CNet

"Psystar says its goal in selling its Open Computer, a non-Apple-made computer with the Leopard operating system as an option, is to give consumers more choice and better bang for the buck then we currently have from Apple. At least today, and with our $740 review configuration, it appears to be on to something. Let's be clear from the start, this is not an Apple system, and it lacks some of the polish and the features we're used to seeing in an OS X-based computer. And as iPhone early adopters can tell you, you're often just a software update away from crippled hardware if Apple decides it doesn't like what you're doing with its products.

Still, after spending some time with this system we remain cautiously optimistic. Its raw performance is very strong for the price, and most of the core OS X functionality is there. As long as you understand the risks and the limitations going in, if you're looking for a basic, OS X-based desktop, the Open Computer will let you do most of the things you can do with a Mac Mini faster, and for less money. "

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BBC

"Details of an entirely new kind of electronic device, which could make chips smaller and far more efficient, have been outlined by scientists. The new components, described by scientists at Hewlett-Packard, are known as "memristors".

The devices were proposed 40 years ago but have only recently been fabricated, the team wrote in the journal Nature. They have already been used to build novel transistors - tiny switches that are the building blocks of all chips.

"Now we have this type of device we have a broader palette with which to paint our circuits," Professor Stan Williams, one of the team, told the BBC last year.

Memristors were first proposed by Professor Leon Chua, a scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1971.They are the "fourth" basic building block of circuits, after capacitors, resistors and inductors."

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Digitimes

"Though Hewlett-Packard (HP) has launched its 2133 Mini-Note, channel vendors expect the Eee PC to still lead in the low-cost PC market.

Though the HP Mini-Note has a larger storage capacity because of its hard drive, its overall performance, price and battery capacity come behind those of the Eee PC, according to sources in the channel.

Compared to the Eee PC 900's four-cell battery, which can last around three hours, HP's 2133 Mini-Note battery can only support around two hours of use and the Mini-Note is priced between NT$17,900-25,900 (US$588-850), more than the NT$15,988 price for the Eee PC 900.

In addition to a Windows Vista version, HP is also planning to launch a Windows XP Pro version of its Mini-Note in May, while in July and August the company will launch the device with different versions of Windows XP."

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Dailytech

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CPU3D: Special Mid-Week Deals 

Here's this week's list of special deals from our sponsors ... Also check out our discussion forums for further deals. Click HERE.

 - Silverstone Kublai SST-KL01B-W Tower Case - Black with Window @ £85.43
 - CoolerMaster Cosmos S ATX Gaming Chassis @ £140.50
 - Aeneon 1GB PC3-8500 1066MHz DDR3 Ram @ £26.49  
 - AC Ryan Backy™ SATA Combo - 1xSATA-data, 1xMolex, 2xFan @ £6.21

Komplett.co.uk

 - MSI GeForce 8800GTS 320MB PCIe @ £93.00
 - OCZ DDR2 PC6400 2GB KIT @ £32.00

Aqua-PCs

 - XSPC Bay Pump Reservoir - Clear @ £24.99
 - Xilence Red Wing 120mm Silent Fan @ £5.49
 - Aqua-Pcs Value Aluminium Gaming Case @ £10.99

CNet

"Update: Circuit board makers using Advanced Micro Devices' high-end quad-core Phenom chips claim that there are compatibility issues with select boards. This comes as the chipmaker struggles to churn out processors that are competitive with Intel's offerings.

... This issue was reported Monday at the Web site HKEPC. AMD confirmed Monday that some motherboard suppliers are mismatching high-end quad-core Phenom processors with a lower-end chipset. (The motherboard is the main circuit board in a PC. The chipset allows the processor to interact with other components, among other functions.)

"What people have done, mistakenly, is paired a 780G (chipset-based) motherboard with the higher frequency Phenom--the 125-watt Phenom," said Jake Whitman, an AMD spokesperson.

Whitman is referring to the fact that the high-end 9750 and 9850 Phenom processors have a Thermal Design Power (TDP or thermal envelope) of 125 watts versus the lower-end 9600 and 9550 models that have a TDP of 95 watts. The higher-watt parts will not work with motherboards that contain the 780G chipset. The lower-end models do not have these TDP issues.

"They've taken an enthusiast-class quad-core part and paired it with a mainstream motherboard," Whitman said. "And not all motherboard manufacturers have tweaked their boards to support a 125-watt TDP." Whitman says that AMD's 790 chipset--not the 780--should be paired with the 9750 and 9850 processors and that a number of motherboard makers are already doing this.

"We've never made claims that 780G motherboards are enthusiast-class motherboards," Whitman said."

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Techreport

"The 45nm, 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo processor inside Apple's newly updated $2,199 iMac may very well not show up in other systems. Electronista says Intel has confirmed that, once again, it has produced a custom CPU for Apple's latest creation.

The iMac line normally uses regular mobile Core 2 Duos, but the 3.06GHz chip in the latest 24" system is a special, otherwise-unannounced model with a 55W thermal envelope. Today's fastest official mobile Core 2—the Core 2 Extreme X9000—runs at 2.8GHz and has a 44W thermal envelope. Intel allegedly plans a 3.06GHz mobile Core 2 Extreme X9100 for its Centrino 2 platform, but that chip will also have a 44W envelope, and it presumably won't come out until June. Electronista says the new iMacs' motherboards are still based on current Santa Rosa technology.

This isn't the first time Intel has given Apple special treatment. As Electronista points out, the Mac Pro was the first workstation to play host to a 3GHz quad-core Xeon last year, and the MacBook Air includes a special Core 2 Duo chip that uses the same, smaller package as future Centrino 2 chips, but with 65nm silicon."

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Weekend Reviews from around the net ... original compilation supplied by TechReport.

Software and gaming

1. EVGA Precision advanced graphics tuning released (non-registered users
   can download from 2Manydownloads)
2. Björn3D, HotHardware, Overclockers Club, Technic3D, and TweakPC on 3DMark Vantage
3. PCMech: DirectX 11 to reveal a new era of graphics
4. TweakGuides updates Tweaking Companion for Windows XP
5. SuperSite for Windows looks at Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP)
6. Windows Speech Recognition Macros technical preview
7. Tech ARP posts x264 HD Benchmark version 2.0
8. Guru3D releases RivaTuner v2.09
9. [H] Enthusiast on Assassin's Creed gameplay performance and IQ
10. Anand shares thoughts on Grand Theft Auto IV
11. Shacknews on how GTA IV's marketing paid off
    and marketing to the gamer generations

Systems

1. Anand's HTPC part 1: the first builds
2. HardwareZone reviews Asus Eee PC 900
3. Computer Shopper reviews Velocity Micro Edge Z55 gaming desktop
4. Techgage reviews Asus M51S 15.4" notebook
5. tkArena on dual vs. quad-core gaming
6. Ars Technica reviews Phenom X3 series processors
7. Techgage reviews Core 2 Quad Q9450
8. AnandTech on AMD's 780G: the three amigos and a 9850BE
9. Viper Lair reviews MSI P7N SLI Platinum
10. bit-tech reviews XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard
11. [M]adshrimps on 4 X 2GB OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Platinum Quad kit—8GB of Platinum goodness
12. X-bit labs have a first look at Corsair's 4GB DDR3-1800 dual channel kit
13. Hardware Canucks review 2GB Corsair Dominator PC3-14400 dual channel kit

Multimedia

1. Digit-Life and t-break review Nvidia GeForce 9800 GX2
2. TweakTown reviews Gigabyte GeForce 9800 GX2
3. Viper Lair reviews Gigabyte GeForce 8800 GT Turbo Force
4. Neoseeker considers DX10 gaming on a Radeon HD 3450
5. X-bit labs have 24" LCD monitors roundup part II
6. Tweaknews reviews Cirago Micro USB Bluetooth adapter

Power, cases, and cooling

1. DriverHeaven reviews 600W Ultra X Pro PSU
2. Hardware Secrets reviews Thermaltake Armor+ ESA case
3. Techgage and techPowerUp! review NZXT Tempest case
4. Modders-Inc and Virtual-Hideout review Vantec NexStar hard drive dock
5. Elite Bastards review Noctua NF-P12 cooling fan
6. Overclockers Club reviews Thermolab Nano Silencer
7. Hardware Canucks review Thermaltake Big Typhoon CPU cooler
8. Big Bruin reviews Cooler Master Z600 and Sphere CPU coolers
9. Legit Reviews on GlacialTech Igloo 5750 Silent CPU cooler
10. TweakTown reviews Nexus XiR-2300 aluminum ed. CPU cooler
11. ProClockers review Scythe Shuriken CPU cooler
12. Hard Tecs 4U reviews OCZ Vendetta 2 CPU cooler (in German)

Enjoy ...

Digitimes

"Jon Peddie Research (JPR) has announced estimated graphics shipments and supplier market shares for the first calendar quarter of 2008. Traditionally, the first quarter has flat to negative growth for the computer industry as retailers and OEMs sell what is left from the holiday season. In contrast, 2008 saw the biggest on-quarter jump in six years with positive growth led by VIA Technologies and Intel.

Total shipments for the quarter were 104.5 million units, up 3.9% in over last quarter. Compared to the same quarter last year shipments were up a high 32%, pointed out JPR. In the overall graphics market, Intel held its first place position claiming 48% against Nvidia's 30%, while AMD moved to 17%.

On the desktop, Intel took back its first place position with a 46% share against Nvidia's 31%, while AMD slipped to 17%. The desktop PC market saw growth of 8.5% this quarter to 71.9 million units.

In the notebook market Intel held its dominant position but slipped one percentage point to 53% while Nvidia gained a point to 27% and AMD slid a point to 17%."

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Dailytech

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