The release of hybrid AMD processors of A series was announced about a year ago, however, their actual appearance in the market was delayed for a few months. It is a well-known fact that a part of those processors for Socket FM1 platform has got idle graphics block; this part of processors has been codenamed Athlon and Sempron. The two processor models from this series Athlon II X2 221 and Sempron X2 198 can be currently found in PCs manufactured by HP company.



Both processors have been observed in the list of specifications of desktop PCs delivered by HP: Athlon II X2 221 is employed in HP Pavillon p6-1169cx and p6-1226cn models, while Sempron X2 198 is employed in HP Pavillion p6-1152cx, 1230cx, 1231cx, and 1159cx models. The major peculiarity of such technological solution is that HP PCs with those processors are delivered only to the Chinese market.


Two-core Athlon II X2 221 operates at 2.8 GHz frequency, and accommodates 1 MB cache memory of the second level. It is …

Enlisting up support of a well-known German manufacturer PC Cooling GmbH (Cooltek brand), Thermolab brought on the European market a pair of small-sized CPU coolers. Codenamed LP53 and ITX30, the products are differentiated by the depth of the copper plates and the dimensions of the pre-installed fan. Both new-comers are predestined for mini-ITX and micro-ATX platforms with Intel LGA1156/1155/1150 socket and 100 W TDP processors.



The Thermolab LP53 features 100x94x53 mm dimensions and weighs 410 g (including fan). It consists of a copper base, two 6 mm heatpipes, and 7-blade PWM fan of 92 mm dimensional type. The latter is able to rotate within the speed range of 1000 RPM to 2100 RPM, producing up to 27 dB noise. The cooler’s price does not transcend 37 EUR.


In its turn, the Thermolab ITX30 features 100x94x30 mm dimensions and weighs 300 g. It accommodates a copper base, a heatsink, two 6 mm heatpipes, and a single 80 mm PWM fan. It supports a wider speed range – from …

Sapphire Technology has officially presented a new model of its graphics card with the implemented unique Flex solution. Codenamed HD 7870 Flex Edition, this card is based on Graphics Core Next architecture developed by AMD. One of the peculiarities observed in this model is the integration of a high-end cooling system Dual-X that is called to ensure efficient cooling down and practically silent work. Dual-X system consists of heat pipes and two fans, the bearings of which accommodate dirt-repellent coverage.



All models of Sapphire Flex series are able to support three DVI monitors in Eyefinity mode and create SLS conditions without the employment of active adapters. Two monitors are connected to the DVI ports, while the third one – to the HDMI to DVI connector. In addition, customers have got real opportunity to connect up to five monitors simultaneously due to the availability of two DisplayPort sockets. This might serve a good background for the creation of solutions for …