Tech Link (Processor): New Member In Core 2 Duo Processor Family: Introducing CPUs with 1333MHz Bus

xbitlabs has a pretty good info on the new breed of processors from Intel. They have put it thru the test and come out good even with a sound beating and torture from the crew. Check it out...

Conclusion
Well, let’s sum up a few things now. Intel’s decision to equip their Core 2 Duo processors with faster 1333MHz bus support is regarded as another move towards higher performance of this processor family. It is partially true. As we have seen today, higher bus speed will obviously boost the performance in most applications. However, unfortunately, this boost will not be as significant as we hoped: it hardly ever gets beyond 3%. But, the changes in the bus frequency are not the only thing that determined the advantage of the new CPUs over their predecessors: different clock frequencies are another reason. For example, the nominal frequency of the top Core 2 Duo E6850 model has now risen to 3.0GHz, while before today the maximum frequency of the existing Core 2 Duo processors used to be only 2.93GHz. This also affects the performance, and together with the faster bus it brings in more confident victory of the top Core 2 Duo CPUs. In other words, the launch of the Core 2 Duo CPUs with 1333MHz bus will become another part of the progress CPUs on Core micro-architecture are making. Although we all wish that they were moving at a little bit faster pace towards the promising Penryn family.

Higher bus frequency is not the only nice thing about the new processors. They are based on the new G0 stepping of the Conroe core that boasts better frequency potential. As a result, the FSB Wall has been pushed farther back and the overclocking results have improved significantly. For example, our overclocking experiments revealed that the new processors can work at 3.6-3.8GHz with traditional air-cooling onboard. Therefore, Core 2 Duo E6850, 6750 and 6550 should become very popular among overclockers, especially since Intel is going to price them very affordably. According to the preliminary data, Core 2 Duo E6850 will sell for $266, Core 2 Duo E6750 - for $183, and Core 2 Duo E6550 – for $163. This attractive price tag will certainly help Intel stimulate the transition to systems with 1333MHz bus.

Source:New Member In Core 2 Duo Processor Family: Introducing CPUs with 1333MHz Bus

Tech Link (Processor): New Budget Dual-Core CPUs: Intel Pentium E2160 and Pentium E2140

I'm lagging behind posting new content so I'll post contents from other sites, yay. Anyway, the newest member of processors from Intel, named Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 and Pentium E2140, are reviewed by the trusty XBitLabs crew. The find it overclocks well, and are happy with how it performs. Check out the conclusion...

Conclusion
All in all Pentium E2160 and E2140 processors made a great entrance. They have pushed the performance of budget solutions to a totally new level. With the price of less than $90 and promising Core micro-architecture these processors can become a great basis for contemporary low-cost systems. From this standpoint they look much better than the Pentium D processors on NetBurst micro-architecture that used to be the only offering for this segment.

Of course, the performance level of Pentium E2160 and E2140 processors doesn’t look as mind-blowing as that of their Core 2 Duo counterparts. Their relatively low clock frequencies and L2 cache cut down to only 1MB do their “dirty deed”. However, in the majority of real applications these processors outperform all alternative solutions. Although I have to specify something here. When we speak of comparatively high performance of these new processors, it is important to keep in mind that they still lose to the youngest Athlon 64 X2 models in most games where the size of L2 cache memory matters a lot.

However, the results of our overclocking experiments can make all your doubts vanish. Since Pentium E2160 and E2140 are based on Allendale L2 core stepping these CPUs will overclock approximately to the same frequencies as Core 2 Duo E4000 series. As a result, if you are lucky enough you may be able to get your new processor to work as fast as the top of the line dual-core Core 2 Extreme processors, which is a very good deal considering it will cost you less than $100.

Source:New Budget Dual-Core CPUs: Intel Pentium E2160 and Pentium E2140

Brag: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E4500 Arrives...

I know it's not much of a news, but hey, it's still a new toy to be happy about. The processor should be attractive to overclockers who are looking for high frequency with low FSB. The good thing with this processor is that, some motherboards, like Asus' P5B-Deluxe, can have the ability to lower down the multiplier making the processor very flexible with adjusting the multi and FSB. Click on the image for the CPU-Z Validation...

Tech Link (Overclock): Intel Core 2 Extreme Edition 2.93GHz@5.1GHz

Thanks for visitors and friends who frequents my Blog site and contributing. I got an email about my Blog post about Abit@CeBit, apparently, not being able to use the phase change cooler for some OC loving due to CeBit not being able to provide enough current (talk about the source of that news, FUDZILLA, that taught me it's another INQ garbage site). Well, according to the interview with hipro5, an uber Intel FanBoy like FUGGER, the problem was the 110v vs 220v. Well, that's just too bad. Anyway, watch the video at Hexus.TV and watch fellow Intel FanBoy show off an awesome 5.1GHz overclock (Hexus titled it 5.4GHz though, ugh).

Source:Tech Link (Overclock): Intel Core 2 Extreme Edition 2.93GHz@5.1GHz

Brag: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6420 Initial Benchmarks (and 50% Overclock)

Well, I finally got the time to plug in the 3rd CPU I got from the old box of goodies I got some time ago. It isn't based on Penryn, as seen on the CPU-Z screenshot and validation link. It's a good overclocking CPU, and performs really well. The 4MB L2 cache has done wonders with the CPU, and performance has really improved. If you would like to see the initial benchmarks and the 50% OC, then expand for more...

Disclaimer: This is an ES CPU, retail may or may not have changes from this sample.

Quick Overclock:
This is just a quick and dirty FSB overclocking and nothing fancy. This overclock can be done even by those noob overclockers, the processor is just so OC friendly. I reached 1600MHz FSB (400MHz QPB) in just under 10mins, and it's rock stable. I can run multi-threaded prime for more than 2hours, complete all kinds of FutureMark* benchmarks, and it'll run happy with Aquamark03, and even Doom3 time demo. And yes, it's on stock cooler and all stock voltage too.

Stock Benchmarks:
For the curious, test set up can be seen on the CPU-Z validation, and aside from that, I am using a typical WinHEC 550 Power Supply, and stock cooler. Here are some early stock benchies for you to feast on going head on against Intel® Pentium® D 940.

Cinebench 9.5


wPrime 32M


SuperPi 1M


That is all for now, FanBoy out...

Brag: XTreview has me on the news...

Ok, not really me, rather, my overclocking spree is posted on their news. Teheee, click here.

Article: Yesterday's Greatest versus Today's Lowest (Intel® Pentium® 4 3.4GHz Extreme Edition and Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300)

I almost forgot posting this article, due to the issues I've encountered with the site lately. I have completed labeling all my posts, from yesterday to the very first day. I can't believe I've gone thru all of it, but it's far from complete, I'll have to recheck the labels just to make sure it's accurate.


Anyway, during the holiday season, I manage to get spare time to play with an old and new CPU. I pit the once latest and greatest to the current entry level mainstream processor. Check it out if you're feeling nostalgic...

It is now year 2007, and we already know that Intel has been killing pretty much all benchmarks available to enthusiasts in the desk top world. Enthusiasts are now looking forward to an affordable quad core, which is currently available only to the cream of the crop users. In 2006, much has changed in the Chipzilla line of products. This year saw the launching of so many products from Intel. This year is when Chipzilla migrated from being a CPU company, into a platform company. They have launched many great products, and in this year, they have launched a new uA that shook the world, and changed the computing landscape forever. Quad Core is now the buzzword in the enthusiast segment, even before Dual Core computing became the universal mantra. Eight way computing is already a reality on the high-end server segment, and this can be achieved at an amazingly lower priced, relatively speaking, compared to a couple years back. And this octa-core computing with just two physical sockets, which is an achievement itself.

Source:Article: Yesterday's Greatest versus Today's Lowest (Intel® Pentium® 4 3.4GHz Extreme Edition and Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300)

Brag: One Hundred Percent Plus Overclock (100% +++) with Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E4300 (Anniversary Special Post)

This day marks my First Year anniversary. While there's no cakes, balloons, or fireworks to celebrate it, I decided to remember this day and make it memorable by hitting a certain goal: 100% overclock of Chipzilla CPU. I have always been busy, always putting this Blog site to neglect, that I even forget posting some items. So to make up for it, I'll be spending time, and this time, I'll be spending my time playing with toyz and doing what I love most: tweaking hardware. And the victim is, the unreleased, Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E4300.


And so, I finally got some quality time for the yet-to-be-released processor(Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E4300) and got intimate with it. I have been easy-goin' with this baby till today but since this is my First Year Anniversary, I decided to put the CPU for some OCing goodness and I won't be soft this time.

After ensuring I have the latest beta BIOS (thanx NicoOCZ) on my Abit AW9D-MAX board working flawlessly (some reported a borked board after the flash), I put this board for some warm up. I put my Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6400 and started pushing it till 400FSB and the system is very stable. I recorded all the settings, for both the RAM and motherboard, and ran stability testing software. I used the new multithreading Prime95 software (thanx eva2000) since I don't really like Orthos. So at a mere stock voltage on CPU, lowly 1.6v in vMCH, and 2.3v on RAM, it's perfectly stable and I can even complete any bencmark software I throw at it.

The result is very promising, and looking good in preparation for the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E4300 overclocking spree. The last time I overclock it, I hit 95% overclock. But aside from lacking inspiration and the will to overclock, I gave up after not making it able to boot up past 395MHz.

But today is a different day than during the first time I overclock this bad boy. First, I have all the time in the world, without worrying if I have completed all my obligations before doing what I love most: playing with hardware. Second, I am such a fan of this kind of powerful yet low cost processor and I'd like to see how far it'll go. Third, it's Christmas season and I'd like to give myself a self-gratification of reaching 100% overclock on stock cooler, on an unmodded board! And last but not the least, it's my freakin' First Year Anniversary post. Anyway, if you clicked on the image, you'll see that I hit 100% OC on FSB already but this isn't truly 100% since I lowered the multi from the default of 9x to 8x, giving a hefty 3.2GHz clock frequency. However, the vMCH must be set to 1.7v!

So I tweaked the board, while still making sure that I am within my sanity's limit. At 1.7v on the vMCH, and 2.3v on RAM, I changed the multi to it's default of x9. Unfortunately, the system with reboot upon reaching Windows screen. It won't stabilize. This time, I am already pumping 1.5v from 1.425v that I used to ran at 3.2GHz. It will still not boot up, so I figure, either I change the cooler or pump the vCore even more. However, I am a lazy bum and I don't like to replace the stock cooler since it's much easier to pump the vCore than replace the cooler. Besides, I am not in the mood to change the cooler, and re-apply all the thermal goo and all that.

So, I just pumped 1.6v and be done with it, and woooolah, I hit the magical number. I don't know how stable it is, I could care less. I am not after stability, just clockage. If I wanted stability, I would have used a better RAM that runs at stock of DDR2-800 and aftermarket cooler. I reached 100% overclock, and I figure, why not go further? Not being satistifed with 100%, I decided just to push it a litte more, just something for Christmas and Anniversary spirit.

So mustering all my strength and the will to carry on, I brought up the FSB to 402MHz, but it's a no go. But 401MHz is just fine, so I inch a little to 403, and it's good to go. Hmmm, interesting, I went up further and shoved 404MHz and it works. At this time, I am just getting tired and lazy of all the reboots and save, so I pushed to 410MHz, and it's no go. After a few more misses, I settled for 406MHz final FSB on stock cooler, on air. Here's the final overclock of 103%! You may click on the image for the CPU-Z validation.



That is all FanBoyz, and have a Happy Holidays!

Tech Link (Industry): abit Xtreme OC Workshop-Update

The era of enthusiasts has really come of age. Overclockers, unite and rule the world, err, well, something to that effect. abit has just completed an event that takes the cake with Kentsfield overclocking, reaching the highest clock frequency known to man.

I snag some pictures over at INQ, and posted it here so you can also check out the nice images aside from those posted at the official abit site. The parts that helped reached this amazing overclock is, of course, Intel® Core™2 QX6700 Extreme Processor, Abit AW9D-MAX motherboard, and a Kingston DDR2-1200. Philly-boy and FUGGER were given the challenge, and they accept and beat it with flying colors.

Click these for more pictures:
Is that the cooler?
Just can't get enough of LN2
Philly-box (left) and FUGGER (right) chillin' out
Cooling attached and ready to roll
Wheee, let's get it on.

DECEMBER 15, 2006 – Xtremelegends Philly-boy and FUGGER attained unprecedented success at the abit OC Xtreme workshop. It began as a slow day, working up to some speed. With various obstacles such as the LN2 being late we began with using a 3-stage compressor cooler. Initially we ran with a normal QE6700 Kentsfield “Core 2 Quad” processor pushing up the multiplier further and further. Clocking it up to 12x, then 14x. The results then improved drastically especially after the liquid nitrogen arrived, until late in the day some worthwhile figures came about.

The final result obtained was the highest Overclock of the Kentsfield on an AW9D-MAX to date. This remarkable achievement gives abit the OC World Record for a Kentsfield QE6700. The 5010.03 MHz seen on the CPU is literally a 100% Overclock. In this, the AW9D-MAX does not disappoint. Any board that can give you that kind of stability is certainly worth owning. Of course this record is not expected to last long, as enthusiasts will continue to strive and push the boundaries further. We managed a stable Super-pi of 10.5sec for 1M at 4918.7MHz. the multiplier manually set at 18x for a chip which is usually automated at 10x.

Several unusual benchmarks were also computed. The team was guided by a renowned expert in the shady sides of internet security. One thing of note was that with a special utility programmed onto our super overclocked monster, we were able to run a benchmark using the AES 128 bit encryption algorithm.(this is the standard used by many banks and secure websites around the world according to our specialist). It seems as if things are not as safe as we are led to believe. The brute force of our overclocked beast enabled roughly 10.5 million times cbc’s on 64 size blocks in 3.81 seconds. What that means to the layman is that in every four seconds, this computer could provide 10.5 million unique codes to attempt to crack a 128 bit encryption code sequence. In essence, if the decryption software is very good, then this OC beast computer could crack your (128 bit encryption) code in a matter of hours at the most... Before you spring into an uproar, please bear in mind that not everyone has liquid Nitrogen as a coolant, nor the assistance of the World’s best overclockers at hand. Then to make matters more complicated, you would need to have the VERY complex software to achieve this goal. But if you did, cracking codes would be a breeze.

Special thanks must go out to Intel who co-sponsored the event: Intel has stood by abit strongly, helping us promote their flagship chipset and CPU, while giving abit the necessary collateral to make the event happen.
Special kudos’ go out to Kingston who supplied some of their latest high speed 1200MHz Ram. In Addition, Xtremesystems.org rallied some of their finest in abit’s hour of need and many thanks for stepping up to workshop with us.

The support is highly appreciated as our search for the perfect Overclock goes on…

abit is continually committed to make hardware designed to keep guys who demand the best completely happy. Our μGuru BIOS is second to none in the industry, giving holistic and immersive features for tweaking and fine tuning motherboards to obtain the perfect Overclock. abit is taking the lead and is surging forward embracing the principles of overclocking, taking it further than ever before. At this event abit used a special edition modded board from HIPRO the ultimate overclocker of them all. OC expertise came from FUGGER & Philly-boy, both from Xtremesystems.org. All in all an excellent combination to take the MAX board to the MAX with Intel and beyond**.

**Please note we do not recommend overclocking as it may harm your motherboard and other hardware, in this case we are dealing with experimental circumstances and so please do not attempt this at home nor anywhere else. In fact it should be noted that if you Overclock your hardware, it voids your warrantee. Only those qualified should ever attempt to push hardware to the extremes that were achieved at this event.

For more information on abit, go here:
www.abit-usa.com

For more information on Xtremesystems, go here:
www.xtremesystems.com

Source:abit Xtreme OC Workshop-Update

Press Release: Shuttle introduces newest lineup of gaming PCs - 1337 and 1337 SDXi system

Aside from the sucky model name of 1337, the new SFF system is very nicely done. With a custom paint job, a watercooled GPU, with an extreme Intel processor (Conroe or Kentsfield), Ati Radeon X1950 (Crossfire), 2GB of yummy Crucial DDR2-800MHz RAM, on a small form factor, this is just so freakingly awesome. This little wonder will set you $4999 at the minimum though, so it does have a hefty price tag to go with the looks and power.

Shuttle introduces newest lineup of gaming PCs - 1337 and 1337 SDXi system

Shuttle Inc, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of small form factor computers and accessories have announced the launch of its newest lineup of gaming PCs—1337 and 1337 SDXi system. Shuttle 1337 systems bring together the best technologies the industry has to offer to make one blazing fast gaming system. 1337 systems are able to match performance of larger and louder tower systems without sacrificing the small form factor foot print.

According to Kevin Tu, Product Marketing Manager, “We made it our goal to extract the most performance from our existing XPCs without sacrificing portability for LAN parties. The Shuttle 1337 SDXi is the result, blending the best engineering we have to offer with the best technologies from Intel and ATI.”

The new Shuttle 1337 systems differ from the regular Shuttle XPC systems in form and function. Sporting a unique paint job and liquid-cooling system the Shuttle 1337 PCs deliver are truly unique in appearance. Every Shuttle 1337 system is painted with premium-grade glossy automotive paint by Smooth Creations for that customized touch. Paint jobs by Smooth Creations offer unmatched quality and craftsmanship. According to Smooth Creations PR representative Ashley Willis, “Quality is not expensive … it’s priceless!”

Liquid cooling is employed on 1337 systems to keep the graphics cards cool and quiet. Air-cooling can no longer cut it anymore with the increasing complexity of graphics cards. In the past users would have to install their own liquid-cooling system with fears of leaks. However, with Shuttle 1337 systems, you can have the cooling performance of liquid without the headaches previously associated with it. The liquid-cooling system employed in 1337 systems is completely self-contained, maintenance free and guaranteed not to leak.

Shuttle 1337 SDXi systems integrate the best technologies for blazing fast performance in games and applications. Powered by the Intel Core 2 Extreme Edition X6800 or QX6700 processor, 1337 SDXi systems deliver two and four cores of processing with seamless multitasking capabilities. Joining the Core 2 Extreme processor is a pair of AMD ATI Radeon X1950XT graphics cards in CrossFire. The pair of ATI Radeon X1950XT graphics cards delivers breathtaking visuals with outstanding performance.

System Specifications

Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 or QX6700
2x AMD ATI Radeon X1950 XTX CrossFire
2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800
Western Digital Raptor 150GB
Fully internal liquid-cooling system
Premium glossy automotive paint
Shuttle 1337 SDXi systems will be available late December starting at $4999.

Source:Shuttle introduces newest lineup of gaming PCs - 1337 and 1337 SDXi system

Tech Link (Motherboard): NVIDIA nForce 680i Chipset Problems

It's a shame that such a very promising chipset will be plagued by some many issues. I have actually given up my eVGA 680i board because of the many issues, but the killer one for me is that performance. Clock for clock, and for it's price, I just can't justify owning this board anymore, it can't even compete with a motherboard from Asus based on i965.

Anyway, the cool thing about this board is that it supports Conroe Extreme as well as Kentsfield Extreme and of course, native SLI rather than hacked driver. Actually, the native SLI is the only factor that made me try this board, other than that, it's just not worth it. If you like high FSB, this board will be your board. If you like native SLI, this will be your board. If you like decent stock performance, then this is your board. But if you like overclocked + outstanding performance + stable, then look for another board. Check out HardOCP's article, if you would like to know more.

Out of the gate, the nForce 680i chipset from NVIDIA seemed to be the best Core 2 Duo overclocker going, that is of course when your system is not plagued with BSODs and data errors. You need to read this if you are considering a 680i motherboard.

Source:NVIDIA nForce 680i Chipset Problems

Tech Link (Motherboard): Never mind Striker bring on Commando

Seems like Tony (of OCZ) have finally agreed that 680i isn't necessary = best performance. I'd only get this for "certified SLI" support for current and future high end video cards, I'll always go for Chipzilla chipsets for everything else aside from SLI. I really wish Chipzilla will finally close a deal with NVIDIA* so that i975 will have SLI support without the hacked drivers. It's just a matter of driver/chipset identification to enable SLI rather than technological limitation (yes, for the uber anal, chipset and driver is part of the technology, but duh).

In any case, over at TechRepository, Tony has posted some really neat screenshots of the BIOS and he seems to have lotsa fun testing. I went to XS and I also saw his post. His header is much cooler there than what is posted on their persnal Tech Blog, so that's why I used his "Never mind Striker bring on Commando" title. Enjoy!

All the excitement about DFI had me forgetting another board which i will be testing over the next few weeks. Asus have released what could possibly be the finest i965 board we will see. Codenamed commando the board is part of the ROG line of boards which also have crosshair and Strker extreme as members.

I have the board and can say I have not yet tested a board that overclocks DDR2 better than this one, if you want to run 1300+DDR this is the board for you

Voltage options are nothing short of stunning, i will post screen shots in the next 24hrs so sit tight. Tests to come in the nex week or so.

1 pic for your enjoyment, you may see others posted as Asus gave a sneek peek of the board here in taiwan at the 1st OCZ Overclocking summit.

Source:Never mind Striker bring on Commando

Article: Overclocking Intel® Desktop Board D865GSA

I have reviewed this before in July and I didn't cover overclocking the board, primarily, I never have enough time. But having a few quality spare time in last month allowed me to get back to the board and play with it. Expand for more...

I will go straight to the point, this motherboard is not designed to be an overclocker. Nor is this a performance board, this is a value board designed to give low-budget consimers a chace to own a PC without breaking the wallet. This is also a board that will allow upgrading to newer socket but still allowing older components such as AGP video cards, IDE peripherals, and DDR1 memory to be used. And in this one-pager update, I will not go thru any more hullaballo and just go straight to my findings.

Source:Overclocking Intel® Desktop Board D865GSA

Press Release: AOpen MoDT Series Enters the Era of 64-bit Ultra-speed Computing Comprehensive Support for Intel® Core™ 2 Duo CPU (Merom)

Wow, another great news for the enthusiasts! Their line up of miniPC Duo and MoDT will now support the new processor from Chipzilla, Merom, that is the Conroe counterpart for mobile. Expand for more...

[Taipei, Taiwan] AOpen’s world famous miniPC Duo and MoDT (Mobile on Desktop) technology, using Mobile Computing technology in Desktop computer, anticipate supporting Core™ 2 Duo from now on. With the development name code Merom, Core™ 2 Duo is the CPU for the new generation notebook, that Intel® is going to introduce in the world on August 28. These products include AOpen miniPC Duo MP945-X / -VX / -VXR and MoDT Motherboard Series i975Xa-YDG, i945GTm-VHL / i945GMm-HL and i945GTt-VFA / i945GMt-FA. These products will be integrated with the Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) CPU to have unexpected top performance with optimized compatibility!

“AOpen is devoted to delivering consumers newer, more efficient and more energy-saving information appliance including AOpen miniPC Duo, which is world famous for its compact size and energy-saving, and the new generation MoDT motherboards, developed with innovative thinking. Also, in order to fulfill AOpen’s commitment to consumers, while Intel® is introducing their more computing-efficient and energy-saving Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) CPUs, the series of AOpen’s miniPC Duo and MoDT motherboards will provide supports synchronously. Thus those high quality products, which have been very efficient and energy-saving, will have an enhanced value as a whole!” said Mr. Tony Yang, the Marketing Senior Director. “From now on, all consumers in the world that buy AOpen miniPC Duo and the MoDT Series motherboards using i945 and i975 chipsets can choose complete Intel® Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) CPU. Moreover, for consumers who have already bought the products mentioned above, they can feel the AOpen’s sincerity in taking care of loyal consumers. They only need to visit AOpen’s website and download new BIOS and dedicated drivers designed for Intel® Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) of the products mentioned above. Then they can enjoy immediately the performance of better computing-efficiency and more economical energy-saving that is brought by Intel® Core™ 2 Duo (Merom) CPU!” followed the Senior Director Yang.

AOpen miniPC Duo MP945-VX / MP945-VXR can be integrated with complete Microsoft® Windows XP MCE™ 2005 operating system and remote control to become the most compact desktop globally with Viiv™ technology. Also, the built-in IEEE 802.11 b+g wireless network, 5.1 channel Dolby surround, the feature of S/PDIF digital output, the slim slot-in DVD±RW drive and 2.5’ HDD with large capacity for notebooks can meet the needs of digital homes with all features. AOpen miniPC Duo also provides DVI digital video output and TV signal output of S-Video / Y-Pb-PR. It not only can be connected to the LCD monitor of a computer, but also directly connected to the big size TV in the living room to bring you unprecedented and best visual enperience.

AOpen i975Xa-YDG is the top flagship of MoDT series motherboards. Also, it is the best presentation of that AOpen successfully uses its research and development ability and product originality. i975Xa-YDG integrates the powerful scalability of i975X chipset for desktop computers and the powerful computing and energy-saving of notebook CPU to create unprecedented total value. It includes the feature of overclock in 1MHz without re-starting the computer, integrated system turn on/off and Multi-function remote control for AV control and overclock control. It provides 2 PCI-Express x16 expansion slots, and supports ATI CrossFire dual graphic card technology and SATA II Hot-Swap feature that can be plug-and-play. The noise level of the fan in work is lower than 26dB. It also has 7.1 channel Hi-Fi Dolby surround output. Concluded from above, it’s the best choice for overclocking and game players.

i945GTm-VHL uses i945GT+ICH7M-DH chipset and its top performance can meet the needs of general offices, SOHO and household consumers as well as comprehensive supports for Viiv™ technology. It is designed based on Micro ATX standard specification and is one of the most popular and mainstream products among MoDT series motherboards. Also, i945GTt-VFA also uses i945GT+ICH7M-DH chipset but is designed based on the specific Flex ATX (mini ITX) to reduce the motherboard size dramatically. It retains related scalability that desktop computers require within its compact design, second only to the AOpen MiniPC. It also supports all Viiv™ technology! It is ideal for those who demand for scalability and compact size

Source:AOpen MoDT Series Enters the Era of 64-bit Ultra-speed Computing Comprehensive Support for Intel® Core™ 2 Duo CPU (Merom)

Tech Link (Mobile): AMD's Dual Core Laptops Have Arrived: Introducing the Turion 64 X2

"Summary: Second Choice, If At All" woah, what a load crap Turion 64 is. It's up to you if you still like to read that article, but surely, that "quote" is enough "conclusion" for all of us Chipzilla boyz.

...compared to an Intel platform based on the Core Duo and the company's own GM 945 chipset, the combination of AMD CPU and ATI chipset is inferior in terms of battery time and multitasking performance. Therefore, under equal conditions, it can only be regarded as the second choice - if it is worth getting at all. The Core Duo 2, Intel's next generation of laptop processors is already at hand, and first measurements show that the Core Duo 2 is even more powerful while not consuming more power.

Source:AMD's Dual Core Laptops Have Arrived: Introducing the Turion 64 X2

Tech Link (Mobile): Alienware Aurora m9700

The folks at LegionPCGamers gave a not-so-new Alienware* laptop a review, and since this site caters for gamers, the laptop in the test bench is geared for gaming. The author seems impressed at how good he can play games on such a laptop, and why not, a mobile Chipzilla processor has always been strong, in fact, the new Conroe CPU uA borrowed a lot of its strength from such mobile CPU uA. Expand for more...

Admittedly, up until recently I’ve never really viewed notebooks as being worthy gaming platforms. The reasons for which I’d maintained that belief have always centered around a perceived lack of performance, typical presence of heat build up and overall awkwardness created by small monitors and oddly shaped and or positioned keyboards. In fact, these issues have bothered me for so long that until a couple of months ago, I’d proudly traveled through life without ever owning one. And with a beast of a desktop rig sitting in my office, I’d never really felt like I was missing out. That was until I started going on more and more overseas business trips, which ironically, was also around the same time that I started frequenting the weekly LANs at the Legion Labs. And without a car with which to commute to them (limited to riding my motorbike) it became a logistical nightmare to drag my machine there. With those considerations, a good and capable notebook started to look more and more appealing.

Source:Alienware Aurora m9700

Tech Link (Processor): Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 & E6400: Tremendous Value Through Overclocking

AMDTech seems to be on a joy ride using the new processor from Intel. They have been doing lots of reviews and analysis on the upcoming processor and they have been posting these articles at a fast rate than before. Well, this maybe because they are really getting great results from the processors. So they now post a new article, about overclocking the processor. I have actually posted my own review as well, on the overclockability and performance of the said processor here at Article: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6300 Overclocking Test (Unbeatable Price/Performance/Watt). You may want to check that one out as well, expand for more.

Over a week has passed since our Core 2 Extreme & Core 2 Duo review and although the dust is finally starting to settle, not all questions have been answered. We're still hard at work on investigating issues like 64-bit performance and comparing performance per Watt across more applications, but today we're here with another piece of the puzzle: a look at the Core 2 Duo E6300 and E6400.

The E6300 and E6400 are particularly attractive members of the Core 2 family because of their fairly low cost; unfortunately their performance isn't as easy to predict because they are currently the only two Core 2 processors that don't have a 4MB L2 cache. We already illustrated in our earlier review that the larger L2 cache found in the E6600 and above is good for up to 10% of a performance boost depending on the application, but the fact of the matter is that the cheapest 4MB Core 2 Duo is $316 while you can have the E6300 and E6400 for $183 and $224 respectively.

In addition to the question of performance, there's also the issue of overclockability. We've already seen that the high end Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme CPUs are fairly overclockable, thanks in no small part to Intel's 65nm manufacturing process, but what about at the low end? Can you take a $183 Core 2 Duo E6300 and through overclocking achieve performance similar to the more expensive E6600 or even the almighty X6800? It's been a while since we've even wanted to overclock an Intel CPU in order to get better performance. In the past we'd simply recommend buying AMD, but with Core 2 Duo the overclocking prospects are too intriguing to ignore.

Source:Anandtech

Tech Link (Processor): AT's Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 Preview from Taiwan

AMDTech did another review, that is, very AMDTech. You know, how they always add negativity to Chipzilla products even if it is trouncing the top of the line A* processor with top of the line chipset and against an early Conroe XE system with mainstream chipset. Yep, mainstream motherboard vs high end motherboard, but of course, both top of the line processor is used. Well chew this, no matter how you slice it, dice it, or mince it, the great taste will always be one that's going to be left in everyone's toungue. Unfortunately, it's AMDTech, so expect some bitter taste will be shoved in between the "niceties" they post. Take the quote below for example:

While Intel's Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors will be released at the beginning of Q3 of this year it will take some time for all of Intel's shipments to be Conroe based. The scary statistic is that by the end of this year, only 25% of Intel's Performance Mainstream desktop processor shipments will be based on Conroe. The remaining 75% will still be NetBurst based, meaning they will be Pentium 4, Pentium D and Pentium Extreme Edition.

We're happy to report that we gathered enough parts to build two systems while in Taiwan for Computex. We managed to acquire a Socket-AM2 motherboard equipped with an Athlon 64 FX-62 and a P965 motherboard equipped with a Core 2 Extreme X6800 2.93GHz at our hotel, along with two sets of 2x1GB of DDR2-800 (only 5-5-5-12 modules though), a pair of Hitachi 7K250 SATA hard drives, and two NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTXes (one for each system) - it helps that all the major players have offices in Taiwan. Of course we happened to pack some power supplies, monitors, keyboards and mice in our carry-on luggage, as well as copies of Windows XP, Quake 4, F.E.A.R., Battlefield 2, SYSMark 2004 and Winstone 2004.

When faced with the choice of testing Conroe or sleeping , we stayed up benchmarking (we'll blame it on the jet lag later). The stage was set: Intel's Core 2 Extreme vs. AMD's recently announced FX-62, and while it's still too early to draw a final verdict we can at least shed more light on how the battle is progressing. Keep in mind that we had a very limited amount of time with the hardware as to not alert anyone that it was missing and being used for things it shouldn't be (not yet at least), so we weren't able to run our full suite of tests. We apologize in advance and promise we'll have more when Conroe launches, but for now enjoy.
The Test

In case we weren't clear: we acquired, built, installed and tested these two test systems entirely on our own and without the help of Intel.

CPUs: AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 (2.80GHz) v. Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 (2.93GHz)

Motherboards:

nForce 590-SLI Socket-AM2 Motherboard
Intel P965 Motherboard

Chipset:

NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI
Intel P965 Chipset

Chipset Drivers:

nForce 9.34 Beta
Intel 7.3.3.1013

Hard Disk: Hitachi Deskstar T7K250

Memory: DDR2-800 5-5-5-12 (1GB x 2)

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX

Video Drivers: NVIDIA ForceWare 91.28 Beta

Desktop Resolution: 1280 x 1024 - 32-bit @ 60Hz

OS: Windows XP Professional SP2

Source:AMDTech

Tech Link (Industry): "Conroe-L": Core 2 Duo on the Cheap

According to AMDailyTech, Chipzilla is preparing to push a new breed of processors into the value segment. This time, it's not based on NetBurst anymore, but the product will be based on the upcoming Intel® Core™ uA.


The Conroe-L, as it is called by Chipzilla, is slated for release on Q2'07. While it is true that the current value processor today that has been capturing the hearts of many is based on dual core in the incarnation of Intel® Pentium® D 805, the Conroe-L will be single core and targetted to be a follow up to the current Cedar Mill line up, current single core branded under the Intel® Pentium® 4 series.

The selling point, as I see it, versus the Intel® Pentium® D 805, is that the new single core breed is based on the new uA and can show up branded either as an Intel® Pentium® 4 or Intel® Celeron® D. Either way, I am sure that there will be no clash with the Intel® Pentium® D 805, for one reason, it's almost a full year before it'll be released.

Hmm...it's going to be an interesting year, at least, for the FanBoyz...

Source:AMDTech

Overclock: Intel® Pentium® D 920 Overclocking (Full Blown Mainstream Dual Core)

This is a follow up article for the affordable Intel® Pentium® D 805. This processor is very attractively priced, hovering just below $230 (less than Php12,500). If anyone is still taking it slow and still not convinced with the power of affordable dual core computing, this processor might be the final nail to seal the coffin of acceptance.

The Intel® Pentium® D 920 Processor is currently the lowest speed grade dual core processor based on the 900series processor for the mainstream market. It is based on 65nm/Presler core on the LGA775 package, and is priced very attractively with price costing less than Php12,000.00 (~$250). This is the first Presler core that has 2x2MB L2 cache, and will be trully attractive to dual-core users, and of course overclockers who are always hunting things on the cheap but are asking more for performance and that beter RAM access time.

Source:Intel® Pentium® D 920 Overclocking (Full Blown Mainstream Dual Core)