The folks over at G.Skill launched its latest Flare series high-performance DDR3 kits rated at 1800MHz, and optimized for AM3 790 & 890 platform with AMD C3 stepping processors.

G.Skill's Flare series has been specifically designed and tested for AM3 790 and the latest 890 platforms, in combination with AMDs recent C3 stepping CPUs, and has passed a strict testing regime to ensure the best performance and stability. G.Skill Flare provides AMD enthusiasts the perfect choice of high frequency memory that allows a greater attainable CPU bus clock, in order to overclock further and have best performance for productivity and gaming.

The new Flare series DDR3 kits consist of the following specification:

• DDR3 1800MHz 4GB (2GBx2) CL6-8-6-24 1.65V
• DDR3 1800MHz 4GB (2GBx2) CL7-8-7-24 1.65V
• DDR3 1800MHz 4GB (2GBx2) CL8-8-8-24 1.65V
• DDR3 1800MHz 4GB (2GBx2) CL9-9-9-27 1.65V

Until not long ago, the only means that motherboard makers had of implementing USB 3.0 support on their platforms was buying a controller chip from NEC. This monopoly was not bound to last long, however. In fact, AMD plans on soon launching its own USB 3.0 controller, as does VIA Technologies. When it comes to solutions that are already (or almost) available, however, the one most likely to become NEC's contender is ASMedia, a subsidiary of ASUS.

By now, consumers probably are very well aware of the fact that the USB 3.0 standard enables data-transfer rates ten times faster than what is achievable via USB 2.0. Unfortunately, since Intel and AMD chipsets don't have native support for the interface, and will continue to lack support until next year, the standard's adoption has been quite slow. Now that there will finally be some competition on the USB 3.0 controller market, however, lower prices may finally make the technology more widely accessible.

While VIA's USB 3.0 chip won't start being mass-produced until the fourth quarter, ASMedia's own solution will become available by the end of June. Also, according to a report published by Digitimes, the chips have already been deemed suitable by ASUS itself, which has already shifted USB 3.0 controller orders from NEC to ASMedia. This action, in turn, is expected to prompt MSI (Micro-Star International), Gigabyte technology and Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) to eventually transfer their own orders as well.

Known as the Zalman Trimon ZM-M240W this 1080P display has a screen size of 24 inches, measures 572 x 415 x 190mm (W x H x D) and weighs 8kg. It uses a TN panel, whose native resolution is of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. Also, the dynamic contrast ratio is of 10,000:1, whereas the response time is of 5ms and the power consumption will never go above 50W.

Obviously, it is the 3D capability that will determine how well received this product is, and the ability to reach a refresh rate of 120Hz (60Hz for each eye) is only one criteria taken into account. While the 2D viewing angle is a decent 170 degrees horizontal and 160 degrees vertical, the 3D angle is much narrower, at 90 degrees horizontal and 10-12 degrees vertical. The difference in angle is sizable, but acceptable considering that 3D LCD technology is still, more or less, in its beginning stages.

The Zalman Trimon ZM-M240W connects to PCs or other sources of video content through D-sub and DVI inputs and comes with a button that switches between 2D and 3D display modes. Also, the package includes the necessary pair of 3D glasses needed to synchronize the two sets of images that make up the 3D feed. Finally, the product should start shipping next month, at a price of 380 Euro.

It would make a lot of sense for NVIDIA to release the pending GeForce GTX 460 at June 1st, the start of Computex.

The card is likely to be positioned directly against ATI's Radeon HD 5850 and will be based on a P1025 PCB design, which is similar to the GTX 470. According ot  the latest gossip tThe card will feature 384 SPs, 48 TMUs, 32 ROPs and 1024 MB of 256-Bit GDDR5 

AIBs/AICs and ODMs will be free to design/redesign the card for customized versions. The card will get a 256-bit memory interface indicating 1GB of graphics memory (gDDR5).

Aqua Computer introduced the AquagraFX GTX480 waterblock for NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 480 graphics card. This cooler is made out of a single block of copper and ships with a small backplate that cools voltage regulators on the reverse-side of the PCB. It will start shipping next week for 89.90EUR.

The block is full-coverage and monolithic in design, and cools all vital heat-producing parts of the card. Its main unit is cut from a block of copper. The block weighs 850 g (1.87 lbs). It has a stainless steel top with laser-etched lettering on it. Aqua Computer used distance pieces for all threads. They are pre-assembled so users won't have to fumble around with them. All surfaces which have contact to the GPU/RAM/VRM are high gloss polished (mirror-finish). The block also comes with a small backplate that cools voltage regulators on the reverse-side of the PCB.

Gigabyte's exciting competition on HWBOT. OC Guru is You, a global graphics card overclocking competition, is about to wrap up in seven days. There is still room for latecomers, so hurry up and seize the opportunity to win huge!

Coinciding with GIGABYTE

Aparently XFX love to do videos and short movies, if you remember the famous banned comercial of the girl and her PSU, well, they invented another one, this time filmed like a real amateur and part of a viral campaign to sell their "5970 black numbered edition", yes, only 1000 of them and they have the number printed on the card itself, so, here is the video, enjoy.

Mionix NAOS 5000 gaming mouse tested

Proclaimed to beat Razer -- Mionix is a Swedish company that has been around for a couple of years and as such, for a company of their stature it will be difficult, but they'll try to compete with companies such as Logitech and Razer. Mionix tries to do things differently and desires to be a leading brand in the gaming market.

Today we test their high-end gaming mouse, the Mionix NAOS 5000. Let's get the e-peen specifications out of the way first; the Naos 5000 is equipped with seven programmable buttons, 5040 dpi laser sensor, 1ms response time, 40,000MHz sampling rate and a tracking speed of 5.1m/sec. Numbers yeah... but do they uphold what they claim?

Check out this Guru3D right here.

Well, rest assured someone made a black-list at AMD, damn that's bold. A Norwegian retailer started shipping Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition processors to customers. And that's a big no-no as the processor is to be launched next week (we know as we have them).

The retailer is known as Amentio.no. At present, it has only the Phenom II X6 1055T and the high-end 1090T Black Edition up for order, but their prices seem to be more than just convenient. The roughly hundred 1055T chips that the retailer has in stock are priced at only

Sony have announced three new home audio systems, with two soundbars for the cable-phobic and a 5.1 surround setup for those slightly more ambitious.  The Sony HT-SF470 is a 3D-capable 1000 watt (157W x 5 +167W sub) system with three HDMI inputs and an HDMI pass-through port, together with BRAVIA Sync, a Digital Media Port for use with an optional iPod cradle, two digital audio inputs (coax and optical) and digital cinema auto calibration for straightforward setup.

As for the HT-CT350, that has 400W (100 watts x 3 channels + 100 watts subwoofer) while the HT-CT150 has 340W (85 watts x 3 channels + 85 watts sub).  Both have three HDMI inputs and one HDMI output, and support LPCM Blu-ray Disc audio together with 3D pass-through.  They too have dual digital audio inputs, as well as BRAVIA Sync and iPod cradle compatibility.

The CT350 comes with a bracket for attaching it to Sony

The MSI GX640 is a 15.4-inch LCD screen with 1680

After heaps of complaints about their protetcion and DRMs Ubisoft's controversial digital rights management platform has reportedly been hacked, cracked and slashed by a consortium known as Skid Row.

According to CNET's Josh Lowensohn, the hack effectively removes the DRM 'entirely,' but requires users to download and install a modified .exe file:

The DRM, which now ships with every new PC game made by Ubisoft, requires that gamers have a constant connection to the Internet in order to play their games. The security feature caused a large backlash by users for its inclusion in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 title, which was released last month.

The hack itself removes the DRM entirely and is being claimed by a consortium known as Skid Row. It requires users to download and install a modified version of the game's executable file to their computers. These modified game files, alongside a crack that can be applied to a retail version of the game, were uploaded to various file-sharing sites late Tuesday evening.

Attached to the "readme" file that comes with the hacked content (which can be found here), Skid Row alerted other hackers that the group's methods were safeguarded against reverse-engineering in order to fend off competing hacking groups and Ubisoft itself.

Microsoft has released the final build (4763.1000) of Office 2010 to MSDN and TechNet subscribers today.

Microsoft said on Friday that its new Office suite, due in May for businesses and June for consumers, had reached the released to manufacturing (RTM) milestone. The build leaked shortly after the official RTM announcement last Friday. Volume License customers with Software Assurance will be able to download the RTM bits on April 27. Microsoft is holding business launch event for Office 2010 in New York on May 12. Consumers will not be able to purchase the product until June.

Key features of the BitSquid Tech (PC version) include:

• Highly parallel, data oriented design
• Support for all new DX11 GPUs, including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 400 Series and AMD Radeon 5000 series
• Compute Shader 5 based depth of field effects
• Dynamic level of detail through displacement map tessellation
• Stereoscopic 3D support for NVIDIA 3dVision

PS3 and Xbox 360 support will be available in the fall of 2010.

Mionix is a Swedish company that has been around for a couple of years and as such, for a company of their stature it will be difficult, but they'll try to compete with companies such as Logitech and Razer. Mionix tries to do things differently and desires to be a leading brand in the gaming market. Today we test their high-end gaming mouse, the Mionix NAOS 5000. Let's get the e-peen specifications out of the way first; the Naos 5000 is equipped with seven programmable buttons, 5040 dpi laser sensor, 1ms response time, 40,000MHz sampling rate and a tracking speed of 5.1m/sec. Numbers yeah... but do they uphold what they claim?

SilverStone released its latest power supply for small form factor (SFF) cases which seems to be a grwoth market.

The enw PSU is called the ST45SF SFX Form Factor PSU. This PSU in its limited form measuring 125 mm (W)

AMD will expand its 800 Series of chipsets next week. Of course, this means that all the motherboard makers partnered with Advanced Micro Devices, or at least some of them, will follow up with a suitable number of new motherboards based on the new technology. In fact, preparations are already underway and Elitegroup Computer Systems seems to be among the first to do so, now that its upcoming A880GM-A2 has been exposed.

The platform is constructed with the AMD 880G/SB850 combo core-logic and uses the full ATX form factor. It will support the full spectrum of AM3 CPUs, including dual-core, triple-core, quad-core and, obviously, six-core parts. Also, it comes with four DDR3-1600 memory slots, a pair of PCI Express x16 slots for CrossFireX, five SATA 6.0Gbps ports, Gigabit Ethernet, eSATA connectivity and D-Sub and DVI outputs. Furthermore, quite important for those with budget restrictions, there is an integrated ATI Radeon HD 4250 graphics chipset (DirectX 10.1), backed by a SidePort memory chip.

Check the thumbnail.

The guys over at Bit Tech uncovered some details of Intel's upcoming 32nm Sandy Bridge architecture, you can read it over here.

Sandy Bridge CPUs will be based on the current 32nm, second generation High-k metal gate manufacturing process, but will include new architectural features such as AVX - Advanced Vector Extensions - and AES - Advanced Encryption Standard - acceleration and will arrive in Q1 next year, with possibly very limited products popping up late Q4, although depending on who we talk to the story changes.

They will be split into two markets: mainstream and enthusiast. The mainstream models will replace the current LGA1156 'H1' Clarkdale and Lynnfield CPUs (Core i3 and Core i5) and will use LGA1155 'H2' packaging.

Yes, that's right, LGA1155 - one fewer pins than current LGA1156 CPUs. These sockets are NOT compatible, so you cannot use an existing LGA1156 CPU in a new motherboard or visa versa. Not only is the position of pin-1 different, the socket notch has moved from 9mm to 11.5mm from the centre and the entire voltage plane layout has changed.

Mainstream Sandy Bridge CPUs will be both native dual- and quad-core products, currently targeting TDPs of 65W and 95W respectively, both with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technology. At the moment it's not clear what frequency these CPUs will be though (likely because none are available yet from Intel).

All LGA1155 CPUs will have integrated graphics built into the core instead of a separate chip. This is an upgrade from the current IGP, PCI Express controller and memory controller in Clarkdale CPUs that is manufactured on the older 45nm process in a separate die (but still slapped together the same package). This should improve performance, as all the controllers will be in one die, like existing LGA1366 CPUs.

Next-generation Intel central processing units will come with a thermal design power of as little as 35W, which is quite a bit lower than the 65W consumed by some of today's quad-cores. In fact, as a comparison, the Core i5-750S, clocked at 2,4GHz, uses up 82W. It is unclear exactly which chips will consume only 35W, but even if they won't reach this level, quad-core Sandy Bridge units are still expected to limit themselves to a TDP of 45W (including the graphics core).

NZXt is releasing yet another product that .. well makes me scratch behind my ears to say at the very least. NZXT has introduced the Tempest EVO Camo case. This is basically the same case as the Tempest EVO that was launched in November of last year, but with a camouflage paintjob.

This mid-comes with six fans; two 120mm with blue LEDs in front and one on the side panel, a 120mm fan in the rear and two 140mm fans on top. Expected pricing is a steep $125~$150.

A lot of anti-virus software seems to be very trigger happy these days. Loads of false positives etc, this time though McAfee really messed it up.  The anti-virus company pushed out a new virus definition update that falsely identifies the critical Windows system file svchost.exe as a virus. Windows XP SP3 PCs running the new 5958 update from McAfee will delete the file, which will results in many problems including repeated reboots, BSODs and networking problems.

McAfee pushed out a virus definition update, 5958, at 14:00 PDT that causes false positive identification of the critical Windows system file svchost.exe. Machines running Windows XP Service Pack 3 using the 5958 definitions will delete the file, causing many key Windows services to fail to start. The Windows file is being mistakenly detected as W32/wecorl.a. Failure to start svchost.exe causes Windows to automatically reboot, hindering repair efforts.

The company has removed the faulty update, but tens of thousands (and possibly much more) computers have been crippled. McAfee has published information on how to fix this mess, but it requires a tech guy to hit each PC in person.

Blizzard has announced that it has banned over 320,000 player accounts for its action-RPG title Diablo II and its fantasy RTS game Warcraft III. Blizzard said the people behind the banned accounts 'were found to be violating the Battle.net Terms of Use'.

"We

It seems that the fire between Adobe and Apple has reach a dramatic ending when adobe said very openly that they will abandon flash for the iPhone and as one can imagine, iPod.

Digitaltrend has an article written about it, let's hear what they have to say:

Adobe

Remember the good old Doom? well, it seems it's here for the ZuneHD, take a look at this.

The hack is called OpenZDK and you can read more about it here.

Gamespot tried the latest update on the Lost Planet 2 and this is what they have to say about it:

Capcom showed off two new maps for Lost Planet 2 and teased the game's final level at its recent press event. While the anticipated sequel is already packing a meaty Campaign mode for up to four players to tackle together, a dense array of character customization options to unlock, and a competitive multiplayer mode, the developer is already lining up post-release content

More info here.

If you're in for some humor and a special way to do video reviews for games you just have to see this review of Just Cause 2 made by Zero Punctuation, aside from the humor and funny speaking voice, he has some valid points concerning this game.

NVIDIA released its latest version of the GeForce driver suite, version 197.55, specific to the GeForce GTX 400 series graphics cards. The WHQL-signed drivers don't announce any more changes than a major feature change - official support for 4-way SLI on both GeForce GTX 480 and GeForce GTX 470.

The drivers only work with GeForce 400 series products. No Release Notes documents were published along with the drivers.

Supported are GeForce 400 series: GTX 470, GTX 480

We have an discussion thread open on these drives right here.

Download:

Forceware 197.55 Win 7 | Vista 64-bit WHQL
Forceware 197.55 Win 7 | Vista 32-bit WHQL