Intel’s Smackover board tested

INTEL’S FLAGSHIP Nehalem board, the Smackover (they resisted the urge to call it Smackdown, we’re sure), is on test at Bjorn3D. Apparently it does deliver a smackdown when it comes to overclocking, something that Intel boards haven’t been very very good at until now. The sluggish BIOS is more or less a trademark of Intel’s motherboards, though. Read the review here.

TPU is looking at a different approach to overclocking with the Zotac Nitro. Zotac created this little USB device that outputs clock speeds, temps, fan speed and will let you set up profiles for on-the-fly overclocking. It works in conjunction with an app called Firestorm that directs the readings to the USB device. According to W1zzard, the major downside is that it only works on Zotac products, although it makes sense as Zotac only covers Zotac warranties. Worth a look.

A couple of other sites have taken to doing a few more checks under the Core i7 bonnet. Tech Gage has gone a bit deeper and tested a batch of Intel quad-core processors so you have a fuller picture of what it’s able to do. Interestingly, gaming which has been a driver for high-end CPU sales, isn’t Core i7’s strong point. The difference between a $320 Q9450 and a $1,030 Core i7 965 EE is marginal. However, looking into HPC apps, the Core i7 comes into its own. Will this hinder the Core i7 adoption? Give it a look.

Legit Reviews, on the other hand, is trying to pick which tri-channel memory kit gives you the best performance under Core i7. Instead of testing a number of different kits, Nathan just set the memory clock and timings to the several different settings and found which combo performed best under Core i7. Another interesting detail is that the memory clock is locked (just like the CPU) in the 920 and 940, but not on the 965. Find out what Nathan found out.

AXP is a brand we hadn’t heard that much about before, and they’re making their debut on XS Reviews with 1000W and 800W modular PSUs. These pieces of kit will let you plug in pretty much everything you need, from a QuadFire HD 4870 X2 to an array of HDDs, provide clean efficient power and look good. Whoopty liked them.

Bit Tech is giving in to its SSD urges and is testing three units from GSkill, Intel and Patriot. GSkill is flogging a 128GB SSD for just $270, which pretty much blows everything else out of the water. Intel’s beast is all about performance, but at a price. Patriot? Well, Patriot doesn’t come ahead in price or performance. Find the round-up, here.

The first 9300 mGPU-based motherboards are arriving on the scene. The Asus P5N7A-VM is the first standalone review we’ve seen, and Silent PC Review has the goodies. Looking at the video output array on the micro-ATX mobo, you’ve got everything you need for an HTPC setup. Performance is also decent enough to play HD movies and games. You pay a premium for all this, though. µ