Content and news by Rob Williams

Core 2 Duo processors will be introduced on July 23 of this year and, according to Intel’s estimates, and will be accompanied by the new 96x “Broadwater” chipset. According to Intel’s updated roadmap, Core 2 processors will expand to roughly 35% of Intel’s shipments in Q1’07. Conroe, as the desktop version of Core 2 Duo is dubbed, will be the first Intel processor with the new letter/number naming schedule, as noted below.

If these prices hold true and performance reports are accurate, you should be able to get an amazing chip for around $200. What’s interesting to note, is that even the CPU’s that have a ‘budget’ price have a FSB of 1066. I cannot wait to get ahold of one of these.. Check out all the known information at DailyTech.

The ThermoHAWK 200 Infrared Thermometer is quite the gadget. Actually, it’s more than just gadget since it’s very useful. Let’s face it, temperature is something all of us can relate to. No matter if you are doing research for a paper on water temperature or need to know how hot your computer memory is, this device will tell you within a second…

3D Gameman takes a look at a thermometer one from Q3, and considers it to be very useful. I may have to look into one of these myself.. Check it out 3D Gameman.

After looking at Connect3D’s X1800GTO, it’s HIS’ turn with their new X1800GTO Turbo. This card features HIS’ brand new IceQ3 cooling solution and comes overclocked right out of the box. Being a part of HIS’ Turbo line this card has received a default overclocked speed of 520MHz core with the memory speed remaining the same. Why the amount of 520MHz was chosen is unknown but it seems like a small enough jump to be a pretty safe overclock without straining the card too much. Plus with the heavy duty IceQ3 cooler, overheating the card is hardly a worry.

If you are considering an X1800GTO, this should be worthy of your consideration. Paired against the Connect 3D model, the HIS comes out on top. You even have the ability to flash it to an X1800XL for even more performance. Check out the full review over at Bona Fide Reviews.

Corsair and nVIDIA have been working together to create a new memory standard dubbed EPP which stands for “Enhanced Performance Profiles”. When used in a compatible motherboard, EPP helps the system automatically overclock the memory and tighten up timings to improve performance. Corsair has just released a set of its DDR2-800 memory that is perfect for Socket AM2 Athlon64 processors. Fast memory modules with low latencies, its new Twin2X2048-6400C4 memory is exactly what the doctor ordered. When running in dual channel mode, the Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C4 provides 12.8GB/s worth of memory bandwidth which happens to be exactly what the dual core Socket AM2 Athlon64 X2/FX processors need.

This is some great memory, especially if you are looking to test out the new EPP on your AM2. These modules keep up to the direct competition and even surpass them in some tests. The price is also right. Check out the full review at PC Stats.

Bjorn3D has posted the chat log from the NVIDIA chat last Tuesday. You can check it out here.

<SwedBear_Bjorn3D> Q: Did I miss something or is Active Armour (firewall) still available with nForce5?
<NVIDIA_tap> Active Armor is no longer available in nF5
<Sean_NV> Nope, ActiveArmor is gone
<Alpha736> is there going to be anything to replace activearmor?
<NVIDIA_tap> Why? We support most major firewalls.
<NVIDIA_tap> The idea is that we want to add value when we see an oppurtunity. Firewalls have matured to the point where our best strategy is to support exisiting products. As Microsoft standardizes an API for hardware acceleration of firewalls…we will be there.

Montreal, Canada, May 25, 2006 – Matrox Graphics Inc., the leading manufacturer of graphics solutions for professionals, is pleased to announce that its award-winning new TripleHead2Go is now shipping worldwide and receiving widespread support from industry leaders, the press and top enthusiast system integrators. TripleHead2Go is a palm-sized box that uniquely allows you to add three monitors to your workstation, gaming system or laptop, delivering incredible productivity boosts to office work, Surround Design to workstation environments for professionals and an immersive Surround Gaming experience to enthusiasts.

You can read the full press release here.

REDMOND, Wash., May 25, 2006 – On the heels of the successful unveiling of the new Wii™ console, Nintendo of America Inc. today announced three key promotions at the executive level. Current President Tatsumi Kimishima is taking on the new role of chairman of the board and chief executive officer, while Reggie Fils-Aime is being promoted to president and chief operating officer from his current role as executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. Additionally, Mike Fukuda is being promoted from senior vice president of Business Development to executive vice president of Business Development. All promotions are effective immediately.

This is also not tech news, but it’s very interesting. Reggie is a relative newcomer [at least from the publics eyes], but has landed himself as President. Check out the full press release here.

Bjorn3D has just thrown up a new HL2 teaser trailer for your consumption. Not really tech news, but who’s NOT waiting for this game?? Check it out here.

With Microsoft taking a beating because of Vista’s problems and delays, it is time for desktop Linux to step up and experience some considerable growth. Right now, with Vista and Microsoft garnering very low approval ratings, desktop Linux providers need to be more aggressive about their marketing and get their message to concerned consumers. This should not be thought of as kicking Microsoft when it’s down, but the fact remains that a lot of people, even dedicated MS fans, are disappointed with what they know about Vista and what they have been hearing about the company in general. This means it is an ideal time to present people with a viable option.

Check out the full article at XYZ Computing.

Cases & Enclosures
• Lian Li G70B Aluminum Case – Overclockers Club
• Thermaltake Armor Jr. Case – 3D Gameman

Cooling
• Jetart VC3600 VCool GPU Cooler – XS Reviews
• SilverStone NT06 CPU Cooler – PC Modding Malaysia
• Zalman CNPS9500-AM2 – FrostyTech

Memory & Storage
• Crucial Gizmo Overdrive – MaxitMag
• VIZO Paragon 2.5″ One Touch Backup HDD Enclosure – Virtual-Hideout

Motherboards & CPU’s
• AMD Socket AM2 Chipset Showdown: ATI vs NVIDIA – FiringSquad
• Microprocessor History, Part 2 – BTX Form Factor

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• Hiper Type-R HPU4M580 PSU – Technic3D

Video Cards & Monitor
• Asus EN7900GT TOP/2DHT/256M/A – PC Stats
• HIS Radeon X1800GTO IceQ3 Turbo – Viper Lair
• MSI NX7600GT – NVNews
• NVIDIA DualTV MCE – HotHardware
• Sapphire Toxic X1900XTX – T-Break

Etcetera & Contests
• Linux: Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Dapper Drake – Phoronix
• X-Micro Bluetooth Stereo Media Phone Kit – Xtreme Computing

An Xbox 360 faceplate is just a faceplate, right? Nothing but a $20 piece of plastic that spices up the looks of your console. If you subscribe to that school of thought you’d be wrong. We take a look at 7 faceplates and what you get for your hard earned money. The results might surprise you.

Are you still one of those people with a 360 and a bland, standard faceplate that was included? Yeah, me too. If you think you’ve seen great faceplates, you haven’t seen nothing yet. I now have to order one.. Check out the full article at [H] Console.

What do you do when you feel that a current standard isn’t good enough? You create your own. Microsoft has been talking up its new Windows Media Photo image format to take the place of the ubiquitous JPEG image. Windows Media Photo imaging will be natively supported by Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Vista operating system and will be back ported to Windows XP.

Usually such a move wouldn’t interest me, but this could actually turn out to be a good move. This new format, so they claim, will provide the same quality as JPEG but use only half the amount of space. Time will tell whether or not we will see this become a standard in digital cameras though. Check out the full posting at DailyTech.

It is obvious from our testing that the memory controller on AMD’s AM2 processors is critical in system performance when it comes to a number of applications. For this article we were trying to get the highest gaming scores and our efforts proved to be very successful. Starting out with PC2-5400 memory running CL4 timings our base score was 134.0 fps. After moving up to PC2-6400 memory with CL3 timings and increasing our memory capacity from 2GB to 4GB the score increased to 159.1 fps — a 25.1 fps increase or 18.7%.

This is a great look at what to expect from DDR2 on the AM2. These modules specifically look amazing, because they can handle CAS3 at great PC2-6400 speeds. Check out the full article at Legit Reviews.

May 23, 2006 – Universal abit is proud to unveil its next generation of Fatal1ty gaming motherboards. Tested and approved by fivefold professional world champion Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, the Fatal1ty AN9 32X is Built to Kill!

You can read the full press release here.

Sunnyvale, CA—May 24, 2006—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, is pleased to announce the release of the Special Ops Edition DDR and DDR2 lines. Parts will be offered in PC-3200, PC2-5400, and PC2-6400 speed grades. This new line of OCZ memory features a unique camouflage motif XTC heatspreader and a price tag that has an edge over competitors.

You can read the full press release here.

Cooling
• Does the OEM AMD Dual Core Processor Cooler Really Need Upgrading? – TweakNews

Memory & Storage
• OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 Gold GX XTC 2GB Dual Channel – Hardware Secrets

Motherboards & CPU’s
• AMD Athlon64 FX-62 and X2 5000+ Socket AM2 Processors – PC Stats
• ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe – BIOS Magazine
• ATi RD480 Crossfire Motherboard – Byte Sized Reviews

Peripherals & Power Supplies
• Altec Lansing inMotion 9 (IM9) Portable Audio System for iPod – BonaFideReviews
• iStar STC-750PD2 (750w) Power Supply – Virtual-Hideout
• Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 – Big Bruin

Video Cards & Monitor
• ATI 8.25.18 Display Drivers – Phoronix
• ATi Catalyst 6.5 with Control Panel – NGOHQ
• Catalyst 6.5 Comparison – Technic3D
• More details about the GeForce 7950GX2 – NGOHQ
• GeForce 6800 128MB 16 Pipes Burstfire – Cooling-Station
• GeForce 7900-series Graphics Cards Compared – Tech Report
• Samsung 970P – Overclockers Online
• Updated ATI Radeon Graphics Card Guide – A1-Electronics

Etcetera & Contests
• Contest: 3dGameMan’s Massive Giveaway! – 3D Gameman
• Apple MacBook Pro 15.4-inch 2.16GHz – Digital Trends
• ASUS A3Vc – X-Bit Labs
• eBook Readers Ready for Consumers? – XYZ Computing
• StealthSurfer II PrivacyStick – Think Computers

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to move on up to 4GB of system ram? There may not be a need for that now, but it won’t take very long until it’s commonplace in enthusiast PC’s. I take 4GB worth of top end DDR1 and DDR2 memory, and relate my overclocking and performance reports to you.

On May 23, 2006, Microsoft will finally ship Windows Vista Beta 2, and it will soon thereafter make this release available to the public via a Consumer Preview Program (CPP), whereby computer enthusiasts or anyone who’s interested can order a free copy of Beta 2 on DVD and install it on their own computers. This is a scary time for Microsoft. The company has gotten a lot of bad press lately for the delays, and the missing and broken features. And now, it’s unleashing Windows Vista on the public. The company expects over 2 million people to install Vista Beta 2. I thought I’d tell you what to expect.

This is only the first part of the review, but Pauls look into the Beta is very in-depth. If you are interested in learning more about the new OS, check out the review here.

AMD has brought us Revision F and talked a bit about K8L, but what of the processor gap between AM2 and K8L? AMD’s intermediate 65nm SOI stepping stone is Revision G. The company has taken substantial steps over the last few months to convert Fab 36 to 65nm SOI production, and the company has also announced that Chartered Semiconductor will act as spillover production for 65nm CPUs. Soon, AMD will start putting these resources to use with the second generation DDR2 CPUs.

It looks like only the Dual Cores will be immediately affected, starting off with the 4200+. Low wattage, low heat.. sounds like a winner to me. Check out the full article at DailyTech.

We at Pro-Clockers would like to officially announce our latest give-away. This is our Birthday Bash Give-Away. We have the following companies in aid to support our contest: Scythe, OCZ and Gamerzstuff. And more companies to be added.

Current list of items to be given out: Scythe: Kamariki II 550 watt PSU and Ninja Coolers, OCZ: GameXStream 600 watt PSU, Aerocool: Zerodba 500W, X-fire, Silver lightning fans (one of each size), CoolView-Silver Case, Gamerzstuff: Mousepads

Check out the full contest details at Pro-Clockers.