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P55 Live Demo GIGABYTE VGA NetBook/NoteBook DFI OC MB LANPARTY DK LANPARTY JR LANPARTY UT P55 AMD 785G DFI Live Demo

MSI MB P55 MSI NoteBook-X-Slim X-Slim X400 X-Slim X600 U200 Small PC GIGABYTE Intel&AMD MB GA-EP55-UD5

? Intel Intel X58/P55 CORSAIR CORSAIR Dream PC some brand's Cooler 80°C CORSAIR Water Cooler 65°C PSU SSD

DRAM DDR3 1600 CL7 7-7-20 1T?1.76V SP2004 2 X Blend?3.85GB DDR3 1600 CL7 7-7-20 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth-13227MB/s EVEREST Memory Read-9101MB/s 3D?MSI R4650-MD1G CrossFire 3DMARK VANTAGE Crysis Benchmark Need for Speed Undercover 1600X1200 Anti-Aliasing 4X THE LAST REMNANT BIOSTAR TA790GX A3+ Performance ?????????? Components ?????????? Layout design ?????????? Cost/ performance ratio ?????????? BIOSTAR TA790GX A3+ about 125 usd Thanks:)

CPU Default CPU 200X16=>3200Mhz DDR3 1334 CL6 6-6-18 1T Hyper PI 32M 23m 23.048s CPUMARK99 439 CrystalMark 2004R3 PCMark Vantage CINEBENCH R10 CPU OC CPU 200X18.5=>3700Mhz DDR3 1600 CL7 7-7-20 1T Hyper PI 32M 20m 49.139s CPUMARK99 507 CrystalMark 2004R3 PCMark Vantage CINEBENCH R10 CPU 244Mhz 244X16=>3905Mhz 1.472V Super PI 1M 17.722s CPUMARK99 539 200X20=>4001Mhz 1.520V Super PI 1M 17.643s CPUMARK99 547

BIOS CPU CPU Vcore +0.020~1.260V CPU-NB Voltage +0.020~1.000V Memory Voltage 1.660~2.840V Side Port Over Voltage 1.800~2.700V Chipest Over Voltage 1.200~2.300V HT Over Voltage 1.200~2.300V DDR3 Memory Insight HD3300 Hardware Health CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition MB: BIOSTAR TA790GX A3+ DRAM: CORSAIR Dominator 2GBX2 DDR3 1800C8D VGA: MSMSI R4650-MD1G CrossFire HD: SAMSUNG 250GB POWER: Corsair 400W Power Supply Cooler: Thermaltake V1 AX

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition?45nm?3.2Ghz?L2 4X512KB?L3 6MB TA790GX A3+?790GX ATX 2 X PCI-E x16?ATI CrossFireX X8+X8 2 X PCI-E x1 2 X PCI 1 X Floppy Realtek RTL8111?Realtek ALC888 6 X SATAII?SATA RAID 0?1?5?10(SB750) Power/Reset 4 X DIMM DDR3?800/1066/1333MHz 1 X IDE 24 Pin IO 4 X USB 2.0 1 X HDMI 1 X DVI 1 X D-SUB 1 X IEEE 1394a 1 X RJ-45

Chipset is Intel GS45 with integrated GMA4500MDH. This is the best onboard graphics chip offered by Intel right now. 3DMARK2005 CINEBENCH R10 While no match for standalone graphics cards, the 3D performance was quite good for an ultra-slim notebook. TOSHIBA 320GB 5400rpm HDD Performance HD Tune Pro & CrystalDiskMark ATTO Disk Benchmark & FDBENCH TOSHIBA hard disks are quieter during use. I personally prefer 5400 rpm because it offers decent performance while still keeping temperatures and power consumption down. I did use 7200 rpm for a while but the noise and temperature was too much so I got rid of it. As for battery endurance, the X340 runs for about 3 hours if used just for surfing the Internet wirelessly or watching movies. The 4-cell battery was good about 2 hours and 44 minutes of viewing time. At this point, Vista reported that the battery was at 10% and had 18 minutes of use left. Apparently 8-cell batteries will be an option for the X340. MSI X-Slim X340 Summary Strengths 1. A 13.3" notebook that weighs just 1.3kg makes this probably one of the lightest notebooks now on the market. 2. The aluminum-magnesium alloy chassis, slim styling and feel of quality make for a great overall impression. 3. Careful attention was paid to the product packaging. The protective bag has a nice feel as well. 4. D-SUB and HDMI outputs available. I/O offers good expandability. 5. 4-cell battery offers decent endurance. Around 3 hours can be achieved when surfing the Internet wirelessly or watching movies. 6. Has high resolution 1366 x 768 display. DDR2 can run at 800MHz for better performance. 7. CULV CPU performs 150~ 200% faster than Atom (depending on the software) and can play 1080p videos without stuttering. 8. Uses 5400 rpm 320GB 2.5" HDD. Can be upgraded to 7200rpm or a larger capacity HDD later on. 9. The cooling system uses temperature control technology so it runs quieter when not under full load. 10. Uses Intel WiFi Link 5100 wireless network card. Supports 802.11 AGN b/g/n AGN as well as WiMAX. Weaknesses 1. Not used to typing on such a soft keyboard. 2. The battery is whiter than the underside of the notebook so it looks a little out of place. 3. When running at full speed, the fan noise is more noticeable. 4. Uses a mirror-finish LCD. A matt surface LCD would be better. Performance ?????????? Construction ?????????? Appearance ?????????? Price ?????????? The video conferencing quality was quite good. There was no pixilation and the colors looked quite natural. As for the speakers, the high range was a little sharp, the treble was quite clear while the bass came through relatively well though was still a little light. This is a problem common with most notebooks. On the 13.3" ultra-thin LCD with a native resolution of 1366x768, the font was still legible and no clear bias was noticed in the LCD colors. I first came across this kind of compact transformer on my personal double A netbook. It is only rated for 45W so tends to heat up during charging. It's very portable though. While charging the X340, I tested the temperature with my hand and found that it didn't get as hot as it did with the double A product. It took longer to charge though. I suspect MSI lowered the power rating to keep the portability without having to worry about high temperatures. The downside is longer charge times, but I think the trade-off is okay. The pre-order price for the MSI X-Slim X340 in the US is 1099 USD. The price on the DM given out at the computer fair in Taiwan in April was 36900 NTD. Online vendors in the US have now updated their prices and hopefully Taiwan will do the same soon. After all, it's going to be compared against ACER's Timeline series (approx. 26900 NTD). Both have a metal casing while the X340 is lighter, thinner and looks better too. Rumors have it that the X340 will be priced under 30,000 NTD in the future. This should make it a more attractive proposition. Since the MSI X-Slim X340/X320 was announced, its resemblance to another major brand's product has led to a lot of online discussion. In my opinion though, there's a lot of mutual learning and refining going on in the IT industry. This kind of competition is what keeps things fresh in the market and produces better or more advanced products. Of course, this kind of competition is only meaningful if no patents are being violated. ? On the consumer end, the question of imitation doesn't really matter. Patent disputes should be left up to the manufacturers to settle among themselves. As far as the consumer is concerned, what really matters are better quality, better pricing, better technology and better cost vs. price. The launch of MSI's new X-Slim series will undoubtedly take a bite out of the market for some high-end business notebooks. It also means that light, slim and high quality products will finally become affordable for general consumers as well. There are currently two CULV 13.3" notebooks on the market – the MSI X-Slim and the Acer Timeline. We can expect more CULV products of this type from other manufacturers in the future as well. So, the biggest winners will no doubt be the consumer. So, let's us look forward to the day when the CULV notebook market can offer more choices and lower prices

The msi mark on the top cover glows white when in use. Next, let's see how the performance benchmarks go MSI X-Slim X340 with Intel's Core Solo CPU Model number is SU3500 (1.4GHz, L2 3MB, single core) CPU performance testing CPUMARK99 201 & Super PI 1M 35.490s Nuclearus Multi Core & Fritz Chess Benchmark The CPU performed quite well. It's a single-core model but comes with a 3MB cache so is good enough for most applications. The latest CPUZ 1.51 doesn't recognize it though and reported a SU9400 at 1.6GHz instead. In standby mode the temperature is 42 degrees When running at full speed the temperature is 60 degrees The cooling system is controlled by the CPU workload. In standard or standby mode, the fan turns slowly so is relatively quiet. At full speed, the fan speeds up and the extra air flow creates wind noise. The noise level is still within the acceptable range however. 2GB of DDR2 memory is provided. These are clocked at 800MHz, however, which is rare to see in a notebook. Sandra Memory Bandwidth-4315MB/s EVEREST Memory Read-5232MB/s Overall system performance CrystalMark 2004R3 PCMark Vantage VISTA With this kind of hardware specifications, there's no perceptible lag with the X340 when running Windows Vista. It remains quite responsive even with several different programs open.

Below the keyboard is an extensive array of status lights. The Fn key is needed to access shortcut functions. The touch control panel is part of the chassis itself, and in practice the sensitivity is quite good. The keyboard is big enough so you don't feel cramped while typing, though the keys feel a little spongy. MSI has also returned the Fn key back to its normal position this time. Ultra-slim 13.3" 16.9 mirror-finish LCD The 1.3 Megapixel webcam is located at the top of the LCD right in the middle. The microphone is on the left side. There are two vents in the bottom. For this type of ultra-slim notebooks, keeping the cooling noise down is a major challenge. The screw holes were also covered with white-colored pads more in keeping with the overall color scheme. The 4-cell battery is spec'd at 2150mAh 32Wh. It uses the same pearl white powder coating as the notebook. Left-side I/O D-SUB output/RJ 45 network port/HDMI output/Card Reader Right-side I/O Power socket/ Audio in/out / USB 2.0 ports x 2 The streamlined ultra-thin styling

When you see a NetBook that weighs under 1.5kg in the 12 ~ 13.3" range, you immediately think of high-end business models priced between 1700 ~ 2500 USD. There are of course a few 11" Netbook products at this end of the market as well. When the Intel Atom processor came out, there was a spate of Atom-based Netbook products released. While the Atom's performance is no match for high-end notebooks, their lightness, thinness, portability and low price immediately made an impact. But the maximum size for netbooks based on Atom N270/N280 was just 10", leaving a gaping void for consumers looking for a slim notebook with a large display. For years slim notebooks larger than 12" have come with a hefty price tag. This is now about to change in the second half of 2009. Intel will soon release a new CPU based on CULV architecture. This is a single-core processor designed for 12" and larger notebooks. Two CULV based 13.3" notebook products have been released so far and they are both far lighter than their conventional peers. When MSI released the Wind series in 2008, the leading U100 model performed well enough in the market to go mainstream. MSI recently announced the new U200 12" slim netbook as the successor to the U100, but what is really interesting is MSI's latest X-Slim series of "slim and aesthetic" notebooks. The two X-Slim models known to date are the X320 and X340 which have a 13.3" display but weighs just 1.3kg. Internet rumors suggest that a 14" X400 and 16" X600 are in the pipeline as well. The star of this review is the X-Slim X340 that was released in May. It has generated a lot of online discussion, and whether the opinions are good or bad, this new product offers consumers a new choice. The "X" motif features prominently on the MSI X-Slim's external packaging. It comes with two year global warranty and one year of on-site service. The included carry case uses a leather-type material on the outside and has the msi logo printed on the inside. The finish looks quite good and it's quite compact. Include accessories Windows Vista Vita Home Premium, driver CD and product manuals The AC adapter is the smallest version in use right now. It's really easy to carry around from my experience; it tends to get a little hot while charging. The bundled mouse is quite small as well and comes in the same pearl white as the notebook. It's not a wireless mouse but the cable is designed for easy storage. The MSI X-Slim X340 chassis is constructed using aluminum-magnesium alloy. The notebook top cover has a pearl white powder-coated finish. The texture varies slightly depending on the lighting conditions. The msi logo on the top cover is covered with protective film. Once removed, you can see that the X340's pearl white UV-coating is covered with another clear layer of UV-coating. The X340's underside has a different kind of finish. It has a matt surface and the powder-coating has a more silvery tint to it. Open the lid and inside, there's protective foam printed with the msi logo cover the keyboard. The LCD has a protective film as well.

After using for month, Intel X25-M also encounter the common issue of MLC SSD. The writing performance is dropping, even you reinstall the OS, the performance drops to 30-40Mb/s Intel X25-M latest firmware 045C8820 After flash Intel latest 045C8820 firmware, the writing performance back to normal. Intel has solved the lower SSD writing performance as long term using MLC IC.

DDR3 1970 CL9 9-9-24 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth-33540MB/s EVEREST Memory Read-20751MB/s DDR3 2064 CL9 9-9-24 1T EVEREST Memory Read-25132MB/s As UD3R BIOS VTT voltage only supports to 1.495V, so it limits the stable clock. Nevertheless, the stable sync at 197/1970 is also the high standard. As running at DDR3 2064, the EVEREST reaches the extreme high bandwidth. CPU Intel Core i7 950 D0 OC 197X21=>4137Mhz DDR3 1970 CL9 9-9-24 1T CrystalMark 2004R3 CINEBENCH R10 197/1970 Hyper PI 8 X 32M?HT Enable Stable frequency limitation 211X20=>4220Mhz As CPU OC, you can over 4.2G which with latest Core i7 950 D0. If you only raise the clock, you can pass Hyper SuperPI 32M in 211Mhz. 3D Using Nvidia GTS250 and also compare GTS250 performance with 4870X2?4870?4850?4650?9600GT in Core i7 platform. Clock 750/1875/2300MHz 3DMARK2006 3DMARKVANTAGE Crysis Benchmark Need for Speed Undercover 1920X1200 Anti-Aliasing 4X GTS250 3D performance is mid-high level. It can support most games for sure. But in Crysis Benchmark, high quality in 1920X1200 or 4XAA are not good enough. GIGABYTE EX58-UD3R Conclusion Good 1.UD3R also use GIGABYTE 2oz PCB and Ultra Durable3 components 2. Full Japanese made solid capacitors?Good quality heat-pipe thermal module 3.BIOS supports wide range voltage and frequency 4.CPU frequency and DDR3 clock are good OC ability?Support both SLI/CFX 5.4+4 phase DES Advanced?Intel latest VRD11.1 Weakness 1. LGA 1366 is still high price platform 2.DDR3 6 DIMM is better for expansion. Performance ?????????? Components ?????????? Outlook ?????????? C/P Value ?????????? The evaluation is comparing with all X58 products. For the components, if you compare with P45 or X48, you can see X58 boards are better. If you compare to P35?P45?X48?X58, even entry EX58-UD3R also can be over 8-star level. C/P Value is also comparing to X58 series. If compare to Intel full series, X58 is the high end product, then the C/P value will be less than 9-star. So I am used to use the same level and series products as the evaluation standard. Otherwise, it’s unfair. EX58-UD3R and EX58-UD3R-SLI difference is SLI support, but the latest F5 BIOS also make EX58-UD3R support Nvidia SLI technology. It’s also a value added feature for SLI users. In current X58 product line, the entry model is around 200USD. GIGABYTE EX58-UD3R in this segment has very high C/P value. Except the 4 DIMM design, the components and OC ability are absolutely have 200USD product level. Intel middle to entry is still occupied by LGA 775, so the users who interested in LGA 1366 might think the price is too high. In late 2009, Intel will launch mid range LGA 1156 Core i5 series, you will find more clear product position. I think LGA 1366 position in high end product won’t be changed in 1 year. If you are interested in Core i7 platform and you are budget limited, you can try 200USD entry X58 board.

Boot Screen Main Setup Menu CPU Vcore 0.5000~1.90000V(gap 0.01250V) QPI/VTT Voltage 1.075~1.495V(gap 0.020V) IOH Core 1.000~2.000V(gap 0.020V) DARM Voltage 1.300~2.600V(gap 0.020V) CPU Features Clock Control PC Health Status GIGABYTE BIOS is more user-friendly. Basically, you only need to adjust clock and voltage. Uncore Frequency Auto can set to DDR3 X2 clock. This result is stable at CPU/DRAM 197/1970. If you have same equipments or OC requirement, you can refer to this set up. Configuraiton CPU: Intel Core i7 950 MB: GIGABYTE EX58-UD3R DRAM: CORSAIR Dominator 2GBX3 DDR3 1866C9D VGA: Lantic NGTS250D3-512B2DH HD: Intel X25-M 80GB POWER: Corsair HX520W Modular Power Supply Cooler: Megahalems DRAM CORSAIR Dominator 2GBX3 DDR3 1866C9D Official spec is DDR3 1866 CL9 9-9-24 1.65V DDR3 1865 CL8 8-8-24 1T?1.66V SP2004 3 X Blend mode?5.78GB stable at full load. DDR3 1865 CL8 8-8-24 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth-31911MB/s EVEREST Memory Read-19425MB/s DDR3 1970 CL9 9-9-24 1T?168V SP2004 3 X Blend mode?5.83GB stable at full load.

Intel Core i7 has been launching for awhile and the boards are more and more in the market. However, there is still only one chipset X58+ICH10R which position in high end market. Since the beginning, all MB makers launched many high end X58 boards and around 300USD. Till now, you can see more mid-range and entry X58 boards. GIGABYTE provides many models for X58 product line. There are EXTREME/UD5/UD4/UD3P which total are 7 models. The price of EXTREME is around 300UDS, UD5/UD4 are around 240~270 USD and entry UD3 series is around 200~220USD. As per the high end chipset, the price is about 200~300USD. The middle to low is still P4 series. EX58-UD3R is GIGABYTE X58 most entry model. Let’s look UD3R body first. It’s also use exclusive Ultra Durable 3 technology. Full Japanese made solid capacitors?2oz copper PCB. Left Lower Corner 2 X PCI-E X16( Supports SLI/CrossFireX Technology) 1 X PCIE X4 2 X PCIE X1 2 X PCI Realtek 8111D is LAN chip. Realtek ALC888 supports 7.1 channel and High Definition Audio PCB is MADE IN TAIWAN Right Lower Corner 6 X SATAII( provide by ICH10R)?support RAID 0? RAID 1? RAID 5 and RAID 10 2 X SATAII?support RAID 0? RAID 1 and JBOD 1 X IDE Dual BIOS provides dual protection Right Upper Corner 4 X DIMM DDR3?supports 800/1066/1333/1600/1867/2133/2400?2133/2400 are special spec. Not same as the other X58 supports 6 DIMM, the UD3R support 1 set 3-channel and 1 DIMM, total is only 4-DIMM. The max DDR3 capacity is 16GB. CPU VRM is 4+4 phase and support DES advanced. The latest VRD11.1 which combine with Intel i7 CPU can support Intel energy saving technology. IO Part 6 X USB 2.0 1 X RJ-45 LAN 1 X S/PDIF fiber/coaxial output 1 X 1394a Heat-pipe thermal module It’s with special courting which avoid oxidation. The black color is also more elegant. The diagram for installing 3Channel DDR3

MSI 4670 1GB Default 750/1746Mhz 3DMARK2006 3DMARK VANTAGE Need for Speed Undercover 1600X1200 Anti-Aliasing 4X Crysis Benchmark 4670 OC 833/2160Mhz 3DMARK2006 3DMARK VANTAGE Need for Speed Undercover 1600X1200 Anti-Aliasing 4X Crysis Benchmark MSI R4670 overclocking capabilities are excellent. From the above image, you can see the multiple testing software and gaming results, overclocking yields improvements of about 20~30%. HDD performance test HD Tune Pro's shows the fastest performance of 124.1 MB/s, with an average of around 95 MB/s. CrystalDiskMark read 106.9 MB/s and wrote 110.4 MB/s. ATTO Disk Benchmark&FDBENCH Hard drives have no way to be overclocked, and can only run at the factory defaults. Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 is the first single 500 GB version for the series. Though its performance its not much better than the previous 320 GB version, with an improvement of over 10 MB/s across the board, you won't feel it lacks a thing. The above tested PC configuration ran a total of about NTD12250, about USD360. Only combining it will a DVD burner, Case, and power supply, and you can have yourself a low-cost overclockable PC. If one is truly able to overclock and uses it, than it extends the performance life of this computer, and allows more time to prepare for the next new PC. Simply speaking, overclocking won't use a lot of time, and is a good way to boost the performance of a PC. Possibly some people will fear that overclocking will cause instability to the point of a system crash, but I personally feel, for the average usage scenario, this is a non-issue. For example, if the CPU can stably perform at 4GHz, than perhaps one could overclock to only 3.3~3.6GHz and use leave it there for a long time. The temperature won't be too high, the voltage not too much, and the stability won't be a problem. Every year, I come up with a similar article in the hopes it can help those looking to build their own PC. Of course, I want to highlight again, the above specs are not absolute, and can be modified based on the user's needs or budget. All the parts can be improved or decreased. For those who are looking for better 3D graphics, the VGA card can be upgraded to an HD4830 or 9800GT, or even a truly high-performance model. Those looking to improve the CPU, for example those who might do a lot of file conversion, could also buy a high-level dual-core CPU or even a quad-core Q8200. One only needs to choose within one's budget, choose the most economical, the best PC suited to his/her needs .

E5200 OC 320 X 12.5 =>4000.5Mhz Hyper PI 32M 15m52s CPUMARK 576 CrystalMark CINEBENCH (1 CPU) 4620 (x CPU) 8772 Word on the net is that the recent E5200 have been good at overclokcing, but the 5 capacitors, Made in Malaysia version has not received any negative reviews. The factory default heat sink is good enough to stably handle 4GHz, and the voltage can be set to under 1.3V. However, the downside side is that the temperature tested was rather high: when overclocked, full operation in the OS displayed over 70~80 C. That said, the E5200's only downside was the slightly high tested temperature, in actuality, the heat sink was only slightly warm to the touch. DDR2 performance test 2GBX2 DDR2 798.2Mhz EVEREST 5733MB/s Sandra Memory 4651MB/s DDR2 OC 927.2Mhz CL5 5-5-18 2.17V SP2004 Blend type showed a stable 3.90GB EVEREST 7330MB/s Sandra Memory 6544MB/s Because DDR2 IC's price has already slid down to rock bottom for sometime now, the current DDR2 is unlikely, as before, to occasionally show a truly great overclocked performance. However, 2GB X2 that can overclock to over DDR2 900 can be considered pretty good. VGA performance test First, let me introduce how to use software to overclock a VGA card. Although ATI's driver software comes with overclocking functionality, it limits the frequencies one is allowed to adjust. Using Riva Tuner VGA software, offers a lot more options. After opening the software, choose the VGA card picture displayed to enter the tuning portions of the software package. From the tuning page, you may tweak the VGA core's and memory's frequencies. Choosing the fourth large clock image will monitor the VGA card's status.

The above combinations are not absolute, if you need less performance even more entry-level products exist, and, for those demanding more power, higher performance products of course exist. With a higher budget, one could change the CPU for the higher E7200 or a quad-core Q8200. The RAM could be upgraded from 2GX2 DDR2 800 to 1066 and the graphics card could be switched for the better performing ATI HD4830 or NVIDIA 9800GT. The motherboard could also be changed to a P43+ICH10R or P45+ICH10. However, when looking at cost-to-performance, most looking to make the above PC upgrades would only pick one more expensive component, and pick one spec to really improve. Testing Platform CPU: Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 MB: DFI BLOOD-IRON P45 DRAM: CORSAIR TWIN2X4096-6400C5 G VGA:MSI R4670-2D1G/D3 HD:Seasgate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB POWER:Corsair 400W Power Supply Cooler:Intel original cooler The below tests all use two presets, normal and overclocked, for comparison. With these components, overclocking will improve the total PC performance and, without spending the extra money, bring the performance close to the next level up of components. First I'll start with an introduction about tweaking the BIOs, the main weapon for upgrading the CPU and DDR2. Tuning the CPU E5200 starts at a frequency of 200X12.5 =>2.5 GHz Simply adjust the CPU Clock to get 320x12.5=>4.0GHz If you are unsure if the DDR2 can stably keep up with the new setting, at this time you have reset back to the original settings immediately. CPU Voltage settings must be set according to the specifications of each CPU. For this batch of E5200s, although many can support up to 4GHz without a problem, there are some variations in the quality. According to information online, the E5200's of the past few weeks need a voltage of around 1.2~1.3V to support a stable 4GHz. Tuning DDR2 When overclocking RAM, the most important thing is DRAM Speed, than the target DRAM speed will show this setting and then run the true DRAM frequency. Like the CPU, tuning DDR2 voltage also depends on each product. This piece to run stably at DDR2 926 CL5 5-5-18, the DRAM voltage control should be 2.170V. For the parameters, they can be either tweaked manually or left entirely on auto. When full auto is engaged, the motherboard will pick the DDR2's integrated SPD directly. When overclocking, aside from having good CPU and DDR2, the motherboard's quality also needs to be good. Every motherboard maker's mainboards have slightly different overclocking capabilities, voltage scopes, compatibility issues, etc. Aside from what the chipset, P45+ICH10R, can combine with, the motherboard vender is another choice that should be considered. For overclocking, the DFI BLOOD-IRON P45 is known to be good. CPU Performance test E5200 Default 199.6Mhz X 12.5 =>2494Mhz Hyper PI 32M 22m31s CPUMARK 359 CrystalMark CINEBENCH (1 CPU) 2893 (X CPU) 5601

The last two years saw the emergence of the Netbook and its fast acceptance, along with the gradual decrease of desktop PCs in the market. Of my close friends and classmates, when buying a new computer, over half just simply consider buying a notebook. One situation I have run into is the first-time buyer. Unless they only want to go online – in which case they later buy a notebook or netbook – oftentimes they still feel the notebook/netbook doesn’t meet their needs and then buy a desktop PC. My personal view is notebooks are primarily for people who spend a lot of time outside, and require the convenience of all-the-time access to a PC. If most of the computing needs are at home, I would still recommend getting a PC and a 22” monitor for more ideal computing. This combo is actually still about the same price as a 10” Netbook. Additionally, a desktop PC’s price range is lower, has better performance, and can easily combine with better performing sound and visual systems. Choosing a desktop PC does require some homework. Most entry-level models have a price around NTD10,000~12,000 (around USD 330~450). For this report we have a budget of around NTD 13,500~15,000 (about USD 400~450) to make a better performing PC for the reference of those in need of a new computer. CPU I will be using the currently hot Intel Pentium dual-core E5200 with 2.5GHz, 45nm architecture and 2MB Cache. Recently, the Malaysian made 5 capacitors version has had a surprisingly good performance. This week, for B834, the online community saw that between Q828~Q838 can all achieve around 4GHz. The CPU is around NTD 2300, about USD 68 give or take. E5200’s outside appearance: Packaged items: User guide, sticker, heat sink, and the E5200 CPU Memory DRAM Since 2008 the price of DDR2 has been constantly dropping, and the current price of DRAM is about the same as the cost to make it. Of course, choosing 2GB X2 is an economic choice, and since it is better to have more than to not have it and need it, we won't skimp on the DRAM. I am using Corsair DDR2 800 2 GB X2, dual channel; though the price is a wee bit higher, Corsair is an international recognized brand that is known for being very stable in dual channel, and the price is still well within the acceptable level. This piece was around NTD 1500, which is about USD 44. CORSAIR TWIN2X4096-6400C5 G Motherboard Currently, when building an Intel platform, the chipset of choice is most likely the Intel P45. The P45, since its unveiling last May - already some time now - has been used by all motherboard manufacturers to compete with one another. I am using the DFI BLOOD-IRON P45; its cost - for a P45+ICH10R - is at an entry level, but overclocking is a DFI specialty so its capability is good. This board runs NTD 3700, about USD 110. DFI BLOOD-IRON P45 specs Southbridge ICH10R, supporting RAID Two PCI-E slots supporting ATI CrossFireX dual-GPU technology Graphics card Since ATI and NVIDIA are the two major players, I spent a long time thinking about which 3D chip, either the ATI 4670 or NVIDIA's 9600GT. With P45 supporting ATI CFX technology, I decided, in the end, to go with the MSI R4670 1GB. This card runs around NTD 2850, about USD 84. MSI R4670-2D1G/D3 This card has DVI IO ports and 1 GB DDR3 RAM. Hard Drive Most economical hard drives these days run about 500-640 GB. The Seagate’s 11th generation had a few problematic products requiring changes to the firmware. However, the new 12th generation 500 GB HDD has had no reports of any issues. I used the Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500 GB, which runs around NTD 1900, about USD 52. The Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500 GB HDD Different from other 3.5" HDDs, this series is thinner.

CINEBENCH R10 200/2000 Hyper PI 4 X 32M DK X58 gets the best performance in retail market. It works stable in 200/2000 and passes several benchmarks. Also, it gets high score in CPU & DDR3 sections. 3D performance MSI N9600GT Diamond SLI 3DMARK VANTAGE Crysis Benchmark Need for Speed Undercover 1920X1200 Anti-Aliasing 4X 9600GT performs well in SLI mode, it’s compatible with most PC games surrently. DFI LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 Conclusion: Positive 1.As high performance as UT X58; similar design & materials. 2.6-phase full digital PWM; all “made in Japan” solid capacitor; on board Power/ Reset buttons; Debug LED. 3.Many intervals for voltage tuning; ABS technology ready. 4.It’s very stable when OC DDR3 to extreme hi-frequency. When overclocking, it needs lower voltage in DRAM/ VTT than competitors. 5.Realtek ALC889, the best audio CODEC of Realtek. Negative 1.Selling for USD $250, it’s a little bit higher. It would be better if the price can be $230. 2.No eSATA port Performance ?????????? Materials ?????????? Appearance?????????? Cost/ Performance?????????? X58 is the highest level chipset of Intel platform; There are three price segments of X58 products: Hi-end: over USD $300 Middle-hi: USD $240~$270 Entry: USD $200~230 According to the overclocking ability & performance, DK X58-T3eH6 is a “Hi-end” product. If it can be sold at USD $230, it would be the “most wanted” X58 motherboard. The performance of DK X58 is very impressive. To compare with the previous DFI product, DK X58 is cheaper, but it would be good to be cheaper. In my opinion, DK X58 is the best choice for people who want to overclock and chase performance but with budget limitation.

PC Health Status Testing platform CPU: Intel Core i7 965 Extreme MB: DFI LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 DRAM: CORSAIR Dominator 2GBX3 DDR3 1866C9D VGA: MSI N9600GT Diamond SLI HD: Intel X25-M 80GB SSD POWER: Corsair HX1000W Modular Power Supply Cooler: DFI LANParty Cooler/Lubic DRAM CORSAIR Dominator 2GBX3 DDR3 1866C9D Official specification DDR3 1866 CL9 9-9-24 1.65V DDR3 1860 CL9 9-9-24 1T,1.63V SP2004 3 X Blend,5.88GB(Stable at full loading) DDR3 1863 CL9 9-9-24 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth-31701MB/s EVEREST Memory Read-19603MB/s DDR3 2000 CL9 9-9-24 1T,164V SP2004 3 X Blend,5.77GB(Stable at full loading) DDR3 2000 CL9 9-9-24 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth-33935MB/s EVEREST Memory Read-20911MB/s DDR3 2101 CL9 9-9-20 1T,188V Hyper PI 4 X 32M DDR3 2101 CL9 9-9-24 1T Sandra Memory Bandwidth-35752MB/s EVEREST Memory Read-21717MB/s DK X58 has as good OC potential as UT X58, the DDR3 OC result is better than other competitors. When OC to DDR3 2100MHz, it’s stable in 4 “PI 32M”. There is no other X58 motherboards can get the same result. CPU Intel Core i7 Extreme 965 OC 20X20=>3997Mhz DDR3 2000 CL9 9-9-24 1T CrystalMark 2004R3

DK X58 thermal module, more ordinary than UT X58, but the quality & performance are quite good. Tri-channel memory architecture Core i7 embedded with memory control, the memory performance is better than before. Boot screen BIOS page Performance setting page, includes Frequency & Voltage settings. Frequency of DRAM & Uncore inter work each other; if you set DRAM at 1600MHz, the Uncore will be 3200MHz. Usually, the system is stable when DRAM:Uncore=1:2. CPU Feature DRAM Timing: the first three options are related with performance. Of course, if you want higher performance, you need better memory module. Voltage setting CPU VID Control 1.0000~2.0000V Power Saving,For preventing voltage drop. DRAM Bus Voltage 1.455~2.400V CPU VTT Special Add +0.0125~0.1875V CPU VTT Voltage 1.21~1.61V

Core i7 (LGA 1366) is the most powerful solution in Intel platform, there is only one choice in chipset ~ X58 + ICH10R. Each MB brands unveiled many X58 solutions in recent few months. Price of most X58 MB are around USD $300, the design & materials are luxury. However, in order to make X58 more affordable, some brands produced X58 solutions that priced under USD $250 recently. To face the bad financial environment, it’s necessary to low down the hi-end platform price; it’s impossible to sell in USD $350 like X48. DFI launches new product faster than before since 2009; it unveils several X58 products listed below: Extreme-Hi ~ UT X58-T3eH8 Middle-Hi ~ DK X58-T3eH6 Performance microATX ~ JR X58-T3H6 Our leading role today “DK X58-T3eH6” DK X58-T3eH6 looks like UT X58-T3eH8, all have great layout and materials; it sells at USD $250, $50 cheaper than UT X58. The package Accessories; bridges for CrossFireX & SLI DFI LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 Bottom left of DK X58: 3 * PCIe x16 (3-Way SLI ready with x16, x8, x8; CrossFireX with x16, x16, x4) 1 * PCIe x4 2 * PCI Marvell 88E8053 gigabit LAN; Realtek ALC889HD for 8 channels HD audio Bottom right of DK X58 6 * SATAII (by ICH10R, Raid 0/1/5/10) 2 * SATAII (by JMicron JMB 363, RAID 0/1/JBOD) On board Power/ Reset buttons Upper right of DK X58 6 * DDR3 memory DIMM, supports 800/ 1066/ 1333/ 1600 (OC) (Actually, DFI shows the specification conservatively, it can OC up to 2000MHz) 1 * IDE (by JMicron, JMB 363) 24-pipn Power input Upper left of DK X58 6-phase digital PWM (40W for each phase, total in 240W) According to Intel spec sheet, TDP of Core i7 965 Extreme is 130W; the PWM of DK X58 is much more than suggested spec. I/O 6 * USB 2.0 1 * Optical S/PDIF-out port 1 * Coaxial RCA S/PDIF-out port 1 * IEEE 1394 port 1 * RJ45 LAN port Red Jumper for Clear CMOS

Test Five WD2500BEVS SAMSUNG SSD Intel X25-M CrystalDiskMark, X25-M Read/Write are 227 and 72MB/s. In HDD Mark, X25-M is higher than SAMSUNG SSD 50%, and 3 times faster than 5400rpm HDD. As X25-M applies with NoteBook, some benchmark drop a lot as comparing to PC, but over 80% test still keep read 220~230Mb/s and write 70~75Mb/s. Intel SSD is really unique. Its read/write performance is much higher than current MLC SSD. No matter SLC or MLC SSD, Intel X25-M 250MB/s read speed is very top performance. Comparing to HDD, SSD is faster, lighter, lower power consumption, higher anti-vibration and lower defect rate. But it’s more expensive and less capacity. I think it’s normal for any product before mass production. In late 2008, SSD mainstream capacity was up from 16~32GB to 64GB. It makes SSD and 2.5 HDD capacity gap smaller. Although Intel X25-M uses MLC which the read/write life is worse than SLC. However, Intel implements exclusive algorithms to lower the product life depletion. Also, the good SSD anti-vibration ability, NANA Flash defect rate is very low, makes SSD actual using life is longer than HDD. X25-M power consumption is much lower than HHD, office spec is standby 0.06W and full speed 0.15W. It also enhance the NB standby time. Intel X25-M has been launched for several months, but the read/write performance is still in the leading position. For the current competitive SSD market, X25-M is a really good product. The previous X25-M 80GB price was 595USD, but after price dropped in March 2009, the latest distributor price is 385USD/Kpcs. Taiwan suggested street price is around NTD 18,800. X25-M is still more expensive than normal MLC SSD, but the leading performance and price adjustment make Intel X25-M C/P value be higher. More and more SSD new technology, faster and faster performance, some SSD products catch the performance gap with X25-M. I hope Intel can keep adjusting their SSD price, raise the capacity and launch more SLC version. Let customers can have more options as purchasing SSD.

Test Two WD2500BEVS SAMSUNG SSD Intel X25-M Intel X25-M has very good scores in CrystalDiskMark. The Read/Write is 230/72MB/s. The random read is also reach 179MB/s. It’s not as high performance as PC, but it’s still very good performance. Test Three WD2500BEVS SAMSUNG SSD Intel X25-M ATTO Disk Benchmark, Intel X25-M read performance is 277MB/s, and it’s higher than PC. FDEBENCH X25-M also reach 222 and 70MB/s. Test Four WD2500BEVS SAMSUNG SSD Intel X25-M