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Latest
Company Press Releases |
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Throughout this page we will post the
latest press releases supplied to us
from the major companies relating to the
High-End peripherals and software that we will
sometimes review and test.
Some press releases will contain brief information
only have a direct link to the home page
of the company for the whole press
release. |
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20th Dec 09 |
Performance engineering leaders to meet
at
first
joint ACM/SPEC workshop in San Jose
SAN JOSE, Calif., December 17, 2009
– World leaders in performance
engineering for computing systems will
meet at the first joint workshop of The
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
and the Standard Performance Evaluation
Corp. (SPEC),
January 28-30 in San Jose, California,
USA. Discounted advance registration is
available until December 31 at
http://www.inf.pucrs.br/wosp/.
The joint ACM Workshop on Software and
Performance and SPEC International
Performance Evaluation Workshop (WOSP/SIPEW
2010) will feature four tutorial
sessions and more than two dozen
selected papers from industry and
academia. The program also includes a
panel discussion on future directions in
performance engineering and seven poster
sessions.
David Patterson, the
Pardee Professor of Computer Science at
the University of California at Berkeley,
will present the keynote address,
“Software Knows Best: Portable
Parallelism Requires Standardized
Measurements of Transparent Hardware.”
In addition to the keynote, Jerry Rolia
(HP), Diwakar Krishnamurthy (University
of Calgary) and Giuliano Casale (SAP
Research UK) will present an invited
talk: “BAP: A Benchmark-Driven
Algebraic Method for the Performance
Engineering of Customized Services.”
For more
information
WOSP/SIPEW 2010 is sponsored by ACM
SIGSOFT and ACM SIGMETRICS in
cooperation with SPEC. Siemens is a
corporate sponsor. General chairs for
the conference are Alan Adamson from the
SPEC Board of Directors and Andre Bondi
of Siemens Corporate Research USA.
Program information and registration
fees may be obtained at
http://www.inf.pucrs.br/wosp/. |
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3rd Dec 09 |
SPEC releases Java Enterprise benchmark
New SPECjEnterprise2010 benchmark uses
real-world workload to
characterize full-system performance for
complete Java EE application stack
WARRENTON, Va., December 3, 2009
--
The Standard Performance Evaluation
Corp. (SPEC) has released
SPECjEnterprise2010, a new benchmark
that measures full-system performance
for Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE)
application servers, databases and
supporting infrastructure.
SPECjEnterprise2010 was developed by
SPEC’s Java subcommittee, which includes
AMD, HP, IBM, Intel, Oracle, Red Hat,
SAP, and Sun Microsystems.
Tools to quantify Java EE performance
SPECjEnterprise2010 includes a
real-world workload and features that
stress the capabilities of Java EE 5 or
later application servers, databases,
and supporting software infrastructure
and hardware systems.
Java EE
servers are used by organizations
worldwide to implement applications
utilizing web services, servlets, JSP,
EJB 3.0 and JPA persistence providers.
SPECjEnterprise2010 is a full-system
benchmark, going beyond the Java EE
server to characterize performance for
the complete application stack,
including hardware (servers and
storage), software, operating system and
network.
“Java EE
products make up the core software stack
in many modern e-commerce
implementations and backend processing
systems,” says David Dagastine, SPEC
OSG Java subcommittee chair.
“SPECjEnterprise2010 uses proven SPEC
methodologies to provide a level playing
field on which to test and compare the
latest Java EE hardware and software
platforms.”
Exercising more capabilities
SPECjEnterprise2010 expands
the scope of SPEC’s
SPECjAppServer2004 benchmark to
exercise more capabilities of Java EE
application servers. The new benchmark
tests performance for a representative
Java EE application and each of the
components that make up the application
environment, including hardware,
application server software, JVM
software, database software, JDBC
drivers, and the system network. For
the first time in a standardized
benchmark, SPECjEnterprise2010
quantifies performance for the web
services
interface and JPA ORM engines.
The
SPECjEnterprise2010 workload emulates
information flow among an automotive
dealership, manufacturing domain, supply
chain management, and an order/inventory
system. Load drivers in
SPECjEnterprise2010 access the
application through a web layer
(HTML/HTTP) for the automotive
dealership and through web services
and Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs)
for the manufacturing domain.
Performance is measured in
SPECjEnterprise2010 by a
metric called EjOPS (jEnterprise
Operations Per Second). The metric is
derived by adding the operations per
second in the dealer domain to the work
orders per second in the manufacturing
domain.
Available now
SPECjEnterprise2010 is available
immediately from SPEC for $2,000;
discounts are available for qualified
non-profit and educational institutions.
More information is available at
http://www.spec.org/osg/jEnterprise2010
or through e-mail at
info@spec.org. |
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3rd Nov 09 |
WD®
ENTERS TRADITIONAL ENTERPRISE HDD MARKET
WITH FIRST SAS PRODUCT
WD S25 SAS Hard Drives Provide
High-Reliability and Performance for
Mission-critical Server and Storage
Applications
WD® (NYSE: WDC), known for its hard
disk drive leadership in the desktop,
mobile and consumer marketplaces, today
announced its entry into the traditional
enterprise market segment with volume
production shipments of its first 10,000
RPM, 2.5-inch, small form factor, SAS
interface hard drives. The WD S25
provides up to 300 GB of
high-performance storage suitable for
both mission-critical enterprise server
and enterprise storage applications,
such as high-I/O-driven applications and
configurations, as well as data centres
and large data arrays.
“Our entry into the
traditional-enterprise market continues
the strategic expansion and
diversification of WD’s broad market and
product portfolio, and significantly
increases our addressable revenue
opportunity,” said John Coyne,
president and CEO of WD. “As with our
previous market expansion and
diversification efforts, WD will
approach the traditional enterprise
space with the same focus on quality,
customer service, technology and value
that has earned us strong positions in
every market we serve.”
The WD S25 delivers ultra-high
performance with its 3 Gb/s and 6 Gb/s
SAS interfaces and a sustained
sequential data rate of 128 MB/sec. In
addition to all the speed required to
service any enterprise need, the WD S25
also provides a 1.6 M hour MTBF rating.
The WD S25 is now available to select
OEMs and shipments have begun to the two
largest OEMs in the industry. “We are
thrilled to launch a
mission-critical-class hard drive to
these high-end OEM customers,” said
Tom McDorman, vice president and general
manager of WD’s enterprise storage
solutions business unit. “This new
family of SAS products adds to our
existing large capacity SATA near-line
enterprise product portfolio. This first
product is the foundation upon which we
will expand into the previously untapped
traditional enterprise market.”
More
information about WD S25 enterprise SAS
hard drives may be found on the
company's Web site at
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=677. |
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2nd Nov 09 |
Vienna, November 2nd 2009 - Noctua today
officially presented its long-awaited
NH-D14 premium CPU cooler. Combining a
massive six heatpipe dual radiator
design with an exquisite NF-P14/NF-P12
dual fan configuration, the NH-D14 is
built to further improve the renowned
quiet cooling performance of Noctua's
award-winning NH-U12P series.
"Our NH-U12P coolers are widely
regarded as one of the best solutions on
the market, so it makes us especially
proud that we can offer a further
substantial improvement in quiet cooling
performance with the new NH-D14",
explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO.
"The NH-D14 in Ultra-Low-Noise mode
actually outperforms the NH-U12P at full
fan speed, so we're confident that this
cooler will appeal to overclockers and
silent enthusiasts alike."
Providing more surface area, better
heat-distribution and superior airflow
efficiency than conventional tower style
heatsinks, the NH-D14's six heatpipe
dual radiator design was developed to
provide ultimate quiet cooling
performance with the supplied NF-P14
(140mm) and NF-P12 (120mm) fans. Both
fans feature Vortex-Control Notches, SCD
technology and SSO-Bearings in order to
achieve a perfect balance of performance
and quietness.
The NH-D14's asymmetrical design gives
more clearance towards the RAM slots and
thus ensures good compatibility despite
of the cooler's size.
Hanging out at the bottom of the
fin-stacks, the NF-P14 fan doesn't only
contribute to the NH-D14's superb CPU
cooling capabilities but also provides
massive airflow over surrounding
motherboard components and heatsinks.
Topped off with a tube of Noctua's
award-winning NT-H1 thermal compound as
well as the new SecuFirm2™ multi-socket
mounting system (LGA1366, LGA1156,
LGA775, AM2, AM2+ and AM3), the NH-D14
is an elite choice for the highest
demands in premium quality quiet
cooling.
Price and availability. The
NH-D14 will be available by mid-November
at a recommended retail price of EUR
74.90 / USD 84.90.
A snapshot of the effective NH-D14
Heatsink fan below |
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15th Oct 2009 |
Corsair® Gets
Tough on Storage with New 64GB Flash
Survivor™ USB Drive
FREMONT, Calif., Oct. 15, 2009
—
Corsair,
a worldwide leader in high-performance
computer memory, power supplies and
flash memory products, including
solid-state drives, today announced the
new 64GB Flash Survivor USB drive, the
most rugged high-capacity flash drive on
the market.
Corsair’s ultra-durable Flash Survivor
USB drives have proven extremely popular
with consumers thanks to their
super-strong, CNC-milled, aircraft-grade
aluminium casing, which makes them
practically indestructible. Each drive
is also fitted with a molded,
shock-dampening collar and EPDM seal,
which provides water-resistance to a
depth of 200 meters. In independent
reviews, the Flash Survivor has been
dropped, baked, boiled, encased in ice,
zapped in a microwave and even run over
by an SUV, yet it still came back for
more!
The 64GB Flash Survivor boasts the same
ultra-rugged credentials, with the added
benefit of high storage capacity and
higher performance compared to most
other 64GB flash drives currently
available.
“The new 64GB Flash Survivor takes
the industry’s most popular rugged USB
drive and takes it to the next level,
with a huge amount of storage space,
plus best-in-class performance,”
said Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing for
Corsair. “The 64GB Survivor is
ideal for storing and transporting your
music, videos, pictures and other
important files, safe in the knowledge
that your data will be safeguarded
inside the Survivor’s protective shell.”
The 64GB Survivor’s ruggedness and high
capacity also makes it ideal for use as
a super-secure data backup device, in
combination with backup products, such
as Corsair’s
Flash Voyager™ Port.
Combining the 64GB Survivor with the
Disaster Recovery
feature of the NovaBACKUP software
bundled with the Flash Voyager Port
creates a near disaster-proof backup
solution.
The Corsair 64GB Flash Survivor is
available immediately through Corsair’s
worldwide authorized dealer channel.
Each drive is bundled with a USB
extension cable and dog tags, and is
backed by a 10-year limited warranty and
comprehensive customer support via
telephone, email, forum and the
Tech Support Express helpdesk. |
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13th Oct 2009 |
WD®
UNVEILS WD TV™ LIVE HD MEDIA PLAYER WITH
NETWORK CAPABILITY AND ENHANCED USER
EXPERIENCE
Consumers Can Stream HD Content from
USB Drives, Network Drives and Popular
Internet Sites
to Their Big Screen TVs
WD®
(NYSE: WDC), the world’s leader in
external storage solutions,
today introduced the
WD TV Live HD media player
featuring network capability and Full-HD
1080p resolution. The new WD TV Live HD
media player makes it easy for anyone to
play HD (high definition) videos stored
on USB and network drives, as well as
Internet content from popular Web sites,
on the biggest screen in their home --
their HD television. Building on the
success of the
WD TV HD media player,
the WD TV Live HD media player offers a
new, more responsive interface to help
consumers enjoy a world of digital
content in their living room, without a
computer.
The
network capability of the WD TV Live
media player enables users to stream or
transfer movies from PC or Mac®
computers or a network-attached storage
device such as
WD’s My Book® World Edition™ and WD
ShareSpace
network drives to their HD TVs. The WD
TV Live media player also allows users
to stream rich content from YouTube™ and
Flickr®. The HD onscreen menu brings
together all of the users’ available
media in an elegant and
simple-to-navigate interface.
Like the popular first-generation WD TV
HD media player introduced last autumn,
the WD TV Live media player connects
directly to a users’ HD TV and plays
almost any file stored on a connected
USB drive such as My Passport™ portable
drive. The WD TV Live media player
features powerful media processing,
which enables playback in Full-HD 1080p
resolution. WD TV Live media player also
will play movies and photos stored on
other popular USB devices such as
digital camcorders and digital cameras.
“The media enthusiast community has
embraced the first WD TV HD media player
and given us tremendous feedback,”
said Dale Pistilli, vice president of
marketing for WD’s branded products
group. “With the new WD TV Live
media player we’re giving them what they
asked for -- network connectivity and
Internet-content streaming capabilities
-- and offering them a simple way to
enjoy all of their digital media and
enjoy it on their HD TVs.”
Pricing and Availability
The WD TV
Live Media Player is available now at
select retailers and online at
www.shopwd.co.uk.
Covered by a 2-year limited warranty,
the MSRP for WD TV Live Media Player is
£119.90. |
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9th Sept 2009 |
WD® SHIPS 640 GB
NOTEBOOK HARD DRIVES
New
Mobile Drives Offer High Capacity and
Low Power Consumption For Mainstream
Notebook Computers
WD® (NYSE: WDC) today announced that it
has commenced volume shipments of its
9.5 mm high, 2.5-inch notebook hard
drives with 640 GB capacity. The WD
Scorpio® Blue™ 640 GB hard drives
utilise 320 GB-per-platter technology
and are designed for mainstream notebook
computers. The WD Scorpio Blue 640 GB is
the highest capacity 2.5-inch hard drive
available today in the industry-standard
9.5 mm, 2-disk form factor.
The new WD Scorpio Blue 640 GB drive has
a 30 percent reduction in overall power
consumption from the previous generation
WD Scorpio Blue drive to achieve
best-in-class power and performance ,
making it an ideal solution for notebook
computers and other portable devices
that require extended battery life and
cool, quiet operation.
“WD continues to provide the market
with industry-leading capacity points so
consumers and business professionals can
take advantage of the ever increasing
need to store rich media content, such
as high resolution photos, HD videos and
music,” said Jim Morris, WD's vice
president and general manager of client
systems. “Our industry-leading power
efficiency, achieved without compromise
to performance, is a further example of
the added features and value that our
customers have come to expect from WD.”
Features of the WD Scorpio Blue
include:
• WhisperDrive™ - WD's exclusive
WhisperDrive technology combines
state-of-the-art seeking algorithms to
produce one of the quietest 2.5-inch
drives available;
• ShockGuard™ - Leading-edge ShockGuard
technology combines firmware and
hardware advancements to meet the
highest combined shock tolerance
specifications required for mobile and
notebook applications; and,
• IntelliSeek™ - A unique feature,
IntelliSeek technology calculates
optimum seek speeds to lower power
consumption, noise and vibration. For a
demonstration on IntelliSeek, visit the
WD Web site at http://www.wdc.com/en/flash/index.asp?family=intelliseek
Price and Availability
WD Scorpio Blue 640 GB (model
WD6400BEVT) hard drives are shipping now
through select distributors and
resellers. Manufacturer’s Suggested
Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD Scorpio
Blue 640 GB is £88.00 + VAT. WD Scorpio
Blue hard drives are covered by a
three-year limited warranty. More
information about WD Scorpio Blue mobile
hard drives may be found on the
company's Web site at http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=683 |
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27th
July 2009 |
Western Digital SHIPS INDUSTRY’S
FIRST 1 TB MOBILE HARD DRIVE
New Drives Offer the Highest
Capacities to Date For Mobile
Storage Applications and Notebooks
WD (NYSE: WDC) today announced two
new mobile hard drives that reach
new capacity extremes. The highlight
is a one terabyte model – the
industry’s highest-capacity
available 2.5-inch drive.
Industry-leading 333 GB-per-platter
technology enables the new WD
Scorpio® Blue™ SATA 2.5-inch hard
drives to offer mobile storage
device and notebook users an
enormous 1 TB capacity. A 750 GB WD
Scorpio Blue model also will be
available.
The WD Scorpio Blue 750 GB and 1 TB
hard drives have a 12.5 mm form
factor and are ideally suited for
use in portable storage solutions,
such as the newly released My
Passport™ Essential™ SE Portable USB
Drives. Other applications include
select notebooks and small form
factor desktop PCs, where quiet and
cool operation are important. Both
WD Scorpio Blue drives deliver
high-performance with 3 gigabits per
second (Gb/s) transfer rate.
“The convergence of the growing
mobile computing and digital media
trends produces demand for
desktop-like capacities in portable
devices,” said Jim Morris,
senior vice president and general
manager of client systems at WD.
“Our new WD Scorpio Blue drives
enable people to take even more of
their digital collections with them
wherever they go and, realising the
value of their data, back up their
notebooks on their My Passport
drives.”
WD Scorpio Blue hard drives offer
high-performance, low power
consumption and cool operation in
portable applications. They are
designed with WD features to be
reliable and shock resistant while
also delivering industry-leading
capacity and performance.
WD Scorpio Blue Features
WhisperDrive™ - WD's exclusive
WhisperDrive technology combines
state-of-the-art seeking algorithms
to produce one of the quietest
2.5-inch drives available.
ShockGuard™ - Leading-edge
ShockGuard technology combines
firmware and hardware advancements
to meet the highest combined shock
tolerance specifications required
for mobile and notebook
applications.
SecurePark™ - Parks the recording
heads off the disk surface during
spin up, spin down and when the
drive is off. This ensures the
recording head never touches the
disk surface, resulting in improved
long-term reliability due to less
head wear and improved shock
tolerance.
Price and Availability
WD Scorpio Blue 750 GB drives (model
WD7500KEVT) are available now
through select distributors and
resellers; the 1 TB capacity (model
WD10TEVT) is available now
configured into My Passport
Essential SE USB drives. The
manufacturer’s suggested retail
price (MSRP) for the WD Scorpio Blue
1 TB drive is Euro 205 and for the
750 GB version it is Euro 140. WD
Scorpio Blue hard drives are covered
by a three-year limited warranty
750 GB and 1 TB models are 12.5
mm high and may not be
compatible with all notebook
systems. Consult system
specifications for maximum
allowable drive height before
attempting to install.

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21st
July 09 |
Lexar Media Announces Next Generation
Crucial Solid-State Drive Products
New M225 Solid-State Drive Series Boasts
Read Speeds up to 250MB/sec and Write
Speeds up to 200MB/sec
Crucial®
M225 Solid-State Drive (SSD) Key
Messages:
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Fastest, highest
capacity Crucial SSD's to date
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Available in
capacities of 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB
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Featuring an industry
standard 2.5-inch form factor, and a
SATA 2.0 (3Gb/s) interface
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Excellent alternative
to the traditional hard drive –
quieter, cooler, and more durable
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Fully compatible with
the
Crucial SK01
External Drive Storage kit
FREMONT,
Calif. & GLASGOW, United Kingdom 20th
July 2009
- Lexar Media, a leading global provider
of memory products for digital media,
today announced its revved-up line of
Crucial solid-state drive (SSD) products
– the fastest, highest capacity Crucial
SSD's to date. The most dramatic change
in this new generation of Crucial SSD's
is the blazing-fast read and write
speeds. The flagship 256GB Crucial M225
SSD screams at an impressive 250MB/sec
read speed and a 200MB/sec write speed.
The new Crucial SSD's enhance system
performance by improving operating
system boot and application load times.
They also utilize a SATA 2.0 (3Gb/s)
interface and feature MLC NAND flash
components housed in an industry
standard 2.5-inch drive enclosure,
making a Crucial M225 SSD easy to
install.
“By
upgrading their system with a
solid-state drive, mobile computer users
will enjoy a faster, more rugged system
with storage built for mobility. The
fact that SSD's don’t have any moving
parts makes Crucial solid-state drives
quieter, cooler, and more durable than
traditional hard drives,” said Robert
Wheadon, Lexar Media’s senior worldwide
product marketing manager.
The benefits
of an SSD aren't limited to notebooks;
the Crucial SK01 External Drive Storage
Kit (sold separately) is compatible with
all three Crucial M225 solid-state drive
products. This innovative device
delivers the benefits of SSD technology
to a user’s desktop, or as a portable
storage device via a USB port. The kit
includes a 2.5-inch USB 2.0 external
enclosure, a 3.5-inch SATA 3Gb/s
hot-swappable drive bay, and a 5.25-inch
drive bay bracket. The Crucial SK01 kit
comes with a five year limited warranty.
Visit
www.crucial.com/ssd,
www.crucial.com/uk/ssd, or
www.crucial.com/eu/ssd to take
advantage of free online tools, such as
the Crucial SSD Advisor tool, which
allows customers to find a compatible
SSD simply by choosing their system make
and model from a drop-down menu.
Additionally, an online flash-based
installation guide demonstrates how easy
it is to install a Crucial M225 SSD.
Crucial SSD's are
available in 64GB (currently
$169.99/£104.99/€120.99), 128GB
(currently $329.99/£201.99/€143.99), and
256GB (currently
$599.99/£367.99/€424.99) capacities
online at
www.crucial.com/ssd,
www.crucial.com/uk/ssd, or
www.crucial.com/eu/ssd, and through
select channel partners. The new Crucial
SSD's also feature a five year limited
warranty.
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8th
July 2009 |
SPECapc
releases Autodesk Maya 2009 benchmark
WARRENTON, Va., July 8, 2009 –
SPEC’s Application Performance
Characterization (SPECapc) project group
has released new performance evaluation
software for systems running Autodesk
Maya 2009 software. Autodesk Maya 2009
is an integrated 3D modeling, animation,
visual effects and rendering solution.
SPECapc for Maya 2009 was developed in
close cooperation with Autodesk, the
first independent software vendor to
join the SPECapc project group.
“This
is the first of what we hope will be
many collaborations with Autodesk as an
ISV member of SPECapc,”
says Dan Bennett, SPECapc chair.
“Membership in SPECapc enables ISVs to
work more interactively with us to
develop benchmarks that directly benefit
their customers.”
SPECapc
for Maya 2009 contains a major new
workload – an animated toy store scene
donated by AMD – as well as upgrades to
the workloads found in SPECapc for Maya
6.5. Nearly 40 individual tests are run
on five workload models to reflect the
processes used to model, animate and
render scenes in Autodesk Maya 2009. A
particular emphasis is placed on testing
performance for large texture sizes and
multiple viewports.
Available now
SPECapc
for Maya 2009 is available for free
downloading on the SPEC web site:
www.spec.org/gwpg. It is
available currently for Microsoft
Windows XP and Vista 32- and 64-bit
platforms. Because of the workload
changes, results from SPECapc for Maya
2009 cannot be compared to those from
previous SPECapc Maya benchmarks.
The SPECapc group also provides free
benchmarks for systems running Autodesk
3ds Max 9, NewTek LightWave 3D v9.6, PTC
Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0, SolidWorks
2007, and Solid Edge V19 and NX 4 from
Siemens PLMS.
About SPECapc
SPECapc
was formed in 1997 to address
performance evaluation based on popular
workstation applications. Current
members include AMD, Autodesk, Dell,
Fujitsu Limited, Hewlett-Packard, Intel,
Lenovo, NEC and NVIDIA. SPECapc is part
of the Standard Performance Evaluation
Corp. (SPEC), a non-profit corporation
formed to establish, maintain and
endorse a standardized set of relevant
benchmarks that can be applied to the
newest generation of computers. For
more information, visit:
www.spec.org. |
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16th
June 2009 |
WD® (NYSE:
WDC) today announced that it has begun
shipping its new SiliconDrive® III SSD
product family based on technology from
its March 2009 acquisition of
SiliconSystems. The company’s new
SiliconDrive III products feature faster
read/write speeds and increased
capacities, and offer mechanical
scalability, making them a perfect
storage solution for embedded system and
data streaming applications such as
multimedia content delivery systems and
data centre media appliances.
SiliconDrive III SSDs include 2.5-inch
Serial ATA (SATA) and Parallel ATA (PATA)
and 1.8-inch Micro SATA products
featuring native SATA 3.0 gigabits per
second (Gbps) or ATA-7 interfaces with
target read speeds up to 100 megabytes
per second (MBps) and write speeds to 80
MBps in capacities up to 120 gigabytes
(GB).
“SiliconDrive III is the first
example of how WD plans to productise
solid state technology developed by
SiliconSystems. The launch of
SiliconDrive III will also enable WD to
leverage its global sales and
distribution channels to accelerate the
adoption of SSD technology beyond
SiliconSystems’ traditional embedded
systems OEM customer base into data
streaming applications such as
multimedia content delivery systems and
data centre media appliances,” said
Michael Hajeck, senior vice president
and general manager of WD’s solid state
storage business unit. “SiliconDrive
III is an ideal solution for OEMs that
require increased performance, capacity,
reliability and data throughput in their
applications.”
SiliconDrive III has been designed and
optimised for high performance and high
reliability in demanding 24x7
applications in the embedded systems,
media appliance and data streaming
markets. Performance and reliability is
achieved through the integration of the
company’s patented and patent-pending
advanced storage technologies in every
SiliconDrive III product. The company’s
patented and patent-pending PowerArmor®,
SiSMART® and SolidStor® technologies
address critical OEM design
considerations such as the elimination
of drive corruption due to power
anomalies, the ability to monitor a
SiliconDrive’s useable life in real-time
and integrated advanced storage
technologies that ensure data integrity
and SSD life for multi-year product
deployments.
Web site at http://www.wdc.com/en/products/index.asp?cat=21 |
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7th
June 09 |
New SPECweb2009 benchmark
adds ability to measure power
consumption of web servers.
WARRENTON, Va., June 5,
2009 - The
Standard Performance Evaluation Corp.
(SPEC) has released SPECweb2009, new
software that adds the ability to
measure power consumption to the
worldwide standard for web server
performance evaluation. SPEC members
active in developing the benchmark
include AMD, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Intel and
Sun Microsystems.
SPECweb2009 replaces SPECweb2005, and
results are not comparable to its
predecessor. In addition to the three
workloads in SPECweb2005 representing
banking, ecommerce and support,
SPECweb2009 provides a power workload
with a measurement methodology taken
from the SPECpower group. Workloads in
SPECweb2009 uncover key components that
constitute a good, secure web server,
including LAN performance, processing
power, memory bandwidth, storage, and
power usage.
Adding power to the equation
"We've responded to industry requests to
provide a standardized method of
including power measurement in the web
server performance equation," says Rema
Hariharan, chair of the SPECweb project
committee. "This continues the SPEC
tradition of delivering the most
objective and representative benchmarks
for measuring performance, and now
power, for the newest generation of web
servers."
The new power workload in SPECweb2009 is
based on the ecommerce workload run at
six different load levels. Testing
begins at the maximum number of
connections used in the ecommerce
workload and ramps down to idle. Each
load level is run for a period of 10
minutes. The new benchmark also
separates results using PHP scripts from
those using JSP.
The
metrics, called SPECweb2009_JSP_Power
and SPECweb2009_PHP_Power, are a
performance-to-power ratio representing
the sum of simultaneous user sessions
for total watts used.
The
banking, ecommerce and support workloads
in SPECweb2009 measure peak performance
as the maximum number of simultaneous
user sessions that a web server is able
to support while meeting specific
throughput and error-rate requirements.
Unlike SPECweb2005, there is no
normalization of the scores against a
reference platform. Metrics called
SPECweb2009_JSP_peak and
SPECweb2009_PHP_peak consolidate the
geometric mean of results from the three
workloads. The geometric mean of the
average power consumed in watts while
running these workloads is reported
alongside the performance metric.
Available now
SPECweb2009 is available now on CD-ROM
for $1,600 for new licensees, $800 for
upgrades, and $400 for eligible
non-profit organizations. To order,
contact the SPEC office: phone:
540-349-7878; fax: 540-349-5992; e-mail:
info@spec.org; web:
www.spec.org. |
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21st
May 09 |
Golden
Era for Supermicro Green Storage
Solutions
Gold Level (93%+
efficiency*) 1200-watt Redundant Power
Supplies
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 21, 2009
- Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:
SMCI), a leader in
application-optimized, high-performance
server solutions, today announced that
its latest generation of enhanced,
high-capacity storage chassis with Gold
Level certified 1200-watt redundant
power supplies are shipping in volume.
These chassis feature Supermicro's
advanced cooling subsystem designs to
deliver optimal system efficiency and
TCO by reducing customers' energy bills. |
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A pioneer
of high-efficiency server technology,
Supermicro has been leading the way with
the most efficient systems
systems for years. As the APAC chair of
the Climate Savers Computing Initiative,
the company has successfully encouraged
others within the industry to improve,
too. Enabling these new 93%+ power
supplies has re-established Supermicro
as the true leader in producing the
industry's most energy-efficient
systems.
"We are ushering in a golden era in
storage solutions by upgrading our
high-capacity storage chassis with Gold
Level certified 1200-watt
high-efficiency power supplies," said
Charles Liang, CEO and president,
Supermicro. "In addition to saving
enterprises hundreds of dollars per
system on their energy bills, these
solutions also help preserve the
environment. This new generation of 1U,
2U, 3U and 4U storage chassis feature
optimized iPass connectivity, fully
redundant power supplies with PMBus™
functionality for superior power
management, SES-2 features and enhanced
hard drive trays, as well as 100%
recyclable, palletized packaging."
Supermicro's new SC826A-R1200LPB storage
chassis supports 12 hot-swap SAS/SATA
drives in 2U and up to seven low-profile
add-on cards. The SC836A-R1200B and
SC936A-R1200B chassis both feature 16
hot-swap SAS/SATA drive bays in 3U with
support for seven full-size add-on
cards. With 24 hot-swap SAS/SATA drive
bays (and up to two internal drives) in
4U, the new SC846A-R1200B is a reliable
and maintenance-free storage workhorse
that also supports seven full-size
add-on cards. For 2.5" storage,
Supermicro's 1U SC113 chassis support
eight hard drives, while its 2U SC213A
and SC216A series chassis support 16 and
24 hard drives, respectively.
These new chassis, with iPass
connectivity mapping four drives per
cable for hassle-free maintenance, are
optimized for direct-attach storage
solutions. They support both 3Gbps and
6Gbps SAS interfaces for high-bandwidth
storage applications. When combined with
Supermicro's wide selection of network
and storage controller cards, these
systems are ideal for SAN or NAS as well
as Cloud-based storage, SaaS, disaster
recovery, and iSCSI solutions.
All of these chassis flexibly support
both uni-processor (UP) and
dual-processor (DP) motherboards and
feature optimized hard drive signal
trace routing and improved hard drive
tray designs to dampen vibrations and
maximize drive performance. Another
unique Supermicro advantage is 100%
cooling redundancy; even if an internal
cooling fan fails, these systems will
continue operating without any
performance loss. In addition,
heavy-duty palletized packaging is
standard on these 1200-watt series
chassis to ensure secure system
reliability during shipping, and
tool-less, roller rail designs for easy
installation and maintenance come
standard.
Supermicro Server Building Block
Solutions® offer exceptional flexibility
and outstanding feature advantages. For
more information on Supermicro's
complete line of server and workstation
solutions go to
www.Supermicro.com
About Super Micro Computer, Inc.
(NASDAQ: SMCI)
Established in 1993, Supermicro
emphasizes superior product design and
uncompromising quality control to
produce industry-leading serverboards,
chassis and server systems. These Server
Building Block Solutions provide
benefits across many environments,
including data center deployment,
high-performance computing, high-end
workstations, storage networks and
standalone server installations. For
more information on Supermicro’s
complete line of advanced motherboards,
SuperServers, and optimized chassis,
visit
www.Supermicro.com, email
Marketing@Supermicro.com or
call the San Jose, CA headquarters at +1
408-503-8000.
SMCI-F
Supermicro and Server Building Block
Solutions are registered trademarks of
Super Micro Computer, Inc. Other names,
brands and trademarks are the property
of their respective owners.
* Peak power efficiency figures based on
internal test results. |
|
14th
May 09 |
Supermicro Creates Dual GPU, 1U Server
Architecture
World's Fastest Non-Blocking PCI-E Gen2
GPU Product Line to be Unveiled
SAN
JOSE, Calif., May 13, 2009
- Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:
SMCI), a leader in
application-optimized, high performance
server solutions, announced today that
it has designed a new, non-blocking
architecture for 1U multi-GPU (graphics
processing unit) systems. Supermicro is
rolling out an entire family of GPU
systems, starting with a 1U server that
integrates two enterprise-class GPUs as
well as 2U/4-GPU and 4U/4-GPU models.
Strategic customer sampling is beginning
now with production expected in early
June.
"To address the requirements for this
emerging high-performance,
highly-parallel computing segment,
Supermicro has developed the world's
first truly optimized GPU servers,"
said
Charles Liang, CEO and President of
Supermicro.
"Advancements such as multiple x16
non-blocking native Gen2 PCI-Express
connectivity, highly reliable thermal
optimization, and industry-leading power
efficiency establish Supermicro as a
global IT hardware leader in
architecture, performance and green
computing. These platforms feature new
Gold level (93% efficiency) power
subsystems and deliver breakthrough
performance-per-watt."
This new family of highly parallel,
multi-core, multi-GPU systems is an
exceptional choice for a wide range of
graphics and computationally intensive
applications in fields like medical
imaging, oil and gas exploration,
quantum chemistry, financial simulation,
3D ultrasound and astrophysics. In
general, these system are expected to
make the fastest teraflop clusters much
more affordable and accessible for
researchers throughout the world. |
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15th April 09 |
SPEC delivers blade server
power-performance metric
SPEC introduces new capabilities with
SPECpower_ssj2008 V1.10
WARRENTON,
Va., April 8, 2009 --
The Standard
Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC) has
released SPECpower_ssj2008 V1.10, the
latest version of the only
industry-standard benchmark that
measures power consumption in relation
to performance
for server-class computers.
The
major new feature in SPECpower_ssj2008
V1.10 is support for measuring
multi-node servers. Other new features
further automate power measurement,
including support for multiple power
analyzers. In addition, a visual
activity monitor (VAM) provides a
real-time graphic display of data
collected while running the benchmark.
"With this release, SPEC is
responding to market demand to measure
power and performance for blade
servers,"
says Klaus-Dieter Lange, chair of the
SPECpower committee.
"It further extends the benchmark as a
comprehensive tool that assists IT
managers in deploying energy-efficient
data centers."
SPECpower_ssj2008 is both a benchmark
and a flexible toolset that generates
customized loads allowing site-specific,
in-depth analysis of server efficiency.
Results from the latest version of the
benchmark will be comparable to V1.00
and V1.01, although the previous
versions are limited to
measuring
one server at a time.
Extending an industry milestone
"The first version of SPECpower was a
milestone for the computing industry and
V1.10 significantly extends the
benchmark’s functionality," says Andrew
Fanara, director of the Energy Star
Product Specifications Development Team
for the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). "We will continue to work with
the SPECpower committee on future Energy
Star initiatives."
Kirk Cameron, director of the Scalable
Performance Laboratory (SCAPE) at
Virginia Tech and a pioneer in green
computing technologies, sees
SPECpower_ssj2008 V1.10 as an important
tool for data center analysis.
"The latest SPECpower benchmark
provides the kind of customization that
will enable IT managers to analyze
power-performance trade-offs and make
better-informed server choices," says
Cameron.
SPEC member companies active in
developing SPECpower_ssj2008 V1.10
include AMD, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Intel,
IBM, and Sun Microsystems.
About the benchmark
SPECpower_ssj2008 reports power
consumption for servers at different
performance levels -- from 100-percent
to idle in 10-percent segments -- over a
set period of time. The graduated
workload recognizes the fact that
processing loads and power consumption
on servers vary substantially over the
course of days or weeks. To compute a
power-performance metric across all
levels, measured transaction throughputs
for each segment are added together,
then divided by the sum of the average
power consumed for each segment. The
result is a figure of merit called
"overall ssj_ops/watt."
The benchmark workload represents
typical server-side Java business
applications. The workload is scalable,
multi-threaded, portable across a wide
range of operating environments, and
economical to run. It exercises CPUs,
caches, memory hierarchy, and the
scalability of shared memory processors
(SMPs), as well as implementations of
the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), JIT
(just in time) compiler, garbage
collection, threads, and some aspects of
the operating system.
Available immediately
SPECpower_ssj2008 V1.10 is available
immediately from SPEC for $1,600;
discounts are available for qualified
non-profit and educational institutions.
The price includes benchmark support
worldwide and future maintenance
releases. Free upgrades will be
distributed to current SPECpower_ssj2008
customers. More details and order
information are available at
www.spec.org/specpower or
through e-mail at
info@spec.org. |
|
6th April 09 |
SPECapc releases new Lightwave 3D®
benchmark
WARRENTON, Va., April 6, 2009
-- SPEC’s Application Performance
Characterization (SPECapc) project group
has released new performance evaluation
software for systems running NewTek
LightWave 3D® v9.6 software. LightWave™
is a complete modeling, rendering and
animation solution used worldwide for
visual effects in television, film,
broadcast graphics, games,
visualization, print and web.
SPECapc for LightWave v9.6, developed in
cooperation with NewTek, provides
realistic workloads that simulate a
typical LightWave 3D workflow. Models
ranging up to 1.75 million polygons
represent such applications as 3D
character animation, architectural
review, and industrial design. Scores
for individual workloads are composited
under three categories: interactive,
render and multitask.
The benchmark puts special emphasis on
processes that benefit from
multi-threaded computing, such as
animation, OpenGL playback,
deformations, and high-end rendering
that includes ray tracing, radiosity,
complex textures and volumetric
lighting.
"We at NewTek are proud of being chosen
as a standard to determine the actual
performance of any hardware system and
to have LightWave included in the
respected SPECapc suite of benchmarking
tools for computationally intensive
applications," says Jay Roth, president,
3D Division, NewTek. "Congratulations to
all -- this is great work and provides a
valuable industry metric."
"We are excited to deliver a benchmark
with such a complete representation of a
LightWave v9.6 workflow," says Dan
Bennett, SPECapc chair. "Our thanks to
NewTek for its cooperation and input
throughout the development process."
Available now
SPECapc for LightWave 3D
v9.6 is available for free downloading
on the SPEC web site:
www.spec.org/gwpg. It is available
currently for Microsoft Windows XP and
Vista 32- and 64-bit platforms. A Mac
OS X version is planned for the near
future. |
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