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Late last year, LucidLogix introduced us to Virtu, the GPU virtualization software that makes disparate GPUs play nice on Sandy Bridge PCs, and now its extending the love to AMD Bulldozer and Brazos machines. The latest version of the software, dubbed Virtu Universal, also extends GPU virtualization to all-in-ones and notebooks (on both AMD and Intel), enabling simple switching between discrete graphics and the integrated ilk. What's more, the program ushers in the debut of Virtual Vsync, which claims to bring "maximum gaming frame rates and responsiveness, while eliminating distracting and image-distorting visual tearing." Of course, we'll believe it when we see it, which, if LucidLogix has its way, should be before the ball drops in Time Square. LucidLogix

Gigabyte has decided to simplify matters for those who want the power of an SSD in their desktop, but don't want to deal with the hassle of buying and connecting one. The company's new Z68XP-UD3-iSSD (catchy, no?) motherboard comes with a 20GB Intel SSD 311 mounted right on it. It's not clear if you can simply dump files on it like a normal drive -- what it  can  do, however, is use Intel's Smart Response tech to cache frequently accessed data, like your OS, to improve performance. Essentially, it turns any hard disk you connect to the system into a hybrid drive with a much larger reserve of flash storage, which should sound somewhat familiar. The board also features the ability to switch between discrete and built-in graphics thanks to Lucid Logix's Virtu. The rest of the features are pretty standard fare: USB 3.0, a pair of 16x PCI-E slots, and 6GB SATA connections. The latest Z68 board from Gigabyte will go on sale early in June and, while we ...

What's this? A listing for an unreleased Intel chip on eBay? This purported eight-core, hyper-threaded Sandy Bridge E-series processor is apparently a third party tester unit, hence the cloak and dagger "Intel Confidential" stamped in the middle of the thing. The "E" in the series, as previously stated, stands for "Enthusiast," especially fitting in the case of a $1,360 dollar piece of near-future tech with a strict no refund / return policy. Not surprisingly, the sale has been shutdown prematurely. Whether it was pulled by the seller or at the strong urging of Intel will have to remain a mystery for now, as will those blazingly fast speeds we've read so much about -- at least until it pops up again on Craigslist. Update:  To be clear, the "ES" on the chip stands for "Engineering Sample" but the "E" in the series name stands for "Enthusiast." X-bit Labs eBay