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Shuttle XPC SD39P2 handles Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Extreme
Although Shuttle's been known to kick out a few majorly fresh offerings that deviated from the company norm from time to time, the XPC SD39P2 seems to be sticking quite firmly to the beaten path, as it retains the stylish good looks of its all-black predecessor and just adds support for a few new pieces of hardware. The SFF barebones kit boasts Intel's 975X / ICH7-R chipset and supports up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, Intel's latest Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Extreme processors, NVIDIA's 7950 GX2 / 8800 GTX and ATI's Radeon X1900 graphics cards, and eight-channel HD-audio as well. Moreover, users will find expanded BIOS settings for CPU clock ratio and DDR2 voltage, a PCI-Express slot, room for a trio of 3.5-inch hard drives along with a single optical drive, gigabit Ethernet, a whopping seven USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, eSATA, and a 400-watt SilentX power supply. The 12.8- x 8.7- x 8.3-inch box also sports Shuttle's I.C.E. heat-pipe cooling module and linear fan control to keep the heat (and noise) out of your machine, and while we still dig the idea of a portable LAN gaming rig at our disposal, we'd certainly think twice before dropping €419 ($554) for just the enclosure.[Via TGDaily]
Albatron showcasing Nano Abox V2.0 Mini-PC at CeBIT
It looks like Asus' LED-backlit laptop and NVIDIA's three-way SLI will have to share the limelight with someone else at CeBIT, as Albatron is planning to showcase its wee Nano Abox V2.0 Mini-PC for literal computing on the go. While not quite a laptop per se, this miniature PC has a 6.1- x 3.4-inch LCD screen flanking the top, and while a brief glance may bring back delightful memories of the Wii laptop design, this multimedia-centric device isn't just fun and games. Aside from boasting Viiv certification, it packs an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, integrated graphics, DVI output, eight-channel audio, USB 2.0, FireFire, and gigabit Ethernet. Of course, no pricing or availability details have yet been divulged, but if you're looking for an average HTPC that can hit the road without taking up too much space, Albatron's got you covered.[Via 64-Bit-Computers]
Velocity Micro's latest HTPCs add Vista and ATI Digital Cable tuner
Looks like Okoro Media Systems isn't the only HTPC builder on the block cramming Microsoft's latest OS into its systems and upping the specs, as Velocity Micro has taken a break from its NoteMagix series to amp up a few media PCs. Both boxes come with Windows Vista Premium pre-installed, ATI's TV Wonder Digital Cable tuner, and options for HD DVD and Blu-ray playback. The CineMagix Pro Cinema rocks a fairly average black chassis, 500-watt power supply, AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, HDCP-compliant ATI Radeon X1950 Pro, onboard 7.1 audio, 8-in-1 flash card reader, up to 1.5TB of hard drive space, dual gigabit Ethernet adapter, 802.11b/g, a pair of FireWire connectors, six USB 2.0 ports, and a wireless keyboard / mouse combo. The Intel-powered CineMagix Grand Theater swaps in your choice of CPU, including options for both the Core 2 Extreme X6800 or QX6700, up to 4GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS, up to 2.25TB of HDD space, but otherwise mimics its AMD-packin' sibling. Both units are fully customizable if you've got the cash to burn, and while the CineMagix Pro Cinema starts at $1,695, the Grand Theater rings up between $2,195 and near-five digits.[Via 64-Bit-Computers]
Okoro Media Systems adds Core 2 Extreme to OMS-GX300 HTPC
It looks like Okoro Media Systems' flagship HTPC is getting yet another upgrade, as this time the well-spec'd beast picks up a quad-core 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor and an HDCP-compliant NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX graphics card to compliment the rest of the luxuries you'll find here. Aside from the sleek, black chassis with built-in seven-inch touchscreen display, you'll also be graced with up to 4GB of Crucial Ballistix DDR2 RAM, twin dual-layer DVD burners (c'mon, where's the high definition?), DTS Connect / Dolby Digital Live, 1TB of SATA hard drive space, 9-in-1 flash card reader, dual TV tuners, and a range of OS choices including Vista Ultimate. As for the port assortment, you'll find FireWire, optical / digital audio, four USB 2.0 connectors, Ethernet, two DVI outputs, VGA / component / S-Video / composite outs, microphone in, and the obligatory OTA cable inputs. So while the OMS-GX300 probably includes everything you need for the quickest, most feature-packed media PC experience, all these niceties will run you somewhere between $4,595 and infinity, depending on your credit limit.[Via eHomeUpgrade]
Intel prepping Core 2 Extreme laptop CPUs
Intel looks to be set to give its mobile CPU offerings a shot in the arm, with HKEPC Hardware reporting that the chip maker has a pair of new Core 2 Extreme processors in the pipeline, aimed squarely at laptops catering to the more demanding gamers among us. Both processors fall under the "Mermon XE" codename, coming in at the 65nm level, and packing 4MB of shared L2 cache and an 800MHz frontside bus, along with support for SpeedStep, Virtualisation Technology, and 64-bit addressing. Look for the Core 2 Extreme X7800 to be the first of the two out of the gate sometime in Q2 or Q3 of this year, clocking in at 2.6GHz and running $795. It'll be followed shortly thereafter in Q4 by the X7900, which will raise the stakes to 2.8GHz, although it's not yet known how much it'll cost.[Via Reg Hardware]
Niveus goes quad-core with new n9 "Pro Series" media server
You know how it goes, once one manufacturer goes quad-core with thems Intel Core 2 Extreme procs, everybody has to do it. Now Niveus is jumping into the game with its new Pro Series n9 rack-mount media server, which sports a quad-core QX6700 processor, along with Intel Viiv tech, GeForce Series 7 Graphics, 3 terabytes of storage, HD DVD playback, multiple independent HD video and music playback sessions through out the house, and plenty more. The 3U unit is CableCARD ready, and includes HDMI, RAID 5 storage protection, 4 TV tuners (two NTSC, two ATSC), 4GB of RAM and a couple fancy audio options. Of course, none of this comes cheap. The Media Center starts at a cool $15k, and while we've definitely seen pricier solutions to HD nirvana, that doesn't change the fact that $15k is a good chunk of change.[Thanks, Michael F.]
Alienware boosts Area-51 7500, ALX to Core 2 Extreme
While there aren't too many applications that currently will tax four processors, Alienware hopes that your winter vacation spent playing "World of Warcraft" will be as smooth as sliding your old and busted gaming rig down that nearby snow-covered hill. The new Area-51 7500 (pictured) and the higher-end Area-51 ALX have just been bumped to an optional Core 2 Extreme processor, officially bringing your setup to ludicrous speed. Like its predecessor, the 7500 has a standard 1GB of RAM that can be raised to 4GB, and has your choice of an NVIDIA GeForce 7950 or a Dual NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX. The base config (that's without the quad-core) starts at $2,200 -- but where's the fun in that? Adding a Core 2 Extreme chip will add nearly another grand, while maxing out the whole equipage will put you within striking distance of $10,000 (including a $1,300 Dell 30-inch monitor and some sweet $400 speakers, of course). What about that ALX? It starts at $6,100 (quad-core action included), and naturally, maxes out just under 10K.Read - Area-51 7500Read - Area-51 ALX
Vadim Computers unveils $8,800 quad-core gaming rig in the UK
Just moments ago, we're sure a hoard of you rushed off to purchase the newest OMEN PC from VoodooPC in order to have the most intense gaming rig in your neck of the woods, but we've got news for you: it's already been outdone. Vadim Computers is offering a custom-built machine that packs the latest and greatest computing hardware the world has to (currently) offer, outdoing even VoodooPC's latest offering. Inside the liquid-cooled case, you'll find Intel's quad-core 2.66GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor nestled in an Asus P5N32-SLI Premium motherboard, surrounded by such niceties as 2GB of DDR2 RAM, dual nVidia 8800GTX 768Mb PCI-e graphics cards, twin 150GB Raptor 10000 drives (and a 750GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 just for storage), dual-layer DVD burner, CD-burning combo drive, and a Creative 7.1 X-Fi ExtremeMusic sound card -- and that's just the bottom-of-the-line configuration. The "3-to-20 percent variable overclocking," as well as the system itself, is backed by a two-year warranty, but similar to the Mac Mini, you'll be providing your own mouse, keyboard, and monitor. The tally on this incredulous beast comes to £4,622.23 ($8,818) -- which isn't quite what Dell demanded for its all-inclusive Renegade 600 -- but that's before the government even takes its share. Pony up, fellas.[Via The Inquirer]
Intel's quad-core Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor released, reviewed
With all this jabber about quad-core being "on the horizon," it's mighty refreshing to finally see one of these highly-touted chips in the wild and on the chopping block. The lucky folks over at TechSpot were able to get their paws on Intel's first officially released quad-core processor, the 2.66GHz (not to mention the dual 4MB L2 cache and 1,066MHz FSB) Core 2 Extreme QX6700. Reviewers noted that there were "no new additions" technology-wise in this Kentsfield architecture, and that it was "merely a quad-core version of the Conroe," but stopped to exaggerate that this was far from being a "bad thing." Benchmarking the new kid on the block was a mixed bag, as it scorched dual-core alternatives in SiSoft testing, lagged behind in 3DMark, and provided just marginal gains in "real world gaming" scenarios. However, video editors and graphics designers should appreciate the "25 percent" increase in Photoshop CS2 processing, "78 percent" boost in Pinnacle rendering speed, and the "60 percent" jump in 3D Studio Max. It should also be noted that the thermal output of the chip was "very manageable" at factory speeds, but even water-cooling would only allow 3.33GHz due to its finicky nature. Overall, it was stated that Intel's quad-core offerings will not likely live up to the performance gains seen in the Core 2 Duo rollout, and while gamers should probably save their $1,000 for other necessary upgrades, those tired of seeing an immeasurably long rendering bar might want to give this bad boy a once over.[Thanks, Ryan]
AOpen XC Cube EZ945 announced, cubic cuteness abounds
It's been nearly two months since we've heard from our friends over at AOpen, the company last heard 'round these parts for its rather well-executed Mac mini knock. Well, AOpen's announced its new XC Cube EZ945, another cubical device that supports Core 2 Duo and the Core 2 Extreme chips -- but beyond that, it will "fully burst out all 64bit processing ability!" It's also got gigabit Ethernet, four SATA2 slots, eight USB 2.0 ports, three FireWire ports, one PCI-E x16 slot and one PCI slot, and supports 7.1 audio. Unfortunately, we've got zero pricing nor a release date for this little guy, but we'll be sure to "fully burst out all" when we do get it.[Via TG Daily]
Intel Developers Forum roundup: four cores now, 80 cores later
While we've been busy covering lots of other news today, Intel has also been clamoring for the spotlight -- Otellini and Co. had a number of announcements about the future of processors at today's Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. Firstly, the quad-core Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Quad chips have been officially unveiled and slated for production, with the former running in servers this fall, and the latter appearing in desktops by 2007. Of course, these chips are the same ones we've been hearing about for the last seven months, and it appears that DigiTimes' previous prediction that these procs would debut in November was correct. Secondly, Intel's CEO (pictured at right) told the audience that the chipmaker has already built a prototype with 80 processing cores on a single chip that can perform a trillion floating-point operations per second -- that's a teraflop to the layman -- and is aiming to ready commercial versions within five years. Otellini also teased everyone with announcements of the new 45nm-based architecture, code-named "Nehalem", which will ship in 2008, and the new "Gesher" 32nm chips by 2010, which would allow for a 310 percent increase in Intel processors' performance-per-Watt by that time -- hey, better late than never. Finally, in a move that will surely be met with angry glares from Cupertino, Intel is putting up a $1 million bounty for a Viiv-based Mac mini killer, something that will turn a traditional living room PC into something that is "sexy, stylish and small" (you mean the mini's not?) as determined by a panel that includes judges from PC Magazine, GQ and of course, Otellini himself. Be sure to check the couple extra pics on the next page.Read - Quad-core chips coming in NovemberRead - First quad-core servers, desktops comingRead - 80-core chips coming by 2011Read - Higher performance-per-watt Read - $1 million bounty[Photos: Ricardo]
Intel readies Quadro chips for November release
Our good friends in Santa Clara, California have been very busy as of late -- Intel's working on getting lasers into silicon and getting its Core 2 Duos into everything under the sun (but sometimes not). But Moore and Noyce's baby isn't stopping there, no sir: DigiTimes is reporting that Intel's first quad-core "Kentsfield" chip, the 2.66 GHz Core 2 Extreme QX6700, will be officially called the Quadro and should be available starting in mid-November. Meanwhile, Reg Hardware chimes in that while Intel is also ramping up its Merom-based Celeron M series for budget laptops, the more interesting news is that the first low-voltage Core 2 Duos will hit the streets in January 2007. According to the Reg, the next generation of low-voltage Centrino chips, the L7200 and the L7400 (code-named the "Santa Rosa"), will feature Core 2 Duos running at 1.33 GHz and 1.5 GHz, priced at $284 and $316, respectively. Speaking of low-voltage chips, we haven't decided if trying to overclock one would be an incredibly brilliant or an incredibly foolish idea -- but we'll find out soon enough.Read - DigiTimes [Photo courtesy of Tom's Hardware]Read - Reg Hardware
Alienware's Area-51 7500 gaming desktop reviewed
When you pack Intel's blazing new Core 2 Extreme processor and a pair of top-of-the-line nVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX graphics cards into a single gaming desktop, you can pretty much expect it to post impressive benchmark numbers. It's no surprise, then, that Alienware's newly-speced Area-51 7500 showed the videogame addicts over at IGN some of the best performance they've ever seen, and ran surprisingly quietly while doing so -- thanks in no small part to the liquid-cooling system. Also noteworthy was the new P2 chassis Alienware employed for this model, which improves on older cases both aesthetically -- it sports a glossier paint job and more configurable lights to play with -- as well as functionally, with the shorter-but-deeper design intended to support extra-long graphics cards. Besides the relative lack of configurability -- there's only one open PCI slot, so you can add a physics processor or dedicated sound card, but not both -- the only real knock against this machine is it's price; at just under $5,000, you're paying a lot for the snazzy case and Alienware support network. Still, busy gamers don't always have time to build their own rigs (sometimes they don't even have time to go to the bathroom), so this version of the Area-51 sounds like a good way to get "best-of-the-best" performance without spending hours hunched over your work bench; instead, you'll be spending those hours working overtime at your day job to afford it.[Thanks, David]
Voodoo goes Core 2 with Omen i:121 Extreme
With Alienware having just added Core 2 Duo options to its Area-51 7500 desktop, you didn't really think that rival Voodoo would be far behind, did you? The boutique gaming rig manufacturer has just announced its OMEN i:121 Extreme tower, which crams a 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor into either a liquid- or air-cooled case designed to "operate at peak efficiency without draining excess power." Since video processing is even more important than CPU horsepower in a system like this, Voodoo is offering the new Omen with a number of graphics configurations, ranging from a single ATI Radeon X1900 or nVidia GeForce 7900GT setup all the way up to SLI or Crossfire dual-card powerhouses. You're also getting 2GB of RAM in the base configuration, along with a 7,200RPM 80GB hard drive and 16x dual-layer Pioneer DVD burner. As usual, pricing on these machines borders on the ridiculous, with SLI and Crossfire rigs starting at $4,400 and $6,000, respectively -- hey, no one said that being on the cutting edge of performance would come cheap.[Via TrustedReviews]
Dell Precision 390 workstation goes Core 2, too
Dell's giving that sweet Core 2 love to more than just the XPS 410 and XPS 700 desktops; even workstations are getting into the game. As part of the continuing onslaught of spec-bumped machines, the company announced that its Precision 390 tower is now available with four Core 2 Duo options (1.86GHz E6300, 2.13GHz E6400, 2.40GHz E6660, or 2.66GHz E6700) or even the blazing 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800, along with a seemingly-ancient 3.0GHz Pentium 4. The new rig can handle up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, up to a 7,200RPM, 500GB hard drive, and comes with a number of graphics options from either nVIDIA (the Quadro series) or ATI (either a FireGL V7200 or V3400). If you act now, you can pick up a base configuration (which includes the E6300) for just $800, though going high-end will cost significantly more: a Core 2 Extreme--equipped setup more than doubles the price to $1,790.[Thanks, Michael]
Velocity Micro hooks up Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme
The flood of Core 2 desktops continues with Velocity Micro being the latest to get in on on the party, announcing that both Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme options are now available in a whole slew of its systems. The basic Core 2 Duo processor gets slotted in Velocity Micro's lower-end ProMagix and Vector lines of desktops, while the beefier Raptor DCX, Gamers' Edge PCX, and ProMagix systems get the high-end Core 2 Extreme as an option. You can get any of 'em pre-built or customized to your liking from Velocity Micro or from Best Buy online, both of whom are now taking pre-orders. Or if you can wait a bit, you can grab one off the shelf when they hit Best Buy retail stores on August 7th. Five bucks to the first person to ride theirs home like a skateboard.
The Alienware Area-51 7500 lands with Core 2 Duo and new chassis
Perhaps the most notable things about the revamped Alienware Area-51 7500 are its new mood-lighting adjustable case and P2 chassis. The AlienFX case sports user-adjustable lighting in six different areas of its tool-less entry chassis, while the inside adds additional slots and inputs for the h@x0r in you - complete with AlienWare's AlienIce cooling system. Specs-wise, the new 7500 (an apparent bump from the MJ-12 7500) packs a dual core Intel Core 2 Duo processor or 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 (at the high end - default config is a Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz), nVIDIA graphics (options include both single and SLI configurations, with up to dual 512MB GeForce 7900 GTXs), and as much as 4GB of DDR2 SDRAM. The new machine starts at $1,799, but our configured uber-rig (with 30-inch LCD, mind you) got us over $6,800 within just a few radio button clicks. Do your credit card a favor and take it out to dinner before you lay this one on it.[Thanks, David]
Intel's Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme chips
Today Intel took the wraps off their 10 chip Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors. Expect fast processing and lower power consumption to be hallmarks of these chips that have a host of technologies with names like 'Intel Intelligent Power Capability,' and 'Intel Smart Memory Access.'Here's hoping that some Core 2 Extreme processors find their way into the PowerMac's replacement.I suppose we'll know soon enough.[via Engadget]
Intel's Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme ten chip lineup
Seems like only yesterday we were firing off Core Duo announcement after Core Duo announcement (with the occasional Core Solo thrown in for good measure), and now the Merom (aka Core 2) family has finally landed. We can expect ten new Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme chips from Intel today; we'll leave the bithead biz to the fine folks at Tom's and the like, but expect to Leap Ahead into "performance enhancing" buzzwords like Wide Dynamic Execution, Smart Memory Access, Advanced Smart Cache, Advanced Digital Media Boost, and 64 bit processing (from the Core 2 Extremes and Duo desktop chips), as well as Core 2 Duo mobile processors' new Dynamic Power Coordination, Dynamic Bus Parking, and Enhanced Intel Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing, all intended to drop processor juice usage even further. Should we expect to see some announcements of machines based on these long awaited processors? Well, check back in a couple hours, why don't you? In the mean time, Intel assures us that boxes with Core 2 Extreme chips are already ready to rumble, but unfortunately you'll have to wait for the Core 2 Duo desktops and mobiles until early and late August, respectively.P.S. -If you're of the bencharking ilk -- and somehow we have a feeling you are -- PC Perspective's got a load of early-release performance data they just threw up. Thanks Ryan.
Dell says XPS 700 will NOT ship overclocked
We can't blame TG Daily for reporting that the Core 2 Extreme-powered version of Dell's XPS 700 gaming desktop will ship with a factory overclocked processor; after all, the placard in front of that demo machine at the World Series of Video Games did indeed mention an overclocked Conroe, with the promise that "system specs like this [will be] available within the next 30 days at [Dell's website]." After Cnet received a review unit of the new configuration that had not been overclocked, however, they called up Dell to set the record straight once and for all. According to company spokesperson Liem Nguyen, although "Dell has unlocked the BIOS so that customers can overclock the processor themselves...at this time Dell is not factory overclocking the system." So there you have it, straight from the horse's mouth: Dell's not actually doing the dirty work here, but it is giving customers the opportunity to tweak and possibly fry their machines themselves.
