Intel Core i7-3770K

It seems like we've been hearing about them for nearly a year (well, maybe that's because it has been that long), but Intel’s third-generation Core processors have finally decloaked. During the long run-up to their debut, these new-gen chips have gone under the code-name “Ivy Bridge,” much like their second-generation predecessors, known as Intel's "Sandy Bridge" line. Indeed, the "Sandy Bridge" development code-name, though never Intel's official name for those processors (the company always just called them its "Second-Gen Core" chips once they hit the market), never quite expired.

We don't mind. After all, the naming scheme served up, for the tech journalists of the world, the most fitting lead-in to these new chips imaginable. Namely, it lets us ask: Is Ivy a "Bridge" too far?

The short answer? A resounding "no."

In the Ivy Bridge processors, the key innovation is a familiar one with a new Intel chip family: The company has shrunk the chip's essential architecture, packing more capability into a new-generation processor without increasing die size or heat output. With 2011's Sandy Bridge chips, a less drastic die shrink, plus several other architectural changes, together made the processors runaway hits. This time, Intel has further reduced the die, but introduced a different twist: significantly improved graphics performance. On-processor graphics acceleration debuted in Intel processors with the Sandy Bridge family, and in Ivy Bridge, it's much better.


In advance of the April 23 debut of this chip line, we got our hands on Intel's flagship Ivy Bridge processor, the Core i7-3770K, intended for desktop PCs, and subjected it to a whole battery of tests. Not everything about it is revolutionary, by any means; for example, it serves up only a small boost in raw CPU processing power over comparable second-generation chips, such as the Intel Core i7-2600K. But the graphics performance is the big deal here: Dubbed Intel HD Graphics 4000, the graphics-acceleration circuitry integrated into the processor is the most impressive we’ve seen on an Intel CPU to date. Plus, the chip draws less power than its predecessors.


Also impressive: the pricing outlook. Despite the graphics improvements Intel made, the prices for the initial Ivy Bridge processors are actually a few dollars below those of their second-generation equivalents. The wholesale prices on this initial batch range from $174 for a 3.1GHz Core i5-3450 to $313 for the high-end Core i7-3770K we tested here. (Though Intel is shipping a whopping nine Ivy Bridge desktop Core i5 and Core i7 processors at launch, including a number of low-power models, the company hasn’t announced any Core i3 processors...yet. We’re sure we’ll see them soon.)

On the whole, you won’t see enough of a performance boost from chips like the third-gen Core i7-3770K to justify replacing a system based on an equivalent Second-Gen Core processor from 2011. As we said, the biggest real-world performance difference between these generations is in the on-chip graphics, and if graphics muscle is what you need, you'd be better off adding a dedicated video card than upgrading the CPU. But, if you’re replacing or upgrading an older system, the smaller power draw of the Ivy Bridge-family chips will be welcome, and the increased graphics performance would have a dual benefit. With Ivy Bridge graphics performance on the level of what we saw in the i7-3770K, many users who aren’t hard-core gamers will be able to forgo a dedicated graphics card, but they'd still get graphics oomph enough for productivity applications and casual gaming.

Even if you're not an upgrader or PC builder, you can expect to see plenty of these processors in mainstream desktops and laptops—in many cases, we expect, with the on-chip graphics carrying the full acceleration load. Here's why we're excited by what we saw from this first sample chip.

                                                                                                                            sourse

Remember Me

Remember Me is a third person sci-fi action adventure set in Neo-Paris, 2084 where players take on the role of Nilin, a former elite memory hunter with the ability to break into people's minds and steal or even alter their memories. After having her own memory wiped clean by the authorities, players must help Nilan set out on a mission to recover her identity while being hunted by the very people that created this surveillance society.
      The story shows a lot of potential, but for every step it takes forward in exploring identity and memory, it takes two steps back with cartoon clichés. The villains are underdeveloped, uninspired, mustache-twirling characters, and the allies are boring, paper-thin support staff. For a game that presents interesting ideas involving memories and technology, it deals with the social and philosophical issues it raises with either heavy-handedness or blasé ignorance. There would be a great story here if it didn't feel so conventional, direct, and safe.
                     Fighting is the most common element in the game next to climbing and running. If you see a big room without any other features, you're probably going to be attacked there. Combat is a simple two-strike fighting system similar to most other third-person action games that don't focus on guns, letting you chain together punches and kicks to make combos while hitting a third button to dodge before you get hit. It's very similar to the combat in the Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City games. Remember Me mixes up the formula a bit with “Presens” and the Combo Lab. You can create your own combos of varying lengths with Presens, individual strikes that can charge up your special attack, heal you, or enhance the combo.

 

                                                            
                                                                  click  here for more details

ASUS MeMO Pad

review

The device, which is powered by a dual-core Intel Atom processor, is 9.9mm thick and weighs just 580g, yet should still manage eight hours on a single charge. We got an early first look at the Wi-Fi only model at yesterday's announement, but have now updated this story with more in-depth impressions of the LTE model.

Description

Operating System                             AndroidTM 4.1
Display                                             7" LED Backlight WSVGA (1024x600) Screen
CPU                                                VIA WM8950
Memory                                           1G
Storage                                            8GB/16GB *1
                                                        5GB Life Time ASUS Webstorage Space *2
Wireless Data Network                   WLAN 802.11 b/g/n@2.4GHz
Camera                                           1 MP Front Camera
Audio                                              Hi-Definition Audio CODEC
                                                       High Quality Speaker
Interface                                         1 x 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Headphone / Mic-in)
                                                      1 x micro USB
                                                      1 x Micro SD Card Reader(SDHC)
Sensor                                           G-sensor
Application                                    ASUS launcher
                                                      MyLibrary
                                                      MyCloud
                                                      asus webstorage
                                                     File manager
                                                     ASUS sync
                                                     SuperNote Lite
                                                     App Locker
                                                     App Backup
Battery                                          7 hours; 16Wh Li-polymer Battery *3
Color                                            Sugar White/Titanium Gray/Cherry Pink
Dimensions                                   7.72 x 4.69 x 0.44 inch
Weight                                         0.79 lbs
Note                                           *1: May vary by SKU and country.
                                                   *2: Please visit www.asuswebstorage.com for more details.
                                                   *3: Battery life tested under power saving mode, playing 720p video                                                                                                                                                                
                                                     playback, Brightness:100nits, default volume with headphones.



                                                                                                            click here for more details

Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router EA4500

The router is the first in the Linksys EA series that Cisco launched two months ago. It didn't get reviewed until now because the heart of the new series, the Cisco Connect Cloud solution, went live just last week. After playing with the new cloud-based approach to home routers for a few days, I can confidently say that it will change the way you think about networking entirely, mostly for better




Design

The low-slung Cisco Linksys Smart
Wi-Fi Router EA4500 is sleek and understated; its black matte top has a single band of chrome running down the middle. Like the rest of its routers over the past few years, there's no antennas sticking out the top. On the back are four Gigabit Ethernet ports, as well as one USB port that can be used to network an external hard drive.
Performance

 transferring a 6GB collection of files between two HP Envy 17 notebooks took 10 minutes 20 seconds, and a 1.2GB collection of files took 2 minutes and 14 seconds. Those speeds are fairly typical for 802.11n.

At 150 feet from the router, the EA4500 notched 62 Mbps, which is on a par with the average. The D-Link DIR865L, however, was more than twice as fast, at 170 Mbps. The Belkin AC1200 averaged 160 Mbps from 5 feet, and 65 Mbps from 150 feet.
click here for more details. 

Comodo Dragon Internet Browser 27.0

Comodo Dragon is a Chromium technology-based Browser that offers you all of Chrome's features PLUS the unparalleled level of security and privacy you only get from Comodo. Including a greater level of privacy than Chromium technology offers.

Features:

Improved Privacy over Chromium
Easy SSL Certificate Identification
Fast Website Access
Greater Stability and Less Memory Bloat
Incognito Mode Stops Cookies, Improves Privacy
Very easy to switch from your Browser to the Dragon



Review

Popular security software developer Comodo has developed a Chrome remix said to have higher security features than its predecessors. Comodo Dragon is an aesthetically minimalist browser that is attractive, responsive, and secure.
Apart from the red hue, the Chromium-based browser's interface is identical to that of market contender Google Chrome. From the detachable tabs at the top of the screen to the bookmark-syncing option, it is impossible to instantly recognize where the "remix" takes place. The Help tab even redirects you to Google Chrome's Help page and the Extensions tab redirects you to Google as well. It also keeps Chrome's incognito mode option, where all browsing information and cookies are deleted following the user's Web session. Upon poking around the Options menu, there are a couple of visible differences: there are no location settings and Dragon does not present an option to send "usage statistics and crash reports to Google."


Read more: Comodo Dragon - CNET Download.com http://download.cnet.com/Comodo-Dragon/3000-2356_4-75119680.html#ixzz2UyYvfRzQ