Nvidia

The upcoming 15-inch MacBook is expected to pack plenty of brawny silicon despite its svelte dimensions. With speculation on its specs rife, it's time to take a crack at what may be under the hood.

Graphics: Apple's redesigned MacBook may return to Nvidia graphics, as reported by 9to5Mac.

That would be the first time Apple has opted for Nvidia in a MacBook since earlier versions of the Air. Current 15-inch MacBook Pros have ATI graphics chips, and MacBook Airs sport integrated Intel graphics processing units (GPUs).

Note that a report back in March said Nvidia wouldn't make … Read more

Nvidia and Intellectual Ventures, a fund that acquires intellectual property, have bought about 500 wireless patents focused on LTE, 3G, and 4G.

The companies acquired the patents from IPWireless.

It has been a bull market for patents. Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion largely for its patent portfolio. Microsoft recently paid AOL $1 billion for patents. And beleaguered companies such as Kodak can get top dollar for patents. Meanwhile, analysts are valuing Research in Motion on patents too. Patent lawsuits among big players such as Oracle, Apple and Samsung abound.

Terms of the Nvidia and Intellectual Ventures purchase … Read more

Windows 8 and Windows RT and the new touch-centric Metro interface will be upon us before you know it. So, which has the most promise?

Windows 8 on Intel: These tablets and convertibles will run the full-blown Windows 8 operating system. Tablets from device vendors such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Acer will use Intel's upcoming "Clover Trail" Atom processor. Some convertibles will also tap higher-performance Ivy Bridge processors. And, of course, chips from Advanced Micro Devices.

Upside The biggest upside (barring unforeseen glitches) is the breadth of compatibility with existing Windows applications and the ability to use … Read more

Graphic chips player Nvidia raised its sales outlook for the second quarter and touted the ramp-up of its latest Tegra chips for smartphones, tablets, and Windows 8 on the ARM architecture.

But the company misjudged demand for its latest GPUs and is straining to get enough supply from TSMC, its semiconductor manufacturer. How Nvidia muddles through its supply issues will dictate its success in the ultrabook market.

The details emerged as Nvidia reported first-quarter results that were hamstrung by supply constraints. Those constraints, specifically 28-nanometer chips, hurt Nvidia's high-end graphics chip business.

The company reported first-quarter earnings of $60.… Read more

Intel CEO Paul Otellini took aim at a vulnerability of the ARM chips running Windows 8 when he addressed investors today at a meeting at Intel headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif.

"There's been a lot of debate that [Windows 8] is going to be a real entree for the ARM camp into Windows for the first time," he said. "While at face value, that's true...[but] I think they have a big uphill fight," he said.

Intel showed off an ultrabook with a touch screen running Windows 8, demonstrating how easy it is to … Read more

Today, CNET and other U.S. mobile reviewers got a chance to gush over AT&T's HTC One X superphone powerhouse. It boasts a stunning 4.7-inch display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and 4G LTE muscle. But the spec that's tripping up many is the processor: a dual-core Qualcomm chip in the U.S. instead of a quad-core Nvidia chip abroad.

On the surface of things, the change within seems like a step down for poor U.S. customers. After all, four cores (and Nvidia's fifth, "power-saving core") are better than two, right? Not necessarily.

The U.S. version for AT&T and for Sprint's forthcoming HTC Evo 4G LTE (the One X by another name) both use Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 processor, a dual-core chip that's a strong contender in its own right.… Read more

Back at CES 2012, we got our first glimpse of Samsung's new gaming laptop, the Series 7 Gamer, tucked away at Samsung's booth with little fanfare. That laptop is finally available for purchase, and it features Intel's new Ivy Bridge processors and the latest Nvidia graphics in a package that's competitive with what other gaming PC makers are offering. … Read more

If you want to create some pretty apps, look to Nvidia.

The company, best known for its graphics processors in PCs and laptops, has during the past year branched out into the mobile world with its ARM-based Tegra processor, specifically designed for mobile devices such as phones and tablets. The company has quickly gone from an outsider to a niche player, serving high-end devices.

Its Tegra 3 quad-core processor is found in a handful of top-tier products, including the Asus Transformer Prime, the first tablet with Google's Ice Cream Sandwich variant, as well as international versions of HTC's … Read more

With Intel's new Ivy Bridge third-generation Core i-series CPUs dominating the PC component discussion this week (or really, the last several months), it would be easy to miss today's announcement from AMD about new GPU parts.

AMD's Radeon graphics line, formerly branded under the ATI name, is found in many high-end laptops, including HP's Envy line and Apple's MacBook Pro. The current HD7000 series is now being expanded to include the HD7700M, 7800M, and 7900M.

AMD promises several new features from these updated GPUs, including smoother switching between integrated and discrete graphics. Rival Nvidia has … Read more