Apacer is a brand that’s been around for a while, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of them before. They’re a company focused solely on storage products, which encompasses memory modules (desktop and laptop), USB and flash storage as well as SSDs. Today, though, we’ll be looking at three of their memory modules recently introduced into the market.

First off we have the Apacer Giant II Series Dual Channel 8GB kit. The  two 4GB DDR3 modules run at 1600MHz (PC3 12800) with CAS Latency of 9-9-9-27 @1.65v. The only module in this roundup with a huge heatspreader, the Giant II features “air-fall” vents that apparently help in better heat dissipation.

Next we have the Black Panther series 8GB kit; again with two 4GB DDR3 modules running at 1600MHz (PC3 12800) with CAS Latency of 9-9-9-27 @1.65v. The heatspreaders on the Black panther are small and thin, making their low profile ideal for people with large CPU heatsinks.

Both the Giant II and Black Panther have thoroughly tested memory modules that will run at the rated speeds and also come with lifetime warranty from Apacer. Running in dual channel mode, both Black panther and Giant II support Intel Extreme Memory Profiles (XMP) for easy overclocking.

Lastly we have a pair of non-overclocking (UDIMM) memory modules, which utilize two 4GB DDR3 modules running at 1600MHz (PC3 12800) with CAS Latency of 9-9-9-27 @1.5v. The unique thing about this pair is that it has a white colored PCB with 16 white LEDs on the top. Sadly these LEDs are always lit up, and don’t show the resource usage in real-time.

I obviously wasn’t expecting the last pair to overclock, and they didn’t, but I was surprised to see that the Giant II didn’t go beyond the rated speeds of 1600MHz. Pushing it to 1866Mhz with voltage increases didn’t help at all. That said, the Black Panther overclocked very nicely to 1866MHz at the rated 1.65v.

Intro

G.Skill is a well known brand amongst PC enthusiasts as they’re known to make some of the best high performance memory for desktop computers. We have reviewed their Ripjaws X in the past with much fervor, and in fact use their 16GB Ripjaws Z memory kit as part of our new Z77 based testbed as well.

Now the G.Skill ARES is being launched as a memory kit targeted towards the new Intel Z77 chipset, but let’s not forget that the low profile of the memory makes this ideal for HTPC and other small form factor computers. Of course, for those with massive heatsinks, the ARES is a true blessing.

Specs

Specs wise the Ares is similar to the other high-end memory produced by G.Skill, with a rated speed of 2133MHz @1.65v and CAS Latency of 9-11-10 2T. Inside the ARES is powered by the high-end Hynix H5TQ2G83CFR synchronous DDR3 modules.

Since the G.Skill ARES is compatible with Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profile), setting up the speeds was extremely easy. By default the ARES will start up at 1600MHz, but it’s just a matter of increasing the speed in the BIOS (if your motherboard is XMP compatible) to 2133MHz. In case you don’t have a motherboard that shows XMP settings, you’ll also need to change the voltage from the standard 1.5v to 1.65v.

Testbed

We have tested the G.Skill ARES in the below setup:

For comparisons I have used the Kingston HyperX 4GB DDR3-2133MHz and Ripjaws Z 8GB DDR3-1660MHz.

Benchmarks

Conclusion

The G.Skill ARES’ performance is truly up there with the speed kings of old. While not quite exceeding anyone else, the ARES performs admirably in all of our memory specific benchmarks. Thanks to its built-in XMP settings and lifetime warranty, the ARES is an easy recommendation.

Bottom line: if you’re looking for high performance memory with a low profile, enough for your gigantic heatsink to sit with ease, look no further than the G.Skill ARES.

AMD’s latest entry for their Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) is going to come out soon. While both desktop and laptop variants will be out almost at the same time, we have a sneak peak at the A10 Trinity mobile APU.

The prototype laptop AMD had brought along with them had undisclosed specs, but they confirmed that it was running their top of the line A10 quad-core APU. This test unit specifically was running just the APU, there was no discrete graphics card within the laptop, ergo no CrossFire.

While they didn’t allow us to run the built-in benchmark on Dirt 3, we did get a chance to see the game running on the A10 APU with everything set on high and 2xMSAA. Check it out for yourself below.

Next up is a short demonstration of one of the new features AMD is implementing in the A10 APU. The AMD Steady Video technology is implemented at a hardware level on all Trinity based APUs, and one of the videos AMD demonstrated this image stabilization tech with was the extremely shaky Triple Tomcat Launch.

Lastly we wrap up the A10 Trinity demo with a short interview with AMD’s Stefano Chiavegati, Head of Commercial and Component Marketing for EMEA. We asked about the A10 Trinity’s launch, comparison with Ivy Bridge, CrossFire compatibility with HD 7600 series cards.

So expect the AMD A10 Trinity APUs to be out by the end of June. We’ll have more updated coverage on the new platform closer to release.

According to a recent leak by donanimhaber, we maybe seeing two new AMD FX series processors coming out soon. The FX-6130 is a hexa-core CPU which will be running at 3.6GHz (3.9GHz boost). The 6-cores will be accompanied by 6MB L2 cache and 8MB L3 cache. Pricing will be roughly $155 as it will be sitting smack int he middle of the FX-6100 and FX-6200 priced at $165 and $145 respectively.

The second processor to be out is the FX-4130 running at 3.8GHz (3.9GHz boost). This quad-core CPU will have 4MB of L2 and L3 cache and will probably be priced around $100.

Both processors are rated at 125W TDP and are set to be released in Q2 2012; right around the time for Intel’s Ivy Bridge launch. Whether this will dent the sales in Intel’s new platform remains to be seen, but don’t be surprised if AMD will accompany these two new processors with an overall drop in the price for the entire FX series processors.

According to research firm IDC, the PC microprocessor industry shipment grew in 2011 by 3.6% compared to 2010. The revenue for the same time period grew by 13.2%, to over $41 billion.

“The average selling price (ASP) that OEMs pay for PC microprocessors rose more than 9% in 2011, making 2011 the second consecutive year of notable ASP increases,” said Shane Rau, director of Personal Computing research at IDC.

Things become rather interesting when the full market share for the year 2011 is looked into. AMD gained a total market share of 19.7%, a gain of 0.7% compared to 2010, while Intel gained 80.1% overall worldwide market share, at a loss of 0.6% compared to 2010.

For the coming year, IDC predicts that the PC microprocessor shipments will grow by 5.1% as the worldwide hard drive shortage continues to stabilize and the sales jump up due to new processors released form both Intel and AMD.

During the weekend, Intel China’s VP and chairman, Sean Maloney, told the Financial Times that the recent rumors about their latest Ivy Bridge CPUs being delayed are true. The expected launch of Intel’s latest 22nm processors was supposed to be in April, but Maloney said that the launch has been delayed till well after Spring time frame. ”I think maybe it’s June now.”

However, when Forbes reached out to Intel, Jon Carvill from their Media Relations department said that the Ivy Bridge launch has been delayed by just ‘a few weeks’. Furthermore, Intel’s Dave Salvator confirmed with Tom’s Hardware that, ”The piece on Forbes has the correct information: our 3rd generation Intel Core launch is delayed by a few weeks, and we remain on track for our Spring 2012 launch time frame.”

So a few more weeks could mean that Ivy Bridge processors will hit the market in May. Hopefully Intel China’s VP had things wrong and we won’t have to wait for as long as June to see Intel’s 22nm goodness.

Interested in increasing the RAM on your system to full take advantage of your 64-bit OS and eight slot motherboard? Then drop those lower capacity modules and go for Kingmax’s latest 8GB per stick DDR3 modules to become the envy of your geek circle.

KINGMAX, a world renowned leading brand of DRAM and flash memory, adds another new product to its Nano Gaming Ram series: 8GB overclocking memory modules in one stick. This is the largest capacity in one stick and the only DDR3 memory modules which doesn’t need heatsink for cooling. 8GB DDR3 memory modules with speed faster than 1600MHz also support Intel XMP – Extreme Memory Profiles. Further, 8GB DDR3 memory modules are compatible with Intel X79 platform, enabling quad channel memory setting and allowing memory upgrade up to 32GB. KINGMAX also announces standard desktop 8GB DDR3 modules.

For professionals and enthusiasts who need to work on high quality images or need mass computing, it is most awkward when applications require more memory than real memory can afford. The KINGMAX 8GB DDR3 memory modules with surpassing capacity are designed to solve abovementioned difficulties and to help computer system work much more smoothly and faster. Gamers and overclockers, who like to pursuit ultimate speed, are able to operate quad channel memory setting on the latest Intel X79 platform to boost the system equipped with Intel 2nd Generation Core™i7 Extreme performance to the next high level.

KINGMAX memory modules products are rigidly screened and tested before leaving the factory. All memory products are made by lead-free process, compliant to EU RoHS and conformed to CE. As KINGMAX is devoted to the highest quality for years, its memory modules has been credited for 100% compatibility and stability as well as outstanding overclocking performance from consumers. All memory products provide life warranty to guarantee consumers the most satisfaction.

Nano Gaming Ram Series : DDR3 1600MHz 8GB Overclocking Memory Modules

• Replace tradition heavy heatshink by Nano Thermal Technology
• 240-pin DDR3 1600MHz
• Bandwidth: 1600MHz (12.8GB/sec)
• CAS Latency：1600MHz：CL=9
• Capacity：Single Channel：8GB / Dual Channel：16GB / Triple Channel：24GB / Quad Channel：32GB
• Voltage：1.5V

DDR3 1333 MHz 8GB Desktop Memory Modules

• 240-pin DDR3 1333MHz
• Bandwidth: 1300MHz(10.6GB/sec)
• CAS Latency：1300MHz：9-9-9-27 CL=9
• Capacity：Single Channel：8GB / Dual Channel：16GB / Triple Channel：24GB / Quad Channel：32GB
• Voltage：1.5V

For more product information: http://www.kingmax.com/en_03_product_list.asp?usn=25

Turkish website DonanimHaber has apparently leaked the full details of the upcoming AMD A10 ‘Trinity’ APU, as well as the second generation of A8, A6 and A4 APUs.

The new A10 trinity APUs will come with the same four ‘Piledriver’ cores as the A8 and A6 models. Apart from the rated TDP and clock speeds, the main difference between the four types of processors comes in with the onboard GPU each APU carries. The A10s carry the HD 7660D graphics, with 384 Graphics Core Next stream processors. The A8s come with HD 7560D with 256 GCN stream processors. And finally the A6 and A4 come with HD 7480D with 128 GCN stream processors.

The A4 APU is the only processor that doesn’t allow dual-graphics mode, which means you cannot pair it up with another discrete AMD graphics card to make it run in SLI mode, which is the case with all the other APUs.

Slated to be released in the 2nd quarter of this year, the A10 Trinity APUs should hit the market soon. Of course, this is still a leak, so one shouldn’t complete take these as the final specs sheet.

In a leaked slideshow, published by DonanimHaber, a roadmap for Intel’s current and upcomming processors has been revealed. We all know that the new Ivy Bridge processors are just about to be launched in April, but what happens after that?

Well, as you can see, the new slideshow does reveal some info on the next platform after Ivy Bridge, which is currently codenamed Haswell and is expected to be out somewhere around March to June 2013. While Ivy Bridge brings Intel’s Sandy bridge architecture to the 22nm process, Haswell will improve upon it by adding support for Transactional Synchronization Extensions (TSX), Advanced Vector Extension 2 (AVX2), Thunderbolt, DirectX 11.1, OpenGL 3.2, and native Windows 8 support.

Of course, the new processors also mean new socket, which in the case of Haswell is going to be LGA 1150. That’s 5 pins down from the current Sandy Bridge & Ivy Bridge architecture of LGA 1155.

Late last year I reviewed the AMD A8-3850 APU, which the first high-end Llano based offering from AMD, giving desktop users a taste of how successfully integrated graphics can work with a quad-core processor. And while the performance in multi-threaded applications was decent, as were the onboard graphics, the chip still felt somewhat lacking compared to the direct competition, which is the Intel Core i3-2100.

So today I’ll be looking at the new flagship APU from AMD, the Llano A8-3870K. Apart from having a 100MHz increase over the A8-3850, the ace up the A8-3870K is the fact that it has unlocked core multiplier. Of course, given that the Llano APUs aren’t being targeted towards the hardcore gamer, you won’t find high-end motherboards geared towards overclocking. As such, currently overclocking the A8-3870K is only possible on those motherboards who have an updated BIOS which supports switching the multiplier.

Outside of the unlocked multiplier, the A8-3870K has the same HD 6550D GPU with 400 Radeon cores running at 600MHz speed as the A8-3850. Now one of the coolest things about the Llano APUs is that they are targeted mostly towards HTPC users and the extremely budget conscious gamer who doesn’t want to play Battlefield 3 at Ultra high settings. As such, if the built-in HD 6550D GPU isn’t enough, you can pair it with an AMD Radeon HD 6670 graphics card for asymmetrical CrossFire where both the Llano APU’s integrated HD 6550D and the discrete HD 6670 work in tandem.