Corsair Issues 2333MHz Dominator GTX Memory

If you simply can't live with anything less than the best in your main system, Corsair has a new toy that it would like to see. The company's Dominator GTX RAM module is classified as the "world's fastest Intel XMP-certified memory," and it has passed Corsair's certification at the blistering speed of 2333MHz, surpassing Corsair’s 2000MHz modules as the fastest XMP-certified memory in the world. Intel’s engineers awarded the XMP-Ready certification to 2 x 2GB Corsair CMGTX1 modules running at the frequency of 2333MHz using low timings of 9-11-9-27 at a voltage of just 1.65V. The going rate for a 2GB DIMM is $200, so it'll cost you quite a small fortune to soup your rig up with these. Rethinking that whole "got to have the best!" thing yet?

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NVIDIA’s GeForce GF100 Under the Microscope

Months ago at NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference, CEO Jen Hsun Huang announced the upcoming Fermi architecture to the world. Due to the nature of that conference, very few -if any- details were leaked regarding the architecture's performance in the one area where NVIDIA's roots lie: 3D graphics processing. All we knew at that time was Fermi-based cards weren’t anywhere near mass production capable and that ATI already had troops on the ground in the DX11 marketplace. Since then, ATI has continued to run away with the DX11 GPU market and things couldn’t have looked worse for Team Green. Designing a whole new architecture from the ground up takes time and NVIDIA was always the first to admit that. If anything, NVIDIA has been extremely tight-lipped about all things Fermi ever since the GTC but from the information we received from our moles within their Santa Clara offices, things were moving along at a quick pace. New technologies were being developed to showcase the chip’s advanced capabilities, features were being toyed with, drivers were written and TSMC was pistol-whipped into shape after showing disappointing yields on early silicon. As CES rolled around, NVIDIA wanted to put most of their cards on the table and finally disclosed how they have adapted Fermi's architecture for the consumer GPU marketplace. This included selective tech demos and hardware being shown on the show floor as well as all-day “Deep Dive” briefings for select journalists being conducted behind the scenes. We attended one of these briefings and in this article we will finally shed some light on the technologies that will make the Fermi architecture hum along in games and other 3D apps. While we have been talking about Fermi as the name for the all-encompassing architecture up to this point, it should be pointed out that there will be several sub categories as well. This includes the already-announced Tesla C2000-series for HPC markets and an unnamed series of Quattro cards as well. The market we are most interested in for the purposes of this article is that which holds actual 3D graphics cards and NVIDIA has finally come forth with a name for us: GF100. However, the “GF100” moniker won’t be used for the final retail cards but will be used to describe a whole range of products based off of the GeForce version of the Fermi architecture. It may not be telling much but at least it gives us an alternative to the overused “Fermi” name. Before we really get into things, we should warn you that while there was actually a shed-load of information discussed, NVIDIA was still silent when it came to discussing price, final clock speeds, memory sizes, and availability. Nonetheless, we’ll do what we can to make some educated guesses based off of what we know and what was hinted at within our briefing.

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Nokia N900 review

Today, Nokia stands at a fascinating fork in the road. Let's consider the facts: first, and most unavoidably, the company is the largest manufacturer of cellphones in the world by a truly sobering margin. At every end of the spectrum, in every market segment, Nokia is successfully pushing phones -- from the highest of the high-end (see Vertu) to the lowest of the low (the ubiquitous 1100 series, which as far as we can tell, remains the best selling phone in history). The kind of stark dominance Nokia has built over its competition certainly isn't toppled overnight, but what might be the company's biggest asset has turned out to be its biggest problem, too: S60. In the past eight years, Nokia's bread-and-butter smartphone platform has gone from a pioneer, to a staple, to an industry senior citizen while upstarts like Google and Apple (along with a born-again Palm) have come from practically zero to hijack much of the vast mindshare Espoo once enjoyed.

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Sapphire HD 5670 1GB GDDR5 Review

Welcome to the review of yet another ATI DX11 graphics card. In recent months we have seen the release of the ultra high end HD 5970, the well-endowed but surprisingly affordable HD 5870 and HD 5850 and the more budget friendly but equally impressive HD 5770 and HD 5750. Now ATI is rounding out their already-full stable not with a thoroughbred that is designed to push high framerates but rather with a number of cards which will appeal to casual gamers and HTPC enthusiasts. Basically, it is being marketed to people who don’t need blazingly fast performance but understand the value of efficiency, HD decoding capabilities and passable 3D performance. Say hello to Redwood. Redwood is the code name for a whole series of products ranging from the $115 USD Redwood XT-based HD 5670 1GB to the $100 512MB version and the sub-$100 HD5570 and HD5550 which use the Redwood Pro core. These products follow closely in the highly successful footsteps of the HD 4670 and HD 4650 which will still be around through Q2 of 2010 but their goal remains the same: bring value to a segment of the market that doesn’t get all that much time in the limelight. In this review we will be looking a bit closer at Sapphire’s HD 5670 1GB GDDR5 that sports reference clocks but comes decked out in a custom heatsink from Arctic Cooling. The HD 5670 series also features support for ATI’s HyperMemory technology which allows system memory to be dedicated on the fly for use by the GPU. While it is doubtful this will be much use for cards with 1GB or even 512MB of GDDR5 memory, lower-end products can benefit from this in situations where memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor. Since the HD decoding capabilities of ATI’s present and past generation chips has been talked about at length in the past, we’ll be concentrating on the gaming aspects and capabilities of the HD 5670 1GB in this article. Price-wise it slots into a bit of a grey zone that has popped up in the market within the last few months. With NVIDIA positioning the $99 GT 240 512MB at approximately the same performance as the 9600 GT while still relying on the ages-old 9800 GT 512MB to do most of the grunt work in the sub-$150 market, ATI saw an opening and went for it. Granted, the HD 5670 1GB might be priced above the GT 240 512MB and slightly above the 9800 GT but competition is tough in this price segment, especially with ATI’s own $135 to $145 HD 5750 1GB knocking at the door as well. The logistics of releasing new products across such a wide variety of price points all within four months of one another simply boggles the mind but ATI has done it. Let’s see how the newest member of their rapidly growing family fits into the mix.

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CES 2010 Coverage

The first day of CES for Overclockersclub was more of a "get to know you" day for those of us who had only spoken via the modern miracles of the Internet or phone, and a rekindling of the relationships for those who were here in years past. Those attending this year are:

Bosco, Ccokeman, Ajmatson, D3bruts1d, Gotdamojo06, Claymeow, Propane, Jammin, Kash, Silverfox, RHKCommander959

We started the day/afternoon (don’t ask why) with a hearty breakfast. Then it was off for an afternoon/evening of gaming and just generally having a great time before the action started with the kickoff party for CES, sponsored by Patriot Memory and Gigabyte.

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EVGA P55 Classified 200 LGA1156 Motherboard Review

What is black and red and full of sexy all over? Well we can't tell you because it is Classified. That's right, this is another installment of the EVGA Classified show. Our guest star is of the P55 variety sporting the latest mainstream LGA1156 socket from Intel. The term mainstream, which is what the Intel P55 chipset is billed as, doesn't exactly correlate with ultra high-end which is what the Classified name from EVGA is generally paired with. It is this sort of oxymoron that makes this board quite intriguing. What we have here is the absolute top end of the EVGA P55 lineup. This list of motherboards includes the P55 V, up through the P55 Micro, and the penultimate P55 FTW 200 with a few more motherboards filling in the cracks. The EVGA offerings reach a crescendo with the motherboard we are looking at today, the EVGA P55 Classified 200. EVGA decided that just because the P55 chipset is considered the mainstream counterpart to the enthusiast level Intel X58 chipset, it didn't mean people wouldn't be looking for premium motherboards in this segment. This is where the Classified steps in. Based on the P55 chipset the EVGA P55 Classified 200 supports LGA1156 i5 and i7 8xx series processors. But unlike other P55 motherboards, the P55 Classified 200 can accommodate Tri-SLI thanks to the implementation of the of the NF200 chipset. The NF200 allows the motherboard to split up some of the PCI-E lanes allowing for three, four, or technically even five video cards to be used at the same time. Typical P55 motherboards only allow two-way SLI or CrossFireX so this definitely opens doors on a platform not typical of its capabilities. Of course there is much more to the EVGA P55 Classified 200 feature list which we plan on having a look at in full. If you are not familiar with the Classified brand, you are in for a treat. If you are familiar with previous EVGA Classified motherboards, then you know what to expect as EVGA is sure to keep the strong tradition of the Classified name with this latest installment. So sit back, relax, and grab a fresh bowl of popcorn; the show is about to begin and there is something in here for everyone.

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Intel Westmere 32nm Launch & Clarkdale Core i5-661 CPU Review

Outside of those with bank accounts that could be featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and famous, most people can’t afford the best of the best. We all know i7 quad core processors have the capability of running eight threads but with their accompanying X58 motherboards, this high-end solution is out of reach of the vast majority of buyers. The Lynnfield processors meanwhile were placed so the higher-end 860 and 870 LGA1156 products brushed into the Bloomfield pricing spectrum as befitted their performance. However, a combination of the i5 750 and a lower-end P55 motherboard represented the Nehalem architecture’s first foray into the mid-level pricing category and this week marks Intel’s final push into much more affordable territory with their Westmere derivative. This Westmere series of CPUs will be broken up into two distinct categories like every other Intel chip has been for the last few years: a mobile part code-named Arrandale and a desktop series called Clarkdale. Upon first glance, Westmere is nothing more than a 32nm die shrink of the Nehalem architecture but as this article goes on, you will see that there is much more to it than just that. Not only do these new Westmere chips integrate a discrete GPU onto the CPU package but they also allow technologies which have been previously reserved for higher-end products to filter down so they are within everyone’s reach. That means certain models will be graced with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost which were long missing from the entry-level market. This will go hand in hand with a new series of H and Q series LGA 1156 motherboards that are set to be released within the same timeframe. One of the main selling points of the Westmere architecture is not only its price points but also the fact that it puts high-end graphics capabilities in the hands of the average consumer. While many of us will automatically think of the ATI HD 5000 series and NVIDIA GTX 200 series when talking about upper echelon graphics processing, try to step back and remember what entry level systems used to look like: an anemic Intel GMA accelerator that could barely play high quality YouTube videos much less play games. Meanwhile, the roll of the PC is evolving as the people’s knowledge base expands and everyone’s grandmother seems to have a Facebook profile. This means more and more consumers are doing digital editing in some form (photos, video, etc.) and enjoying casual PC gaming (be it flash games or basic games) without high-end system needs. This is where the new DX10-capable integrated Intel HD Graphics comes into play. It is supposed to offer not only the ability to use the applications most casual gamers are looking at but will also feature HD decoding abilities previously unheard of at this price point. While we will be looking at the mobile Arrandale chip closer weeks, this article will concentrate on the desktop-destined Clarkdale chips and all they have to offer. Considering Intel will be releasing the i5-670, i5-661, i5-660, i5-650, i3-540, i3-530 and a Pentium-series CPU at the same time, things could get interesting. However, there is one thing to remember here and now: these are LGA 1156 processors which means they are compatible with P55, H57, H55 and Q57 motherboards but the integrated GPU will only work with the H and Q series of boards. Intel is betting that now is the time you will be upgrading your older system since with i7, i5 and now i3 series of processors, they are able to deliver great performance and high efficiency across every price point. The likely thing is that a new Clarkdale-based system will be more efficient and better performing than a much higher-priced one from less than two years ago. But is it right for you? Read on.

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Cooler Master 690 II Advanced

Cooler Master has produced cases to meet the needs of all types of computer users; the power user, the water cooler, the mod nut, and the budget buyer (aren’t we all?). Now, they are looking to offer a case that meets the criteria of practically everyone with the 690 II Advanced. Based on the popular design of the Centurion 690 and working off of end user feedback, the new chassis has updated the original's style and added new features while focusing on streamlining the installation and maintenance process while providing exceptional functionality. The all black design with silver accents give the case a simple yet elegant appeal that should work for almost anyone. Additionally, the focus on airflow with a unique use of mesh covers and an almost ridiculous number of fans allow for the case to be tailored exactly how the user wants. The Cooler Master 690 II Advanced has everything it takes to yet again become one of the best mid-range cases on the market.

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Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review

Well it certainly has been awhile since we took a look at a Noctua cooler. In the past we walked away impressed again and again with Noctua’s cooler offerings and have found their combination of great design with downright amazing fans to be more than award worthy. It seems that Noctua is not a company to rest on their laurels and has recently released a bigger, more technically advanced product and if reports are to be believed it comes with an even better set of fans than previous generations. We are of course talking about the brand new, gargantuan NH-D14. It seems like every year we see statements that air cooling has reached the pinnacle of its efficiency when it comes to cooling down the hottest running CPUs on the market. However, it seems like every time we look, new innovations are being made in this market which brings new lows in CPU temperatures and more and more wildly designed coolers. This time Noctua is going for a combination of both innovation and raw size in a bit to produce the best heatsink on the market. Even by just looking at the pictures of this beast we know we have something special on our hands. Not only are its physical dimensions staggering but it sports multiple fan mounts and a staggering number of cooling fins. There is a very good reason for this multi fan approach as this cooler sports a multi-tower design which in our opinion could be interesting even though our past experiences don’t shine a very good light upon this approach. . Heatsinks live and die by the time of fan that is attached to them which is one of the reasons we haven’t been to high on past multi-tower coolers. However it seems Noctua is also of the same opinion, as this cooler not only comes with the venerable (12cm) NF-P12-1300 fan, but also its bigger brother; the NF-P14-FLX (1200RPM). All this potential power does come at quite an eyebrow-raising price, as this Noctua beast goes for about $90. Of course, balancing out this cost is the fact that Noctua has included two fans and their innovative new mouting system. But is this high end price for this worth it? We intend to find out.

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