Competition for SSD: 1.4 petabytes of data on future magnetic tape
Tape storage technology seemed to be falling short of expectations recently. Now it looks like it’s catching up again – thanks to a new material.
Linear Tape Open (LTO) first appeared on the market in 2000. At that time, the storage media that recorded data as encoded tracks on magnetic tape still had a capacity of 200 gigabytes.
The tapes have now reached their ninth generation and are currently able to record data volumes of 18 terabytes (uncompressed). The technology is a cost-effective way, especially for companies, to preserve critical data reliably and durably.
Image: Data Storage, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.
LTO09 still fell short of expectations
But what sounds like an incredible amount of storage space was initially a disappointment. LTO09 was originally supposed to offer 24 terabytes of space, but could not meet these expectations.
According to a new roadmap presented by the developers IBM, HPE and Quantum at the beginning of September, it should be possible to store a whopping 1,440 terabytes (1.4 petabytes) from the 14th generation, which is expected to appear in 2033/34.
Magnetic storage tapes: New material creates new possibilities
According to Heise Online , this is made possible by coating the magnetic tapes with strontium ferrite (SrFe) instead of barium ferrite (BaFe), which has been used up until now. The first prototypes have already been developed and tested by Fujifilm. The new material is to be used from LTO13.
In contrast to SSD hard drives, whose maximum capacity is currently around 100 terabytes, LTO is also significantly cheaper. While the most expensive SSD medium with a price of 40,000 US dollars causes costs of 2.5 dollars per gigabyte, LTO are only 0.01 dollars per gigabyte.
According to Sam Werner, IBM vice president of storage product management, LTO “provides organizations with a sustainable, reliable and cost-effective solution to protect and store their critical business data.”
Intel is set to retire its long-used Pentium and Celeron CPU brands and has instead opted for a new, unified naming structure for Intel processors.
Starting in 2023, Intel notebooks will be powered by an Intel processor that spans multiple processor technology families.
“Intel is committed to driving innovation for the benefit of users, and our entry-level processor families have been instrumental in raising the standard of PCs at all price points,” said Josh Newman, the company’s interim general manager of Mobile Client Platforms.
“The new Intel processor branding will simplify our offering so users can focus on selecting the right processor for their needs.”
An Intel Pentium chip was first used in a consumer PC in 1993, and many generations have come since then. The Celeron chips were introduced in 1998.
Intel is looking to simplify the entire naming structure, with “Intel Processor” set to join the flagship Intel Core, Intel Evo, and Intel vPro brands.
The idea behind this change is to make it easier for consumers to buy products. However, mostly only the branding will change, since the product lines that the chipmaker plans to serve remain largely the same.
These are the new laptops, monitors and PCs for 2022
At the Global Press Conference 2022, Acer presented a variety of new products such as laptops, convertibles, desktop PCs and monitors. In addition to technical updates of the individual model series, the manufacturer wants to focus primarily on sustainability and 3D screens without glasses.
Acer’s Vero series: Many new devices made from recycled materials
In its Global Press Conference for the second half of 2022, Acer presented a large number of new products. It is striking that the Vero series, which stands for recycled materials, is being expanded again. In addition to laptops, there will also be an all-in-one PC, monitors and a projector from the Vero series. In addition, a keyboard and a mouse are already in the starting blocks for the fourth quarter.
The laptops are 14 and 15 inch models, which should be available from the third quarter. Acer asks for the Aspire Vero (AV14-51) from 799 euros and the Acer Aspire Vero (AV15-52) should be available from 999 euros. Both feature 12th generation Intel Core processors. The housings are made of 30 percent PCR plastic. In addition, you should be able to carry out minor repairs or upgrades yourself.
The Veriton Vero all-in-one desktop computer (VVZ4694G) is also made from 30 percent recycled plastic and has a 24-inch display that can also be wall-mounted. The scope of delivery includes a mouse and keyboard, which are also made of PCR plastic. The computer is equipped with an Intel Corei9 processor of the twelfth generation, an Nvidia GeForce MX550 graphics processor and up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory. It should be available from 919 euros in the third quarter.
The two new Vero monitors, the 27-inch Acer CB273 and the 24-inch Acer B247Y G offer Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) and are made of 85 percent PCR plastic and 5 percent OBP plastic . The 27-inch model costs 39 euros, while the 24-inch model costs 269 euros.
Acer will also have the Vero PD2325W projector in its portfolio, which also consists of 35 percent recyclable plastic and whose LED lamp is said to last around 30,000 hours. It is said to consume around 50 percent less energy than a conventional projector. It offers WXGA resolution (1,280 x 800 pixels) and should be available in stores from the third quarter for around 549 euros.
Spatial Labs: 3D technology without glasses
The Acer Spatial Labs View Pro is a commercial 4K monitor that is supposed to enable glasses-free 3D. Image credit : Acer
tial Labs: 3D technology without glasses
In addition, Acer will expand its 3D lineup with two SpatialLabs View Series displays, with the standard version aimed at end users and the Pro version at business customers. Both screens are 15.6 inches and offer 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels).
The SpatialLabs View has the so-called “SpatialLabs TrueGame”, which should be able to show games in stereoscopic 3D. At the start there should be preconfigured profiles for more than 50 games that support this AI feature. Gamers should be able to have a completely new gaming experience in real time even without VR glasses.
Another application that supports both displays is “SpatialLabs Go”. This AI solution is intended to create stereoscopic 3D content from two-dimensional screen content at the click of a mouse.
The “SpatialLabs Model Viewer” function that bears its name, on the other hand, is only available for the Acer SpatialLabs View Pro. It should enable 3D design software such as Maya, Blender or Cinema 4D to create stereoscopic 3D models.
It is not yet known when the devices will be available and how expensive they will be.
The new gaming products
The gaming highlight of the new Acer lineup is likely to be the Predator Helios 300 in the SpatialLabs Edition. Acer has installed the aforementioned 15.6-inch “SpatialLabs View” display in the notebook, which has a resolution of 4K with 3,840 x 2,160 pixels and whose technology should enable stereoscopic 3D images without VR glasses. It is equipped with a twelfth-generation Intel Core i9 processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 in the laptop version and up to 32 GB of fast DDR5-4800 RAM. The device will probably be available from September at a starting price of 3,299 euros.
The slim Predator Triton 300 SE is a 14-inch laptop that is aimed not only at gamers but also at content creators. It is equipped with the latest 12th generation Intel Core CPUs and Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 laptop GPUs. Among other things, an OLED variant is available as a display. The device should already be available in June for a price starting at 1,499 euros.
In addition, two gaming monitors are in the starting blocks with the Predator XB273K LV and the Acer Nitro XV272U RV. The former is a 27-inch model and offers 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) at a frame rate of 160 Hz. It also supports HDR 600. It should be available from October for around 850 euros. The Acer Nitro, on the other hand, is a 27-inch monitor with WQHD resolution (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) and a refresh rate of 170 Hz, which has HDR 400 certification. This model should be in stores from October for 399 euros.
Minor upgrades from well-known brands
In addition, well-known model series will receive a technical upgrade. These include, for example, the Acer Swift 3 OLED (in July from 999 euros), the Acer Spin 5 (in July from 1,399 euros) and the Acer Spin 3 (in June from 999 euros).
The business line of the Tavelmate series will also be relaunched. Depending on the model, these will be available from August/September.
Acer will also continue the ConceptD notebook series: The ConceptD 5 notebook will probably be available from July for a price starting at 3,399 euros, the ConceptD 5 Pro probably from August at a starting price of 3,799 euros. Both are equipped with 12th generation Intel Core processors and powerful Nvidia RTX GPUs.
With the ConcetD series, Acer proves that desktop PCs are far from dead. Two new models will be launched here in September, the ConceptD 100 and ConceptD 500 desktop PCs. The 100 should start at 1,099 euros and the 500 at 2,199 euros.
The Russian chips are not yet suitable for everyday use in companies, but there is progress.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has shown us how fragile our supply chains have become. Many products are sometimes only manufactured in certain regions of the world, which is why microchips have become so rare in the last 2 years. For this reason, too, Russia would like to buy more products from the domestic market.
Therefore, a small technology sector of its own has developed in the country in the past, in addition to software products, the associated hardware should also be “Made in Russia”. The MCST Elbrus-8C processors show that this is not yet the case with processors.
SberTech, the technology division of Russia’s largest bank, has compared the Elbrus-8C with systems with Intel Xeon Gold 6230 and had to realize that the technology is making great strides, but at the same time it is not yet suitable for everyday tasks within the company.
SberTech is not alone in this. Russian chips have already been installed in many places in the past, but when it comes to the critical infrastructure, one is still dependent on companies such as AMD and Intel. In the test field set up by SberTech, the Elbrus-8C failed in 84 percent of the functional test cases, and the chip could not or only partially withstand other tests.
Nevertheless, all hope is not lost. Experts say that although the chip has many disadvantages, it is still possible to work with it. In addition, adjustments in the software can optimize the current behavior and thus get the maximum out of the processor.
Another positive aspect is that such processors already exist, even if the development of new generations still takes far too long. Years can quickly pass before a concept is converted into a finished chip. During this time, companies such as AMD and Intel have long overtaken the progress that was then achieved. So it remains to be seen how chip development “Made in Russia” will progress in the future.
Lenovo Yoga is back and screams business. The Lenovo Yoga C940 is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop with solid performance and an exzellent keyboard. But the battery could last a bit longer.
Performance
Intel Ice Lake might be the best improvement that happened to notebooks for years. Not only the performance, especially in multi-core workloads, is much faster than an 8th generation Whiskey Lake chip, also the graphical power is huge. Compared to the HP Elite Dragonfly, which has an equivalent configuration beyond the processor, performance in 3DMark more than doubles. It’s still not powerful enough to play the AAA PC games at maximum settings, but it’s definitely good enough to get creative work done. The cooling system works the way to attempt to minimize the fan noise. The fans don’t go to their maximum till the temperature is over 90°C. This means that the material in this laptop will get really hot under high workloads. After running a performance program for 10 minutes, the Lenovo Yoga notebook will start to cool down after a couple of minutes, sitting at around 77°C. So don’t worry about hardcore workloads melting the computer and there is no annoying noise by the fans either.
While the Lenovo Yoga C940 doesn’t qualify as a workstation or a gaming laptop, it’s still a powerful notebook. If you’re looking for a thin and light device that can also flip inside out into a Windows tablet, then you can trust that this laptop will perform with the best of them.
Battery life
While the battery life is by no means short, it does see a reduction from last year’s model. It likely comes down to the more powerful graphics. Still with nearly 8 hours of battery life, the laptop should have no problem lasting through the work day.
Specifications
Processor 10th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1035G4 Processor (1.10 GHz, up to 3.70 GHz with Turbo Boost, 4 Cores, 8 Threads, 6 MB Cache)
Display Type 14.0″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, touchscreen, glossy, 400nits
