NVIDIA is set to launch its next upper-mainstream GPU, the GeForce GTX 560 (not to be confused with GeForce GTX 560 Ti) on May 17. Designed to compete with AMD's Radeon HD 6790, the new GTX 560 is based on the same GPU as the GTX 560 Ti, the 40 nm GF114. It has 336 out of 384 CUDA cores enabled, while most other specifications of the GPU are untouched. The core clock speed is said to be not less than 800 MHz, making it faster than GeForce GTX 460, which otherwise has the same specifications while being based on the older GF104 silicon.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading manufacturer of world class NAS servers, NVR Video Surveillance Systems, and Network-based Media Players today announced the NMP-1000P Network Multimedia Player, a unique new product for audiophiles and AV enthusiasts. NMP-1000P features the latest Sigma Designs video/audio decoder that is capable of displaying ultra realistic full HD movies with advanced menu navigation, crystal clear next-generation Dolby and DTS multi-channel surround sound, high-quality lossless music, digital pictures with background music, and other multimedia content. NMP-1000P is also powered by a high performance Wolfson stereo digital to analog converter for truly outstanding audio experience.

What's more, the intuitive user interface of NMP-1000P makes it a snap to download movie covers and related information, and to discover and catalog content from any connected storage device or network drives. NMP-1000P retains Turbo NAS functionality for backup of all networked computers, convenient cross-platform file sharing among Windows, Mac, and Linux/UNIX, multiple user accounts and access right management, and remotely access to media files with the built-in Web File Manager and FTP. NMP-1000P even streams thousands of TV shows, news, podcasts, music, photos, and other content from Mediafly, Apple Movie Trailers, CNN, SHOUTcast, Internet radio service, Flickr, Picasa, and more.

TechPowerUp and Hightech Information Systems (HIS) present you a great opportunity to bag a Radeon HD 4890 1 GB graphics accelerator with body-graphics designed by you! The contest is pretty simple if you have the creativity and competitive spirit. We will provide you with a template and some image resources (company logos). You put your skills to work, and come up with a body-graphics design in one month's time. You get to submit as many as three candidates of your own. At the end of the contest, a panel of judges from AMD, HIS and TechPowerUp will select three of the best entries.

The winner gets his/her design printed on a special Radeon HD 4890 graphics accelerator made by HIS, and of course, the accelerator itself! The first and second runners up receive HIS Radeon HD 4850 IceQ4 512 MB, and HIS Radeon HD 4650 iSilence 512 MB respectively. For more information, contest rules, and to participate, visit this page. Good Luck!

A notable inclusion of perhaps every processor-in-box product, apart from the processor, cooler and documentation, is the case-badge for the processor. The case-badge is a small sticker that shows the company logo for the processor installed in the PC. Intel is reportedly designing new logos (in effect case-badges) for at least 14 of its products. The logos, most of which are rounded-rectangle shaped seem to have been designed to give the processor box a new look, also indicating perhaps that the company is designing new packaging material as well, that use the new logos.

Intel has large volumes of Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Xeon processors in the making, that Intel feels need new clothing. Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad, get the distinct chrome-blue colour that one can find in the Core i7 (non-XE) logo. Core 2 and Core i7 logos look similar at the first glance. Core 2 Extreme gets the chrome-black colour the Core i7 XE logo has. All Centrino series badges stick to the silver-white colour scheme. The logo designs have small inlets on the top-right corner that have small portions of the die-shot. Core 2 and Centrino logos have die-shots of a portion of the Penryn core, while the Core i7 logos use those of the Bloomfield core. Interestingly, Xeon keeps its current logo, as well as a new one with chrome-slate colour, and design of the current Core i7 logo, perhaps making it clear the Xeon processor is based on the Nehalem architecture. The new logos will be effective from Q2 2009.

Flexible cable management is now available for fans. At CeBIT Sharkoon will be showcasing a new innovation in fan design: a case fan with modular cable system. The Sharkoon Silent Eagle SE features a 4 pin connector built into the fan's frame and comes with four different cables for connecting the fan to a mainboard, fan controller or power supply. The fan can be used with a CPU cooler or as a case or hard drive fan. The speed of the fan can be controlled via PWM signal or through three different cables directly connected to the power supply. Users can, according to need, choose the connection type, fan speed, and consequently the loudness and purpose for which the fan is used. Sharkoon offers the Silent Eagle SE in 80mm and 120mm.

Four cables are included with the fan, and include a 4-pin PWM cable that can be controlled by the mainboard and three cables with Molex connectors that limit the voltage to 12, 9 or 7 volts. The 30cm long cables are individually labelled and colour coded for easy reference as well as featuring a robust casing. Sharkoon also offers separately a 60cm cable for users with large cases. The Silent Eagle SE operates with an efficient, low-noise motor that provides silent operation under each connection. The 80mm fan has a maximum rotation of 2000 rpm and, depending on rotation, a noise level of between 6.5 and 22 dB(A). The 120mm fan has a maximum rotation of 1200 rpm and maximum loudness of 20.5 dB(A).

As a globally renowned manufacturer of computer peripherals and optical drives, ASUS is constantly at the forefront of cutting edge technologies, providing users with innovative solutions for everyday computing. In pursuing this philosophy, the new ASUS External Slim SDRW-08D1S-U utilizes user-centric design in the Scenario-Based Design model to better address the needs of the user. By integrating these needs into its development and creation, the ASUS External Slim SDRW-08D1S-U combines both aesthetics and practicality.

ASUS, leading producer of PC chassis, today released the new ASUS VENTO TA-U Series chassis. Targeting users who require a chassis that provides excellent functionality as well as trendy aesthetics, the VENTO TA-U Series utilizes an exquisitely handcrafted aluminum body and features exceptional ventilation for both performance and stability. It also allows users to enjoy hassle-free installation and optimized scalability-making it the best choice for gamers and power users alike.

Leading external storage manufacturer LaCie and renowned quiet cooling specialist Noctua today announced their cooperation on the development of acoustically optimized storage solutions. The recently announced LaCie 4big Quadra and LaCie 5big Network, designed by Neil Poulton, are the first LaCie four and five-bay RAID external storage solutions to feature Noctua cooling technology. Thanks to the use of Noctua's NF-P12 fan, their noise emission is reduced, on average, by 40% compared to their predecessors.

Dell today unveiled Design Studio, an interactive gallery of original contemporary artwork commissioned exclusively for personalizing Dell Studio 15 and 17 laptops. The unveiling of Design Studio on Dell.com, one of the world's largest and best consumer electronics shopping destinations, marks an industry first and gives individuals nearly unlimited potential to turn their laptop into works of art.

ASUS, a company that is as committed to environmental conservation as it is to innovation and quality, yesterday saw its sustainable computing efforts rewarded with the conferring of the world's first EU Flower Eco Award for computers on its N50, N80, N20, and N10 notebooks. This achievement validates the eco-friendliness of ASUS' N Series notebooks, which had already been honored with prestigious EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) Gold awards in October this year. On a broader note, it is also a reflection of the growing momentum of ASUS' sustainability drive-Green ASUS-which it initiated in 2000.

Dell continues to celebrate a season of design and discovery with the unveiling of the (PRODUCT) RED artwork for the Dell Studio laptops. This artwork exemplifies the unique visions of artists passionate about fighting AIDS in Africa. Today's announcement expands on the Dell Art House offerings, and allows users to celebrate their personal style, while supporting The Global Fund's fight against AIDS. The Dell Studio 15 starts at $649 and the Dell Studio 17 starts at $799 - these laptops can be personalized with (PRODUCT) RED artwork or Dell's other popular Art House designs by Mike Ming.

The ASUS VENTO TA-F Series chassis incorporates space-saving design, user-friendliness and maximized airflow system catered for daily computing. By designing a foldable chassis, ASUS has made the TA-F Series easy to carry and transport, providing both experienced users and beginners of the DIY scene with a tools-free design for quick and easy installation. Furthermore, the TA-F Series chassis offers two options for users to choose from, with the TA-F11 in sophisticated black and the TA-F21 in stylish silver.

Consumers become product designers at WePC.com, a Web site launched today by Intel Corporation and ASUS. WePC.com is where consumers can collaborate with each other and with Intel and ASUS to design innovative new products. The plan is for the two companies to deliver to market what could be the world's first community-designed PCs. WePC.com will enable a global conversation about the ideal elements of PCs. Visitors to the site can share ideas, vote on submitted concepts and engage in discussions with other community members about the qualities of the "dream" PC.

First introduced back in June during Computex Taipei, Silverstone Raven RV01 delivers a new approach to the way computer hardware is supposed to fit inside a case. Silverstone has basically reinvented the case as we know it - inside the Raven RV01 the motherboard is angled 90 degrees pointing upwards instead of out the back. This means that the whole I/O side of your PC will go on the top of the case, as well as all the heat generated by the video cards will leave from the top of the case, not the back. VR-Zone has scored several photos of the final design of the case, to give you an idea. The unique design of Raven RV01 has already been patented by Silverstone, and cases that look the same as the one pictured are supposed to become available sometime around Christmas. The price of the case is set at MSRP of US$199. Unfortunately, there are no technical specs yet.

In order to cater to users who require excellent graphical performance boosts and exceptional cooling from their graphic cards, ASUS, world-leading producer of top quality graphic solutions, has today introduced a range of self-designed version graphics cards comprising the latest EAH4870 DK and EN9800GTX+ DK Series. These ASUS designed graphics cards will come equipped with the Dark Knight Fansink that delivers extreme cooling and low noise-levels-greatly enhancing gaming enjoyment. The inclusion of the EMI Shield, DIP Spring Chokes, LF PAK MOS, and Japan-made Solid Capacitors will allow users extreme performance and peace of mind at the same time; and furthermore, users will enjoy up to 9% performance improvements for gaming experiences with the ASUS EAH4870 DK TOP and EN9800GTX+ DK TOP.

The Berlin start-up Tomarni is bringing the design computer Gesundbrunnen onto the consumer market. The Gesundbrunnen is innovative in design, flexibility and energy efficiency.

"With the Gesundbrunnen we managed to develop a computer that has an ultra-compact format, but still has enough power for working and internet surfing. The individual design meets modern consumer taste as does the fact that individuals and enterprises save lots of energy and be environmental-friendly with him." says Thomas Straßburg, CEO of Tomarni.