Intel's X58 Chipset to Cost Less than X48?

Regardless of the motherboard, the most expensive component is the chipset, which includes both the North and Southbridge. Though prices aren't confirmed, the rumored price for an Intel P45 chipset is $40 in quantities of 1,000, while X48 hovers around $55. So with that, we'd imagine that the upcoming X58 chipset would be even worse, right? Well according to sources close to Fudzilla, that might not be the case at all.

In fact, their sources state that X58 is about $20 less expensive than X48. I have a hard time believing this, personally, because we are dealing with a revamped chipset that's capable of a bit more than previous generations. Why it's $20 less expensive is what I'd like to know.

Aside from the chipset itself, what strikes me odd is the prices of the motherboards, which are rumored to be over $400 at launch for a "mainstream" model, like the ASUS P6T or Gigabyte's GA-X58-DS4. So, if the chipset is lower, then why are the boards so expensive? Fudzilla goes on to state that the reason lies with the required components, like an eight-layer PCB, which is apparently around 25% more expensive than a six-layer.

Could it be that Intel priced X58 accordingly to offset the prices of the motherboards? If X58 is indeed less expensive, I'd be curious to see if the tradition would continue onto future mainstream models.

We don't know exactly what the price of a motherboard PCB is, but we're sure it's a fair share of the cost of a motherboard. However, we have a feeling that in this case, a lot of the motherboard manufacturers want to cash in on the new platform and they also want to sell their X58 products at a higher price than their X48 models, since it's the latest and greatest model in their line-up.

Source: Fudzilla

Seagate to Begin SSD Production in 2009

No matter how much Seagate, Western Digital and all the other large hard drive manufacturers try to tell you otherwise, SSD is not just a fad, and it's not going away. Though the longevity of Solid-State Disks is still in question, we're unlikely to find a serious caveat at this point in the game, since SSDs have been around for a while. If there was a serious underlying issue, I'd assume we would have seen it by now.

Seagate, who in the past has shunned the idea of SSD (despite claiming to own patents earlier this year) is planning to launch their own line-up beginning in 2009. The first will be available at the enterprise level, with consumer SSDs to come later. At first, it might seem strange that they are waiting that long, when companies far smaller have been offering them for some time, but the market is still unquestionably small, so they aren't exactly missing out on a huge opportunity here.

According to the Nanotech blog at CNET, Seagate might manufacturer the technology in their hard drives, but it will be a different story with SSDs, as they'll purchase memory chips from others, rather than develop it in-house. That makes sense, as their experience in that area, as far as I recall, is minimal. Once their drives are launched though, they're going to have one heck of a battle. The market is still small, but the competition is fierce, and I'd love to see the guy who will compete with Intel's masterful controller, as seen in their X-25M.

Of course, it won't be a cakewalk for Seagate. There is plenty of competition already. Intel has started shipping SSDs for both enterprise and consumer markets. And Samsung is a leading player in the consumer market--its drives are used by Dell and Apple--and it is now stepping up efforts to snag corporate customers. On Thursday, Samsung announced that its SSDs have been selected, after extensive testing, for use in the Hewlett-Packard ProLiant blade servers.

Source: Nanotech: The Circuits Blog

Xbox 360 Blu-ray Rumors Heat Back Up

It's been a clean five months since we've last heard rumors about a prospective Blu-ray add-on for the Xbox 360, but that can of worms has just been re-opened with the help of X-bit labs. They claim that Microsoft is working on preparing an external Blu-ray drive, although the site is currently unsure when we'll see an actual launch. They believe that since the format isn't overly popular, Microsoft may decide to wait until January's CES to build up a huge buzz.

Toshiba might not want anything to do with Blu-ray, understandably so, but their joint cooperation with Samsung is the company contracted to build these drives, which Microsoft is hoping to launch for between the $100 - $150 price-point, in order to compete with the Playstation 3, which of course includes support for the format without the need for an external drive.

This move would make sense for Microsoft, and the posting at X-bit seems quite sure that it's going to happen. It may result in a clunky setup, but it would be nice to have a choice between paying for a high-def format or not having one. I'm incredibly happy that the Playstation 3 came with Blu-ray, but it's obvious that not everyone takes advantage of the movie capabilities. The choice should be made easier when the next-gen consoles arrive, as long as another format isn't going to be introduced.

The main reason why Microsoft is unenthusiastic regarding Blu-ray is mandatory support of BD-Java interactive technology and Sony’s reluctance to adopt competing tech called HDi that was developed by Microsoft. Even though Microsoft managed to push its VC-1 codec onto both Blu-ray and HD DVD markets, the company’s negative attitude towards Java prevented it from supporting the former standard in general. As a result, the company used to sell external HD DVD drive for Xbox 360.

Source: X-bit labs

What Does Linus Look for in a Linux Distro?

What does Linux founder Linus Torvalds look for in a distro? It might surprise you, but the guy who is one of the lead maintainers of the Linux kernel and could tackle most any issue that would leave the rest of us stumped... prefers a refined and simple distro. It's not hard to see why, though. Even as a lead kernel developer, not many people enjoy battling with an OS to get it to work.

His distro of choice is Fedora 9, which in a way doesn't surprise me. Fedora, though I don't use it, seems to be one of the most stable distros on the market, and its package manager makes sure of it by not automatically allowing unsafe or untested applications or services to get on your machine. Ubuntu looks to be his leading second choice, and again, it's easy to understand why.

Linus goes on to say that the sheer choice we have with distros is good, and that competition improves things all-around. I still can't help but thing a few simple standards would improve things even further though, like a dependency manager that would actually work on all distros. That, to me, would be a good start to making sure that all applications install on all distros the same way. But there's probably a reason I'm not a developer!

And when it comes to distributions, ease of installation has actually been one of my main issues - I'm a technical person, but I have a very specific area of interest, and I don't want to fight the rest. So the only distributions I have actively avoided are the ones that are known to be "overly technical" - like the ones that encourage you to compile your own programs etc.

Source: O'Reilly, Via: Digg

Xbox 360 Dashboard Overhaul On the Way

When Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 in late 2005, it was one heck of a product. Everything from the design, the software, the games, the high-def-ness... was fantastic. But that was three-years-ago, and now upgrades need to be made to help things keep fresh and to also make the experience an even better one. It's with that, that a complete Dashboard overhaul is coming our way, and a CNET blog takes a thorough look at all of what's new.

The most noticeable change with the new Dashboard is the design. Gone are the days of blades and in with pages that you can flip through, similar to looking at different albums on an iPhone. Interaction with other players is another huge feature, with the addition of "channels", a feature that will allow you to hook up and chat with people even if you are playing a different game.

Following the insane popularity of Mii's on the Wii, another important feature will be the addition of highly customizable avatars. You'll be able to build yourself and change everything, from clothes, eyes, face, et cetera. There's a lot more on the way, and I can't wait to see it. I've never really been a fan of the typical UI that shipped with the console, but these changes look fantastic.

To begin with, players can choose an avatar from a large selection that run onto the screen looking like a group of school kids, each dressed differently and sporting diverse hair styles and skin color. Don't like that group? Move on to the next one. And on and on, until you find one you like. Each group is presented randomly, and within the group, individual avatars seem to try to get your attention by jumping up and down and raising their hand.

Source: Gaming and Culture Blog

Tech Roundup - October 9, 2008

Displays & Video Cards
• Sapphire HD 4670 - Bjorn3D
• Sapphire HD 4870 Toxic - ClubOC

Memory & Storage
• Super Talent SSD MasterDrive MX - SSD vs. HDD - TweakPC
• Synology DS408 4-Drive SATA RAID Gigabit NAS - Benchmark Reviews

Peripherals & Gadgets
• InFocus IN3104 DLP Projector - BIOS Magazine
• Logitech AudioHub 2.1 Speaker System - TopReviewShop
• Logitech Illuminated Keyboard - EverythingUSB

Cooling
• EKL Alphenfohn GroB Clock ner Heatsink - FrostyTech
• Xigmatek Red Scorpion - Pure Overclock
• Zalman CNPS9300 AT CPU Cooler - Think Computers

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Antec Signature 850 Watt Power Supply - Virtual-Hideout
• Icydock MB664US eSATA/USB External Hard Drive Enclosure - PC Stats

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Shuttle XPC Glamor SN68PTG6 Deluxe - Digit-Life