Taiwan's world-class overclocking expert Coolaler came just short of recording a world record overclock during a live demonstration at Computex Taipei 2007. The show was held at the booth of enthusiast hardware news and reviews site TweakTown. During the demonstration, Coolaler used liquid nitrogen to cool a dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 CPU to below -100-degrees C while he overclocked the system to reach a CPU speed of 5.44GHz. The standard clock speed of this CPU is 3GHz and the current record overclock is 5.52GHz, which was set by Coolaler.Using a Gigabyte GA-P35T-DQ6 motherboard which is based on the new Intel Bearlake chipset and some new DDR3 memory from Corsair, Coolaler was able to push the memory to 1500MHz DDR while the system FSB reached 605MHz with a 9x multiplier. After achieving the ultra-high overclock Coolaler ran a series of benchmarks on the system which also included a pair of Gigabyte Radeon HD 2900 XT series graphics cards. In 3DMark01 the system achieved a score of over 86000, and it completed the SuperPI benchmark in 9.6 seconds. An overclocked system cooled with LN2Photo: TweakTown

Broadcom announced this week new media PC solutions for playback of high-definition (HD) video content across the widest range of PCs in the industry. By lowering CPU utilization, and integrating seamlessly into Microsoft Windows Vista and XP environments, Broadcom's media PC solutions enable mainstream PCs featuring integrated graphics to play back HD content from either a Blu-ray Disc (BD) or HD DVD, as well as from HD downloaded or broadcast content. The new Broadcom media PC solutions are available in three add-in card formats (including desktop PCI Express, PCI Express mini Card or ExpressCard 34), and as a chipset solution for PC motherboard applications. In-Stat predicts that the market for HD DVD and BD enabled PCs is expected to grow to 15 million by the end of 2008. Broadcom's media PC technology will be featured in the following booth locations at Computex Taipei 2007 from June 5-9, 2007. Broadcom booth (T101C, TICC:), Intel (T4VIP and T401, Hall 4 at TICC), AMD (TF1I and T105, Hall 4 at TICC), CyberLink (1024 and 1049 at Grand Hyatt) and Corel (1041 and 1042 at Grand Hyatt). Broadcom HD video boardPhoto: Company

Although women are all too often ignored by vendors in the IT industry, they still account for a sizable market segment, and perhaps realizing this, memory module makers including Apacer Technology (Booth: D126, D136, D225, D235, Hall 1) and Power Quotient International (PQI) (D330, D336, D429, D435, Hall 1) are offering more products at Computex Taipei 2007 that appeal to women.Apacer is marketing its USB flash drives not solely on density or software features, but also on design. Apacer's newly introduced Handy Steno AH125 is a key chain and card holder and, with its bright red color, the device appears to be targeting female users looking for a little liveliness in their IT products.Apacer is also in talks with leading brands that target female customers, such as luxury goods vendor Louis Vuitton (LV) and some cosmetics brands, in an attempt to find some market crossover for its IT products. Perhaps, LV can do for USB flash drives what the iPod did for digital music players.PQI is also showcasing several products that can be targeted to women. The memory module maker's 3mm-thick Card Drive series not only comes in densities up to 32GB, but OEMs can provide their own personal picture and patterns to target various market segments.The company is also showcasing its colorful Intelligent Drive i810 series, which features a surface plated with different colors, and is small enough to be used as an fashion accessory for a handset or key chain.According CK Chang, Apacer AVP from the company's digital application business unit, targeting women is not only about style. In the competitive digital music player segment, Apacer looks to appeal to women with its AU581 player, which comes in a metallic case and targets functionality and ease of use. However, the company still stresses the friendly price, Chang pointed out. And no matter who the product is designed for, it still needs to be backed by the technology, Chang added.Apacer Handy Steno AH125 USB drivePhoto: Esther Lam, Digitimes, June 2007PQI Card Drive U505Photo: Esther Lam, Digitimes, June 2007PQI Intelligent Drive i810Photo: Esther Lam, Digitimes, June 2007

This year at Computex Taipei 2007, software developer CyberLink (Grand Hyatt Taipei, suite 1024 and 1049) is highlighting its PowerCinema Mobile for handheld devices, a new version of the integrated media entertainment software PowerCinema. PowerCinema Mobile runs on the Windows Mobile operating system and consists of five major entertainment modules, including digital TV, FM radio, music, video, and photos.PowerCinema Mobile is designed for entertainment on the go. With the emergence of two mainstream sectors of digital media content – premium TV programs and user-generated content – PowerCinema Mobile provides a solution for enjoying both types of content on handheld devices.PowerCinema Mobile is based on CyberLink's key multimedia technologies. Designed to operate with touch screen panels on the latest handheld devices, the software features a highly graphical and interactive user interface. CyberLink PowerCinema Mobile features Application Feature Digital TV Supports multiple TV signals, including DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB and DAB Supports electronic program guides (EPGs) and full screen TV playback Enables personal video recording FM radio and music Receives FM radio programs Supports MP3 and WMA audio files Photos and Video Can display photos as 3D animated slideshows Plays slideshows and photos at full screen size Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, June 2007

Compro Technology (Hall 2, E095, E095E) is showcasing its VideoMate V600 standalone TV tuner box at Computex Taipei 2007. The VideoMate V600 is a high-resolution standalone TV box supporting resolutions up to 1680×1050, 1600×1200 and 1440×900 for watching analog TV shows on CRT/LCD/PDP monitors.Free from driver/software installation and compatibility problems with computers, it can be simply connected to a monitor or projector with a TV cable/antenna feed, and users can watch TV on their monitors easily.The VideoMate V600 can also be used with widescreen LCD monitors in the 15- to 22-inch range, as well as standard 4:3/5:4 CRT/LCD and 16:9/16:10 widescreen LCD/PDP TVs. The device also features a 2D+3D Y/C separation and noise reduction chip with 3D motion adaptive deinterlacing for a sharper display image.Video input support for the device includes S-video, composite video, stereo audio, and component (Y, Cb, Cr) video input and users can connect the TV box with a DVD player, VCR, DV, or the latest games consoles for watching DVD movies or playing games.Compro VideoMate V600 TV tunerPhoto: Company

Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry) is featuring a full line of PC products at Computex Taipei 2007, including motherboards supporting both the Intel and AMD platforms, multimedia motherboards with an HDMI port, Nvidia GeForce 8000 series graphics cards, and a newly designed case and cooling solution.With Intel officially launching its Bearlake platform during Computex, Foxconn is showcasing a number of motherboards featuring the Intel G31, G33, G35, P35, Q35 and X38 chipsets. The motherboards will be able to support Intel's new 45nm processor (Wolfdale for dual-core and Yorkfield for quad-core) with front side bus (FSB) speeds up to 1333MHz, while also supporting DDR2 or DDR2/DDR3 combo memory.Foxconn is also highlighting new Nvidia 8600 and 8500 graphics card solutions as well as launching its new cooling technology for PCs, which adopts both heat-pipes and a special heatsink.Foxconn launched its own-brand motherboard business in 2004 while its own-brand graphics card lineup was introduced in 2006. Foxconn motherboard specifications Item Details Model X38A G35M-S P35A-S G33M Support CPU Intel Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme, Pentium E2xxx, Celeron 4xx, Pentium D and 45nm processor FSB 1333/1066/800 MHz Memory Dual-channel DDR2 up to 8GB Dual-channel DDR2 up to 8GB Dual-channel DDR2 up to 8GB Dual-channel DDR2 and DDR3 combo memory Chipsets Intel X38 & ICH9R Intel G35 & ICH8R Intel P35 & ICH9R Intel G33 & ICH9 VGA 3 PCIe x16 Intel GMA X3100 2 PCIe x16 Intel GMA 3100 Source: Company, compiled by Digitimes, June 2007 Foxconn Intel P35A-S motherboardPhoto: Joseph Tsai, Digitimes, June 2007 Foxconn Intel X38A motherboardPhoto: Joseph Tsai, Digitimes, June 2007

As one of the pioneers of the small form factor (SFF) PC, Shuttle built success upon its distinctive XPC range of products and was at one time the market leader in its field. However, in recent years, the company's performance has taken a rapid downturn with sequential revenues drops of over 45% for two consecutive years to reach just NT$1.6 billion in 2006, the lowest recorded in over five years. What went wrong and how does the company plan to swing back to success in 2007?The first half of 2007 has been a quiet period for Shuttle with only a single product launch and very little in the way of PR, (Shuttle was notably not present at CeBIT 2007) but at Computex Taipei the company is coming back with a bang and is announcing ten new products.The first thing you notice when you look at the new product lineup is that they all fall into the XPC barebones category. In recent years Shuttle has deviated from its core business to focus on system products, notably the M-series home theater PC (HTPC), and the X-series ultra-small form factor PC. The key difference between these products and Shuttle's previous offerings was that they were based on mobile CPUs and chipsets, and as a consequence offered less upgradeability and performance than comparatively priced desktop CPU based products. When asked, a Shuttle spokesperson would not go as far as to say that the turn away from XPC barebones to focus on systems was the reason for the recent financial downturn, but did admit that those system products took up a lot of resources in R&D, sales, and after sales service, while not meeting targets in terms of sales.While Shuttle may have been quiet in recent months, looking at the specifications of the new XPCs shows that the company has not been sleeping. All of the new products are based on the latest chipsets from Intel and Nvidia and so offer comparable features as the full-sized desktop motherboards which are being launched by Asustek, Gigabyte, and Foxconn, among others, during Computex, such as support for upcoming Intel and AMD quad-core processors, PCI Express 2.0, and HDMI. The new products also feature solid capacitor designs, a trend that has become increasing popular in the industry as they offer higher reliability.At the show Shuttle is also introducing two new chassis designs, the G6 and P3, aimed at the fashion conscious and high-end and markets respectively. The G6 features a band inset with several dozen crystals for a distinctive look. The P3 is very similar to the older P2 design, but it also features an access plate on the bottom which allows mini Card based add-in cards to be installed in the system. The company will also introduce its new Oasis cooling system which will be used on high-end systems to provide extra cooling for the chipsets and MOSFETs, and a feature the company calls Speed Link which allows an XPC with the technology to be connected to another PC via a standard USB cable for simple file transfers.On the marketing side, Shuttle is also introducing three new sub-brands, Prima, Glamour, and D'VO which will be used to differentiate its high-end, mid-range and HTPC product lines, and a tweaked product naming scheme which the company believes will help customers identify products as the chipset used is now part of the name.The majority of the products Shuttle is launching are based on the Intel 3 series (Bearlake) chipset to support upcoming 1333MHz FSB CPUs including the Core 2 Quad. At the high-end is the SX38P3 Deluxe based on the X38 and ICH9R north and southbridge combination. The barebone features two PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 slots and supports AMD Crossfire, as well as up to four DDR2 memory modules. Shuttle is aiming this product at the enthusiast market and has put extra effort into supporting advanced features such as overclocking. In addition to the Oasis cooling system and solid capacitor design, Shuttle has also tried to improve the system BIOS, including sending two of its engineers to receive training with Intel.The deluxe in the product name indicates that the barebone will come with extra add-in features and accessories, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, and a fingerprint reader.On the audio side the product includes support for Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect. Shuttle recently partnered with the two audio companies and will hold a special press event during Computex at its VIP lounge to promote the newly added features.The SP35P3 Deluxe is similar to the SX38P3 but is based on the P35 northbridge and so only supports a single PCIe slot.The SG33G5M Deluxe is aimed at the home theater market and includes Shuttle's front-panel VFD display and remote control. The barebone is based on the G33 and ICH9DH chipset combination and supports the Intel Viiv platform. Intel GMA 3100 graphics are onboard with support for high-definition (HD) video, DirectX 10, and Windows Vista Premium. The model is the first SFF system to include an HDMI output, according to Shuttle.Two further models, the SG33G6 Deluxe and SG33G5 are based on the same motherboard as the SG33G5M and so offer similar features, with the front-panel chassis design being the main difference.For the value segment Shuttle is introducing the SG31G2 based on the G31 chipset and the SD30G2 based on the older generation 945GC chipset which so does not include support for newer CPUs. Both systems offer onboard graphics via the GMA 3100 and 950, respectively, with VGA output, while the SG31G2 also features a DVI port.For AMD platforms Shuttle is releasing two products, the SN68PTG6 Deluxe and SN68SG2, based on the Nvidia GeForce 7050 and nForce 630a chipset combination. But models support AMD Athlon and Sempron CPUs plus the upcoming Phenom series. The SN68PTG6 also includes an HDMI video output as well as better audio features including Dolby and DTS.Shuttle expects the new models to begin shipping starting in July with roll out to be completed in August.Shuttle's XPC G6 chassisPhoto: Company

As display prices continue to drop, users have looked for ways to connect more than one display to their computers, and for users with graphics cards that do not support two monitors, Taiwan-based Sunix is offering a unique solution.Sunix's solution is its VGA2625 USB-to-DVI graphics adapter. By going through a USB 2.0 port, users can instantly clone or extend a desktop onto another display via a DVI or D-Sub interface to an LCD, CRT, projector and/or PDP (plasma display panel) display.Equipped with DDR400 200MHz 16MB memory, the VGA2625 can output a resolution as high as 1,600×1200 in 32-bit and it supports 16:9 wide-screen LCD format.Sunix has 20 years of experience in the IT industry and has developed an expertise in the field of network adaptors and data communications. In addition to its Golden I/O cards, Sunix's product lineup also includes the HDMS41C (a four-port HDMI version 1.3 switch) and graphics adaptors.The Sunix Group is comprised of 13 companies with around 400 employees worldwide with the Group's headquarters and research and development is based in Taipei, Taiwan.According to Arthur Lin, founder and CEO of the Sunix Group, about 65-70% of the business of the Sunix Group is related to data communications and controllers. Some of their products include PCI cards with applications in control and communications, ATM systems, and POS (point of sale) systems.Sunix has the ability to develop innovative products based on its own IC designs. Sunix's IC R&D group has about 50 people who work on products such as it's Golden I/O card products. "We don't use turn-key IC solutions from others but instead aim for self-sufficiency," according to Lin. "Roughly 73% of our products employ IC solutions developed by ourselves and we're working to increase that proportion of self-reliance." For example, with its own IC designs, Sunix was able to develop an integrated PCI Express 1.1 bridge with 16 port UART.Since Sunix has its own extensive R&D capability, the company does original design manufacturing (ODM) for a number of large multi-national corporations. "For communication and data products, we do work with IBM's kiosk products, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Belkin, Foxconn and Fujitsu Siemens, stated Lin. "Wincor uses our work in its ATM lineup. In China, we provide data communication solutions for Lenovo. We also do work for Acer in Italy and England," added Lin.Aside from developing its own IC designs, Sunix is tightly vertically integrated and handles molding, SMT production and assembly, all in-house. The company has two factories in Kunshan, China and six SMT lines and is constructing another plant with a total square area of 380,000 square meters. The company aims to have a production capacity of a million units a month.Sunix is displaying products at booths C318, C320 and C322 in Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center.Sunix VGA2625 USB-to-DVI graphics adapterPhoto: CompanyArthur Lin, Sunix founder and CEO, poses with the company's integrated PCI Express 1.1 bridge with 16 port UARTPhoto: Eric Mah, Digitimes, May 2007

With just a few exceptions, most of the motherboard and graphics card vendors can be found in Hall 2 making it fairly convenient to get information on the latest developments without covering a large distance.In just a short time in Hall 2 it becomes fairly apparent that the main event at Computex Taipei 2007 is the Intel 3 series (Bearlake) chipset with every board marker showing versions in seemingly endless variations. It can get somewhat repetitive seeing the same chipset names over and over but thankfully most of the makers have come up with interesting features that help differentiate their products.If you look carefully among the swarms of Bearlake products you might spot one or two boards based on the AMD 7 series northbridge which will support the new AM2+ CPUs and bring support for PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 to AMD platforms. Two versions have been seen so far, the 780 and the higher-end 790 which supports two x16 PCIe slots typically, but Gigabyte has instead opted for four x8 slots to create a quad-Crossfire supporting board. According to company representatives at the various booths, 780 and 790 boards are expected to start shipping in late June or the beginning of July.Another thing you might notice when checking out some of the live demo systems is a PCIe x1 add-in card based on Intel Turbo Memory (Robson). The cards were seen in several booths and according to the company representatives they will begin shipping in the third quarter. However, the vendors are still uncertain whether the cards will be available only as a bundle option with the motherboards or if they will be available at retail.In terms of graphics card products the news is fairly light. Few vendors are showing new products based on Nvidia GPUs, and while at the show is probably the first time most people will see AMD 2600 and 2400 series cards in physical form, news about these products has been widely circulated over the past month or so, meaning that most people are likely to be familiar with the features. There are a couple of notable exceptions including a huge engineering model dual-GPU card by Micro-Star International (MSI) and Gigabyte Technology's passively cooled lineup.One of the issues that will be presented at least in the short term following the launch of Bearlake is the limited availability of DDR3 memory. To overcome this Asustek Computer has leveraged its in-house memory module production facilities in several ways. One method the company is planning to adopt is to bundle a pair of own-brand modules with certain motherboards. This is a fairly simple solution, while another option the company has come up with is to do away with DIMM slots and simply embed the memory on the motherboard.It is becoming common to see heat-pipe cooling solutions used on the north and southbridge and even other critical parts of the motherboard, and Asus is talking things even further with its new Cool Mempipe. As the name suggest this solution extends the heat-pipe arrangement so that it cools the DIMM modules installed in a motherboard. Another variation on the heat-pipes at which can be seen at the booth is a version specially designed for systems that use water cooling. If you feel like you need a break from looking at motherboards for a moment we suggest you take at looks at Asus' new Xonar sound card too.It might be a little harder to spot something interesting over at the MSI booth but that is not to say there is not anything. If you take a look round the back of some of the display models, you will see that MSI has tweaked the design of the USB ports in order to provide more spacing between slots.While there are no products on show with this feature, you should also ask the MSI booth representatives about the company's plans to bring Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) to the desktop. As a storage interface typically found on higher-end servers, SAS offers performance benefits but at an extra cost, and yet MSI believes that there is enough market for it on the desktop.Then there is the monster-sized dual-Radeon 2600 card. Similar products to this have been released with older generation GPUs, but this card from MSI is one of only a few we saw based on current technology. Of course, the card on show is only an engineering sample and when the product finally reaches the market you can expect the card to have been reduced from its current dimensions of around 150mm × 300mm.Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) is taking its push for the own-brand motherboard market to the next level by targeting the enthusiast market with its latest products. The company believes that if it is able to appeal to gamers then this will help increase brand recognition for its entire product range. Foxconn's gaming boards will carry the new sub-brand Mars (as in the god of war according to the booth rep.) and will feature a thermal controlled fan in the heat-pipe cooling system, LED diagnostics, and will come in a few Bearlake-based variations, including a three PCIe slot version, and a DDR2 and DDR3 combo model.Other than the quad-Crossfire system on show, most of Gigabytes new motherboards do not add any new features, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as Gigabyte has a reputation for high-quality products that fulfill expectations. On the graphics card side what is instantly apparent is that most of Gigabyte's products use a passive cooling solution. According to a Gigabyte representative, around 90% of all the cards Gigabyte ships use passive cooling, and it is only at the high-end where both AMD and Nvidia restrict card vendors to only using their reference designs that Gigabyte does not use a passive solution. Quick guide to motherboard and graphics card booths Company name Booth location (Hall 2 unless noted) What's hot Asustek Computer F185 DDR3 memory solutions for Bearlake motherboards Micro-star International E149 Dual-2600 GPU card TUL (PowerColor) F290 Complete Radeon 2000 series lineup Shuttle E067 New XPC barebones Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) E133 New gaming motherboards Gigabyte Technology E137 Quad-Crossfire USI (Abit) E087E Live overclocking demonstration Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) Hall 4, T3F2 DTX form factor systems VIA F243 NanoBook Sparkle E085E GeForce graphics cards with integrated LCD temperature display Tyan E083E Personal supercomputer Leadtek Research Hall 1, A726 Quadro Plex visual computing system (VCS) Intel Hall 4, T401 Bearlake chipsets AMD Hall 4, TF1I DTX, Radeon 2000 series Source: Computex and companies, compiled by Digitimes, June 2007An engineering sample of MSI's dual-Radeon 2600 GPU cardPhoto: Ricky Morris, Digitimes, June 2007Intel Turbo Memory for desktops coming in 3QPhoto: Ricky Morris, Digitimes, June 2007Asustek plans to bundle own-brand DDR3 memory with some of its new Bearlake motherboardsPhoto: Ricky Morris, Digitimes, June 2007Gigabyte demos a new AMD 790 chipset motherboard with quad-Crossfire supportPhoto: Ricky Morris, Digitimes, June 2007ECS shows off DTX-based small form factor systemsPhoto: Ricky Morris, Digitimes, June 2007

VIA Technologies announced its new NanoBook UMD (ultra-mobile device) at Computex Taipei 2007, which, according to the company, packs the performance, connectivity and functionality of a notebook PC into a sleek and light ultra-portable clamshell form factor that weighs less than 850g.The VIA NanoBook is powered by the ultra-low-voltage 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor and delivers up to five hours of battery life. Powered by a choice of Microsoft Windows XP or Vista Basic operating systems, it comes with features including a full keyboard, a 7-inch WVGA screen with touch panel, up to 1GB DDR2 SDRAM, and a minimum 30GB hard disk drive (HDD). The NanoBook also supports 802.11g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet connectivity, plus a DVI and two USB 2.0 ports, noted sources at VIA.The VIA NanoBook has been designed and manufactured in collaboration with First International Computer (FIC) and is scheduled to mass produce in the second half of 2007. Currently, VIA has received orders from Europe-based Packard Bell, added the sources.With CPU makers all aiming for the low-price PC market, Wen-chi Chen, CEO and president of VIA pointed out that low-price PCs not only need to have advantages in their pricing, but also benefits to the environment. VIA's C7 series processors all adopt a green action strategy, which separates the company from its competitors, according to Chen.In additional news, VIA's May 2007 revenues reached NT$1.68 billion (US$50.8 million), an increase of 3.21% compared to NT$1.62 billion in May 2006 and an increase of 12.9% over April 2007. Accumulated revenues for the first five months of 2007 were NT$7.04 billion, a decrease of 38.85% over the same period in 2006, according to sources at VIA.VIA NanoBook UMDPhoto: Monica Chen, Digitimes, June 2007