Intel's Desktop Board division is readying two new high-end socket LGA1366 motherboards under its Extreme Series line. The company's last high-end LGA1366 motherboard, the DX58SO "SmackOver", was released more than 25 months ago in November 2008, when the first Intel Core i7 processors came to be. The new motherboards are up to date in terms of features. They use the latest Rev. 13 X58 northbridge, all solid-state capacitors, support the latest LGA1366 processors out of the box, and feature USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s support. The two motherboards consist of DX58SO2 "SmackOver II", and its "lite" variant, the DX58OG.

The DX58SO2 uses digital PWM CPU power circuit, a sporty blue heatsink cluster over the northbridge, VRM area, and southbridge, with heat spread between the northbridge and VRM using a heat-pipe. It features six internal SATA 3 Gb/s, two internal SATA 6 Gb/s, and two eSATA 3 Gb/s ports, two USB 3.0 ports, 8-channel HD audio, and expansion slots that include three PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x16/x16/NC or x16/x8/x8), two PCI-E x1, and one PCI.

Memory major Kingston Technology is ready to greet Intel's 2011 Core processor family with a new line of DDR3 memory kits tailored for it. The HyperX Genesis, as it's called, combines faster, lower-latency, and lower-voltage DDR3 memory with a new sporty-looking heatsink design that keeps the modules cool while maintaining standard module height. The heatsink is basically two sheets of metal interlocked at the top, with rows of holes to draw in convectional air currents, to cool the heatsink. Kingston's new HyperX Genesis series is expected to be out in early January, 2011.A video presentation showing the modules from almost all angles follows.

The pioneer of multivendor/multi-GPU graphic solutions, LucidLogix today announced ground-breaking GPU virtualization software designed for Intel Sandy Bridge platforms. With this technology, next generation PCs will dynamically balance the advanced power-efficient, built-in media features of Sandy Bridge processor graphics with the high-end, DirectX 11 3D performance features of discrete GPUs, while significantly reducing the power drain of traditional entertainment desktops.

Called Virtu, the Lucid GPU virtualization software is able to assign tasks in real time to the best available graphics resource based on power, performance and features considerations, with no need for additional hardware. If high end graphics power is needed for applications like DirectX 11, high-resolution 3D gaming, the system will assign the job to the discrete GPU. If not, the discrete GPU automatically goes into idle mode, while heat drops, fan speed slows down and GPU utilization goes down to zero, resulting in a green, power-efficient, long-lasting system.

Intel Corporation announced today the Intel Solid-State Drive (Intel SSD) 310 Series, an ultra-small solid-state drive (SSD) that delivers Intel X25-class award-winning SSD performance, but in one-eighth the size. Measuring 51mm-by-30mm and only 5mm thick, the Intel SSD 310 is a fast, ultra-compact SSD that brings flexibility, ruggedness and scalability to innovative form factors and devices. It can enable highly responsive dual-drive notebooks, innovative single-drive tablets and low-power, rugged embedded industrial or military applications. When paired with a high-capacity hard disk drive (HDD) in a dual-drive system, the Intel SSD 310 can improve overall PC system performance by up to 60 percent.

A solid-state drive uses no moving parts, and thus is more durable and reliable than a mechanical HDD, while using less power and providing better system responsiveness. The Intel SSD 310 Series contains 34 nanometer (nm) Intel NAND flash memory and is available in an m-SATA form factor in 40 gigabyte (GB) and 80GB capacities.

Gigabyte rolled out the new Q2005 10.1-inch netbook. Based on the Pine Trail platform, the Q2005 is driven by Intel's dual-core Atom N550 processor, aided by up to 2 GB of memory, Intel GMA 950 graphics, HDD options including 250, 320, and 500 GB; and connectivity including WiFi b/g/n, optional Bluetooth 3.0, and gigabit Ethernet. Other features include an 8-in-1 card reader and VGA webcam. The 3-cell battery is standard, but a longer-lasting 6-cell battery can also be opted for. The company did not give out pricing.

As reported last month, Gigabyte has been working on a premium motherboard brand targeted at high-end gaming PCs, rivaling the Republic of Gamers (ROG) series from ASUS and Big Bang/XPower from MSI. One of the first products in this lineup is called "G1-Killer", and as it turns out is a socket LGA1366 motherboard based on the Intel X58 chipset. Gigabyte continues to tease us with new "cutout" pictures of the upcoming product. The latest poster shows a portion of the motherboard revealing the heatsink over the southbridge area, which is shaped like a 5.56 magazine, with even a round sticking out. One can also faintly see the six memory slots, four PCI-Express x16 slots, eight SATA ports (probably six 3 Gb/s and two 6 Gb/s). Said to be unveiled at CES 2011, the G1-Killer range is expected to start at US $299.

Intel's next-generation 2011 Core Processor Family "Sandy Bridge" isn't very far from launch. Among several interesting architectural features surfacing about the new generation of processors, fresh reports suggest that the dual-channel DDR3 memory controller supports twice the amount of memory as the previous generation. A user has been able to populate each of the four DDR3 DIMM slots on a MSI P67A-GD65 motherboard with high-density 8 GB modules to achieve 32 GB of total memory. The memory controller is able to detect the memory amount and run it properly on a Windows 64-bit variant that supports over 16 GB of memory (Professional/Server series/Ultimate). If the trend keeps up, future LGA2011 processors with their massive quad-channel DDR3 memory controllers will give consumers access to 64 GB of memory, capacities that are the luxury of only high-end servers.

NVIDIA today announced that NVIDIA SLI technology has been licensed by the world's leading motherboard manufacturers -- including Intel, ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and EVGA -- for use on their Intel P67 Express Chipset-based motherboards designed for the upcoming Intel Sandy Bridge processors.

As a result, customers who purchase a SLI-certified P67-based motherboard and a Sandy Bridge processor can equip their PCs with a single or a dual combination of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, including the recently released GeForce GTX 580 GPU and GTX 570, the world's fastest DX11 GPUs. 3-way SLI is also available on supported platforms.

Back in August, a report with details sourced from ComputerBase.de was bang-on in tabling what the 2011 Intel Core processor lineup is going to look like. With a little over a month to go for the market release of these processors, fresh details emerged that reveal pricing and precise availability dates of each model. To begin with, 9th January is D-day for the socket LGA1155 platform, when one can expect a large wave of motherboards to reach stores, along with 10 new Core i5, Core i7 "Sandy Bridge" quad-core processors.

The quad-core lineup consists of 7 Core i5 models. Based on a Sandy Bridge derivative silicon, these processors differ from the Core i7 models in having no HyperThreading (4 cores/4 threads), and 25% of the L3 cache being disabled (set at 6 MB). The lineup overall is seeing a clock speed increase compared to current-generation "Lynnfield" processors. The Core i5 lineup also includes an overclocker-friendly "K" model, which features an unlocked BClk multipler. The fastest in the lineup is the Core i7 2600/2600K, which is clocked at 3.40 GHz. With the default BClk (base clock) of Sandy Bridge running at 100 MHz (compared to 133 MHz on Nehalem/Westmere), one can expect very high multiplier values. It should also be easier to calculate speeds and keep track of, for overclockers.

With the debut of six products based on the Intel Atom processor, Intel Corporation is making it easier for customers to go-to-market with differentiated, custom-made designs. The company today announced the configurable Intel Atom processor E600C series, which features an Intel Atom E600 processor (formerly codenamed "Tunnel Creek") paired with an Altera Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) in a single package.

The new Intel Atom processor provides greater flexibility and faster time-to-market for customers, who can now more readily handle design changes without complicated hardware changes - helping to lower development costs. In addition, the new processor offers board space savings and better inventory control due to the single package, as well as a simplified manufacturing flow and single vendor support through Intel.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading manufacturer of world class NAS servers today refreshes its popular mid-range NAS business lineup with new 2- and 4-drive desktop models, TS-239 Pro II+ and TS-439 Pro II+. The Turbo NAS servers adopt Intel's new D425 single-core Atom CPU with 1.8GHz clock speed and 1GB RAM, which delivers superior performance and high reliability with versatile business features. The new models provide maximum storage of 8TB (using four 2TB hard drives and single disk volume/JBOD configuration). The TS-239 Pro II+ and TS-439 Pro II+ NAS servers are compatible with VMware, Citrix and Windows 2008 Hyper-V clusters virtualization platform, ideal for file sharing, backup, and advanced server applications in the office environment.

Intel Capital, Intel Corporation's global investment organization, reaffirmed its dedication to foster worldwide innovation with the announcement of 18 new investments. The new deals total approximately $77 million and were announced today at the 11th annual Intel Capital CEO Summit, Intel Capital's gathering of portfolio company CEOs, corporate technology decision makers from Global 1000 companies and thought leaders from around the world. The new Intel Capital investments span 11 countries including Brazil, China, Germany, India, Israel, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United States.

The new investments align with Intel's strategic focus on fostering innovation in core PC and server market segments including cloud computing, mobility solutions and access to broadband wireless in geographies around the world. Additionally, these investments will help enable advancements in adjacent computing areas including smart TV, tablets and smartphones.

Intel announced the opening of the Intel Romania Software Development Center today. The Intel Romania Software Development Center represents a multi-million Euro investment for the Intel Software and Services Group. Software innovations from the center's R&D work will help enable new and exciting consumer usages. Some recent examples of this type of Intel software innovation include the Intel AppUp Center and Intel's leadership in the MeeGo project.

The Intel Romania Software Development Center will focus on software solutions needed to create the best possible user experiences on a variety of Intel architecture based smart devices including smart phones and other common devices like smart TVs or in-vehicle infotainment systems. The center will initially conduct R&D for the MeeGo open source platform which provides great flexibility for smart devices and software developers.

Intel may be not very far away from releasing its third generation of solid state drives (SSDs), but that doesn't stop the company from updating its current "Postville" (Gen. 2) X25-M series of SSDs. The company recently listed a new 120 GB model, carrying the part number SSDSA2MH120G2K5. The drive comes in the 2.5" SATA form factor, and uses a SATA 3 Gb/s interface. It makes use of 34 nm MLC NAND flash chips, and offers read/write speeds of 250 MB/s and 70 MB/s, respectively. The TRIM command is supported. The X25-M G2 120 GB is priced at around €210.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, announced a boost to its XPG Gaming Series DDR3 lineup with a 2400G 4GB dual channel kit to satisfy computer gamers' increasingly stringent demands for high capacity and performance DRAM Modules.

The new XPG DDR3 2400G runs at an operating voltage of 1.65 volts with CL value 9-11-9-27, allowing for predicted bandwidth up to 38.4GB per second. Each XPG Gaming v2.0 Series memory chip is selected through a strict filtering process, complete with superior 8-layer PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and unique TCT (Thermal Conductive Technology) that effectively lowers module temperature. Each memory chip is in direct contact with the heat spreaders for better heat dissipation, improved power consumption, and prolonged lifespan. The XPG DDR3 2400G also supports the Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profiles) which help provide easy configuration for power users.

Achronix Semiconductor Corp. today announced strategic access to Intel Corporation's 22 nanometer (nm) process technology, and plans to develop the most advanced Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs).

The Achronix Speedster22i FPGA family will shatter existing limitations of FPGAs, allowing cost effective production of high performance devices over 2.5M LUTs in size, equivalent to an ASIC of over 20 million gates.

Taking advantage of the performance and power savings of Intel's 22nm process technology, Speedster22i will also extend the boundaries of FPGA speed and power efficiency, enabling as much as 300% higher performance, 50% lower power, and 40% lower cost than any other FPGA in any other process technology.

Eurocom Corporation, the world's leading developer of highly personalized, high-performance notebook PCs and energy efficient All-in-One PCs, is now supporting the groundbreaking Intel Xeon X5690 Processor in its ine of Mobile Server and Mobile Workstation notebooks. The EUROCOM Mobile Server Technology significantly reduces the time and cost of deploying short-term LAN based solutions and of extending usage of existing business applications to users wherever is required.

Eurocom's Panther line of high performance Mobile Workstations and Mobile Servers will be bolstered by the introduction of the Intel XEON X5690 Processor. Eurocom Mobile Workstations and Mobile Servers are ideal for the professional who frequently travels yet needs access to high performance computing. All Eurocom systems are designed to be fully configured with many optional components to choose from to allow each customer the opportunity to customize a system to fit their needs exactly.

ASUS is giving its stylish Eee PC 1015PW that makes use of the company's Seashell chassis with "purple rain" livery some dual-core power, equipping it with an Intel Atom N550. The netbook is available in two other liveries - "gold dust" and "angel skin". The 10-inch netbook features a 1024 x 600 pixels display, with storage options of 250 or 320 GB, and connectivity that includes 10/100 Ethernet, Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi b/g/n; and other features that include a VGA web camera and a multi card reader. On the software side, ASUS is bundling its own ExpressGate instant-on OS, and apart from the local storage, 500 GB of cloud-based storage. Pricing is not known.

Once again demonstrating its outstanding R&D capabilities, MSI rolled out the revolutionary GE603 laptop designed specifically with the gamer in mind. It packs the high-performance Intel Core i5 CPU with the powerful nVidia GeForce GT 425M discrete graphics card which supports DirectX 11. What's more, to enhance the layered wrap around cinema sound, it is equipped with SRS Premium Sound which boasts powerful processing capabilities and supports 7.1 channel output. This unbeatable gaming computer is also very light and comes with the best multimedia components available, making it the ideal entertainment center for the individual on-the-go.

MSI Marketing Director Sam Chern points out that responding to consumer needs, MSI is introducing the high-performance 15.6" GE603 gaming laptop with cutting edge hardware and software as well as an all-new exterior, a high-definition 720p webcam, and the latest SRS Premium Sound to provide consumers with a highly mobile gaming machine.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage and enthusiast computer products, today expanded their lineup of DDR3 memory solutions with the launch of its new Viper Xtreme Series Extreme Performance DDR3 memory. The Viper Xtreme series of products utilize a custom developed aluminum and copper heat shield to achieve improved cooling and stability. Patriot Viper Xtreme series modules have a custom designed heatshield with a copper insert across the DRAM chips and a slim profile extruded anodized aluminum outer piece. This unique design offers enhanced thermal performance resulting in a 5% improvement in heat dissipation over aluminum based heatshields. Viper Xtreme modules pass a thorough qualification and screening process on multiple high-performance motherboards to ensure performance and reliability for overclocking. These modules are targeted and designed specifically for performance enthusiasts and overclockers looking for an edge in benchmark efforts and to push the boundaries of computing performance.

"Patriot has been offering some of the fastest performance memory solutions in the world, and our Viper Xtreme series delivers a high-end solution with a custom heatshield built around a copper core to offer better cooling", says Les Henry, Patriot's VP of Engineering. "Our in-house engineering expertise and knowledge of the enthusiast market has helped us push the boundaries and set the standard for DDR3 memory solutions. With Viper Xtreme series modules showcase our expertise in developing and delivering performance solutions for the enthusiast market."

Intel Corporation announced today that the company will invest between $6 billion and $8 billion on future generations of manufacturing technology in its American facilities. The action will fund deployment of Intel's next-generation 22- nanometer (nm) manufacturing process across several existing U.S. factories, along with construction of a new development fabrication plant (commonly called a "fab") in Oregon. The projects will support 6,000 to 8,000 construction jobs and result in 800 to 1,000 new permanent high-tech jobs.

"Today's announcement reflects the next tranche of the continued advancement of Moore's Law and a further commitment to invest in the future of Intel and America," said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. "The most immediate impact of our multi-billion-dollar investment will be the thousands of jobs associated with building a new fab and upgrading four others, and the high-wage, high-tech manufacturing jobs that follow."

Intel Corporation today reported that third-quarter revenue exceeded $11 billion for the first time, up 18 percent year-over-year to $11.1 billion. The company reported operating income of $4.1 billion, net income of $3.0 billion and EPS of 52 cents.

"Intel's third-quarter results set all-time records for revenue and operating income," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "These results were driven by solid demand from corporate customers, sales of our leadership products and continued growth in emerging markets. Looking forward, we continue to see healthy worldwide demand for computing products of all types and are particularly excited about our next-generation processor, codenamed Sandy Bridge, and the many new designs around our Intel Atom processors in everything from the new Google TV products to a wide array of tablets based on Windows, Android and MeeGo operating systems."

Lenovo today announced the new ThinkPad Edge 11-inch laptop, the smallest and lightest member of the ThinkPad Edge family. Created for small-to-medium businesses (SMB), the laptop packs ultraportable-like performance and features into a small form factor PC at an affordable price.

"Just like large businesses, small business customers want laptops that perform without skimping on features that at the same time, fit their unique style and come at the right price," said Dilip Bhatia, vice president, ThinkPad Marketing, Lenovo. "That's why we've created the ThinkPad Edge 11-inch laptop with the latest processors for multitasking, 3G and WiMax for anywhere connectivity and included extra business-focused features like a standard low light sensitive webcamera."

Earlier this month, it was reported that the master-key that overrides or unlocks HDCP-encrypted digital content may have been leaked. The worst fears of the HDCP team are coming true, with Intel, a main developer of HDCP, confirming that the master-key leak is genuine. High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is everywhere, wherever there's commercial high-definition video content, such as Blu-ray movie titles, HDTV set-top boxes, PCs capable of Blu-ray playback, and so on. It is an encryption layer that protects the HD content in its natural audio-video quality from being ripped. Without HDCP one would still be able to watch HD content, albeit with degraded quality.

The immediate repercussions of the master key leak are directed at consumer electronics manufacturers, they might hesitate to adopt HDCP paying its royalty for making use of the protocol, there is technically no fidelity left in it. Grey-market and el-cheapo consumer electronic manufacturers can circumvent HDCP compliance to offer near-perfect video playback. What's worse, it's party-time for pirates. Devices that recover digital content while retaining perfect picture/audio quality by stripping out the encryption can be made. Whatever the consequences Intel maintains it won't affect HDCP much.

Introducing a more personal, intuitive and entertaining computing experience for consumers, HP today unveiled the sleekly appealing HP TouchSmart310 PC, which features the most advanced version of the company's exclusive TouchSmart software to date. The company also announced the HP TouchSmart Apps Center for one-touch access to free and subscription-based applications, as well as the HP Omni100, which offers the performance users demand from a tower and monitor in an all-in- one design.

HP also is helping businesses make touch an integral part of the customer experience through relationships with American Airlines, ESPN and the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers. "Each generation of TouchSmart is a reflection of what HP has learned from its customers, complemented by the latest technologies," said James Mouton, senior vice president, Desktop Organization, Personal Systems Group, HP. "The TouchSmart PC's unique interface lets users do more than just basic computing - it acts as the anchor of one's digital lifestyle, encouraging creativity, organization and a truly immersive experience."