Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG Mather board

Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG Mather board
Designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, the Intel® Desktop Board DP55KG delivers incredible performance. Enjoy great over-clocking hardware and software while boasting new features like Bluetooth* technology. Support for ATI Crossfire* and NVIDIA SLI* technology rounds off the platform with amazing graphics performance.

Features and benefits
Form factor: ATX (12.00 inches by 9.60 inches [304.80 millimeters by 243.84 millimeters])
AA number (Altered Assembly): E47218-XXX
BIOS ID string: KGIBX10J.86A
Processor:
View supported processors for the most current list of compatible processors.

At product launch, this desktop board supports:

Intel® Core™ i7-800 processor series in an LGA1156 socket
Intel® Core™ i5-700 processor series in an LGA1156 socket
Memory:
Four 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets
Support for DDR3 1600+1/1333/1066 MHz DIMMs
Support for up to 16 GBΣ of system memory
Chipset:
Intel® P55 Express Chipset
Audio:
Intel® High Definition Audio◊ subsystem in the following configuration:

10-channel (7.1+ 2 independent multi-streaming) audio subsystem with five analog audio outputs and two optical S/PDIF digital audio for input and output using the Realtek * ALC889 audio codec
Video:
Nvidia SLI* and ATI CrossFire* technology support enables two graphics cards to work together for ultimate 3D gaming performance and visual quality
LAN support: Intel® PRO 10/100/1000 Network Connection (82578DC)
Peripheral interfaces:
Thirteen USB 2.0 ports (8 external ports, 1 onboard, 2 internal headers)
Eight Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s ports including 2 eSATA ports
Two IEEE-1394a ports (1 external port, 1 internal header)
Consumer IR receiver and emitter (via internal headers)
Integrated Bluetooth Technology Module
Expansion capabilities:
One primary PCI Express* 2.0 x16 bus add-in card connector
One PCI Express* 2.0 x8 bus add-in card connector, bifurcated from the primary PCI Express 2.0 x16
One PCI Express* 2.0 x4 connector
Two PCI Express* 2.0 x1 connectors
Two PCI Conventional bus connectors

Introducing the Intel® Extreme Team

Introducing the Intel® Extreme Team:
A community that includes the incredible technologists, free-thinking engineers and radical designers whose combined brainpower creates the world's best motherboards. We want to join forces with passionate people who use these products and help define them. That's where you come in!

Intel Core 2 Quad Price

Intel Core 2 Quad Price
Price Updated on 02/04/2010 – Indian Rupee(INR):
Intel Q8300 (2.5GHz, 4MB Cache) Price- 7,400/-
Intel Q8400 (2.66GHz, 4MB Cache) Core 2 Quad Processor Price- 8,500/-
Discontinued Intel Core 2 Quad Processors:
Intel Q6600 Core 2 Quad Processor Price- 9050/-
Intel Q9300 Core 2 Quad Processor Price – 11800/-
Intel Q9450 Core 2 Quad Processor Price – 15200/-
Intel Q9400 Core 2 Quad Processor Price – 12,500/-
Intel Q9550 Core 2 Quad Processor Price – 14,700/-
Intel Q9650 Core 2 Quad Processor Price – 16,500/-

HP 2009m LCD Widescreen Monitor

HP 2009m LCD Widescreen Monitor
The $200 HP 2009m, an affordable 20-inch widescreen display, produced impressive image quality in our subjective tests. We saw nuanced, accurate skin tones in photographs, and found small fonts easy to read. The screen has a glossy, antireflective coating that gives the display a nice sheen--and thankfully, the coating also seems to enhance the screen's readability rather than detract from it.

The display's 20-inch-diagonal size enables it to have a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1600 by 900 native resolution, which makes it appropriate for showing HD content. However, the 2009m does not have an HDMI connection--it offers only VGA and DVI ports. The ports are set in at the back of the display; to plug in cables, it's actually easier to lay the display down on its face, which isn't the best (or most convenient) thing to do.

If the lack of an HDMI port and the placement of the existing ports aren't deal-breakers for you, the 2009m won't disappoint. Our motion tests showed little visible blurring, a good sign that the display should be a fine choice for watching movies or playing games.

To access the on-screen controls, which are easy to navigate, you must use buttons that are set into the lip of the bottom bezel. The display can swivel only on its stand, and tilts with a slightly aggressive push. It cannot pivot.

Despite a few drawbacks--no HDMI connection and little maneuverability--the 2009m is a very reasonably priced monitor that offers great image quality.

ViewSonic VG2427wm 24-Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor

ViewSonic VG2427wm 24-Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor
The VG2427wm, a 24-inch widescreen LCD monitor, performed well in our image quality tests. Text on a page of fonts of different sizes looked sharp, even when at a very small (6-point) size.

The VG2427 also did a fairly good job of rendering color, though in one photo--a picnic scene with various red, green, and blue hues, we found the color to be slightly dull in comparison to the way other screens, such as the Asus VH236H, rendered it.

In our motion tests, the VG2427wm stumbled a bit, displaying some just-detectable jittering of our test image. Though the jittering was slight, it was noticeable enough that active gamers might find it distracting.

The VG2427wm's 1920-by-1080-pixel native resolution theoretically makes it 1080p-ready, and well-suited for HD content. Unfortunately, the display lacks an HDMI input, offering only DVI and VGA ports. ViewSonic says that it intends the monitor for corporate and office use; but to take full advantage of its resolution, an HDMI input would seem to be a necessary feature. The VG2427 does include three USB ports at the rear.

Four buttons on the bottom of the front bezel control the on-screen display (OSD). The power button lies at the center of the cluster of buttons, which unfortunately increases the likelihood that you'll press it by accident while aiming for the button for cycling through the OSD's menus.

The display tilts and swivels with ease. It also has a height adjustment, which works smoothly as well. Its bezel has a pleasant, charcoal-black finish.

At $400, the VG 2427wm is quite reasonably priced for a 24-inch widescreen in today's monitor marketplace. It would make a good choice for users who need a big screen for text-intensive work, but the less-than-totally-smooth video playback and the lack of an HDMI-in port may disappoint for gamers and movie watchers.

Alienware OptX AW2210 21.5-Inch LCD Monitor

Alienware OptX AW2210 21.5-Inch LCD Monitor
Dell's gamer-friendly Alienware brand is extending its reach to include monitors, and the 21.5-inch widescreen 1080p OptX AW2210 ($300 as of November 11, 2009) serves up a lot to like: solid image quality, accessible and comprehensive built-in menus, and an exterior design that stands out from the generally conservative competition.

On the other hand, $300 is a lot to pay these days for a 21.5-inch monitor, especially when you consider that Dell itself offers LCDs that rival the AW2210 in quality and cost less. The Dell SX2210, for example, has a panel that's identical to the Alienware 2210's, but trades in the design and the touch-sensitive menu controls for a Webcam, face-recognition software, and a retail price of $220. (Then again, the Dell SX2210t monitor restores the multitouch and face-recognition features but jacks the price up to $469.)

Evidently the company applied that extra $80 to the Alienware monitor's aesthetics. The OptX 2210 is black, bold, and sexy from top to bottom, with a slim profile and a big plastic base that looks like Batman's boomerang. The LCD also looks heavier than it actually is, which is both a plus and a minus: On the one hand, it's easier to tote around (what fun is an Alienware display if you don't get to show it off?); but on the other, the monitor's stability is iffy. The OptX 2210 didn't move while I was typing up this review, but it did move around significantly more than my other display (a Dell 1907FPc) when I was playing a game.

The monitor's design keeps the ports from showing, which is nice when you're looking at it, but inconvenient when you're trying to plug things in to it. Four USB 2.0 ports, two HDMI ports, a DVI-D port, and line-in and line-out audio jacks--all vertically oriented behind the monitor--are difficult to access. On the plus side, the swivel, tilt, and height of the display are easy to adjust.

The OptX 2210's aesthetic appeal extends to its impressive built-in menu controls. I've never been a fan of touch-sensitive buttons because I'm somewhat ham-handed and I hate not being able to find the spot I'm looking for. But I had no problems with this display's menu controls, which worked well and looked cool. The main menu button even detects your hand's proximity and lights up before you touch it.

Once you reach the menus, you'll encounter five preset configurations (Standard, Multimedia, Game, Warm, and Cool) for adjusting various display settings. You get an extra spot for introducing a user-defined custom preset, as well, along with manual options if the presets don't do it for you. Though you probably won't be stepping through these very often, the tweak-friendliness is still a nice touch.

PC World Test Center image evaluations are still pending (we'll add them to this review as soon as they're ready), but I put the OptX 2210 through its paces with a PlayStation 3 and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. To my eyes, the monitor performed excellently. I tend to be a stickler about input lag issues, but I didn't notice any problems with response time, ghosting, or any other problems commonly associated with monitor-overdrive functions in the past. I also didn't notice any benefit of using the Gaming preset configuration, which merely to turn the brightness and color warmth down a notch from the Standard preset.

One edge that the OptX 2210 has over its less-expensive Dell cousin is the Premium Panel Guarantee, which is more stringent than the standard Dell three-year limited warranty: If you find a single bright or stuck pixel, you can exchange the monitor for a brand-new one. (Many monitor warranties won't promise you a replacement unit unless the number of dead or stuck pixels reaches a certain threshold.) The default warranty lasts for three years, though you can purchase a four-year warranty for $40 or a five-year one for $60.

Though $300 is a lot to pay for a 21.5-inch monitor, the Alienware OptX AW2210 display has plenty of virtues to justify the price, and the extra warranty coverage ensures that you can enjoy your investment at maximum visual quality. Stop by our monitor reviews page or our Monitor Buying Guide to see what other models fall into your price range.