Intel's 45nm Q9450 Finally Beginning to Hit E-tailers

Earlier this year, Intel promised that the 45nm Quad-Cores would become available in late Q1, but we all know how that went. Even their 45nm Dual-Cores, such as the E8400, suffered from a severe lack of shortages. The Q9450 was a different story... it was entirely impossible to find in stock, and if you did happen to find one, you were very lucky.

Well, some good news. The Q9450 is finally beginning to pop-up on some e-tailers, and in good quantity, too. As of right now, NCIX has the best prices for both the US and Canada, at $364.42US and $394.99CAN. Is it just me, or does it seem odd that a Canadian e-tailer that sells from within Canada manages to sell cheaper than the actual US retailers?

For those looking to pick one of these beauties up, you can head right over to NCIXUS.com, MWave.com or Directron - the latter of the two that are selling at a higher premium. Oddly enough, NewEgg seems slow to get stock in lately. I've never seen the Q9450 in stock, and that's still the case. But once it is, they are offering it for $379.99.

• NCIXUS ($364.42USD)
• Directron ($369.99USD)
• MWave ($389.00USD)
• NCIX ($394.99CAN)

We posted a few weeks ago that the Xeon-equivalent of the Q9450 was also a good choice of CPU, but now that the Q9450 has finally hit a few e-tailers, the X3350 has sold out at most places, and is now more expensive. I still find it odd that NCIX seems to be the only ones with the CPU in good stock, and for good prices, but it shouldn't be long before NewEgg and others grab hold of a fresh shipment. Hopefully we'll see their high selling rates decrease a bit when it happens...

Would a Modular Windows be a Good Windows?

It's been rumored for a while that the next incarnation of Windows may be modular, in that it could consist of a core operating system and be built upon, like virtual Lego... except that each Lego piece could potentially be a block of functionality. When I first heard this, I laughed and quickly said, "As if that will happen." But, I've made that foolish comment in the past, namely with regards to the AMD/ATI rumors... and we all know how that turned out.

Ars Technica takes a look at what a modular Windows would be like, in some depth, from a variety of different viewpoints. If there were such thing as a modular OS, it could be good for the consumer, and good for Microsoft... or bad for both. There are numerous angles looked at... even one that would consist of a subscription-based model. That... is one I just can't see happening. It would make a total mockery of what an OS is. Sure, folks subscribe to a lot of things nowadays, but considering the cost of an OS in general, a subscription fee for a certain "block" seems truly ridiculous.

The article is well-worth a look, though. Considering the fact that Windows 7 is due to hit in 2H 2009, we might find out about Microsoft's modular plans (if there are any) sooner than we think.

The issue is that modularization strikes a blow against the very concept of a platform. When a software developer writes a program for Windows XP, they more or less know what they're going to get. They know what Windows XP does out of the box, and although some parts might be optional, someone can install everything from the XP CD if they want without paying a penny extra.

Source: Ars Technica

April 7th Tech Roundup

Motherboards & Processors
• ASUS P5K Pro - Think Computers
• Gainward 9800 GTX 512MB - Madshrimps
• Intel Xeon X3320 45nm Quad Core Overclocking - Madshrimps

Displays & Video Cards
• ASUS GeForce 9600GT 512MB - TweakTown
• Diamond Radeon HD 3870 1GB with 512-Bit Bus - Nordic Hardware
• XFX GeForce 9600GT XXX Alpha Dog - Motherboards.org

Memory & Storage
• Corsair Flash Voyager 32GB - T-Break
• Hitachi Travelstar 5K250 2.5" Hard Drive - TweakTown

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Audio-Technica ATH-ANC3 - Digital Trends
• Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5500 Revolution - Dreamware Computers
• Logitech diNovo Mini Bluetooth Thumb Keyboard - APH Networks
• Razer Piranha Gaming Headset - Phoronix

Cooling
• OCZ Freeze Thermal Compound - DragonSteelMods
• Vizo Propeller 2 System Cooler - DragonSteelMods
• Xigmatek Red Scorpion S1283 CPU Cooler - Red and Blackness

Chassis & Power Supplies
• EagleTech I-Series JBOD Enclosure - Pro-Clockers
• Lian Li PC343 ATX Case - Overclock3D
• PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W - Hardware Canucks
• Tagan Icy Box NAS4220 Server - 3D Gameman