Intel’s next generation Haswell-E HEDT platform is something that enthusiasts and overclockers are going to carve for according to the details and slides revealed thanks to VR-Zone. It was already confirmed through a previous roadmap leak that Intel’s Haswell-E would arrive by the end of 2014, a few months after Intel would launch their Haswell refresh platform for the LGA 1150 socket.

Intel Haswell-E HEDT Platform Features Upto 8 Cores and 20 MB Cache

Intel’s Haswell-E platform would replace the current Ivy Bridge-E HEDT (High End Desktop) platform and would be based on the latest second generation 22nm Hi-K process architecture. The most interesting part is that Intel would finally be providing upto 8 core SKUs in their desktop lineup with the launch of Haswell-E. Intel has detailed 6-8 cores for their Haswell-E processors that would be equipped with massive 20 MB of L3 smart cache and just like Haswell, would feature an integrated voltage regulator “FVIR” and the flagship part would ship with TDPs around 130 – 140W which is impressive since that’s 10-20W under what we get on the Core i7-3970X which has 6 cores compared to the Haswell-E beast that would feature 8 cores, faster clocks and 20 MB of L3 cache. Intel is aiming for an 55% IPC improvement over quad cores with their flagship Haswell-E processors.

Just like Haswell and Ivy Bridge-E before it, Haswell-E would retain the great overclocking features that would ship with the “K” series and “Extreme Edition” processors. Both the memory and processor can be overclocked beyond limits with unlocked turbo limits, unlocked core ratios in 80/100 increments, programmable iVR voltage, support for XMP mode, unlocked memory controller and voltage limits, native support for memory upto 2667 MHz, Unlocked PCH and PLL voltage controls and more.

Intel’s Haswell processors were the hot talk of the rumor mill long before it’s official launch. Many bits and pieces were thrown at the rumor mill with some turning out to be true and some false. Computex 2013 marked the launch of Haswell, while as excited as we were due to it’s impressive performance, a recent decision by Intel may very well anger some.

Intel Completely Locks Overclocking on Non-K Haswell CPUs

According to a report by Techreport, Intel or ‘Chipzilla’ has decided to completely strip non-K Haswell processors off overclocking features. Overclocking from now will only be for the K-series Haswell processors. Intel was a bit lenient with previous-gen ‘Sandy Bridge’ and ‘Ivy Bridge’ counterparts and allowed some headroom of overclocking for the non-K processors, but it too was  limited but at the very least it got the job done. Its sad to see the new ‘no overclocking’ fiasco by Intel. Intel bases their decision on the fact that they are aiming the non-K series processors at the business and consumer market, and overclocking is generally highly unlikely.

Even though Intel’s Haswell offers more flexibility in the form of additional base clock straps, but access to it has been cut off in non-K series parts. Now if this has gotten you excited to only get a ‘K’ series Haswell processor, you may wanna hold off your horses a bit. Even though these chips cost $20-$30 more than the standard non-K one’s, surprisingly enough the premium Haswell parts are not just a ‘complete package’ as we though. They are missing a few features as well, the K-series parts lack the support for transactional memory extensions and VT-d device virtualization, present in non-K series Haswell parts.

Club3D has officially announced that the company is fully committed to the sale of graphics cards by AMD and relative products. Due to this new partnership, Club3D would cease the sale of all NVIDIA branded products.

Club3D Goes AMD Exclusive – Ends Sale of NVIDIA GeForce Cards

Club3D has introduced some great Royal Queen cards for the green family last year with the GeForce 600 series but those are the only last graphic cards for the green team we would be looking at from Club3D who would now officially sale only AMD graphics card. Club3D is the second manufacture to become an AMD exclusive partner after XFX who left AMD after the release of their GeForce 400 series cards. So its a sad day for NVIDIA loosing a key board partner whose cards were popular in many regions but a big plus for AMD who has gained a new exclusive board manufacturer. More details in the following press release:

Last month when NVIDIA was about to launch their GeForce GTX 780 and GeForce GTX 770 parts, rumors hit the web that NVIDIA may also launch a GeForce GTX 760 or GeForce GTX 760 Ti card in the month of June. Well we have already seen a GeForce GTX 760 lying about the Computex 2013 floor but when is the card going to launch?

NVIDIA Possibly Launching GeForce GTX 760 on June 25th?

You may wonder why there’s so much fuss about this new card? First of all, the GeForce GTX 760 or GeForce GTX 760 Ti (Whatever NVIDIA plans to call it) is a mid-range card attracted towards the more budget conscious gamers who cannot or don’t want to spend more money on cards like GeForce GTX 780 or the GTX Titan. These cards may be slower in performance than their bigger brothers but at the end of the day and due to their attractive price range, they become the cash cows for their makers selling well if priced right.  You will see more GeForce GTX 660 Ti’s or Radeon HD 7870′s than the flagship 7970 or 680 selling in the markets making mid-range parts a crucial market for both graphics maker.

The GeForce GTX 760 is said to be launching of June 25th according to Videocardz. A different source who has been quiet alot accurate in the past mentions the launch of the same card next week. No matter which source is right, we will get to see the card this month for sure. For the specifications, there is still some speculation due to the fact that we have also known the 760 Ti since the launch of GTX 780. Now here’s what most sources have to say, GDM.or.jp mentions that the card is a re-badged GeForce GTX 670 with 1344 cores, 128 TMUs, 32 ROPs and a 2 GB GDDR5 memory with a similar clock frequency while the memory would operate at 7 GHz effective range. Now if this is true than the performance is expected to exceed the GeForce GTX 670 by 5%.

ASRock launched their Z87 OC Formula motherboards a few weeks ago which featured their latest waterproof conformal technology. The conformal coating protects the motherboards from any kind of liquid spillage on the PCB but in case an accident happens, there would be no need to worry since the OC Formula series are backed with a 5 year guaranteed warranty by ASRock.

A live demonstration for the waterproof conformal coating can be seen here showcasing ASRock pouring liquid water on top of their board while its functioning but not affecting its processes. In addition to protecting their boards from liquids, conformal coating also helps in protecting the motherboards from dust, corrosion and high temperatures. More information is provided in the press release below:

ASRock Guarantees 5 Year Warranty for Z87 OC Formula Motherboards with Waterproof Conformal Coating

TAIPEI, TAIWAN, June 14, 2013 – Accidents happen, especially when you try to avoid them. But rest assured that ASRock’s latest ATX sized OC Formula Series motherboards, including Z87 OC Formula/ac (with 802.11ac WiFi support) and Z87 OC Formula are protected by a special layer of Conformal Coating. As you’ve probably already heard, Conformal Coating protects the motherboards from conductive liquids, dust, corrosion and extreme temperatures*. And if you still feel skeptical about the lifespan of your overclocking oriented motherboards, fear not! ASRock guarantees 5 year warranty!

ASRock’s Z87 OC Formula/ac and Z87 OC Formula are designed by the world famous overclocker Nick Shih. These two motherboards possess both hardware and software features for extreme overclocking, and they are also fully loaded with a set of lifestyle based features named A-Style. ASRock provides the five year warranty package as long as the malfunctions and defects occur under normal use conditions and aren’t caused by misuse or abnormal operations**. If unfortunately the motherboard cannot be repaired, ASRock will replace the product with equivalent or next generation products.

The latest Intel Roadmap has been leaked which reveals that Intel would be skipping the launch of their 14nm Broadwell processors in 2014 and launch an Haswell refresh instead.

Images are courtesy of CPU-World!

Intel Prepares Haswell Refresh For 2014, Core i7-4771 Launch in Q3 2013

The Tick-Tock model from Intel suggested that Intel would unveil their 14nm core architecture “Broadwell” in 2014 but the new roadmaps are suggesting that Intel would push them forward to 2015 and launch an Haswell based processor refresh in second quarter of 2014. This means that the upcoming 2014 family of processors will bring nothing new except process improvements and faster clock speeds. Maybe we would finally get to see 4 GHz clocked chips since rival AMD has already topped the 5 GHz barrier with their recent FX-9000 series launch.

Processors based on the Haswell refresh would still feature the 22nm Tri-Gate architecture improving upon the CPU and GPU clock speeds but this doesn’t mean we won’t see any more fourth generation Haswell parts in 2013. The roadmap also reveals a new Haswell processor called Core i7-4771 which is the successor to the Core i7-4770 (Non-K) CPU and would launch in Q3 2013. Specifications are not known but i expect a 100 MHz clock speed bump which is usually done by Intel.

AMD has announced their latest FX-9000 series processors at E3 2013 which would be the world’s first processor range clocked at 5 GHz native speeds. The two SKUs that have been announced include the mammoth FX-9590 that is also the world’s first processor to be clocked at 5 GHz, a number which many overclockers carve for.

AMD Goes Invincible With The World’s Fastest Clocked FX-9000 Series CPUs

“At E3 this week, AMD demonstrated why it is at the core of gaming,” said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Products Division at AMD. “The new FX 5 GHz processor is an emphatic performance statement to the most demanding gamers seeking ultra-high resolution experiences including AMD Eyefinity technology. This is another proud innovation for AMD in delivering the world’s first commercially available 5 GHz processor.”

“AMD continues to push the envelope when it comes to desktop capabilities and power performance,” said Wallace Santos, CEO and founder of MAINGEAR. “In unveiling the world’s first 5 GHz 8-core CPU, AMD continues to lead the way in innovation while providing our customers with a best-in-class experience. We are thrilled to be part of this exciting launch.”

Electronic Arts showcased the first multiplayer trailer of the next-generation Battlefield 4 title in works by DICE (Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment).

Battlefield 4 Siege in Shanghai Multiplayer Gameplay

Battlefield 4 Multiplayer Demo Is Next Generation Done Right

Since its reveal at GDC 2013, fans of the Battlefield franchise have been waiting to witness the first gameplay of the game set in the multiplayer section of the game since to most hardcore and older fans Battlefield is all about its mutliplayer. The Battlefield 4 multiplayer trailer showcases the power of the next generation devices which include the PC, Play Station 4 and Xbox One since these platforms would fully delver the graphical features of the next generation title. The game is also coming out on current generation platforms such as the Xbox 360 and PS3 which would however get slimmed down on these features but the core gameplay of the game would be kept intact.

Microsoft’s E3 media briefing is over and the company made some very interesting reveals and announcements regarding their upcoming Next-Generation Xbox One gaming console. A handful of exclusive and non-exclusive titles were revealed at the event and the answer to one of the most important question was finally answered.

Image is courtesy of GameTrailers!

Xbox One Officially Launching in November 2013 For $499

Microsoft announced at the very end of their briefing that their Next-Gen Xbox One console would cost $499 in US, 499 Euros in Europe and £429 in the UK. The company also announced their Xbox One console would hit the retail channels officially and globally in November 2013, just in time for holiday season. The price point may be something what people weren’t expecting atleast from the Xbox One since earlier rumors suggested $299 to $399  price points for both next generation consoles. But official words are official and the $499 price is what would get you a Xbox One in your hands at launch day or you can just Pre-order it know.

Microsoft also detailed latest features for their Xbox Live Service, for instance you are the owner of the Xbox 360 which already has a Live membership attached to it. Now if you want to use your Xbox Live membership to be carried over to the Xbox One, you can easily do so since the new console allows it and the benefits pass over to your friends and family. Xbox Live is also dropping MS Points for currency and would now use real world currency based on different regions which is a feature many users were looking forward to. The new Xbox Live service is starting from July 1st.

ASRock is a well known brand in the tech world, and the past couple of years have garnered them even more fame, all thanks to their quality motherboard lineup, specifically the ASRock Z77 Fatal1ty and Z77 OC Formula. ASRock similarly showcased their upcoming Z87 motherboards at Computex 2013, and today we bring you a rather unusual ASRock product announcement.

Images are courtesy of Anandtech!

ASRock M8 mini-ITX Gaming System – Designed by BMW

That’s right folks, ASRock has unveiled it’s own mini-ITX gaming system, it has been going for a while now, but ASRock finally took the plunge and feasted upon our eyes, the M8. The specifics about the system are still unknown but ASRock offers a vast variety of components of your choice, the better the expensive. Though it is known to pack Intel’s Haswell CPU and motherboard combo. ASRock also tells that the system can pack discrete graphics card as big as the Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan, although you have to remove  the top of the tower, which will give you access to PCI-E riser card inside.

The ASRock M8 sports a sleek chassis design, it was designed in corporation with BMW (Bavarian Motors Company), hence also the name M8 (M for BMW and for 8 series Intel chipset). Button placement include a i-Drive like knob  which functions as a power button, it also allows for quick cycle through all the features of the case’s menu including the control of the case’s fan speed’s and allowance for temperature monitoring through it’s small OLED display. The side panel is another sleek part of the system, instead of the usual screws, ASRock has used magnets to to hold the panel together. A pretty neat feature indeed.