Systems and Components

Yoda, Jar Jar And Intel

Don't RAID On 3Ware's Parade
3Ware has introduced the Escalade 7500-12 to its series of ATA RAID controller cards. With the ability to attach up to 12 ATA drives on a single RAID controller, Escalade 7500-12 can match the storage capacity and performance levels of a SCSI controller for applications that require terabytes of storage. The Escalade 7500-12 comes with four, eight or 12 drives, depending on requirements. High-density application support includes videostreaming and archival near-line storage. The controller card is available now through distribution at an MSRP of $699.

Xtremely Flat Monitor The 17-inch
XF-7b is the newest addition to KDS USA's line of Xtreme Flat pure-flat desktop displays. The XF-7b, which is PC- and Mac-compatible, incorporates a 0.22-mm dot pitch with the latest in pure-flat engineering for precise and clear viewing. The $169 XF-7b, which also features an anti-reflection screen and maximum resolution of 1,280-x-1,024 at 60 Hz, is backed by a 3-year limited parts-and-labor warranty.

AOpen Adds To Motherboard Line
AOpen has expanded its motherboard product line with the MX4LS, which runs on the Intel Pentium 4 processor and graphics-integrated Intel i845GL chipset. Specs include a 100-MHz front-side bus, 400-MHz system-bus support, PC 133-SDRAM support and an on-board LAN controller, including Fast Ethernet support, USB 2.0 and CNR compliance. In addition, all AOpen i845GL products support TV-out and DVI-output functions via an ADD card slot. The MX4LS architecture accommodates three PCI slots. Memory capability reaches 2 GB of SDRAM, using 168-pin DIMMs in 64-, 128-, 256- and 512-MB, and 1-GB memory modules.

Samsung Collaborates On DDR Module
Samsung Semiconductor's Double-Data-Rate 400-Mbps (DDR400) SDRAM is now incorporated in next-generation chipsets from Nvidia, SiS and VIA, which worked with the manufacturer during the production process. The DDR400 modules, available now in 128-MB, 256-MB and 512-MB densities, offer three times the performance of single-data-rate PC133 SDRAM and 50 percent higher performance than DDR266. All three are now demonstrating boards with the DDR400. Nvidia plans to utilize the DDR400 to increase the capability of its nForce2 platform processors, while VIA will combine the DDR400 with its Apollo P4X400 and forthcoming VIA Apollo KT400 chipset platforms. Samsung says the memory modules are

targeted for use as main memory in high-end PCs.

Chip Research To Hit Big Apple's Capital
A consortium of major chip-makers plans to build a major center for research and development at State University of New York, (SUNY) Albany,a $400 million project. The consortium includes Agere Systems, AMD, HP, IBM, Intel, Motorola and Texas Instruments. The initiative is also expected to create thousands of new jobs for the entire Hudson Valley area. The only other center like this was created by International Sematech, a computer-chip consortium, in the late 1980s in Austin, Texas. New York Gov. George Pataki and the legislature have invested more than $100 million to make the SUNY Albany campus a center for computer chip research, with early work on 300-mm wafers and a "center of excellence" in nanotechnology. IBM has committed $100 million toward the project, in addition to a number of grants from the federal government and other chip-makers.