Crisp and Refreshing, New Thin-ITX Board from Intel
Intel DN2800MT "Marshalltown"
Since the day we caught word of Intel’s new Cedar View processors, we’ve been itching to start playing with them and getting them into the hands of our customers. Launch day has finally arrived, so we’re showing off a very special mainboard from Intel that’s helping usher in this new generation. The DN2800MT is here, and it’s ready to expand upon what the D945GSEJT started: the Thin-ITX form factor.
Several key features of this board are apparent as soon as one lays eyes upon it. A second PCIe Mini Card connector has been added, one of which is configurable as mSATA. The legacy PCI slot has disappeared and been replaced with a 1x speed PCI Express slot—not only does this provide more bandwidth for peripherals, but the smaller size of the connector will be greatly appreciated by those without a lot of physical space at their disposal.
2012 IPC Buyer’s Guide
Another year is upon us, and anyone familiar with the tech industry knows that a new year brings plenty of new advances. Since we spend so much of our time helping our customers get the right product for their application, this is a good time for us to share what we’re excited about getting our hands on, as well as emerging trends in the overall industry.
Ivy Bridge, the next big … er, small thing.
The 32-nm Sandy Bridge was the most recent “Tock” on Intel’s Tick-Tock development cycle—a new architecture that leveraged improved processing. Next up is the “Tick,” the much-anticipated 22-nm die-shrink of the Sandy Bridge architecture, known as Ivy Bridge. We expect Ivy Bridge processors to hit mid-Q2. The big sell for these processors are improved graphics processing including native DirectX11 support for media-intensive applications, as well as lower power consumption thanks to new Tri-Gate Transistors. To facilitate the higher performance, the processors are equipped with more powerful integrated graphics chips and higher Turbo Boost frequencies—even the ULV processors get Turbo Boost.
To Boldly Go Where No PC Has Gone Before
Computers continue to get physically smaller, more energy efficient, and cheaper while their capabilities—processing performance and I/O feature set—advance. This means the barriers to putting a computer into an environment once considered out of bounds, either due to sheer cost or the fact that a desktop tower just won’t fit under a driver’s seat, are being diminished. We’ve come a long way, and so have our customers. It’s always fascinating to hear the unique application challenges our clients overcome, just to automate a once-manual process, streamline customer transactions, or bring technology to the far corners of the world. We are entering the age of “ubiquitous computing,” where technology becomes embedded into our daily routines, not a separate event we experience at our desks. But are these computers able to handle the physical strain these new environments place on hardware?
We’ve seen computers mounted behind an LCD panel array in an airport, tucked into a cabinet on the factory floor, installed under the car seat in a taxi cab, or integrated into an outdoor point-of-service kiosk. These devices enable people to get information quickly, make a payment faster, or input data effortlessly. They are also placed into environments that are inhospitable to computer hardware. I’m not talking about the general wear-and-tear a typical desktop receives in a house of three cats, a ten-year-old boy, and an end-user who has a bad habit of drinking wine at the computer. Metal filings, icky liquids, mud, heat, cold, multiple operators, and unpredictable power situations pose quite the challenge to maintaining a properly functioning computer over time.
There are many considerations to be made when selecting hardware for one of these more “extreme environments.” The advancements in technology, standardization of hardware, and reduced up-front costs make it logical to choose off-the-shelf components instead of opting to take the proprietary development route. However, more often than not, these commercial systems are simply not designed to encounter harsh conditions and need to be modified or housed in a more durable, temperature-controlled enclosure to ensure continuous operation. Once a computer gets mounted 20 feet off the ground or installed within a moving vehicle, it becomes costly to make service calls to replace failed components. This hybrid-approach solution is certainly better than opting for a ruggedized laptop, which can grow legs and be carted off by accident (or worse, on purpose) or opting for systems that have a life-time of 1-2 years, and then replacing the units as they breakdown.
Emphase G3 SSDs: Balancing Performance with Price
Emphase Industrial G3 SSD
Capacities are up and prices are down as we introduce the G3 series of 2.5″ SSDs from Emphase. Now featuring innovative SandForce controllers to ensure consistent, reliable performance, the Emphase G3 series is currently available in capacities of up to 120 GB of lightning-fast solid state storage.
Protected by a durable metal housing, the G3 series features single-level cell (SLC) flash chips for faster transfer rates, greater reliability, and more efficient energy consumption than their multi-level cell (MLC) counterparts. Intended for the rigors of industrial applications, the G3 series are rated to operate in temperatures ranging from 0~70 degrees Celsius and withstand vibration of up to 20 G.
It’s hard not to get excited over the G3 series, which goes a long way toward bridging the gap between typical SLC solutions and their more affordable MLC counterparts without forcing customers to sacrifice reliability. As Thailand continues to suffer the effects of tragic flooding in Asia, traditional platter-based hard drives are becoming scarce while their costs rise, making SSDs a more practical choice than ever.
The Emphase G3 series puts performance and reliability first, ensuring a durable and fast storage solution for demanding industrial applications. They also happen to look good doing it.