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HP Blackbird 002 PC springs from nest
As previously leaked, HP has just launched its Blackbird 002 PC, the first team-produced product between HP and previously acquired VoodooPC. This high-end computer fits in the question mark of HP's food product pyramid, one step below the VoodooPC luxury treatment.The Blackbird 002 is a customizable, built to order system that offers customers a choice of Intel or AMD motherboards and processors. Options from graphics rivals ATI and Nvidia are also available. Buyers even pick between Vista and XP.HP touts the user-upgradeable design as a main selling point; PCI cards, drives, and other parts can be swapped without tools, and the wiring elegantly runs though the back of the aluminum case to avoid tangles.%Gallery-6915%
Intel's 2.6GHz X7800 gaming laptop CPU already overclocked to 3GHz
The QX6850 is just one of six new Core 2 Duo-ish procs introduced by Intel today. The other most notable addition is the 2.6GHz Core 2 Extreme X7800 with an 800MHz dynamic FSB and 4MB L2 cache -- Intel's first "Extreme" branded processor to make the leap from desktops to laptops. A 2.8GHz X7900 is expected later in the year. No worries though, the X7800's unlocked multiplier should allow for "easy" overclocking. In fact, some (vaguely insane) Belgian tinkerers over at Matbe have already dialed in a 3GHz speed on an X7800-equipped ASUS G2S gaming laptop. Niiice. Expect to see the first gaming laptops sporting the new $851 X7800 procs in the next few weeks.Read -- Overclocked ASUS G2S Read -- Intel's new processors
DFI P35-T2R motherboard overclocked to the brink
Those with cash to burn and warranties to void need look no further than DFI's forthcoming motherboard, which has apparently reached unparalleled extremes in the overclocking lab. OC guru Oskar-Wu has seemingly reached a "stable" state with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 processor running on a 640MHz bus speed (or a 2.56GHz rated FSB). Additionally, SiSoftware Sandra test results show the RAM bandwidth capping at 10,089Mbps, although all testing was indeed carried out in "sub-zero temperatures." Unfortunately, it seems like the heatpipe design is holding the board back from mass production, but it shouldn't be too long now before the speed demons in the crowd can get their fix like never before with this here mobo. [Via El Reg]
Engadget Chinese gets hands-on treatment with Asus OCgear
You already knew that our Chinese brethren were tearin' it up at Computex 2007, but this one is of particular interest here in the US. Turns out that Asus' OCgear overclocking module actually doesn't have a graphics card integrated in, rather, it's simply an extra peripheral that will connect up to your card via USB or PCIe. Reportedly, a proprietary connector was initially considered, but the tried and true connectors proved quicker in the end. We have to admit, it certainly adds that finishing layer of geekness to the front panel of the PC, but why not hit the read link and view the gallery of hands-on snapshots for yourself, cool?
OC Team Italy takes P4 to 8.18GHz
Nah, 8,180MHz can't hold a candle to 500GHz, but on the long road of overclocking Intel's Pentium 4 where there is an increasingly brief amount of time available to brag before being trumped, the zany Italians have crowned themselves champs once more. Not content with just hitting 8GHz with a "Cedar Mill" Pentium 4 631, OC Team Italy managed to push that very model an additional 179MHz by tweaking the FSB. The final results yielded a 173-percent overclock, and while this here setup may run stable for a continued period if placed at the depths of Antarctica, we can't imagine this being too feasible for the common man to replicate and actually utilize.
Alienware loading Area-51 ALX with overclocked, quad core QX6700
Hardcore gamers seeking top-of-the-line performance can always look to Alienware for rigs with the latest components -- at a steep premium, of course -- so it's no surprise that the recent Dell acquisition has decided to stuff an overclocked, quad core Core 2 Extreme QX6700 chip into the legendary Area-51 ALX. The mad scientists tinkering away at AW HQ (a UFO, perhaps?) have stepped Intel's premiere CPU up from 2.66GHz to 3.2GHZ -- a pretty sizable boost, while still giving speed addicts room to push the processor even further. As usual with this gear, pricing will range wildly depending on the configuration you choose, but expect to pay top dollar for the extra labor and always-pimpin' case.
Alienware shows off developer PCs
Alienware launched a new developer workstation and showed off a recent laptop at GDC. The company was tucked away in the meeting rooms of the North hall, and we stopped by unannounced to ogle the hardware.The MJ-12 8550i is the new high-end desktop machine with two quad-core Xeon processors, DDR2 memory, and other industry-leading specs. Alienware decided to ship this machine with the consumer-level Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX so that developers don't need to switch machines to test their progress. (Alienware reps even suggested getting in a game of F.E.A.R. while waiting for a recomplie.)We asked about a dual video card configuration, and we were told that that may happen; the company is even considering a switch that would toggle between pro and consumer cards connected to a single monitor.Keeping the desktop machine company, Alienware also showed the m5790 laptop that ships with a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo. And Alienware is so confident in the stability of the chip that it can overclock it under warranty to 2.66GHz.Prices for the systems vary by configuration, with the laptop starting at $1,300 and the workstation at $2,500. Of course, both are able to run thousands of dollars higher.%Gallery-2065%
Pentium 4 overclocked to 8GHz: let's see your fancy Core 2 try that
Back in the olden days, before Abraham Lincoln put an end to the megahertz myth -- or was it Theodore Roosevelt, we always get so confused -- the Pentium 4 ruled the land, with its deep instruction pipeline and PR-friendly xtreem clock speeds. Luckily, Intel wised up and started beefing up the quantity and efficiency of cores instead of just the megahertz, but the megahertz myth still lives on in our hearts, and OC Team Italy keeps that hope alive with its latest achievement: an 8000MHz (8GHz in layman's terms) overclocked Pentium 4. The lucky chip to reach such ridiculous frequencies is a "Cedar Mill" Intel Pentium 4 631, with a standard clock speed of 3GHz. It wasn't just a case of flipping a few pins here and there, the OC folks used a modified ASUS P5B motherboard, with an added copper pipe and a few voltage modifications, along with a little bit of your garden-variety liquid nitrogen to keep it all cool. Golf claps all around, OC, now can you do something to rev up a processor that's actually going to be useful for something? Wait. What's gotten into us? Keep up the good work![Via Slashdot]
Alienware "Special Edition" m5790 offers up overclocked Core 2 Duo
It seems that the "most powerful" laptop in Alienware's ever-growing lineup has already lost its crown, as the (somewhat) budget-friendly m5700-series has received a new member, and the "Special Edition" m5790 delivers a base price that won't elicit rage from the SO, but offers up an overclocked CPU option to satisfy your speed cravings nonetheless. Aside from the 17-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600, gigabit Ethernet, 56k modem, Bluetooth, WiFi, and combo drive, the machine seems fairly vanilla, but if you cough up $800, you can get an overclocked 2.66GHz Intel T7600G Core 2 Duo processor to spice things up. Among the other upgrades that push the pricetag on this lower-end machine up into the clouds are a $200 UXGA screen, $430 for 2GB of DDR2 RAM, $270 for 200GB of HDD space, $600 for a built-in Blu-ray drive, and $350 for ATI's Mobility Radeon X1900. So if you're in the mood for seeing just how much self-control your mousing finger really has, surf on over to the read link and (try to) buy only what you want need.[Via TGDaily]
DS Lite overclocked
We can't imagine why kitora12 would ever want to go ahead and do this, but for reasons only known to him, he has gone and overclocked a DS Lite. You can find a plethora of pictures here documenting the process, whether they exist to prove legitimacy or as a tutorial, we cannot comment. Regardless, it's an impressive feat that this individual accomplished, although it must be said that we may never forgive him for taking a knife to such a beautiful object.[Thanks Joey!]
The comprehensive guide to pwn1ng your T-Mobile SDA
If your SDA is feeling a little long in the tooth, don't throw cash out the window on a new device -- give 'er a makeover! Besides overclocking the 195MHz OMAP to a more palatable 240MHz, we have here some tips on unlocking the phone yourself (at no cost) and throwing Skype on there for some do-it-yourself dual mode action. Like the article says, proceed at your own warranty-voiding risk, but honestly, what red-blooded Faraday or Wizard owner hasn't putzed around with ROM images at this point?[Via Hackaday]
On the MacBook Pro and GPU overclocking
Oh those enterprising hackers, whatever are we going to do with them? First they're blazing their own trail by getting Windows XP on a Mac, and now they're overclocking their GPUs. Hardmac.com posted about one forum member's discovery (in French) that, when compared to similar PC notebook hardware specs, his MacBook Pro's GPU seemed to be a bit underclocked - by over 100 MHz. However, these specs are on paper, and I haven't seen reports as to whether this is a practice exhibited by other manufacturers. So what's a hacker to do? Why, use ATI's tools to get some overclocking action on! ATI offers a set of video card tools that unfortunately are Windows only, but if you come to the same results and just gotta have some more MHz, using Boot Camp to run these tools under Windows XP ought to do the trick for you. Just don't blame us if your MacBook Pro suddenly morphs into liquid metal form.[via Engadget]
Overclock your MacBook Pro's GPU -- if you dare
We're not suggesting you try this at home (though we're also not suggesting that doing so will melt your MacBook Pro), but according to reports trickling out on the internets, the graphics processor in Apple's MacBook Pro is woefully underclocked. One user who tested his unit found that the MBP's Radeon X1600 came in at just 310MHz, compared to 470MHz on similarly equipped laptops from other brands (we almost said "similarly equipped Windows-based laptops," but, hey, we can't do that anymore, can we?). So, what's a gamer to do? Why, overclock it -- or reclock it, if you believe the unit is underclocked in the first place. Just boot your MBP into Windows (you do know how to do that, right?), run ATI Tools 0.2.5 and kiss your sluggish graphics (and probably your warranty) goodbye. Oh, and just in case you really don't know how to run Windows on your MBP, it turns out that at least one retailer is now selling models with XP pre-installed. Get one now, before Apple shuts them down.Read - GPURead - XP pre-installed on MBP
