The Zone

We managed to get our hands on HP's yet to be released 2nd gen netbook, the HP Mini 1000. HP's first netbook, the HP Mini-note 2133 was one of the top netbooks in the market, owing especially to its business netbook-like nature and extremely comfortable keyboard. HP's Mini 1000 retains the keyboard but makes the netbook slimmer, lighter, more energy efficient and more powerful. It looks even better than before with its glossy black imprint lid. For a more detailed run-down of the Mini 1000's better attributes (and better pics) check out our latest issue of HWM (December 2008).

We managed to get our hands on the ASUS P6T Deluxe with the OC Palm. For those not in the know this is an X58 board for the new Nehalem processor that comes with an external BIOS post device that also allows you to do some simple overclocking without accessing the BIOS. The OC Palm definitely makes the whole process simpler and comes complete with a hardware monitor (so you don't need to have separate thermometer and voltmeters to do overclocking) but it by no means replaces the BIOS settings. For a full review on the board and the OC Palm check it out in our latest issue of HWM ( HWM Dec 2008 ).

After the IDF (Intel Developer Forum), Intel was kind enough to release its ground breaking SSD for testing as part of its Nehalem platform reviews. Now most people today scoff at the idea of using SSD as a hard disk mainly because most SSD are only about 8GB or so, just barely enough to put the OS and the office suite. However, Intel's SSD is a whopping 80GBs which is about the size of a standard hard disk these days. While testing out Nehalem and its various boards we also got to play around with Intel's 80GB SSD and boy was it fun. Considering most 7200 RPM hard disks only get a score of about 4000+ in PCMark05, the SSD blew us out of the water with its score. Check it out below. For a full review of the drive and its Nehalem counterparts, check out the Hot off the Labs and our Nehalem board reviews in the latest issue of HWM.

The last Intel Developers Forum (IDF) for the year happened in Taiwan with not much new revealed. As usual there was mention of MIDs (although no definite date on when they'll be released), the associated Moorestown PC display, architectural information on the Nehalem (the usual QuickPaths and integrated GPU) and scant news of the Larrabee GPU. We did manage to get shots of some stuff which did catch our eye but if you've seen them at other IDFs this year we wouldn't be surprised. For a more detailed report on our IDF Taiwan trip check it out in the latest issue of HWM.

Taking a page from the hip world of fashion ASUS recently launched their latest N series notebooks and P552w PDA phone at the KLPac in the form of a fashion showcase. With clothes from fashion designer Key NG of the KN boutique line, models and a number of celebrities were on hand to sashay their way on the catwalk with either the N series notebooks or the P552w PDA phone.

The N Series Notebooks are meant more for mobility with three of the four models in the series designed for portability.

The P552w PDA phone features the latest touch screen functions with the GLIDE feature for easy navigation. 

For more details on the event take a look at our latest issue of HWM.

Right after the GO OC 2008, Gigabyte was kind enough to let us play around with their new P45 Ultra Durable 3 board. With a 2 Oz copper layer in between the PCB, as well as stronger components this board is quite likely what the Toughbook is to notebooks, the ruggedly tough version. We didn't manage to play too much with it in that we didn't push it too much (overclock) but the board does have custom BIOS function to do so. For more information and details on the board check out our full coverage in the latest issue of HWM.

The second stage of the Gigabyte Open Overclocking Championships 2008 (GO OC 2008) was a thrilling race to shatter the world's current overclocking records. Several World OC Records fell that day with a neck and neck race between Team Vietnam and Team USA 2 that culminated in a 5:4 win for the champs of the P45 Freestyle competition. For more details on the thrilling drama, check out our report in the latest issue of HWM.

The first stage of GO OC 2008 (Gigabyte Open Overclocking Championship 2008) is finally over and we have the top three teams for the P45 OC bash. They include team Sweden 2, team Russia and team USA 1. For more indepth info and who exactly is the champ (if you can't recognise them from the pic!) then take a look at our latest issue of HWM. Next will be the freestyle event and we'll really see how far these catz can take it to the next level.

Gigabyte's Open Overclocking Championship 2008 live from the Grand Hyatt Ballroom at Taipei. Check out all the boyz doing their thing in HWM's latest issue.

Other notebook makers are quickly jumping on the Centrino 2 bandwagon with their versions. So far we have seen improved notebook performance overall but nearly as impressive as the first Centrino 2 notebook we got our hands on. However, the other Centrino 2 notebook we tested had much better stability compared to the first, so take a look at the PCMark05 score and if you're interested, pick up the September issue of HWM for a more indepth analysis.

NVIDIA's latest entry level graphic card to hit the market is the 9500 GT. We managed to get our hands on the 512MB version and found a teeny tiny mighty single-slot titan waiting for us. At first glance it looks like it can barely hold its own weight in terms of gaming performance, but this miniscule card can even run Crysis with a reasonable amount of tweaking! Check out the 3DMark06 score below for an idea about the card but for a more indepth analysis go get the September issue of HWM 2008.

We finally managed to get our hands on the dual GPU HD 4870 X2 graphic card from AMD-ATI. So far, the card looks and feels more or less like a carbon copy of the HD 3870 X2, featuring the same long dual slot design. The card is still heavy as ever but it does boast a 3DMark Vantage score that blows everything including the GTX 280 out of the water. However, there are definite shortcomings. Read the full review in our September issue of HWM.

Intel's performance notebook processor, the Centrino 2 has hit the streets, with plenty notebook makers already beginning the churn out for notebooks with the Centrino 2 processor. We were quite surprised by its performance because it not only tries its best to beat out equal desktop systems, it is also quite successful. Check out the PCMark05 score below. For the full-blown analysis check it out in our September issue of HWM.

NVIDIA's much awaited built-in PhysX is finally getting some support. NVIDIA has released power packs which should whet the appetite for more on their website through their CUDA interface. The power packs contain drivers, tools you can explore, a full game (WarMonger) and a number of demos that should tie you over until a commercial PhysX game comes out (NOT! Most such games are supposedly for next year!). Download them after the jump for a glimpse at PhysX.

After AMD-ATI put out the HD 4870 and HD 4850 it seemed as if it was directly challenging NVIDIA with the HD 4870 against NVIDIA's own GTX 260. NVIDIA has never been one to take this lying down and has fired back a salvo of its own with the 9800 GT, which according to our tests should be nicely positioned against the previously unchallenged HD 4850. Check out our 3DMark06 test below. For a full review and analysis of some of the 9800 GT cards out there, check out our latest issue of HWM (HWM September 2008).