Supermicro, BFG 6800, Intel Matrix RAID...

Good morning all.  It looks like my desktop troubles are over.  Man, it has been a long time since I've had problems with any of my machines and I hope this is the last of it for a while.  There's nothing like a reformat once in a while to clean things up, but I was try to hold out for SP-2.  Guess that wasn't in the cards.  Anyhow, now I can get back to being productive on the review and news fronts.  Speaking of news...

The First Xeon EM64T (Nocona) Workstation/Server Solutions
Now Available from Supermicro

San Jose, CA, July 15, 2004 – Supermicro Computer, Inc. has begun high-volume production of its new workstation/server platforms which support the latest Xeon^(R) processors (codenamed Nocona). New Intel Xeon processor-based platforms include support for new technologies including PCI Express, DDR 2 and Intel^(R) Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T). With EM64T, these solutions will provide users with the versatility to run both 32-bit and 64-bit applications so that they can move to 64-bit computing at their own pace while preserving their current 32-bit investments. Based on the Intel^(R) E7525 chipset, these new Intel Xeon workstation/server platforms feature an 800MHz front-side bus, PCI-Express x16 support, and Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) fans with speed control for very quiet operation and increased efficiency.

Optimized for high-end workstations, these solutions also make ideal video servers by leveraging the PCI-Express x16 graphics performance. With bidirectional 8GB/second data streaming throughput, PCI-Express x16 graphics doubles the SUPER? X6DA8 bandwidth of the previous 8x AGP high-end graphics solutions and provides superior 3D rendering and image-processing performance.

"Our high-end SUPER? X6DA8 Series can support two PCI-Express x16 graphics cards (via two x16 slots, one with x16 and one with x4 electrical signal)," says Charles Liang, President and CEO of Supermicro. "Offering both DDR2 and DDR1 configurations with 8 DIMM slots, along with Ultra 320 SCSI, dual Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and IPMI 2.0 support, our X6DA8 Series are definitely the most feature-rich Tumwater solutions available in the market today and for the foreseeable future."

To complement the high-end X6DA8 Series, Supermicro offers a cost-effective X6DAL Series for cost-sensitive customers seeking a compact ATX formfactor with DDR333/266 memory support. This Series includes the SUPER? X6DAL-TG, which supports a total of six SATA drives including four SATAII drives, and the SUPER? X6DAL-G. Both of these boards have the flexibility to perform in most ATX chassis. It is expected that the two products will quickly become high-volume leaders in the workstation/serverboard market.

"Intel is excited by Supermicro's launch of these new products," said Richard Dracott, general manager of Intel's Enterprise Platform and Marketing. "The extensive range of systems using the new Intel^(R) E7525 chipset-based solutions offered by Supermicro, provide customers with leading performance, reliability and choice right away."

To house these new mainboards, Supermicro offers the most advanced line of chassis with the best price/performance ratio, making its products the most optimized solutions available. For workstation solutions, the versatile new SC743S/i-645 4U rack/tower and super quiet SC733i-645 mid-tower chassis feature a new "extreme low-noise" 645-watt power supply and 4-wire PWM fans to produce a much quieter work environment. Some of the SC743 Series also provide Supermicro's new 100% air-cooling redundancy, so that if any one key fan fails, the CPU and the entire system will remain at 100% performance. Ideal for video server or graphics-intensive applications, these configurations comprise the SC743-R760 with a triple-redundant 760-watt power supply for the ultimate in server power and availability. Alternatively, the cost-effective SC743-650 still packs plenty of power even for the most computation demanding server applications.

For higher density rackmount servers, the SC833 Series features an optimized Nocona 3U server design which, like the SC743 Series, includes an air shroud and fan speed control for 100% air-cooling redundancy. The SC833 also comes in numerous configurations to suit the requirements of most server applications.

These exceptional new product offerings should accelerate the growth of Supermicro partners' market share and profit. In addition to the standard Tumwater chipset advantages like 64-bit capability, 800MHz FSB and PCI-Express x16 support for graphics, these new Supermicro products provide a number of value-added features and options mentioned above like support for two PCI-Express x16 cards, IPMI 2.0, SATAII, PWM fan speed control, an optional extreme low-noise power supply, and 100% cooling redundancy. Impressively early to market once again, Supermicro continues to deliver the latest technology with the best high-quality solutions ahead of the competition.

BFG Tech GeForce 6800 Ultra OC @ Bjorn3D:

"Every time I hear the name BFG, two things come to mind: the gun from Doom/Quake and a company that makes great video cards. BFG has been making video cards based on NVIDIA GPU's since the days of the GeForce Ti4600, and after talking with their marketing folks, it sounds like they plan on staying with just NVIDIA for the foreseeable future. This is a good move for BFG because NVIDIA is smart enough to make sure they take care of their loyal AIBs (AIB= Add-In-Board manufacturer)."

Intel Matrix RAID Storage @ GamePC Labs:

"Today at GamePC, we've taken a closer look at Intel's new Matrix RAID storage technology, which recently hit the market as a feature of Intel's ICH6R Southbridge controller. Matrix RAID allows users to mix and match the functionality and speed of RAID-0 and RAID-1 into a single RAID volume which can be used on just two hard drives. This allows for higher performance and instant data redundancy without all the cost and hassle of a RAID 0 1 or RAID-5 setup."

Cooler Master Real Power 450W PSU @ Systemcooling:

"If you're looking for a power supply unit that has something for just about everyone, we might have found just what you're looking for in the latest endeavor from the folks at Cooler Master. That's right - Cooler Master is now doing a power supply, and it's got a ton of great features. Plenty of power? Check. Active PFC? Check. EPS capable? Check. Power monitoring? Check. Wait - power monitoring? Yes, indeed. The Cooler Master Real Power 450W also includes an analog display that indicates total power consumption. Let's take a closer look, and see if this unit is as good as it sounds."

HIS Excalibur 9550 VIVO @ Viper Lair:

"Should you decide the 9550 is for you, then you really can't go wrong with the HIS Excalibur 9550 ViVo Edition, and since the iFan version doesn't add to the sound levels at all, that's the version I would personally go for. HIS have a great overall package here, a decent card and without useless software/games added, everything included is actually useable."

OK All, have a great weekend!