AMD Athlon II X4 620

AMD Athlon II X4 620 @ PureOC

“Not since the heyday of the original Athlon has AMD really stuck it to Intel, but this new Athlon II X4 sounds very promising. Sure it’s inexpensive, but what about performance? Is it completely handicapped by the lack of L3 cache that its larger sibling the Phenom II carries? Can the new Athlon Quad overclock any better than recent AMD offerings, and if so, just how far can it go?”

AMD Athlon II X4 620 Processor

AMD Athlon II X4 620 Processor @ iXBT Labs

“The new quad-core processors will surely seize the popular status from series 700. It’s clearly seen on the summary diagram. It turns out that the fourth core can make up for the lack of L3 cache.”

Patriot Viper 2 Sector 5 DDR3 2GHz

Patriot Viper 2 Sector 5 DDR3 2GHz @ Bjorn3D

“To take advantage of the full potential of LGA 1156 Core i5/i7 memory your going to need a good kit of low voltage DDR3 capable of giving you the performance you want and stay under that pesky 1.65v limitation imposed on LGA 1156 CPU’s. We say ‘ imposed ‘ on CPU’s because it’s the memory controller on the CPU that needs the RAM to stay under 1.65v to prevent damage.”

Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600

Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600 @ Bjorn3D

“When Core i5/i7 launched vendors were ready for it and memory in every speed and flavor was ready for the shelves, which means that one of our favorite brands was ready to ship. Corsair sent us a 4GB kit of Dominator 1600MHz with timings of 8-8-8-24. Let’s run the Dominator a few different ways and see how far we can drive it before it screams for mercy.”

Intel 32nm Clarkdale & Arrandale Preview

Intel 32nm Clarkdale & Arrandale Preview @ HotHardware

“A couple of the items we saw firsthand were Intel’s upcoming Clarkdale (not to be confused with Clarksfield) and Arrandale processors. If you’re unfamiliar with Clarkdale and Arrandale, they are upcoming mainstream desktop and mobile processor offerings based on the Nehalem microarchitecture, manufactured on Intel’s 32nm process node.”

Intel Previews Clarkdale Performance

Intel Previews Clarkdale Performance  @ Legit Reviews

“Intel had a couple systems showing off the upcoming Clarkdale processor (Core i3), at this year’s IDF show. The first system we spotted that happened to be running Clarkdale was the concept HTPC shown above with a mini-ITX motherboard. Intel had a reference mini-ITX H57 motherboard that they were showing off behind closed doors that we also got to spend a little time with.”

Jetway HA08 Combo L

Jetway HA08 Combo L @ ProClockers

“The Jetway HA08 Combo L is an AM2+ socket motherboard based on the current highest end chipsets AMD790GX/SB750. The reason for the AMD790GX is to give the end user maximum performance while offering integrated graphics for detail high definition playback. The video comes in the form of the Radeon HD3300 which is ideal for anyone wanting to use the motherboard in a home theatre build.”

EVGA X58 SLI Micro

EVGA X58 SLI Micro @ HardwareCanucks

“The mATX form factor has really made a name for itself over the last few years and that has carried forward to the X58 chipset with fully featured monster boards packed into a small mATX form factor. The EVGA X58 SLI Micro continues that tradition offering pretty much everything its full ATX X58 counterparts provide. The one big difference is the mATX form factor.”

Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H

Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H @ PCStats

“The Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H motherboard is a great upgrade platform for anyone with an existing socket AM2 AMD processor who wants to take advantage of the new HD decoding and on board HDMI options the AMD 785G chipset brings to the table. AMD’s excellent upgrade paths mean the GA-MA785G-UD3H motherboard will support AMD Sempron, Athlon, Athlon II, Phenom and Phenom II processors; in short socket AM2, AM2+ and AM3 CPUs.The Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H motherboard is a great upgrade platform for anyone with an existing socket AM2 AMD processor who wants to take advantage of the new HD decoding and on board HDMI options the AMD 785G chipset brings to the table.”

MSI P55-GD80

MSI P55-GD80 @ Overclock3D

“MSI have long been known for making good motherboards but have rarely made that extra step by making an amazing motherboard. This time I think I am justified into saying that they have taken that extra step and done just that. What MSI have produced is a motherboard capable of exceeding any preconceptions and indeed exceeding anyones expectations.”