NEW PC MOTHERBOARDS COMING IN 2015

Everything in our PC is changing fast and that includes our motherboards, and with the list that we have provided here I do have the urge to upgrade my PC.

I am just hoping by doing so, the upgrade will not cost me too much as powerful as some of the listed can be!

Here are the new pc motherboards that are due out this year:

BIOSTAR’s TA970 Plus AMD Mainboard

Just recently, BIOSTAR released an AMD socket AM3+ motherboard that is the TA970 Plus. While you might know that AMD sockets usually have an AMD OverDrive Technology on their mainboard, the TA970 Plus is also said to have the ACC (Advanced Clock Calibration) feature for overclock enthusiasts out there to precisely calibrate clock timings between processor and RAM chips.

The board supports AMD multi-Core AM3 processors and fortunately, it includes AMD FX/AMD Phenom II   and AMD Athlon II ;versions to its support. It is a full sized ATX board with 4 slots of DDR3 DIMM up to 64 GB and is crossfire capable. This new motherboard also supports USB 3.0 and is said to have a SATA connection with a speed of 6 GB/s. While the price is yet unknown, it has been rumoured to probably go up to $79.00.

ASRock’s X99E-ITX/ac

If you experienced the power of an X99 motherboard, you probably already know that it is a powerful motherboard. And just a few days ago, this powerful board is now coming in a Mini-ITX. Ridiculous it may be but yes, it was made possible by sacrificing some of its specs.

While the previous model was capable of holding eight DDR4 memory, this one has less. Same goes with our PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. It also said that there will be six SATA3 connectors and two of them can be made into a single SATA-Express connector. You might also want to know that this board is now USB3.1 capable and has a wireless AC connectivity.

While the price is yet to be determined after this week’s CeBIT, we also hope to gain the exact specifications of this announced motherboard.

MSI’s New And Updated Motherboards

If you are not a fan of BIOSTAR or ASRock, then MSI just announced twelve upcoming motherboards, all featuring USB 3.1 and is rated to be at full 10GBps in speed. Ten out of the twelve motherboards are said to support Intel, while two are for AMD. Also, while most use the traditional USB Type-A connector, a single exception features the new reversible Type-C connector on the rear I/O panel, the MSI Z9&A Gaming 6.

Here are the said chipsets that are coming out:

AMD (970 chipset):

• SLI Krait Edition

AMD (990FX chipset):

• 990FXA Gaming

Intel (Z97 chipset):

• Z97A Gaming 9 ACK
• Z97A Gaming 7
• Z97A Gaming 6

Intel (X99 chipset):

• X99A Gaming 9 ACK
• X99A Gaming 7
• X99A Xpower AC
• X99A Mpower
• X99A SLI Krait Edition
• X99A SLI Plus
• X99A Raider

ORIGINAL ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN PPSU

Windows 9 Build 6.4.9830 Ready

Work on Windows 9 continues these days, as we’re getting insanely close to the public launch of the very first beta of what could be another major revamp of our beloved operating system.

It appears that Microsoft has recently completed development of another Windows 9 build, as version number 6.4.9830 has been spotted online, most likely as the company was test-driving its features.

WINDOWS 9

No specifics are available at this point, but we already know that a public beta is expected to be released later this month for anyone willing to give it a try and help Microsoft improve the final product.

“Why are these builds numbers so important?” you might ask. The reason is as simple as it could be: with Microsoft fueling the secrecy surrounding Windows 9 on pretty much every single day when it refuses to disclose details about the upcoming operating system, there’s no doubt that people are trying to keep an eye on everything related to this project.

This new build is living proof that development of the new Windows 9 advances and a public beta is quickly coming, with people close to the matter indicating that Microsoft is preparing an event on September 30 to present plans for the new operating system.

Since Microsoft completes development of new Windows 9 builds on a regular basis and the company has already submitted new testing versions to partners, it’s only natural to expect leaks to reach the web in the coming days, but as far we can tell, such a thing is very unlikely to happen.

Microsoft has implemented new security measures to make sure that Windows 9 leaks are impossible, but in case partner builds indeed reach the web, it should be very easy for the company to determine the original owner.

Needless to say, Microsoft does not want any Windows 9 leaks to be released online before the public unveiling, and since Alex Kibkalo’s arrest, the amount of information on new Windows projects has been reduced dramatically. 

And still, we do know that Windows 9 will be released in stable form in April 2015, with Microsoft planning to introduce new features to the testing build using a new internal update mechanism that would not require fresh installations.

The feature lineup is expected to include options such as a Start menu, a desktop version of Cortana, options to run Metro apps on the desktop, Internet Explorer 12, a revised Modern UI, and many other improvements.

More information will be disclosed later this month by Microsoft itself, while download links for the public beta should be disclosed either in late September or in early October

Windows 9 unveiling set for September 30

Microsoft's Windows 9, the successor to the widely panned Windows 8, could be shown off at the end of next month, according to a new report.

Microsoft is planning to hold a special press event on September 30 to show off Windows 9, The Verge is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the company's plans. The date is currently "tentative," according to the report.

It's not yet clear whether Windows 9 will actually be known as Windows 9. The operating system is currently code-named Windows Threshold, though it's highly likely that Microsoft will keep its numbering scheme with the next platform.

Last week, CNET sister site ZDNet reported that Microsoft is planning to launch a "technology preview" of Threshold at the end of September or early October. The report from Mary Jo Foley indicated that users would be able to try out the operating system, but would need to have software updates automatically downloaded to the platform each month.

Whenever Threshold makes an appearance, it's expected to come with a wide range of improvements, including a "mini" Smart Menu, separate windows for Metro-style applications running on the desktop, and support for virtual desktops.

According to The Verge's sources, Microsoft will be showcasing some of those improvements and new features at the event on September 30. The operating system should launch as a beta preview soon thereafter.

In a statement to CNET, Microsoft was succinct in its response to the news, saying only that it has "nothing to share" at this point.
Via~CNET

Parallel desktop 10: Run windows on your Mac

Fall is around the corner, which means a new version of OS X is almost here. That also means a new version of Parallels — the software that lets you run Windows on a Mac — is almost here, too, and this time there's a big emphasis on speed.

With Parallels Desktop 10 installed on your Mac, you won't just be able to run Windows on a "virtual machine" within your Mac, you'll be able to do it significantly faster then previous generations. Windows documents open 48% faster, and Office 2013 apps launch 50% faster, the company claims. At the same time, battery life is extended up to 30%, and the Windows "machine" uses 10% less memory.

The new version also further erases the line between OS X and Windows with a few new tricks: Windows apps are automatically added to the Mac's Launchpad, and you can even use the Windows 8.1 Start screen as the Launchpad. Parallels enables sharing from Windows apps to any of the user's .

Of course, Parallels Desktop 10 supports OS X Yosemite (scheduled for release "in the fall," according to Apple), and brings some of its features to Windows apps, including the ability to save to iCloud Drive, and share via iMessage.

The software supports older versions of OS X back to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. You can create more than one virtual machine, letting you run multiple versions of Windows and even Android on the same hardware — very handy for developers.

Parallels Desktop 10 will be available Aug. 26 for $79.99, but if you have the previous version, upgrading costs $49.99. The Student Edition is $39.99. Big, obvious caveat: if you don't already have Windows, you have to buy a Windows license, too, and that costs $119. At least this edition of Parallels makes that easy, providing a way to purchase Windows during the creation of a virtual machine. There's also an enterprise edition that throws in a few extra features for device management.

Windows 9 Preview Could Be Free for Everyone

Microsoft is planning to launch a technical preview of Windows 9 sometime next month in early October in order to provide users with an early glimpse at the next version of the operating system.

Now, in an update to the original story, Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley adds, again via unofficial sources, that the Windows 9 technical preview will be “public and available to all those interested,” which means that Redmond won’t offer the download only to developers and testers.

What’s more interesting, however, is that this could also be an indication that Windows 9 preview could be offered free of charge to everyone, even though it’s not yet clear whether Microsoft wishes to include any trial period or not.

Based on the information we have at this point, it appears that this isn’t the case, as Microsoft reportedly wants to keep the original testing build running on all computers and deliver frequent updates as it advances with development work.

The company thus wants to avoid releasing new builds for download every once in a while and ship new features and optimizations via Windows Update, just like it’s the case with existing Windows versions already available to customers.

Of course, take everything with a pinch of salt, but if this information is real, expect Microsoft to break the news on Windows 9 anytime soon

Nokia Lumia 930 Goes on Sale Worldwide; Listed as 'Coming Soon' in India

Microsoft on Monday has announced the availability of its recently unveiled Lumia 930. Priced at $599 (approximately Rs. 35,800), the sales of Lumia 930 will begin this week in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The company also said that "further rollout throughout the world (except the US) will continue over the coming weeks."

The Lumia 930 was first unveiled in April at Microsoft's Build 2014 conference along with the Lumia 630 and Lumia 635.

The smartphone is already listed on various online retailers (Buy Nokia Lumia 930 from Flipkart, Infibeam, HomeShop18) in India without price.

The Nokia Lumia 930 features single-SIM support and runs Windows Phone 8.1 out-of-the-box. It features a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) ClearBlack OLED display with a pixel density of 441ppi. The display boasts of a Gorilla Glass 3 screen, the 'Super Sensitive Touch' feature, and 'a near 180-degree viewing angle'. The Lumia 930 is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of built-in storage.

It sports a 20-megapixel PureView camera with dual-LED flash, which has optical image stabilisation (OIS) and Carl Zeiss optics. A front-facing 1.2-megapixel wide-angle camera is onboard as well, apart from four directional microphones and integrated Dolby Surround Sound. The Nokia Lumia 930 comes in 32GB of built-in storage (additional 7GB free OneDrive cloud storage), but there is no expansion option for microSD card.

Various connectivity options on the Lumia 930 include Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Micro-USB, 3G and LTE. The Lumia 930 runs on a 2420mAh battery which is rated for up to 21.7 hours of 2G talk time and 17.9 hours of 3G talk time. Other than that the Lumia 930 smartphone also boasts of built-in wireless charging. It measures 137x71x9.8 mm and weighs 167 grams.

Featuring an aluminium frame with metallic accents, and a curved polycarbonate back, the smartphone comes in Bright Orange, Bright Green, Black and White colours. The Nokia Lumia 930 comes with OneDrive, MS Office, Nokia Camera, MixRadio and HERE Maps, as well as specific imaging apps, such as Nokia Camera, Nokia Storyteller, Nokia Creative Studio and Nokia Refocus, pre-installed.

NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti Review A budget contender

currently the best graphic card in low price.

OUR REVIEW

This card performs well for a card that comes with no power connectors. While AAA games won't play at maximum configuration, a small sacrifice on the configuration can help with that. The cards are priced Rs.9900 for the GTX 750 and Rs.11,990 for the GTX 750 Ti. We see that this card could end up being popular in the Indian market owing to the performance that it delivers at this price point. 

The latest GPU architecture from NVIDIA came out today and they are calling it Maxwell. This doesn’t mean that they are going to launch the 800 series immediately. We are yet to see the GTX 790 and what we hear could be an improvement over the GTX TITAN . You can read more about it here. So Maxwell is coming into the picture with the launch of the GTX 750 and the GTX 750 Ti. The details of these two cards are mentioned below.

	GeForce GTX 650 Ti	GeForce GTX 750 Ti	GeForce GTX 750
GPU	GK106	GM107	GM107
Manufacturing process	28nm	28nm	28nm
CUDA cores	768	640	512
TMUs	64	40	32
ROPs	16	16	16
GPU Clock	928 MHz	1020 / 1085 MHz	1020 / 1085 MHz
Memory Clock	1350 MHz	1350 MHz	1250 MHz
Video Memory	1GB GDDR5	2GB GDDR5	1GB GDDR5
Memory Bus	128-bit	128-bit	128-bit
TDP	110W	60W	55W

So the new card is and entry level GPU meant to replace the GTX 650 Ti but with a little difference that seems to be highlighted everywhere in the press release that NVIDIA came out with – that the performance/watt has gone up to a much higher level. For the previous generation most manufacturers only had the GTX 640 which could run off the motherboard’s power-supply. Anything greater would require a 6-pin PCIE power connector. There do exist GTX 650 SKUs by board partners that don’t require a power connector but the clock speed on those units have been scaled down to make do with the reduced power input.

The GTX 750 and the GTX 750 Ti are supposed to replace the GTX 650 Ti which occupied the mid-segment in the current line up till today.

Spyrus Reveals World's First 256 GB Windows to Go Flash Drives

If you want to be able to boot Windows from any computer, there's a really nifty asset in Windows 8 that lets you do it off removable storage devices. Removable media needs to be certified for it though, which is why Spyrus made sure to say loud and clear that its latest flash drives have this benefit.

Normally, for Windows, any operating system really, to launch, it has to be installed on the primary storage drive of a computer. That's not all that great when the OS fails somehow though.

Also, maybe you're the type of person that has to switch computers often, or travels a lot and would like to always have their own desktop settings and data wherever they go.

To allow that, Microsoft included the Windows to Go capability in Windows 8, which enables the OS to be installed on aflash drive, or USB HDD or SSD.

The removable media have to be specifically made with it in mind, though, to allow the BIOS to see them as boot drives and everything.

Sure, in theory, you could just fiddle with the BIOS and use Windows to make a bootable flash drive anyway, as long as there is enough space.

Nevertheless, when a flash drive is meant to be used as a Windows to Go device, companies usually mention it specifically. Like Spyrus did for the Portable Workplace, Secure Portable Workplace, WorkSafe, and WorkSafe Pro SSDs.

Which brings us to today's news: Spyrus has added the capacity of 256 GB to its collection. And don't let the “portable SSD” description fool you. These are flash drives, through and through. USB 3.0 sticks with superior security, layered hardware and software encryption.

Microsoft Office for Windows 8 Delayed, Could Launch with Windows 9 – Report

We already know that Microsoft is working on a touch-optimized version of Office that would be specifically aimed at the Modern environment included in Windows 8, but there are still no details as to when this new build of the productivity suite could reach the market.

The software giant has already teased the new version with several occasions, including at BUILD 2014 in San Francisco when it presented the touch-optimized PowerPoint in action, and hinted that the public launch could take place as soon as this year.

But according to Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley, Office Touch is very likely to be delayed as the company is now working to bring the Android SKU to the market before the one aimed at Windows 8.

The reason is pretty much the same as for Office for iPad. Asked why the company intends to launch the iPad version before the Windows 8 one, Microsoft's new CEO Satya Nadella explained at the Code Conference last month that it's all because of the market share.

There are millions of iPad users out there, so the company needs to expand its productivity suite in such a way that it would be capable of reaching a wider audience. Both the iPad and Android are part of this project, while Windows 8 clearly comes in third place.

“The intent here is to make sure our services are available on all devices. There are going to be Windows devices and there are going to be other devices and we have to make sure our services run on all of them,” Satya explained at the Code Conference.

“That said, iPad has the most share. We are definitely going to have touch-first Office on Windows, and it is coming.”

As for the release date of the touch-based Office for Windows, nothing is sure so far, but the same report hints that Microsoft might launch it in spring 2015. Unsurprisingly, the same timing is believed to be prepared for Windows 9 as well, Microsoft's next full Windows operating system which could see daylight in April 2015.

In other words, Microsoft might launch Windows 9 and Office Touch at the same time, a plan that would actually make sense given the fact that people close to the matter suggested that Microsoft was planning to remove the desktop in a future Windows 9 SKU. As a result, Office Touch would give users the chance to create and edit documents on their tablets even without a desktop.

Top 8 affordable Quad-Core tablets compared

The defining benchmark of a Post PC era is that tablets are becoming hugely popular and are giving a stiff competition to laptops and ultrabooks. And why not? They are much more portable and offer almost all the features and capabilities one can get on a laptop. Most modern-day tablets are easily as powerful (if not more) as two-three year old laptops.

The ‘slate’ has been prevalent for quite a few years but the modern age tablet gained popularity and traction in the year 2010. In our opinion, the credit goes to Apple for shaping the tablet market when it released the first iPad in 2010 and pushed tablet segment into the mainstream consumer market. The company also brought in capacitive touchscreens to the tablet category which meant that users could just tap away with their fingers without having to rely on a stylus pen. A number of manufacturers followed Apple’s move and today every hardware-based technology company operating in the consumer space has a tablet to offer.

SAMSUNG GALAXY 10.1"

According to the International Data Corp. (IDC) the year 2013 saw a rise of 50.6% in tablet sales with the worldwide tablet shipments totalling to 217.1 million, an increase from 144.2 million in 2012. For the Indian market, researchers have predicted that the period of 2013- 2014 will see a boost of 50% in the sales on tablets. These numbers are actually huge and are a big threat for laptop makers as the tablet has been marginalizing PCs and laptops for quite some time.

A large chunk of the total number of tablets in the market is occupied by Android as it has become the dominating platform in the mobile device industry purely by number of devices adopting it. Apart from Android one can even get their hands on a Windows 8.1 running tablet under a budget of `25,000 which provides the Modern UI, as well as proper desktop mode just like a PC. Today, manufacturers like Apple and Samsung offer tablets in a premium range but a large portion of consumers in the Indian market opt for more affordable tablets to fit their budgets.

While we are on the subject, the budget category of tablets has widened a lot and with Indian brands bringing in a mix of their own products, there has been an increase in variety as well. If we look back to 2013, getting your hands on a powerful tablet meant shelling out a lot of money. But times have changed and one can easily get a tablet running on a quad-core processor with plenty of features under a budget of Rs 20,000 without breaking a sweat.

For this shootout we have picked tablets from well-known companies and also some indigenous brands which provide some competitive features. The focus here is on tablets selling around `25,000 which attracts the majority of the consumers. We have included eight Android tablets namely the Dell Venue 7 and Venue 8, iBerry Auxus CoreX8, iBall Slide 3G Q1035, Micromax Canvas Tab, Google Nexus 7 (2013), MTV Slash 4X and Simmtronics XPad Turbo. We have also included two Windows 8.1 tablets one from Dell and one from Acer.

THE PLATFORMS

Android had stepped into the tablet game by releasing a different version altogether (3.0 Honeycomb) which was specifically designed for tablets. It did not gain a lot of popularity back then, so Google scrapped it off and made a unified version (4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) that would run both on smartphones and tablets. Today the platform is on the verge of becoming the most selling tablet operating system and the numbers are just going stronger by the day. Almost all of the Android tablets that we have tested run on Android 4.2 and the only tablet with the latest KitKat update was the Nexus 7.

Hopefully manufacturers will be announcing some new tablet this year with Google’s latest 4.4.2 update. With almost 2 million apps available on the Google Play store, Android tablets are poised to take over the industry. When Microsoft had announced that Windows 8 will feature an app ecosystem on top of the traditional desktop layout, it seemed logical that the OS would be ported to tablet devices. The good part is that one can get a full-fledged desktop/laptop experience but the bad part is that using its touchscreen on the desktop mode is a real pain. The tiled UI is similar to what we have seen on Windows Phone devices and the apps work in a similar fashion. With the app development steadily going stronger, Windows 8.1 tablets could soon gain a decent market share.