The Engineer Guy Explains What Really Goes On Inside Hard Drives

URL: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/06/the-engineering-guy-explains-what-really-goes-on-inside-hard-drives/

Ever wondered how a hard drive works? I mean, we know it has something to do with frikkin’ magnets, but how do they work? Luckily, the Engineer Guy is here to explain, and also to help you spend five minutes not working on a Friday afternoon. Learn about arms, actuators, heads and Lorentz forces. And learn how on Earth you store ones and zeros on a spinning magnetic disk.

What amazes me is the combination of extremely simple principles, along with insanely difficult engineering to make it actually happen. It also makes me much less likely to pick up my laptop and plunk it back down without putting it to sleep first. I love, you, HDD, but cheap SSDs can’t come soon enough.

Hard drive teardown [The Engineer Guy / YouTube]

See Also:

• Toshiba's Self Erasing Drive Wipes Itself Instantly
• Old Hard Drives Get Sculpted Into Cars, Bikes, Robots

Novo Monitor Sony PlayStation 3

URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/digitaldrops/~3/Gusf3bResrw/story01.htm

A Sony anunciou um monitor 3D projetado especialmente para o console de games PlayStation 3.

O PlayStation 3D Display é um monitor LCD 1080p com 24 polegadas e tecnologia 3D de ponta e até aí nada de muito especial, a grande diferença mesmo é uma nova função para jogos em dupla que acaba com a divisão da tela! Cada jogador, usando óculos 3D, vê a sua visão na tela inteira. Isso além de ser muito maneiro vai mudar totalmente qualidade da imersão nos jogos multiplayer!

O monitor PlayStation 3D Display deve custar US$500 e será lançado nos EUA ainda em 2011.

Veja outros monitores aqui no Digital Drops.

Via Acquire.

Antec Sonata IV vs. Progress: Round Four

URL: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4440/antec-sonata-iv-the-steady-march-of-progress

Reviewing the Antec Sonata IV presented an interesting opportunity for me: while the other cases we've reviewed thus far have been experiences with new hardware, the Sonata IV is the next in a line of cases I'm particularly familiar with. I've built machines in every model from Antec's main Sonata range; my dad's computer is in an old Sonata, my ex-girlfriend's computer is in my old Sonata II, and a close friend's machine is purring along in a Sonata III. As a result, it's a chance to see how Antec's design has evolved over time. But it's more than that: the Sonata line has for a long time been a go-to for quiet computing with reasonable thermals. Has that changed with the Sonata IV?

Intel's Latest Processors Drop Sales of Discrete GPUs Dramatically - Analysts

URL: http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/graphics/display/20110609094145_Intel_s_Latest_Processors_Drop_Sales_of_Discrete_GPUs_Dramatically_Analysts.html

Sandy Bridge Brings Sales of Discrete GPUs Severely Down in China - Analysts

Samsung's 30nm DDR3 DRAM boosts speeds, cuts power consumption

URL: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/09/samsungs-30nm-ddr3-dram-boosts-speeds-cuts-power-consumption/

Samsung has been taunting us with the promise of 30nm DRAM for quite sometime, and when the tiny chips went into mass production last year it was the world's servers that got first dibs. The average consumer stuck with that aging 40nm stuff -- blech. This summer though, you'll finally be able to snatch up some of Sammy's latest tech in the form of two and four GB DDR3 1600 sticks for both laptops and desktops. The company claims that its new RAM modules are up to two-thirds more energy efficient than more common 60nm chips and 20 percent faster that its own 40nm ones. Both solo and dual packs will be hitting retailers soon starting at "less than $30." Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Samsung's 30nm DDR3 DRAM boosts speeds, cuts power consumption

Samsung's 30nm DDR3 DRAM boosts speeds, cuts power consumption originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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be quiet! with new 80 Plus Gold and Platinum PSUs

URL: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4438/be-quiet-with-new-80plus-gold-and-platinum-psus

be quiet! with new 80Plus Gold and Platinum PSUs

be quiet!, a German brand from Listan, showed some interesting new products at Computex. Late this year, be quiet! [Ed: silliest name award pending] will present one of the first 80 Plus Platinum PSUs. This 850W model has modular cables and offers a feature called "overclocking key" that allows the customer to choose between a +12V single rail or multi rail design. This PSU will be a part of the new Dark Power Pro P10 series. This series has 80 Plus Gold products starting from 550W.

In addition to the P10 line, be quiet! will launch the Straight Power E9 series in September. These will also be modular PSUs, with 80 Plus Gold certification and prices similar to their predecessors. The most interesting feature could be their 135mm Silent Wings fan. Previously, they have had models with up to 120mm. be quiet! also presented a model called Efficient Power for the international market that will be less expensive than the E9 and P10 series.

Computex 2011: New All-In-One CPU Water-Cooling

URL: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4430/computex-2011-new-allinone-cpu-water-cooling

In the modern era, we’ve had systems from CoolIt, Corsair, Antec and others who are trying to bridge the barrier between high-end air-cooling and low-end water-cooling.  At Computex, it is clear to see that there are a few more options on the horizon for consumers.

Cooler Master has produced all-in-one water-cooling systems in the past – I cite the Aquagate and Aquagate Mini for socket 462 systems many years ago.  The technology was young and prices were close to a DIY water kit.  However, with the Project A-L2, Cooler Master hopes to enter this segment again.

Still in the early design phase, Cooler Master wants to aim first at performance – their system is using a 450 litres/hour pump.  This has the effect of having a large, heavy base near the CPU, which is against the current trend of small CPU blocks.  The initial design is for a standard 120mm radiator and fan at $80-$100 projected price, though I’m told that a dual length radiator version may be in the design phase.

What was interesting though was that the heat transfer block was on display – Cooler Master openly had the internals of the water block out on show.  I was told that by using many different meshes bound together, that hopefully the maximum transfer of heat will occur.  As long as the heat transference from the copper base to the copper mesh is sufficient, it could work very effectively – however, we don't know of other mesh designs.

Thermaltake had two such units on display – the BigWater A80 and the dual 5.25” bay Bigwater 760 Plus.  The A80 unit is again very typical of what we currently see on the market in this segment – a CPU block with a pump leading out to a radiator.  The A80 unit is slightly different however, as the tubing to the radiator is a lot larger than what I’ve encountered previously.  The included fan is rated at 101CFM and the pump at 120 litres per hour.

The BigWater 760 Plus has design roots in traditional water-cooling, but utilizing the fact that many enthusiasts may have some unoccupied 5.25” bays.  The radiator is placed in this dual bay design with a fan and the pump, so we have a traditional waterblock and tubing.  This unit runs at 500 litres per hour, rated at 16 dBA, and designed in-house. There is no word on pricing or release dates yet.

In other news, during Computex Corsair released their H80 and H100 all-in-one CPU water-cooling solutions, to build on their H50, H60 and H70.  The H80 is an upgraded H70, with what looks like a beefier pump and fan control system in a double thickness 120mm radiator design.  The H100 is a dual length radiator design, with more advanced fan controls.

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