I just built an i7 system and I will admit that it was expensive, however the DDR3 seemed rather cheap to me. I bought 6 gigs of really fast stuff for $150. It was cheaper than the 2 gigs I bought for my last system. The CPU and motherboard prices were the most painful to accept because I am conditioned to get a high end mobo for < 200 and a decent cpu for about the same cost.

Price aside, I am very impressed with this computer and think that anyone who thinks that their older systems are "fast enough" are a little out of touch. I thought that way about my last computer until the drives failed.

What happen to that hubbub about Intel putting in the Lucid Hydra into the X58 Smackover II? I would think that with the Hydra, licenses for Xfire and SLI would not be needed.

Is this a sign that the Hydra isn't all that it's cracked up to be?

Hi,
You seem to be new here... Ultee/ Ultie/ Thomas Von Drashek/ Tom_Ultie etc are names of the infamous Thomas von Drashek who piles up drivel on the Inq comment boards. You are supposed to ignore regularly, and read his comments only when you really want to go ' WTF?!?! '

Cheerio

Intel will take Nvidia's SLI inexchange of not passing the ION platform early this year.

After all why would they want the consummers that are scrape for cash buy 20 million processors that only makes them a few bucks each (the Atom, in which they are not likely to purchase another system until end of the year) on a platform that is not even their's when they could spend more cash on a C2D/Quad Core platform where Intel makes the big bucks on?

I mean its no point to spend millions optimising the manufactures of those mid to high range chips so you can squeeze more profit out of them if in the end everyone buys an Atom system. Right?

And you would wonder where NV would get a license for making X86 CPUs...

To Ultee', actually it was 3dfx who invented SLI which Nvidia then bought out.

People that have the money to waste on Core i7 & DDR3 in addition to high-end graphics cards really have dosh to splurge on an SLI configuration.
Although not directly related to the article, one must ask, besides 1% or less of PC gamers, who actually buys SLI setups?

Considering that in 6 months time the same SLI setup will be on one single graphics card, it's a waste.

microsoft would certify ion. its much in their favour to pimp ion, 'vista ready' is exactly what they want to get netbook manufacturers putting vista onto their machines, instead of xp. no doubt as soon as it arrives microsoft will be pressurising netbook manufacturers into killing xp for vista. i see more room for linux to manoeuvre though..

HoHo Hoe. Funny that Nvidia Gives INTEL SLI License? INTEL, As Brainer Might 'member, Invented SLI. Then Left it Dead Flat Out. It may have killed plenty O' Good designs Over Years, Too. So Today its Integratd or one upto 16X 2.0 or duce or one three Way Crossfire Hybrid or double duces, variation 2-16x/2-8x or True4x16X. Yet Cann't We ALL Just Get along? Vantange Crossing WELL into 30K+ Arena. Can SomeOne Just Paste about dozen GeePU on ONE Card? Call It Slot 32X.1 & Live Happily Ever After, choking on -media caps of Last years ''8 sniveler ?home LongHorn?VaRooome STeWie Drashek "AM Baking Since Ovens Invented" or "Making Two Ghz/s Seem Chunky".