ZDNet’s come up with a software-based app to overclock processors on the Intel 5000 and 5400 chipsets, which (as of right now) is the Mac Pro and Xserve. Apparently ZDNet Clock is so good, the cheapest 2.8GHz Mac Pro outperforms the 3.2MHz Mac Pro, saving you US$1600. You’ll have to fiddle with the slider to get it customised for you, so don’t think you can just drag it to the right and not have a crashfest on your hands. Hit up ZDNet to see the details. If you can get this to work right (and have enough cooling), it could be fantastic for heavy computational tasks. [ZDNet via Wired]
Think that the OLPC’s 433 MHz Geode LX 700 CPU is just too wimpy? Well, now you can toughen up it a bit and give it some processor bite by overclocking that mother. A post on OPLC News Hacks forum shows exactly how to do it: it boils down to some simple code to type into the open firmware prompt of an unlocked machine. A little informal testing shows it’s easy to boost processor performance by 30%. Exactly what those kids in developing countries need. OK, the computer geek ones. Maybe.
Today Asus rolled out the world’s first EN8800GT graphics card with 1GB of Qimonda memory. The card is designed to provide optimum DirectX 10 gaming and multimedia playback performance even at the highest resolutions and quality settings. The unit also utilizes an integrated SmartDoctor feature, allowing users to overclock the Shader Clock for performance gains that they claim can exceed 10%.
ASUS also noted that a new Glaciator fan / heatsink hybrid keeps the GPU running at temperatures that are up to 7ºC cooler. Pricing details have not been made available, but you can expect to see the at card on store shelves by the end of December. [ASUS via Electonista] More »
Intel has just announced its new mobile top dog, the first Extreme CPU to go. The Core 2 Extreme X7800 runs at 2.6GHz and has a 800MHz front-side bus with 4MB L2 cache. The new X7800 offers Enhanced Deep Sleep (for better energy saving), Advanced Media Boost (for faster video, photo and music editing) and it can even be overclocked (for smoother plastic melting). But the question is: will it… More »
Chances are you won’t be seeing this kind of action from your friend’s overclocked system, but the crew at Universal ABIT showed off a Core 2 Extreme X6800 CPU overclocked from 2.93GHz to 5GHz. The CPU was churning out Pi calculations while keeping cool with liquid nitrogen. The purpose was to show off their new AB9 QuadGT motherboard (and how cool liquid nitrogen can make your PC look). – Louis Ramirez
CPU Cooled with Liquid Nitrogen; 5GHz Overclock [Ministry of Tech] More »
If you can’t wait around long enough for Intel’s new mobile gaming chips, check out MSI’s GX-600. The Core 2 Duo-based laptop has a “turbo” button, that when pushed automatically overclocks the system by 20%. Push it again and you’re back to default. Aside from that, the 15.4-inch notebook has some other tricks up its sleeve. More »
Remember the XG Station we spotted back at CES? Well, Asus is releasing a desktop version that’ll connect to one of Nvidia’s 8600 GT cards. The breakout box will let you overclock your video card without having to rely on any software. It fits into a 5.25-inch drive bay in your PC and also keeps track of your card’s temperature, fan speed, and overall performance. No word on pricing yet, although Asus plans on demoing the device next week. – Louis Ramirez
Asus OCGear [TweakTown] More »
