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 If DDR memory prices have stabilized after strong price cuts in Q1, DDR-2 prices haven’t followed the same path. Since last March 22, 32 MB DDR2-400, 64 MB DDR2-400, 32 MB DDR2-533 and 64 MB DDR-2 533 prices have respectively been reduced by 22, 25, 37 and 39%.
The price of a 32 and 64 MB DDR2-533 chip is now on average $3.6 and $5.5. It is interesting to put this price in perspective price by comparing it to the $2.3 of a DDR-400 chip. The DDR2 is then 56% more expensive than a 32 MB DDR 1, but is only 20% more expensive than a 64 MB one. 64 MB DDR2 chips are a better value than 32 MB chips, but for the DDR1 prices are logically doubled from 32 to 64 MB.
In practice DDR2 memory modules prices haven’t been reduced yet even if it is now possible to find a 512 MB PC2-4200 memory module at 54.3€. For the last month the price cut has only been of 22% and it is still 60% more than a 512 MB PC-3200 memory module. This price gap should be reduced soon with the democratization of these chips. |
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 According to Digitimes, ULi and VIA would be currently in discussion with ATI and NVIDIA to obtain patent rights for NVIDIA SLI and ATI AMR technologies. These technologies couple two graphic cards to provide higher performances. For now, the SLI only works with NVIDIA chipsets and Intel chipsets for workstation. ATI AMR, to be announced within a month, will be compatible with ATI chipsets but also Intel general public chipsets if of course your motherboard features two PCI Express x16 slots and even if PCI-E signals cabled are different in practice (8x+8x or 16x+4x for example).
The thing is that beyond technical aspects, it seems that this technology activation in NVIDIA or ATI drivers is more related to sales considerations. |
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 Samsung today announced the availability of the first Serial ATA II hard drives. This information isn’t however accurate because it is already possible to find the Hitachi T7K250 also Serial ATA II in shops. Hard drives available are the HD080HJ, HD120IJ and HD160JJ 7200 Rpm, they feature respectively 80, 120 and 160 GB capacities and cost $93, $120 and $150.
Marvell has apparently developed the Serial ATA II controller via the 88i6525 which supports the NCQ. Samsung and Marvel made an announcement for this development last October. Just as a reminder, the main Serial ATA II improvement compared to the first version is the two times higher transfer rate of 300 MB/s. It goes without saying that such a transfer rate is completely useless for current hard drives as the best discs transfer rates are 70 MB/s and even if the cache is of course able to reach higher performances.
Samsung uses for this new series 80 GB platters. They features 8 MB of cache and their access time is announced at 8.9 ms. As usual Samsung has emphasized the hard drive noise level with 27 dB(A) in rotation and 31 dB(A) for data access. Samsung hasn’t however specified whether if it was for the one or two platters version. |
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 TSMC, the world's largest contract chip maker working for both ATI and NVIDIA has unveiled today new 65 nm fabrication process. After the 100 million 65 nm transistors functional SRAM chip in April 2004, and several chip prototypes with a logical and a memory part for several clients such as Altera, TSMC is now planning to start the production at the end of the year. With the usual production time, the first chips should be available by the end of Q1 2006. The first 65 nm fabrication process chips to be produced in 2005 will be optimized for low power consumption. High speed versions, used for new graphic cards chips, will be ready during 2006 and will be followed by an intermediate version. A SOI and an ultra high speed version will be out in 2007.
The TSMC 65 nm technology will increase the transistor density per wafer (750 milliard for a 300 mm diameter wafer), reduce production costs but also increase the transistor efficiency. So it will be possible else to increase the transistor speed and/or reduce their power consumption. |
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 The next ProLite H1900 will be a 19” LCD VA 8 ms response time monitor. If you think that it will be the same AU Optronics panel as the ViewSonic VP191b…well you are wrong. This monitor will feature another panel manufactured by Samsung. So, early May there will have two fast VA panels competing.
This monitor features attracting characteristics. 1000:1 contrast ratio, pivot mode, 10 bits color instead of 8, one output to create a wall of monitors (up to four), video connectors (composite)… and the most surprising thing is that the monitor is sold with a Gretag colorimeter for calibration.
The next part is the most painful: the price: The H1900 will be out around mid-may and will cost 659€. It is 100€ more than the VP191b… |
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