Thermaltake Launches SpinQ VT CPU Cooler with Special LED Lighting

Thermaltake, leading DIY thermal solutions brand, launches the next generation of the award-winning SpinQ processor cooler, the Thermaltake SpinQ VT. With its multi-socket support the SpinQ VT offers excellent compatibility for upcoming Intel LGA 1156, LGA 1366 and older LGA 775 processors, while AMD AM3, AM2+ and AM2 CPUs are supported.

The SpinQ VT combines cooling strength with an enticingly aesthetic appearance. Three u-shaped 6 mm heatpipes connect the mirror coated copper base with the cylindrical heat sink which is created of 50 spiral aluminum fins. Inside the heat sink spiral a specially designed 80 mm blow fan rotates with 1000 to 1600 RPM to exhaust the heat over 360 degrees. Manual control over the fan speed is provided for by the convenient VR Fan knob allowing for stepless speed adjustment. All of this results in excellent cooling characteristics taking up to 180W/mm2 of heat dissipation.

ATI Radeon HD 5870 Specs Revealed

We brought you the first images of ATI Radeon HD 5870 earlier this week, and now CzechGamer has leaked two naked pictures of the next-gen card.

The die measures 338 square mm, and has 2.1 billion transistors, compared to 959 million on the RV790.

On two sides of the GPU are 8 GDDR5 memory chips, supporting reference frequencies as high as 1300MHz. In the 2GB variant, 8 more chips sit on the other side of the PCB. Just as Radeon HD 4890, the card features two 6pin external power connectors.

Besides, ATI-Forum has revealed the final specs of HD 5870: 1600 stream processors, a core clock of 850MHz, and 2.72TFLOPs compute power. The new card supports Eyefinity technology, and consumes power of 188W and 27W when loaded and idle respectively.

The 1GB variant should be available for sub $400, while the 2GB model is priced at $449.

AMD Presents Impressive Eyefinity Technology

The official launch of AMD Evergreen has been delayed to September 22nd, so the company didn’t reveal details about the card at the “Hornet” event. Instead, they showed off the most impressive feature the next-generation graphics card has to offer - Eyefinity technology.

Acer Readies Ferrari One Ultraportable

Acer has a history of designing Ferrari-branded notebooks powered by AMD processors. The newest in the league is the ultraportable Acer Ferrari One. This is one of the first implementations of AMD's Congo notebook platform that makes use of ULV tech friendly AMD Athlon X2 L310 dual-core processor clocked at 1.20 GHz, ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics and a 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 pixel screen. The biggest selling point besides the Ferrari branding, colours and is its ultra-thin chassis that looks to have a dash of carbon fiber. Other specs include WiFi, HSDPA/3G, gigabit Ethernet, and a 6-cell battery. Slated for October 22, the Ferrari One will sell for 499 EUR, with Windows 7 pre-installed.

Galaxy GeForce GTS250 Strikes 1GHz Core Clock on LN2

DFORDOG, an overclocking enthusiast from Expreview forum has recently had some fun by overclocking the Galaxy GeForce GTS 250 graphics card to a fairly decent level.

He improved the core voltage to 1.4V, and managed to boost the Core/Shader/Memory clock to 1000/2200/2500MHz with the help of liquid nitrogen, registering a 3DMark score of P9517.

OC Platform:

CPU: Core i7-920 OC 215*20 4.3GHz

Cooler: Thermalright COGAGE True Spirit

Motherboard: ASUS Rampage II Gene

Momory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9T-3GBNQ

VGA Card: GALAXY GTS250 512M 0.8NS

PSU: Zalman ZM1000-HP

New Force 3D HD 4890 Accelerator Needs Only One Power Connector

Force 3D rolled out a refreshing take on the ATI Radeon HD 4890 with its own-design F4890P-G5-350-FS. This model offers all features of the GPU running at AMD reference clock speeds of 850/975 MHz (core/memory), while needing only one 6-pin power connector, while most other accelerators based on the GPU require two, some overclocked models even needing a 6+2 pin power connector to replace one of them. This card has a slim design, with a short PCB, and a decent Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin-Turbo Pro cooling the GPU. It holds 1 GB of GDDR5 memory, and includes DVI-D, HDMI and D-Sub for connectivity. It has started selling in Japan for a fairly standard price.

Affiliate reviews today [11-09-2009]

CPUs
Core i5-750 and Core i7-870 Processors Review @ Hardware Secrets | Intel Core i5-750 und P55 Chipsatz im Test @ Tweakpc | Intel Core i5-750 Processor BX80605I5750 @ Benchmark Reviews | Intel Core i5 750 @ XSReviews | Intel Core i7-870 Processor BX80605I7870 @ Benchmark Reviews | Intel’s Core i5 and i7 “Lynnfield” Processors and P55 Platform @ Futurelooks | Intel Core i5-750 Turbo Boost @ Tweakpc

Cases
Chieftec BL-01B Bravo L-Type Case with VESA Monitor Mount @ Big Bruin | NZXT Guardian 921 @ Technic3d | Luxa 2 LM300 Touch Pro @ RBMods | Arctic Cooling Silentium T5 @ XSReviews | NORCO RPC-4020 4U Rackmount Server Case @ Benchmark Reviews | NZXT Panzerbox Classic Series Case @ Big Bruin

Accessories
Sena Walletbook Case for iPhone 3G/3GS @ Testfreaks | MusicSkins for iPhone 3G @ iGadget Life

Software
eXtreme Power Supply Calculator v2.5 @ Outervision

PSUs
Pure Power 350W @ Technic3d | Silverstone Strider 600W Power Supply @ Hi-Tech Reviews

Articles
Will The Cloud Make My Loaded Computer Obsolete? In Many Cases, Probably @ Testfreaks | How to Securely Erase your Hard Drive @ revHardware

Periphery
Choiix Accu-Mouse (C-PM01-W2) Uni-Retractable Optical Mouse @ MEGATech | Steelseries Siberia @ XSReviews

Games
Darkest of Days Xbox360 @ Testfreaks | Guitar Hero 5 for the Xbox 360 2 @ Futurelooks | Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles – Nintendo DS @ Testfreaks

Cooling
Thermaltake SpinQ VT Cooler Review @ Hardware Bistro | Arctic Cooling Alpine 11 Pro CPU Cooler @ Hardware Secrets

Storage
Corsair X256 CMFSSD-256D1 MLC SSD @ Benchmark Reviews

Motherboards
ECS P55H-A Black Series Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets | EVGA P55 LE Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Video Cards
GIGABYTE GV-R489OC-1GD Radeon HD 4890 Video Card @ Futurelooks

Asetek Rolls out LGA 1156 Ready Liquid Cooling System

Asetek has just unveiled its LCLC liquid cooling system for Intel’s new Core i5 processor family, which consists of a single Intel mounting ring and back plate.

Compatible with all popular Intel processors utilizing LGA 775 and LGA 1366 sockets, the system can also “be configured for any Intel desktop motherboard. A single mounting ring enables flexible manufacturing in both high and low volume PC manufacturing settings”.

The LCLC liquid cooling system is easy to install and has a sound output of 30dBA, but the pricing is not disclosed yet.

Sapphire Radeon HD 4750 Spotted for Sale in Mainland China

AMD launched its first 40nm desktop GPU - Radeon HD 4770 back in April, but we’ve never seen the card available on the market here in mainland China due to TSMC’s 40nm yield issue. Interestingly, the shrinked version HD 4750 has recently hit stores.

As the first AMD 40nm RV740-based graphics card, Sapphire Radeon HD 4750 Platinum is powered by 480 stream processors, and ships with GDDR5 memory as well as Core/Memory clock of 750/800MHz, with a total memory bandwidth of 51.2GB/s.

Equipped with D-Sub, DVI and HDMI connectivities, Sapphire HD 4750 Platinum is now available for RMB699 (US$100).

Say Goodbye to Foxconn-branded Graphics Cards

Almost three years after introducing its first branded graphics cards back in 2006, Foxconn has now decided to give up own-brand graphics card business.

Digitimes reports that Foxconn plans to rearrange its Channel Service Division (CSD) shifting the majority of the 9,000 employees, mainly related to production, to its OEM division. Around 500 staff remain in CSD according to Young Liu, special assistant to the CEO.

The company expects to ship 6-7 million own-brand motherboards in 2009 after the reorganizations, up from 5 million in 2008, while the OEM shipments will reach about 30 million units.

ATI Radeon HD 5870 Caught on Camera

The first images of ATI Radeon HD 5870 codenamed Cypress graphics cards have recently been posted at the Dutch site Tweakers. Cooled by a black turbo cooler, the card looks very plain, and unusually long, which means it might not fit into mainstream desktop systems.

Just as AMD presented last month, HD 5870 boasts HDMI, DisplayPort and DVI connectivities, supporting ATI EyeFinity technology.

From all the information we’ve gathered, Radeon HD 5870 will be made using 40nm process technology, and powered by 1600 stream processors as well as GDDR5 memory, supporting DirectX 11 and the 2nd-generation TeraScale engine that delivers more than a teraFLOPs of processing power. Priced between $379 and $399, Radeon HD 5870 is believed to be a powerful and power-hungry card.

Affiliate reviews today [10-09-2009]

Games
Duels on the High Seas – Nintendo DS Game Reviewed @ TestFreaks | A Futurelooks News Flash - Futurelooks Rounds Up Summer 2009's Hottest Xbox Live Arcade Titles | Darkest of Days Xbox360 Review @ TestFreaks | A Futurelooks News Flash - Guitar Hero 5 for the Xbox 360 Reviewed |

CPUs
Core i5-750 and Core i7-870 Processors Review @ Hardware Secrets | Intel Core i5-750 and P55 Chipset Review with Benchmarks @ TweakPC.de | Intel Core i5-750 LGA1156 Processor Review @ Benchmark Reviews | Intel Core i5 750 Review - XSReviews | Intel Core i7-870 Processor Review @ Benchmark Reviews | A Futurelooks News Flash - Intel's Core i5 and i7 "Lynnfield" Processors and P55 Platform Reviewed |

Videocards
Mushkin GeForce GTX 295 Single PCB 1792 MB @ techPowerUp |

Periphery
MEGATech Reviews – Choiix Accu-Mouse (C-PM01-W2) Uni-Retractable Optical Mouse | Steelseries Siberia Review - XSReviews |

PSUs
be quiet! Pure Power 350W L7 PSU Review on Technic3D | Silverstone Strider 600W Power Supply Review @ High Tech Reviews |

Cases
Chieftec BL-01B Bravo L-Type Case with VESA Monitor Mount Review @ Bigbruin.com | Technic3D/NZXT Guardian 921 | Luxa 2 LM300 Touch Pro @ Rbmods |

Accessories
MusicSkins for iPhone 3G @ iGadget Life |

Cooling
Thermaltake SpinQ VT Cooler @ Hardware Bistro |

Storage
Corsair X256 CMFSSD-256D1 MLC SSD @ Benchmark Reviews | Vantec NexStar Vault @ techPowerUp |

GlacialTech F101 PWM Cooler Honored to be Intel’s official partner in Lynnfield Launch

One of the biggest launch events hosted by Intel Beijing, it will be a demonstration of Intel Core i7/i5 Processors and GlacialTech CPU Cooler F101 PWM, as an official partner. As GlacialTech is an official partner for first Intel Lynnfield Core i7/i5 Processors launch in Beijing, GlacialTech is going to display PC enthusiasts the gaming solutions. GlacialTech has been invited by Intel to showcase the applications based on the combination of Intel P55 chipset and LGA1156 Core i7/i5 processors solution and GlacialTech CPU Cooler F101 PWM.

Zero Creative's 71-inch 3D LCD will make environmentalists weep

As Sony's notoriously power-thirsty PS3 receives a major boost in efficiency, you might think the age of the gluttonous gadget is at an end. Zero Creative, however, is here to show us that some manufacturers just aren't interested in being green. The company has created a 71-inch version of its xyZ (not xYz) lineup, a 3D LCD that sucks down an impressive 1 kilowatt when turned on. Given your average eco-friendly display tends to require something like 20 to 50 watts to bring you an image, that's quite an energy premium to pay -- and that's on top of the ?70,000 price tag (about $100,000). Of course, what those eco-friendly LCDs can't do is give you a 3D image without glasses, a feature that is the very specialty of the commercially-minded xyZ lineup. An inability to display anything in plain 'ol 2D is something of a shortcoming, but we're told switchable versions are coming -- as is an even bigger, 100-inch screen that will ship with a dedicated coal-fired power plant.

Affiliate reviews today [07-09-2009]

CPUs
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition CPU Review @ Futurelooks

Cases
Lian Li PC-A77 - Blackbox @ Technic3d

Accessories
iMainGo 2 Portable Speaker @ Testfreaks | Cooler Master SNA95 Slim Notebook Adapter @ MEGATech | MusicSkins for 13” MacBook Laptops @ iGadget Life | First look at the R2-D2 USB hub @ RBMods | Sunbeam Airbox 3.5" External HDD Enclosure Review @ Hardware Bistro

Software
WinX DVD Ripper @ Dragon Steel Mods

PSUs
Seasonic S12D Power Supply Review @ Hi-tech Reviews

Video Cards
ASUS GeForce GTX 285 Matrix Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Periphery
Mionix Saiph 1800 @ RBMods

Games
Pirates: Duels on the High Seas – Nintendo DS @ Testfreaks | The Beatles Rock Band Review Xbox360 2 @ Testfreaks | Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward Nintendo Wii @ Testfreaks

Cooling
Arctic Cooling Alpine 11 Pro CPU Cooler @ Dragon Steel Mods | Cooler Master Hyper N620 CPU Cooler Review @ Futurelooks | Arctic Cooling Accelero L2 Pro VGA Cooler @ Dragon Steel Mods

Competitions
F1 Overclocking Competition Takes Off! @ Madshrimps | MSI MOA 2009 Grand Final: European domination @ Madshrimps

AMD Updating Athlon II X2 Lineup

AMD is adding to its value dual-core processor lineup with a new high-speed part. The Athlon II X2 255 (PIB model: ADX255OCK23GQ) is based on the 45 nm Regor die, and packs a clock speed of 3.10 GHz (15.5 x 200 MHz). Each core has a dedicated L2 cache of 1 MB (2 MB total cache), and the TDP is rated at 65W. Based on the socket AM3 package, it supports DDR3 and DDR2 memory standards. Expected to be out soon, the Athlon II X2 255 could displace the Athlon II X2 250, while being priced lower than the Phenom II X2 550.

Foxconn’s 785G-based Cinema Series Mobos Reach Stores

Foxconn’s 785G-powered Cinema Deluxe and Cinema Premium motherboards which target HTPC market have recently been found selling in Japan.

Based on AMD 785G+SB710 chipset, the Micro-ATX motherboards feature 5-phase power supply design, and pack 128MB DDR3 memory, four DDR2 dual-channel memory slots, and one PCIe x16 slot. The only difference is the Deluxe edition comes with Mosfet for cooling while Premium lacks it.

Equipped with six USB 2.0 ports and D-Sub/DVI/HDMI connectivities, the Foxconn Cinema Deluxe and Cinema Premium are available for Yen11680 (US$125) and Yen10800 (US$116) respectively.

LGA-1156 CPU and Motherboard US Pricing Surfaces

Ahead of a formal launch, pricing of socket LGA-1156 processors, an untimely leak from Newegg.com that was updating its site, spilled pricing details of a broad range of socket LGA-1156 processors and motherboards. These prices give us an indication of what prices will finally look like, in the US market, and more or less match speculated prices doing rounds for quite some time now.

To begin with, Intel Core i5 750, Core i7 models 860 and 870 are priced at $209.99, $299.99, and $579, respectively, close to the 1000 unit prices that surfaced weeks ahead. At $209.99, the 2.66 GHz Core i5 750 will be highly competitive with AMD's Phenom II X4 BE offerings in that price range. The 2.80 GHz Core i7 860 is expected to perform on par, or better than the Core i7 920, while being priced a notch higher. The Core i7 870 2.93 GHz only holds premium value at $579, since it ends up being the fastest socket LGA-1156 processor money can buy.

Noiseblocker Preps LGA 1156-compatible Twintec CPU Cooler

The German cooling solution provider Noiseblocker is said to be preparing a new CPU cooler, the Twintec. The upcoming cooler features not only two U-shaped copper heatpipes, but also a large 25.5mm Super-Conductor pipe in the center.

Equipped with a 120mm MF12-P fan which works at speeds between 1000 and 2000RPM and has a maximum sound output of 29dBA, the Twintec is compatible with Intel Socket 1366 and Socket 1156 processors. It will become available later this month with a price tag of ?65 (US$92).

Seven Japanese Chipmakers Team up to Challenge Intel

With nearly forty years experience in CPU manufacturing, Intel is still holding a whopping 80% of the global CPU market to date. But a recent post at Engadget indicates that several Japanese chipmakers have teamed up to challenge Intel’s domination.

Seven chipmakers including Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, NEC, Renesas, Panasonic and Canon are working on developing a new CPU that works with Waseda University professor Hironori Kasahara’s innovative energy-saving software. Their goal is to create a new type of processor that runs on solar cells with less power consumption.

The new processor is expected to be in place by the end of 2012. If they develop successfully, it would be undoubtedly a big threat to Intel. But, it’s very unlikely that a giant like Intel will be easily wiped out - it sounds crazy, doesn’t it?