Intel Haswell's idle states reportedly won't play well with some power supplies

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/01/intel-haswell-idle-states-reportedly-dislike-some-psus/

One of the staples of Intel's upcoming Haswell processor architecture is its support for lower-power idle states that can rival tablet chips in power consumption, even on the desktop. However, that may come with a big caveat for budget and custom-built PCs: certain power supplies might not cut it. VR-Zone claims that those idle states require as little as 0.05 amps of current, which could be too nuanced for older or cut-rate supplies that deliver power in bigger clumps. That might not be a problem for companies building complete PCs, but Corsair's Robert Pearce tells The Tech Report that it may lead to a lot of motherboard builders playing it safe by disabling those specific modes by default. Many of us, in turn, would either have to buy a fresh supply or toggle the power-saving options ourselves. We've reached out to Intel to verify the truth, but it may be wisest to make a cleaner break from the past with any near-term upgrades.

Filed under: Desktops, Intel

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Via: TechSpot

Source: VR-Zone, The Tech Report

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MiiPC offers backers double the memory for $15, throws in a free mic

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/01/miipc-memory/

With a week left in an already successful Kickstarter campaign (approaching three times its initial $50,000 goal), the makers of the MiiPC are giving backers the chance to increase their system's memory. Add $15 before the close of the project and you'll be able to double things up, from 1GB to 2GB of RAM and 4GB to 8GB of storage -- the move comes in response to pledger feedback, according to the company. And speaking of listening, the makers of the parental-friendly Android PC are also tossing in a free built-in mic for those who pre-ordered, just for good measure.

Filed under: Desktops

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Samsung announces NX2000 Smart camera: 20.3MP, NFC, WiFi, 3.7-inch touchscreen, $650 with a 20-50mm

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/01/samsung-nx2000/

If you've been torn between Samsung's NX300 and NX1000 mirrorless cameras, you should know the company has officially split the difference with its new NX2000. While it likely won't sway NEX-3N lovers away from Sony, the $650 NX2000 is a Benjamin more than Sammy's lower-end NX1000 and packs the same 3D-capable DRIMe IV processor and NFC functionality as the pricier NX300 -- not to mention the 20.3-megapixel APC-S sensor seen across the line. The differentiating factor from its siblings is the Galaxy camera-like 3.7-inch, 1,152k-dot touchscreen (fixed) on back, rather than the usual assortment of rear buttons. Similar to the 300, the ISO range is 100 to 25,600, maximum JPG burst rate is 8fps and video tops out at 1080p HD (30fps instead of 60, however). Unfortunately, the autofocus is only contrast-detection, but Samsung is steadfast to claim that it's one of the fastest to the draw against the competition.

As you'd expect, this shooter features WiFi (single band) for the likes of interfacing with AllShare Play and a Galaxy tablet or smartphone and a MicroSD card slot for easier transferability. Sure, it's not the most exciting update to Samsung's camera line, but it's clearly a big leap up from the NX1000 -- on paper, anyway. The NX2000 will be available soon in your choice of white, black or pink and comes bundled with Adobe Lightroom 4, a 20-50mm lens and a hotshoe-powered flash. Grab more looks at the gallery below and hit the press release after the break for all the technical details.

Filed under: Cameras

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Mophie Juice Pack for the HTC One now available

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/30/mophie-juice-pack-htc-one/

If you picked up an HTC One and found that its battery isn't quite cutting it, Mophie may have a solution for your dilemma. The accessory maker is now offering its popular extended battery line for HTC's crown jewel. In addition to its slim protective casing, the freshly minted Juice Pack keeps the party going with an embedded 2,500mAh backup cell. Mophie claims that its added pick me up can increase the One's battery life by two-fold, placing its performance on a par with the marathon-ready RAZR MAXX HD. Available in two colors to match whichever hue you're sporting, the $100 Juice Pack is a surprisingly attractive backup plan for HTC's aluminum marvel.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

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Source: Mophie

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Sequoia supercomputer breaks simulation speed record, 41 times over

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/30/sequoia-supercomputer-breaks-simulation-speed-record/

While we've seen supercomputers break records before, rarely have we seen the barrier smashed quite so thoroughly as by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Sequoia supercomputer. Researchers at both LLNL and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have used planet-scale calculations on the Blue Gene/Q-based cluster to set an all-time simulation speed record of 504 billion events per second -- a staggering 41 times better than the 2009 record of 12.2 billion. The partnership also set a record for parallelism, too, by making the supercomputer's 1.97 million cores juggle 7.86 million tasks at once. If there's a catch to that blistering performance, it's not knowing if Sequoia reached its full potential. LLNL and RPI conducted their speed run during an integration phase, when Sequoia could be used for public experiments; now that it's running classified nuclear simulations, we can only guess at what's possible.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

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