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Wherein the RX 470 teaches us a valuable lesson about deferred procedure calls
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 12, 2016 - 05:44 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: rx 470, LatencyMon, dpc, amd
When The Tech Report first conducted their review of the RX 470 they saw benchmark behaviour very different from any other GPU in that family but could not figure out what it was and resolve it before the mob arrived with pitchforks and torches demanding they publish or die.
As it turns out there was indeed something rotten in benchmark; incredibly high DPC on the test machine. Investigation determined the culprit to be the beta BIOS on their ASRock Z170 Extreme7+, specifically the BIOS which allowed you to overclock locked Intel CPUs. They have just released their new findings along with a look at LatencyMon and DPC in general. Take a look at the new benchmarks and information about DPC, but also absorb the consequences of demanding articles arrive picoseconds after the NDA expires; if there is a delay in publishing there might just be a damn good reason why.
"We retested our RX 470 to account for this issue, and we also updated our review with DirectX 12 benchmarks for Rise of the Tomb Raider and Hitman, plus full OpenGL and Vulkan benchmarks for Doom."
Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:
- AMD & NVIDIA GPU VR Performance in Trials on Tatooine @ [H]ard|OCP
- AMD's Radeon RX 460 @ The Tech Report
- 18-Way GPU Linux Benchmarks, Including The Radeon RX 460 & RX 470 On Open-Source @ Phoronix
- ASUS Radeon RX 460 STRIX OC 4 GB @ techPowerUp
- MSI RX 470 Gaming X 8G @ Kiguru
- MSI GTX 1060 6GB Gaming X @ Kitguru
- MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming Z @ Modders-Inc
- Nvidia Titan X (Pascal) Extended Overclock Guide @ Guru of 3D
- Nvidia Titan X @ Kitguru
- MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming Z 8G Review @HiTech Legion
- Zotac GTX 1080 AMP! Edition 8 GB @ techPowerUp
Corsair Releases Hydro GFX GTX 1080 Liquid-Cooled Graphics Card
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 12, 2016 - 10:59 AM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: overclock, nvidia, msi, liquid cooled, hydro H55, hydro gfx, GTX 1080, graphics card, gaming, corsair
Corsair and MSI have teamed up once again to produce a liquid-cooled edition of the latest NVIDIA GPU, with the GTX 1080 receiving the same treatment these two gave to the Hydro GFX version of GTX 980 Ti last year.
"The CORSAIR Hydro GFX GTX 1080 brings all the benefits of liquid cooling to the GeForce GTX 1080, boasting an integrated CORSAIR Hydro Series H55 cooler that draws heat from the GPU via a micro-fin copper base cold plate and dissipates it efficiently using a 120mm high-surface area radiator. A pre-installed low-noise LED-lit 120mm fan ensures steady, reliable air-flow, keeping GPU temperatures down and clock speeds high.
With a low-profile PCB and pre-fitted, fully-sealed liquid cooler, the Hydro GFX GTX 1080 is simple and easy to install. Just fit the card into a PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot, mount the radiator and enjoy low maintenance liquid cooling for the lifetime of the card."
Naturally, with an integrated closed-loop liquid cooler this GTX 1080 won't be relegated to stock speeds out of the box, though Corsair leaves this up to the user. The card offers three performance modes which allow users to choose between lower noise and higher performance. Silent Mode leaves the GTX 1080 at stock settings (1733 MHz Boost), Gaming Mode increases the Boost clock to 1822 MHz, and OC Mode increases this slightly to 1847 MHz (while increasing memory speed in this mode as well).
This liquid-cooled version will provide higher sustained clocks
Here are the full specs from Corsair:
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
- CUDA Cores: 2,560
- Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x16
- Boost / Base Core Clock:
- 1,847 MHz / 1,708 MHz (OC Mode)
- 1,822 MHz / 1,683 MHz (Gaming Mode)
- 1,733 MHz / 1,607 MHz (Silent Mode)
- Memory Clock:
- 10,108 MHz (OC Mode)
- 10,010 MHZ (Gaming Mode)
- 10,010 MHz (Silent Mode)
- Memory Size: 8192MB
- Memory Type: 8GB GDDR5X
- Memory Bus: 256-bit
- Outputs:
- 3x DisplayPort (Version 1.4)
- 1x HDMI (Version 2.0)
- 1x DL-DVI-D
- Power Connector: 8-pin x 1
- Power Consumption: 180W
- Dimension / Weight:Card: 270 x 111 x 40 mm / 1249 g
- Cooler: 151 x 118 x 52 mm/ 1286 g
The Corsair Hydro GFX GTX 1080 is available now, exclusively on Corsair's official online store, and priced at $749.99.
ASUS Adds Radeon RX 470 and RX 460 to ROG STRIX Gaming Lineup
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 10, 2016 - 08:22 PM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: video card, strix rx470, strix rx460, strix, rx 470, rx 460, ROG, Republic of Gamers, graphics, gpu, gaming, asus
Ryan posted details about the Radeon RX 470 and 460 graphics cards at the end of last month, and both are now available. Now the largest of the board partners, ASUS, has added both of these new GPUs to their Republic of Gamers STRIX series.
The STRIX Gaming RX 470 (Image: ASUS)
ASUS announced the Radeon RX 470 STRIX Gaming cards last week, and today the more affordable RX 460 GPU variant has been announced. The RX 470 is certainly a capable gaming option as it's a slightly cut-down version of the RX 480 GPU, and with the two versions of the STRIX Gaming cards offering varying levels of overclocking, they can come even closer to the performance of a stock RX 480.
The STRIX Gaming RX 460 (Image: ASUS)
The new STRIX Gaming RX 460 is significantly slower, with just 896 stream processors (to the 2048 of the RX 470) and a 128-bit memory interface (compared to 256-bit). Part of the appeal of the reference RX 460 - aside from low cost - is low power draw, as the <75W power draw allows for slot-powered board designs. This STRIX Gaming version adds a 6-pin power connector, however, which should provide additional overhead for further overclocking.
|AMD Radeon RX 470
|AMD Radeon RX 470
|AMD Radeon RX 460
|Stream Processors
|Memory Clock
|6600 MHz
|6600 MHz
|7000 MHz
|Memory Interface
|Core Clock
|1270 MHz (OC Mode)
1250 MHz (Gaming Mode)
|1226 MHz (OC Mode)
1206 MHz (Gaming Mode)
|1256 MHz (OC Mode)
1236 MHz (Gaming Mode)
|Video Output
|DVI-D x2
|DVI-D x2
|Power Connection
|9.5" x 5.1" x 1.6"
|9.5" x 5.1" x 1.6"
|7.6" x 4.7" x 1.4"
The STRIX Gaming RX 470 OC 4GB is priced at $199, matching the (theoretical) retail of the 4GB RX 480, and the STRIX Gaming RX 470 is just behind at $189. The considerably lower-end STRIX Gaming RX 460 is $139. A check of Amazon/Newegg shows listings for these cards, but no in-stock units as of early this afternoon.
AMD Releases Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.8.1
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 10, 2016 - 04:59 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: amd, graphics drivers
Alongside the release of the Radeon RX 460 and RX 470 graphics cards, AMD has released the Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.8.1 drivers. Beyond adding support for these new products, it also adds a Crossfire profile for F1 2016 and fixes a few issues, like Firefox and Overwatch crashing under certain circumstances. It also allows users of the RX 480 to overclock their memory higher than they previously could.
AMD is continuing their trend of steadily releasing graphics drivers, and rapidly fixing important issues as they arise. Also, they have been verbose in their release notes, outlining fixes and known problems as they occur. Users can often track the bugs that affect them as they are added to the Known Issues, then graduated to Fixed Issues. While this often goes unrecognized, it's frustrating as a user to experience a bug and not know whether the company even knows about it, or they are just refusing to acknowledge it.
Useful release notes, like AMD has been publishing, are very helpful in that regard.
AMD and NVIDIA on the Vive; perfomance data on Raw Data
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 8, 2016 - 05:25 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: htc vive, amd, nvidia, raw data
Raw Data is an early access game for the HTC Vive, one which requires space to move and which allows the Vive to show off its tracking ability. [H]ard|OCP wanted to see how the GPUs found in most high end systems would perform in this VR game and so grabbed several AMD and NVIDIA cards to test out. Benchmarking VR games is not an easy task, instead of raw performance you need to focus on the dropped frames and unstable fps which result in nausea and a less engrossing VR experience. To that end [H] has played the game numerous times on a variety of GPUs with settings changing throughout to determine the sweet spot for the GPU you are running. VR offers a new gaming experience and new tests need to be developed to demonstrate performance to those interested in jumping into the new market. Check out the full review to see what you think of their methodology as well as the raw performance of the cards.
"Both AMD and NVIDIA have had a lot to say about "VR" for a while now. VR is far from mainstream, but we are now seeing some games that are tremendously compelling to play, putting you in middle of the action. Raw Data is one of those, and it is extremely GPU intensive. How do the newest GPUs stack up in Raw Data?"
Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:
- PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 470 @ [H]ard|OCP
- Radeon RX 470 @ The Tech Report
- PowerColor Radeon RX 470 Red Devil Review @HiTech Legion
- Sapphire Nitro+ RX 470 OC @ eTeknix
- The AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB Review @ Hardware Canucks
- AMD RX 470 @ Hardware Heaven
- Sapphire RX 470 Nitro + OC 4GB @ Kitguru
- Asus RX 470 Strix Gaming OC Aura RGB 4GB @ Kitguru
- ASUS Radeon RX 470 STRIX OC 4 GB @ techPowerUp
Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 460 Nitro 4GB Benchmarked at HEXUS
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 8, 2016 - 01:08 PM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: amd, radeon, RX460, rx 460, graphics, gpu, gaming, benchmark, 1080p, 1920x1080, gtx 950, gtx 750 ti
HEXUS has posted their review of Sapphire's AMD Radeon RX 460 Nitro 4GB graphics card, pitting it against the NVIDIA GTX 950 and GTX 750 Ti in a 1920x1080 benchmarking battle.
Image credit: HEXUS
"Unlike the two previous AMD GPUs released under the Polaris branding recently, RX 460 is very much a mainstream part that's aimed at buyers who are taking their first real steps into PC gaming. RX 460 uses a distinct, smaller die and is to be priced from £99. As usual, let's fire up the comparison specification table and dissect the latest offering from AMD."
Image credit: HEXUS
The results might surprise you, and vary somewhat based on the game selected. Check out the source link for the full review over at HEXUS.
Sapphire's Custom Cooled Nitro+ RX 470 Available Now
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 6, 2016 - 02:24 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: sapphire, rx 470, polaris 10, dual x, amd
Following the official launch of AMD's Radeon RX 470 GPU, Sapphire has unleashed its own custom graphics card with the Nitro+ RX 470 in 4GB and 8GB factory overclocked versions. Surprisingly, the new cards are up for purchase now at various retailers at $210 for the 4GB model and $240 for the 8GB model (more on that in a bit).
The new Nitro+ RX 470 uses the same board and cooler design as the previously announced Nitro+ RX 480 which is a good thing both for Sapphire (less R&D cost) and for consumers as they get a rather beefy cooler that should allow them to push the RX 470 clocks quite a bit. The card uses the same Dual X cooler with two 95mm quick connect fans, three nickel plated copper heatpipes, and an aluminum fin stack. The card features the same black fan shroud and black and silver colored backplate. Out of the box this cooler should keep the RX 470 GPU running cooler and quieter than the RX 480, but it should also enable users to get higher clocks out of the smaller GPU (less cores means less heat and more overclocking headroom assuming you get a good chip from the silicon lottery).
Sapphire is using Black Diamond 4 chokes and a 4+1 power phase design that is driven by a single 8-pin PCI-E power connector (and up to 75W from the motherboard slot). This mirrors the design of its RX 480 sibling.
Display outputs include a single DVI, two HDMI 2.0b, and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports.
The chart below outlines the comparison between the Nitro+ RX 470 cards, RX 470 reference specifications, and the RX 480.
Nitro+ RX 470 4GB
|Nitro+ RX 470 8GB
|RX 470 Reference
|Stream Processors
|Compute Units
|GPU Clock (Base)
|1143 MHz
|1121 MHz
|926 MHz
|1120 MHz
|GPU Clock (Boost)
|1260 MHz
|1260 MHz
|1206 MHz
|1266 MHz
|4GB GDDR5 @ 7 GHz
|8GB GDDR5 @ 8 GHz
|4 or 8 GB GDDR5 @ 6.6 GHz
|4 or 8 GB GDDR5 @ up to 8 GHz
|Memory Bus
|Memory Bandwidth
|224 GB/s
|256 GB/s
|211 GB/s
|256 GB/s
|Polaris 10
|Polaris 10
|Polaris 10
|Polaris 10
|$200+ ($240+ for 8GB)
The RX 470 GPU is only slightly cut down from RX 480 in that it features four fewer CUs though the processor maintains the same number of ROP units and the same 256-bit memory bus. Reference clocks are 926 MHz base and 1206 MHz boost. Memory can be up to 8GB of GDDR5 with reference memory clocks of 6.6 GHz (effective). Sapphire has overclocked both the GPU and memory with the NItro+ series. The Nitro+ RX 470 with 4GB of GDDR5 is clocked at 1143 MHz base, 1260 MHz boost, and 7 GHz memory while the 8GB version has a lower base clock of 1121 but a higher memory clock of 8 GHz.
The 8GB model having a lower base overclock is a bit strange to me, but at least they are rated at the same boost clock. These specifications are very close to the RX 480 actually and with a bit of user overclocking beyond the factory overclock you could get even closer to the performance of it.
The problem with this RX 470 that gets so close to the RX 480 though is that the price is also very close to reference RX 480s! The Sapphire Nitro+ RX 470 4GB is priced at $209.99 while the Nitro+ RX 470 8GB is $239.99.
These prices put the card well into RX 480 territory though not quite up to the MSRPs of factory overclocked RX 480s (e.g. Sapphire's own Nitro+ RX 480 is $219 and $269 for 4GB and 8GB respectively). The company has a nice looking (and hopefully performing) RX 470, but it is going to be tough to choose this card over a RX 480 that has more shaders and TMUs. One advantage though is that this is a card that will just work without having to manually overclock (though where is the fun in that? heh) and it is actually available right now unlike the slew of RX 480 cards that have been launched but are consistently out of stock everywhere! If you simply can't wait for a RX 480, this might not be a bad option.
EDIT: Of course the 8GB model goes out of stock at Newegg as I write this and Amazon's prices are higher than MSRP! hah.
Microsoft Publishes HLSL Shader Model 6.0 MSDN Docs
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 2, 2016 - 07:37 AM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: windows 10, vulkan, microsoft, DirectX 12
Update (August 3rd @ 4:30pm): Turns out Khronos Group announced at SIGGRAPH that Subgroup Instructions have been recently added to SPIR-V (skip video to 21:30), and are a "top priority" for "Vulkan Next". Some (like WaveBallot) are already ARB (multi-vendor) OpenGL extensions, too.
Original post below:
DirectX 12's shading language will receive some new functionality with the new Shader Model 6.0. According to their GDC talks, it is looking like it will be structured similar to SPIR-V in how it's compiled and ingested. Code will be compiled and optimized as an LLVM-style bytecode, which the driver will accept and execute on the GPU. This could make it easy to write DX12-compatible shader code in other languages, like C++, which is a direction that Vulkan is heading, but Microsoft hasn't seemed to announce that yet.
This news shows a bit more of the nitty gritty details. It looks like they added 16-bit signed (short) and unsigned (ushort) integers, which might provide a performance improvement on certain architectures (although I'm not sure that it's new and/or GPUs exist the natively operate upon them) because they operate on half of the data as a standard, 32-bit integer. They have also added more functionality, to both the pixel and compute shaders, to operate in multiple threads, called lanes, similar to OpenCL. This should allow algorithms to work more efficiently in blocks of pixels, rather than needing to use one of a handful of fixed function calls (ex: partial derivates ddx and ddy) to see outside their thread.
When will this land? No idea, but it is conspicuously close to the Anniversary Update. It has been added to Feature Level 12.0, so its GPU support should be pretty good. Also, Vulkan exists, doing its thing. Not sure how these functions overlap with SPIR-V's feature set, but, since SPIR was original for OpenCL, it could be just sitting there for all I know.
Sapphire Will Release Custom Radeon RX 460 Nitro OC Graphics Card
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 2, 2016 - 03:50 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: sapphire, rx 460, polaris 11, nitro, amd
AMD and its board partners will officially launch the first Polaris 11 GPU and the Radeon RX 460 graphics cards based around that processor on August 8th. Fortunately Videocardz.com got a hold of an image that shows off Sapphire's take on the RX 460 in the form of a factory overclocked and custom cooled RX460 Nitro OC. This gives us a hint at the kinds of cards we can expect and it appears to be good news for budget gamers as it suggests that there will be several options around this firm $100 price point that are a bit more than the bare necessities.
In the case of Sapphire's RX 460 Nitro OC, it uses a custom dual fan cooler with two copper heatpipes, an aluminum fin stack (that is much larger than reference), and two 90mm fans. Display IO includes one DVI, one HDMI, and one DisplayPort. The card itself uses a physical PCI-E x16 connector that is electrically PCI-E 3.0 x8. The x8 connection will be more than enough for this GPU though it also enables partners to cut costs.
Clockspeeds are not yet known, but the Polaris 11 GPU (896 cores, 56 TMUs, 16 ROPs) will be paired with 4GB GDDR5 memory.
It is encouraging to me to see custom cards at this price point out of the gate with the full 4GB of memory (AMD allows 2GB or 4GB versions). Gamers that simply can't justify spending much more than a hundred dollars on a GPU should have ample options to choose from and I am looking forward to seeing what all the partners have to offer.
Are you looking at Polaris 11 and the RX 460 for a super budget gaming build? What do you think about Sapphire's card with the company's custom cooler?
Rumor: GTX 980 and GTX 960 Lawsuits???
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 1, 2016 - 06:52 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: nvidia, Lawsuit, GTX 980, gtx 960
Update @ 9:45pm: I heard that some AMD users were notified about their R9 purchase as well, calling it simply "R9". Since I didn't see concrete proof, I omit it from the post in case it was a hoax (as the story is still developing). I have since been notified of a tweet with an email screenshot.
Original post below:
Apparently, Newegg is informing customers that NVIDIA has settled a class action lawsuit with customers of the GeForce GTX 960 and GTX 980 cards, along with the GTX 970. It's currently unclear whether this is an error, or whether this is one of the sibling class action lawsuits that were apparently bundled together with the GTX 970 one. Users on the NVIDIA Reddit are claiming that it has to do with DirectX 12 feature level support, although that seems like knee-jerk confirmation bias to me.
Regardless, if you purchased a GeForce 900-series graphics card from Newegg, maybe even including the 980 Ti, then you should check your email. You might have a settlement en-route.
That's all we know at this point, though. Thanks to our readers for pointing this out.
Report: NVIDIA to Announce Mobile Pascal Graphics at Gamescom
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 1, 2016 - 03:39 PM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: pascal, nvidia, notebooks, mobile gpu, mobile gaming, laptops, GTX 1080M, GTX 1070M, GTX 1060M, discrete gpu
VideoCardz is reporting that an official announcement of the rumored mobile GPUs might be coming at Gamescom later this month.
"Mobile Pascal may arrive at Gamescom in Europe. According to DigiTimes, NVIDIA would allow its notebook partners to unveil mobile Pascal between August 17th to 21st, so just when Gamescom is hosted is hosted in Germany."
We had previously reported on the rumors of a mobile GTX 1070 and 1060, and we can only assume a 1080 will also be available (though VideoCardz is not speculating on the specs of this high-end mobile card just yet).
Rumored NVIDIA Mobile Pascal GPU specs (Image credit: VideoCardz)
Gamescom runs from August 17 - 21 in Germany, so we only have to wait about three weeks to know for sure.
AMD Releases Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.7.3 Drivers
Subject: Graphics Cards | August 1, 2016 - 10:16 AM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: amd, radeon, radeon software, Crimson Edition 16.7.3, driver, graphics, update, rx480, rise of the tomb raider
AMD has released the Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.7.3 driver, with improved performance in Rise of the Tomb Raider for Radeon RX 480 owners, as well as various bug fixes.
From AMD:
Radeon Software Crimson Edition is AMD's revolutionary new graphics software that delivers redesigned functionality, supercharged graphics performance, remarkable new features, and innovation that redefines the overall user experience. Every Radeon Software release strives to deliver new features, better performance and stability improvements.
Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.7.3 Highlights
Performance Improvements:
Rise of the Tomb Raider performance increase up to 10% versus Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.7.2 on Radeon RX 480 graphics
For a full list of bug fixes and known issues, you can visit AMD's release notes page for 16.7.3. The new driver is available now from this link.
Custom Cooled XFX Radeon RX 470 Graphics Card Revealed
Subject: Graphics Cards | July 30, 2016 - 11:35 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: xfx, rx 470, polaris 10, Double Dissipation Edition, amd
AMD's budget (under $200) Polaris-based graphics cards are coming next week, and the leaks are starting to appear online. In the case of the Radeon RX 470, AMD is expecting that most (if not all) of its board partners will be using their own custom coolers. Thanks to Chinese technology site EXPReview, we finally have an idea of what an RX 470 will look like – or at least what an XFX-branded RX 470 will look like!
The website posted several photos of the alleged (but likely legitimate) XFX RX 470 "Black Wolf" graphics card which will probably be branded as the XFX RX 470 Double Dissipation in North America. This is a dual slot card with dual fan cooler that measures 9.45 inches long. Three copper heat pipes pull heat into an aluminum heatsink that is cooled by two 80mm fans that can reportedly be removed by the user for cleaning (and maybe user RMA replacement like Sapphire is planning). The card also features a full backplate and LED-backlit XFX logo along the side of the card. The design is all black with a white XFX logo.
Video outputs include three DisplayPort 1.4, one HDMI 2.0b, and one DL-DVI which seems about right for this price point.
The card is powered by a single 6-pin PCI-E power connector and the card will use AMD's RX 470 GPU and 4GB of GDDR5 memory. The RX 470 features 2048 cores, 128 texture units, and 32 raster operators, This is essentially a RX 480 GPU with four less Compute Units though it maintains the same number of ROPs and the same 256-bit memory bus. We do not know clockspeeds on this custom cooled XFX card yet, but overclockers may well be able to push clocks further than they could on RX 480 (there are less cores so the chips may be able to be pushed further on clocks), but it is hard to say right now. I would expect out of the box clocks to be a bit above the reference RX 470 clocks of 926 MHz base and 1206 MHz boost.
You can check out all of the photos of this card here.
Stay tuned to PC Perspective for more RX 470 and RX 460 news as we near the official launch dates!
Also read:
- AMD Details the RX 470 and RX 460 Graphics Cards, Coming in August
- The AMD Radeon RX 480 Review - The Polaris Promise
Phanteks Launches Full Cover Water Block For Reference GTX 1080 Graphics Cards
Subject: Graphics Cards | July 29, 2016 - 02:51 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: water cooling, RGB LED, phanteks, GPU Water Block
Phanteks, a company that produces cases, CPU coolers, and fans has unveiled its first GPU cooler in the form of a full cover water block for Nvidia's GTX 1080 Founder's Edition (and any partner PCBs that use the reference design) graphics card. The PH-GB1080-X is a full cover nickel plated copper block with acrylic top and black (aluminum?) accents on the edges of the block. There are two ports for inlet/outlet on both top and bottom (so users could SLI multiple cards and water cool in series or parallel). Phanteks allegedly uses Dupont Viton for the gaskets which is a "high-performance seal elastomer" for the aerospace industry (and overkill for the temps that will be seen in a PC water loop heh).
In addition to the acrylic top, users can plug in three (1mm) RGB LEDs into the bottom edge of the card to add a glow effect. Oddly, Phanteks shows the LEDs using three individual cables that then go off to a reported proprietary power adapter that can plug into RGB motherboards or Phanteks' cases. Having the LEDs running off of a single cable (or bundled together) coming of the back edge of the card closest to the motherboard would have been helpful to cable management!
Phanteks' new water block is available for pre-order now for $129.99.
Using a water block on the GTX 1080 should allow users to easily achieve above 2000 MHz GPU clocks and have the card clockspeeds be much more stable than on air. Gamer's Nexus tested their GTX 1080 with an EVGA all in one cooler and managed to crank the GPU clockspeeds up to 2164 MHz and the memory clockspeeds up to 5602 MHz. That 2164 MHz clockspeed is quite the overclock and while it was only a bit above what they achieved on air, the clocks were much more stable and actually able to be maintained during long gaming sessions unlike on air. A custom water loop and a water block like the one Phanteks is selling should do just as well as Gamer's Nexus' results if not ever so slightly better.
If you already have a water loop in your system and have been waiting for a block to go with your GTX 1080 you now have another option!
Also read: The GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Founders Edition Review - GP104 Brings Pascal to Gamers
AMD Details the RX 470 and RX 460 Graphics Cards, Coming in August
Subject: Graphics Cards | July 29, 2016 - 01:09 AM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: rx 470, rx 460, radeon, polaris 11, polaris 10, Polaris, amd
We know pretty much all there is to know about AMD's new Polaris architecture thanks to our Radeon RX 480 review, but AMD is taking the covers off of the lower priced, lower performance products based on the same architecture tonight. We previously covered AMD's launch event in Australia where the company officially introduced the Polaris 10 RX 470 and Polaris 11 RX 460 and talked about the broader specifications. Now, we have a bit more information to share on specifics and release dates. Specifically, AMD's RX 470 will launch on Thursday, August 4th and the RX 460 will launch on the following Monday, August 8th.
First up is the Radeon RX 470, based on the same Polaris 10 GPU as the RX 480, but with some CUs disabled to lower performance and increase yields.
This card is aimed at 1080p gaming at top quality settings with AA enabled at 60 FPS. Obviously that is a very vague statement, but it gives you an idea of what price point and target segment the RX 470 is going after.
The only comparison we have from AMD pits the upcoming RX 470 against the R9 270, where Polaris offers a range from 1.5x to 2.4x improvement in a handful of titles, which include DX12 and Vulkan enabled games, of course.
From a specifications stand point, the RX 470 will include 2048 stream processors running at a base clock of 926 MHz and a rated boost frequency of 1206 MHz. That gives us 4.9 TFLOPS of theoretical peak performance to pair with a 6.6 Gbps memory interface capable of 211 GB/s of peak bandwidth. With a 4GB frame buffer and a 120 watt TDP, the RX 470 should offer some compelling performance in the ~$150 price segment (this price is just a guess on my part... though yields should be better – they can salvage RX 480s – and partners being able to use memory chips that do not have to hit 8 Gbps should help to lower costs).
Going down another step to the Radeon RX 460, AMD is targeting this card at 1080p resolutions at "high" image quality settings. The obvious game categories here are eSports titles like MOBAs, CS: Go, Overwatch, etc.
Again, AMD provides a comparison to other AMD hardware: in this case the R7 260X. You'll find a 1.2x to 1.3x performance improvements in these types of titles. Clearly we want to know where the performance rests against the GeForce line but this comparison seems somewhat modest.
Based on the smaller Polaris 11 GPU, which is a new chip that we have not seen before, the RX 460 features up to 2.2 TFLOPS of computing capability with 896 stream processors (14 CUs enabled out of 16 total in full Polaris 11) running between 1090 MHz and 1200 MHz. The memory system is actually running faster on the RX 460 than the RX 470, though with half the memory bus width at 128-bits. The TDP of this card is sub-75 watts and thus we should find cards that don't require any kind of external power. The RX 460 GPU will be used in desktop cards as well as notebooks (though with lower TDPs and clocks).
The chart below outlines the comparison between the three known Polaris graphics processors.
|Stream Processors
|Compute Units
|GPU Clock (Base)
|1120 MHz
|926 MHz
|1090 MHz
|GPU Clock (Boost)
|1266 MHz
|1206 MHz
|1200 MHz
|4 or 8 GB GDDR5
|4 or 8 GB GDDR5
|2 or 4 GB GDDR5
|Memory Bus
|Memory Bandwidth
|256 GB/s
|211 GB/s
|112 GB/s
|Polaris 10
|Polaris 10
|Polaris 11
There is still much to learn about these new products, most importantly, prices. AMD is still shying away from telling us that important data point. The RX 470 will be on sale and will have reviews on August 4th, with the RX 460 following that on August 8th, so we'll have details and costs in our hands very soon.
It is not clear how many or what kinds of cards we can expect to see on the August 4th and August 8th release days though it would stand to reason that they will be mostly based upon reference designs especially for the RX 460 (though Gamer's Nexus did spot a dual fan Sapphire card).. With that said, we may see custom cooled RX 470 graphics cards because while AMD does technically have a reference design with blower style cooler the company expects most if not all of its partners to go their own direction with this board including their own single and dual fan coolers.
For gamers looking to buy into the truly budget card segment, stay tuned just a little longer!
NVIDIA Offers Preliminary Settlement To Geforce GTX 970 Buyers In False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit
Subject: Graphics Cards | July 28, 2016 - 07:07 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: nvidia, maxwell, GTX 970, GM204, 3.5gb memory
A recent post on Top Class Actions suggests that buyers of NVIDIA GTX 970 graphics cards may soon see a payout from a settlement agreement as part of the series of class action lawsuits facing NVIDIA over claims of false advertising. NVIDIA has reportedly offered up a preliminary settlement of $30 to "all consumers who purchased the GTX 970 graphics card" with no cap on the total payout amount along with a whopping $1.3 million in attorney's fees.
This settlement offer is in response to several class action lawsuits that consumers filed against the graphics giant following the controversy over mis-advertised specifications (particularly the number of ROP units and amount of L2 cache) and the method in which NVIDIA's GM204 GPU addressed the four total gigabytes of graphics memory.
Specifically, the graphics card specifications initially indicated that it had 64 ROPs and 2048 KB of L2 cache, but later was revealed to have only 56 ROPs and 1792 KB of L2. On the memory front, the "3.5 GB memory controvesy" spawned many memes and investigations into how the 3.5 GB and 0.5 GB pools of memory worked and how performance both real world and theoretical were affected by the memory setup.
(My opinions follow)
It was quite the PR disaster and had NVIDIA been upfront with all the correct details on specifications and the new memory implementation the controversy could have been avoided. As is though buyers were not able to make informed decisions about the card and at the end of the day that is what is important and why the lawsuits have merit.
As such, I do expect both sides to reach a settlement rather than see this come to a full trial, but it may not be exactly the $30 per buyer payout as that amount still needs to be approved by the courts to ensure that it is "fair and reasonable."
For more background on the GTX 970 memory issue (it has been awhile since this all came about after all, so you may need a refresher):
- NVIDIA Discloses Full Memory Structure and Limitations of GTX 970
- NVIDIA Responds to GTX 970 3.5GB Memory Issue
- Frame Rating: GTX 970 Memory Issues Tested in SLI
- Frame Rating: Looking at GTX 970 Memory Performance
PCPer Live! Sapphire Joins PCPer to Talk and Giveaway a Nitro+ RX 480!
Subject: Editorial, Graphics Cards | July 28, 2016 - 02:36 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: video, sapphire, rx 480, radeon, Polaris, pcper live, live, amd
UPDATE: Did you miss the live event? No worries, see what trouble Ed and I got into with the recording embedded below!!
When it comes to GPU releases, we at PC Perspective take things up a level in the kind of content we produce as well as the amount of information we provide to the community. Part of that commitment is our drive to bring in the very best people from around the industry to talk directly to the consumers, providing interesting and honest views on where their technology is going.
Though the Radeon RX 480 was released last month, based on AMD's latest Polaris, we are bringing in our first board partner. Ed Crisler, NA PR/Marketing Manager for Sapphire will be joining us in studio to talk about the RX 480 and Sapphire's plans for custom cards.
The Sapphire Nitro+ RX 480 Graphics Card
Sapphire Live Stream and Giveaway with Ed Crisler and Ryan Shrout
10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET - July 29th
PC Perspective Live! Page
Need a reminder? Join our live stream notification list!
The event will take place Friday, July 29th at 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT at http://www.pcper.com/live. There you'll be able to catch the live video stream as well as use our chat room to interact with the audience, asking questions for me and Ed to answer live.
As a price for hosting Sapphire in the offices, we demand a sacrifice: in the form of hardware to giveaway to our viewers! We'll have a brand new Sapphire Nitro+ RX 480 8GB to hand out during the live stream! All you have to do to win on the 29th is watch the live stream!
If you have questions, please leave them in the comments below and we'll look through them just before the start of the live stream. Of course you'll be able to tweet us questions @pcper and we'll be keeping an eye on the IRC chat as well for more inquiries. What do you want to know and hear from Ed or me?
So join us! Set your calendar for this coming Friday at 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT and be here at PC Perspective to catch it. If you are a forgetful type of person, sign up for the PC Perspective Live notification list that we use exclusively to notify users of upcoming live streaming events including these types of specials and our regular live podcast. I promise, no spam will be had!
PCPer Live! Sapphire Joins PCPer to Talk and Giveaway a Nitro+ RX 480!
Rumor: Nintendo NX Uses NVIDIA Tegra... Something
Subject: Graphics Cards, Systems, Mobile | July 27, 2016 - 07:58 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: nvidia, Nintendo, nintendo nx, tegra, Tegra X1, tegra x2, pascal, maxwell
Okay so there's a few rumors going around, mostly from Eurogamer / DigitalFoundry, that claim the Nintendo NX is going to be powered by an NVIDIA Tegra system on a chip (SoC). DigitalFoundry, specifically, cites multiple sources who claim that their Nintendo NX development kits integrate the Tegra X1 design, as seen in the Google Pixel C. That said, the Nintendo NX release date, March 2017, does provide enough time for them to switch to NVIDIA's upcoming Pascal Tegra design, rumored to be called the Tegra X2, which uses NVIDIA's custom-designed Denver CPU cores.
Preamble aside, here's what I think about the whole situation.
First, the Tegra X1 would be quite a small jump in performance over the WiiU. The WiiU's GPU, "Latte", has 320 shaders clocked at 550 MHz, and it was based on AMD's TeraScale 1 architecture. Because these stream processors have single-cycle multiply-add for floating point values, you can get its FLOP rating by multiplying 320 shaders, 550,000,000 cycles per second, and 2 operations per clock (one multiply and one add). This yields 352 GFLOPs. The Tegra X1 is rated at 512 GFLOPs, which is just 45% more than the previous generation.
This is a very tiny jump, unless they indeed use Pascal-based graphics. If this is the case, you will likely see a launch selection of games ported from WiiU and a few games that use whatever new feature Nintendo has. One rumor is that the console will be kind-of like the WiiU controller, with detachable controllers. If this is true, it's a bit unclear how this will affect games in a revolutionary way, but we might be missing a key bit of info that ties it all together.
As for the choice of ARM over x86... well. First, this obviously allows Nintendo to choose from a wider selection of manufacturers than AMD, Intel, and VIA, and certainly more than IBM with their previous, Power-based chips. That said, it also jives with Nintendo's interest in the mobile market. They joined The Khronos Group and I'm pretty sure they've said they are interested in Vulkan, which is becoming the high-end graphics API for Android, supported by Google and others. That said, I'm not sure how many engineers exist that specialize in ARM optimization, as most mobile platforms try to abstract this as much as possible, but this could be Nintendo's attempt to settle on a standardized instruction set, and they opted for mobile over PC (versus Sony and especially Microsoft, who want consoles to follow high-end gaming on the desktop).
Why? Well that would just be speculating on speculation about speculation. I'll stop here.
MSI's Custom RX 480 Gaming Graphics Cards Coming Mid August
Subject: Graphics Cards | July 27, 2016 - 03:43 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: Twin Frozr VI, Radeon RX 480, polaris 10, msi
MSi is jumping full force into custom RX 480s with its upcoming line of Radeon RX 480 Gaming series including factory overclocked Gaming X and (slightly lower end) Gaming cards in both 8GB and 4GB SKUs. All four of the new graphics cards use a custom 8 phase power design, custom PCB with Military Class 4 components, and perhaps most importantly a beefy Twin Frozr VI cooler. The overclockable cards will be available by the middle of next month.
Specifically, MSI will be launching the RX 480 GAMING X 8G and RX 480 GAMING X 4G with 8GB and 4GB of GDDR5 memory respectively. These cards will have solid metal backplates and the highest factory overclocks. Below these cards sit the RX 480 GAMING 8G and RX480 GAMING 4G with the same TWIN FROZR VI cooler but sans backplate and with lower out of the box clockspeeds. Aside from those aspects, the cards all appear to offer identical features.
The new Gaming series graphics cards feature 8-pin PCI-E power connectors and 8-phase power design on a custom PCB that should allow users to push Polaris 10 quite a bit without running into issues of overheating the VRMs. The Twin Frozr VI cooler uses a nickel plated copper base plate, three 8mm copper heatpipes, a large aluminum fin array, and two large fans that spin down while the GPU temperature is under 60°C. The heatsink results in a larger than reference card that is both wider and longer at 276mm, but the size is made up for by offering 22% better cooling performance according to MSI. Further, RGB LEDs backlight the MSI logo on the side of the card. The metal backplate on the X variants should help dissipate slightly more heat than the non X models.
All for Polaris-based graphics cards offer a single DL-DVI, two HDMI, and two DisplayPort video outputs. The inclusion of two HDMI ports rather than three DP ports is allegedly to more easily support VR users by allowing them to have an HDMI connected monitor and headset connected at the same time without using adapters.
|RX 480 Gaming X 8G
|RX 480 Gaming X 4G
|RX 480 Gaming 8G
|RX 480 Gaming 4G
|RX 480 Reference
|GPU Clock (OC Mode)
|1316 MHz
|1316 MHz
|1292 MHz
|1292 MHz
|1266 MHz
|GPU Clock (Gaming Mode)
|1303 MHz
|1303 MHz
|1279 MHz
|1279 MHz
|1266 MHz
|GPU Clock (Silent Mode)
|1266 MHz
|1266 MHz
|1266 MHz
|1266 MHz
|1266 MHz
|8GB or 4GB GDDR5
|Memory Clock
|8100 MHz
|8100 MHz
|8000 MHz (?)
|8000 MHz (?)
|8000 MHz
|Card Length
|$249 for 8GB, $199 for 4GB
The GAMING and GAMING X RX 480s offer two tiers of factory overclocks that users can select using MSI's software utility. The non X GAMING cards will clock up to 1279 MHz in Gaming Mode and 1292 MHz in OC Mode. In Silent Mode the card will run at the same 1266 MHz boost speed as AMD's reference design card. Meanwhile the RX 480 GAMING X cards will boost up to 1303 MHz in Gaming Mode and 1316 MHz in OC Mode. In addition, MSI is bumping up the memory clockspeeds to 8100 MHz in OC Mode which is a nice surprise! MSI's announcement is not exactly clear, but it appears that the non X versions do not have factory overlcocked memory and it remains at the reference 8000 MHz.
Pricing has not yet been announced, but the cards will reportedly be on sale worldwide by mid August.
I am looking forward to seeing how far reviewers and users are able to push Polaris 10 with the Twin Frozr cooler and 8-phase VRMs!
AMD Introduces Radeon Pro SSG: A Professional GPU Paired With Low Latency Flash Storage (Updated)
Subject: Graphics Cards | July 27, 2016 - 01:56 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: solid state, radeon pro, Polaris, gpgpu, amd
UPDATE (July 27th, 1am ET): More information on the Radeon Pro SSG has surfaced since the original article. According to AnandTech, the prototype graphics card actually uses an AMD Fiji GPU. The Fiji GPU is paired onboard PCI-E based storage using the same PEX8747 bridge chip used in the Radeon Pro Duo. Storage is handled by two PCI-E 3.0 x4 M.2 slots that can accommodate up to 1TB of NAND flash storage. As I mentioned below, having the storage on board the graphics card vastly reduces latency by reducing the number of hops and not having to send requests out to the rest of the system. AMD had more numbers to share following their demo, however.
From the 8K video editing demo, the dual Samsung 950 Pro PCI-E SSDs (in RAID 0) on board the Radeon Pro SSG hit 4GB/s while scrubbing through the video. That same video source stored on a Samsung 950 Pro attached to the motherboard had throughput of only 900MB/s. In theory, reaching out to system RAM still has raw throughput advantages (with DDR4 @ 3200 MHz on a Haswell-E platform theroretically capable of 62 GB/s reads and 47 GB/s writes though that would be bottlenecked by the graphics card having to go over the PCI-E 3.0 x16 link and it's maximum of 15.754 GB/s.). Of course if you can hold it in (much smaller) GDDR5 (300+GB/s depending on clocks and memory bus width) or HBM (1TB/s) and not have to go out to any other storage tier that's ideal but not always feasible especially in the HPC world.
However, having onboard storage on the same board as the GPU only a single "hop" away vastly reduces latency and offers much more total storage space than most systems have in DDR3 or DDR4. In essence, the solid state storage on the graphics card (which developers will need to specifically code for) acts as a massive cache for streaming in assets for data sets and workloads that are highly impacted by latency. This storage is not the fastest, but is the next best thing for holding active data outside of GDDR5/x or HBM. For throughput intensive workloads reaching out to system RAM will be better Finally, reaching out to system attached storage should be the last resort as it will be the slowest and most latent. Several commentors mentioned using a PCI-E based SSD in a second slot on the motherboard accessed much like GPUs in CrossFire communicate now (DMA over the PCI-E bus) which is an interesting idea that I had not considered.
Per my understanding of the situation, I think that the on board SSG storage would still be slightly more beneficial than this setup but it would get you close (I am assuming the GPU would be able to directly interact and request data from the SSD controller and not have to rely on the system CPU to do this work but I may well be mistaken. I will have to look into this further and ask the experts heh). On the prototype Radeon Pro SSG the M.2 slots are actually able to be seen as drives by the system and OS so it is essentially acting as if there was a PCI-E adapter card in a slot on the motherboard holding those drives but that may not be the case should this product actually hit the market. I do question their choice to go with Fiji rather than Polaris, but it sounds like they built the prototype off of the Radeon Pro Duo platform so I suppose it would make sense there.
Hopefully the final versions in 2017 or beyond use at least Vega though :).
Alongside the launch of new Radeon Pro WX (workstation) series graphics cards, AMD teased an interesting new Radeon Pro product: the Radeon Pro SSG. This new professional graphics card pairs a Polaris GPU with up ot a terabyte of on board solid state storage and seeks to solve one of the biggest hurdles in GP GPU performance when dealing with extremely large datasets which is latency.
One of the core focuses of AMD's HSA (heterogeneous system architecture) is unified memory and the ability of various processors (CPU, GPU, specialized co-processors, et al) to work together efficiently by being able to access and manipulate data from the same memory pool without having to copy data bck and forth between CPU-accessible memory and GPU-accessible memory. With the Radeon Pro SSG, this idea is not fully realized (it is more of a sidestep), but it will move performance further. It does not eliminate the need to copy data to the GPU before it can work on it, but once copied the GPU will be able to work on data stored in what AMD describes as a one terabyte frame buffer. This memory will be solid state and very fast, but more importantly it will be able to get at the data with much lower latency than previous methods. AMD claims the solid state storage (likely NAND but they have not said) will link with the GPU over a dedicated PCI-E bus. I suppose that if you can't bring the GPU to the data, you bring the data to the GPU!
Considering AMD's previous memory champ – the Radeon W9100 – maxed out at 32GB of GDDR5, the teased Radeon Pro SSG with its 1TB of purportedly low latency onboard flash storage opens up a slew of new possibilities for researchers and professionals in media, medical, and scientific roles working with massive datasets for imaging, creation, and simulations! I expect that there are many professionals out there eager to get their hands on one of these cards! They will be able to as well thanks to a beta program launching shortly, so long as they have $10,000 for the hardware!
AMD gave a couple of examples in their PR on the potential benefits of its "solid state graphics" including the ability to image a patient's beating heart in real time to allow medical professionals to examine and spot issues as early as possible and using the Radeon Pro SSG to edit and scrub through 8K video in real time at 90 FPS versus 17 with current offerings. On the scientific side of things being able to load up entire models into the new graphics memory (not as low latency as GDDR5 or HBM certainly) will be a boon as will being able to get data sets as close to the GPU as possible into servers using GPU accelerated databases powering websites accessed by millions of users.
It is not exactly the HSA future I have been waiting for ever so impatiently, but it is a nice advancement and an intriguing idea that I am very curious to see how well it pans out and if developers and researchers will truly take advantage of and use to further their projects. I suspect something like this could be great for deep learning tasks as well (such as powering the "clouds" behind self driving cars perhaps).
Stay tuned to PC Perspective for more information as it develops.
This is definitely a product that I will be watching and I hope that it does well. I am curious what Nvidia's and Intel's plans are here as well! What are your thoughts on AMD's "Solid State Graphics" card? All hype or something promising?
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The Official Manchester City FC Annual
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The Official Manchester City FC Annual by David ClaytonThe 2016 MCFC Annual looks back at the past season for the Blues. The campaign and some of our best goals are covered in this picture packed Annual. Featuring quizzes, puzzles, word searches, a crossword and an extensive player profile section, this is a must-have addition to any young Manchester City fan's collection.
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subset: commoncrawl


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By TED SIEFER
New Hampshire Union Leader
MANCHESTER — The city school system and the board that oversees it are unique — and not in a good way.
This was the broad conclusion, expressed in more precise and academic terms in a nearly 280-page report, of an audit of the Manchester School District conducted over the past school year.
Judy Birmingham, the lead auditor for Curriculum Management Systems, an Iowa-based education consulting company, presented the findings at a meeting of the Curriculum and Instruction Committee Wednesday.
"The theme is Manchester needs to work toward functioning as a unified school system, rather than a system of 23 schools," she said. "The way to do that is to provide a common foundation, written, where everybody knows specific policies and procedures."
Birmingham also pointed a finger squarely at the school board itself.
"Overall, we found the school committee members well-intentioned. But sometimes you need people with no ties to the district to say this is different than average," she said, singling out the board's tendency "to blur governance and administrative functions."
The report states, "Board of School Committee disharmony has compromised the board's ability to provide clear direction and focus for the management and operation of the district."
The overarching problem facing the district, Birmingham said, is a lack of curriculum alignment and assessment across the schools. State Department of Education reviews have found similar problems.
Birmingham recalled one interview with a teacher who told her, "We need a simple mission everyone understands and works toward. Now we're all sort of private contractors," she said
Birmingham led a team of four auditors, who visited every classroom in the district, reviewed many documents and conducted more than 90 interviews with teachers, administrators, parents and other "stakeholders," she said.
With charts and graphs, the report confirms that city schools lag well behind the state average in test scores and have a considerably higher dropout rate, and that the district has made little or no improvement over the past four years by these measures.
The report also confirms that performance varies widely from school to school and between white and minority students, including EL, or English Learner, students.
Birmingham said there appeared to be a willingness to accept the wide achievement gap between white and minority students — and she also noted that there very few teachers of color, whereas 34 percent of the district's students are minority.
"Your kids are basically taught by white females," she said. "We'd like to see an aggressive plan to do something about it. Are you going to be able to make it completely reflect the student body? No, but we'd like to see progress."
Ward 3 board member Chris Stewart praised the audit as "terrific," and he asked what a good next step would be.
"I think this should be used for the strategic plan," Birmingham said. "This is tremendous a gift to your new superintendent."


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text: NEW YORK, June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Life sciences companies in the U.S. raised $53 million through activity of 19 at-the-market (ATM) offerings of common stock in the first quarter of this year, according to data released today from Brinson Patrick Securities Corporation. The dollar amount represents a 32% increase in the use of ATMs in the life sciences sector compared to the first quarter of 2010. Four new ATMs were activated in the first quarter, 2011, and six new ATMs so far in the second quarter, 2011. Life science companies that utilized ATMs to raise capital in the first quarter include: AEterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ: AEZS), Quebec City, Quebec; Biolase (NASDAQ: BLTI), Irvine, Calif.; Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX), Rockville, Md.; and Zalicus (NASDAQ: ZLCS), Cambridge, Mass. "ATM activity continued its strong growth trend during the first quarter," commented Todd Wyche, founder and managing director of Brinson Patrick. "CFOs from life science companies continue to look for and increasingly employ fund-raising vehicles that minimize the impact from uncertainty in the capital markets and reduce the cost of raising capital. This was reflected in the ATM numbers for the first quarter." An ATM offering provides an efficient means of raising equity capital over time by enabling a publicly traded company to tap into the existing secondary market for its shares on an as-needed basis. With an ATM, an exchange listed company incrementally sells newly issued shares into the trading market through a designated broker-dealer at prevailing market prices, rather than via a traditional underwritten offering of a fixed number of shares at a fixed price all at once. ATM offerings provide flexibility, efficiency, control, discretion and just-in-time capital with minimal dilution of stock when managed by an experienced ATM underwriter. In addition, ATMs do not dilute existing shareholders through discounting or issuing warrants, issues common to traditional capital raises. ATMs raise incremental capital over time, making them ideal for raising general working capital, funding specific projects, funding research and development, and paying off debt. ATM offerings are generally less expensive and less complicated to execute than traditional equity offerings and do not require a lot of executive time – for instance there are no required executive road shows.


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**All conference events (with the exception of the social event) will take place at the Tampa Convention Center**
Note: On January 27, 2017, an executive order was issued that imposes new travel restrictions. The full implications of the new policy are unclear. However, if your travel plans or visa have been impacted, please contact Eric Persson (email@example.com), program chair, alerting him to your current status for contingency planning. For additional information please click here for a special message from IEEE President Karen Bartleson.
APEC has secured discounted rates at the following hotels. Please visit the links below to make your lodging reservations today! Rooms are available on a first come first serve basis and must be reserved by February 24, 2017 in order to be eligible for the discounted rates.
Note: Multiple reservations under the same name are not allowed at APEC hotels. If you book more than one room with the same name you will be notified by the hotel that duplicate reservations will be cancelled.
Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina (Headquarters Hotel) - LIMITED AVAILABILITY
700 S Florida Avenue
Tampa, FL 33602
Room Rate: $199 per night/plus taxes
Distance to Convention Center: Across the street
Telephone Number: 813-221-4900
Group Code: APEC 2017 (or APEAPEA if booking via marriott.com)
Online Reservation Link: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/APEC2017
Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center - LIMITED AVAILABILITY
513 S Florida Avenue
Tampa, FL 33602
Room Rate: $199 per night/plus taxes
Distance to Convention Center: Across the street
Telephone Number: 813-769-8300
Group Code: APC
Online Reservation Link: http://embassysuites.hilton.com/en/es/groups/personalized/T/TPAESES-APC-20170324/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG
Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel (Student Hotel) - SOLD OUT
**Student only block. Must present a student ID upon checkin**
200 N Ashley Drive
Tampa, FL 33602
Room Rate: $175 per night/plus taxes
Distance to Convention Center: 4-5 blocks (0.5 Mile)
Telephone Number: 813-223-2222
Group Code: APEC
Online Reservation Link: https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/IEEE2017
***Alert: Fraudulent Housing Reservation Companies – With the assistance of Courtesy Associates, IEEE APEC has reserved room blocks directly with event hotels and APEC does not endorse or have a relationship with any housing company. Please note that fraudulent hotel reservation companies may solicit APEC 2017 attendees and exhibitors posing as APEC's official housing company offering special discounted hotel rates. IEEE APEC and Courtesy Associates are not responsible for and cannot guarantee any reservations made through any outside housing company.
For flights into Tampa, the closest airport is the Tampa International Airport (TPA). TPA is located 15 minutes (8 miles) from the Tampa Convention Center and APEC Hotels.
Average taxi fare from TPA to the Tampa Convention Center and APEC Hotels is $30-$35 one way.
Blue One Transportation has provided discount transportation for APEC attendees. To take advantage of their discount and see more information, click here for a discount flyer.
Popular ridesharing transportation companies Uber and Lyft are available in Tampa and these services offer affordable, discounted rates. For more information on these services, please download their mobile apps.
There are numerous parking options throughout downtown Tampa and at/near the Tampa Convention Center. The following link shows you all of the parking options and rates for Tampa.
The closest lots for the convention center are: the Tampa Convention Center Garage and the South Regional Parking Garage.
Parking is also available at all (3) APEC hotels for $24 per night at each hotel.


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text:
Livin' the dream
Trip Start Sep 24, 2006
39Trip End Feb 01, 2010
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Life is great. I love living in Asuncion and love my apartment. I have a great roommate and we are getting along really well. It's nice to be living with someone instead of alone. I know there were a few people who wanted to see picture of my fabulous apartment. I did even better and took a video of it to share with you (It should be uploaded with this entry) I don't have the best camera skills, but you get a tour of my apartment. And it had been cleaned the day before, so it's looking pretty good in the video. We actually have a woman clean our apt every other week. I know it seems like we're living large if we can afford a cleaning lady, but I assure you, we are not. In fact, I use most of my money 2 weeks after I get paid and then I have to skrimp the next 2 weeks until pay day. I get paid about 38% more living in Asuncion than I did in the campo... but my rent has gone up 500% as has my electric and water bills (ok, so I didn't have to pay for water in the campo because it was from a well... but still, it's metered in the city and it's REALLY expensive). To say the least, I'm having a hard time budgeting my money. (allthough I did come up with a budget... I just don't pay any attention to it :) ) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the video and you will probably be thinking "This is considered a fabulous apartment?!?" Let me tell you, compared to what I was living in before, my apartment in the city is FAAABULOUS!
What have I been up to? Livin' the dream. I travel around paraguay a lot with my boss, and I love it. Keeping in mind that only 50% of PY's land area holds 98% of it's population (the other part... called "The Chaco" is damn near uninhabitable by people who are adapted to living off of food and water) We visited all the volunteers from the newest agriculture group and did site presentations for each of them and now we are moving on to visiting the volunteers who have been in their communities for a year. I would say we spend 35% of our time in the office and 65% in the campo, which is why I love what I'm doing.
I recently helped organize a mid-service training for a group of 19 PCVs followed by an "encounter" (thats literally translated from spanish) for all 34 PCVs in our sector. Sort of a meet and greet that involved a photo-scavenger hunt around asuncion and a BBQ.
I don't have much to talk about or any great pictures from Paraguay to share right now. Mom is coming down in just 6 weeks and we are planning our trip to Brazil. I was going to take portugese classes but I decided to use the money to instead work on my spanish, which is becoming worse by the second as I work and live with people who speak english. (Allthough only 8 of 24 people working in the office are native english speakers, the rest of the group are fluent as well, so they even speak in english to each other sometimes...)
Hope everyone is well and slowly thawing out from the crazy winter you have had! It's still hot here.


text:
Why Medical Marijuana Is Not a Legal Drug in Canada
Last month, the Globe and Mail ran an editorial questioning whether Health Canada's oversight of medical marijuana had "gone to pot". The piece outlines the history of medical marijuana legislation in Canada, the potential for profiteering by licensed producers, and takes Health Canada to task for the way they have handled the licensing process as well as for the difficulty the government agency seems to be having in regulating medical marijuana. The editorial would have been pretty much spot-on if it wasn't for a glaring error in the opening sentence: "Medical marijuana is a legal drug in Canada." It isn't.
Drugs 101
In Canada, all authorized drug products, be they prescription or over-the-counter, are assigned a Drug Identification Number (DIN) by Health Canada. This computer-generated eight digit number is displayed on a products' packaging and uniquely identifies the drug as having been evaluated and authorized for sale in Canada. Physicians, pharmacists and the public rely on the DIN to verify information about a drug's characteristics, manufacturer, product name, active ingredient(s), strength, pharmaceutical form, and route of administration. In many ways, a DIN serves as Health Canada's seal of approval and it is what permits a manufacturer to legally market a drug in Canada. As far as consumers go, it lets users know that the product has undergone and passed a rigorous review and is, with proper dosage and administration, safe and suitable for treating a particular condition.
As far as the sale of drugs goes in Canada, having a DIN is so important that, according to Health Canada, "A drug product sold in Canada without a DIN is not in compliance with Canadian law." and "If a product defined as a drug under the Food and Drugs Act is sold without a DIN, it is not in compliance with Canadian law and regulatory action will be taken." Funnily enough, medical marijuana does not have a DIN.
Medical marijuana is not a legal drug in Canada. It is an illicit (illegal) substance and Health Canada's current accessibility policy hasn't changed that fact. Marijuana has not been designated a prescription medication or medication of any kind. Not only does it not currently have a DIN, it looks like it will not have one any time soon. According to the Medical Use of Marijuana section on Health Canada's website, DIN's can only be issued after Health Canada scientists have assessed a drug's safety, efficacy and quality in order to be sure it meets Regulations and the requirements of the Food and Drug Act. According to Health Canada, "To date, marijuana for medical purposes has not been show to meet these requirements, and therefore cannot receive a DIN." And, given that the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations "do not specify or limit what strains of marijuana can be cultivated," -- in other words, standards are not in place -- nor will it meet those requirements anytime soon.
The Globe and Mail's article ends with the question, "Why is Health Canada finding this so difficult?" Maybe it's because Health Canada has created a situation where doctors have been placed in the unfair position of prescribing an illicit substance to trusting patients and producers are focusing on manipulating the value of their licenses in order to jack up their company's stock price. Or, putting it another way, maybe it's because Health Canada is trying to close the stable door after the horse has already bolted.
"It makes me feel the way I need to feel."
"I have used cannabis all over the world."
"I went to Vietnam, and I was there for a long time. [Using marijuana] made the difference between staying human or, as Michael Douglas said, becoming a beast."
"Kush rolled, glass full... I prefer the better things!"
"Smoking helped put me in touch with the realm of the senses."
"You know you're a stoner when your friends make you a Bob Marley cake."
"Pot always just made me sleepy."
"Robert Downey Jr. said he started smoking weed at age 8."
"It [my behavior on the show in 1994] wasn't because I was excited about you [David Letterman]. I think it may have had something to do with the joint I smoked before I came on."
"I'm not a great pothead or anything like that… but weed is much, much less dangerous than alcohol."
In 1975 he wrote "Maverick," a memoir about his days playing in the NBA. Among other things, Jackson spoke frankly about marijuana use. -- Salon
"I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled."
"Bieber both confirmed that he'd been caught smoking weed and apologized for it." -- Huffington Post
"Angelou settled into a job as a waitress and began smoking marijuana with abandon."
"In 1999, then-Warwick Mayor Lincoln D. Chafee won accolades for his honesty in acknowledging he used marijuana and cocaine as a 1970s student at Brown University."
"The first time I smoked was at home with my mother and step-father."
"I've tried pot, but it doesn't do much for me."
"Cocaine didn't interest me. Not at all. I'm way way back in the early pot…"
"The blogger and commentator Andrew Sullivan was busted in July for possessing a small amount of marijuana within the Cape Cod National Seashore."
"As I've already been open about in the past -- and as I assume many would expect -- I made personal choices when I was younger that I neither support nor condone for others and certainly wouldn't encourage through public policy."
"I don't smoke much pot anymore."
"Of course I know how to roll a joint."
"… the one that has the worst effect for me was pot. I felt silly and giggly - I hate feeling like that."
"Never give up the ganja."
"I went through one period when I smoked a surprising, a really breath-taking, amount of grass almost every night."
"I enjoy it once in a while. There is nothing wrong with that. Everything in moderation. I wouldn't call myself a pot-head."
"[Phelps] firmly denies that he takes drugs, suggesting that the notorious photo of him smoking from a bong was a one-time lapse of judgment."
"…what I did was experiment with a little marijuana like a lot of other people and walked away…"
"CNN anchor Gwen Scott claimed it is common knowledge that Turner sits in his office and smokes marijuana."
"I was hiding out from the celebrity thing, I was smoking way too much [marijuana]."
"I smoke a lot of pot when I write music."
"You bet I did. And I enjoyed it.''
"The owner of a local cannabis café told reporters George Clooney was no stranger there."
Told Playboy in 1993 that he'd smoked marijuana a few times, and inhaled.
"James also revealed he and his teammates smoked marijuana one night after getting access to a hotel room in Akron."
"I have tried it."
"According to this woman, who requested anonymity because of her current job as a clinical psychologist, "He and Randy came to my house, they knocked on my door, and then they blindfolded me, tied me up, and put me in their car. They took me to their apartment and tried to force me to take bong hits. They'd been smoking pot."
"I did experiment with marijuana when I was a youth."
"I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."
"As for drugs – well, Gates was certainly not unusual there. Marijuana was the pharmaceutical of choice…"
"Look, I have never made a secret of the fact that I have tried marijuana... About 50,000 times."
"He said he had tried marijuana, enjoyed it, 'but it did not become a habit and I have not tasted it in many years.'"
"Yes." [In response to the question: "Which of you are ready to admit to having used marijuana in the past?"]
"I smoked some weed, and that's how I finished 'Izzo.'"
"Do you know how many movies I wrote when I was high?"
"First, [in high school], I smoked a lot of pot...and that's how I got to know the people 'half in' the society of my high school and we waved at each other over the bong. Then I got to know people by making jokes."
"The White House said today that Judge Clarence Thomas, President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, had smoked marijuana while in college."
"I experimented with marijuana a time or two."
"To kick things off, [television show host Andy Cohen] asked the last time Winfrey had smoked marijuana. 'Uh … 1982,' Winfrey replied. 'Let's hang out after the show,' Cohen joked. 'Okay,' Winfrey laughed. 'I hear it's gotten better.'"
"When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point."
Follow Tracey Tremayne-Lloyd on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TTLHealthLaw


text:
This is one of my favourite pairings, and I figured that I'd give it a go. Some characters may be a bit ooc, but I did my best. This is a oneshot, but I may do more if you lot plead me. This has slash contained, so if you don't like, don't read.
I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, nor Kyouya or Kaoru.
"Can you at least try to be a little more oblivious around him?" Hikaru asked his twin, knowing Kaoru's feelings for the shadow king well. "It's good that you…well, like him, but if you're gonna confess to him, at least don't do it when the room's filled with screaming girls."
"I wouldn't do that," Kaoru chuckled, amused at his brothers antics. "Sure, I like him, but I wouldn't even dream of confessing that I like him. Kyouya-sempai probably doesn't like me anyway, and he's got so much on his mind. Besides, his father probably wouldn't let him get into a relationship with a guy."
"You don't know that," smiled his brother kindly, not wanting his brother's feelings to be crushed by the shadow king, and yet wanted to support him. "Take a chance. Ask him out. See what happens. He might love you back, you never know."
Kaoru frowned at him suspiciously. "Since when have you been so supportive of me? Or anyone else for that matter? And so concerned in my love life?"
"Well, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be going out with Haruhi, so I decided that I'd be a good brother back and support you," Hikaru explained, playing on his hand-held games console. "You've always been there for me when I was confused, and told me what to do. You even organised our first date, and pretended that you were sick. All because you wanted me to hook up with her. So I'm gonna do the same to you."
Kaoru chuckled lightly. "Thanks, Hikaru, I appreciate it. But I don't know if he's even gay, so it'd be a little hopeless asking him out and then hoping for the best, you agree?" Kaoru then started watching his brother on his game, while Hikaru decided to think of a comeback.
"How about I ask Kyouya out for you?" Hikaru asked suddenly, a plan forming in his mind. "Then at least you wouldn't have to face the embarrassment of him turning you down. I'll say that I think that you may be gay, and wondered if Kyouya was too. If he is, the two of you can hook up. If not…I could always ask milord for you, if you wanted."
Kaoru shuddered. "I'll pass on the milord dating idea. That's just plain freaky. If you want to ask Kyouya, I guess that you could. But, like, try not to embarrass me too much."
Hikaru laughed, "but elder brothers are supposed to try and embarrass their little brothers. Just promise me one thing, Kaoru."
"What is it, Hikaru?" Kaoru asked curiously, wondering what on Earth he could promise his brother. He'd practically already pledged his life to his brother, and since they were so often the same person, there wasn't much he could promise.
"That you won't grow up too fast," Hikaru's reply was. "I still want my little baby brother with me, alright? Not a grumpy old second shadow king."
Kaoru laughed, "don't worry. I won't start carrying around a black notebook where I write deeds of the doom in."
Both twins burst out laughing, feeling totally at ease.
The next day passed quickly, and the host club seemed to fly by. Kyouya was watching the twins out of the corner of his eye, and felt a surge of jealousy flow through him. Kyouya Ootori, jealous? It just didn't seem possible. But he was very jealous. Jealous of Hikaru Hitachiin, by the fact that he got to hug and love Kaoru.
Kyouya had long ago admitted that he was gay, but until he got a lover, he wasn't going to tell his friends. His sister had already found out, and told the rest of his family. His brothers had teased him a little, but even his father was fine with it. He didn't mind that his son was gay, as the chance that he got the family company was slim; and even so, he never really minded these things.
Kyouya's crush was Kaoru, but they'd never had that much interaction together. He really wanted to tell the younger boy, but the chance that he was too gay was so slim. His sister had tried to persuade him too, and even went as far as to when Kaoru was next over that she'd tell him herself. This, of course, had made Kyouya's blood go as thin as ice and he was soon terrified. When his sister said something, she usually did it.
The host club was in full bloom, and Kyouya couldn't wait for the second that everyone left. He was really annoyed as his father had him working on countless projects, and the noise that Honey and Tamaki was making was unbearable. Honey was mucking about with Mori, and Tamaki was…well, being Tamaki. Haruhi had a group of girls completely focused on her as they talked about the other hosts. Haruhi had already let a few secrets about some of them slip out; and then the one about her and Hikaru dating.
The girls were a different species, Kaoru decided as the girls squealed all over Haruhi and Hikaru. All they did was squeal and fuss and be a pain. They never did anything physical, and just complained about everything. And fan-girls were a different thing altogether. They weren't even Human. Robot, more like it. Or Renge's soldiers. Could be a bit of both.
The host club ended, and Honey and Mori were the first to dash away. Then Tamaki left. Haruhi got bored, and was going to leave, and looked to Kaoru. He told her to wait outside the room for a couple of minutes, and then he'd be with her. She complied, and then Kaoru went to join her. Hikaru went to stand next to Kyouya.
"Hello, Hikaru," Kyouya didn't even glance up. "What do you want?"
What next poured out of Hikaru's mouth was what he didn't want to say, but he wasn't really thinking. So he blurted out what he'd been trying not to say - and it certainly got the shadow kings attention.
"Kaoru really likes you, and he was wondering if you'd go on a date with him," Hikaru then realised what he'd said, and mentally cursed himself. "He says that if you're not gay that's fine, and that you shouldn't if you don't want to…"
Kyouya could feel a blush coming upon his cheeks, and then he had to remind himself to breath. Hikaru took the blush as a good sign.
"Well, I'd appreciate it if you informed Kaoru that I'd love to," Kyouya told the older twin. "And before you ask, Hikaru, yes, I am gay. When and where?"
Hikaru could feel a grin coming upon his face, and, feeling pleased for his twin (and with himself, of course), he answered, "The Phidias café, at 1pm, tomorrow."
"I'll see Kaoru then," Kyouya gave a smirk, and returned to his work, leaving a small grin on his face.
His father's projects could wait.
The two of them were at the Hitachiin mansion before either could speak alone. Hikaru ignored his brother side-looks and pleading puppy dog eyes to hurry up and explain with a small smile. His brother would have to wait.
"He says that he'll meet you there tomorrow," Hikaru eventually told his twin gleefully. "He also admitted that he's gay."
Kaoru gave a sigh of relief, a grin taking over his face. He was so relieved that he hadn't been turned down, and this was his first proper date. He'd never even kissed anyone. He just prayed that Kyouya liked him as much as he hoped.
"Go away, Fuyumi," Kyouya drawled as he looked at the selection of his clothes. It was Saturday, the morning of their date. He just couldn't decide what to wear - he wanted to look good without standing out too much! Was that so much to ask?
"I was just wondering what you're getting up to today," his sister, Fuyumi ignored his tone. "Anything exciting?"
"I have a date today, for your information," Kyouya informed her, his eyes still scanning through his drawers. He wanted to chose something from this drawer because there would be no way that he'd get into one of the others without creating a heap of mess.
"A date?!" Fuyumi shrieked, getting way over excited that her little brother was becoming more sociable and approachable. "With who?"
"Hitachiin Kaoru," replied Kyouya, looking at a shirt with distaste. He liked the shirt, but there was a huge stain covering the front (it was only a tiny dot :P Rich people). He really had to get some new maids…
"Really?" Swooned Fuyumi, going all dreamy. "I love their mothers designs! She's so talented."
"The twins both take after her, but I like Kaoru's designs better," Kyouya told her, looking at another shirt. He obviously decided that it would have to do, because he put it in a separate pile.
"You really should tidy out these drawers, Kyouya," Fuyumi complained, attempting to open one, and then discovered that she couldn't get it shut. Kyouya rolled his eyes, and just ignored her complaints.
"We have maids, don't we?" Was the shadow king's reply.
Kaoru sat in the little café, wondering if the shadow king would show. He had arrived there dead on 1, and he knew that he'd probably have to wait for a while, knowing the shadow kings record. To his surprise, the shadow king arrived about a minute after him.
"Hello, Kaoru," the shadow king sat down opposite him at the little two seated table.
"Hello Kyouya," the younger twin blushed slightly, and Kyouya's heart leapt. He had blushed! Surely that meant something, didn't it?
"How are you?" Kyouya picked up the menu and scanned down the main courses. But he was having a little trouble focusing on the menu while Kaoru was sitting right there…
"Good, thanks," Kaoru smiled, his heart pounding. Did first dates always feel this nerve-racking? "Yourself?"
"Excellent," Kyouya smiled at Kaoru in return. The two both ordered, and then there was silence. Both were wanting to speak, but didn't want to make themselves look like an idiot.
"Look," both of them said at the same time. Both of them felt a faint blush coming upon their faces, and looked to the other.
"Yes, Kyouya?" Kaoru asked, his heart thumping.
"I was thrilled when your brother asked me to go out with you," Kyouya, for the first time in his life, was shy. "I've…always had somewhat of a crush on you."
Kaoru felt faint. The shadow king of his dreams had a crush on him? He blushed slightly. "I've always had a crush on you too, sempai."
As they stared into each others eyes, it was like all of their dreams were coming true. It was as if there were sparks in the air when they looked at each other. Kyouya took Kaoru's hand, and each of them smiled.
True love.
The pair then went to the cinema, and watched a cheesy romance film. Now, as the sun was departing, the two sat in the huge, nearby park, alone, under a single apple tree. Kyouya's arm was wrapped around Kaoru's back, and the younger leaned his head on the elders shoulder.
"So…" Kaoru broke the silence. "Will we become an official couple?"
"If you wish, Kaoru," Kyouya looked into his amber eyes. "I think…no, wait, I know that I love you."
(Chorus of 'awww' and cheers rise)
"I love you too, Kyouya-sempai," Kaoru breathed, leaning in closer to the elder. Kaoru's maple and honey deodorant could be smelt by the shadow king, and Kyouya's peppermint could be smelt by the younger twin.
Kyouya pressed his lips against the smaller boy, in a sweet and gentle kiss. Kaoru melted instantly into the kiss, much to his relief. Neither of them deepened the kiss, and yet it was perfect. A perfect first kiss. It was special, and sincere. It was loving, yet not needy.
They both broke apart, smiling softly in the others embrace. Kaoru wrapped his arms around Kyouya's neck, while Kyouya wrapped his around Kaoru's waist, both looking into the others eyes.
"Will…will your father allow this?" Kaoru felt that he had to know.
"Yes," replied Kyouya, leaning his head into the others so that their noses were touching. "He has known for at least a year that I am gay - same goes for the rest of my family. What about your parents?"
"They don't mind," Kaoru replied, breathing in the shadow kings scent. "Hikaru might fuss, though, and possibly not leave us alone, but I'm sure I know how we could get some free time together."
Kyouya laughed, and it wasn't his usual, forced laugh. "God knows what the rest of the hosts will do when they find out. Will we tell them?"
"I don't see why not," grinned Kaoru. "It'll be amusing to see what Milord does."
Both boys stayed in that position for the next ten minutes, until Kyouya had to leave. Each parted with a smile on their faces.
And knew that, at least for now, they wouldn't be alone.
You enjoy? Not enjoy? Want me to continue? Drop in a review! I'm begging!
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text:
letting go of lost ties
This is a piece about love and letting go. Letting go is difficult, it is painful, but it is not always a bad thing, and this is what i wanted to convey.
Sometimes in life you have to let those you care about walk away. Sometimes you have to give others all the control – all the power. Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes that reason may be unclear for a while, sometimes you are left wondering how some situations and some losses can have a purpose. But over time this purpose will become clear. You don't necessarily become stronger because of the things you go through, the tough decisions you make, the things you let go of. But you do become wiser and emotionally more aware, you grow as a person in ways you would never expect, and it is growing in those ways which makes you stronger in the end – not the situation or event itself.
Sometimes you just find the right person at the wrong time. You face the probability that things may have to end in one way and start a fresh in another. It doesn't mean that feelings were not true, it doesn't mean it was never meant to be, nor that they are not the right person. Sometimes timing can be inconvenient. The end of one relationship with someone could be the beginning of another with the very same person, in time you may rekindle what you both had to let go of. Even if that is not the case, you will survive and you will be okay. To accept that the situation exists, that maybe things cannot be fixed right now; that is progress. It may seem like your heart is being ripped apart, that your breath has been taken from you, that you are suffocating. You're not, you just don't know how to deal with the change. You're scared that the change will bring about bad things, that there is no turning back.
You have to have faith that the other person cares about you as much as you care for them, that they will still stand by you in some way, that what you have is more than just the bond you both began to share. You have to trust that they want you for more than just the comfort of arms, the sweet nothings in their ear, the intimacy – that you have a far deeper bond, formed by compassion and a different type of love, not just passion and romance. This situation is not unfortunate, it is nothing to be feared, it is entirely natural and can only bring about good. Forcing things to work out, ignoring issues, it would only ruin anything that you both share until any form of relationship is unsalvageable. But by letting fate take its course, by being open to both possibilities, you are saving yourselves. One day things may return to how they were, at a different time, a time that is right for you both. You may manage to resolve what issues are there and stay together. But no matter what happens, you will be okay and you will find your breath again, your heart will stop causing you pain and discomfort, you will pull through.
Love is not temporary, feelings do not get erased, but you can make them less of a priority when it is needed. Sometimes you need to love someone in a different way to help them through tough times and the chaos that life brings about. It doesn't mean that you don't love them, that you were never in love with them, if anything it shows that you are strong enough to put them aside to focus on those who need you. Your heart will always have a special place for them, even if the future doesn't hold a better time for you both. You will always feel the heavy and fast heartbeats when you are near them, you will still find great comfort and satisfaction from seeing them smile, that same beautiful smile that will always make you feel so much better, they will still take your breath away. You will always be grateful when you revisit the comfort of their arms, even if they hold you in a different way; you will always care for them. But you will realise that is not a bad thing, it has never been a bad thing and it never will be.