INTEL CORE I7-5960X REVIEW

High

• Amazing multi-core performance
• X99 platform offers excellent connectivity
• Surprisingly efficient

Lows

• Very expensive
• Not compatible with previous LGA2011 sockets
• Doesn’t work with DDR3 RAM

Before Haswell goes away, however, Intel has decided to let it have one last hurrah in the form of Haswell-E. This new line of processors offers six to eight cores, and is launching alongside the X99 platform, which is the first ever to support DDR4 RAM. The star of the show is the Core i7-5960X processor, an eight-core behemoth clocked at 3 GHz.

Such extreme hardware is sure to make enthusiasts salivate but, as usual, Intel’s quickest Extreme Edition comes with an equally extreme price of $999.

How much performance can a grand buy you?

Same old architecture

From a technical perspective, the Core i7-5960X is the least exciting component of this launch. Though it manages to provide eight cores, which is a first for any Intel processor (previous Extreme Editions maxed out at six), it does so without any fancy footwork. Intel has simply added more Haswell cores, and slapped on more cache (20MB, split between all cores) to match.

One thing this processor doesn’t include is integrated graphics. This is not odd for a high-end Intel chip, but it’s worth mentioning because it can surprise people who are new to enthusiast hardware. Every Haswell-E desktop needs a dedicated graphics card.

Exciting new platform

While the processor itself offers few surprises, the new X99 platform is a different story. As Intel’s latest flagship platform, it offers a buffet of features, some of which are firsts. While releasing a radically revised platform may seem odd with Broadwell right around the corner, Intel has indicated that it will launch with mobilechips, then follow up with desktop parts. X99 will likely be Intel’s latest-and-greatest until the spring of 2015.

The big story is support for DDR4 RAM. Everyone needs memory, of course; the quicker is better. This is a big win for anyone running large, complex programs. For this niche, the fact that X99 supports DDR4 with speeds up to 2133 MHz across four channels may prove to be important. It makes sense that Intel would release DDR4 first on an expensive platform meant for expensive processors, as buyers interested in such chips are those most likely to be interested in quicker RAM.

DDR4 isn’t entirely a boon, however, as there are several problems. Like all new technologies, it comes with a hefty early adopter tax. Four sticks of DDR4 memory totaling 16GB (that’s four per stick) will set you back well over $200.

That’s about three times more than equivalent DDR3 memory. X99 also supports speeds only up to 2133 MHz, which is lower than the standard’s maximum. Owners of this platform won’t be able to use the quickest DDR4 RAM available.

Quick and efficient

We hooked up the 5960X and the X99 motherboard up to our wattmeter. We noted idle power draw of 74.6 watts, and load draw of 156.9 watts. An Nvidia GT 650 video card was also installed. These figures are much higher than a typical Intel quad core CPU, but are still solid given the platform’s impressive performance. Falcon Northwest’s Talon, which we reviewed earlier this year, was equipped with an overclocked Core i7-4770K, and consumed only ten watts less.

Conclusion

The Intel Core i7-5960X pushes the bleeding edge of desktop performance forward. In our tests, we found it to be up to 43 percent quicker than the six-core 4960X, Intel’s previous Extreme Edition chip, and up to 77 percent faster than the 4770K quad-core.

Unsurprisingly, Intel’s newest chip achieves its greatest victories in tests which are reliant on multi-threaded performance, like the 7-Zip compression benchmark. In Geekbench’s single-core test, the 5960X’s relatively low clock speed puts it behind some of Intel’s old quad-cores.

Alienware Area 51

dell Alienware gaming brand is reviving one of its classic desktop lines, with the new Area 51. While it shares a name with the big, boxy, desktop gaming systems of old, this version has an entirely new look and feel, and includes a just-announced high-end processor and chipset from Intel.

for the first time alienware come in spaceship shape

The system is built around Intel's new Haswell-E CPU, a late entry to the Haswell generation of CPUs designed to give that fourth-gen Core i-series technology a final boost for enthusiast PC gamers. Intel'sBroadwell generation of Core i CPUs won't be around until next year, and the new Core M family is aimed squarely at tablets, hybrids, and ultrabooks, so for now, this is likely to be the marquee processor for gaming desktops. It comes paired with a new motherboard chipset, called X99, that promises to support DDR4 RAM.

This new version has a unique three-sided design, which Alienware calls "triad." The flat corners of the triad shape allow you to rock the massive chassis back easily and access ports or doors with only one hand. You can also grip two of the handle-like points of the triangle to lift or move the system, which will weigh roughly 45 pounds.

Both side panels are removable, offering access to the motherboard, video card slots, and hard drive trays. The Area 51 supports up to three full-width GPUs (both Nvidia and AMD options will be available), up to five hard drives, and the system is designed to support a 1.5K watt power supply. Running hardware like that can generate a lot of heat, so Alienware says the angled design can allow you to push the chassis up against the wall while still allowing hot air to escape.Like just about every Alienware laptop or desktop, there is an entire user-controlled light show built in, with nine separate zones, all controlled by the company's AlienFX software.

In our brief eyes-on time with the system, it at least looked different and more sculpted than other gaming desktops, although the traditional market for these systems has been at least partially eroded by better gaming laptops, next-gen living room gaming consoles, and new devices such as Alienware's own Alpha, a small form factor gaming desktop designed for living room use.

Dell says the Area 51 will start shipping in October in the US, and later in the Holiday season globally. The starting price has not been announced, but we expect it to cost a lot.

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display (15-inch, 2014) review:

For anyone complaining that Apple has not released any new products in the first eight months of 2014, we point you toward a series of underplayed but important updates to the Mac line of laptops and desktops.

Already this year, we've seen processor bumps and price cuts for the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air, a new lower-cost entry level 21.5-inch iMac all-in-one desktop, and now similar component upgrades and price cuts to the MacBook Pro line.

The entry-level 13-inch and 15-inch Retina models each doubled the included RAM, from 4GB to 8GB for the 13-inch, and 8GB to 16GB for the 15-inch. Both of those models also received a slightly faster CPU, with the 15-inch model reviewed here going from a 2.0GHz Intel Core i7 to a 2.2GHz Core i7, but still from the same generation of Intel Core i-series processors (newer CPUs are expected from Intel late this year).

Further, the higher-end 15-inch Retina Pro, the base model we reviewed in each of the past two years, dropped its price by $100, down to $2,499; and the lone non-Retina MacBook Pro, the positively ancient 13-inch model with an optical drive and relatively paltry 1,280x800-pixel display, also dropped its price by $100, down to $1,099.

The model we're testing here is the entry-level (to stretch the term) 15-inch Pro, which starts at $1,999 (£1,599, AU$2,499 RRP) and includes the aforementioned 2.2GHz Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. Unlike the higher-end models we've reviewed in previous years, this Pro doesn't have a discrete Nvidia graphics card, relying instead on Intel's integrated Iris Pro graphics.

HTC desire 510

The 4.7-inch phone comes encased in polycarbonate plastic in a choice of black, white, grey or a very luxurious midnight blue. The choice of colour may depend on where you buy it, however.The Desire 510 is a Category 4 LTE phone. Cat 4 is one of the fastest current flavours of 4G, but you can only enjoy the extra speed of a Cat 4 device if you live in a country that has a Cat 4 or LTE-Advanced network.

Even if you don't live somewhere covered by LTE-Advanced signal, 4G LTE is still an order of magnitude faster than 3G, and sees you surf the Web, stream video and music and connect with apps much faster. The only caveat is that with that extra speed you will burn through your data allowance (and battery) faster, and as 4G is still relatively new in many countries, that can cost you.

Inside the 510 is a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 processor with 1GB of RAM. There's 8GB of on-board memory for music, movies, and photos, with a microSD card slot for extra legroom.

While the 4G and processor speed are pretty respectable, the most disappointing specs are the 854x480-pixel screen and the cameras: the main snapper is a 5-megapixel job, with a low-resolution 640x480-pixel camera on the front for blocky video chat.

The 510 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat software, the latest version of Google's operating system. You can download more apps from the Google Play app store, including any apps you've already downloaded if you've had an Android phone before.On top of regular Android is HTC Sense, an interface only found on HTC phones, which adds extra features to the basic Android experience. The home pages also include BlinkFeed, which pulls together news and updates from your social networks to show you what's going on with the world and your friends every time you look at your phone.

Like the  HTC One M8 , HTC's flagship phone, you can check out what's going on with your 510 without opening the case. HTC's DotView case, which costs extra, covers the phone, but with teeny-tiny holes on the front through which you can see the screen, forming a cool dot matrix-style pattern.While at rest, the phone shows a display specially designed to be viewed through the small holes without opening the case. The 510 does not have the smart sensor features of the One M8's DotView case, but it does give you a choice of 18 wallpapers and themes.

We'll meet the HTC Desire 510 next week at annual technology trade show IFA in Berlin, where we'll be on hand to bring you the first photos, videos and hands-on first impressions of this and all the cool new kit heading your way before the end of the year.