In order to cater to the safety and security of consumers, ASUS, leading producer of motherboards worldwide, has announced key motherboard innovations to provide users with the ultimate in safety and data security. Available on the P5Q series and other top-notch motherboards, these innovations include ESD and Overcurrent Protection for safeguarding users against electrostatic discharges and overcurrent; as well as the ASUS Data Guardian (TPM) and Drive Xpert for data security and backup. With these features, users will be able to enjoy a full range of protection during everyday computing.

BIOSTAR TPower N750 offers cutting-edge Hybrid SLI technology, based on industry-leading SLI technology, delivers multi-GPU benefits when a TPower N750 motherboard GPU is combined with an NVIDIA discrete GPU. BIOSTAR TPower N750 Hybrid SLI increases graphics performance with GeForce® Boost and provides intelligent power management with HybridPower™.

Exclusive shots from the latest ASUS R.O.G. Maximus II Formula (Intel P45) with integrated SupremeFX Creative X-Fi sound card. Let the pictures speak for themselves.


Source: HARDSPELL

OCZ Technology Group today announced the Special Ops Urban Elite DDR3 Series, available in high-speed PC3-12800 kits featuring the high densities and stability gamers demand. These blazing fast modules are ideal for users taking advantage of the incredible performance of DDR3 gaming platforms, offering the speeds, density, and reliability required for the latest DirectX 10 PC titles. Featuring a unique "urban" camouflage motif heatspreader design, the DDR3 Special Ops Urban Elite Series was designed to lend some extra style to system builds while unleashing the performance potential of your entire gaming platform.

After making all HTPC owners happy with the release of Freezer 7 LP, Swiss cooling expert Arctic Cooling has now introduced the Arctic RC RAM Cooler, the company's first advanced RAM cooling device. The Arctic RC features extra large aluminium fins designed for optimal convection cooling, no heatpipes are presented here though. It can be used on both single or double sided DDR2 and DDR3 modules. Also, mounting the RAM sink to your memory modules is fairly easy. The Arctic RC comes with pre-applied adhesive thermal tape that allows you to attach one or two pieces of Arctic RC on your RAM, depending on your needs. One package contains four pieces of Arctic RC, enough for two double-sided modules. The RAM sinks will be available mid May 2008 with a MSRP of US$14.95/9.95€.


Source: Arctic Cooling

EVGA has released a new version of its Exclusive Precision Overclocking Utility. Version 1.02 change log:

• Added tray icon temperature monitoring feature
• Added set of synchronization protocols aimed to improve Precision usage safety in conjunction with third party hardware monitoring tools
• Added exception handling to PLL clock frequency monitoring routines
• Precision settings are now stored in display adapter model specific profiles to allow keeping the settings when installing new version
• Now the uninstaller allows you to keep Precision settings
• Compact graph mode is enabled by default now
• Now Precision reverts to default skin if corrupted skin is selected

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Source: EVGA

The China Economic News Service reported today that Microsoft has assigned Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) and Nanya PCB to manufacture, test and package the latest version of Xbox 360, codenamed "Jasper". TSMC will build ATI Xenos graphics and memory controller hub (GMCH) for the new Jasper console, using 65nm process. ASE was contracted to package and test the two chips, while Nanya has won orders to supply flip-chip packaging substrates, reports CENS.com. Current Xbox 360 consoles named Falcon utilize GMCH and eDRAM cores manufactured using 90nm process technology at TSMC as well as CPU built at IBM using 65nm fabrication process. The new Jasper Xbox 360s are projected to consume less electricity, use less complex cooling systems and logically produce less noise. In addition the revised consoles will fix the so-called "red ring of death" issue that plagued many Falcon systems. Microsoft will reportedly make available the Jasper version of XBox 360 game console in August this year.

Source: CENS.com, X-bit labs

NASA, Intel and SGI today announced the signing of an agreement establishing intentions to collaborate on significantly increasing the space agency's supercomputer performance and capacity. Under the terms of a Space Act Agreement, NASA will work closely with Intel and SGI to increase computational capabilities for modeling and simulation at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) facility at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

Cooler Master's engineers have taken the idea of releasing a fanless cooler seriously and have come up with a passive CPU cooler called Hyper Z600 that can cool both Intel and AMD CPUs drawing up to 89W without any fans attached to it. You can add two optional 120mm fans to the opposing sides of the heat-sink in a push-pull configuration, though. The Hyper Z600 measures 127.28 x 127.28 x 160 mm and weighs exactly 1045g. The heatsink structure features interlaced aluminium fins, six heatpipes connected to a mirror-coated copper base and Cooler Master's unique "X" design that creates lower back pressure to make air pass through the heatsink faster. Compatible with all existing Intel and AMD CPU sockets, the passive Cooler Master Z600 will be available soon for around £34.99.


Source: HEXUS.net

All fans of OpenOffice will be pleased to know that the latest OpenOffice.org 3.0 Beta version for Linux/Solaris/Windows/MacOSX is now out.

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OpenOffice.org 3.0 integrates ODF 1.2 support, Microsoft Office 2007 Import Filters, charting enhancements, improved note capabilities in Writer, new icons, enhanced pdf export, multi-monitor support for impress, and a start center. For Mac OS X users, OpenOffice.org 3.0 will now run without the need for X11 to be installed. In addition, there are several bug-fixes and other minor features that make up this beta release.

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A more detailed guide to the features can be found here.

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Source: Ubuntu Unleashed

In a briefing today AMD disclosed a conservative road map for 45nm server processors using six and twelve cores that will gradually start to ship starting from Q1 2009. The new processors will be manufactured in a 45 nm process that will be introduced with the Shanghai quad-core later this year. Shanghai will deliver performance boost of about 20% over Barcelona thanks to the new process, the doubled overall cache size and the 800MHz DDR2 memory controller. In the second half of 2009, AMD intends to ship a single-die 6-core Socket F (1207) processor code-named "Istanbul". Offered for two- and four-socket systems, the chip will likely utilize AMD's HyperTransport 3.0 technology and increased shared L3 cache from 2MB to 6MB. In two years time from now AMD is promissing a completely new platform. Called the "Maranello" platform, it will bring new 6-core "Sao Paulo" CPUs with 6MB of L3 cache, as well as the dual-die 12-core "Magny Cours" processor with 12MB L3 cache. Both processors will be built in 45nm, with DDR3 memory support and HyperTransport version 3.0 interconnect. AMD will couple these CPUs with motherboards that use its own RD890S and RD870S northbridges as well as the SB700S southbridge.

Source: TG Daily

Not long ago ASUS demonstrated a concept card called Trinity which had three RV670 GPUS mounted through two daughter boards. Today ASUS is taking this concept a step further with the introduction of the ASUS Splendid MA3850M modulized card that is assumed to be more than a museum piece. The Splendid MA3850M has a modular structure with single ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3850 GPU loaded on a ASUS Splendid HD PCI-Express daughter card that is 27% shorter than an average PCI-E graphics card. Moreover, the card supports ATI's proprietary PowerPlay technology, and ASUSTeK's Splendid HD processor that enhances image and video quality without increasing CPU load. Clocked at 668MHz/1.65GHz core/memory clocks and fueled by 512MB DDR3 and 256-bit memory interface the card will perform on par with other generic HD 3850 video cards. The manufacturer did not announce availability or pricing for this new graphics product, but you can find a little bit more info here.


Source: ASUS

It will be during Computex that Ikonik Technology will showcase their computer solutions, revealing ‘SIM' - System Intelligence Management [which is not based on NVIDIA's ESA]. This world's first software for case management will be the main feature amongst other features on the top-of-the-range cases, boasting the technology intelligence. ‘SIM' does not only monitor, but also controls the temperature and speeds of the 13 fans in the case. ‘SIM' does not only manage the case but also the performance of the components in the computer. Power users will now be able to optimize and ‘control' their components.

Whether you're someone with an adventuresome style and spirit, an avid participant in tough travel environments, or just want to be different from the crowd, the new Iomega eGo Camo Portable Hard Drive is a fast and fun notebook hard drive that delivers on form and function. Iomega's new eGo Camo Drive has a curved chassis covered by a woodland camouflage pattern that also comes with a black Iomega Power Grip band that not only looks cool but also provides extra durability.

Although Intel's P45 chipset is set to be here in almost a month, there's plenty to see already. ECS also confirmed two new motherboards are on their way to show skills with other Intel X48 and P45 products. First mainboard has model name X48T-A and uses X48+ICH9R chipset configuration, while the second model is dubbed P45T-A and will work iwth the latest ICH10R southbridge. The implementation of heat-pipe cooling here is called QooTechII and solid capacitors are also a must have for high end products where ECS does not shine so much. Maybe this will change soon? Overall these two fellows are promising to become a good choice for people without deep pockets.


Source: OWORKBENCH

Hynix Semiconductor and ProMOS Technologies today announced the signing of the Amendment to strengthen their existing strategic alliance. According to the Amendment, Hynix licenses to ProMOS 50 nanometer-class DRAM stack process technology, while ProMOS offers to Hynix such DRAM products from its 300mm fab capacity. To achieve timely technology transfer, Hynix plans to commence the government filing process immediately. Additionally, Hynix plans to cooperate with some financial investors to buy 8%-10% portion of shares in ProMOS through private placement to strengthen their long-term cooperation relationship.

Source: Hynix

Lite-On announces today that it will launch a new 4X Blu-ray Disc Writer in Europe. The DH-4B1S is the successor of the widely appreciated LH-2B1S, one of the first Blu-ray drives on the market. The DH-4B1S can write BD-R media at 4X, a 50% speed increase and time saving compared to its predecessor.

In an interview with GamesIndustry, NVIDIA said that it is looking to simplify its gaming product range in order to appeal to a wider audience. Speaking to GamesIndustry, Roy Taylor, VP of Content Business Development, admitted that NVIDIA's current range of products is overcomplicated and too confusing for users that may not follow the graphics market like we computer related people do. "It is a challenge that we're looking at right now. There is a need to simplify it for consumers, there's no question," Taylor explained. "We think that the people who understand and know GeForce today, they're okay with it - they understand it. But if we're going to widen our appeal, there's no doubt that we have to solve that problem," he added. Specific plans of how NVIDIA is intending to remodel its product line were not disclosed during the small talk.

Source: GamesIndustry

Intel P45 motherboard from GIGABYTE is also joining on our front page today with the EP45 Extreme model. The board comes with some new cooling that GIGABYTE calls Hybrid Silent Pipe. It expeditiously removes the heat from the PWM, northbridge and southbridge area and also allows for optional watercooling to be installed. The rest of the fancy stuff involve Dynamic Power LED indicator with dynamic 6-Gear switching, diagnostic DEBUG LEDs, on-board power,reset,clear CMOS buttons, and something new called ACPI LED. It helps monitor the different system states S0, S1, S3, S4/S5 with leds on board. I almost forget to notice that this is a DDR2 motherboard.


Source: VR-Zone

Most small chassis users find it difficult to buy a suitable cooler replacement that fits the size of their PC case. In response, ARCTIC COOLING today unveiled the Freezer 7 LP, a cutting edge Intel CPU cooler especially designed for media centre users to fulfill their needs. The revolutionary heatsink design of the Freezer 7 LP reduces the size of the cooler dramatically, leaving it only 42mm slim (to the air intake level) and 263g light, almost half the size of usual CPU coolers. Apart from its lightweight and low profile design, the Freezer 7 LP also performs excellent cooling execution. Two heatpipes, 40 fins and an 80mm PWM fan dissipate heat from CPU cores efficiently up to 90W TDP. The Freezer 7 LP is widely compatible with Intel Socket LGA775. It offers a 6-year limited warranty and will be available by mid-May 2008. The MSRP is US$ 27.95 / 17,95 € (excl VAT).


Source: Arctic Cooling

OCZ Technology Group today announced two new Reaper HPC solutions for enthusiasts upgrading to next generation of cutting-edge platforms. The PC3-14400 and PC3-12800 Reaper HPC Series are now available in both 2GB and 4GB dual channel kits to meet the specific needs of customized gaming systems or workstations, offering perfect compatibility with the latest platforms and chipsets at the height of DDR3 performance.

id Software announced today that it has begun production of DOOM 4, the next journey into the legendary DOOM universe, and is currently looking to hire fresh new designers to help with the development of the game. No further details were presented. No story line, no platform or any hypothetical release date, just a big list of jobs that need to be filled with new people.

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id Software is looking for talented, ambitious and passionate individuals eager to join its accomplished team of developers working on the industry’s most innovative and anticipated games. For a complete listing of available positions, visit idsoftware.com. Resumes can be submitted via email to jobs@idsoftware.com. All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

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If you're interested in finding a new job at id Software please feel free to see the job listings here.

Source: id Software

After smashing all-time entertainment records for day one and week one sales by dollar value, Rockstar Games has patched Grand Theft Auto IV today. The patch will hopefully prevent the game from further lock-ups and improve multiplayer performance by reducing server load. "Rockstar Games has released a GTA IV patch for Playstation 3 today that prevents Gamespy's servers from being overloaded and therefore reduces the impact on those servers that were causing the game to stutter and lock up," The company also added: "We continue to monitor the performance of the game both on and offline and will provide further updates as necessary. We want to assure everyone that, together with our hardware partners, we continue to strive to give our fans the best possible interactive entertainment experiences possible." The update will be offered once the player is online and try to start the game.

Source: Shacknews

When I first read the original story title what came to my mind were the words of one of our forum members commenting on the release of Windows XP SP3 - "I'm just waiting for the headlines tomorrow about how many problems this has created". However, after a quick read it does not sound so bad, Microsoft is just warning users updating to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) that they won't be able to downgrade from Internet Explorer 7 to the older IE6 without uninstalling the service pack. The warning was posted in a company blog written by the Internet Explorer development team. "If you choose to install XP SP3, Internet Explorer 7 will remain on your system after the install is complete," said Jane Maliouta, an IE program manager, in the blog entry. "Your preferences will be retained. However, you will no longer be able to uninstall IE7. If you go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, the Remove option will be grayed out." In related news, Microsoft team also adviced users of the IE8 Beta 1 to uninstall it if they are attempting to install and use Windows XP SP3 in order to prevent their systems from possible future instability issues.

Source: ComputerWorld

Clearwire Corporation and Sprint Nextel Corporation today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to combine their next generation wireless broadband businesses to form a new wireless communications company. The new company, which will be named Clearwire, will be focused on expediting the deployment of the first nationwide mobile WiMAX network to provide a true mobile broadband experience for consumers, small businesses, medium and large enterprises, public safety organizations and educational institutions.

Continuing its longstanding tradition of delivering superior performance with no sacrifices required, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today began shipment of its fourth-generation 7,200 RPM mobile hard drive, the Travelstar 7K320. The new drive delivers 60 percent higher capacity than its predecessor, while improving application performance by 12 percent and power consumption by 22 percent.

Mushkin, a global leader in high-performance computer products, announced the launch of a new high performance line of memory modules aimed at the power gamer market. Called Ascent, the new line raises the bar on its Redline and XP premium memory offering by using eVCI (enhanced Vapor Chamber Interface) cooling technology, the current state-of-the-art in heat spreaders.