MSI’s P55-GD65

MSI’s P55-GD65 @ Bjorn3D

“These new performance grade motherboards are no longer sporting the 3 chip design we’ve seen in the past. A typical 3 Chip design is a CPU=1, IOH/MCP=2, and South bridge=3. The new 2 chip design consists of Cpu=1, PCH=2. The IOH/MCP have been moved to the CPU for a much lower latency access for the PCI-E lanes and memory. The south bridge has been updated to a much more powerful newer design, named the PCH.”

ASUS P7P55D Deluxe

ASUS P7P55D Deluxe @ Overclockers Club

“It’s almost as if the designers just hit the “center” button, only it worked in the real world. Asus also included the nifty MemOK! button. The P7P55D Deluxe offers more than just cool features. Its performance was great, and it offered delicious overclockability. I can’t think of a single con for this board. With that being said, I’d recommend this board to anyone wanting to utilize the new LGA 1156 socket.”

NVIDIA ‘Fermi’ GPU Architecture Revealed

NVIDIA ‘Fermi’ GPU Architecture Revealed @ Tech Report

“Six of the darker blue blocks on the sides of the diagram are memory interfaces, per their labels. Those are 64-bit interfaces, which means Fermi has a total path to memory that is 384 bits wide. That’s down from 512 bits on the GT200, but Fermi more than makes up for it by delivering nearly twice the bandwidth per pin via support for GDDR5 memory.”

NVIDIA Fermi GPU Architecture

NVIDIA Fermi GPU Architecture @ PC Perspective

“From a gaming angle, which is obviously one of our primary targets at PC Perspective, we don’t yet know how the Fermi architecture will apply. While I am doubtful that NVIDIA will be sharing any information about new products, frequencies, etc during the GPU Tech Conference today, if we find anything out we will be sure to share it.  But even if clock rates remain the same as we currently have on the GT200 the architecture should perform damn well – after all we moved from 240 SPs to 512 SPs and have a new GDDR5 memory bus that is 384-bits wide.”

Intel Westmere Architecture & Clarkdale Preview

Intel Westmere Architecture & Clarkdale Preview @ PC Perspective

“Both Clarkdale and Arrandale (the mobile variant) will have support for Turbo Mode for the CPU cores but the Arrandale offering will also include an interesting twist on the technology, integrating the GPU in the mix.  With a fixed TDP, the processor will either accelerate the GPU or CPU cores depending on the work load – while gaming the GPU will able to “steal” some of the overall TDP to increase its clock speed and vice-versa.”

Gigabyte’s GA-P55-UD5

Gigabyte’s GA-P55-UD5 @ TechGage

“Alongside Intel’s Lynnfield launch, Gigabyte launched close to ten motherboards, one of which we’re taking a look at here. The P55-UD5 is the company’s second-highest offering, and it shows, with its huge feature-set, 12-phase power solution, overclocking-ability, robust BIOS, keen design and more.”

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD5 LGA1156 Motherboard

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD5 LGA1156 Motherboard @ FutureLooks

“A couple months ago, we got an in-person sneak preview of GIGABYTE’s P55 line up minus a few boards we’re sure to get our hands on soon. There were plenty of features and software offered that encompassed the entire P55 series. Overclocking capabilities are about the only thing that separates the various available models. Rest assured, exemplary stability and reliability are a standard feature on all of GIGABYTE’s boards.”

Core i5 vs. Phenom II X4

Core i5 vs. Phenom II X4 @ Hardware Secrets

“Core i5-750 (2.66 GHz) from Intel is costing today USD 200 and AMD doesn’t have any Phenom II X4 at the same price tag. The closest matches are Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (3.2 GHz), costing USD 189, and Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition (3.4 GHz), costing USD 245 – which are the fastest CPUs from AMD –, putting Core i5-750 in the middle of the two in terms of price. But how about performance?”

AMD Athlon II X4 620 2.6 GHz

AMD Athlon II X4 620 2.6 GHz @ PCStats

“AMD’s most recent 45nm Athlon II processor just graduated from dual, to quad core. The AMD Athlon II X4 620 is a 2.6 GHz socket AM3 chip destined for mainstream PCs; could it be the darling CPU option for those on a budget? One thing’s for certain, there couldn’t be a better chip to land in the midst of global belt-tightening, especially as the quad-core Athlon II X4 620 retails for just $99 bucks.”