VIA-based AMD motherboard makes a mighty comeback

OCWORKBENCH provides us with one of the first VIA-based AM2 motherboard around. Yep, you read it right, VIA is back. the Asrock AM2V890-VSTA AM2 board pairs the K8T890CF with the VIA 8237A, there are six three extension lots, with two SATA ports as well as a HDMI_SPDIF header. It is Vista compatible but comes with minimal accessories clearly showing that it is aiming at entry level. It is compared to the RD580 and the 590SLI from Nvidia. Results are quite promising.

Madshrimps pits the Core Duo vs the Pentium M mobile CPU. Unfortunately, there's no single or dual Core Turions. The T2600 is compared to the PM 740. Madshrimps also has a look at the cost of purchasing those new babies - which is outright prohibitive for the T2600 - as well as the power dissipation. Benchmarks include DVD shrink and Photoshop as well as Superpi and Futuremark.

Techdomain, an Australian website, tests the Sytrin Kuformula VF1 Plus VGA cooler. It is marketed as a high performance VGA cooler with special emphasis on DIY cooling. You can therefore find out that it does come with quite a few accessories including a blower fan. While it is a quiet cooling solution and does provide with excellent results, it might be just too big if you want to cool a Crossfire/SLI solution.

Driverheaven checks the Revoltec Illuminated desktop called the Lightboard advanced. It actually comes with a mouse and a mousepad, all three being illuminated. Unfortunately, they seems to be on sale separately but are powered by USB ports - make sure you have a free port or a hub. You won't buy them for their sheer functionality but rather for the fact that they emit light. Modders, get your purse ready.

BIOSmagazine reports on the Sony SDM-E96D 19-inch LCD monitor which comes with both DVI-D and HD15. The E96D is obviously an entry-level monitor since it supports only 1280x1024 pixels resolution and an average 700:1 ratio. It is a good choice for business though where the Sony brand will be well received especially as it has a thick frame designed to support more post-its.

Digitaltrends has a look at the Dell XPS M2010 laptop which comes in a stylish briefcase enclosure with integrated handles. It packs a 20.1-inch widescreen SXGA+ display with a 1680x1050 pixel, an integrated DVD burner, eight built in speakers, full size keyboard with a touch pad, something that I have been looking forward for quite some times. It even comes with a remote control. Now where can I buy one... µ