBurner software, this graphics card can overclock very high. 800MHz should be a really easy target to achieve, and considering these cards run at a default 600 MHz core you can already imagine yourself the additional performance you can tweak out of it.

You can read the entire review right here.

Hmm, this could come in handy. PhotoFast launched the Gbox Mini, a new converter that enables you to connect SATA devices to your USB 3.0 port. The adapter will be available by the end of July for around $22.

The GBox mini, measuring 75 x 38 x 17 mm and weighing 23 grams, will plug into the SATA interface of any spare HDD or SSD that consumers may own and will allow the other end to be connected to a PC's USB port. Adapters of this type have been launched before, but not many, if any, were designed to allow SATA storage units to actually operate at the level of the SuperSpeed standard.

The GBox mini is compatible with both 3.5-inch as well as 2.5-inch hard disk drives or solid state drives and can reach transfer rates of up to 128MB/s when reading and 95MB/s when writing.

Granted, depending on how fast the actual drive itself is, higher speeds may very well be possible. The item is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 ports, as well as Mass Storage Class Bulk-Only Transport, Revision 1.0.

MSI released two new motherboards with the Lucid Hydra chip. We discussed Hydra many many times now and after reviewing it, well .. we just feel that the chip doesn't bring in any extra's, it's complicated, the scaling is not top notch, there's massive driver dependancy, no configurable profiles weird configure modes.

Yeah .. ok .. we don't seem to like Hydra as it makes your motherboard more expensive as well.

Anyway, MSI introduces its mainstream Fuzion Series mainboards; the P55A Fuzion for the Intel platform and 870A Fuzion for the AMD platform. The boards feature the same integration of military class materials.  ?@

Allowing users to experience the performance upgrade and convenience of multiple graphics cards, MSI Fuzion series mainboards come with Lucidlogix's Lucid LT22102 processor and exclusive graphics card Fuzion Technology that enables parallel processing of multiple cross-brand, asymmetrical GPUs. In A-Mode and N-Mode, when coupled with dual PCI-E ?~16 Gen2 expansion slots, they provide parallel operating capabilities for any two ATI or two NVIDIA graphics cards, while still supporting ATI's or NVIDIA's own unique technologies, letting you effortlessly enjoy the sensation of accelerated gaming!

In addition, with the exclusive X-Mode, you can buy any brand or class of new graphics card to do multi-GPU processing with the existing graphics card in your PC to get higher performance with lower cost. It will be more economic and green than just buy a new high-end graphic card and throw away the old one. At the same time, it can take the primary graphics card as the benchmark (the graphics card installed in the first PCI-E x 16 expansion slot) and support exclusive NVIDIA or ATI technologies while possessing multiple display output capabilities.

You can read up on our experiences with Hydra chips in this review.

Download GeForce ForceWare  258.69 Win 7 | Vista Beta drivers.

Adds support for NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround technology. Learn more about this technology including the hardware and software requirements here.

Includes numerous bug fixes. Refer to the release notes on the documentation tab for information about the key bug fixes in this release.

Supports:

GeForce 400 series:
GTX 480, GTX 465, GTX 470

GeForce 300 series:
315, GT 320, 310, GT 340, GT 330

GeForce 200 series:
GT 230, 210, GTX 260, 205, GTX 295, GT 220, GT 240, GTS 240, GTX 280, GTS 250, GTX 275, GTX 285, G210

GeForce 100 series:
GT 140, GT 130, G 100, GT 120

GeForce 9 series:
9300 GE, 9600 GSO, 9500 GS, 9300 GS, 9600 GS, 9800 GT, 9800 GX2, 9200, 9600 GT, 9800 GTX/GTX+, 9300, 9400, 9400 GT, 9500 GT, 9100

GeForce 8 series:
8800 GS, 8300, 8300 GS, 8100 / nForce 720a, 8200 / nForce 730a, 8200, 8600 GTS, 8800 GTS 512, 8400 GS, 8600 GS, 8600 GT, 8800 GTS, 8800 GTX, 8400, 8800 Ultra, 8400 SE, 8500 GT, 8800 GT

GeForce 7 series:
7100 / NVIDIA nForce 620i, 7650 GS, 7800 GS, 7950 GT, 7800 GTX, 7600 LE, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7350 LE, 7500 LE, 7900 GS, 7100 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7050 PV / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7025 / NVIDIA nForce 630a, 7900 GTX, 7050 / NVIDIA nForce 610i, 7300 GT, 7600 GT, 7600 GS, 7900 GT/GTO, 7150 / NVIDIA nForce 630i, 7950 GX2, 7100 GS, 7300 SE / 7200 GS, 7300 GS, 7800 SLI, 7300 LE, 7550 LE

GeForce 6 series:
6600 GT, 6500, 6100, 6800 Ultra, 6610 XL, 6100 nForce 420, 6200 A-LE, 6700 XL, 6200SE TurboCache, 6200 LE, 6800 GT, 6800 XE, 6200, 6150, 6800 LE, 6800, 6150SE nForce 430, 6100 nForce 405, 6150LE / Quadro NVS 210S, 6100 nForce 400, 6250, 6200 TurboCache, 6600 VE, 6800 GS/XT, 6600, 6800 GS, 6600 LE, 6800 XT, 6150 LE

ION series:
ION, ION LE

We have a forum discussion thread open on these drivers here.

Download

 ForceWare 258.69 Win 7 | Vista 64-bit Beta
 ForceWare 258.69 Win 7 | Vista 32-bit Beta

HWiNFO32 is a professional hardware information and diagnostic tools supporting latest components, industry technologies and standards. Both tools are targeted to recognize and extract the most possible amount of information about computer's hardware which makes them suitable for users searching for driver updates, computer manufactures, system integrators and technical experts too.

  Retrieved information's are presented in a logical and easily understandable form and can be exported into various types of reports.

• Comprehensive hardware information
• System health monitoring
• Basic benchmarks
• Text, CSV and XML report formats
• Periodical updates
• For Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/Server 2003; Windows 9X/Me (limited)

The new version of the HWiNFO32 hardware information and diagnostic tool and it features:

Changes:

• Improved graphical displaying of CPU frequency per core (new bar, color).
• Added reporting of GPU Fan duty cycle for ATI R7xx and Evergreen family.
• Added possibility to display sensor readings on 3 columns/line on LG G15 LCD.
• Added support of LG G19 Color QVGA LCD.
• Enhanced support of GPU monitoring for ATI M8x families.
• Enhanced sensor support of ASUS M4A87TD, M4A88 and M4N98 series.
• Improved S.M.A.R.T monitoring, added reporting of Airflow Temperature.
• Improved reporting of CPU features (dynamic + colors).
• Improved System Summary and per-core clock measuring.
• Reduced DPC latency during frequent scanning/monitoring.
• Added DELL SMI monitoring support on x64 systems.
• Filtered out invalid PCH temperature readings.
• Improved sensor monitoring for ASRock series: G41MH, H55M-GE, HM55-MXM, 770DE3L, 785G Pro, 790GX Pro, 880GM-LE, 880GMH-LE, ION2-HT, P55 Extreme3.

Download

Today MSI, the global leading brand in All-in-One PC, announces the launch of two new HTPCs: the Wind Box DE520 and DC520. They are small and elegant enough to worth a place in your living room and their stylish and environmentally-friendly design attracts everyone

In the past few months, several monitor manufacturers revealed their environmental sensitive side of display. With limited power consumption and energy saving options, monitors are leading the eco-friendly technology inside everyone

Last week we already mentioned that AMD is working on a low cost and low power Fusion processor. This week Fudzilla mentions that a 55 Watt part is in the works as well. AMDs Fuzion processor will be a merge between a GPU and a CPU called an APU.

It goes a step further though as for that 55 Watt the APU actually embeds also a lot of the responsibilities of the chipset.

Talking about the chipset, the platform, thanks to the Hudson I/O controller, will have support for 16 USB ports, USB 3.0 (through the Hudson M3), PCI Express graphics, six SATA ports (with RAID), 1Gb Ethernet etc. Llano chips will be aimed at notebooks, both high-end and low-power, whereas Ontario APUS will be used in ultra low-voltage devices, like tablets, netbooks etc. Both are already available internally and the Llano has started sampling to select customers [via fudzilla]

New information was leaked about the upcoming Microsoft Windows, possibly named Eight 8. As you can see through the leaked pictures, Microsoft seems to follow their competitor

Not long ago, we told you that Apple acknowledged their iPhone 4 bad reception issues. Whether we are not 100% aware of the problem

Like father, like son, Geil has announced the second update for their top-class high-end memory chips -- the so called EVO series. This is about DDR3 EVO Two Gaming Series, that comes in hardcore speeds at both frequencies of 2000MHz @ CL6-9-6-24 and 2500MHZ @ CL9-11-9-27 . These chips provide ample temporary storage to handle all random accessed memory data without problems. They also come in capacities of 2GB (1GBx2) and 4GB (2GBx2) respectively.

As every GEIL memory module, they all are piece by piece tested under extreme circumstances to perform at their maximum efficiency. As such, GEIL names this DBT

EVGA has released the 28^th version of its unofficial SLI Enhancement Patch. This software enables SLI support for the latest games so far, such as beta versions and hot demo releases. Not only dedicated to SLI, but also dual-GPUs should benefit from this patch, as well. So, all of you gamers out there using SLI implementation or dual-GPU support, now you can boost your performance by applying to EVGA

OCZ Technology outs the RevoDrive PCI-Express SSD today, an innovative storage solution that focuses on both performance and affordability for consumers.  The new RevoDrive was developed to push the limits of economical SSD technology to deliver a revolutionary product with a remarkable price point.  

Moving beyond the bottleneck of SATA II (3Gbps), the OCZ RevoDrive features a PCIe interface to deliver superior speeds over 500MB/s reads and random small file writes up to 80,000 IOPS, nearly twice the speed of other consumer SSDs. Thanks to a proprietary RAID 0 design, the RevoDrive maximizes data access and bandwidth to promote a faster, more responsive PC experience compared to not only hard drives, but other SSDs on the market. 

Instructions for correcting the security issue are as follows, and can also be found at corsair.com/padlockupdate. Please note that this procedure must be followed in its entirety to ensure the security of the drive. Also note that while the procedure is NOT destructive, we recommend that you back up your data prior to proceeding.

1. Drive must be in a LOCKED state. If the drive is plugged into a system, remove it.
2. Press and hold the KEY button and the 0/1 button down, simultaneously, for five or more seconds.
3. Release the KEY and 0/1 buttons. Note that at this stage your password MAY have been erased, but data will still exist on the drive.
4. Wait until any LEDs are no longer illuminated or blinking
5. Press and hold the KEY button for three seconds. Both red and green LEDs will illuminate.
6. Enter a new PIN using the PIN keys. A user PIN may be 4 to 10 digits long; for security, Corsair recommends 6 digits or more.
7. Press and release the KEY button. Both red and green LEDs will blink in unison.
8. Re-enter your PIN to confirm.
9. Press and release the Key button. Green LED will flash, indicating your PIN has been accepted.
10. Your drive is now secure.

Assistance is available by contacting Corsair Technical Support. Technical Support can be reached via telephone, by email, or by accessing Corsair

Cooler Master HAF-X review

We test and review the HAF-X from Cooler Master. The HAF X rears its head marketed as the most powerful HAF (High Air Flow) chassis to date. An enthusiast targeted chassis that will keep your expensive components cooled down well, with a very user-friendly but extremely aesthetically pleasing design. To date each HAF and any HAF series chassis has proven to be extremely gratifying, has rugged looks and offers plenty of space for your hardware.

This new model is even compatible with USB 3.0 devices. You'll notice in the review that the chassis comes with dedicated support and cooling for graphic cards, excellent airflow with the help of up to four gargantuan fans.

Direct link:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/cooler-master-haf-x-review/

Pioneer has introduced no less than six AV receivers for home theater fans including the new Elite SC-37, VSX-30, VSX-31, and VSX-32 units. The line has some lower priced units as well as the high-end SC-37 flagship receiver.

The VSX-30 and VSX-31 are prices at $550 and $650 respectively and have iPhone and iPod touch control with Bluetooth streaming audio capability with an optional adapter. The receivers also support HDMI 1.4a for 3D content. The high-end SC-37 receiver sells for $2200.

The receiver has a Home Media Gallery feature that lets the user access photos and music files from a computer on a local network and it supports satellite radio and Rhapsody. The VSX-32 has the same features as the other VSX receivers and adds Marvell Qdeo video processing technology.

Sharkoon has offered up a new external case for your extra 3.5-inch HDDs with the SATA interface that will let you use those drives as external storage. The new enclosure uses USB 3.0 connectivity for blazing fast data transfers and access.

The case is made from solid aluminum. It is also compatible with 2.5-inch HDDs as well. In addition to USB 3.0 connectivity, the drive also supports USB 2.0 and eSATA connections.

The Rapid Case measures 205mm L x 115mm W x 35mm H and weighs 460g. It will work with Windows XP, Vista and 7 operating systems and ships with the needed USB 3.0 cable. The device sells for 29.90 euros.

The case has an aggressive design, a memory card reader and your optical drives are hidden behind a mechanized front cover, an illuminated door on the lower front of the case provides easy access to the hot-swappable HDDs and inside the case you'll find red LED lighting. Additionally, the chassis also features a secure handle to make it easier to transport your gaming PC to LAN parties.

Gamers with empty bank accounts need not apply, as this new gaming rig starts at a serious $1,999.

Here's the press release with all the details:
Acer, the world