GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and other computing hardware solutions is pleased to announce their latest generation H55/H57 series motherboards, based on the Intel H55 and Intel H57 chipset and leveraging the success of the GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 design featuring 2x copper PCB and delivering a host of cutting-edge features including innovative Smart6 PC management tools, Dynamic Energy Saver 2 power saving utilities, DualBIOS and support for Energy Using Products Directive (EuP), for a powerful, yet power efficient multimedia platform.

"GIGABYTE once again leads the motherboard industry and sets the standard for delivering high speed data transfer and richer video playback capabilities for HD multimedia home entertainment devices," commented Tim Handley, Deputy Director of Motherboard Marketing at GIGABYTE Technology Co. Ltd. "Featuring next generation storage capabilities including USB 3.0 and high performance digital DisplayPort connectivity, as well as GIGABYTE's own unique 3x USB Power Boost, the GIGABYTE GA-H57M-USB3 and GA-H55M-USB3 provide a compelling solution for users wanting the ultimate multimedia system."

A feature of the latest SAPPHIRE HD 5000 series of graphics cards is the new ATI Eyefinity mode, which enables games and other applications to be run on three screens treated as one continuous display area. Now with the SAPPHIRE Eyefinity adapter, standard DVI monitors can be used for all three screens.

In addition to spectacular image clarity, speed and visual effects, the SAPPHIRE HD 5000 series supports the new multi-monitor mode known as ATI Eyefinity. This allows a single GPU to display a choice of images over an array of several monitors. The cards in this series support up to three monitors, with a resolution of up to 7680 x 1600. This opens up exciting possibilities not just for multi-screen gaming, but also for information systems, multimedia systems and promotional displays.

Following a recent expose of three of Gigabyte's upcoming motherboards based on the Intel H55 Express chipset supporting socket LGA-1156 processors, one of its first models based on the Intel H57 Express chipset surfaced, with the GA-H57M-USB3. This micro-ATX motherboard builds on the slightly expanded feature-set of the H57 PCH, which includes Intel Rapid Storage, Remote PC Assist, and a higher number of USB 2.0 ports and PCI-Express x1 lanes. It uses complete Ultra Durable 3 construction, which includes full solid-state capacitor design, 2 oz copper PCB, low RDS (on) MOSFET, and ferrite-core chokes. The processor is powered by an 8-phase VRM, it is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel memory.

Expansion slots include PCI-Express 2.0 x16, PCI-E x16 (x4), and two PCI slots. Five out of six SATA 3 Gbps ports from the PCH are assigned as internal ports, while an additional Gigabyte GSATA2 controller provides two SATA 3 Gbps ports and an IDE connector. An additional NEC controller provides two USB 3.0 ports. The rear-panel consists of 8-channel audio with optical SPDIF (supporting Dolby Home Theater), gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports (color-coded blue), four USB 2.0, FireWire, eSATA, keyboard/mouse combo port, and display connectivity which includes DVI, D-Sub, DisplayPort, and HDMI. The GA-H57M-USB3 is another of those boards slated for Q1 2010, when Intel releases new processors with embedded graphics along with the H55/H57 chipsets.

Sapphire expanded its Radeon HD 5700 series with the Sapphire HD 5770 Vapor-X. This release comes around a month after the HD 5750 Vapor-X, and resembles it in having the same GPU cooler: a GPU contact block with a Vapor chamber acts as a large heatpipe, uniformly conveying heat to the heatsink above it, which is cooled by a fan. Unlike the HD 5750 Vapor-X which comes with a blue reference PCB, this one retains the black reference one, with the cooler being the only noticeable change.

The Radeon HD 5770 is based on the 40 nm Juniper GPU. It is DirectX 11 compliant, and has 800 stream processors, along with 1 GB of memory installed across a 128-bit GDDR5 interface. It also supports the ATI Eyefinity technology that allows users to scale a display head across three physical displays. Connectivity includes two DVI-D, and one each of HDMI and DisplayPort. Sapphire also gave it a modest factory overclock, with the core running at 860 MHz (vs 850 MHz reference), while the memory stays at 1200 MHz (4.8 GHz effective). It is priced around 145 EUR.

AMD's lower-mainstream DirectX 11 compliant graphics card slated for Q1-2010, the ATI Radeon HD 5670 has been pictured and detailed, sourced from a [H]ardOCP HardForum community member. The HD 5600 series is based on a 40 nm GPU codenamed "Redwood". From the specifications the GPU-Z screenshot shows, it has a 50% downscaled SIMD engine, with 400 stream processors, while it retains the 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, with 16 ROPs. Assuming the clock speeds shown in the screenshot to be the reference speeds, they are 775 MHz for the core, and 1000 MHz for the 1 GB of memory (resulting in 64 GB/s of memory bandwidth).

An engineering-sample of the card has also been pictured, revealing a red-colored PCB breaking away from the black PCB scheme of the rest of the HD 5000 series. The card draws all its power from the PCI-Express slot. The GPU cooler consists of a simple heatsink with radially-projecting metal fins, in which is nested a fan. Output connectivity includes DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub, though the leads behind the D-Sub connector shows that offering a DisplayPort in its place might be possible.

HIS is readying its second non-reference design Radeon HD 5750 graphics cards with the HD 5750 IceQ+. This model continues in the series of IceQ series graphics cards from the company, which come with superior, quieter cooling, while also being visually appealing and reactive to UV case lighting. The HIS HD 5750 IceQ+ seems to be using the reference design PCB, albeit in blue color.

At the heart of it is the DirectX 11 compliant ATI Radeon HD 5750 GPU with 720 stream processors, aided by 1 GB of memory across a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. The GPU is clocked at 700 MHz, with the memory at 1150 MHz. Display output connectivity includes DVI-D, HDMI with 7.1 channel audio, and DisplayPort. The card draws power from one 6-pin PCI-Express power connector. It is CrossfireX capable. Bundled in the package are Bumptop 3D desktop environment software, and a coupon for Dirt 2. It is expected to be priced around 130~140 EUR.

Come Q1 2010, and Intel will be expanding its socket LGA-1156 platform with dual-core processors, and processors with on-die graphics. Along with these, Intel will be releasing the H57 Express chipset which supports the Flexible Display technology which handles the connectivity for the processors' on-die graphics. Motherboard vendors seem to be ready well ahead, and the second such company with a product on display is MSI, with its H57M-ED65. This motherboard is based on the micro-ATX form-factor, and builds on the chipset's features, while also appearing to be enthusiast-friendly.

The CPU is powered by a lavish 10-phase VRM with elaborate heatsinks over the DrMOS chips. It completely does away with PCI, and features only PCI-Express slots. There are are two PCI-Express x16 slots (electrical x16, x4), and two PCI-Expres x1 slots. Apart from the six SATA 3 Gb/s ports the chipset provides, an additional storage controller provides two more SATA 3 Gb/s ports, and an IDE connector. The board makes full use of the Flexible Display technology, providing DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort as display connectivity options. A number of USB ports, PS/2, gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel audio with optical SPDIF, eSATA, and FireWire make for the rest of the rear-panel. Its enthusiast-friendliness is further vindicated by the presence of the OC Genie feature, on the fly base clock controls, and power/reset buttons onboard. Expect this to feature in the company's first wave of H57 motherboards.

World renowned graphics card and mainboard brand and manufacturer, MSI, captured the hearts of powerful performance enthusiasts after unveiling its all-new R5800, R5700 series of graphics cards. Today, MSI unveils its top model, the R5970-P2D2G graphics card, which not only equips two advanced 40nm GPUs, but also utilizes 3200 stream processors (SPs)*, and 2 GB 512 bit** GDDR5 graphics memory, making it the best performing card on the planet today!

Additionally, MSI's R5970-P2D2G graphics card features ATI Eyefinity triple-display output technology, allowing gamers to get fully immersed in the latest DirectX 11 environments. The card also offers PowerPlay power-saving functionality that shows remarkable power-saving when the machine is in stand-by. Equally noteworthy is MSI's own "Afterburner" overclocking software that allows the user to adjust both the voltage and overclocking settings for better performance. With CrossFire X enabled, the dual GPUs offer outstanding, stable performance that redefines fast. Without a doubt, this card will be the first choice of performance enthusiasts.

In a few days from now, AMD will unveil its new flagship graphics accelerator, the ATI Radeon HD 5970, which will intends to cement the brand's performance leadership over every product from rival NVIDIA. The HD 5970, codenamed "Hemlock", is a dual-GPU accelerator, with two codenamed "Cypress" GPUs in an internal CrossfireX configuration.

Built on the 40 nm process, these GPUs will feature 1600 stream processors each, and will each have a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface to connect to 2 GB of memory (4 GB total on card). The clock speeds are where the specifications of these GPUs differ from their single-GPU avatar, the Radeon HD 5870. The core is clocked at 725 MHz, while the memory runs at 1000 MHz (4000 MHz effective).

The accelerator will not have a rear panel identical to those of other Radeon HD 5000 series accelerators. It has the usual broad air vent occupying one slot, while the other has two DVI-D and one mini DisplayPort (DP) connector. The mini DP connector can give out DVI output using a dongle, and in this way, support for ATI Eyefinity technology remains intact. The NDA covering this accelerator is said to expire on the 19th of November, not very far away.

HIS today rolled out its own designed graphics accelerator based on the Radeon HD 5750 graphics processor. The HIS HD 5750 iCooler IV is a completely non-reference design, including cooler and PCB. The design involves use of the company's iCooler IV GPU cooler the company has used on mid-range accelerators in the past, the blue PCB, and an overall compact design, including a rear-panel cluster that breaks away from AMD's connector cluster design for the Radeon HD 5000 series. Instead, the card uses a single bracket that includes one each of DVI-D, DisplayPort, and HDMI, although the card itself occupies two slots due to its cooler design.

The Radeon HD 5750 GPU has 720 stream processors available, and is wired to 1 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 128-bit wide interface. It is DirectX 11 compliant, and supports other technologies such as DirectCompute 11, and AMD's Eyefinity, and CrossFireX technologies. The clock speeds of the card stick to AMD's reference speeds, those of 700 MHz (core), and 1150 MHz (effective 4600 MHz, memory). HIS bundles a Collin McRae DIRT-2 coupon, which can be redeemed to get a copy of the game when it's out. Expect standard pricing.

Sapphire's newest mid-range offering is also one of the first non-reference designs of the ATI Radeon HD 5700 series. The company brings the popular Vapor-X cooling technology to the mid-range Radeon HD 5750, along with 1 GB of GDDR5 memory. From the limited visuals of the PCB, we can make that Sapphire has come up with entirely its own PCB design, which is slightly shorter than the AMD reference Radeon HD 5700 board. The center of attraction, the cooler, consists of a sporty cooler shroud, under which, is a Vapor-X GPU cooler. A GPU contact block with a Vapor chamber acts as a large heatpipe, uniformly conveying heat to the heatsink above it, which is cooled by a fan. The connectivity cluster is standard: two DVI-D, and one each of DisplayPort, and HDMI (with 7.1 channel audio). Under the hood, the Radeon HD 5750 packs 720 stream processors, and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. Sapphire gave its Vapor-X accelerator slightly overclocked settings: core running at 710 MHz (core, reference: 700 MHz), 1160 MHz (memory, reference 1150 MHz). Slated for early November, the Sapphire HD 5750 Vapor-X 1 GB will be priced slightly higher than the reference-design accelerators already available.

Lenovo today unveiled five new ThinkVision monitors that advance "green" design and usability while providing an unmatched visual-rich experience. The new line-up includes Lenovo's flagship ThinkVision L2251x Wide monitor, the company's most environmentally-responsible monitor for its use of recycled plastics, low power consumption and first PC monitor to be TCO Certified Edge. As Lenovo's greenest monitors yet, the new ThinkVision L1711p, L1951p Wide, L2250p Wide, L2251p Wide and L2251x Wide extend Lenovo's environmental product commitment to "Reduce. Reuse. and Recycle." All the new monitors are TCO Certified, EPEAT Gold Rated and are more than 50 percent more energy-efficient than previous models, exceeding the Energy Star 5.0 criteria.

"By establishing high standards for environmental responsibility and usability for PC monitors, TCO Certified Edge is helping encourage manufacturers to produce and customers to adopt greener technology," said Tom Shell, vice president, Visuals Business Unit, Lenovo. "TCO Certified Edge products like the ThinkVision L2251x Wide monitor illustrate how designing for energy and materials efficiency helps the environment and customers' IT budgets."

Following the storming success of the recently introduced SAPPHIRE HD 5800 series, SAPPHIRE Technology now introduces the HD 5700 series, setting new standards for performance, value for money and features.

Only the second product line to fully support the forthcoming DirectX 11 from Microsoft, the new HD 5700 series brings many of the exciting architectural and performance features of the HD 5800 series to users on lower budgets. The HD 5700 series is based on a new GPU from the ATI division of AMD built in low power 40nm technology. This new series includes support for the new instruction set of DirectCompute 11, hardware tessellation, accelerated multi-threading capability, support for ATI Stream and the ability to display across up to three monitors simultaneously with ATI Eyefinity.

ASUS, the world's leading producer of top quality, cutting edge graphics solutions, today launched the new ASUS EAH5870/2DIS/1GD5 and EAH5850/2DIS/1GD5. The first in the world to utilize Voltage Tweak technology, these graphics cards enable users to boost GPU voltages via the SmartDoctor application to enjoy up to a 38% improvement in performance. Both graphics cards support Microsoft DirectX 11 and Windows 7 to provide users with the most intense gaming experience. The latest 40nm process and GDDR5 memory technologies are also utilized to deliver faster processing times and general system performance. Users can even run up to three displays from a single graphics card, thanks to the native DisplayPort and Eyefinity technology. The ASUS EAH5800 Series comes specially bundled with DiRT 2-by far the most anticipated DirectX 11 game-pushing the boundaries of immersive gaming with true-to-life visual realism and effects.

Unbeknownst to other markets, ATI AIB partners have been working on full-fledged lineups of graphics cards based on the Radeon HD 4860 GPU, a brand that seems to be specific to the Chinese market. Sapphire developed a new premium offering based on the GPU, called Sapphire HD 4860 Platinum, that intends to be a cut above the rest with its cooling and better power stability. The card in many respects looks similar to "Vapor-X" branded offerings based on other GPUs, by Sapphire.

The card sports a dual-slot design with a custom PCB by Sapphire. The PCB includes a 5+2 phase VRM which draws power from two 6-pin PCI-E connectors. The RV790-based Radeon HD 4860 GPU has 640 stream processors, and has core/memory clock-speeds of 700/750 MHz. With its 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, it connects to 512 MB of memory. The GPU is cooled by a robust heatpipe-fin array based GPU cooler. On the connectivity front, the card provides DVI-D, HDMI, and DisplayPort. It is available for RMB 799 (US $117) in China. More pictures can be found at the source.

Among the three main high-end graphics SKUs AMD has in store for this 23rd known so far (namely Radeon HD 5850, HD 5870 1GB, and HD 5870 2GB), is a fourth distinct SKU called the Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity Edition. This is a variant of the Radeon HD 5870 with specially-designed connectivity that makes setting up to six displays possible/convenient for making use of the Eyefinity multi-display technology that lets you span a display-head across several physical displays like a mosaic.

On its panel, the card has a large air-vent occupying one slot, and six mini-DisplayPort connectors occupying the other. Necessary cabling will be provided to connect to the displays. While each accelerator supports six displays in all, multiple accelerators can be installed on the same PC without any multi-GPU setup, to scale the size of the resulting display by up to 24 displays and up to 268 megapixels of effective resolution. It remains to be seen if there are similar Eyefinity Edition SKUs based on other AMD GPUs in the series, especially considering the fact that the company is also eying the business/productivity market segment.

Here are the first pictures of the obverse side of Cypress' PCB, and the first pictures of the centre of attraction: the AMD Cypress GPU. CzechGamer dissembled two Cypress "Radeon HD 5870" cards for a quick blurrycam photo-session. The PCB shot reveals quite a bit about Cypress, particularly about the GPU.

To begin with, the GPU is AMD's overhaul on transistor counts, and a bold work of engineering on the 40 nm manufacturing process, given the kind of problems foundry partners had initially. Apparently they seem to have recovered with most of them, as AMD's AIB partners are coming up with new products based on the 40 nm RV740 GPU on a weekly basis. The package holds a "diamond-shaped" die that is angled in a way similar to RV740, RV730, or more historically, the R600. The seemingly huge die measures 338 mm² (area), and for 40 nm, it translates to "huge", and is vindicated by the transistor count of ~2.1 billion. In contrast, AMD's older flagship GPU, the RV790 holds 959 million, and NVIDIA's GT200 holds 1.4 billion.

In a release to its AIB partners, AMD listed out the key features of its high performance GPU in the Evergreen family, codenamed "Cypress". While not getting into the GPU specifications, it lists out the key technologies the GPUs support. It comes as no surprise that AMD will name Cypress-XT and Cypress-Pro as Radeon HD 5870 and Radeon HD 5850, a model number scheme that's been running for the past two generations. While product launches, tentatively on September 22, and (p)reviews keep us busy in September, retail availability can be expected only in October, just in time for that of Windows 7.

• 1GB GDDR5 memory
• ATI Eyefinity technology with support for up to three displays
• ATI Stream technology
• Designed for DirectCompute 5.0 and OpenCL
• Accelerated Video Transcoding (AVT)
• Compliant with DirectX 11 and earlier revisions,supports OpenGL 3.1
• ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU support for highly scalable performance
• ATI Avivo HD video and display technology
• Dynamic power management with ATI PowerPlay technology
• 2x DL-DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI
• PCI Express 2.0 interface

EIZO Japan announced its newest 24.1 inch LCD monitor, the FlexScan S2433W-H. Aimed at graphics professionals and the likes, this monitor sports a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels (WUXGA). It provides a brightness of 360cd/m2, and a static contrast ratio of 1000:1. The EcoView and EyeCare features adjusts brightness to best suit the ambient lighting conditions, and work to conserve energy. The panel has a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees. It takes input from DVI-D (HDCP capable), D-Sub, and DisplayPort. It is able to reproduce 96% of the Adobe RGB colour-space. Available in matte black and silver, the FlexScan S2433W-H started selling in Japan for 94,800 JPY (US $995).

To meet the extreme productivity needs of today's CAD, Digital Content Creation (DCC) and oil and gas professionals, AMD announces that the ATI FirePro V8750 3D workstation graphics accelerator is joining the AMD line of ultra high-end professional graphics hardware.

ATI FirePro V8750 3D workstation graphics accelerator brings the highest number of shader engines (800) with the highest memory bandwidth (115.2 GB/s) in the entire 3D professional graphics offerings today1 which enables professionals to render incredibly complex models and photo-realistic images in real-time.

NEC Display Solutions will be launching the first 23" screen with IPS technology in 16:9 format in autumn 2009. The MultiSync EA231WMi combines excellent image quality in high resolution (full HD) with low energy consumption and its wide screen format enhances productivity. Another innovation for NEC desktop displays is the DisplayPort interface for future-proof digital connectivity. Priced at a similar level as conventional 19" or wide 22" models it offers more display area to work with several applications at the same time. The monitor comes with TCO 5.0 certification and is therefore ideally suited for professional use.

With IPS technology the EA231WMi offers outstanding viewing angle and image stability which will be appreciated by all office users. Alongside its high-quality panel technology and award-winning design, the MultiSync EA231WMi also provides all the technical benefits of the EA series. These include integrated speakers, 110mm height adjustment and pivot as well as a USB hub. Additional environmental protection is achieved by an ambient light sensor for optimum screen brightness and energy usage at all times. The display features the latest Energy Star 5.0 and TCO 5.0 certification, with TCO 5.0 being one of the world's highest standards for ergonomics and environmental friendliness. This makes the EA231WMi the perfect office monitor from an ecological, economic and ergonomic point of view.

NVIDIA's upcoming 40 nm value GPUs, GeForce GT 220 and GeForce G 210 are on their way to a early Q4 launch. NVIDIA looks to give its 40 nm desktop GPUs the right profile with its reference designs that include low-profile (half-height), single-slot PCBs and coolers. The size and shape of these cards send out good signals about their thermal characteristics, at least for now.

Both these cards use essentially similar designs: a half-height PCB holds the GPU one one end, and memory chips are distributed on the front and back sides of the PCB. The G 210 offers DVI-D and DisplayPort connectors on the card, while the GT 220 offers DVI-D and HDMI. Both cards feature extensions for the D-Sub connector. The GT 220 has a slightly longer PCB, with a dense aluminum cooler. Both cards rely entirely on the PCI-Express slot for power. G 210 features 24 shaders, 512 MB of 64-bit DDR2 or GDDR3 memory, while the GT 220 features 48 shaders, up to 1 GB of 128-bit GDDR3 memory. Pictured below are GT 220 and G 210 and angled, front, and back pictures in the said order.

Major ATI partner Sapphire is releasing a variant of the HD 4890 Vapor-X accelerator, with double the amount of memory: 2 GB. Being a variant, it retains the rest of the feature-set, with a blue non-reference PCB, Sapphire Vapor-X GPU cooler, and separate heatsinks over the VRM and memory areas. The card comes with clock speeds of 870/4200 MHz (core/memory), and provides output from DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort connectors. It is expected to retail in Europe for as low as 226 EUR.

Matrox Graphics Inc., the leading manufacturer of specialized graphics solutions, today unveiled the Matrox DualHead2Go DisplayPort Edition and TripleHead2Go DisplayPort Edition Graphics eXpansion Modules (GXMs) for DisplayPort-enabled computers and monitors. These latest GXMs incorporate the next-generation display interface standard, allowing users to benefit from DisplayPort technology on two or three displays.

"Matrox is pleased to offer its first external multi-display upgrades to DisplayPort adopters seeking maximum display performance across multiple displays," says Samuel Recine, Director of Business Development, Matrox Graphics. "For example, with the new TripleHead2Go DP Edition, the DisplayPort interface allows users to easily connect three displays to a single notebook to generate a purely digital connection from system to monitors, while enabling resolution support of up to an impressive 1680x1050 per external display."

Matrox Graphics Inc., the leading manufacturer of specialized graphics solutions, today announced the availability of the Matrox M9138 and Matrox M9148 DisplayPort graphics cards. Expanding the M-Series product line, these new triple- and quad-monitor cards offer a remarkable 1 GB of memory, and with support for independent or stretched mode at resolutions up to 2560x1600 per output, users can drive business, industrial, and government applications on an exceptional multi-monitor platform.

"The first generation of Matrox DisplayPort graphics cards bring a tremendous amount of flexibility to today's DisplayPort users," says Samuel Recine, Director of Business Development, Matrox Graphics. "Not only can users choose any combination of pivoted, independent, or stretched displays, but also have the opportunity to combine two M9148 cards in a single system to drive up to eight DisplayPort or DVI monitors."