InsaneTek

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Motherboard @ ClubOC

ATI Catalyst 6.8 Performance Analysis @ TweakTown

Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5000 Laser Review  @ The TechZone 

ASUS EN7900GT TOP 256MB @ Sharky Extreme 

Zalman Dual Heatpipe VGA cooler – VF900-CUz @ Driver Heaven

BenQ FP202W Monitor @ Bytesector 

Super Talent PC2-6400 @ Neoseeker 

Undervolting the AMD A64 X2 4200+ AM2 Processor @ Legit Reviews

Shuttle SN27P2 @ Bit-Tech 

New server chips are getting a new socket, dubbed Socket F.

Although that new socket disrupts server designers' easy upgrade path from one Opteron to the next, it also lays the foundation for quad-core chips in 2007 and for server designs through the end of the decade.

Quad-core for the desktop market will be in the current AM2 socket, which made me sigh with relief.

Thermalright HR01 940/939 passive cooler Review @ XtremeComputing 

Corsair Nautilus 500 External Water Cooling Kit @ HardOCP

Cool and cheap screamers from Intel and AMD @ Tech Report

Asus A8R32-MVP Deluxe Motherboard @ Viper Lair 

Samsung SyncMaster 244T 24" WUXGA LCD Monitor @ BonaFideReviews

This is our first review since the site was relaunched. It is also the first from our newest addition to the team, Scott Byers (known as Switch in the forums). He did a fantastic job on this review. If you are tired of boring reviews, be sure to check his out. Stay tuned for more updates.

Undeniably, the quest for the ultimate in gaming peripherals continues to present us with a plethora of new and creative ways to get your game-on. Bearing in mind that this quest often presents us with products that are flimsy, uncomfortable, or just plain have an unreasonably high learning curve, I’d like to present to the readers out there a product that has broken virtually every known stereotype I could think of.

Yes, this post marks the return of affiliate news. Don't worry, web and industry news won't be forgotten.

Modular Power Supplies: The Reality of the Resistance @ Motherboards.org

Seasonic S12 Energy Plus SS-650HT 650W Power Supply Review @ PCstats.com

Thermalright HR01 940/939 passive cooler Review @ XtremeComputing

Ideazon Fang Gamepad Review @ Legit Reviews

Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 Quiet CPU Cooler @ Viper Lair

Big news out of Taiwan today. Digitimes is reporting that Asustek and Gigabyte have agreed to form a joint venture. Future products, including motherboards and graphics cards, produced by the newly combined company will carry the Gigabyte brand. Gigabyte will have a 51% stake and Asustek will take the remaining 49%. The new operation is set to start operating in January of 2007. This merger will allow Gigabyte to lower production costs. Gigabyte also may be trying to avoid a potential takeover by Foxconn Electronics which has tried to negotiate a merger with Gigabyte several times in the past.

The Asustek-Gigabyte joint venture will be established with an initial capital of NT$8 billion (US$244 million), with 51% of the company being controlled by Gigabyte and 49% by Asustek. Under the agreement, the chairman of the joint venture will be appointed by Gigabyte, as well as three directors and one supervisor on the board of directors of the new company. The remaining two seats on the company's board will be assigned by Asustek, according to the companies.

What a year for mergers. First AMD and ATI and now Asus and Gigabyte. It may seem odd to DIY'ers why these two large companies would merge operations, but we often forget how much business their competitors get from OEM's. ECS, Foxconn, and the manufacturers lesser known to the enthusiast may not have much clout in the overclocking segment of the market but they have big presence in the OEM market. If Gigabyte and Asus have to merge to avoid floundering or being bought by someone who doesn't cater to the overclocker, then I'm all for the merger.

Rumors have been circulating about Dell offering AMD chips in their consumer lines ever since Dell announced that they would use AMD chips in their four-way servers back in May. The first confirmation of these rumors has come. ZDNet Asia is reporting that a Dell executive, declining to be named, has told them that Dell has AMD notebook products in the works. He said it was "not a big deal" yet confirmed that consumer models sporting a 15.4" screen with AMD processors would be shipping by years end.

Has hell frozen over? Intel's deals were not enough to keep AMD out forever I guess. Dell apparently says that market demand has forced them to offer AMD chips in their products. I am a bit puzzled with Dell's decision to release notebook products first. AMD has never had the advantage on Intel in the notebook market. Intel has had quite a strong showing of chips lately, with the Core Duo for notebooks and Core 2 Duo on the desktop. I am surprised Dell is not holding off a little while longer. It would have made more sense to release AMD products when they were stomping Intel. In any case, this is a big win for AMD. Hopefully it is a big win for consumers too. We shall see.

Rumors are like rollercoasters, one second they are at the top and the next they come crashing down to earth. The rumor that I posted yesterday regarding ATI's brand name was proven false today. I guess this goes to show, that even if a source has a credible statement by an employee, it is all in how you interpret their words. In the case of CustomPC, they assumed that since AMD said that AMD would remain AMD, that the ATI brand would be dropped cold turkey.

'AMD has no plans to drop the ATi brand name or ATi's product brands. The ATi name will live on at AMD as our leading consumer brand, and so will the Radeon brand and other ATi product brands. AMD's executive management knows very well the power and value of branding, and ATi's branding is some of the most valued in the global technology industry.'

Thankfully, Arstechnica got to the bottom of this rumor and corrected it with another statement from AMD. This one was far more clear. AMD has no intention of dropping the ATI brand. We will continue to have our ATI vs. Nvidia wars. It did seem awfully silly to drop a brand name that has had so much money poured into it.

CustomPC is reporting that, after the takeover is completed, AMD will discontinue the ATi name. CustomPC cites a named source from AMD as the one who made the statement. The Radeon brand is not currently on the chopping block, although it is still a possibilty that it will get axed. Does this mean that instead of ATI vs. Nvidia we will have AMD vs. Nvidia? Kind of ironic, isn't it? Nvidia is AMD's major chipset manufacturer but they will soon be going to head to head, branding and everything. 

We asked Richard Baker from AMD if this meant that the memorable Radeon name would also be biting the dust, but he replied that 'we haven't made any final decisions yet, but I'd personally be very surprised if we dropped any of those product names. The ATi company name is definitely going, though.'