There have been some talk about new South bridge SB850 locks out the possibility of unlocking hidden cores from your dual core or triple core processors.

In fact, some board makers provide special functions to bypass the so called “ACC unlock” function found previously in SB750. They are able to unlock the hidden cores on Phenom II 550BE, X3 710.

Hex core processors are around the corner and we have heard news that the yield initally would be low. Would these processors be repackaged as Quad Core later remains unknown. If there are such products, there is a high chance you can unlock the 4 core into a 6 core processor.

ntel is set to introduce a series of eight-core Xeon server processors later this month, that are capable of running in four-socket servers. With HyperThreading technology enabled, each core can handle two threads, taking the logical CPU count on such servers up to 64. Each Nehalem-EX chip has 8 CPU cores with dedicated L2 caches of 256 KB, a shared L3 cache of 24 MB, and Turbo Boost technology that helps conserve power while also stepping up performance when needed. The die also features a memory controller with four DDR3 memory channels. Being based on the Nehalem architecture, the chips are built on the 45 nm HKMG process. ?

In related news, Intel will also introduce Westmere-EP processors later this month. These chips will be based on the 32 nm Westmere architecture, and are likely to have 6 cores, up to 12 logical CPUs per chip, 12 MB of L3 cache and three DDR3 memory channels. These chips will be suited for two-socket servers and workstations.

Source

ASRock create another splash with its new series of mainboards, notebooks and HTPCs at the CeBIT exhibition held in Germany.

At the show, ASRock demonstrates their commitment to technology innovation. The ASRock 890GX Extreme 3 based on the AMD 890GX+SB850 chipsets is one of the AMD 890GX boards that can unlock the hidden cores of your Phenom II processor. The feature is known as UCC.

It also showed a range of Intel and AMD series of boards including the P55 Deluxe 3, X58 Deluxe 3, H55M/USB3, X58 Extreme3. ASRock is going to fore-demo the World’s first Core i7 980X 6-Core CPU running on the feature-complete motherboard – X58 Extreme3. Based on Intel® X58, ASRock X58 Extreme3 supports 6-Core CPU, Dual Channel DDR3 2000(OC), 3 PCIE 2.0 x16 slots, NVIDIA® Quad SLI™, ATI™ CrossFireX™ and Quad CrossFireX™, PCIE Gigabit LAN, IEEE 1394, 7.1 CH, VIA® VT2020 Audio Codec which supports Premium Blu-ray audio. The heatpipe with fan design makes the system cooler than ever! With this fan-heatpipe design, you don’t have to worry the chassis air-flow anymore, you can feel easy to use the water-cooling CPU cooler. In addition to excellent specs, this motherboard also features some ultimate designs include 2 x SATA3 6Gb/s connectors, 1 x Powered eSATAIII/USB2.0 connector, 2 x USB3.0 connectors, smart switch design, Dr. Debug and CPU/Chassis Fan Multi-Speed Control.

ASRock Mini PC Series

New HTPC Season with ASRock Core 100 Series

In addition to the outstanding motherboards, ASRock is proud to release our latest Core 100 HTPC Series at CeBIT 2010. With the intention to present an affordable and functionable HTPC product to users, ASRock announced all series of Core 100 series which includes Core 100HT-BD, Core 100HT and Core 100. Utilizing Intel Core™ i7 / i5 / i3 and Arrandale-based processors, Core 100 series features Intel® HD Graphics that offers great FullHD 1080P performance and energy-efficient capability. Plus, it is the world’s first USB3.0 onboard HTPC on the market. Another “Must-Have” for users to experience is the industry’s highest level of True Blu-ray Video and Audio which can provide you “better than cinema” audio quality and stunning movie experience!

Based on the Intel® HM55 Express chipset, Core 100 series features Dual Channel DDR3 1066 memory, 2 x SO-DIMM slots, Max. 8GB, 2.5” HDD up to 500 GB supports 2nd 2.5” HDD (total up to 1TB). For audio aspect, it supports 7.1Ch HD Audio with THX Trustudio PC feature. Other excellent features include the GLAN, Powered eSATA/USB connects, BD Combo, WiFi 802.11n networking as well as green standards – EuP 2.0 and Energy Star 5.0. What’s more, ASRock Core 100 series even comes with exclusive MCE remote controller with mouse function!

Surprising slim and elegant appearance, ASRock Core 100 HTPC series bring you the best solution for multimedia entertainments and is definitely favored for your ideal HTPC shopping list!

ASRock MultiBook Series

Mobility is Everything – MultiBook M25 / F24

Another great product line is our MultiBook section. In this event, we’re going to demo our latest MultiBook M25 and F24. M25 is a 15 inch notebook and F24 is a 14 inch one that both come with exquisite features and affordable price. ASRock MultiBook M25, adopts the latest Intel® Core™ i5 processor and NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M MXM card that delivers solid performance for 3D games and everyday applications. ASRock MultiBook M25 & F24 come with excellent specifications and features, such as ASRock Multi-Touch trackpad, 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN, Bluetooth, HDMI, Powered eSATA/USB connector, 16:9 widescreen HD Glare Type LCD, 1.3M camera, and Full-size keyboard with numeric key. Multi-Touch trackpad allows you to maneuver your notebook tasks with simple gestures. Just enjoy scrolling up and down a webpage, zooming in and out an image, back or forth through browsing on the web by finger dancing with ASRock Multi-Touch trackpad.

A New Generation of High Performance
MSI’s New Products Shine at CeBIT 2010!
Mar. 2nd, 2010

MSI President Joseph Hsu says that the Wind Top AE2220 combines a stylish and aesthetic design with the latest technology. It has also garnered much praise from media present at CeBIT.

MSI’s All-in-One PC shines bright at CeBIT 2010! With its innovative technology and extraordinary styling, the Wind Top AE2220 has won the prestigious CeBIT Preview Award for 2010. The CeBIT Preview Award is granted by a panel of 300 local German professional media organizations after reviewing the year’s best products introduced at the tradeshow. The CeBIT Preview Award is widely regarded as objective recognition of product excellence. MSI’s AIO Wind Top AE2220 is the only All-in-one touch-screen product to have been awarded this coveted prize! It boasts a large 22-inch multi-touch screen with Windows® 7 and MSI’s exclusively developed intuitive touch-screen software. With its 16:9 cinematic, Full HD 1080p ultra-high-resolution screen, brilliant video effects can be fully realized. Combined with the powerful Intel® Core 2 Duo/Pentium processor and NVIDIA® ION graphics processor, multitasking is a breeze. The model is also equipped with wireless Internet access, and through the touch of a single finger, users can enjoy powerful multimedia features or surf the Net. The Wind Top AE2220 combines a stylish and aesthetic design with the latest technology. It has also garnered much praise from media present at CeBIT, who all gave it a resounding thumbs-up. In addition, MSI’s 3D All-in-One touch-screen technology was the focus of the show on opening day. With this new 3D touch-screen All-in-One PC, all a user needs to do is put on a pair of 3D glasses and touch the screen directly to experience immersive 3D images via the Full HD, 120Hz LED panel!
MSI President Joseph Hsu says that his company’s laptops and All-in-One PC products have equal emphasis on both style and performance, and this is evident from the very warm response the company has received from consumers. “With both commercial and consumer dimensions, MSI is definitely the pioneer to promote All-in-One PC worldwide,” said Joseph.

In addition to its star products, MSI is also introducing a full range of laptop models, the All-in-One PC Intel® CoreTM series and the Green Wind Top series.

GT 660 Notebook, the Best Audio Experience
MSI has collaborated with top audio equipment manufacturer Dynaudio to unveil its GT660 laptop with built-in Dynaudio technology. “We are very happy to cooperate with MSI to show that sound can be much better in computers,” said Wilfried Ehrenholz, CEO of Dynaudio International GmbH. GT660 displays the world’s only built-in LED light show technology, allowing users to experience the highest level of enjoyment whether they are playing games, watching movies or listening to music. “We try to deliver the best audio experience to the users with this brand new notebook, and it is a very successful product which we are proud of,” said Sam Chern, MSI Notebook Marketing Director.

“We are very happy to cooperate with MSI to show that sound can be much better in computers,” said Wilfried Ehrenholz, CEO of Dynaudio International GmbH.Sam Chern, MSI Notebook Marketing Director, says that MSI GT660 notebook delivers the best audio experience.

Besides, this year’s theme “Performance?Sound?Vision” also symbolizes MSI’s five major leading and innovative technical indicators of Notebook, which include their exclusive TDE overclocking and cooling technology, GPU Boost intelligent power management technology, Cinema Pro high quality imaging technology, outstanding audio technology, as well as award-winning and stylish ultra-light and slim designs. On display at the exhibition venue are the Wind U160 and the X-Slim X620, which have just won Germany’s iF Design Award for 2010, both of which are ground breaking laptop products designed with both style and performance in mind.

The Ultimate in Performance! Big Bang Series Mainboards Now Invading the Gaming Market

MSI Mainboard Marketing Director, Jason Lee, said that the Big Bang series gaming mainboards have been widely praised by consumers since their debut last year.
MSI Mainboard Marketing Director Jason Lee said that the Big Bang series of mainboards have been designed exclusively for the gaming market, and have been widely praised by consumers since their debut at the end of last year. The product that has received the most attention is the Big Bang-Fuzion mainboard, which is equipped with an exclusive Hydra Engine graphics chip developed by Israeli developer Lucidlogix. Gamers are no longer limited by specific manufacturers or graphics chips and will be able to use the Hydra Technology to upgrade their systems easily. To show how MSI has adopted its strategic “Performance?Sound?Vision” product development strategy, the Big Bang series of mainboards are equipped with exclusive THX® TruStudio PC™ and Creative EAX® ADVANCED HD™ 5.0 audio technology, capable of offering full 3D audiovisual effects.

Also on display in MSI’s graphics card product line at the exhibition is the company’s top video card product, the R5870 Lightning, which boasts the highest performance and unmatched specifications on the market. “Lightning currently is the world record of overclocking and is the best graphic card in the world,” said Jason Lee. In addition, the highly acclaimed Afterburner multi-purpose overclocking software that was introduced last year has been updated for this year’s CeBIT, together with the well-received Twin Frozr II dual-fan cooling unit. Jason Lee says that these products have taken into consideration hardware, software and cooling designs, indicating that MSI is once again creating an all-new graphics card performance benchmark for the industry.

If you remember, users are excited with Phenom II X3 710 or Phenom II 550BE as such processors have hidden cores that can be enabled by ACC feature which is supported on the SB710 or SB750 south bridges. Unfortunately, this won’t work with AMD 890GX as it is now paired with SB850 south bridge since the ACC feature is no longer available.

ASRock seems to have found a way to enable the hidden cores without ACC, they call it UCC (Unlock CPU Core). Not only 890GX board, ASRock also implemented it on entry level board NVIDIA N68 boards.

Below is a video which demonstrates how it is done using the ASRock

It is not easy to choose which platform to go for especially when you see manufacturers launching newer boards from AMD and INTEL platform. One thing for sure is that Intel’s processing of video is far superior compared to the AMD counterparts. When it comes to gaming, the core clock is still the main criteria for most.

While we were testing the AMD 890gx boards, we compared both platforms, using similar clocks for the processor, same RAM at same clock speeds and found that AMD 890GX with Quad Core Phenom II might outperform Intel H55 with same clock speed processor.

Want to know more, stay tuned to OCWorkbench.

Ultra fast, ultimate performance & enhanced components – ASRock X58 Extreme3 is one of the most advanced True 333 (USB3.0, SATA3, eSATA3) series motherboard! Highlights of this year’s CeBIT Show, ASRock is going to fore-demo the word’s first Core i7 980X 6-Core CPU live show. Also, ASRock’s latest NetTop Core 100 series and MultiBooks will be showcased in this event! Take a look of our new collections and you will be amazed even more pleasure!

February. 26, 2010, Hannover, Germany – A coming wave of PC: pursuing the faster data transfer performance and storage capability, usher in a new era of extreme-speed computing. But have you ever experienced the true computing? ASRock, a global leading IT brand, struggles to provide the breakthrough well-rounded solutions for users to experience the real speed computing at the world’s famous IT technology tradeshow, CeBIT 2010 in Hannover, Germany, from March 2nd to March 6th at Hall 17, Stand C50. The best new hardware and software will be showcased during the show, including: motherboards, NetTops, MultiBooks and more. All you have to do is just come to ASRock CeBIT 2010 show, and you will be assured in the know!

ASRock Motherboard Series

Blisteringly Fast – ASRock Exclusive True 333 Series Motherboards

Fully Deliver USB 3.0 and SATA3 Bandwidth Without Sacrificing Graphics PCI-E X16 Bandwidth

Today’s motherboards hardly resemble the real computing. Whatever your reason for needing a faster system, we’ve got a host of technologies to improve your computing experience. The ASRock True 333 onboard motherboards born to bring the truth and sets an exactly true computing standard by combining the world’s highest speed transfer technologies. As the industry’s leader, ASRock is keen on providing the most demanding technology and has once again proof its innovative capability by True 333 series mainboards. ASRock True 333 series motherboards deliver the unmatched performance with the onboard acceleration of the latest USB3.0 (5Gb/s) from NEC with advanced 10X faster speed; SATA3 technologies from Marvell with up to 6Gb/s data transfer speed, and the most seamless connectivity of eSATA3 devices.

ASRock True 333 Bridge

As we know, Intel P55 Chipset only provides PCI-E 1.0 x1 bandwidth (2.5GT/s). However, it is definitely not enough for the latest SATA3 (6Gb/s) and USB 3.0 (5 Gb/s) bandwidth. Other 333 series motherboard may use the PCI-E 2.0 lane which comes from CPU for the SATA3 and USB 3.0, but it will suffer the PCI-E VGA slot downgrade from x16 to x8 or can’t run SLI/CrossFire. Thus, ASRock integrates the True 333 Bridge on P55 Deluxe3 and it provides the PCI-E 2.0 bandwidth for SATA3 and USB 3.0. Visit ASRock at CeBIT 2010, and you will be stunned by our ASRock P55 Deluxe3!

ASRock True 333 V.S. Other 333

Unprecedentedly, ASRock True 333 series motherboards can run the PCI-E for VGA card, SATA3 and USB3.0 at full speed together simultaneously. However, other 333 series motherboards can only run one of them at full speed at one time. If you are an eagle-eyed user looking for the true exciting computing, do not forget the come to experience the new wonder of ASRock located at Hall 17, Stand C50. Trust us! ASRock True 333 series motherboard can satisfy you with a completed and qualified PC experience!

Upgrade your system for free? World’s First AMD 890GX motherboard supports Unlock CPU Core –

ASRock 890GX Extreme3 supports ASRock UCC Feature!

Do you desire for the free upgrade? Of course, you do! Different from the traditional AMD motherboard, ASRock 890GX Extreme3 makes a new definition of how a motherboard will be used! It is a new upgradeable motherboard usage that users enable the ASRock UCC (Unlock CPU Cores) feature in BIOS, and the CPU cores could be upgraded from X2/X3 to X4. ASRock UCC simplifies AMD CPU activation. Just a simple switch of the BIOS option ‘UCC’, you can unlock the extra CPU core to enjoy an instant performance boost. Additionally, some CPU can even increase L3 cache size up to 6MB. Not only on AMD 8xx series motherboards, we implement the UCC feature on entry Nvidia N68 series motherboards as well. It is also the World’s First Nvidia Chipset motherboard supports “Unlock CPU Core”!

(Please be noted that UCC feature is supported with AM2+ / AM3 CPU only, also, not every AM2+ / AM3 CPU can support this function because some CPU’s hidden core may be malfunctioned.)

System Performance Boosts Up to 50% Increase by Turbo 50 – H55 series mainboards

As anyone who has overclocking experience knows, choosing a powerful motherboard is the crucial element for overclocking performance. ASRock H55 series motherboards come with the exclusive Turbo 50 technology which can smash your board’s performance limits and boost up to 50% increase by automatically overclocking all related settings! Simply click the Turbo 50 button in BIOS, the system performance will boost up to 50% increase by automatically overclocking CPU, Memory, GPU frequency and all related voltage settings! If 50% performance increase still can not satisfy you, how about 100%? With PentiumG 6950 processor, ASRock H55 series motherboards even supports Turbo 100! – Performance boots up to 100% increase by One Simple Click!

At ASRock, we do not merely pursue excellent – we also strive for the absolutely perfection in everything we do. In fact, our efforts have been recognized in the form of numerous professional media accolades! Currently, H55M Pro was proudly received The Most Recommended H55 MB from Tom’s Hardware Guide (THG), and was honored as the Best Recommended Motherboard by the AnandTech System Buyers Guide. Combined with ASRock exclusive Turbo 50 technology and ASRock H55 motherboard, your system performance will be increased up to 50% effortlessly. At CeBIT show, you can see the full ranges of ASRock H55 platform motherboards! Come to the show and check out by yourself!

World’s First Core i7 980X 6-Core CPU Live Demo – X58 Extreme3

This year, the hottest PC topic is definitely going to the Intel upcoming Six-Core CPU. During the CeBIT event, ASRock is going to fore-demo the World’s first Core i7 980X 6-Core CPU running on the feature-complete motherboard – X58 Extreme3. Based on Intel® X58, ASRock X58 Extreme3 supports 6-Core CPU, Dual Channel DDR3 2000(OC), 3 PCIE 2.0 x16 slots, NVIDIA® Quad SLI™, ATI™ CrossFireX™ and Quad CrossFireX™, PCIE Gigabit LAN, IEEE 1394, 7.1 CH, VIA® VT2020 Audio Codec which supports Premium Blu-ray audio. The heatpipe with fan design makes the system cooler than ever! With this fan-heatpipe design, you don’t have to worry the chassis air-flow anymore, you can feel easy to use the water-cooling CPU cooler. In addition to excellent specs, this motherboard also features some ultimate designs include 2 x SATA3 6Gb/s connectors, 1 x Powered eSATAIII/USB2.0 connector, 2 x USB3.0 connectors, smart switch design, Dr. Debug and CPU/Chassis Fan Multi-Speed Control.

ASRock Mini PC Series

New HTPC Season with ASRock Core 100 Series

In addition to the outstanding motherboards, ASRock is proud to release our latest Core 100 HTPC Series at CeBIT 2010. With the intention to present an affordable and functionable HTPC product to users, ASRock announced all series of Core 100 series which includes Core 100HT-BD, Core 100HT and Core 100. Utilizing Intel Core™ i7 / i5 / i3 and Arrandale-based processors, Core 100 series features Intel® HD Graphics that offers great FullHD 1080P performance and energy-efficient capability. Plus, it is the world’s first USB3.0 onboard HTPC on the market. Another “Must-Have” for users to experience is the industry’s highest level of True Blu-ray Video and Audio which can provide you “better than cinema” audio quality and stunning movie experience!

Based on the Intel® HM55 Express chipset, Core 100 series features Dual Channel DDR3 1066 memory, 2 x SO-DIMM slots, Max. 8GB, 2.5” HDD up to 500 GB supports 2nd 2.5” HDD (total up to 1TB). For audio aspect, it supports 7.1Ch HD Audio with THX Trustudio PC feature. Other excellent features include the GLAN, Powered eSATA/USB connects, BD Combo, WiFi 802.11n networking as well as green standards – EuP 2.0 and Energy Star 5.0. What’s more, ASRock Core 100 series even comes with exclusive MCE remote controller with mouse function!

Surprising slim and elegant appearance, ASRock Core 100 HTPC series bring you the best solution for multimedia entertainments and is definitely favored for your ideal HTPC shopping list!

ASRock MultiBook Series

Mobility is Everything – MultiBook M25 / F24

Another great product line is our MultiBook section. In this event, we’re going to demo our latest MultiBook M25 and F24. M25 is a 15 inch notebook and F24 is a 14 inch one that both come with exquisite features and affordable price. ASRock MultiBook M25, adopts the latest Intel® Core™ i5 processor and NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M MXM card that delivers solid performance for 3D games and everyday applications. ASRock MultiBook M25 & F24 come with excellent specifications and features, such as ASRock Multi-Touch trackpad, 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN, Bluetooth, HDMI, Powered eSATA/USB connector, 16:9 widescreen HD Glare Type LCD, 1.3M camera, and Full-size keyboard with numeric key. Multi-Touch trackpad allows you to maneuver your notebook tasks with simple gestures. Just enjoy scrolling up and down a webpage, zooming in and out an image, back or forth through browsing on the web by finger dancing with ASRock Multi-Touch trackpad.

The Must See IT 2010 Tradeshow First at ASRock CeBIT, Hall 17, C50.

With a vast collection of product solutions, covering from motherboards, NetTops and MultiBooks, CeBIT visitors will gain insights into ASRock cutting-edge technologies with a wide range of futuristic technologies being showcased. After having a first look at all above ASRock new products, I suppose you’ll desire to know the whole show. Just visit ASRock CeBIT2010 tradeshow and you will be in the front row of IT trend! Trust us! Come to ASRock CeBIT2010 and you will be stunned by our superb hardware components, system performance and find out even more pleasure!

About ASRock Inc.
ASRock Inc., established in 2002, is an energetic company with the combination of technology innovation and humanity. Devoting efforts to bringing customers the innovative and reliable motherboards with the design concept of 3C, “Creative, Considerate, and Cost-effective “, ASRock has successfully established a well-known brand as the best price-performance motherboard maker in the industry.

Moving with the trend of PC technology, ASRock will always keep the commitments of creating products of best value for worldwide users. We always provide our users products with forward-looking vision.

According to news from China, retailers are beginning to stock up AMD 890GX mainboards for the March lanuch. Some vendors are already displaying the boards [not on sale] at retail shop front.

Gigabyte as usual as a number of 890GX products. One of these is the Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H which features “333″ – USB 3.0 (10 x speed), USB Power 3X and SATA 3.0 (4x speed via RAID 0). Of course you will also get the benefits of 2 oz Copper PCB , Enery Saver and ultra performance. On the box itself, it claims that the IGP can be overclocked to 1.15GHz with 128M DDR3 sideport that reaches beyond 3300+ in 3DMark06.

So stay tuned for CeBIT 2010 where all the news updates will be happening in almost realtime @ocworkbench on twitter, facebook, forums, main newspage in dual language.

In our quest to unlock the performance of our AM3 X3 710 processor, we found that the new boards still did not fully disable this function in the AMD 890GX series boards.

In fact, instead of enabling it through the cumbersome ACC, some boards offer hardware switches to unlock the cores. Of course, you would have to pair it up with a processor like Phenom II 550BE or Phenom II X3 710 to enable the hidden cores (these two processors are proven to unlock easily).

We received some news that the upcoming 6 core processor from AMD will probably be showcased at CeBIT as it is almost ready to announce the product on the 26 Apr 2010.

Unconfirmed information also reveal that AMD intends to implement a dynamic performance boosting technology.

As software that takes advantage of multi-core seems to be developed way slower than hardware advancements, this boosting technology will dynamically boost the CPU CLK by disabling certain cores and overclock the rest.

Currently, only Intel has such technology available on its chip. It is known as Turbo Boost Technology.

As we have mentioned before the launch of AMD 890GX will support the Thuban Phenom II X6. Older boards featuring the AMD 785G and earlier 790FX, 790GX might also fit the bill with a BIOS upgrade.

Lets cross our fingers and wait for APR 2010.

One thing good about AMD is that whenever there is a chance in chipset, you can still use your older cpu as it maintains the compatibility with the processor and socket type.

This has always been the case for dual core, tri core and quad core processors, what about the upcoming 6 core processors ? Will the older chipsets work with it ?

From what we gathered, AMD 790GX and 785G boards should support the upcoming AMD Hex core processor “Thuban”. This is because the new chipsets 890GX is similar to the 785G with an increased GPU clock and DX10.1 support. We will have to wait till early April to get see if there are any compatibility issues.

From our usual sources of information, the upcoming 6 core Thuban processors will make it’s first appearance in the market somewhere in May 2010. If our predictions are right, we would see lots of them at the Computex Taipei 2010 show to be held in June 2010.

The codenamed Thuban series of processors are hex cores processors of 45nm process. We understand that it will have a 95W TDP. Some information we gathered showed that some models can be up to 125W which we can’t confirm.

The accompanying chipsets would be available as early as Apr 2010. We expect it to be the AMD 890FX discrete chipset (with SB850). From what we understand, it is said that the AM3 socket processor should also work with older 790FX or 790GX boards with a BIOS update (some models).

We look forward to see the first Hexcore processor from AMD.

Discuss in forums

Here are some possible models

For readers who are keen to know what is upcoming. We have information that we expect to see the AMD 890FX chispets ready by March or April this year. This new chipsets are meant for the “LEO” platform and it will support the upcoming 6 core processor for Desktop.  Forward into 2011, they have plans for the 32nm Bulldozer CPU with 4 to 8 cores and next generation graphics.

As for mainstream, i twill be Dorado platform which consists of 890GX with integrated graphics. In 2011 “LYNX” which puts the graphics within the CPU.  Although nothing is mentioned about the chipset or processor, we expect to see AMD 880G, 890GX as the chipsets of choice paired with SB850 south bridge that comes with SATA3 and RAID5 support.

For the AMD notebook series, we are expecting the “Danube” that supports up to quad core ,DX11 and a 7 hrs resting battery life. According to AMD, Resting battery Life is like the Standby hours on your mobile phone. In 2011, we see another Fusion product, bringing the desktop experience to the notebooks.

AMD held a press event to update the media about their plans for 2010 and 2011.

It has been some time since we last have an update of the AMD plans. This time round, we have Mr Tomo Kamiya, Regional Vice President South Asia and Mr. Tan See Ghee tells us more about the upcoming plans from AMD in the next few quarters.

According to AMD, the most important things that needs to be done is to push forward with it’s CPU and GPU. They intend to push for 45nm transition for improved performance and power efficient for all three lines of product. The notebooks will get a better battery life and AMD Fusion is the way to go.

Here is a video demonstrating DX11 shown at the press event.

Read more here.
http://www.ocworkbench.com/2010/AMD/AMD-Regional-Press-Briefing-2010/p1.htm

AMD 880G will use SB850 south bridge

The upcoming AMD 880G chipset mainboards will be paired up with SB850 south bridge. As most readers will be wondering, the AMD 880G north bridge is just a souped up 785G with it’s GPU CLK raised from 500MHz to 560MHz.

The added on feature is in the South bridge which now includes RAID 5 support and SATA3 (6Gbps).

Availability – April 2010.

As you probbably know, the Intel Clarkdale processor comes with graphics and memory controller integrated into it. A voltage bump in this delicate CPU would mean damaging the internals of the processor.

It is really unfortunate that this happened to me. My Core i5-661 is dead. No matter how many boards and ram combinations I use, the Dual memory channel set up just couldn’t POST. The processor still works but it is now running in single channel memory mode.

So, be exceptionally careful with your Clarkdale processors whenever you test new bioses or bumped up the voltage levels.

ASRock have updated its BIOS for H55M Pro with a new feature ” Turbo100“. When you use a Pentium G6950 (the cheapest clarkdale CPU) on H55M Pro, this function will be available in BIOS . It’ll boost 3D program for 100% enhancement. Below are results that shows the improved results with the new option enabled.

If you require the BIOS, please login to our forums at ASRock (INTEL) and request for the BIOS there.

A week ago, Intel launches its new series of chipsets the H55/H57. The H55/H57 is a variant of the P55 with an integrated graphics within the processor. A new bus FDI was added.

From the way the features are added, we would expect 2 things, shrinking the die and integrating more features.

Intel 5 series is manufactured using 65nm process. The new Intel 6 series would migrate to 45nm procesor.

The Intel 6 series would have an souped up DMI with faster performance DMI 2.0. We should see a Intel X68 chipset somewhere in the 2nd quarter of 2010. Perhaps ICH11 would also be introduced together with the new 6 series of chipsets.

Only in 2011, we would see DMI 2, USB 3, SATA 6Gbps becoming standards. Based on previous generation naming convention, we would expect a P65, H65, Q65 with pretty similar feature sets. P65 will be the desktop chipset for mainstream whlle H65 comes with FDI for Clarkdale next generation and Q65 for the business.

In our Review of ASRock H55M Pro Intel H55 Mainboard with Core i5 661, we showed you the nice features of this board. ASRock ups its ante by introduce GPU CLK adjustment in it’s latest BIOS. You can now use the options available in the BIOS to tune up the GPU CLK and it’s voltage.

Although GPU EZ OC setting only has two options 1000 and 1100MHz, you can manualy set it up to 1333Mhz. We tried 1333MHz but it isn’t stable with voltage bumped up. In the BIOS, the GPU VID can be upped to 1.4625v. There is also an option GFX voltage which defaults to +200mV.

We tested the new BIOS by setting EZ GPU OC to 1.1GHz. With the same processor Core i5-661, we managed to boost it’s 3DMark06 and 3DMarkVantage scores by a substantial amount.

In 3DMark06, the score was 2158 (Sm2:676, SM3:843,CPU:3765). With the GPU Clk increase to 1.1GHz, the score increased to 2415 (SM2:762, SM3:949,CPU:3684). That is a 12% boost for 3Dmark06 in 1024×768 default test.

As for 3Dmark Vantage Entry test, the original BIOS gives us a scare of E5630 (GPU:4947,CPU:9617). With GPU increase to 1.1GHz, the score is now E6021 (GPU:5382,CPU:9356). That gives a boost of 7%.

Below are screen shots of the BIOS and the review ca be read here –  Review of ASRock H55M Pro Intel H55 Mainboard with Core i5 661. You can download the BIOS and discuss it in our forums.

WiFi Performance P.K. Test
The Most Powerful WiFi Connectivity – ASRock ION 330HT-BD

January 5^th, 2010, Taipei, Taiwan – ASRock Inc. the leading motherboard and nettop manufacturer proudly announce the WiFi performance P.K. result between ASRock and Acer systems. Thanks to the excellent effort of ASRock RD team, we’re glad to share our outstanding WiFi capability with all of you. ASRock NetTop ION 330HT-BD allows users to take advantage of unrestricted WiFi transmission effortlessly and you could even get rid of the limited wireless performance from now on.

Most enterprises are developing advanced wireless LAN for the increasing users with needs for corporate applications that involve the Internet, e-mail, web browsing and so on. The need for higher data rates and techniques to improve performance of wireless LAN is becoming crucial to support these types of applications. To get the optimized WiFi connectivity, it’s important to select the PC system!

Today, ASRock has done an Indoor Field Trial Test to compare the WiFi performance between our ION 330HT-BD and Acer Aspire R3610. During the test, ASRock ION 330HT-BD has once again proofed its excellent WiFi capability and can definitely provide users the most unrestricted WiFi connectivity. ASRock NetTop ION 330HT-BD, offering the hassle free, zero barrier network connectivity of WiFi 802.11n technology. Not only speed your connection to the internet greatly with a wider bandwidth, WiFi 802.11n can also cover longer distance coverage. Due to the excellent placement of antennas, ION 330HT series embedded with two invisible antennas (placed in a vertical/horizontal position), hidden inside the front panel that ensure you the most stable and unrestricted-direction wireless network coverage.