Intel today releases it's first ever six-core consumer processor. We test the Gulftown based Core i7 980X. Intel launches the Core i7 980X processor today priced at US$ 999 in thousand-unit tray quantities.

It's scrumptious, it's delicious. Really it overclocks brilliantly as well; it's dark demonic matter my man. Head on over to the review  where we'll start up a technical overview and then head onwards to an extensive benchmark session, and sure... we'll throw in an overclocking session as well. We've got a lot of ground to cover.

You can read this Guru3D article right here.

A couple of weeks ago we published some USB 3.0 performance results based on an engineering board from MSI. In that early test we where not impressed at all by USB 3.0 performance.

The final production sample of MSI's Star USB controller just arrived though, and that certainly makes the difference. Therefore we test USB 3.0 with the USB 3.0 ready N002 SSD, this device is able to deliver up to very fast 200 MB/s and 170 MB/s sequential read/write performance.

Will it perform good enough over USB 3.0 ?

Check it out right here.

We merely released our first AMD890GX motherboard review a couple of days ago, and the new chipset is well received. But of course there are many more ODMs out there that have been preparing a new board based on the 890GX chipset from AMD.

Today we'll have a look at an offering from ASUS, namely the M4A89GTD Pro USB3. A motherboard carrying that new SATA6G controller and sure ASUS dropped a USB 3.0 controller onto this model as well.

Check out the Guru3D review right here.

Still, the AC coolers are amongst the best when it comes to a refined balance of silence and performance. The performance is (according to AC) 40C cooler then the stock cooler running at only 0.5 Sone.

Cooling performance
Both models are equipped with three 92mm PWM fans running from 900 to 2,000 RPM, generating 81 CFM airflow for efficient heat dissipation from the core(s).

The Accelero XTREME 5970 is designed with an 8-heatpipe and 119-fin architecture to achieve 300 watts cooling for the dual-GPU Radeon HD5970. A layer of the ARCTIC MX-2 thermal compound is also pre-applied on the base of Accelero XTREME 5970.

The results are very promising– the GPU temperature of Radeon HD5970 is now 40°C lower than using the stock cooler.

Using three fans does not mean the noise level will be high. The precise fan blade design improves the laminar airflow and helps reducing the noise level to a minimum - only 0.5 sone at full speed (2,000 rpm). The patented fan holder and PWM function helps the Accelero XTREME 5970 to reduce the noise further, creating a much quieter gaming environment.

• RCA Line Out for audio playback up to 122dB, 24-bit/96kHz Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC)
• RCA Line Input for recording up to 118dB, 24-bit 96kHZ Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC)
• 0.001% Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N)
• Headphone output for audio listening up to 115dB 33 Ohms, and 117dB, 330 Ohms, at 24bit/96kHz
• Replaceable Op-amps
• Hardware-accelerated 3D positional audio and EAX 5.0 effects that provide a truly immersive experience with headphones and speakers
• Dolby Digital and DTS encoding enables one-step single-cable connection to home entertainment systems
• TOS-link optical-in/out
• 1/8" microphone-in
• 1/8" headphone jack
• Creative ALchemy to restore EAX and surround sound that is otherwise lost in DirectSound game titles running under Windows Vista and Windows 7
• ASIO recording support with latency as low as one millisecond with minimal CPU load
• Works with Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD
Designed as a high definition USB audio solution for notebooks and desktops, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD USB digital audio system features audiophile-grade recording and playback. It is the only USB digital audio system that includes an analogue phono input, as well as standard audio inputs, enabling users to effortlessly convert analogue audio from their record albums or cassette tapes into MP3, AAC, FLAC and other digital formats. The systems comes with Media Toolbox, a comprehensive software package, including an advanced noise reduction programme that easily remove unwanted clicks, crackles, hums, pops, rumble and other sound imperfections from the tracks after they have been recorded, substantially improving the audio quality for playback.

The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD USB digital audio system also features THX TruStudio PC, bringing the same great audio experience found in live performances, films, and recording studios to laptop and desktop PCs.

Additional product specifications include:

• RCA Line Out for audio playback up to 114dB, 24-bit/96kHz Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC)
• RCA/Phono Line Input for recording up to 108dB, 24-bit 96kHZ Analog-to-Digital Converters
• TOS-link optical-in/out
• Gold-plated 1/4" microphone-in
• Gold-plated 1/4" headphone jack
• USB-bus powered, no external power supply required
• Creative ALchemy to restore EAX and surround sound that is otherwise lost in DirectSound game titles running under Windows Vista and Windows 7
• Works with Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems

Pricing and Availability
The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD and Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD will be available at The CREATIVE Stores at International Business Park and Marina Square, the online store at sg.store.creative.com and authorised dealers in Singapore from March 2010 onwards at the suggested retail prices of S$299.00 and S$149.00 respectively.

The “Thuban” architecture is based on 45nm architecture and will feature an integrated DDR2/DDR3 controller. The chip is based on AMD’s six-core Opteron chip. It is expected that the piece will be called Phenom II X6.

They will be released as the Phenom II X6 1000-series. One slide reveals the Thuban has 9MB cache and "massive performance headroom", while the other one lists three Phenom II X6 models that will be launched in Q2 2010. This includes the Phenom II X6 1075T, Phenom II X6 1055T, and Phenom II X6 1035T, with TDPs between 95W and 125W.

After almost 8 years of development and millions of lines of code, OnLive, the gaming equivalent of cloud-computing technology is set to take the gaming world by storm on June 17th, coming to both PCs and Macs in the contiguous 48 states.

That price "provides access to an ever-increasing library of high-end, new release game content and a host of exclusive community feature such as Brag Clips and massive spectating," said COO Mike McGarvey

"Individual titles will be available for purchase or rental on an a la carte basis. Specific game pricing, including rentals,purchases and loyalty programs, will be announced prior to the consumer launch event at E3. We’ll also be announcing additional loyalty and discount programs for consumers in the coming months."

Major publishers have already backed the service - and while specific titles, pricing and revenue share models will be made public closer to the E3 launch, McGarvey told us that a few of the launch games include Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II and Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, as well as THQ’s Metro 2033.

Intially the service will run on Macs and PCs as a browser plugin, but the MicroConsole TV adapter will be slated for release later this year, along with other devices. The service will stream at 720p, but 1080p full-HD at 60 fps will be added “as the bandwidth becomes available”.

So the $14.95/month does not include the actual games you can play, it's just the Access to Onlive. Well, that's that. Nobody's gonna do that. Would you ?

If you look at the box you'll notice that the GTX 480 will indeed have 384-Bit memory indicating six 64-bit controllers. Also the box denotes 1536MB of gDDR5 memory for the GeForce 480.

Well obviously they are ... check out the photo's. I'll take a crate of these please !

• Comprehensive hardware information
• System health monitoring
• Basic benchmarks
• Text, CSV and XML report formats
• Periodical updates
• For Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/Server 2003; Windows 9X/Me (limited)

The new version of the HWiNFO32 hardware information and diagnostic tool and it features:

Changes in HWiNFO32 

• Enhanced support of Sandy Bridge family.
• Added IT87xx fan divisors setup if not configured properly by default.
• Added nVidia GeForce GTX 470 and GeForce GTX 480 (GF100 / Fermi).

Download

OCZ now is offering a mainstream SSD, with the Onyx. The new flash-based storage unit uses the 2.5-inch form factor and operates on the SATA II interface. It is based on multi-level cell (MLC) NAND Flash memory chips and, as users know very well, it is faster and more durable than hard drives.

Among the various advantages of the new device are a lightweight (77g) but durable casing that measures 99.8 x 69.63 x 9.3mm, faster read and write speeds, similarly faster boot-up times and an energy efficiency that, when used in notebooks, enables a longer battery life. The SSD also lacks moving parts, which makes it run without producing any noise.

"As new technologies become available, OCZ continues to expand both our enterprise and consumer SSD lines, and one of our goals is to make SSDs more affordable to end-users. Our new Onyx series SSD does exactly that and is a perfect solution for netbooks, laptops, or home desktop PCs," Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group, commented.

"Designed to offer the best of both worlds, the new OCZ Onyx SSD delivers the speed and reliability of solid state storage to mainstream consumers at an aggressive price point that makes the technology more accessible to customers who want to take advantage of all the benefits of the SSDs without incurring the high cost normally associated with the solution."

The Onyx has "HDD-dominating access times" and read/write speeds of 125MB/s and 70MB/s, respectively. It also boasts 64MB of onboard cache memory, an MTBF of 1.5 million hours and, most importantly, a price of under $100. In fact, the only thing that the SSD has that is inferior to what HDDs can offer is the storage space of only 32GB.

Set to become available in the coming weeks, the Onyx will be priced at $99 and will be accompanied by a three-year warranty.

Galaxy’s dual-core GTS250 graphics card now have an finally look. The retail version will use the dual-fan cooler, have two 70mm fans, 2000rpm. In addition, the care has two DIV ports. The dual-core GTS250 running at 675MHz/2000MHz/1696MHz (Core/Memory/Shader) got a 3DMarkVantage score of P13964, the performance is between GTX285 and GTX260.

You have to give them this, it certainly is a nice looking card though.

ASUS today announced the launch of the ASUS Cine5 PC speaker which provides accurate 5-channel surround sound in personalized spaces such as study rooms. With its all-in-one design, the Cine5 delivers realistic and dynamic surround sound to satisfy consummate gamers and personal entertainment users. To deliver exceptionally full sound from a compact form factor, ASUS drew on its expertise in high-performance audio cards during the development.

Leading Surround Technology for True Cinematic Enjoyment
The Cine5 is the first PC speaker in the world to offer leading surround sound presence with the new "EmbracingSound Theatre HD" technology. This patented technology leverages on a discrete 5-channel output to deliver full audio surround, which users can experience whenever they are directly in front of the speaker. In a First Player Shooter game, the Cine5 provides precise sound location that improves shooting accuracy and heightens gaming thrills. The Cine5 also revives 5-channel audio from any down-mixed 2-channel source—for a high-fidelity, multi-channel sound during PC gaming or movie sessions.

Space-saving Design and Convenient Home Entertainment Setup
By integrating an array of speaker drivers into a single bar, the Cine5 PC speaker helps users save space in their study rooms. Additionally, installation is simplified by eliminating the need to set up multiple satellite speakers—users just need to place the Cine5 PC speaker below the computer monitor. No positional adjustment is necessary to get the sweet spot for audio recreation.

Refined Audio Performance
Utilizing premium speaker drivers and a specially-designed bass reflex port, the Cine5 provides 15dB more bass than speakers of similar size, thus revolutionizing bass delivery in compact speakers—to add depth to games and movies. Also, its multi-driver configuration reduces individual driver load by 50%, resulting in better high-frequency responses for more brilliant sound.

Dress Up PCs with Elegance
The Cine5 PC speaker represents a modern form in PC speaker design. In a user setting, the three elements of a curved shape, black glossy finish, and its metal knob delivers a touch of elegance. It also blends in with most monitors, with its overall design featuring metal or rubber stands of different heights.

I actually took a photo of it on CeBIT, check out the thumb.

A new generation of FORMULA ONE games will come to high definition consoles and PC later this year as Codemasters® today announced that F1 2010 will be released this September for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC Games For Windows®.

As the official game of the 2010 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, F1 2010 will include all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the coming season. F1 2010 will feature the return of seven times FORMULA 1 Drivers’ World Champion Michael Schumacher, the introduction of several new teams, and the brand new Korean International Circuit that will host the 2010 FORMULA 1 KOREAN GRAND PRIX.

The September launch will see F1 2010 become the first official FORMULA ONE game to appear for Xbox 360 and marks the return of FORMULA ONE to PC after an eight year absence. The arrival of the HD editions of FORMULA ONE follows Codemasters’ extremely successful launch of F1 2009 for Wii and PSP, which became a top five best seller throughout the past holiday period. In F1 2010 gamers will take on the full, expanded grid in a variety of game modes including GRAND PRIX, Championship, Time Trial and an extensive, innovative Career mode. F1 2010 will also feature a highly advanced damage model, fully dynamic weather system and extensive competitive multiplayer options.

In production at Codemasters Studios Birmingham, F1 2010 is being developed using the EGO Game Technology Platform, Codemasters’ proprietary tech that powered the critically acclaimed, million-plus selling Colin McRae: DiRT 2 and Race Driver: GRID. The award-winning technology has been further developed to accurately recreate the unique aerodynamics and handling of 200MPH+ FORMULA ONE cars. The tech combined with Codemasters’ unprecedented access to FORMULA ONE teams and drivers will ensure that F1 2010 delivers the most authentic FORMULA ONE racing experience yet. F1 2010 will be released September 2010 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows.