Netflix integration in Windows Media Center 7

The HTPC, or Home Theater PC, has been an elusive beast. For years, people have bandied about the concept of building a PC that is a dedicated home entertainment hub rather than a general-purpose computer. Up until very recently, building an HTPC has been a difficult journey to find the sorcerous combination of parts and software that would enable exactly everything one wanted the PC to do.

Luckily, everything has recently started coming together. Retail availability of key technologies such as efficient power supplies, cool and quiet processors, HDMI-enabled and 1080p-capable GPUs, massive storage capacities, and–perhaps most importantly–an HTPC-optimal OS have all come together in a ballet of technology which can provide a seamless and graceful HTPC experience.

We have put together an amazingly high performance and relatively low cost HTPC just in time for the 2009 holiday season. While we did operate with a liberal cost philosophy when it came to component choices, we feel that this remains an affordable project for those in the market for a full-featured home entertainment hub.

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Intel and Numonyx are today announcing a key breakthrough in the development of Phase Change Memory (PCM) technology.

The breakthrough has enabled the partnership to develop a 64Mb test chip that demonstrates multiple layers of PCM arrays on a single die. These findings will enable future PCM-based devices to offer lower power consumption, higher capacity and greater storage density.

The company is calling the breakthrough chip a PCMS, or Phase Change Memory and Switch. The PCMS interleaves layers of thin-film PCM arrays with controlling thin-film selectors called Ovonic Transfer Switches (OTS). The sandwiched PCM and OTS layers are arranged in a crosspoint architecture and fitted to a CMOS substrate to create high-density, high-bandwidth PCM cells.
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Enthusiast memory vendor G.SKILL has released a new lineup of memory modules it calls the ECO series, but there’s nothing ECO about what we want to do with them.

The new DDR3 kits ship in a 2×2GB configuration, which means they’re best paired with AMD’s AM3 or Intel’s Lynnfield systems. The real magic is in the specifications, however; G.SKILL says the DDR3-1333 and DDR3-1600 kits run at just 1.35V. That’s less than the JEDEC standard of 1.5V, and a whole lot less than the 1.65V and 1.9V kits vendors are pushing for Lynnfield and AM3, respectively. As any good enthusiast knows, parts that run at standard speeds under particularly low voltages often make outstanding overclockers.

Maybe we’re wrong, but the ghost of Mobile Athlon XP past won’t leave us alone. One of these has to be a total baller in disguise:

G.Skill DDR3 1333 4GB (2GBx2) CL9-9-9-24 1.35V

G.Skill DDR3 1333 4GB (2GBx2) CL8-8-8-24 1.35V

G.Skill DDR3 1333 4GB (2GBx2) CL7-7-7-21 1.35V

G.Skill DDR3 1600 4GB (2GBx2) CL9-9-9-24 1.35V

G.Skill DDR3 1600 4GB (2GBx2) CL8-8-8-24 1.35V

G.Skill DDR3 1600 4GB (2GBx2) CL7-8-7-24 1.35V

Memory manufacturer Hynix has unveiled a new line of DDR3 ICs which lowers power consumption by 30%.

The new product operates at 1.5V (volts) power supply as the existing 1Gb DDR3 product and further reduces power consumption by 30% over the existing one. This second generation product is the highest performing memory in the industry among 1Gb density category which is the mainstream of the products.

The new memory is designed to boost battery life for mobile applications which, as we all know, needs serious help.

Digitimes is reporting that memory IC manufacturer Elpida has green-lighted production of 40nm 2Gb DDR3 SDRAM.

The new Elpida 2Gb DDR3 SDRAM uses a smaller chip size to achieve a 44% higher chip yield per wafer compared with the chipmaker’s 50nm DDR3 SDRAM and a 100% yield for DDR3 products that operate at 1.6Gbps, according to the company.

Compared with 50nm products, Elpida said its 40nm 2Gb DDR3 SDRAM uses about two-thirds less current and supports 1.2V/1.35V operation as well as DDR3 standard 1.5V, thus reducing power consumption by as much as 45%.

Despite a small hiccup in July, Elpida has been a consistent provider of some of the world’s fastest DDR3 ICs, such as those found in the ever-growing glut of DDR3-2000 modules. The promise of colder, faster, smaller, lower-voltage DDR3 ICs means 2010 should be a wonderland of cheaper, faster overclocker modules.

Digitimes is reporting that Samsung’s CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon will soon boost the production of DDR3 to bring prices back to reasonable levels.

Supply of DDR3 chips has tightened due to a faster-than-expected pickup in demand, said Kwon, adding that Samsung is gearing up to allocate more capacity to DDR3 output in order to meet the demand. Samsung has ramped chip production using 40nm, which is expected to be its major process technology for 2010, Kwon indicated.

According to recent pricing information from DRAMeXchange, the consumers should expect increasing DDR2 costs throughout the remainder of the year.

The trend reflects increasing demands from PC OEMs moving to cover seasonal demand and the impending launch of Windows 7. Similarly, accelerating migration to DDR3 has put the squeeze on DDR2 supplies to the tune of a price hike.

In the contract market, prices for 2GB DDR2 modules rose 8.5% from September 7 to present. The price of chips has also risen. While this week’s DDR2 prices remain flat, the table below shows an early September hike of nearly 10% on the manufacturer price of 1Gb PC2-6400 chips.

Source: DRAMeXchange

Smaller denominations of DDR3, such as 1GB modules, are however on the decline. It is expected that the larger 2GB modules will follow suit in the new year as DDR3 systems from AMD and Intel become prominent.

If you really need more memory, there’s the Geil Evo One 12GB DDR3-1600 Hexa kit. 12GB OMGWTF!

Hardware Canucks says OCZ’s Blade DDR3-2133 kits are too fast for their own good. Most users will never reach the RAM’s potential.

Corsair announced today that it now offers DDR3-1600 modules for AMD systems. The 4GB (2 x 2GB) kit runs at 6-6-6-18 1T timings and is only available from Corsair’s online store.

Corsair says the kits will be compatible with AMD’s Black Edition Memory Profiles which allows for the aggressive latency settings to be automatically configured in Windows using the AMD OverDrive software.

No word yet on the voltage requirements for these kits, but we think it’s safe to bet they’re above the limit imposed by Core i7s, otherwise we’d be seeing Intel friendly kits too. With this announcement they join G.Skill, Mushkin and OCZ; all three who already have CAS 6 DDR3-1600 kits on the market.

While A-DATA is a little-known name in enthusiast circles, maybe their recent DDR3-2200 announcement will turn some heads and open some wallets.

The rather elaborately-dubbed XPG Plus Series DDR3-2200+ v2.0 modules come in 2×1GB and 2×2GB dual channel kits with 8/8/8/24 timings in the 1.65v envelope that Core-series CPUs love.

The particularly observant amongst us will note that XPG Plus Series kits are not tri-channel, which means they’re being prepped for this summer’s Core i5 launch (or AMD’s Socket AM3 standard). Alas. At least they look pretty swank.

The 6GB G.Skill Trident DDR3-2000 kit is a hell of a deal for $150.