VisionTek cuts price of its Killer 2100 Gaming Network Card

Introduced two months ago with a price tag of $129.99, the Bigfoot-powered VisionTek Killer 2100 Gaming Network Card has received a price cut which makes it break the apparently magical $100 mark. Now at $99, the card is hoped to become more enticing for the online gaming crowd.

The Killer 2100 has a PCI-Express x1 interface and features a 400 MHz-clocked network processor (NPU), 128MB of DDR2 memory, Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, the Game Networking DNA which accelerates latency-sensitive game traffic, the Advanced Game Detect function that prioritizes game traffic, Windows stack bypass, and the Visual Bandwidth Control, enabling users to manage their Internet connection with (relative) ease.

VisionTek's network card is selling in North America through Newegg, Buy.com, CompUSA, Dell.com, TigerDirect, NCIX, Amazon and other outlets.

Intel's Q1 Sandy Bridge processor line-up exposed

There's no doubt about it, by the end of the year Intel will start manufacturing 32nm processors based on the Sandy Bridge architecture and, just as 2011 roll in, will unleash them upon the desktop and portable PC markets to keep the money pouring in and AMD well behind on second place.

Unsurprisingly, although it has confirmed the release schedule of the first Sandy Bridge chips, Intel isn't saying anything (officially) about the specs of the upcoming models but thankfully, a leak is providing a good picture of what's coming.

The Sandy Bridge desktop and mobile offering for Q1 is detailed in the table below and it contains no less than 19 CPUs - 12 quad-cores and 7 dual-cores, going from 2.3 GHz to 3.4 GHz. The chips listed come in LGA 1155 packaging and feature an integrated (dual channel) DDR3 memory controller as well as a graphics core.

The mobile models all include Hyper-Threading technology but this will apparently be absent on certain desktop chips (the Core i5-2500s and i5-2400). To keep things complicated Intel will have several flavors of the same model available, these being set apart with an end letter (or lack of a letter). For example K means an unlocked multiplier, S - lower frequencies and a lower TDP, while T - even lower clocks and TDP ratings. Pricing info hasn't been revealed as it's probably still in the works.

PhotoFast unveils CF card, 1.8-inch HDD/SSD external USB 3.0 enclosure

PhotoFast has today presented to the world a new G-Monster-branded product, the G-Monster X Drive enclosure which features a USB 3.0 interface and can house either a CompactFlash (Type I) memory card or a 1.8-inch hard/solid state drive with ZIF, microSATA or 50-pin IDE connectivity.

Set to become available in September (in black and white), the enclosure measures 105.25 x 60.95 x 10 mm and weights 95 grams.

Acer launches G5-series monitors in Europe

Acer's monitor offer for the Old Continent is being expanded this month through the release of the G5-series line which includes the 19-inch G195HQ, 20-inch G205H, 22-inch G225HQ, 23-inch G235H and 24-inch G245H models - all targeting gamers and multimedia enthusiasts.

The G5 LCDs come with an X-shaped stand providing tilt adjustment, have a piano black finish, a contrast ratio of up to 80,000:1 a 5ms response time (2ms for the G245H), DVI connectivity (plus HDMI 1.3 on certain models), and a native resolution going from 1366 x 768 for the G195HQ, through 1600 x 900 for the G205H, to 1920 x 1080 for the rest.

The G195HQ, G205H, G225HQ, G235H and G245H have recommended price tags of €119, €139, €169, €199 and €219, respectively.

New PhysX software released, comes with fixes for Mafia 2

With the PhysX-enhanced Mafia 2 demo out on Steam, Nvidia has made available a new PhysX software package (version 9.10.0513) that, among other things, fixes some issues with 2K Czech's highly-anticipated action game.

The fresh PhysX release has support for GeForce 8, 9, 100, 200, 300 and 400 series cards and features the following highlights:

- Includes the latest PhysX runtime builds to support all released PhysX content.

- Fixes a bug that prevented PhysX from being accelerated on Optimus PCs.

- 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).

- Bug fixes for Mafia 2

To download the PhysX system software 9.10.0513 check out Nvidia's website .

Acer readies the S222HQL super-slim LED-backlit monitor

Number two PC maker Acer is planning on bringing to IFA Berlin 2010 (September 3-8) and retail stores a sexy and slim new LCD monitor, the S222HQL. This upcoming model features a 21.5-inch panel, is LED backlit and has smooth black bezel that's just 12.9mm thick.

The display boasts native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a dynamic contrast ratio of 12,000,000:1, a 2ms response time, a brightness of 250 cd/m2, and both DVI and HDMI connectors. No word on pricing yet.

I-O Data preps new 27-inch Full HD monitor

Japan's own I-O Data will very soon be updating its product offer through the introduction of the LCD-MF271XBR, a 27-inch widescreen LCD monitor claimed to be perfect for gaming, watching movies, and pretty much everything else.

The upcoming display has a stand enabling height, tilt and swivel adjustments and features a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a 2ms response time, a 1000:1 contrast ratio (30,000:1 DCR), a maximum brightness of 330 cd/m2, two 1.5W speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, plus D-Sub, DVI and HDMI connectivity.

The LCD-MF271XBR is set to reach Japanese stores later this month.