Overclocker Cafe

"Reading from Overclocker Cafe, this isn't a completely new design, its a remake of the 'Global Win YCC-61F1' Case.

Specifications:
Observed Dimensions: 606 x 241 x 457 (LxWxH)
Observed Weight: 8.8kg
Construction: Aluminum
Drive Bays: Four exposed 5.25" bays, two exposed 3.5", five internal 3.5" bays
Cooling: 120mm front intake fan, Rear 120mm exhaust fan
Frount Mounted Ports: USB 2.0 x 2, Firewire, Line out, Mic, eSATA
Available Colours: Black
Expansion slots: Seven
Motherboard Type: ATX, Micro ATX
Removable motherboard: Yes
Window: Yes

Conclusion: The Ultra m998 shows an everlasting classing look, which provides plenty of space to include GeForce 8800s nicely, aswell as other pc components without discomfort. The price of this case is understandable, could have been better, but we'll get the perfect case one day. Personally, a great case which is cool providing the space needed, one to be used for an ultimate gaming machine!"

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DragonSteelMods

"I went with these specific cards mainly because of the DDR3 that is on them, there are other cards at this price point but not many that have the DDR3 memory. I shopped around quite a bit and did a lot of research before buying them. Originally when I was upgrading my system with the EVGA motherboard I was sort of set on getting the EVGA video cards as well to make it sort of a matched set, but there were others of the same model that were cheaper and I was considering getting those, but in the end after my research I finally decided that the EVGA 8600GTS offered the best bang for the buck."

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Tweaknews 

"Overall, the SwordM is an exciting case to work with. The thick aluminum construction is expertly manufactured and aggressive styling throughout give it a look all its own. The hydraulic-powered top and side panels will surely turn heads, even if their usefulness may be questionable. This chassis comes equipped with just about every feature imaginable and then some, so it can easily be a case that lasts through several more system builds."

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CPU3D Preview: Kingston HyperX DDR3 PC3-14400 2Gb Kit

Thanks to Kingston Technology, we've just received a sample of their HyperX DDR3 PC3-14400 2Gb Kit. These modules look great featuring their new heat spreader. It's rated at DDR3-1800 that's PC3-14400 spec and can run at a blazing speed of 900Mhz with a low memory timings of 8-8-8-24. Check out our photo gallery below.

              

We expect these modules to compete pretty well against the OCZ DDR3-1800 2Gb kits. Watch out for our full review coming soon ... right here at CPU3D.

Fudzilla

"We found out that Microsoft plans to finish up DirectX 11 in late 2008 or early 2009. This means that it will move rather quickly from DirectX 10 and 10.1, but it might take some time for hardware to go the same way.

We still don’t know many things about the new API, but at least we have the rough plan that it is coming. It is clear that 2009 will be the year or DirectX 11, and the way the market works we should see some good DirectX 11 games by 2010.

Seems like an eternity now, but as you might know, tempus fugit." 

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Mid Week Reviews from around the net ... original compilation supplied by OCAU.

Motherboards:
Gigabyte GA-G33M-S2H LGA775 board on DriverHeaven.
Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L LGA775 board on Bjorn3D.
ASRock 4Core1600P35-WIFI+ LGA775 board on OCWorkbench.

Memory:
A-DATA Vitesta Extreme Edition DDR2-800+ on LegionHW.
OCZ 2x1GB DDR3-1333 Gold Edition on Virtual-Hideout.
OCZ DDR3-1800 Platinum Series 2Gb kit on CPU3D.
PNY DDR2 XLR8 PC2-9384 2GB Memory Kit on Tweaktown.

Storage:
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 500GB external hard drive on DigitalTrends.
Vizo Luxon Advanced external HDD on SweMod.
HighPoint RocketRAID 2300 & 1740 SATA II controllers on OCClub.

Video Cards:
Gigabyte HD 2600 Pro 512MB on TheTechLounge.
Asus EAH3870 TOP 512MB on Bit-Tech.

Cooling:
Apack Zerotherm Nirvana 120 Heatsink on Frostytech.
Thermalright HR-03 GT VGA Cooler on OCIA.
Danger Den Water Box Plus and Kit (video review) on 3DGameMan.
Thermaltake Bigwater 760i Liquid Cooling System on Tweaktown.
Coolink Silentator Heatsink on Mikhailtech.
Thermaltake V1 CPU Cooler on 3DXtreme.

Audio / Visual:
Panasonic TH-42PX700 42in Plasma TV on TrustedReviews.
V7 D24W33 24 Inch (HDMI) LCD Monitor on Motherboards.org.
Apple iPod Nano 3rd Generation on RBMods.
V7 D24W33 24 Inch (HDMI) LCD Monitor on GamePyre.

Cases:
Thermaltake Armor+ on Bjorn3D.
Thermaltake Xaser VI on TBreak.

Input Etc:
Logitech Gaming Keyboard G15 Rev2 on Metku.
Razer Lachesis Gaming Mouse on Virtual-Hideout.
SteelSeries Ikari mouse and SP mousemat on Bit-Tech.

Enjoy ...

Gizmodo

" No one really wants to feel the impact of a real bullet nor the crushing weight of a sweaty 300lb wrestler body-slamming you into the canvas, but gamers are always up for a little more realism in their gaming.

From rumbling controllers to shaking steering wheels, we all want a little more feedback. At CES 2008 TN Games is taking the concept to a different level with its 3rd Space FPS Vest, a full-on force feedback vest that translates in-game bullet hits to your body. And it’s not just a general thump either as TN Games says the vest uses 8 air-filled cells to imitate exactly where you got hit and the direction of the bullet. The vest has been doing the show circuit for some time but now it’s ready to buy.

There’s also a helmet for those ever-painful headshots and a driving game version of the vest that replicates G-forces and the effects of rapid acceleration and deceleration." 

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Digitimes

"According to data from DRAMeXchange, contract quotes for 1GB DDR2 667 DRAM modules stopped their recent decline to remain stable at around US$17 in the early January this year. However, while some market watchers have been quick to dismiss the the flat pricing as signs of improvement in the market, attributing the stability to the effects of better-than-expected sales performance during the holiday season and additional orders from first-tier PC OEMs, DRAM makers are keen to believe that price trends will continue to stabilize.

Currently, most DRAM contract quotes are showing signs of stabilization, although clients with smaller volumes have been forced to accept higher prices. However, pricing is still lower than cost, meaning DRAM makers are still not willing to accept the current offerings, according to sources at DRAM makers." 

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BBC

"Everything about the televisions on show at CES is extreme. Alongside a raft of new high definition LCD displays was the world's largest plasma display - a 150in behemoth from Panasonic - the world's thinnest commercial screen - just 3mm thick - and the world's first laser television.

The latter was debuted by Mitsubishi, a company that has claimed a number of television firsts including the first true high definition sets. The firm's describes its laser technology as a "new category" of screen, in addition to the likes of LCD and plasma displays.

The Japanese company claims that current high-definition televisions only display 40% of the colour spectrum the eye can see. Lasers, they say, offer double that."

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Techreport

"As the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off, Intel has divulged its launch roadmap for 45nm processors over the present quarter. We've already gone over the ins and outs of Intel's Penryn architecture in our reviews of Intel's Core 2 Extreme QX9650 and its first 45nm Xeons, so we won't repeat ourselves here. To be brief, though, the new chips will have lower power utilization (thanks to the process technology shrink) and higher clock-for-clock performance (thanks to larger caches and architectural improvements) than today's 65nm chips."

In total, Intel has 16 45nm processors spanning the desktop, mobile, and server/workstation markets lined up for launches throughout this quarter. Let's take a look at the desktop contenders first:

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