Entry-level DX10 GPUs don't have much beef

PHORONIX IS KEEPING an eye on SplashTop, new type of DeviceVM that is now going to ship with Asus motherboards. Potentially, even more products are on the way. Who knows, we might even end up with heterogenous operating system environment, with an embedded OS for browsing the web and non-intensive computing, and fully-fledged DRM-unburdened OS for gaming and other activities.

Ryan from PC Perspective brought yet another update to its Hardware Leaderboard. Things about to change: Agena and Yorkfield will shake up the CPU world, while after RV670 and G92, nothing will be the same. These parts pack high-end power for mainstream price, and these GPUs could be ones that make or break the dull world of DirectX 10.

When it comes to processors, George from Hillbilly Hardware, a favourite daily for Redneck hardware enthusiasts (at least by name) tested AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+. It was disappointing to see overclocking results not worth the time invested in them, but there is much more to art of OC'ing than just raising the multiplier. Or maybe this CPU was a dud. 3.4 GHz was all that worked with this multiplier unlocked processor.

Team Fortress 2 from Valve is coming out, and as the integral member of the Black Box, a lot of owners of Radeon HD 2900 cards will get this one for free. We know even about some 2600XT boards that had the coupon, so if you want to see what will happen in weeks' time, read Legion Hardware's performance preview.

Bit-tech reviewed Inno3D's GeForce 8600 GTS iChiLL Xstriker3, another card from the series of long names. This time around, the guys made some serious points about value for money, given that a Radeon X1950Pro costs 40 per cent less and sometimes offers higher performance. It seems that one of my colleagues was right when he said that true entry-level DX10 card goes under the name 8800GTS. That will change soon, though.

On the other hand, there are users that cannot afford more than an entry-level card. OCC tested PNY GeForce 8500GT with 512MB of video memory. As it usually happens, this board comes with hefty amount of memory to offer a good checkbox feature while failing to deliver performance. This is however, Nvidia's fault - for producing a GPU for laptops and putting it in desktops.

For the high-end part of the game, IT-Review.net came up with a review of EVGA's GeForce 8800 Ultra Superclocked, a product that is hand-picked and tested to achieve highest possible clock on air.

VR-Zone pitted two heavy-weights of enthusiast world against each other. Asus Maximus Formula and Gigabyte X38-DQ8 battle it out.

In the world of power supplies, BigBruin reviews Coolermaster's Real Power Pro 1.25 KW, while those Crazy Shrimps from Belgium tested PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 1KW-SR. Both monsters, they will be able to provide enough power to a Intel V8 machine even if air temperature rises to 40degC.

Hardware Secrets went back to its old ways and is now disclosing the innards of different hardware components. This time around, the lads published a Grey's Anatomy of Surge Suppressors, a relatively easy-to-make piece of equipment that should be connected to every PC you feel might need saving from unstable current coming from the grid.

Send your news'n'reviews directly to this address. µ