As we know, AMD's flagship Radeon HD 6900 series was due to be launched at around this point in time, before delays to said architecture but paid to that idea. However, that hasn't stopped some slides from the company's presentation about these parts from leaking out into the wild...
NGO HQ has the complete slide deck for anybody who wants to take a look.
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ASUS Xonar DG and Xense sound cards reviewed
We might not be in a world where EAX, or indeed hardware audio acceleration, is a big deal any more, but there are still plenty of good reasons to invest in a discrete audio card. With that in mind, The Tech Report has taken a look at a couple of sound cards from ASUS, representing both ends of their discrete audio market.
Asus declined to add its own name to the audio processor that graces the Xonar DG, although the company informs us that this CMI8786 is a custom order. The chip has Oxygen HD heritage and can be best thought of as a cut-down version of the CMI8788. 24-bit audio is still supported, but only at sampling rates up to 96kHz. The number of output channels has been reduced to six, and there's no provision for real-time multichannel encoding for digital output. However, Dolby Headphone is still included, and so is GX2.5. Folks using analog speakers or headphones aren't likely to need much more.
Things are a little simpler on the Xonar DG, whose analog outs are fed solely by a Cirrus Logic DAC—one with a 104-dB signal-to-noise ratio that's is notably lower than that of the Texas Instruments and Cirrus chips on the Xense, which are rated at 123 and 114 dB, respectively. I suspect the DG's Cirrus Logic ADC isn't quite as good as the one sitting on the Xense, either, although we'll be able to get a sense of things with some "loopback" audio tests a little later in the review. For what it's worth, Asus pegs the Xense's overall output and input SNR at 118 dB, while the DG's outputs are listed at 105 dB and its input at 103 dB.
Built-in headphone amplification is something you won't find on a motherboard, but it's featured in both Xonars. Asus isn't specific about the DG's implementation, which is optimized for headphone impedances of 32-150 O according to the card's spec sheet. The Xense gets something considerably fancier: a Texas Instruments amp capable of pushing headphones with impedances up to 600 O. Of course, the headphones bundled with the card are rated for an impedance of only 150 O. Mid-range stereo cans like Sennheiser's excellent HD 555s, which we use for listening tests, have a rated impedance of just 50 O. You don't need big numbers for high-quality sound.
Check out their full findings and review.Things are a little simpler on the Xonar DG, whose analog outs are fed solely by a Cirrus Logic DAC—one with a 104-dB signal-to-noise ratio that's is notably lower than that of the Texas Instruments and Cirrus chips on the Xense, which are rated at 123 and 114 dB, respectively. I suspect the DG's Cirrus Logic ADC isn't quite as good as the one sitting on the Xense, either, although we'll be able to get a sense of things with some "loopback" audio tests a little later in the review. For what it's worth, Asus pegs the Xense's overall output and input SNR at 118 dB, while the DG's outputs are listed at 105 dB and its input at 103 dB.
Built-in headphone amplification is something you won't find on a motherboard, but it's featured in both Xonars. Asus isn't specific about the DG's implementation, which is optimized for headphone impedances of 32-150 O according to the card's spec sheet. The Xense gets something considerably fancier: a Texas Instruments amp capable of pushing headphones with impedances up to 600 O. Of course, the headphones bundled with the card are rated for an impedance of only 150 O. Mid-range stereo cans like Sennheiser's excellent HD 555s, which we use for listening tests, have a rated impedance of just 50 O. You don't need big numbers for high-quality sound.
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FinalWire acquires and discontinues EVEREST
We've been quite heavy users of EVEREST here at Elite Bastards in the past, so we're more than a little sad to see said product being discontinued. Let's just hope that the product which replaces it, FinalWire's existing AIDA64 application, can offer up the same level of functionality.
BUDAPEST, Hungary - November 21, 2010 - FinalWire Ltd. today announced the acquisition of diagnostics, hardware monitoring, network audit, and benchmarking software, Lavalys EVEREST.
“Today is a significant step forward in our progress to deliver a class-leading diagnostics and benchmarking solution,� said Tamas Miklos, managing director of FinalWire. “The addition of Lavalys’ customers and technologies will enable us to accelerate investments, meet a wider set of customer needs through a richer solution set, increase efficiencies and significantly expand our opportunities for growth.�
Beginning immediately, FinalWire will execute on the planned integration of the two companies’ technologies and customers to ensure a smooth transition that will deliver immediate value for customers, partners and investors.
Read the full press release on the AIDA64 web site.“Today is a significant step forward in our progress to deliver a class-leading diagnostics and benchmarking solution,� said Tamas Miklos, managing director of FinalWire. “The addition of Lavalys’ customers and technologies will enable us to accelerate investments, meet a wider set of customer needs through a richer solution set, increase efficiencies and significantly expand our opportunities for growth.�
Beginning immediately, FinalWire will execute on the planned integration of the two companies’ technologies and customers to ensure a smooth transition that will deliver immediate value for customers, partners and investors.
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