CES 2006: Motherboards, Memory, Cooling, and a Few Surprises
by Wesley Fink & Jarred Walton on January 11, 2006 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
A-Data
A-Data is another RAM manufacturer, probably best known for their value-oriented RAM. They did have a new product that sounds interesting. They list a CL1.5/2 DDR600 Viteste DIMM set. We would wager that's CL1.5/2 on select motherboards at stock DDR400 speeds, with relaxed timings allowing speeds up to DDR600. That's not much different from what TCCD DIMMs have already offered, but if we do find higher speeds with CL2 timings, we'll be the first to let you know. There's nothing wrong with having another enthusiast memory choice, of course, but as we've said before: calling a product "Extreme" doesn't necessarily make it so.
Flash memory is also a major part of most memory manufacturer portfolios. One unique item - which may or may not be useful, depending on your perspective - was an SD chip that would show the remaining available free space on an LCD readout. Yes, you can get that same information from most cameras, but there are certainly some PDA users and other people who will find the feature useful.
Wintec
Wintec had similar offerings to A-Data and other RAM manufacturers: plenty of value and mainstream parts, some performance parts, and a wide selection of DDR and DDR2 DIMMs. Their AmpX line is another enthusiast brand, with both DDR and DDR2 DIMMs available.
TEAM
The Taiwan manufacturer TEAM Group Inc. has entered the US Market with a full line of flash memory ( microSD, SD, microMMC, MMC, mini SD, Compact Flash).
They also offer a complete line of DDR and DDR2 memory ranging from value lines to their top-performing XTreem line aimed at the computer enthusiast. We will be testing XTreem memory in an upcoming 2GB DDR roundup.
A-Data is another RAM manufacturer, probably best known for their value-oriented RAM. They did have a new product that sounds interesting. They list a CL1.5/2 DDR600 Viteste DIMM set. We would wager that's CL1.5/2 on select motherboards at stock DDR400 speeds, with relaxed timings allowing speeds up to DDR600. That's not much different from what TCCD DIMMs have already offered, but if we do find higher speeds with CL2 timings, we'll be the first to let you know. There's nothing wrong with having another enthusiast memory choice, of course, but as we've said before: calling a product "Extreme" doesn't necessarily make it so.
Flash memory is also a major part of most memory manufacturer portfolios. One unique item - which may or may not be useful, depending on your perspective - was an SD chip that would show the remaining available free space on an LCD readout. Yes, you can get that same information from most cameras, but there are certainly some PDA users and other people who will find the feature useful.
Wintec
Wintec had similar offerings to A-Data and other RAM manufacturers: plenty of value and mainstream parts, some performance parts, and a wide selection of DDR and DDR2 DIMMs. Their AmpX line is another enthusiast brand, with both DDR and DDR2 DIMMs available.
TEAM
The Taiwan manufacturer TEAM Group Inc. has entered the US Market with a full line of flash memory ( microSD, SD, microMMC, MMC, mini SD, Compact Flash).
They also offer a complete line of DDR and DDR2 memory ranging from value lines to their top-performing XTreem line aimed at the computer enthusiast. We will be testing XTreem memory in an upcoming 2GB DDR roundup.
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Leinad - Saturday, March 4, 2006 - link
I see that the Corsair Nautilus500 is available, and at pretty much the expected price. I have searched around looking for any information on the Cryo-Z, and don't see any. Just curious if anyone in Anandland had any further information...I also wanted to second the request/suggestion of the addition of a cooling area to Anandtech.
yacoub - Thursday, January 12, 2006 - link
And the best thing about all the Asus boards pictured? EVERY ONE OF THEM IS PASSIVELY COOLED. About time. Dinky motherboard fans are the bane of many otherwise-quiet systems and they're often of such poor quality as to die within a few months and leave the user with a board that can overheat.Very nice work, Asus.
JarredWalton - Thursday, January 12, 2006 - link
Funny you should mention that. I have an ASUS K8N4-E Deluxe board that has been used less than 3 months. It has a dinky NB HSF, and guess what died this past week? So now I replaced that 30mm or whatever fan with a spare 60mm fan jury-rigged into the case, and it cools better and runs quieter. Small fans are garbage.SignalPST - Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - link
Sounds very promising. Hopefully, they'll fix the problems with the NB heatsink and 7800GTX 512MB getting in the way. When should we expect more details for this board?
FlyingShawn - Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - link
Quick correction on what looks like a typo on your DualCor coverage. The article states that the 1.5 Ghz processor runs XP Pro and the 400 Mhz runs XP Tablet. Actually, the 1.5 Ghz runs XP Tablet and the 400 Mhz runs Windows Mobile 5. So basically you have a full XP Tablet for when you need it and the instant-on benefits of a Mobile 5 PDA for when you need information like PIM data quickly.abakshi - Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - link
Yeah I was about to post that.That brings up another interesting issue though -- is data synchronized between the two sections (e.g. Outlook contacts/calendar/etc.), and do that mean you can run both parts at once and simply switch between the two (since they seemingly share only the user interface elements)?
Wesley Fink - Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - link
Yes, DualCor was demoing synchronized data between the 2 OS. I will correct the OS/processor statements in a few minutes.monsoon - Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - link
since we didn't get the new MAC MINI at Macworld, i'm eager to read your coming review of the AOpen PC Mini with CORE DUO insideHoudani - Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - link
Those Aopen boxes look stupendous on the outside. I'm eager to hear how their innards fare. All three of them there boxes are intriguing.wilburpan - Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - link
This is probably the wrong trade show for this, but was there any indication from CES as to whether BTX is increasing its penetration into the market?