Graphic Card

ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2:
2 GPUs 1 Card, A Return to the High End



AMD is the first out of the gates with the Radeon HD 3870 X2, based on what AMD is calling its R680 GPU. Despite the codename, the product name tells the entire story: the Radeon HD 3870 X2 is made up of two 3870s on a single card.



The card is long, measuring 10.5" it's the same length as a GeForce 8800 GTX or Ultra. AMD is particularly proud of its PCB design which is admittedly quite compact despite featuring more than twice the silicon of a single Radeon HD 3870.

On the board we've got two 3870 GPUs, separated by a 48-lane PCIe 1.1 bridge (no 2.0 support here guys). Each GPU has 16 lanes going to it, and then the final 16 lanes head directly to the PCIe connector and out to the motherboard's chipset.

Thanks to the point-to-point nature of the PCI Express interface, that's all you need for this elegant design to work.

Each GPU has its own 512MB frame buffer, but the power delivery on the board has been reworked to deal with supplying two 3870 GPUs.

Monitor

Samsung's SyncMaster 245T





Samsung has launched the latest line-up of SyncMaster LCD monitors. The first LCD is dubbed SyncMaster 245T and offers support to Motion Picture Acceleration (MPA) and offers a sharp picture while viewing fast movies through MPA.

In addition, these monitors also feature a 24-inch screen with maximum resolution of 1,920×1,200px, brightness of 300cd/m2, 1,500:1 contrast ratio and a 6ms response time. SyncMaster 245T also supports HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection).

Available right away in Korea, the 245T comes with a swivel stand and a USB hub too.

USB Flash Drive

Liquidmetal Flash Drive with your own logo engraved.




Liquidmetal is Sandisk partner which makes the best custom USB drives.

On Liquidmetal site there are four choices of template for the flash drives and it is offered the possibility to engrave the USB flash drives with your own logo.

Game Pad

Cyborg Rumble Gamepad




An interesting new gaming gadget the Cyborg Rumble gamepad.

Cyborg Rumble gamepad allows you to change the location of the left analog stick and D-pad.

Also very cool is the Precision Control mode that allows you to choose the buttons on the gamepad to desensitize when the mode is activated, making sniping and precision tasks easier.

Pricing and availability for the Cyborg Rumble gamepad are currently unknown.

Mouse

Logitech's The Ultra-Thin V500




We don't know when Logitech got so down with hype design, but we're not exactly complaining here. Their new ultra-thin V500 is by no means their greatest piece to date, but the diminutive wireless RF mouse is a mere 3.75 x 2.25 x 1.12-inches in size, has a four way touch-sensitive scroll panel that looks like it probably won't work all that well, a USB micro-receiver that can be stowed inside the mouse, and a little carrying case so you can take it with you. We like the focus on portability, but if they wanted it to be truly portable they'd cut it out with the USB RF receivers and go with something more commonly built-in, like, say, Bluetooth.

Ear Phones

Sennheiser's New Wireless Earphones



Some announcements make us sit up, especially when they're from a brand we like. Sennheiser has released its new wireless earphones that use Kleer technology, and the same has been showcased at CES. The MX W1 comprises two sleek earpieces (untethered right and left earphones) featuring Sennheiser's 'twist-to-fit' system to ensure a secure and comfortable fit in each ear.

Kleer's 5x-10x power advantage over Bluetooth has enabled Sennheiser to use the smallest rechargeable coin cell battery in the world, facilitating a compact, ergonomically pleasing design that will appeal to consumers. The earphones come with a small, matchbox-sized transmitter and a transport case that includes an integrated battery to recharge the earphones.

"The name Sennheiser has been synonymous with top-quality audio products for over 60 years," said Levent Gun, President and CEO of Kleer. "It's therefore a huge vote-of-confidence that this industry giant has validated our wireless audio technology with an outstanding product that we believe will set a new standard in wireless audio sound. The MX W1 represents the best our respective companies can offer to consumers in wireless earphone technology and design."

The MX W1 will be available from May 2008. No prices have been announced, but rest assured, you'll be the first to know

Headsets

Icemat Audio Black Siberia Multi Headset

Today we are looking at the Icemat Black Siberia headset, this gaming headset with a twist. These headphones are produced by Steel Series, a worldwide company dedicated to producing top quality gaming products. We will see if this headset holds up to their high standards. These headphones are available worldwide; a quick Froogle check found them to going for $54.99 this puts them in the midrange cost of headsets. Let's see if they are really worth that price tag.

In the box you get everything you need and more, the headset includes a detachable microphone as well as a stereo adapter to go from the standard mini jack connection to the ¼ jack found on higher end stereo systems. The headphone cord itself is made of a heavier gauge cord than is typically found on most headsets the length of the cord comes in at nine feet; this is quite a bit longer than your standard headphones. This allows you to route the cord around other objects such as desks and monitors making it very easy to integrate these headphones into your computer setup.

The headphones themselves are constructed from moderately lightweight plastic. While they are not the lightest weight headphones I have used the design of them is such that they are still comfortable to where for an extended period of time.

The ear cups are large enough to fit over most people's ears, the padded ring around the headphone and the concave design of the cup allows them to rest comfortably against the side of your head without putting uncomfortable pressure on your ears themselves. This also helps to isolate outside noise providing a better listening environment. The cups also have decent ventilation again providing better comfort than typical headphones.