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.

• 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.

Looking first at the Aurvana earbuds, Creative says that the new version "sports bolder aesthetics and more refined acoustic tuning". You won't see much of those aesthetics when they're stuck in your ears, but we applaud the principle nonetheless. On the acoustic tuning side, there's now a grille on the back of the buds that should offer a little more detail in the sonic presentation. They're bassy - offering a frequency response of 15Hz to 16kHz, and have an impedance of 42 ohms and a sensitivity of 110 dB/mW.

The Aurvana In-Ear 2s are made of metal, and come with an oxygen-free copper cable, gold-plated plug and a slider that can adjust the length of that cable to minimize impact noise. They also come with a travel case that includes a cleaning tool, airplane adapter and various different sized earbuds.

Over to the HS-930i, which we reckon looks rather more stylish than the Aurvana. There is a metal housing that can rotate to allow you to loop the cables back over your ears, and there's also an in-line microphone with a button that'll allow you to answer and hang up phone calls without taking your phone out of your pocket.

If you'd rather use them with your computer, they come with a PC adapter to convert the 4-pole jack into both a headphone jack and a microphone jack. On the specs side, they contain a 6mm Neodymium driver that pumps out a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz with an impedance of 16 ohms and a sensitivity of 105dB/mW.

Both sets of earbuds cost $149.00, and they're available now from Creative's online store.

We already know that Sony plans to offer a new firmware for the PS3 that will enable 3D gaming and movies and it would be safe to assume that the update will land for the PS3 in June alongside the availability of its TVs. Rival Samsung plans to launch its 3D TVs in the US this month.

Sources report that Blu-ray disk drives are now priced between $70 and $80, which is still significantly higher than the $20 price point of DVD drives.  Nevertheless, the general impression is that it is only a matter of time before the industry moves on, especially considering that the Blu-ray format is supported by companies such as Broadcom, NEC and MediaTek.

There are two main reasons why DVDs are still more popular than BRs. One is, as already mentioned, price. Blu-ray burners have definitely gotten less expensive, to the point where there is no longer a high-enough price gap to dissuade end-users from purchasing one.

Unfortunately, Blu-ray disks themselves are still considerably more expensive than DVDs. The second reason is the actual multimedia capabilities themselves. The fact that Blu-ray quality is significantly superior to that of DVDs is undisputed, but the difference is not exactly relevant for regular home TVs. Full HF video formats make more sense on wall-sized TVs or such display solutions.

The CEO has taken a recent interview with Fortune magazine as an opportunity to eloquently lay out his side's case in the epic cross-licensing dispute between NVIDIA and Intel, and to let us all know that he sees "no reason" to settle with the Atom-making giant. Describing Intel's argumentation as "completely nonsense," NVIDIA's fearless leader tell us that he's eagerly anticipating the court clash scheduled for later this year.

Compatibility:
The TherMax Eclipse II CPU Cooler is compatible with the latest ATX boards based on the Intel and AMD Micro-processors sockets 775/1156/1366 for Intel and AM2/AM3/940/939 for AMD.

Product Includes:
TherMax Eclipse II heat-sink, Two (2) BlackStar 120mm DC Fans, 8 Anti-Vibe rubber fan mounts, PCI Fan speed control unit, BlueFrost thermal interface compound, Intel universal mounting set, AMD universal mounting set, Motherboard back-plate, User installation manual, Warranty registration card.

Availability:
The TherMax Eclipse II is now available from our factory in Shenzhen, China. Distribution through Spire branch offices locations will commence half March 2010. MSRP USD 52.99 / EURO 38.95

As a quick recap, Newegg – one of the premiere outlets of computers, software, cameras, and cell phones– purchased 300 “fake” Core i7-920 processors, and then subsequently sent several of them out to customers. Further reports suggested that Newegg purchased the counterfeit units from D&H Distributing.

They’ve now prepared an official statement, that thankfully clears a lot of the air.

“Newegg is currently conducting a thorough investigation surrounding recent shipments of questionable Intel Core i7-920 CPUs purchased from Newegg.com.

Initial information we received from our supplier, IPEX, stated that they had mistakenly shipped us “demo units.” We have since come to discover the CPUs were counterfeit and are terminating our relationship with this supplier. Contrary to any speculation, D&H Distributing is not the vendor that supplied us with the Intel Core i7-920 CPUs in question.

Newegg’s top priority is to proactively reach out to all customers who may have been affected to ensure their absolute satisfaction. We have already sent out a number of replacement units and are doing everything in our power to resolve the matter promptly and with the least amount of inconvenience to our customers.

We have always taken pride in providing an exceptional experience for each customer, and we apologize for any inconvenience to our valued customers. We take matters like this extremely seriously, and are working in close cooperation with Intel and the appropriate law enforcement authorities to thoroughly investigate this incident.”

We are very happy to see the company working so diligently on the source of the problem, and working with haste to clear up the issue for the customers that purchased the defunct products. Also good news: Newegg is terminating the relationship they have with the supplier in question, IPEX. Hopefully this means that nothing like this happens again.