Thanks to some inside information that was published today by various hardware portals, now we know that Intel has decided to enhance the overclocking capabilities of two of its still to be released non-Extreme Core i7 processors. Intel's LGA 1366 Core i7-940 and Core i7-920, which are clocked at 2.93GHz and 2.66GHz respectively will now boast unlocked memory controlers, meaning that users will be able to change the memory multiplier and thus the memory frequency beyond the stock DDR3 800/1066MHz speed. The unlocked memory multiplier will also allow the QPI speed to be changed. The Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) bus resembles AMD's Hypertransport bus. A slide change in the memory frequency will result in higher QPI bus speed, just like in the current AMD processor family. Previously, we knew that only the Core i7 Extreme processors like the 3.2GHz Core i7-965 Extreme Edition will have these overclocking features. I sincerely hope that with this last minute change Intel will make us overclockers really happy.

The AM3 socket finally gives AMD Processors access to DDR3 memory. The only complication is that processors must feature DDR3 integrated memory controllers (IMC). Earlier roadmap slides had shown that the RD890 and RS880 along with SB800 would be the first platform with AM3 compliance. However, sources tell Expreview that AMD would not be ready with the chipsets by the time AM3 processors come out. Hence, AMD would be using the existing high-end duo of 790 FX and SB750 which would be re-launched in H1 2009 that support AM3 sockets. It is known that 790 FX supports HyperTransport 3.1 links that would offer processors system interconnect bandwidths of up to 6400 MT/s.

Another chipset that has been pushed to H1 2009 is the AMD 760G, which is a mainstream chipset with integrated graphics. It was expected that this would come out sometime in Q4 2008.

Intel's upcoming Nehalem architecture brings in a host of changes. One of the most important of them is that the processors now carry memory controllers. From what is known so far, the upcoming Nehalem processors come with official support for DDR3 800 MHz and DDR3 1066 MHz though talk is that it just could slip in DDR3 1333 MHz support on an official scale. Here's a complication: Some of the computer enthusiasts with plans of retaining their current DDR3 1800/2000/beyond may have severe problems running the memory at their rated frequencies on a Nehalem chip. They might not work on their rated frequencies at all.

The reason behind this is that Nehalem has processor and memory voltages synchronized. Fresh studies suggest that a voltage of 2.0 V can fry a Nehalem processor. It was earlier noted that this voltage limit was 1.60 V to 1.70 V. It would need extreme caution for you to set the core to run at even 1.8 V since at that voltage the processor could start degrading and finally cease to work. The conclusion is that the Nehalem platform, with its synchronized CPU and memory voltages, will be limited by the DDR3 modules ability to reach high frequencies at lower voltages. This could have implications on the kind of memory kits that come out in the near future. Manufacturers could offer high-end kits that function well within 1.6 V with the supposedly high frequencies albeit loose timings, just to keep the memory and processor operating safely.

Patriot Memory, a global provider of premium quality memory module and flash memory solutions, today unveiled their 4GB DDR3 2000MHz low latency Viper series memory kit. The newest addition to Patriot's Viper series, the 2000MHz kit boasts both high-density and high-frequency, enhancing overclocking capabilities for gamers and PC enthusiasts alike on today's latest DDR3 platforms.

MSI, a leading manufacturer of motherboard products, unveils its latest "P45-D8 Memory Lover" motherboard which is equipped with eight memory slots. When users want to upgrade the motherboard, they can use the current DDR2 memory to save money as well, also retain the future escalation of the DDR3 memory flexibility. When the price of DDR3 memory declines, users can utilize this to increase the performance.

The new MSI P45-8D Memory Lover motherboard is powered by the latest Intel P45 Express chipset. It supports the Intel Core 2 Extreme / Quad and other multi-core processors with an FSB up to 1600MHz. The main feature of P45-8D Memory Lover is the superb memory expansion flexibility. It has a total of eight memory slots which users can expand to 16GB by using four DDR2 memory or 8GB by using four DDR3 memory.

Intel's upcoming Core i7 processors (codenamed Nehalem) will use the new X58 chipset and the ICH10-R Soutbhridge. DRR3 memory can be installed in six slots running DDR3-800, 1066 and 1333.

The board we took photos of is a protoype that's why you can see manual soldering and cabling on it.

Here are the highlights from the MSI booth at Games Convention.The GeForce 9600 GT Hybrid Freezer uses a special cooler that keeps the card cool without fan most of the time. In case the card gets too hot for the passive solution the fan will kick in.

Among the other hardware demonstrated at IDF, Hynix Semiconductor also made a shocking release of what's believed to be the world's first 16GB 2-Rank R-DIMM. Using MetaRAM's new DDR3 technology, Hynix's new 16GB (HMT32GR7AER4C-GD) and 8GB (HMT31GR7AER4C-GC) 2-rank DIMMs can triple DDR3 memory capacity in today's servers and workstations. DDR3 MetaRAM is similar to the previous generation of DDR2 technology that enables significantly more memory in a server. An added benefit of the DDR3 MetaRAM technology is that enables larger memory capacity without negatively impacting the operating frequency of the DDR3 memory channel. It is the only technology that has been demonstrated to run 24GB of DDR3 SDRAM in a channel at 1066 million transactions per-second (MT/s). Using 3 of 16GB DIMM, users can achieve 48GB per channel running at 1066 MT/s, while other competing solutions max out at 16GB per channel at 1066MT/s. Later on during the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco Intel will demonstrate a server with 160GB (10 slots) of Hynix's DDR3 R-DIMMs.

Lexar Media, a subsidiary of Micron Technology, announced today the immediate availability of some new Crucial DDR3 RDIMM memory modules for servers. The DDR3-1066MHz and DDR3-1333MHz ECC (error detection and correction) RDIMMs are available now in 1GB and 2GB capacities at Crucial's official resellers worldwide. "We're committed to providing our customers with new memory solutions that address the ever-changing data center environment. Our new DDR3 RDIMM memory supports users as they transition to upcoming next-generation server platforms," said Jim Jardine, Lexar Media's senior DRAM product marketing manager. For qualified information, please visit this page here.

Elpida Memory today announced that it had developed the world's first 2.5Gbps (bit per second) 1-gigabit DDR3 SDRAM. The new memory device has an optimized design based on a copper interconnect process and new circuit technology that not only enables faster speeds but also an ultra-low voltage operation of 1.2V while conforming to DDR3 specifications.

This is for all of you, who are impatiently waiting for that new CPU, the X58 boards with that new socket and that triple channel DDR3 support. Maximum PC has managed to get their hands on everything needed to build one of these systems. They give single, dual and triple channel memory setups a try as well. To top things off, they have even taken a few images. One image from Maximum PC can be seen below, but make sure to take a look at all the other ones on their site.

Corsair informed today that its Dominator DDR3 memory modules have again shattered the world record for frequency. The record was set using the Asus ROG Rampage Extreme motherboard (Intel X48 chipset) and Corsair Dominator memory, utilizing Corsair's award-winning DHX technology. The world record of 2580 MHz was reached at latency settings of 9-9-9-24 using a Corsair Dominator DDR3 memory module. These results were achieved with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 processor overclocked to a breathtaking 645MHz Front-Side Bus frequency. The results are verified by CPU-Z, an industry standard for verifying overclocking results, and are viewable here.

The overclocking memory module specialist, Walton Chaintech Corporation, today debuts the APOGEE GT Blazer DDR3 1800 4GB Low Voltage Memory Module. Supporting EPP 2.0 as well, APOGEE GT Blazer DDR3 1800 4GB kit attains the lowest voltage of 1.8V compared with other memory modules of similar speed in current market place for more power saving operation, and longer product life.

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced immediate availability of Crucial Ballistix PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333MHz) and PC3-14400 (DDR3-1800MHz) high-performance memory modules. These new modules expand on the award-winning Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600 and DDR3-2000MHz product offering. As part of its commitment to the PC enthusiast and gaming community, Lexar Media continually seeks to bring new memory offerings to market and enhance its product lines.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and PC components, today announced the first memory modules available in their Fatal1ty Series after the partnership was announced last month. These high-performance memory kits were co-developed with the expertise of Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, 12-time World champion, to meet the specific needs of fellow gamers. OCZ Fatal1ty Professional Series kits are the official memory modules of Championship Gaming Series (CGS), and feature incredible performance to power through the latest PC titles and contribute to the success of professionals and everyday gamers.

"OCZ worked closely with Fatal1ty and his team to design new memory kits that pair perfectly with the top selling motherboards for a superior gaming experience," commented Alex Mei, Chief Marketing Officer of the OCZ Technology Group. "Fatal1ty knows what it takes to win at the highest level of eSports, and these new kits deliver superior stability and performance to gamers whether you are a professional player on the Championship Gaming Series, or a weekend warrior looking to dominate when playing the latest titles."

Elpida Memory, Japan's leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), announced today that it has developed a top-tier power efficient 1 Gigabit DDR3 SDRAM, which is capable of operating at an ultra-fast speed of 2 Gigabits per second (Gbps). By reducing power consumption to around the lowest possible level the new high-performance environmentally friendly DRAM marks an important milestone in Elpida's aggressive development of eco-products.

Intel launches the Centrino 2 mobile plaform this Monday, the 14th. Centrino 2, codenamed Montevina is behind launch-schedule owing to issues detected in the integrated graphics controller. The chipset released will be that which supports discrete graphics controllers from ATI or NVIDIA.

Intel Centrino 2 for now is targeted towards the business-class and enterprise segments. The chipset supports DDR3 memory which brings in a certain level of energy efficiency with added performance. At the heart of it would be a 45nm processor based on the Penryn architecture. Initially dual-core processors, with quad-core based notebooks later. The wireless network controller supports the newer 802.11n and WiMAX standards. Security and management features come in through the vPro technology.

These 45nm dual-core processors are said to run at 25W, an efficiency increment over previous generation running at 35W.

Pre-release performance evaluations suggest that the Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB GDDR5 model will on an average be 50% faster than the GeForce GTX 280 and in some tests 80% faster. A second model, the HD 4850 X2 (2GB GDDR3 memory, 2x RV770Pro) will also convincingly outperform the GeForce GTX 280. The R700 series will be brought into the market late-July thru August.

The Radeon HD 4850 has been in for a while and boy, did it change the face of the market as we knew it. PowerColor / TUL came up with the first non-reference design for the HD 4850, it sticks to the AMD reference PCB alebit changes to the cooler and the memory. It uses ZeroTherm full copper GPU cooler with CVVT technology(Continue Variable Velocity Timing). The card now features a mammoth 2 GB of GDDR3 memory. There are minor changes to the GPU parameters as well: 665 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory.

We could have understood if they gave it 1 GB of memory, knowing that the RV770 is a capable GPU and might be able to use higher amount of memory but 2 GB seems too much. The card is loaded with 16 x 1 Gb GDDR3 chips. The chips on the other side of the PCB have a heatspreader. There's no information about availablilty and pricing yet.

This motherboard board looks a work of art, simply put. The ASUS Rampage Extreme is the upscale version of ASUS' ROG line Intel X48 chipset based motherboard, the Rampage Formula. Although Rampage Formula resembled the X38 based Maximus Forumla in many ways, to an extant that you could use the Rampage Formula BIOS with Maximus Formula, don't expect the same with Rampage Extreme and its predecessor. This board features the X48 chipset, supports DDR3 memory, features a total of 16 CPU-power phases, water-cooling ready, out of the box. Apart from the plethora of features the ROG series products come with, this board bundles the SupremeFX X-Fi sound module which supports PCI-Express X-Fi Audio. It supports ATI Crossfire at full x16, x16 PCI-Express 2.0 mode.

Here's the most interesting feature: You can tweak system parameters on the board using a feature called TweakIt. This makes you adjust your overclock using special controls located on the board, keep track of the settings you're making using the LCD poster. The board is rich in heatsinks, ample cooling is provided to the MOSFETs surrounding the CPU area and above the memory area. Expect this to be priced anything above US $250.

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the all-new DDR3 SODIMM modules as its next generation notebook memory to support the impending Intel Centrino 2 mobile platform. These latest memory offerings for notebooks help reduce power consumption and increase speed and bandwidth, resulting in a higher performing laptop. As next-generation laptops are introduced in the upcoming weeks, OCZ is prepared to deliver high-performance DDR3 for these advanced gaming and professional systems.

The crew over at Tom's Hardware is taking an exclusive look at a fully assembled Nehalem system that consists of a FOXCONN X58 motherboard and a Nehalem CPU. Details on the platform and the new architecture are already well detailed so I'll skip them. It's the motherboard that's cool and worth looking. That's FOXCONN's reference board powered by Intel's X58 chipset and ICH10-R southbridge, the same used on today's Intel P45 platforms. ICH-10 supplies up to four PCI Express x16 paths, of which two, are PCI Express 2.0. FOXCONN's Renaissance board also allows up to 24GB of DDR3 memory to be installed on 6 slots. With Nehalem, the memory is running in triple-channel mode (the name is pretty self explanatory). Initially the motherboard will support DDR3-800, 1066 and 1333 configurations. The Renaissance also has six SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, Realtek ALC888S 7.1 channel audio and a Gigabit Ethernet. Speaking to the other motherboard features, they include the usual heatpipe cooling for the chipset, solid ultra-low SR capacitors, debugging LED lights, clear CMOS button round the backplate and a six-phase power circuit design. Expect benchmarks and price information when the official launch date of Nehalem approaches.

As of today, AMD is close to over a year and a half behind Intel with the implementation of the DDR3 system memory standard, and it doesn't look like we are going to see a DDR3 AMD platform only until late this year or early next year. Chilian website CHW.net published slides of the roadmaps for AMD chipsets in the months to come, also published are slides refering to the details of the next generation southbridge by AMD, even though the latest entry, the SB700 is only teething and only the latest motherboards with 7-Series chipsets feature this.

NVIDIA is preparing an addition to its GeForce 9 series, the GeForce 9500, slated for a July 29, 2008 launch. This product is positioned at an entry-mid range level, consists of two variants, the GeForce 9500 GDDR3, and a DDR2 model. Early tests prove this graphics processor (GPU) to be close to three times faster than the previous-generation 8500 GT. Unlike the reference 8500, this GPU supports 2-way SLI.

The nomenclature isn't certain yet. While the GDDR3 variant could be named 9500 GT, it remains to be seen what the DDR2 variant would be named. Provided, are images (in order) of the DDR2 and GDDR3 variants, followed by the specifications sheet.With inputs from Hardspell, Images courtesy Tom's Hardware

Transcend Information Inc. (Transcend), a global leader in the manufacture of high performance memory modules, is proud to unveil aXeRam DDR3-1800+ Extreme Performance memory. Designed specifically for hard-core gamers using only top-binned, premium quality DRAM chips and custom high-purity aluminum heat sinks with cooling fins, the aXeRam DDR3-1800 dual-channel kit delivers amazing high-speed overclocking performance while maintaining cool temperatures and rock-solid system stability.

Transcend's 2GB aXeRam DDR3-1800 kit's two identically-matched 240-pin unbuffered 1GB DDR3 1800MHz DIMMs are carefully matched for use in dual-channel configuration, which together provide memory bandwidth of up to 28.8GB/s. To ensure extra-stability and signal integrity at high clock speeds, all aXeRam modules use robust eight-layer PCBs that fully comply with JEDEC standards. The aXeRam 128Mx8 DDR3 DRAM chips are selected with the strictest quality and performance standards and are manufactured using small Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array (FBGA) packages to assure better thermal dissipation, electrical efficiency and improved overclocking performance. Transcend's aXeRam DDR3-1800 modules also support new Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) technology, which allows users with high-performance motherboards to easily overclock their memory with aXerRam's built-in aggressive speed-maximized profiles, or manually input their own memory timing parameters to take their system to the next level.