Joel Hruska
Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.
Recent posts
For years, Intel's integrated GPUs were the laughing stock of gaming and a thorn in the side of everyone who purchased what they thought was a high-end laptop or desktop only to find its video solution suffered from a deep delusion of competence. Faced with lacerating low-end graphics...
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Earlier this week we discussed new details on AMD's two next-generation cores, Bobcat and Bulldozer. AMD built the two processors to fill two distinct markets, with Bobcat focusing on netbooks/notebooks, and Bulldozer in servers, workstations, and high-end desktops. It's now rumored that AMD...
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One of the ways that Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo gradually reduce the price of consoles is by adopting increasingly advanced manufacturing technologies that reduce the size and power consumption of the console's components. Microsoft has...
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SSDs account for just a fraction of the storage market in terms of units shipped, but high consumer interest and significant profit margins have brought manufacturers in droves. GSkill isn't exactly a newcomer to the field, but the sheer number of companies in the dogpile make it more...
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Over the last few years, and particularly since Avatar hit the big screen seven months ago, display manufacturers and the film industry have been yammering to anyone that would listen that 3D technology is The Next Big Thing. Investors and analysts have cautiously warned against embracing the concept that 3D would reinvigorate theaters and...
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Yesterday, we chided AMD for its decision not to reveal more details about Bulldozer and Bobcat, but it turns out we didn't have all the facts. AMD was planning on disclosing more information later in the day at Hot Chips—but the company failed to disclose that before we went...
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This particular news post is short, sweet, and to the point. NewEgg has a 24 hour deal going on a Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB drive. Normally, this hard drive is $75, but if you order it using the promotion code EMCYWNR48, you'll save $15. That's just six cents per GB and it's the best...
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At Hot Chips 22 today, AMD will be discussing new details of its Bobcat and Bulldozer processors—but don't be surprised if some of the new information sounds familiar. With the exception of a few tidbits on Bobcat's architecture and a new Bulldozer block diagram...
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When AMD released its second quarter financial results last month it didn't say much about server volumes or market share, save to note that its performance "met expectations." The major news of the call turned out to be the company's...
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When Apple launched the iPad last April, Qualcomm's Snapdragon QSD8250 was a popular point of comparison. The results, if you were a Qualcomm fan, were a bit disappointing. Clock-for-clock, the 1GHz A4 generally whomped all over the 1GHz...
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It's been a few months since we heard much from the Lower Merion school district (LMSD) and the allegations of improper conduct, voyeuristic behavior, and civil rights violations leveled against administration employees and the vice...
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Much of the discussion on the iPad's purported disruptive effect on the computer industry has focused on devices like Amazon's Kindle. A recent announcement from Asus, however, indicates the iPad has hit the netbook industry hard. This news tops off a rather wretched Q2 for the...
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Ever since SSDs began to hit the mass market several years ago, analysts have tied themselves in knots attempting to predict when solid state drives would reach price parity with their magnetic counterparts. This isn't expected to occur anytime in the immediate future—SSDs remain some...
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The MSI XPower series of motherboards is clearly designed to curry favor with overclocking enthusiasts and the high-end gamers Asus has targeted with its Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand. The XPower packs full support for all the latest buzzwords and capabilities, but MSI is also claiming to...
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SSD manufacturers have been energetically rolling out new high-end, high-capacity products based around updated Indilinx, SandForce, or Marvell controllers, while simultaneously also introducing smaller SSDs with better performance and lower prices than we saw with first-generation products...
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It's hard to remember that before the advent of SSDs, storage performance was a rather tepid topic. Save for the introduction of occasional new features like NCQ, hard drives continued along a mostly predictable path of rising capacities and (slightly) higher performance. If you wanted top-end...
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When we published our comprehensive P55 motherboard roundup back in early April, one of the boards we discussed and really liked was the Asus P7P55D Deluxe. At $220, that particular board was priced significantly higher than some of the other LGA1156 options we considered. Fast forward a...
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Late last week, the Special Master in the Intel antitrust cases ruled against combining a wide range of complaints into a single class-action suit. The decision has been broadly seen as a victory for Intel—it's one of the few judicial or administrative rulings that have gone the CPU...
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The International Trade Commission has announced its findings in the NVIDIA/Rambus patent infringement lawsuit and it's not the sort of ruling Team Green would've preferred. The commission found NVIDIA to be in violation of three Rambus patents. The trade panel also granted an injunction...
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Electronic signaling using copper is officially old-and-busted—or at least Intel thinks it will be soon. The company announced today that it has constructed a silicon-based optical connection with an integrated laser that's capable of moving data at 50Gbps. The term "integrated laser"...
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Apple users often have to wait longer than us PC folk for top-end upgrades or features to become available, but this time the Macolytes might steal a march on the rest of us. According to rumors on the other side of the pond, the next-generation of iMac and Macbook Pro systems will feature...
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At the time of this writing, the FTC's investigation into Intel's alleged monopolistic abuses is on hold as the government attempts to negotiate a settlement with the CPU and chipset manufacturer. If these negotiations don't result in a deal by July 22, the case returns to court, with...
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