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News Search Results for: ht Antec CP-850w - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jul-02-09] (0 Comments) Whenit comes to PSUs, for years now the ATX unit has taken centre stagewith little thought going into producing a different form factor.However, Antec have changed all this and decided that it is time for arevamp. Their new form factor, christened the CPX, is a lot bigger soas to allow more room for the guts and allow a less restrictiveairflow. Electrically, it’s just an ATX power supply but unfortunatelythe size means that a limited selection of cases can take the unit –unless of course you’re into modding. Antec clearly hope the new formfactor catches on and their first model is the CP-850, but is all thehype really justified? Let’s have a look... Technic3D/Spire TherMax II @ technic3d.com [Jul-02-09] (0 Comments) The Spire TherMax II CPU Heatsink arrived Technic3D. The unive rsally compatible TherMax II is the big brother of the original TherMa x cooler. Designed with four 8mm copper U shaped heat-pipes enclosed b y fifty-five aluminum stacked Micro-fins. The heat-sink base is equipp ed with the Direct-Touch heat-pipe technology. The Its cooling capacit y ranges all the way from low end Micro-processors, up to today's hott est 150W dual-core processors. See you in the following Review the The rMax II compared with many other Cooler on a Intel Core i7 920. Corsair CX400W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-02-09] (0 Comments) CX400W is the simplest power supply offered by Corsair. Is it a good product? Let’s see. TechwareLabs s the NZXT Khaos Aluminum Full Tower Gaming Chassis @ techwarelabs.com [Jul-02-09] (0 Comments) When on the look out for a new case to out fit your rig, you may have a peek over at what NZXT is producing. NZXT is still a young company, only being established in 2004. However, they have produced a fairly decent sized list of computer chassis, some with a very unique design and look. With the NZXT Khaos at hand, one can only speculate as to what NZXT has in mind as a MSI Wind U100 Netbook Overclocking Guide @ legitreviews.com [Jul-01-09] (0 Comments) Once the dynamic overclock setting has been enabled you then must pick the percentage of the overclock. You can select a CPU overclock of either 8%, 15% or 24%, for a maximum overclock of 2GHz. Once the percentage picked you just load the operating system like normal and use the Wind U100. When you are ready for a little more processor power you just need to press Fn+F10, and 'Turbo' mode will be enabled. You have to be plugged into AC power for the setting to work and you should see one of the above icons when you enable or disable the feature. Our MSI Wind U100 was unstable with an overclock of 24% due to instability of the memory module. That means the highest overclock that could be reached was 15%, which is still a great overclock on the Intel Atom N270 processor.... World-Exclusive:Sapphire HD 4730 512 MB @ techpowerup.com [Jul-01-09] (0 Comments) Sapphire's new HD 4730 is based on the RV770 GPU which is used on the HD 48xx Series. Such a choice had to be made because the availability of the HD4770 GPU is extremely limited at this time - while customer demand is up. Sapphire offers their card with 640 shaders and 512 MB GDDR5 memory at an extremely competitive price point of only $79. But is that enough to take over that market segment? Rocketfish 550 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-01-09] (0 Comments) Rocketfish is one of the house brands from Best Buy and recently they released a new 550 W power supply. Let’s see if this unit will survive our tests. Seventeam ST-750P-AF Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-01-09] (0 Comments) Seventeam is slowly entering the US market and ST-750P-AF is one of the few products from them available around here. Is it a good product? Can it deliver its labeled power? Check it out. Antec ISK300-65 Mini-ITX HTPC Computer Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jul-01-09] (0 Comments) Benchmark Reviews recently called on the Antec ISK300-65 Mini-ITX HTPC computer case to complete our NVIDIA ION Home Theater PC project. ASUS Radeon HD 4890 Voltage Tweak Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Jul-01-09] (0 Comments) The Voltage Tweak model from ASUS is something we've heard about for a while now. The idea behind it is that ASUS gives the user even more control of the card when it comes to overclocking. Not only do you have the ability to overclock the standard clocks like memory and core, but you also have the ability to adjust the voltage. You may be wondering what this exactly means; it gives you the ability to adjust the voltage to higher levels which in turn gives you the ability to run the card at even higher speeds, much like you do with a CPU where adding more voltage gives you the ability to obtain higher clock speeds. AMD Phenom II 42 TWKR Black Edition Processor @ legitreviews.com [Jun-30-09] (0 Comments) For our liquid nitrogen testing we insulated the motherboard with a combination of artist eraser and Vaseline and mounted our K|ngp|n F1EE liquid nitrogen pot on top of the CPU with a dab of Arctic Silver Ceramique for the thermal compound. After pulling the pot down to around -188 Celsius we began our runs starting with 3DMark 2006. We were using a Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P with two Corsair Dominator GT 1866C7 2GB modules, two AMD HD4870x2 video cards at 822MHz core 950MHz memory, and a single Corsair HX1000 PSU powering the entire system. We had to push the vcore up to 1.8v to achieve the following 6.6GHz screen shot on the AMD Phenom II 42 TWKR Black Edition processor... Changing the Game - A Brief History of CPU's @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-30-09] (0 Comments) The history of the modern day CPU is one that we tend to overlook. We now want 2, 4 and even 8 cores for our desktops. Join Tom Gowing as TechwareLabs gives you a brief History of the CPU and what we have to look forward to. Cooler Master Hyper N520 CPU Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Jun-30-09] (0 Comments) The Cooler Master Hyper N520 is a compact dual 92mm fan CPU coolerthat utilizes five heatpipes to dissipate the heat through the cooling fins.Will it impress or will it leave us wanting more? TechwareLabs s the NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-30-09] (0 Comments) Looking for a mouse that's made to fit you? Want to be able to frag across the map with the simple click of a thumb, leaving your enemy looking at the sky in a pool of his own blood? Join Ian as we take a look at NZXT's introduction to the Gaming Mouse line-up, the Avatar Gaming Mouse. Will this mouse make you the MVP, or force you to hold onto that 2D grenade? Join TechwareLabs as we take a look... SilverStone ST70EF 700W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Jun-30-09] (0 Comments) The SilverStone Element ST70EF 700W PSU delivered excellent voltageregulation with very good efficiency. The ST70EF is quiet, runs cool duringnormal operation, and includes a good compliment of fixed cables/connectors.The only weakness we found was relatively high levels of AC ripple on the DCoutputs when the PSU was subjected to extreme loads. In Win X-Fighter Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-30-09] (0 Comments) X-Fighter is a mid-tower case from In Win with its design inspired by the Star Wars movie franchise, with an aggressive looks. Let’s see what you should expect from this new release. Coolermaster Hyper TX3 @ rbmods.com [Jun-30-09] (0 Comments) Coolermaster is one of the most well-known cooler manufacturers inthe world. Today we will have a look at their new Hyper TX3 cooler, which iscompatible with most of current CPU-sockets including LGA1156. Kingwin Mach 1 1000W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Jun-30-09] (0 Comments) These days, for a power supply company to be competitive, there'sgotta be a 1kW or up model in there somewhere. Kingwin recently joined theparty by bringing in their Mach 1 series of units, which tops out with a1.2kW monster. Today I'm having a look at the second most powerful in theline, the 1000W model. This is the only 80 Plus Bronze certified unit in therange, and it features such cool things as modular cables with illuminatedrings around them when you plug one in. Acoustibuds Earphone Adapters @ bigbruin.com [Jun-29-09] (0 Comments) Acoustibuds are adapters that can change normal earbuds to fit in the ear canal, while also adding passive noise canceling. They fit a wide range of earbuds, allowing the owner to continue using their favorite pair with more functionality and less dropping out. We will try them out on several pairs of earbuds to see how they fare. MSI Wind U100-641US 10-inch Netbook @ legitreviews.com [Jun-29-09] (0 Comments) The MSI Wind U100-641US 10 Gigabyte G31M-ES2C Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-29-09] (0 Comments) Let’s take an overall look on this Gigabyte's value motherboard for Intel socket 775 processors, based on Intel G31 chipset and with power saving features. [News] NZXT Cryo S Notebook Cooler @ virtual-hideout.net [Jun-29-09] (0 Comments) Many of you may remember last year when we reviewed the NZXT Cryo LXNotebook Cooler and I proclaimed it an Editors Choice. Well that notebookcooler was best suited for notebooks in the 17 Inno3D GeForce GTX 295 Platinum (Single PCB) @ techpowerup.com [Jun-29-09] (0 Comments) NVIDIA has silently introduced a new revision of their GeForce GTX 295. The new version crams everything onto a single PCB. While the performance characteristics have not changed, thermals, fan noise and power consumption did change indeed. Is the new single PCB GTX 295 a success or just an unimportant product revision? ZOTAC IONITX-A-U Atom N330 WiFi N Motherboard Kit @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-29-09] (0 Comments) We all want more for less. That's why enthusiasts overclock, and that's why we build HTPCs. The PlayStation 3 game console has sold AMD DirectX11 White Paper Released @ legitreviews.com [Jun-27-09] (0 Comments) Some of the guys up in Toronto sent us an e-mail this morning and explained that DirectX 11 is important and we should take NVIDIA downplaying it with a grain of salt. It seems they are worried that the tried and true NVIDIA marketing machine will possibly start pumping out a lot of information to deflect and sway consumers. This is likely going to be the case as NVIDIA is rumored to be late to the game with DirectX 11 graphics cards and is going to have a rough time to get them released this calendar year. To help avoid this looming marketing battle, AMD has released a white paper that has been put together by AMD to showcase the importance of DirectX 11 and why it matters. They also gave us quick breakdown explaining that DX 11 is about efficiency... Noctua NF-S12B FLX @ rbmods.com [Jun-27-09] (0 Comments) Noctua, makers of silent PC cooling components, sent us their newestfan:the NF-S12B FLX. With silence in mind, the NF-S12B was designed toproduce the smallest amount of noise possible, while still pushing enoughair to keep your computer cool. Can it live up to Noctua's reputation formanufacturing super quiet, well performing fans and heatsinks? Read on tofind out. Some Initial Thoughts on Propus, AMD's Quad-core Athlon @ pcper.com [Jun-27-09] (0 Comments) The last thing that needs covered here is the potential TDP of theseproducts. Since the Propus core is around 60% of the size of the Phenom II,we can expect the lower 2.4 GHz versions to be around 65 watts TDP, andpotentially as low as 45 watts TDP. The higher 3 GHz version would probablyhit around 89 watts in the worst case scenario. Something else to consideris that with the continual advances on GF's 45 nm process, and the lack oflarge caches on the chip, we may even see TDPs dip into the 75 watt area fora 3 GHz part. BFG ES-800 Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-27-09] (0 Comments) ES-800 is a power supply using a different internal design called “frequency conversion”, with BFG claiming it provides higher efficiency. Is that so? Let’s check this out. NZXT Cryo S 15" Notebook Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Jun-26-09] (0 Comments) NZXT has a sound product offering with its CRYO S notebook cooler. Beautifully crafted, attractive features and a price tag you can live with, the CRYO S is a solid choice for those needing some cooling for their notebook or netbook device... TechwareLabs s the Monster Turbine Headphones @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-26-09] (0 Comments) If you like music but the standard headphones with your mp3 player or iPod just don't cut it for you then you must take a look at our review of the Monster Turbine headphones. Donning amazing headset is like strapping a high end stereo setup to your head. We compare the Turbines to headphones from Shure and Bose and bring you our take on the latest entry from Monster Cable. TechwareLabs s the CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme Si @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-26-09] (0 Comments) Want to pwn n00bz whenever you get the chance? It simply cannot be done without the use of the best technology on the market. If your looking for a great way to get that all wrapped up and shipped to you you might want to check out the new CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme Si. Come along with Jason Dumbaugh as he checks out this new pre-built beast. Spire TherMax II @ techpowerup.com [Jun-26-09] (0 Comments) Spire's TherMax II is a new DHT CPU cooler for AMD and Intel CPUs. Its four heatpipes make direct contact with the processor for optimum cooling. Also included in the package is a fan controller which allows you to control the UV reactive fan in any way you want. 2 TB Hard Disk Drive Battle:Seagate Barracuda LP vs. Western Digital Caviar Green @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-26-09] (0 Comments) So far only two 2 TB hard disk drives have reached the market and both are “green” models. Let’s compare the performance of Seagate Barracuda LP with Western Digital Caviar Green. EVGA E761 X58 SLI Classified Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Jun-25-09] (0 Comments) What is there to say? The EVGA X58 E761 Classified is like an over-the-top blockbuster movie; it wows you on all fronts all the while costing an arm and a leg to produce. Core i7 is a new processor and motherboard and BIOS engineers are still figuring it out, but the team at EVGA has clearly stumbled across something to be able to release a board that pushes these chips past the notorious 220MHz base clock wall. This board reminds me a lot of the Asus LGA775 Rampage Extreme, except the Rampage Extreme came so late in the game... WD My Book World Edition II External 2TB NAS Drive @ legitreviews.com [Jun-25-09] (0 Comments) The Western Digital My Book World Edition II 2 TB network storage system uses RAID 1 (Mirrored) technology to automatically and continuously maintain a second copy of user’s data using supplied software that you need to install on each computer that you want to keep backed up. When running in RAID 1, if one drive in the two-drive system ever fails, the system continues to run and the data is safe. The My Book World Edition II storage device can be run in RAID 0 (Striped) mode as well if speed over redundancy is required. All My Book World Edition II's ship in mirrored mode, though, as the main purpose of this drive is for data security. As a result, that means you can only use half the rated capacity for file storage since one drive is used for a mirror... Noctua Cooling Competition, Two Days Left  @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-24-09] (0 Comments) Timeto start another round of competitions here on XSR, and this oneis with some nice Noctua cooling products. We've got 3 prizes to giveaway, including a Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU cooler, and two NF-S12B FLXcooling fans.What do you have to do to win? Simply sign up to the forums, and post 5times anywhere you like. That's it. Coolermaster 212 Plus CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-24-09] (0 Comments) The 212 Plus is the larger brother of the TX3, though there areseveral differences between the two. The 212 Plus is aimed at the individualwho is looking for a little bit more performance, but doesn't want to giveup the bank to do it. Coolermaster accomplished this by giving the 212 Plusmore surface area and four heat pipes to conquer the dreaded enemy namedheat. We know this is enough to outperform the smaller brother, but is itenough to compete against the other big dawgs on the market? Kingston 4GB DataTraveler 101 USB Flash Drive @ legitreviews.com [Jun-24-09] (0 Comments) One of the things that makes the DataTraveler 101 interesting is that the Flash drive was built with simplicity in mind, which helps keep the price low. The 4GB version (DT101C/4GB) of the DataTraveler 101 that we are taking a look at today runs just $11.99 shipped, which is more than a fair price as the DataTraveler 101 is backed by a five-year warranty and free tech support. Other companies like Crucial, Transcend, and RiDATA offer just two year warranties, so be sure to keep the warranty length in mind when pricing USB 2.0 Flash Drives. All Phenom Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-24-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables showing the main specs of all Phenom and Phenom II models released to date. Updated to include Phenom II X2 models. Logitech Squeezebox Duet @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-24-09] (0 Comments) Audio, over the last decade has come a long way from concert halls, AM/FM, and satellite radio. Online radio alone has been around since 1990 with such services as Rhapsody, and more recently Pandora.com. So the engineers at Logitech have now added another facet to what, where and how music lovers can enjoy music called Squeezebox Duet. The "Squeezebox Duet" by Logitech has the ability to access and listen to music from your online radio account and play it to your home theater system or any RCA or digital audio input device. Altec Lansing VS2421 Compact Speaker System @ rbmods.com [Jun-24-09] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing, a division of Plantronics Inc., has a new set ofcompact computer speakers made to conserve desk space and still pack anaudio punch. Tailored toward the budget crowd, this setup features two smallfootprint satellite speakers and an oblong subwoofer meant to use as littlespace as possible underneath your desk. Can this set of speakers really helpsave space and still sound great? Keep reading to find out how they stack upto the competition. Hardware Secrets Power Supply Test Methodology @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-24-09] (0 Comments) A complete description of the methodology used in our power supply reviews. Updated. TechwareLabs s the Netgear XAVB101 Powerline Ethernet Adapter @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-24-09] (0 Comments) Running Ethernet cable can be a hassle. Join Chris as he checks out an electrifying new product from Netgear that can help with your networking needs. The all new Netgear XAVB101. This handy little device lets you easily run ethernet all over your house using the already in place power lines. Will this Ethernet adapter be the biggest thing since Wi-Fi, or will it not even make it to the history books. Join us as we take a look... TechwareLabs s the Logitech Squeezebox Duet @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-23-09] (0 Comments) Audio, over the last decade has come a long way from concert halls, AM/FM, and satellite radio. Online radio alone has been around since 1990 with such services as Rhapsody, and more recently Pandora.com. So the engineers at Logitech have now added another facet to what, where and how music lovers can enjoy music called Squeezebox Duet. The Understanding the 80 Plus Certification @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-23-09] (0 Comments) The 80 Plus certification for power supplies is around for a while, but recently they created three additional classes:Gold, Silver and Bronze. Learn what they really mean. to:content-type; @ dragonsteelmods.com [Jun-23-09] (0 Comments) Kingston recently introduced the HyperX Fan to compliment their HyperX lineof ram, but it can be purchased separately for use with any ram, and theywere kind enough to send one over for review. Normally this kind of thing isnot very useful really, in my experience with ram coolers they tend not towork very well, but the HyperX Fan is truly an exception. The HyperX Fanworks, and works very well, it's easy to install and the bright blue LEDswill add a bit of color to your case. So read on to check it out and learnjust how well it performs... Turtle Beach Ear Force HPA-2 5.1 Headset @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-23-09] (0 Comments) We tested the gaming headset from Turtle Beach that turns your head into a home theater setup. Message-ID: @ ccereviews.com [Jun-23-09] (0 Comments) The TS-809 Pro Turbo NAS isn't only good on performance; QNAP hasprovided the full package with many built-in features. This includes printserver, webserver, dataserver, multimedia server and download manager toname a very small list. While the TS-809 Pro Turbo NAS commands a premiumprice, you get a premium product. The only shortcoming is the 1 yearwarranty but for any digitally inclined household or business, the TS-809Pro Turbo NAS is seriously worth considering. G.Skill Trident 2000 MHz DDR3 CL9 6 GB Tri-Channel Kit @ techpowerup.com [Jun-23-09] (0 Comments) The Trident Series from G.Skill is a very affordable kit, but manages up to 2000 MHz right out of the box. The kit also has very nice high quality heatspreaders. We push the kit to 1.65 V and way beyond that to see check for additional OC potential or if it manages to impress us with a great price / performance ratio. OCZ Fatal1ty Champion Series 700W PSU @ pcper.com [Jun-22-09] (0 Comments) The OCZ Fatal1ty Champion Series 700W PSU delivered excellentvoltage regulation with clean DC outputs and good efficiency. The Fatal1ty700W PSU is quiet during normal operation and includes a good compliment offixed cables/connectors. And let's not forget OCZ backs the Fatal1ty 700WPSU with their 5-year PowerSwap warranty. It was co-developed by a gamerfor gamers and it delivers the goods! Overall, the Fatal1ty 700W is anexcellent PSU that will make most any gamer proud. ASRock M3A780GXH/128M Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Jun-22-09] (0 Comments) Overclocking the ASRock M3A780GXH/128M reminded me of what life was like when I used to overclock budget processors and boards. You are constantly toeing that line of PC Power & Cooling Silencer 910W @ technic3d.com [Jun-22-09] (0 Comments) The PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS 910W PSU arrived Technic3 D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next 910W PSU wi th one +12V rail (74A), 80mm Fan (Thermal fan control), 12x SATA hard disk connectors, 2x PCI-e 6-Pin and 2x PCI-e 6+2 Pin. Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3 Motherboard @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-22-09] (0 Comments) Along with AMD's launch of the Phenom II and Athlon II processor families this year, we've also witnessed a steady shift in focus from NZXT Panzerbox @ techpowerup.com [Jun-22-09] (0 Comments) The Panzerbox intends to mow down the competition like a tank, as it is aimed at the uncompromising LAN party gamer. The compact case has all the space for large components to pack quite the punch. We take the case for a spin to see if it delivers more than just a menacing look. Asus Pro61s Laptop @ rbmods.com [Jun-22-09] (0 Comments) Today it=B4s once again time for a laptop review, Asus sent us a sample [News] XPad Slim Laptop Cooler @ virtual-hideout.net [Jun-21-09] (0 Comments) As you all should know by now, We've reviewed a ton of laptopcoolers/desks here on VH and I'm personally done most of them. The XPad Slimcould be a good addition to someone out there in need of something to putunder their laptop to keep the heat off their legs. However I cannotoverlook the price and quality of the unit that I was shipped. The odddesign with the logo on the bottom and the bottom looking like the top justfeels weird to me. The part of the unit that's in direct contact, or closestto the super hot bottom of the laptop is just ABS plastic. How is that anybetter than using your laptop on a TV tray or lid from a Rubbermaid tote?The slots cut into the 4 corner coolers are functional to a point, butmostly for looks. Proper cooling needs proper airflow and the XPad Slim hasneither. It simply props your laptop up a 1/4 Sanus Low-Profile ELM203 Surge Protector @ legitreviews.com [Jun-20-09] (0 Comments) The Sanus Elements ELM203 Surge Protector comes with a pretty impressive bundle for being priced at just $18.95 plus shipping. Included with the ELM203 is a 6' phone cord, 6' coax cable, and the instruction manual. The instruction manual goes over the basics and also covers the five year warranty. Not a bad deal deal considering you can fork over $55 plus shipping for the Panamax MIW-SURGE In-Wall surge protection system that protects just a single device. The ELM203 Surge Protector is clearly priced right and in this economy, pricing is everything... Roccat Vire - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-20-09] (0 Comments) Traditionallya headset is basically a large pair of earmuffs which have speakers inthe ears and lots of padding for comfort. Roccat are clearly very goodin this field with their recently released Kave 5.1 which wasdefinitely given the thumbs up.However, a second ‘headset’ was launched by Roccat but it’s not whatyou might think; instead the Roccat Vire is a pair of in-ear headphonesthat you would expect to find accompanying an iPod or other mp3 device.So, I’m guessing you’re thinking well how do I communicate in gamethen? Well, there is a tiny in built microphone on the wires allowingyou to speak freely without a bulky microphone in front of you.But the Vire is not only for use with PCs; similarly it can be used foriPhones, mp3 players and pretty much any sound device that will take a3.5mm jack. Enough said, let’s take a look... Seasonic M12D 750 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-20-09] (0 Comments) Today we tested Seasonic M12D 750 W, a power supply with modular cabling system and high-end components. Let’s see if it survives our tests. Noctua Cooling Competition, One week to Go  @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-20-09] (0 Comments) Timeto start another round of competitions here on XSR, and this oneis with some nice Noctua cooling products. We've got 3 prizes to giveaway, including a Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU cooler, and two NF-S12B FLXcooling fans.What do you have to do to win? Simply sign up to the forums, and post 5times anywhere you like. That's it. Corsair HX850W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-20-09] (0 Comments) Corsair HX850W is a power supply with modular cabling system and high-end components promising up to 90% efficiency, launched to compete with Antec Signature series and Seasonic M12D series. Arctic Cooling Fusion 550RF ATX Power Supply @ legitreviews.com [Jun-19-09] (0 Comments) The Fusion 550RF is manufactured by Seasonic for Arctic Cooling and it is internally identical to Corsair VX450W and Antec Earthwatts 500W power supplies. The strange thing about these internally identical power supplies is that the Wattage power ratings are all different. Between the three companies a 100W rating difference is observed, which is pretty crazy no matter where you live or with whom your brand loyalty lies. After a little bit of research it appears that Arctic Cooling rated their power supply at 550W due to that being the peak power rating. This is not something we ever like to see as most other name brand companies don't rate their power supplies like this. The power supply label on the Fusion 550RF says that it can handle 550W loads for a maximum of one full second, so when shopping for power supplies this one is more in the range of a competitor's 450W-500W power supply... 1 TB Hard Disk Drive Round-Up @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-19-09] (0 Comments) We compared the performance of 12 different 1 TB SATA-300 hard disk drive models from Seagate, Samsung and Western Digital. Which one is the fastest 1 TB in the market? Check it out! Cooler Master Gladiator 600 @ techpowerup.com [Jun-19-09] (0 Comments) The Gladiator 600 is another entry into the fray what some may call the AMD Phenom 2 955 @ rbmods.com [Jun-19-09] (0 Comments) AMD sent us another one of their latest cpu=B4s, we got a sample oftheir Phenom 2 955 which should prove to be the AMD=B4s current badboy. We aregoing to compare it vs the 940 cpu and vs a older Intel cpu in varioustests. Lets take a closer look and see what we can expect for these 245$that you end up paying for this unit. SLI on Life Support on the AMD Platform:Oh SNAP! @ pcper.com [Jun-19-09] (0 Comments) Unfortunately for NVIDIA, this decision may in fact hasten them outof the chipset market altogether. While the Intel side has untappedpotential due to its dominance in the marketplace, the upcomingobsolescence of the front side bus based platform that Intel has used fordecades will eventually cut NVIDIA out of the market altogether. Unless ofcourse NVIDIA can acquire the necessary licenses to offer QPI and DMI basedchipsets. We can certainly ask VIA how well that process went for them. Roccat Vire - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-18-09] (0 Comments) Traditionallya headset is basically a large pair of earmuffs which have speakers inthe ears and lots of padding for comfort. Roccat are clearly very goodin this field with their recently released Kave 5.1 which wasdefinitely given the thumbs up.However, a second ‘headset’ was launched by Roccat but it’s not whatyou might think; instead the Roccat Vire is a pair of in-ear headphonesthat you would expect to find accompanying an iPod or other mp3 device.So, I’m guessing you’re thinking well how do I communicate in gamethen? Well, there is a tiny in built microphone on the wires allowingyou to speak freely without a bulky microphone in front of you.But the Vire is not only for use with PCs; similarly it can be used foriPhones, mp3 players and pretty much any sound device that will take a3.5mm jack. Enough said, let’s take a look... All Athlon 64 Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-18-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX and Athlon 64 X2 models released to date. Updated to include Athlon II X2. Topower PowerBird 900 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-18-09] (0 Comments) We tested Topower PowerBird 900 W, a fully modularized power supply with two-transformer design. Let’s see if this is a good unit. Indilinx based OCZ Vertex and Super Talent UltraDrive ME SSDs ed @ pcper.com [Jun-18-09] (0 Comments) I've always seen the Indilinx drives as having great potential, andthat continues to be the case. That said, I continue to get the feelingthat they have not yet reached their full potential. If you are willing tojump through all of the necessary hoops to make the TRIM tool work, and runit regularly, you will see some great write performance. If you don't,expect your write performance to drop considerably as you use it. OCZ Vertex EX SSD Update Guide To Firmware v1.20 @ legitreviews.com [Jun-18-09] (0 Comments) When we published our review of the OCZ Vertex EX SSD on Monday we used the latest firmware available from OCZ, which was v1.11. Go figure the day after our review was published describing this issue that OCZ released firmware v1.20. Sadly, this firmware update will totally clean the drive and reset it. This means that all data will be lost, so back up if you want to update to the firmware 1.20! Since we updated the Vertex EX to firmware 1.20 we'll walk you through the process and show you how it restores performance with wiper.exe 0525... QNAP TS-119 Gigabit NAS Server @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-18-09] (0 Comments) If you've ever visited Benchmark Reviews in the past, you've probably noticed that we've tested a large collection of NAS products. At TechwareLabs s the Enermax Phoenix Neo Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-18-09] (0 Comments) Looking for a case that can keep your components cool and quiet at the same time? TechwareLabs may have found it! Join Matt Androski as we take a look at the Enermax Phoenix Neo Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case. Will this case use its 250mm fan to its full potential, or will it be another underpowered failure? Read on to find out... All Pentium Dual Core Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-17-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Pentium Dual Core released to date. Updated to include mobile models. Patriot Duplicator 16GB SDHC Card @ bigbruin.com [Jun-17-09] (0 Comments) This review will focus on an SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) card from Patriot Memory. This card can be used like any other SDHC card, but it also includes software that allows the user to automatically back up their data. The Patriot Duplicator SDHC card is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB sizes, and we will be taking a look at the 16GB version. NZXT Beta @ techpowerup.com [Jun-17-09] (0 Comments) The NZXT Beta is an extremely affordable enclosure with a sub 50 US Dollar price tag. We take a close look at the case to see if any corners were cut to keep the price down or if NZXT managed to combine usabilty, a solid feature set with that low, low price tag. In other words:will it come across as cheap or affordable? TechwareLabs s the Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA HDD @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-17-09] (0 Comments) While Western Digital doesn't market the 1TB Green drive as a performance drive its actual performance might surprise you. Could this Lilliput EB701Y 7-Inch Touchscreen LCD Monitor @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-17-09] (0 Comments) When putting together a mobile PC, the monitor is a big consideration.  For use in the car, a touchscreen monitor is especially Coolermaster HAF 922 @ rbmods.com [Jun-17-09] (0 Comments) Coolermaster is one of the most notable manufacturer of coolers andcomputer cases. Today we will have a look at Coolermaster HAF 922 computercase which is a combination of high quality, cool looking and innovativecooling solutions. NZXT Beta Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-17-09] (0 Comments) Beta is an inexpensive mid-tower case from NZXT. Will it keep up with the high-end models from this brand? Check it out. MSI Eclipse Plus X58 LGA 1366 Motherboard @ pcper.com [Jun-17-09] (0 Comments) A couple features that really stood out with the MSI Eclipse Pluswas its ability to support quad CrossfireX and SLI video card configurationsand having all three PCI-E slots capable of x16 speeds. This is fairlysignificant because most boards have that third PCI-E slot set at x8 or x4speeds. The onboard OC dial and other buttons were a great addition,especially for those of us who swap out our hardware often. the OC dialseemed to work as advertised, but we did have a problem with stability whenwe tried to push it too far. Thermolab Baram CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-16-09] (0 Comments) The new Baram from Thermolab has all the signs of being one of thebetter coolers on the market. It has five heat pipes, support for dual 120mmcooling fans and even the what I believe to be the proper size and weight.The Baram is compatible with current CPU sockets from Intel and AMD, exceptfor socket 1366. What impresses me the most is the build quality of thecooler. Will size and build quality make this a good performer? We will see. Nintendo DSi @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-16-09] (0 Comments) Our review of the new Nintendo DSi handheld gaming device. How is it compared to the original DS and the DS Lite? Check it out. Antec CP-850 Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-16-09] (0 Comments) CP-850 is a custom-sized power supply that only fits a few cases from Antec. Is it a better solution that regular-sized units? Let’s see. NZXT Beta Mid Tower Chassis @ tweaktown.com [Jun-16-09] (0 Comments) With my time scouring forums, it never fails that there are guys on a super limited budget that need to put together a solid gaming PC. After all the best Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 @ techpowerup.com [Jun-16-09] (0 Comments) The Audio-Technica ATH-AD700s headphones surprise with their unusual appearance and performance. Outperforming most of the competitors in its price range these headphones are quite a treat to anyone looking for a set of $100 headphones. OCZ Vertex EX Series 120GB SLC SSD @ legitreviews.com [Jun-15-09] (0 Comments) Today, we have a special treat for our readers. Our very first SLC NAND Flash based Solid State Drive review! The recently released OCZ Vertex EX is designed to deliver unparalleled performance and reliability, featuring the latest-generation architecture and SATA interface utilizing single-level cell NAND flash memory for unmatched overall system responsiveness and stability for enterprise grade server solutions. With speeds up to a 260MB/s read and 210MB/s write, the Vertex EX series is clearly one of the fastest drives that money can buy today.... Enermax Phoenix Gaming Case @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-15-09] (0 Comments) The case is the Phoenix Neo, which is a remake of the older Phoenixreleased about three years ago. The front of the newer model has beenslightly redone to a more modern look. The Neo seems aimed at the gamerlooking for a fresh, new stylish look, while still being functional. Thetotal opposite of gaming cases we have seen from Coolermaster, Antec andSilverstone. Speaking of functionality, one of the key features of the Neois the huge 25cm monster fan on the side panel. Lets take a closer look atthe new Phoenix Neo. TechwareLabs s the Western Digital 300GB VelociRaptor @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-15-09] (0 Comments) Deep in the trees, a fierce creature lurks, waiting to speed up your computer to its full potential. Can you handle the 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor? Join Jason D as TechwareLabs takes a look at one of the fastest consumer grade HDD's on the Market. Will this drive Blow our minds, or be another fiercely named peice of junk? Read on to find out... Sharkoon Rush FireGlider Laser Gaming Mouse @ tweaktown.com [Jun-15-09] (0 Comments) These days you really can’t release a mouse unless it has a laser in it somewhere, even if it’s just to blind annoying co-workers with. Today we take a look at Sharkoon’s FireGlider laser mouse.Sharkoon has gone all out it seems to ensure that this mouse has all the features you would need. The mouse even has a program memory to remember your macro and DPI settings so you can plug it into another system wherever and still maintain the same functionality. Corsair HX850 850W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Jun-14-09] (0 Comments) It seems an eternity since the last time Corsair released amodular power supply in their high performance HX line of units, and therehas been a good deal of speculation around the net on when Corsair was goingto finally release something in the 750W-850W range to better compete withthe likes of the Seasonic M12D and Antec Signature units at that level. [News] Glacialtech X-Wing Notebook Cooler @ virtual-hideout.net [Jun-14-09] (0 Comments) Overall the Glacialtech X-Wing Notebook Cooler is an undisputedwinner in the looks department, however not so much in the coolingdepartment. The quality of the build and innovative features built-in to thefront panel make it very user friendly. Unfortunately because of the lack ofcooling power, it's very hard for me to recommend this. I just know thatgeeks with gaming laptops love lights and gadgets and they'll be wanting toadd this under their hot laptops. However it would do little good. Thecooling power is anemic. My suggestion to Glacialtech would be todramatically beef up the cooling system with something like a large, quiet200mm fan centered in the unit. Imak Mouse Cushion - Stop Wrist Pain From PC Use! @ legitreviews.com [Jun-13-09] (0 Comments) After using the IMAK Mouse Cushion with massaging egroBeads for a couple of weeks I have nothing negative to say about the product and my wrist is slowly feeling better now that I have changed my habits and invested in a new wrist pad. If you find yourself experiencing similar problems or want to help prevent wrist problems from happening this is one of those products you really can't go wrong with. Remember, if you don't like it IMAK has the one year comfort guarantee, so you can always return it if it doesn't help or isn't your cup of tea. It should also be noted that IMAK offers a non-skid version of this wrist pad as well that retails for just a dollar more... Seventeam ST-380PAS Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-13-09] (0 Comments) ST-380PAS is the latest entry-level power supply from Seventeam. Is it a good product? Can it deliver its labeled power? Check it out. Cooler Master V10 Hybrid T.E.C. Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Jun-13-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to look at the Cooler Master Hybrid TEC coolerwhich combines two types of cooling, the standard air cooling andthermalelectic cooling. Will this combination prove to be a worthy optionfor users? Read on to find out. SanDisk 16GB SDHC Netbook Memory Card @ legitreviews.com [Jun-13-09] (0 Comments) If you were an early adapter of a netbook computer, you have likely found that the storage space available on your netbook to be inadequate. Many of the Asus Eee PC 700 and 900 netbooks shipped with just 4GB Solid State Drives (SSDs) inside, which doesn't last long at all in this age of digital media. Since these netbook models don't use or offer a traditional 2.5 NVIDIA CUDA-enabled Applications Roundup @ pcper.com [Jun-13-09] (0 Comments) Each application used CUDA in various ways, but all of them tookadvantage of the GPU acceleration properties that CUDA has to offer. We alsoliked how some of the apps we reviewed used CUDA for rendering videoeffects, which also helps reduce transcoding times. All in all, each ofthese applications has something for every type of consumer and the price ispretty close to what buyers are looking for in simple video editing andtranscoding software. NZXT Beta Case @ rbmods.com [Jun-13-09] (0 Comments) We've had a chance to review a bunch of cases from NZXT, makers of awide range of computer peripherals. For the most part, we've been impressedby their build quality and attention to detail. Today we'll look at one oftheir latest case offers, the NZXT Beta Computer Case. Will this casecontinue their streak of solid performers? That's what we're here to findout. TechwareLabs s the Kingston HyperX RAM Fan @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-13-09] (0 Comments) Want to get the most out of that new RAM? Trying to keep that RAM you bought last century alive for another year? Kingston has your answer; the HyperX Fan. Will this $20 badboy really cool off your RAM? Join Mike Santini as TechwareLabs takes a look... Sapphire HD 4890 Toxic / Vapor-X @ techpowerup.com [Jun-12-09] (0 Comments) Sapphire's HD 4890 Toxic uses their exclusive Vapor-X cooling technology. This results in a card that delivers considerably more performance than the HD 4890 reference, yet does so without any excess noise. Actually the Sapphire HD 4890 Toxic is the quietest HD 4890 we ever had in our hands. Technic3D/Tagan PipeRock II 680W @ technic3d.com [Jun-12-09] (0 Comments) The Tagan PipeRock II 680W (TG680-BZII) PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next PSU with four +12V rail (18A), 120mm Fan (Thermal fan control), 9x SATA hard disk c onnectors, 2x PCI-e 6+2-Pin and 2x PCI-e 6-Pin. Better than the PipeRo ck I Series or SuperRock Series? Enermax Aeolus Laptop Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-12-09] (0 Comments) The Aeolus is Enermax's attempt to bring high performance cooling tolaptops. When I say high performance, I refer to the massive 250mm coolingfan the cooler is built around. Yes, you heard it right, 240mm. This has tobe the largest fan on a laptop ever. Besides the fan, the Aeolus shares thesame theme we saw in the Aurora keyboard. Smooth and flowing aluminum is thebinding structure that supports the cooler. When I first read thespecifications on the cooler, I thought it would look grotesque because of aover-sized fan. Yet, the aluminum brings the cooler back down to earth andin a fashionable way. Technic3D/Sunbeamtech Acrylic HTPC Case @ technic3d.com [Jun-12-09] (0 Comments) The Sunbeamtech Acrylic HTPC Case is the next PC Case in the T echnic3D Editorship. The Acrylic HTPC computer case from Sunbeamtech c an easily handle the cooling needs of multi-core processor systems. Th e unique 3D Core-Fan design uses a mounting rack that is attached to t he side panel, and supports two 120mm fans to be installed which will direct airflow on to the installed cards and CPU. Antec P183 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-12-09] (0 Comments) Antec P183 is a high-end mid-tower case launched under their Performance One series. Let’s see what you should expect from P183. All Core 2 Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-12-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing all Core 2 Solo, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme CPUs released to date. Updated to include mobile models. ASUS EN9400GT GeForce 9400GT HDMI Video Card @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-12-09] (0 Comments) Home Theater Personal Computers have been on the rise in recent years but most HTPC cases have a major flaw that makes them inherently Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Jun-11-09] (0 Comments) The GA-MA770T-UD3P uses Gigabyte's famed Ultra Durable 3 technology on this budget friendly AMD socket AM3 platform. This technology brings 2 oz copper PCB and further helps to reduce the system temperature and dramatically enhance the performance. Based on AMD 770 chipset, the GA-MA770T-UD3P supports all the 45nm AMD AM3 Phenom II series processors that feature DDR3 memory controllers and HyperTransport 3.0 technology. To top all that off the board also features Easy Energy Saver technology to help conserve power and be green friendly. Not a bad list of features considering this board retails for just $79.99 shipped at Newegg! Add in one of the $87 AMD Athlon II 250 3.0GHz dual-core processors and you have a motherboard and processor for under $170.. Zalman CNPS9900 LED CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-11-09] (0 Comments) The CNPS line takes chances in idea and design, especially when itcomes to the new CNPS9900 cooler. Not that I am not a fan of the typicalflower design we have seen from Zalman, but there is a time when one mustmove forward. With the competitive nature of the market, this is mostdefinitely true with cooling technology. The new cooler keeps the usual heatpipes we're accustomed to seeing, but the fins surrounding the pipes are nowsplit in half, resulting in two half coolers with a PWM controller inbetween them. But is this semi-new look enough to be fitted in your plansfor your next rig build? We shall see. Noctua Cooling Competition  @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-11-09] (0 Comments) Timeto start another round of competitions here on XSR, and this oneis with some nice Noctua cooling products. We've got 3 prizes to giveaway, including a Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU cooler, and two NF-S12B FLXcooling fans.What do you have to do to win? Simply sign up to the forums, and post 5times anywhere you like. That's it. Technic3D/Cougar Power 400W PSU @ technic3d.com [Jun-11-09] (0 Comments) The Cougar Power 400W PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the fo llowing Review from Technic3D the next PSUs with two +12V rail (20A), 120mm Fan (Thermal fan control), 4x SATA hard disk connectors and 1x P CI-e 6-Pin. BFG LS-450 Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-11-09] (0 Comments) We reviewed this entry-level 450 W power supply from BFG. Let’s see whether it is a good product or not. ASUS GeForce GTX 285 1GB Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Jun-11-09] (0 Comments) While there's no denying that anyone who is after maximum power will want the GTX 295, for many people the GTX 285 is going to be fine for the plain fact that most users don't have the monitor to really make use of such a powerful graphics card.We've always been pretty happy with the GTX 285; it costs a good chunk less than the GTX 295 and still offers some serious performance, which for most people is more than they need. Scythe Mugen 2 CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) Today's review sample was originally a pretty good cooler in itsearlier days. The Mugen cooler was a favorite of many reviewers that had thepleasure of reviewing it. Performance was right there with the NoctuaNH-U12P, Tuniq Tower 120 and many others we regarded as very good coolers.However, the new version is not only compatible with the new Intel i7processor, but is heavier, taller and comes with a better performing coolingfan. Is it enough to put it at the top of the list with the likes of theThermalright Ultra-120 Extreme and the new Zalman CNPS 9900 LED? We shallsee. to:content-type; @ testfreaks.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) Today for review I've got a 3.5 Galaxy GeForce GTX 275 OC 896MB @ pcper.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) The Galaxy GTX 275 OC takes the very popular GPU offering and tweaksit slightly with overclocked core, shader and memory speeds and includes ahigher performing custom cooler design that will allow you to push the GPUeven higher if you want to. In fact, if you are paying the premium pricefor this model, I would actually SUGGEST you take advantage of the newcooler to get some additional performance out of the card. Will the USD 299 Netbook Fly? @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) A company called Always Innovating is promising in the past couple of months the release of a netbook with detachable keyboard and 10 to 15 hours of battery life for only USD 299. What is the catch? The most powerful gaming laptop ever:Alienware M17x @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) Alienware, now part of Dell, is a company focused on high-end gaming systems and last week they released what they are calling IN WIN Ammo 2.5 inch SATA HDD Enclosure with RFID - Full Video @ tweaktown.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) In our first ever full video review, today we take a close look at IN WIN's Ammo 2.5 inch external SATA HDD enclosure, which comes with RFID hardware data security. Watch the video for the full review. Silverstone LC10B-E HTPC Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) Home Theater PCs continue to gain popularity, particularly as more television networks are pushing their content over the web. They're TechwareLabs s the Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz Nehalem Processor @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) Looking to get the best bang for your buck when building that new computer? You might want to take a look at the newest line-up of processors from Intel, the Core i7. Join Artiom B. and Christopher S. as TechwareLabs shows us what this processor is really capable of doing. Will this Processor live up to our expectations? Join us as we drop it into a test rig and take a look... Akasa Paxpower 500 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) This was the first power supply from Akasa we reviewed – also known as AK-P050FG7 – and we were very curious to see if it could really deliver 500 W. CM Storm Scout Case @ rbmods.com [Jun-10-09] (0 Comments) CM a sister company to Coolermaster keeps releasing alot of productsat the moment, we have reviewed their Sniper Case earlier which proved to bea really cool mid class case. This new Storm doesn=B4t look any worse than theSniper, it actually got a couple of features that the Sniper was lacking, solet=B4s take a look. Enermax Eco80+ 620W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Jun-09-09] (0 Comments) In the Eco 80+ 620W, Enermax has basically taken the outstandingplatform I first saw in the Liberty Eco 620W, removed the modular cablingoption as well as a connector or two, and added a gimmicky Evercool Transformer 4 CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-09-09] (0 Comments) Another company that is not as popular in the U.S. as it is in Asiais allowing us to review their tower design cooler. Evercool is the one ofthe largest cooler manufacturers in Taiwan. Regardless of their lack ofpopularity in the U.S. looking around the net I saw several reviews abouttheir previous and they all performed pretty well. Not in order to make abigger name for themselves here in the U.S. Evercool sent us two of theirnewest coolers, the one we will presenting to you today is the Transformer4. This new cooler is capable of handles all the newest processors from AMDand Intel as well as each's older processors. And with the dual fan setupthe Transformer is looking to be a cool to be wrecking with. And look gooddoing it. Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition Processor @ legitreviews.com [Jun-09-09] (0 Comments) The Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition processor is hands down the most powerful desktop processor ever benchmarked here at Legit Reviews. This was made crystal clear when the Intel Core i7-975 processor was able to beat out the Intel Skulltrail platform running a pair of Intel QX9775 processors. This is the very first time a quad-core processor with Hyper-Threading was able to knock down the 2P server/enthusiast platform running a pair of true quad-core processors. This is impressive considering just one Intel QX9775 processor runs $1555 shipped at Newegg! That means the $1039 Core i7 975 Extreme edition just beat a system using $3110 worth of processors! This is very significant and it's no wonder Intel recently announced that the QX9775 was being discontinued... Show Girls @ techpowerup.com [Jun-09-09] (0 Comments) Even though this year's Computex happened during economic crisis, a lot of companies had hot asian girls at their booths to draw the visitors' attention. We got 176 pics showing what you missed at the show. Sapphire HD4890 Toxic Vapor-X 11150-01-40R @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-09-09] (0 Comments) Sapphire has four ranges for most top-end products they offer:standard, Vapor-X, Toxic, and Atomic. While each is different in its own Sapphire Radeon HD 4550 512MB =40 TheTechLounge @ thetechlounge.com [Jun-09-09] (0 Comments) =22Sometimes a video card needs to be just that. A card for video. Many h igh-end workstation motherboards don't have integrated video, but what go od is a computer without a display? The Intel i7 is just the perfect exampl e. A lot of people have the need for quad cores of number-crunching power, but they're not gamers and, appropriately, have no desire to own a beaut iful set of GTX 50 millions. (But you'll get there, we'll see to that. )=22 ASUS Eee, motherboards, graphics cards and more! @ pcper.com [Jun-09-09] (0 Comments) As is usually the case with ASUS at Computex, they had a LOT ondisplay. Simply put, ASUS has gone from a motherboard-centric company toone of the world's premiere consumer electronics companies thanks in largepart to their ability to ride the wave of the Eee PC well into 2009. Whilemost of the vendors we visited at Computex this year only had enough NEWstuff to warrant a news post or two, ASUS gets a four page article. Really,there is that much stuff. Have a look. Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) The Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P was a motherboard that gave us no reason to complain about anything. We had no issues at all using the board. In fact, at the end of testing there was nothing that stood out negative about the board at all. Maybe some wishes, but we have those with every board we look at... Thermaltake Litepower 450 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) We tested the 450 W version of Thermaltake’s latest entry-level power supply line, Litepower, which promises 85% efficiency. Is that true? Let’s see. Bypass MSN Messenger Anti Virus Check - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) WindowsLive Messenger, or “MSN” as it is still known by most users isundoubtedly one of the most popular IM clients in the world. WithVersion 2009 a host of new features have been added, some of which welike; others less so. One of the most annoying changes is requirementto have certain file types scanned by an antivirus package before youcan send or receive them. Whilst we agree that security is important,we don’t want to be mollycoddled by Microsoft every time someone sendsus a Zip file. contains G.a.p.p.y-T.e.x.t @ testfreaks.com [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) When you hear the name Tom Clancy, you think of his books first and then avery close second, the games that bear his name. The majority of his games,like the Rainbow Six collection are all about teamwork, stealth and tactics .The game I have for review today veers a bit off from the norm of his games ,it's called H.A.W.X. and it's a flying game, not a flight simulator, mo re ofan arcade style combat flight game. H.A.W.X. is set in the near future wher ecorporations have basically replaced government run military in manycountries, they're mercenaries essentially. [News] Thermaltake V9 Black Edition Case @ virtual-hideout.net [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) The Thermaltake V9 Black Edition was designed to be quite awindstorm, but also to be very quiet because no one wants the sound of a boxfan sitting next to them. You'll immediately notice the huge 230mm intakefan located on the left side panel. This is positioned to blow cool airdirectly onto the entire motherboard area, including CPU, memory, graphics,etc. This will be especially crucial when building a high performance dualgraphics rig, and/or overclocking your components. Add to this the same huge230mm exhaust fan located directly above the motherboard/CPU area, butinstead this time it's on top of the chassis. This is designed to suck thehot air being expelled from the red hot CPU/Chipset/Memory area of themotherboard. So cool air in the side, it gets hot and exhausts right out thetop. A potent combination of airflow it is and a must for today's ultra fastgaming rigs. Wacom Intuos4 Professional Pen Tablet @ techgage.com [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) Wacom's tablets have long been considered an industrystandard, and reasons as to why are obvious to anyone who uses them.Though the Intuos3 was a masterpiece of a tablet, the Intuos4 improvesthings all-around, such as with a higher level of sensitivity,LED-labeled quick-keys, removable USB cable, improved design and more. Mid-range matchup:ASUS GTS 250 Dark Knight and Sapphire HD 4850 Vapor @ pcper.com [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) The market for sub-$150 graphics cards is still just as crowded andconfusing as it was before this article, but if you are considering a GPUin the price range then we do have some final recommendations for you. Easily the best performing card in our testing today was the ASUS GeForceGTS 250 Dark Knight 512MB card though in a couple cases the 1GB model stoodout above it. MSI GeForce GTX 295 Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) Since the launch of the GTX 295 ATI has done little to combat the card and while the HD 4890 is a very good card, the price of it doesn't put it anywhere near the level that the GTX 295 is at, nor the GTX 285 for that matter. It's been a while since we've had a look at the GTX 295 and there's been a few driver updates since then. Today we'll be seeing how it performs against some of the top single GPU cards from both NVIDIA and ATI including the HD 4890 and GTX 285. Old Computers with a New Purpose @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) Frequently, we find that new technological breakthroughs make old hardware that was just fine seem quaint. Be it a race toward higher Technic3D/Xigmatek go Green PSU Series @ technic3d.com [Jun-06-09] (0 Comments) The Xigmatek NRP-PC402 and PC502 (400W/500W) PSU from the Chieftec Dragon CH-07B-R @ techpowerup.com [Jun-05-09] (0 Comments) The Chieftec CH-07B is the newest line-up to the Dragon Series and is aimed at the gamers out there. It can be had in black or red and comes stuffed to the rim with LED equipped fans to keep your hardware cool within the extremly sturdy steel enclosure during those hot fire fights. Final Day's Coverage @ legitreviews.com [Jun-05-09] (0 Comments) At E3 2009 Valve confirmed Left 4 Dead 2 is coming exclusively to Xbox 360 and PC, when it's released on November 17, 2009. We got a chance to check out some real game-play video. Check it out...: Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-05-09] (0 Comments) Can a 500 W power supply that is sold for only USD 40 really deliver its labeled power? Let’s check it out. Coolermaster V10 Cpu Cooler @ rbmods.com [Jun-05-09] (0 Comments) I have to admit it was awhile ago I personally looked at a cpucooler, Coolermaster convinced me to take a look at their V10 cpu coolerthough as it is a normal cooler and it also has a TEC built into it. Itseems to be big and bulky but I guess it has all the potential to prove as agood air cpu cooler, we are going to be comparing it vs a well performingNoctua cooler so let=B4s have a closer look. Cooler Master Sileo 500 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-05-09] (0 Comments) Cooler Master Sileo 500 is a mid-tower case with aluminum front panel and lots of noise-reduction pads that can optionally come with a 500 W power supply already installed. Cresyn CS-HP500 Headphones @ techpowerup.com [Jun-05-09] (0 Comments) The Cresyn CS-HP500 headphones are aimed at budget conscious people looking for a highly portable set of headphones. Priced at only $39.99 these headphones will not break the bank. Scythe Bay Rafter - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) Thehard drive in a computer system is a crucial component for storing dataand programs. In some systems, enthusiasts run out of placements forhard drives and so build make-shift mounts. Scythe has noticed this,which has lead to the Bay Rafter. The Scythe Bay Rafter allows a userto convert a 5.25” bay into a hard drive bay with support for a singleHDD and a fan. HornetTek Travel Lite External Enclosure @ modders-inc.com [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) At times I'm looking for space to transfer files from one computer Day Two Coverage @ legitreviews.com [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) We wanted to see the hottest hardware that this year’s E3 Expo had to offer. There was a huge buzz about the new Sony Playstation Portable introduced called the PSP Go. This is a streamlined handheld device that is 50% smaller and lighter than the original PSP. It features 16 GB (yeah, 16!) of built-in storage and is designed for the “on the go digital consumer”. Priced at $249, the PSP Go will arrive in stores on October 1st, 2009 along with a new PSP version of the very popular Gran Turismo. One of the bigger changes between the PSP Go and “regular” PSP-3000 is the deletion of Sony’s UMD player from the Go device. Users will be encouraged download content from Sony’s on-line store instead of paying for UMD disks... Opening Day Coverage @ legitreviews.com [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) It’s that time of year where all the major computer and video game manufacturers to show off their upcoming projects to a slew of industry insiders at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3. When most people think of E3, they think of the games (and sometimes the booth babes). For the most part this is correct, but as we attended this year’s event, we found some pretty nice hardware on display... Seventeam ST-550P-AM Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) ST-550P-AM is a 550 W power supply from Seventeam where you can manually control the fan speed – and can even disable it. Let’s see if this unit can really deliver 550 W. CyberPower Black Mamba Venom Core i7 975EE Gaming System @ tweaktown.com [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) CyberPower has been busy playing with Intel’s gaming development team over the last few weeks. The two have teamed up to design a new series of PC systems that CyberPower will be manufacturing and offering as the Fang Series. The flagship system in the Fang Series family is the Black Mamba which is the system we will be reviewing today. CyberPower will have other systems coming along in the coming weeks that will also follow the snake theme like the Cobra, Viper and Rattler. The true core of the Black Mamba is Intel’s new Core i7 975 Extreme Edition processor. Intel has launched the new 975 EE just yesterday and CyberPower has been working with Intel and GIGABYTE closely for this launch. The new i7 975 EE is the fastest processor currently available on the market with a rated out of the box speed of 3.33 GHz. Intel, GIGABYTE and CyberPower determined that the maximum overclock speed with our sample was 4.15 GHz, or as I referred to it during the testing phase, freaking fast! TechwareLabs s the D-Link DHA-390 Network Camera Set @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) Defend your room with the new D-Life DHA-390 Internet surveillance starter kit, follow Matt Androski as TechwareLabs gives you the ins and outs of this new product with real hands on real world usage. Will this camera be the next hot thing? Or will it sit on the TechwareLabs shelves? AMD Athlon II X2 250 AM3 Processor @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) Yesterday at Computex, AMD took the wraps off of two highly anticipated processors:the Athlon II X2 250 and the Phenom II X2 550 Black AMA Aragon 900 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) Theintroduction of the latest Intel i7 processorshave certainly caused something of a shock with a TDP of a whopping130W. Air cooling solutions have been adapted with dual fans, biggerheatsinks, and more heatpipes in order to try and keep the allimportant CPU cool. With Intel now revealing two new additions to thei7 range – the 975 and 950 – which run at 3.33GHz and 3.06GHzrespectively even more emphasis has been placed on cooling.Traditionally, air cooling is the lowest form of cooling followed bywater, then phase changing and all the way up to liquid nitrogen andhelium for extreme overclockers; without a doubt all of this and morewill be put into practise at the Gigabyte Open OverclockingChampionships (GOOC 2009) at Computex to see who can overclock the P45the furthest, 8GHz is the current world record. Anywayfor the majority of users all of these extreme cooling solutions areeither too complicated or too expensive and just not practical.However, water cooling has become more available and easier to use withkits like the one we will be looking at today - the AMA Aragon 900.However, kits like this have a seemingly bad reputation for comprisingof a bunch of lower end components unlike custom builds. So let’s seeif the Aragon 900 can buck the trend... Intel shows "Clarkdale" system with on-chip GPU @ tweaktown.com [Jun-03-09] (0 Comments) Computex Taipei 2009:Even though the forthcoming “Clarkdale” based Socket 1136 Core i5 processors with on-chip GPU are not due to go on sale until sometime early next year, they had a little system running out at their Nangang booth which is of great interest to us. The motherboard used was a pre-production MSI P57 board with model number H57-ED65 and the system was running very smoothly and even the board looks fairly advanced for an early sample, so it probably means Intel will be able to stick to its launch date of an early Q1 2010 go time. AMD Demos DirectX 11 Capable ATI Graphics Card @ techfragments.com [Jun-03-09] (0 Comments) Today at a press conference in Taiwan, AMD demonstrated the world's first GPU capable of DirectX 11 technology. The demonstrations shows the major improvements DirectX 11 gives us over DirectX 10 and also shows us what AMD has in stored for an ATI Graphics Card coming out before the end of 2009 capable of DirectX 11. AMD shows three primary features of DirectX 11; one being tessellator which allows for less blocky and more fluid and realistic details, Compute Shaders which allows for less restricted programming, and finally they show us how DX11 is better designed to take advantage of multiple CPU cores. OCZ Summit MLC SSD OCZSSD2-1SUM120G @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-03-09] (0 Comments) Samsung makes the DRAM modules found in nearly all popular SSD products today, with Elpida and Qimonda also adding their name to cache Coolmax PS-224 LCD Power Supply Tester @ techpowerup.com [Jun-03-09] (0 Comments) The Coolmax PS-224 Power Supply Tester is a great little gadget to have handy to take a quick look at any power supply when troubleshooting a PC. It takes the guesswork out of the equation and hits you with the hard cold facts, to show you if your PSU is still up for the job or not. Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition @ techgage.com [Jun-03-09] (0 Comments) It's been a good seven months since the launch of theoriginal Core i7processors, so isn't it about time we got to see some new models? Don'tfret, as Intel has just announced their i7-950 3.06GHz mid-range andi7-975 3.33GHz high-end models. We're taking a look at the lattertoday, so let's see how it compares to its predecessor. Thermaltake moves to a perfect 10 w/ desktop case @ tweaktown.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Computex Taipei 2009:Computex is always releasing something new and on Thermaltake's 10th anniversary they thought they'd celebrate with a brand new case. This is not really just an ordinary case; this one has been done in collaboration with both AMD and BMW Designworks USA and is a whole new design for Thermaltake. All Atom Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) A quick reference table comparing the main specs of all Atom models released to date. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1K Digital Camera @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Review of Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1K, one of the first digital cameras using the new Micro Four Thirds format. AMD Athlon II X2 250 and Phenom II X2 550 Processors @ legitreviews.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Today, AMD announced two new exciting 45nm dual-core processors that are sure to impress any enthusiast. The overclocking results alone were insane and this was just with moderate air cooling, so who knows what will happen when the temperatures go lower and more voltage is put to these processors. For the tuner/enthusiast these processors should give hours of enjoyment as they are easy overclockers and the choice of motherboards for them are plentiful. The AMD Athlon II X2 250 and AMD Phenom II X2 550 are clock-for-clock slower than the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, but keep in mind that the E8500 still retails for $189 on the market today. You can easily build a core system for less than that if you really looked around. TechwareLabs s the In Win Allure Computer Case @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Join Matt Homan as TechwareLabs takes a look at a case like no other, The In Win Allure. The IN WIN ALLURE is a case that should appeal to most girls out there with its white exterior decorated with a few purple flowers and sparkling crystal like jewels, but how will it stand the TWL Torture Test...? Thermaltake moves to a perfect 10 w/ desktop case @ tweaktown.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Computex Taipei 2009:Computex is always releasing something new and on Thermaltake's 10th anniversary they thought they'd celebrate with a brand new case. This is not really just an ordinary case; this one has been done in collaboration with both AMD and BMW Designworks USA and is a whole new design for Thermaltake. TechwareLabs Covers the Maker Faire 2009 @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) TechwareLabs had the pleasure of attending Maker Faire this year courtesy of Hewlett Packard. It is a two day event, May 30-31, that features the most fun inventions I have ever seen. From keynotes talking about young ASUS Mars GTX 295 - what GTX 295 should've been @ nordichardware.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) ASUS has endowed each GPU with 2GB memory buffer and 512-bit memorybus, which means that Mars GTX 295 has a total memory buffer of no lessthan 4GB and a memory interface of a total of 1024-bit. None of theseachievements have been seen before with a retail graphics cards, evenless with Hornettek Viper and Hover Enclosures @ rbmods.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Today we will be looking at two 3.5 SilverStone GD01B-MXR Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) We reviewed GD01B-MXR, an HTPC case from SilverStone supporting ATX motherboards with a hybrid steel/aluminum construction and multimedia panel. Chieftec Dragon Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Dragon is a mid-tower case from Chieftec that comes with five fans, including a big 220-mm side fan. Let’s see what you should expect from this new release. Redeeming AMD's Dual Core Market @ pcper.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) The introduction of these two parts, and their significantlylowered TDP, shows that AMD is still actively addressing the verysignificant dual core market. While the Phenom II X2 is the undeniablepowerhouse in this release, the Athlon II X2 is a significant entry forAMD. At 65 watts it competes well against the Core 2 Duo E5x00, E6x00, andE7x00 series of parts from Intel, and its performance is right in line withthe competition. At $87 it is also quite a bit cheaper than itsperformance counterparts from Intel. AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE AM3 Processor @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Today at Computex, AMD took the wraps off of two highly anticipated processors:the Athlon II X2 250 and the Phenom II X2 550 Black BFG EX1000 1000W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) I've looked at several BFG units in recent months, but none havepiqued my curiosity as much as this week's review subject. The EX1000belongs to a brand new line of units from BFG, bringing the More on JMicron's new SSD controller @ pcper.com [Jun-01-09] (0 Comments) JMicron will likely release a lower end JMF611 controller in tandemwith the 612, which will share all of the above features but will belimited to 4 flash channels (and therefore half the throughput). JMicron'sroadmap also includes SATA 3.0 and USB 3.0 support in products to bereleased in the first half of 2010. Given that Indilinx can nearlysaturate SATA 2.0 with only 4 channels on their ARM controller, the JMF612should be a vast improvement over the previous generation 601 and 602 /602b controllers. Thermaltake Speedo Advance Package Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-01-09] (0 Comments) Think excitement - Think Spedo! At least that's Thermaltakes' spin on it. But what's in a name anyway? Well, a lot less than what's ASRock M3A790GXH/128M 790GX Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Jun-01-09] (0 Comments) ASRock has been one of the up and comers in the motherboard market. Originally slated to be an OEM only producer, ASRock found that just building plain boring boards may make you a few bucks, but mainstream users are now wanting more and more on their systems and are turning more towards high-end and enthusiast boards. To this end the ASRock company has started to put a lot of investment into producing new and more impressive boards. ASRock has a lot of Intel boards now, but equally they have supported AMD just as much and today we have a new board for the AM3 based processors using DDR3 memory and powered by AMD’s mainstream 790GX chipset, which has a lot of goodies in itself such as an IGP for budget users. GlobalFoundries shows 45nm Istanbul, 32nm SOI, 28nm bulk @ pcper.com [Jun-01-09] (0 Comments) After the introduction of the 32nm technology, GlobalFoundries willrelease a 28nm technology tested and ready to go for taking orders in early2010 with full-scale production later in the year. Compared to the 32nmprocess, GF expects to see some significant power and size reductions on28nm that could potentially really spotlight that particular process as thetarget for GPU architectures going forward. 28nm technology will also bethe 3rd generation of immersion lithography and 2nd generation High-K metalgate design. AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Processor @ legitreviews.com [Jun-01-09] (0 Comments) The AMD Phenom II X5 955 Black Edition processor is more than a speed bump as it brings Socket AM3 support to the flagship AMD desktop processor. The extra 200MHz is a nice touch though, as at 3.2GHz the Phenom II is more competitive with the Intel Core 2 quad-core processors. The Intel Core i7 series of processors still leads over the Phenom II X4 955 in all the benchmarks, but it costs hundreds more to build a platform using a Core i7 versus a Phenom II... [News] Sparkle GTS250 Graphics Card @ virtual-hideout.net [May-31-09] (0 Comments) The GTS250 is a bit of a strange product, in any way that you lookat it. Effectively speaking, it's just a rebranded 9800GTX+ with a few smalltweaks made, and the assurance of G92-B silicon under the hood. Now, whilethis rendition of last generation's champion may very well run much coolerand clock much better, it doesn't change the fact that it comes in at astrange price point. Wedged unhealthily between the 4830 and the 4850, thislovely little card could prove a difficult purchase for users in quite a fewcircumstances. SilverStone Sugo SST-SG05B Mini ITX Case @ pcper.com [May-31-09] (0 Comments) All in all, the SG05 was a joy to use and work with. Creative endusers will love all the possibilities this case brings to the table. Basicusers will be able to install a simple mini-ITX system in less than an hourtoo. Gamers will also be able to customize this case and bring it to theirnext LAN party instead of lugging around that full tower they are used tobringing. This case seems to hit several key target audiences and should bea favorite of the modding community too. We would like to congratulateSilverStone on making a logical, compact, and sleek case that the masseswill appreciate and love. We award it PC Perspective's Gold Award. i-Rocks Cherry MX Mechanical Keyboard @ rbmods.com [May-31-09] (0 Comments) If you are a long-time computer user, you might remember the dayswhen IBM TechwareLabs s the AMD Phenom 9950 X4 Quad-Core Processor @ techwarelabs.com [May-30-09] (0 Comments) AMDs release on July 1st 2008 included the introduction to three new quad core processors. One of which is the 9950, which was released to fix the TLB erratum problems on the 9900. The other two released were products new to the market, the 9150e and the 9350e AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition @ techgage.com [May-30-09] (0 Comments) For each component that can go into a PC, there areusually countless models to choose from, and the CPU scheme of thingsis no different. For those looking to spend around $250, the optionsare AMD's Phenom II X4 955 and Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9550. AMD isconfident that their product delivers a better value, so let's check tosee if that's the case. Hardware Leaderboard @ pcper.com [May-30-09] (0 Comments) Our Mid-Range Leaderboard still the Intel Core i7-920 processor, itis a hard value to beat! The slowest part on this system, GeForce 9800 GTX+has been dumped, we have replaced it with an overclocked BFG GTX 260 whichonly brings the system price up by $26. With that extra graphics power, andthe temptation of SLI, it seems best to bump the PSU up a bit and theAnitec TruePower 750W certainly fits that role perfectly. Computer Power User Magazine Subscription Giveaway @ modders-inc.com [May-30-09] (0 Comments) Free is good...no wait free is AWESOME and a huge thank you goesout to the fine people over at Computer Power User Magazine! CPU Magazine,the best darn magazine about computers, hardware, and case modding. ComputerPower User has made available to Modders-Inc to give away four (4) 1 yearsubscriptions. [Affiliates News] V-MODA Vibe II Earphones @ aphnetworks.com [May-30-09] (0 Comments) When Bart Simpson in the episode Simpsons Bible Stories startsdreaming and sees himself as King David, he discovers that his 'oldest friendMethuselah' (Who is presented by his grandpa Abe Simpson) has been stabbed inthe back, and dies in front of him. Bart then asks Grampa Simpson who killedhim, of whom promptly said that it was =?windows-1252?Q?Sapphire_Radeon_HD4770_512MB_Graphics_Card__ @ bigbruin.com [May-29-09] (0 Comments) In use the Sapphire Radeon HD4770 512MB graphics card performed admirably. It is not the ultimate gaming solution (and doesn't claim to be), but for about $100 it is definitely impressive. It can put up solid numbers in games with the settings turned up and it won't make your electric meter spin out of control in the process. to:content-type; @ testfreaks.com [May-29-09] (0 Comments) Today I've got the Thrustmaster T.1600M PC Joystick for review, I actual lygot the bundle of HAWX and the joystick, but I'm going to cover HAWX in i t'sown review. The joystick itself is nicely made, and truly does add a newdimension to any kind of flying game, making it easier and a lot more funthat the standard mouse/keyboard combination. Security, CAPTCHA and D-Link Routers @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-29-09] (0 Comments) Two weeks ago D-Link announced the introduction of a CAPTCHA to confirm configuration changes on some of its wireless routers. According to D-Link, the objective is to prevent that users whose machines have been owned by malware have the DNS settings in the router changes without the user's knowledge. 13 Intel Core i7 LGA 1366 CPU Coolers Compared @ legitreviews.com [May-29-09] (0 Comments) At first I had mixed feelings the new top air cooler, the Titan Fenrir TTC-NK85TZ. With never having used or seen a review for a Titan cooler before I didn’t know what to expect. When I picked up the Fenrir it didn’t have the “feel” of a solid cooler like the NH-U12P or the Ultra 120. I was pleasantly surprised when I watched the numbers come up, and I’m looking forward to see more offerings from Titan... Install an SSD and Improve Your Laptop Speed, Reliability and Battery Life – Part 2 @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-29-09] (0 Comments) Last week we discussed the advantages of SSDs over standard hard disk drives. Today we are going to tell you exactly how to replace your laptop hard disk drive with an SSD. Cyberlink MediaShow Espresso GPGPU Performance @ legitreviews.com [May-29-09] (0 Comments) CyberLink MediaShow Espresso software has been designed to work with both AMD’s Unified Video Decoder (UVD) through its ATI Stream technology and NVIDIA's general purpose parallel computing architecture known as CUDA. By using AMD Stream and NVIDIA CUDA technology consumers can quickly convert digital video files for use on portable devices like the Apple iPhone, Sony PS3, and YouTube. Since CyberLink MediaShow Espresso works on both NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards it gives us a rare chance to benchmark both technologies to see which is better... Patriot Torqx MLC SSD PFZ128GS25SSDR @ benchmarkreviews.com [May-29-09] (0 Comments) Indilinx has been tapped to add their 'Barefoot' controller into the design, and a new generation of Solid State Drives has delivered TechwareLabs s the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 Processor @ techwarelabs.com [May-29-09] (0 Comments) Today, Mike S, tests the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz Yorkfield processor. These are Intel's first quad-core 45nm processors, and offer a cooler chip with an in performance. Find out if this is worth the upgrade, or if you should just stick with what you've got. All Turion 64 Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-28-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Turion 64 and Turion 64 X2 processors released to date. Updated. TechwareLabs s the Synology DS209+ NAS @ techwarelabs.com [May-28-09] (0 Comments) Today TechwareLabs takes a look at the ever popular DS209+ NAS by Synology. With the capability of supporting 2TB Drives, popular gaming systems, and the ability to act as a Surveillance Station, it is hard to go wrong with DS209+. Join Matt Homan as we take the dive in and see what this NAS can do. Olevia 227-S11 27-Inch LCD HDTV @ benchmarkreviews.com [May-28-09] (0 Comments) HDTVs are rapidly becoming the norm rather than the exception. With such new-found popularity, there are more TVs than ever to choose Orbitsound T3 portable battery powered speaker @ pro-clockers.com [May-28-09] (0 Comments) I'm zigging today when you expected me to zag. Up for review is theOrbitsound T3 portable battery powered personal stereo speaker withairSOUND. Yes, I know. This isn't a power supply or case review. Don't letyourself feel too disheartened. I have a case review waiting in the wings,but I took time off from that once I got my hands on the T3. Orbitsound isan UK-based company and the T3 is just one of their offerings that sportairSOUNDR single-point-stereo technology. Before we can get into the reviewsome explanation is necessary about airSOUND and what it does. What betterplace to find it than Orbitsound's web site. LaCie 2big External Network Attached Storage Hard Drive @ rbmods.com [May-28-09] (0 Comments) Sharing files between computers can be a hassle, especially if youhave a lot of music/photos/videos that consume a lot of disk space. But withhard drive failures still a regular occurrence, being able to store filesoffline is essential. Many people turn to network attached storage (NAS)devices to provide external storage that can be connected to a network.Today we'll look at one such NAS device offered by Geeks.com:the LaCie 2bigNetwork 1TB External NAS hard drive. Will this product turn out to be asimple plug-and-play network device? Read on to find out. Albatron HD 4830 Green 512 MB @ techpowerup.com [May-27-09] (0 Comments) Albatron is one of the first companies to come out with a HD 4830 design that does not require an external power connector. Another difference to the HD 4830 is the number of shaders. Instead of 640 like on the reference, Albatron has packed 800 shaders on their card for some extra performance. EASUS Partition Manager @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-27-09] (0 Comments) TodayI will be looking at a quality piece of software from EASEUS. ThePartition Manager software is an extensive program that allows homeusers and system administrators to efficiently work with the computer'shard drives, with options ranging from a simple disk copy, to resizingand converting partitions. Axentra HipServ 2.0/Marvell Sheeva Plug - Plug Computing @ legitreviews.com [May-27-09] (0 Comments) Besides being a web server and UPnP media server, the HipServ Plug also sports a slick backup software suite. For this you must install the appropriately named HipServDesktopApplication. Once the application is installed, fire it up, and it'll search the network for a HipServ. Upon finding one it'll ask you for login credentials and then let you setup a backup sequence. I've been doing daily backups of my review photo archive and it has been working like a charm... [News] Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 Heatsink @ virtual-hideout.net [May-27-09] (0 Comments) Color me impressed. Here we have a very well made and put togetherpackage that has no problems bringing the noise when it comes to the worldof performance. Out of the I7 heatsinks that I've tested thus far, this iseasily the most positive experience, bar the fact that the wire clips aretough to engage inside a case, and caught on the roof fans of myCoolerMaster 690. What really impresses me though is that despite its simpledesign and light mass, this heatsink still managed to outstrip all comers,and do so in silent style. I'd have to easily recommend this product toanybody looking for a great i7 cooler! All Phenom Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-27-09] (0 Comments) A quick reference table showing the main specs of all Phenom models released to date. Updated. CompuLab fit-PC2 P - Nettop PC with Intel Menlow @ pcper.com [May-27-09] (0 Comments) Because this system uses the Menlow-based Atom Z-series processorand 'Poulsbo' chipset, rather than the N-series CPU, it has support for HDvideo decode acceleration and CompuLab, the manufacturer, claims it can playback 1080p video with just 20% CPU utilization. TechwareLabs s the Western Digital 2TB Green Drive @ techwarelabs.com [May-27-09] (0 Comments) Being first at something doesn’t always make you the best. Western Digital released the world’s first 2TB hard drive. Sporting an eco friendly design, this drive is a new milestone in the storage world. So does Western Digital have what it takes to raise the storage bar and set a new precedent or will they fall flat on their face? TechwareLabs checks it out. GIGABYTE MA790GP-UD4H 790GX Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [May-27-09] (0 Comments) AM3 is AMD’s big cash cow now and while this CPU isn’t really able to compete with the Intel Core i7 on performance, its price point really has a major plus amongst the more budget conscious users, especially in the global financial crisis. Saving as many dollars as you can really means a lot more than it did the same time last year and to this end AMD really has a leg up here. The other big plus, and this is where I personally really thank AMD, is that they have not just thrown away their older users. AM3 based processors can be run in any AM2+ based board thanks to its dual mode memory controller. AM3 CPU’s have a dual channel DDR2 and a dual channel DDR3 memory controller. This means that you can slap one of the newest AMD Phenom II processors in your already setup AM2+ boards and continue to use your existing hardware and later on you an upgrade to an AM3 board with DDR3 and newer technologies and still keep your CPU; it’s just that simple and AMD has really thought of everything. WL-308 Wireless 300N XR Gigabit Gaming Router @ pro-clockers.com [May-27-09] (0 Comments) Today's Review sample made the trek all the way from Rotterdam to myhome in Tennessee to prove just how much American's are missing out onEuropean innovation. Though not available in the US, Sitecom's WL-308Wireless 300N XR Gigabit Gaming Router is sure to make any red-bloodedAmerican gadget geek's heart pound at its performance, features andaesthetic. Aimed at the hardcore gamer, the WL-308 uses StreamEngine, apropriety technology, to optimize network performance without theinstallation of additional software on your computer. To our viewers acrossthe pond, take note. This could very well be the Holy Grail ofnon-enterprise routers. Let's see what this bad girl can do. Roccat Kave - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-27-09] (0 Comments) Roccathave graced us with some of their fantastic peripherals in the past,with their Kone mouse still holding it's place as our favourite gamingrodent of all time. Today, we've been sent over their latest headset,the Kave. It sports 5.1 surround sound, hand sewn noise cancelling earcups, and an adjustable vibration unit. The remote is also somethingquite interesting, so let's give it a look. Enermax Liberty ECO 500W Power Supply @ pcper.com [May-27-09] (0 Comments) The new Liberty ECO 500W power supply from Enermax delivered verygood voltage regulation with clean outputs and excellent efficiency. On topof that, the Liberty ECO 500W proved to be one of the quietest PC powersupplies we have tested to date in this power range. Throw in support forhigh-end graphic adapters, a compact chassis that will fit in most any ATXstyle case, and plenty of peripheral connectors and you have a veryattractive PSU package! These new power supplies from Enermax should be ofparticular interest to anyone building a HTPC or silent PC. OCZ Neutrino 10" DIY Netbook @ legitreviews.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) On March 30, 2009, OCZ Technology unveiled the Neutrino netbook, their latest Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solution for consumers looking to save a buck and do some sweat equity themselves. This netbook got the attention of many when it first was announced because it was the very first DIY netbook to be available to consumers. The OCZ Neutrino DIY netbook not only cuts costs it also lets consumers fine tune this netbook by being able to choose and install their own memory module, storage drive, and preferred Operating System (OS) into this Intel Atom processor powered 10.1” netbook. Not too shabby considering one of these chassis can be picked up for around $236.01 shipped. This a fair price for a 10.1 Early look @ tweaktown.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) Not only did we get to see GIGABYTE's early adoption of SATA-III today, but we also got to see both of its UD5 and UD4P motherboards based on Intel's upcoming Core i5 supporting P55 Express chipset. In this early Computex live demo, GIGABYTE mentioned that it is not only focusing on new hardware features but also new software additions to its lineup. The major new piece of software is GIGABYTE Smart TPM, but we will talk about that early next week once Computex begins as there may be some changes planned from what we saw today. You will be surprised just how easy it is to completely secure your private files and folders with a USB pen drive or Bluetooth device such as a mobile phone. Interview with Psyko Labs Inventor @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) We talked to James Hildebrandt, creator of the Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headset System, a revolutionary device that uses airflow to simulate a home theater in your head. AMD Phenom II X4 955 LHe Overclocking Event @ legitreviews.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) Last week AMD organized a small overclocking event for a group of overclockers from North America. Hosted at AMD's facility in Austin, Texas, the event was arranged to match competitive overclockers with the best silicon coming out of AMD's fabs in hopes of breaking some records and possibly hitting 7GHz. AMD invited three overclockers, Vince Lucido aka K|ngp|n, Brian McLachlan aka chew*, and Chris Morrell, aka Gomeler. On hand to answer questions and make sure things went smoothly were Peter Hardman and Simon Solotko of AMD. The overclocking went from Wednesday through Friday night with necessary breaks taken to keep the benchers for passing out on their feet. Gigabyte M61PME-S2 Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) We took a quick look on M61PME-S2P, a motherboard based on GeForce 6100 chipset that Gigabyte claims to be a socket AM2+ model. Check it out. Cresyn C750E Earphones @ techpowerup.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) Cresyn C750E is the name of an interesting set of in-ears, from a relatively unknown manufacturer. The C750Es feature a sweet bundle and a well thought out design. With a price point of $100 they are positioned nicely for the average user who wants to get decent sound quality on the move without breaking the bank. Technic3D/OCZ Fatal1ty 700W @ technic3d.com [May-25-09] (0 Comments) The OCZ Fatal1ty 700W PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the fo llowing Review from Technic3D the next PSU with one +12V rail (56A), 1 20mm LED Fan (Thermal fan control), 8x SATA hard disk connectors and 2 x PCI-e 6+2 Pin. Enermax Revolution 85+ 850W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [May-25-09] (0 Comments) I've looked at the flagship line of Enermax power supplies twicenow in the Revolution 85+ 1050W unit and the Galaxy Evo 1250W unit. Today,I'm looking at the baby of the series in a unit that promises all theexcellence of its bigger siblings in a package intended for those who don'tneed quite so much power. Asus EAH4770 TOP Videcoard @ rbmods.com [May-25-09] (0 Comments) We are going to take a look at a brand new video card that sells foraround 120$ and should perform similar to a 4850 video card. I=B4m sure youalready figured out that we are going to review the 4770 card from Asus, weare going to compare it vs a few 4850 cards also from Asus in severalbenchmarks. The main features on this card is the price/performance, thismeans you should get ALOT of performance for a small price, so lets have acloser look and see what we can expect from the card. Lenovo IdeaPad S12 first to implement ION on mobile platform @ pcper.com [May-25-09] (0 Comments) That definitely puts the S12 in a great spot in terms of price andperformance but I am bit worried about the length of time between thisproduct announcement and actual product availability. We have already seenthe netbook market beginning to compress slightly, and even though this unitwouldn't fit our technical definition of a netbook, its close enough thatNVIDIA and Lenovo should be wary of missing the wave completely. Cooler Master HAF 922 @ techpowerup.com [May-24-09] (0 Comments) The Cooler Master HAF 922 is not just a smaller version of the very cool looking 932. It manages to improve things in many areas, to look even cooler, be even more affordable and possibly strike more fear and awe into your opponent at that next LAN party. Message-ID:MIME-Version:Content-Type:X-Mailer:Thread-Index:Content-Language:X-Source:X-Source-Args:X-Source-Dir; @ X-Source-Args:X-Source-Dir; [May-23-09] (0 Comments) If you'd have asked me what OCZ made, up until a couple of years agoI would have said memory, but they seem to make all sorts of interestingthings and fortunately I've been made aware of this (and even have theprivilege of testing some of their stuff!). Today We are looking at theirBehemoth dual laser gaming mouse Vantec Nexstar Hard Drive Dock @ techpowerup.com [May-23-09] (0 Comments) There is no question that harddrive docks are becoming increasingly more popular in the digital age. They offer faster installation time as well as competitive performance to the more common standard enclosure. Today will we see just how well Vantec's offering stacks up to the competition with a simple style, reliable performance, and ease of use. ECS A790GXM-AD3 790GX AM3 Motherboard @ pcper.com [May-23-09] (0 Comments) The ECS A790GXM-AD3 is a great entry-level, budget-minded AM3motherboard that gives end users more than enough features to quench theirthirst for higher performance, easy of use, and stability. The BIOS wasabsolutely fantastic in terms of usability and also had plenty of advancedfeatures for overclocking. Overall, I didn't see too many flaws with thisboard. It was rock solid during our benchmarks and was a decentoverclocker. Sapphire HD 4770 512MB Video Card @ modders-inc.com [May-23-09] (0 Comments) Everyone wants to know how far their money can go these days andthat you want to make sure that you get the most that you can for it.Sapphire and ATI knows this and they have come up with their own XFX to enter power supply market with bright green 850w model @ pcper.com [May-23-09] (0 Comments) The upcoming XFX 850 Black Edition power supply will apparentlyinclude 105C Japanese capacitors, solid polymer capacitors, a 135mm ballbearing fan that should be relatively quiet and will support both SLI andCrossFire as you would expect from a company known for GPUs. The single 12Vrail will supply all the power to the unit and it will use a DC-to-DCregulator for 3.3V and 5V connections. Channel Expo 2009 trade show - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-22-09] (0 Comments) ChannelExpo is the UK's largest technology trade show, and though inreality, most of it is usually based around the channel, with lots ofsoftware and industry focus, there's often a few nifty bits of gamingand enthusiast gear to keep you interested. So, despite several of ourusual industry pals telling us they wouldn't be attending, we saddledup and headed off to Birmingham NEC to check it out. Super Talent UltraDrive ME 64GB MLC SSD Benchmarks @ legitreviews.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) The UltraDrive ME series of Solid State Drives are the fifth-generation of SSDs to be released by Super Talent. These drives are said to offer leading-edge performance for high-end notebook computers and desktops with read speeds up to 260MB/Sec and write speeds up to 200MB/Sec. With drive speeds like that you know the UltraDrive ME series has a great controller and indeed it does as the UltraDrive ME series uses the Indilinx 'Barefoot' internal controller that has been paired with an 64MB Elpida IC for internal cache. This setup is identical to the OCZ Vertex SSD Series... Thermaltake Element S Mid-Tower Chassis @ tweaktown.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has been in the case game for quite a while now and I remember when the company first launched the Xaser series of cases. While not to everyone's liking, they did push the boundary with looks while also offering a pretty nice feature set at the same time. Over the years we've seen more and more cases from Thermaltake and as someone who's a fan of cases that aren't all that loud, when it comes to the looks department the Element S from first glance looked like a nice case. Thecus N5200B Network Attached Storage (NAS) @ pcper.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) The Thecus N5200B network attached storage device definitely has alot of features that are appealing to both casual users and enterprisecustomers. Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, an integrated printer server, eSATAand USB support and the ability to run RAID 5 and 6 really give the N5200 anedge over most other options on the market. And not many NAS devices offerthe ability to use 5 hard drives; another plus for storage hungry users. TechwareLabs s the Silverstone Fortress FT-01 Computer Case @ techwarelabs.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) Following on from the success of their Temjin line of full-tower cases, Today I'll be looking at the Fortress FT-01, Silverstone's attempt to bring the unibody construction of the Temjin TJ-07 to a more compact design. Let's see if this fortress holds up, or crumbles at the first assault. Hiyatek HY-CF-6288-1 Laptop Cooler @ bigbruin.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) We have seen many laptop coolers here at Bigbruin.com, and this would be the fourth from Hiyatek. Most of them operate in near silence, which is a bonus. That being said, the fan on this one doesn't seem to be doing anything useful as the drop in temperatures experienced with the HY-CF-6288-1 could be recreated just by using a wire rack we had lying around. TechwareLabs s the Thermaltake ElementS @ techwarelabs.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) In the ElementS series there's two types of cases, the VK60001N2Z(the one we're reviewing), and the VK60001W2Z. The difference is simple, VK60001W2Z has a side panel 240mm fan made mainly for VGA cooling. If you are planning on getting a Crossfire or SLi solution with 2 high end cards, or just impressing your friend with a huge fan, my suggestion is to get VK60001W2Z. Lubix NC1 Bluetooth Stereo Headset @ legitreviews.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) Lubix may be new to you, but they make an incredible product with the $50 NC1 Bluetooth Stereo Headset. It may not have the best microphone to pick up your voice, but if you are into music, there is no better stereo Bluetooth headset available. HTC Touch Diamond (Verizon) Cell Phone @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) Review of the HTC Touch Diamond cell phone that Verizon started offering this month in the US and is based on Windows Mobile 6.1 with TouchFLO 3D interface. XTracPads Logic Mat @ rbmods.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) One majorly overlooked, yet crticial element when it comes to agaming rig is a mousepad. It doesnt make the game run smoother or give itcrisper details but it makes gaming alot easier. It improves tactileresponse and allows your movements to have more speed, comfort, andprecision while gaming. Behold! The mousepad! Today, RBMods takes a lookat three new Logic Mats from XTracPads. They come with a reusable adhesivebacking to help prevent them from slipping and sliding on your desktopsurface. Let's take a look at how they work. Coolermaster Scout @ pro-clockers.com [May-21-09] (0 Comments) Besides looks features is another tough and rough area to conquer andkeep the price decent. The integrated fan LED controller, one/two handcarrying handle and the solid black interior are just a couple of optionsthat users will like for the $100 asking price of the Scout. The Scout doesoffer some cable management features as well but due to the shorter narrowerdesign there isn't a lot of outlets for cables to exit to the rear of thecase. This may not be a large deal breaker due to the fact this is more of aLAN case and I don't see many having to buckling down too many cablesbecause of the lack of components they may use in the case. Intel Pine Trail (Next-Gen Atom Platform) & Moblin Updates @ pcper.com [May-21-09] (0 Comments) The base microarchitecture of the Pine Trail processor remainsunchanged from the current Atom CPU though (HyperThreading remains as well)today we might see frequency increases when this product is launched.Interestingly, unlike the forth coming 32nm Westmere product, the Pine TrailAtom processor will in fact integrate the CPU cores, memory controller andintegrated graphics on a single 45nm die, not just a single substrate. TechwareLabs s the ASUS P6T Motherboard @ techwarelabs.com [May-21-09] (0 Comments) The introduction of the Core i7 processors into the market marked the beginning of one of the largest redesign feats for motherboard manufacturers. ASUS was one of these motherboard manufacturers that attempted to redefine the expectations of performance. Today TechwareLabs will take a look at their budget model - P6T. Will it stack up to the expectations or will it be a miss for ASUS? Inno3D GeForce GTX 275 OC Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [May-21-09] (0 Comments) Today we're going to be looking at a GTX 275 from Inno3D which has that lovely overclocked word printed on the front of the box. What we'll do before we have a closer look at the card and its performance is see what Inno3D have done with the package and bundle. Let's not delay any longer and get straight into it and see if Inno3D are able to make a GTX 275 which stands out from the pack. Considering we've seen a few it's going to be a tough fight, but hopefully there's something that helps the card stand out. Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler @ modders-inc.com [May-21-09] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has been making CPU coolers for years and they knowwhat it takes to produce a high quality cooler that is capable of coolingtoday's CPU. The SpinQ is somewhat different in design than most othercoolers on the market today. Silverstone Element 850 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [May-20-09] (0 Comments) But Silverstone is not all about extreme power but moderate power andextreme efficiency while being affordable. The Element series offersexceptionally amounts of efficiency over two 12 volt rails. And if you thinkthat the Element is all about efficiency think again the 850 watt model wehave for review this week is capable of supporting today's GPU in SLI orCrossfire configurations. And all this can be done for about $140. TechwareLabs s the Brite-Strike Blue Dot Series Illumination Tool @ techwarelabs.com [May-20-09] (0 Comments) Today Dan Takes a look a new way to light up your life. The Brite-Strike Blue Dot Series Illumination Tool with Tactical Touch is able to release a remarkable 180 lumens. As a flashlight that was designed by police officers, for police officers, this light will stand up to anything. Join us as we take a look. Install an SSD and Improve Your Laptop Speed, Reliability and Battery Life – Part 1 @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-20-09] (0 Comments) One of the easiest ways to improve your laptop speed, reliability and battery life is replacing its hard disk drive (HDD) with a solid state drive (SSD). Let's discuss this possibility. [News] GMC R-4 Bulldozer Case @ virtual-hideout.net [May-20-09] (0 Comments) It's a simple case on one respect, but it has a few features thatmake it stand out. The looks definitely will not be for everyone, but therewill be a lot of people who will love it. My only real wish, is that thosefake hydraulic shocks were actually functional, though I know that isn't theleast bit feasible. Kingston SSDNow M Series 80GB SATA 2.5 Bundle Kit @ legitreviews.com [May-19-09] (0 Comments) Kingston took their popular SSDNow Series and added all the hardware and software necessary to replace your notebook or desktop computer's internal SATA hard drive with a new product series called the Kingston SSDNow Solid State Drive (SSD) Bundle Kit. The heart of the bundle is Acronis True Image HD software, an imaging program that copies the contents of one computer hard disk and loads those contents to another system drive; that will take you through the cloning process. This software allows you to move your Operating System and your personal data (including all settings, emails, etc.) from your current system hard drive to your new SSD. Once the Acronis True Image HD cloning process is complete and the data is successfully transferred to your SSD, your hard drive can then be used as a secondary drive for data storage with the included external SATA drive housing... Galaxy GeForce 9600 GT LP - Low Power, Low Profile @ pcper.com [May-19-09] (0 Comments) The Galaxy 9600 GT LP is not the fastest or the cheapest 9600 GToffering available but its ability to upgrade existing PCs with high-classgaming performance will certainly make it a popular choice. By shrinkingthe PCB down and removing the requirement for a PCI Express power connectionGalaxy has created a card that will work in nearly every big-box PC on themarket, even the smallest ones. If you or someone you know is in need of agaming upgrade and has these restrictions, one of these Galaxy cards willdefinitely do the trick! Tagan PipeRock II 680W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [May-19-09] (0 Comments) Last week, I took on a name in power supplies I had neverreviewed before. This week, it's more of the same as I take on yet anothernewcomer to my lab:Tagan. They sent me one of their new PipeRock II unitsat 680W, and are anxious to see how I made out with it. This is an Imperviobuilt unit that looks very promising. MSI N260GTX Lightning Black Edition Video Card @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-19-09] (0 Comments) MSI N260GTX Lightning Black Edition is a factory-overclocked video card based on GeForce GTX 260/216 that comes with an overclocking panel to be installed on your case or desk. Arctic Cooling Fusion 550R @ rbmods.com [May-19-09] (0 Comments) Arctic Cooling most known for their superb cpu coolers have releaseda power supply on to the market. If we look at the stats they promise alot,82-86% efficiency, intelligent fan control and ultra quiet 80 mm fan.Knowing Arctic Cooling I know I should expect a superb product so lets havea look if they can live up to their name also on the PSU market. The Dawn of Global Foundries @ pcper.com [May-19-09] (0 Comments) The advanced technology partnerships that Global Foundries currentlyenjoys allows their chip partners to introduce faster and more efficientparts into the marketplace with potentially improved yields over what we seecurrently for advanced designs. One of the great questions that everyonehas been asking is if NVIDIA would trust Global Foundries with their chipmaking, even though they are a subsidiary of AMD. I believe the answer tothat is that if Global Foundries delivers on its promises of what their 32nm process (and later 28 nm) can do, then customers will flock to GlobalFoundries. Win a 2.25TB NAS System @ bigbruin.com [May-19-09] (0 Comments) Geeks.com recently shipped over a Western Digital RE2 750GB enterprise SATA hard drive for review, and they also included a few more to be packed in to a Thecus N3200 3-bay Network Attached Storage (NAS) system for one lucky winner to enjoy! 3DConnexion Space Navigator - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-18-09] (0 Comments) Moreand more 3D software is being developed and so the production of3D peripherals seems only inevitable. However, who actually needs a 3Dmouse:the casual PC user? The hardcore gamer? The office PC user? Intruth none of these fit the bill and it’s only really the more creativeof careers that can fully tap into these features – architects, artistsand so on. Despite this, 3D devices are key to certain users and3Dconnexion – a subsidiary of Logitech - have come up with the SpaceNavigator – a true UFO peripheral – let’s take it for a spin... Cooler Master Hyper TX3 i5 CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [May-18-09] (0 Comments) Cooler Master has been making big strides to aid in this quest of superior cooling technology to apply to all this new tech available for us to get our upgrading hands on. We have seen quite a few coolers over the past year from Cooler Master; some did really well, while others were a bit below expectations. As a whole they have done a good job supplying the market with Thermaltake Element S Case @ techpowerup.com [May-18-09] (0 Comments) Thermaltake says the new Element S case is designed for Pros:is that true? With a stylish black finish, no annoying lighting, anti-vibration side panels and room for up to seven hard drives and two SSDs that may just be the case. =?windows-1252?Q?Western_Digital_RE2_750GB_Enterprise_SATA_Hard_Drive__ @ bigbruin.com [May-18-09] (0 Comments) The Western Digital RE2 750GB SATA hard drive is now two generations removed from being the latest and greatest in their family of enterprise class hard drives, but it didn't show its age when tested for use at home. While it performed well in typical desktop benchmarks, I can also see it being well suited to NAS duty, as a stand alone drive or in a RAID array. ECS GeForce GTS 250 1GB Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [May-16-09] (0 Comments) We've liked the GTS 250 from the word go. While we understand that it's nothing more than a 9800 GTX+, it's got all the features that we want out of a graphics card. For starters, we know that the performance is there; the 9800 GTX+ was no slouch which means the GTS 250 isn't going to be either. Then there's the price. The rebranding of the model and the time it's been around makes the price of the product quite aggressive which is always a good thing. What you end up with is a good valued graphics card that packs quite a punch. i-Rocks Ultra Slim Cordless 1.5 Area keyboard @ rbmods.com [May-16-09] (0 Comments) Looking for a keyboard with the feel and size of a laptop keyboardyet made for a desktop? i-Rocks, makers of a wide range of computerperipherals, has a number of keyboards on the market. Today we'll take alook at the i-Rocks Slim Cordless 1.5 Area keyboard. Let's see if thiskeyboard offers the size and performance expected of an everday device Mushkin Redline XP3-12800 6 GB Kit @ techpowerup.com [May-16-09] (0 Comments) The Redline Tri-Channel Kit from Mushkin manages 1600 MHz at CL6-7-6-18 right out of the box, making it one of the fastest kits at this speed on the market. We push the kit way past the red line for you in this review, reaching well over 2000 MHz with more relaxed timings. Sparkle Calibre 9800 GTX+ Video Card @ techwarelabs.com [May-16-09] (0 Comments) TechwareLabs takes a look at the Calibre 9800GTX+ video card which promises a good gaming experience with a design that keeps it cool. We compare the card against another high end solution from ATI to find out if this budget card can keep up with the big dogs. Read our review to find out. Seasonic SS-400H1U & SS-460H2U Power Supply @ pcper.com [May-16-09] (0 Comments) The Seasonic SS-400H1U and SS-460H2U power supplies proved to beoutstanding performers. Both PSUs delivered excellent voltage regulationwith very good efficiency and relatively clean outputs. And they come with agood compliment of modular cables/connectors. If you are in the market fora rack mount, server style power supply with an output capacity in the 400Wto 460W range, these two units will be hard to beat. Technic3D/OCZ 6GB 1600 CL6 @ technic3d.com [May-16-09] (0 Comments) The OCZ 6GB Kit DDR3 1600 CL6 Platinum Series arrived Technic3 D. Technic3D will see as good they are with Overclocking against the C SX Diablo Memory Kit on Windows Vista Ultimate 64 Bit and the Gigabyte EX58-Extreme Mainboard. You can see 1.680 MHz (1,65V) with 6-6-6-24 ( 1T) in the following Review. NXZT Panzerbox Aluminum Mid Tower PC Case @ legitreviews.com [May-15-09] (0 Comments) Over the years as PC components have gotten faster, they have also gotten hotter. These days, nearly every component generates some sort of heat and has gotten to the point where air may no longer alleviate some of it as airflow is sometimes restricted in some form. Enter the NZXT Panzerbox. With 190mm fans in a meshed front and on the meshed top with a 120mm at the rear boasting over 300 CFM of airflow, along with an option to install a dual 120mm Radiator inside, the Panzerbox is armed to combat the heat generated by your PC... ASUS ENGTX260 Matrix GeForce GTX 260 @ benchmarkreviews.com [May-15-09] (0 Comments) The breakneck pace of product development for graphics cards doesn't always generate bigger, faster, more powerful chips and cards. AZZA Fantom 900 @ techpowerup.com [May-15-09] (0 Comments) The AZZA Fantom 900 takes some cues from similar styled cases and gives its interpretation on how a budget minded mid-sized gaming case should be. With many cases that are out there for new builders and gamers wanting to save on money, we'll take a look at what sets the Fantom 900 apart from its competitors and why it's a solid choice for all. Silverstone Raven - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-15-09] (0 Comments) Silverstonehas become a multi-faceted manufacturer of computercomponents in recent years, with its product line up now comprising ofpower supplies, coolers, and a variety of peripherals. However, as thecase we have in the XSR labs today proves, the firm has not abandonedthe enthusiast case market so fundamental to its success. With avariety of truly innovative features and aggressive StealthBomber-inspired styling, the Raven is about as far away as you can getfrom a boring ATX reference clone. Zalman GS1000 SE Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-14-09] (0 Comments) Zalman GS1000 SE is identical to GS1000, but with steel side panels instead of using aluminum ones – thus being more affordable. Let’s see what you should expect from this new case that is reaching the market next week. Super Talent UltraDrive ME 120GB MLC SSD FTM28GX25H @ benchmarkreviews.com [May-14-09] (0 Comments) Performance enthusiasts have been keeping notes on SSD technology for a while now, and until recently the price and performance of Solid Intel Fined $1.45 Billion by EU for Antitrust Violations @ pcper.com [May-14-09] (0 Comments) The second violation, one that was likely more difficult to prove,was that Intel made direct payments to computer manufacturers to delay thelaunch of new systems/products containing new AMD x86 processors. When AMDhad a new highly competitive CPU to offer, Intel would basically pay off thesystem vendors to not build new systems using them at launch, if at all. NZXT Rogue Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-14-09] (0 Comments) Rogue is a hybrid steel/aluminum small form factor case targeted to gamers from NZXT. Let’s take a look on it. Nexus Value 430 & RX-8500 @ rbmods.com [May-14-09] (0 Comments) Quiet yet powerful powersupplys are the keyword in today=B4s computer [News] OCZ 8GB Throttle eSATA/USB Drive @ virtual-hideout.net [May-13-09] (0 Comments) You could say it's a simple evolutionary step for thumb drives, butI think it's a welcome one. There is of course the talk of USB 3.0, withspeeds up to 400MB/s, however it will be some time before the hardware touse that is available, let alone common. As it stands, every new computerhas sata ports, which are easy enough to convert into eSata. There is nodenying the speed you can have here and now. Not to mention for $30 (8GB),it's only about $8 more than a regular 8GB usb drive, that for 3X theperformance. If you don't mind carrying a USB cable (that is used forpractically all external 2.5 Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid Tower Case @ legitreviews.com [May-13-09] (0 Comments) Following the success of the full tower HAF 932, Cooler Master has now successfully extended their product line to a mid tower with the HAF 922. It has a strong appearance and I think they did a good job on the HAF 922. The open design of the HAF line makes for nice air flow throughout the case. The space also made it easy to work in the case; I have rather large hands and I had no issues working in the HAF 922 at all... Sennheiser IE8 Earphones @ techpowerup.com [May-13-09] (0 Comments) IE8 is the name of a brand new earphone solution from Sennheiser. The Sennheiser IE8 boast a dynamic driver and an innovative bass adjustment feature that allows the user to tweak the bass response on the move. With a price of $400 they don't come cheap, but for an audiophile who is looking for the best sound quality possible, these might still be a very viable choice. Technic3D/SilverPower 650W PSU @ technic3d.com [May-13-09] (0 Comments) The SilverPower SP-SS650 650W PSU with Seasonic S12 technology arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next 650W PSU with four +12V rail (18A), 120mm Fan (Thermal fan contr ol), 6x SATA hard disk connectors, 1x PCI-e 6-Pin and 1x PCI-e 6+2 Pin . World-Exclusive:Lian Li PC-B71 & Silent Force 650W @ techpowerup.com [May-13-09] (0 Comments) The Lian Li PC-B71 takes the same concept as the A7010 - which is already an excellent choice - and improves on it in many areas. You will get a whopping seven hot swappable SATA bays, with access to them from the front of the chassis, along with an incredible, sophisticated, metal locking mechanism for the mainboard expansion slots. This case may just be the one to inch closer to that perfect 10, even if it comes at a price. Coolermaster HAF 922 Mid Tower @ pro-clockers.com [May-13-09] (0 Comments) But some of you are not into the extra large cases as they tend totake up too much room so Coolermaster decided to capitalize on the successof the HAF 932 and develop a smaller version entitled the HAF 922. Even withthe reduction in size the 922 still gives us two massive 200mm fans in thefront and top of the case. And if you think because the unit is smaller youhave to sacrifice drive space. Then you are wrong. The 922 offers five 5.25 Is it worth upgrading your notebook to an SSD drive? @ tweaktown.com [May-13-09] (0 Comments) OCZ sent me one of their fancy new Hypersonic notebooks around this time last year and today it is still quite a powerhouse for what I do with it, especially considering its size. People often mistake it for a netbook, but then see how quick she runs with its speedy Intel mobile Core 2 Duo T9300 and 4GB of memory. I usually upgrade notebooks regularly (once a year), but this baby still delivers quite a punch. But what could we do to give it extra boost?We decided to run some tests and see if it would be worthwhile or not upgrading our notebook from a standard notebook hard disk drive to a shiny new SSD - in particular, the Intel X25-M 80GB SATA drive. And don't worry, we upgraded to the latest Intel firmware for its X18 and X25 series of SSD drives, which is designed to improve performance. Cooler Master HAF 922 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-13-09] (0 Comments) Cooler Master HAF 922 is a mid-tower version of HAF 932, coming with two big 200-mm and one 120-mm fan, five external 5 ¼” bays and five internal 3 ½” bays and several other features. NZXT Zero 2 Case at Modders-Inc @ modders-inc.com [May-12-09] (0 Comments) The Zero 2 is the descendant of the award winning Zero caseengineered by those fanatical enthusiasts over at NZXT. It is an enthusiastcase designed with *lots* of airflow and ease of maintenance. TWL News Message @ techwarelabs.com [May-12-09] (0 Comments) Today, at TechwareLabs we get the treat of being able to test the Thermaltake SpinQ. The SpinQ is no joke; with its stylish futuristic jet engine like appearance and its unique airflow design it's no wonder they have been winning countless awards for their products. Noctua NF-S12B FLX - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-12-09] (0 Comments) Noctuaare considered a top brand when it comes to the coolingdepartment. Their unique colour scheme and product naming set themapart from rivalling companies and over time Noctua products have beengranted some of the highest accolades out there. The NF-S12 fan was aninstant success and further showcased Noctua’s ability in this market.Recently this particular fan has been updated with two new versions:the NF-S12B FLX and ULN. Today, we take a look at the FLX version whichfeatures high versatility; one can only hope it is half as good as itspredecessor. Lian Li XB-01 Case - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-12-09] (0 Comments) Theconsoles versus PC wars have been ongoing for longer than most fanboys can remember, but one of the arguments that has almost always beenin the PC camp's favour is that their gaming platform of choice can beupgraded however you want. Sure consoles can be modded or tweaked, butit normally takes someone who really knows what they're doing toaccomplish either of these feats. Now however, this argument has beenturned somewhat on it's head, with Lian Li releasing a custom case forthe Xbox 360; and it looks nothing like the original. ASUS M3A78-T 790GX AM2+ Motherboard @ pcper.com [May-12-09] (0 Comments) Using this board with the 790GX chipset was an absolute pleasure andAMD has truly made some giant strides in the integrated graphics arena.There are many reasons and uses for onboard graphics as a primary videosolution, and with the integration of HDMI and HD 1080p support, I can seemany HTPC users foaming at the mouth to upgrade their current home theatersetups with this technology. Has the Time for Laptops for Kids Finally Arrived? @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-12-09] (0 Comments) Last week a company called PeeWee PC launched a new tablet laptop targeted to kids aged 3 to 10. Funny thing is that this product came out exactly one month after I talked here about this overlooked market niche. Zotac IONITX-A-U NVIDIA ION Motherboard @ pcper.com [May-12-09] (0 Comments) The Zotac IONITX-A-U motherboard, with the Atom 330 processor andNVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics core is an impressive motherboard for itssize, for its power consumption and for the features it includes. Theproblem with the ION platform is that it can't compete in raw CPU-basedtasks with the likes of the AMD Athlon X2 7750, or even the Intel Celeronprocessor for that matter, simply because the Intel Atom core is so limitedin its computational power. If you were to just look at it from a pricingpoint of view, the AMD system is a much better performer for the money thanZotac's ION platform is. =?windows-1252?Q?Cooler_Master_HAF_922_Mid-Tower_Case__ @ bigbruin.com [May-12-09] (0 Comments) The Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid-Tower case is an excellent choice for gamers, enthusiasts, or anybody who wants to have a great looking case while also keeping their components cool. Installing components is nearly tool-less, and the only time you will need any tools will be when you mount your motherboard and power supply. Cresyn CS-HP500 and C750E Headphones @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-11-09] (0 Comments) We tested both the CS-HP500 portable headphone and the C750E earbud from Cresyn. Check out how they fared. Hipro HP-D5501EU 550W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [May-11-09] (0 Comments) I come to you today bearing a unit from a name I haven't testedbefore and not many of you may be familiar with:Hipro. Some of you may bethinking, Covington-Creations Earbud Yo-Yo @ legitreviews.com [May-11-09] (0 Comments) Using the Earbud Yo-Yo really does clean up the clutter of tangled earbud cords. The Yo-Yo was really simple and easy to set up and makes storing your earbuds less of a pain. After a bit of practice, you can roll and unroll your earbud cord quite quickly for storage and use. We did find that the performance for the Earbud Yo-Yo varied depending on the kind of cord your earbud has. For the standard (ie. Cheap) kind of earbuds that come standard with your iPod or other media player, the Yo-Yo works great... AirLive! WMU-6000FS @ techpowerup.com [May-11-09] (0 Comments) The AirLive! WMU-6000FS is not just an access point/wireless router. It can also hold a 2.5 NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller @ bigbruin.com [May-11-09] (0 Comments) The NZXT Sentry LX fan controller is a capable device that makes controlling and monitoring up to five fans and temperatures rather convenient. The display is well laid out and easy to read (from the right angles), and taking control of each fan is quite simple. While it made a very good overall impression, there are a few things that could use some refinement. to:content-type; @ testfreaks.com [May-10-09] (0 Comments) GPS Devices can be used for many, many things, not just for navigation,though that is probably the most popular use for it. Today for review I'v egot a small GPS unit from Qstarz, the BT-1000X Travel Recorder. Don't letthe name fool you though, it's much more than a travel recorder. It can b eused as a stand alone GPS receiver as well via the Bluetooth connection toyou cellphone or computer. The BT-1000X can also be used to geotag yourphotos and it works with several online services like Google Earth, locr,and flickr to track your way and share your photos and videos with friends.It my time with this product I've found it to be an extremely useful litt legadget. Corsair Voyager Port @ rbmods.com [May-10-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a device that should make it easy foryou to backup information onto your flashdrive. Corsair has developed theVoyager Port which allows you to plug your flash drive into the port andwith one push of a button if will backup all the info you have preconfiguredfor it to backup. Since the flash drives are getting bigger they are able tohold more data and they are way more durable than any harddrive on themarket. This makes the flash drive a excellent choice for backing up data,but how does this device work and what types of speeds can we expect? Wireless Network Security and Setup Guide from TechwareLabs @ techwarelabs.com [May-10-09] (0 Comments) Just a few years ago I was clueless about why I should secure my wireless network. I didn’t care if other people used my wireless signal to surf the internet, and I thought it was too much hassle to figure out how to encrypt my network. It took me getting my credit card number stolen and my credit rating destroyed before I finally decided to take network security and the security of my data seriously. HornetTek Travel Plus 2.5in External Enclosure @ modders-inc.com [May-09-09] (0 Comments) I need more space! Well, why not a small 2.5 TechwareLabs s the Sapphire Radeon HD 4830 @ techwarelabs.com [May-09-09] (0 Comments) Often overlooked in the eternal arms race for the biggest, baddest, most powerful video card on the market; ATI has also been putting out scaled-down versions of their 4000-series GPUs that are intended for the budget conscious gamer. Today we'll be looking at the HD 4830, a smaller sibling to ATI's powerful HD4870. Find out whether this little brother is a mighty mite, or just falls short. TechwareLabs s the Thermaltake BigTyp14 CPU Cooler @ techwarelabs.com [May-09-09] (0 Comments) Are you tired of that old heatsink? Is your CPU overheating or are just looking for something snazzy to be placed on your motherboard? Well, maybe you should take a peak at Thermaltake's Big Typ 14Pro. Thermaltake's heatsinks have been winning armloads of awards for quite a few years now. If the massive 140mm fan doesn't get your attention, then maybe the copper heatpipes and the bright blue LED's will. MSI Eclipse SLI X58 LGA 1366 Motherboard @ pcper.com [May-08-09] (0 Comments) Overall, this motherboard was exactly what I expected from ahigh-end LGA1366 motherboard. It had a plethora of USB ports, SATA ports,multi-GPU support, and DDR3 triple-channel support. After getting areplacement motherboard, we can safely say this board is definitely a greatoverclocker too. The price point might be a bit high for some to pay, butfor everything that's bundled, it's a decent deal for those who can affordit. Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB Notebook Hard Drive @ legitreviews.com [May-08-09] (0 Comments) When comparing the Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB (ST9500420AS) to other popular hard drives like the Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB and the Seagate Momentus 7200.3 320GB, you can see just how fast the drive performs. The Seagate Momentus 7200.4 has the fastest read and write speeds of any notebook hard drive that we have ever tested. The Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB has write speeds that best the Super Talent MasterDrive OX 64GB Solid State Drive (SSD) and come in just under the Intel X25-M and Kingston SSDNow M 80GB SSDs... Sony Cyber-shot W290 Digital Camera @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-08-09] (0 Comments) Review of the Sony Cyber-shot W290 digital camera, a 12.1-megapixel point-and-shoot USD 249 model. Verbatim SecureDigital Class 6 32GB @ rbmods.com [May-08-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at a Verbatim SD memory card fromVerbatim. This is a 32Gb SD card which is supposed to be a bit faster thanstock cards. Verbatim is well known for their high class storage media likedvd=B4s and cd=B4s so it's going to be interesting to see if this device cankeep up with the high quality Verbatim has delivered before. [Affiliates News] Radius Atomic Bass earphones @ aphnetworks.com [May-08-09] (0 Comments) Jonathan Kwan, where are the reviews!? Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 CrossFireX Performance @ benchmarkreviews.com [May-08-09] (0 Comments) The Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 introduces the 40nm RV740 GPU paired to 512MB of DDR5 video frame buffer memory, and a double-height cooler Seventeam V-Force 650w - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-07-09] (0 Comments) Enermax,Corsair, Coolermaster, Thermaltake; all big names in the powersupply industry and are known performers. The units from these biggerbrand names tend to come at a price but is that price really justifiedcompared to other units especially when we know that many smallercompanies produce OEM units for the bigger ones. For example, Seventeam- a unit of who’s we will be looking at today - are the OEMmanufacturer for some of Thermaltake’s units. Introducing the SeventeamV-Force Series 650W PSU; let’s take it for a spin. Sapphire Vapor X - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-07-09] (0 Comments) Sapphirefirst introduced its graphics cards which implemented theVapor-X coolers back in 2007 with its 3870 Atomic cards. The Vapor-Xtechnology meant that graphics cards could be efficiently cooled andstill remain silent using a liquid coolant which vaporised at the hotGPU’s IHS. Recently Sapphire has revitalised their Vapor-X video cardswith the birth of the HD 4850 and 4870. Today we’ve kindly been giventhe 4850 to review, let’s see how it performs. All Pentium Dual Core Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-07-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Pentium Dual Core released to date. Updated to include mobile models. Western Digital RE4-GP 2TB :Big Green Gets Meaner! @ pcper.com [May-07-09] (0 Comments) I went into this review knowing the RE4 would outperform the CaviarGreen. What I was not expecting was a drive threatening to dethrone theVelociRaptor. This really is a serious piece of storage gear. After seeingthe quality and performance of the RE4 series first hand, I plan to shift mydata onto a set of these just as soon as I can get my hands on them. Recycle Your Broken Computer Parts and Towers @ legitreviews.com [May-07-09] (0 Comments) Looking for a better solution here in St. Louis Missouri I ran across a site called e-cycle St. Louis that lists local recycling centers. The site listed 11 recycling centers in the St. Louis area that are said to accept most items at no charge. A couple of items, such as computer monitors and TVs, may include a $5 fee. This fee is said to be necessary to help cover the safe and appropriate method of breaking down these items for recycling. One of the recycling centers was fairly close to where I live, so recycling is not much more work than throwing something away... World-Exclusive:ASUS EAH4890 TOP w/ Super ML Capacitor @ techpowerup.com [May-07-09] (0 Comments) ASUS has sent us one of the first samples of their new EAH4890 TOP which uses a SuperML capacitor that is supposed to offer cleaner voltage resulting in better overlocking. Also this is the first card to feature a 6+8 pin PCI-Express power connector for improved voltage delivery. Last but not least, ASUS is now using a dual fan cooler with six thick heatpipes. Arctic Cooling Fusion 550RF Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-07-09] (0 Comments) Arctic Cooling Fusion 550RF is a 500 W continuous / 550 W peak power supply from Arctic Cooling with an external 80-mm fluid dynamic bearing fan. Let’s see if this unit survives our tests. GIGABYTE EX58-UD4P Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [May-06-09] (0 Comments) Intel has certainly put a high price premium on the X58 IOH to its partners, which in turn causes the boards produced to be somewhat expensive. Coupled with the higher price of Core i7 processors, this means that we are stuck with a huge bill to build a capable overclocking gaming rig, or are we? GIGABYTE has certainly produced a few good X58 boards for the extreme users, but today we are looking at one aimed for overclockers who want to keep a few extra dollars in their wallets. The EX58-UD4P motherboard comes in at 259.99 U.S. Dollars over at Newegg and comes equipped with quite a few features for a more budget conscious board. Today we are going to see just what GIGABYTE is able to produce when it comes to keeping prices down. Technic3D/CSX Diablo 6GB 2000 @ technic3d.com [May-06-09] (0 Comments) The CSX Diablo 6GB Kit DDR3 2000 CL9 arrived Technic3D. Techni c3D will see as good they are with Overclocking against the OCZ Platin um 1600 Memory Kit on Windows Vista Ultimate 64 Bit and the Gigabyte E X58-Extreme Mainboard. You can see 2.044 MHz (1,7V) with 9-9-9-24 (1T) in the following Review. Laptop Memory Expansion Options @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-06-09] (0 Comments) One thing the savvy user must pay attention when buying a laptop is the memory expansion capabilities from the model he or she chose. Practically all laptops today allow you to add more memory. However, this expansion can be cheaper and easier to do on some models. Let's see why. Technic3D/XFX X58i @ technic3d.com [May-06-09] (0 Comments) The XFX X58i Mainboard arrived Technic3D. The Mainboard with O verclocking functions and X58 chipset for all Intel Socket 1366 CPUs. See you in the following Review the Intel Core i7 920 on Windows Vista 64Bit SP1 Performance Benchmarks against the Foxconn Bloodrage. Razer Arctosa Gaming Keyboard @ rbmods.com [May-06-09] (0 Comments) Looking for an edge when it comes to PC gaming? Well, Xoxide,provider of a wide range of computer accessories, sent us one of the latestgaming keyboard, the Razer Arctosa. Razer is a well-known gaming productmanufacturer that has produced many well-known gaming products such as theRazer Diamondback and Viper mice. Will this new keyboard bring similarperformance to both gaming and everyday applications? That is what we'rehere to find out. nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-06-09] (0 Comments) A table comparing the basic technical specs from all nVidia graphics chips available on the market, from GeForce 4 MX 420 to GeForce GTX 295. Updated to include temperature and power specs. Jetway NF94-270-LF Motherboard @ modders-inc.com [May-06-09] (0 Comments) Modders-Inc is taking a look at another fine motherboard fromJetway. Currently they are offering some of the best all-in-one mini ITXmotherboards. Jetway is packing all sorts of goodies into a very small formfactor that is highly suitable for a Home Theater PC or for a space savingdesktop. Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package Case @ pcper.com [May-05-09] (0 Comments) The Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package full-tower enclosure is wellmade, comes with numerous high-end features, and offers a lot of storagespace and room to work inside the case. The styling is big and bold withoutbeing too gaudy. Six internal and seven external drive bays provide manystorage device and hardware mounting options. While far from silent, theSpedo delivers very good airflow for excellent case cooling. Thecus N7700 SATA 7-Disk RAID NAS @ benchmarkreviews.com [May-05-09] (0 Comments) How much data storage is enough to satisfy your enterprise needs? Thecus would like to assure you their N7700 SATA-drive NAS server has Thermaltake Toughpower XT 850W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [May-05-09] (0 Comments) It's been some time now since Thermaltake released the Toughpowerseries of units, and since then things have changed in the market. Thecompetition is getting tougher, the power supplies are getting moreefficient, and it's just getting harder for one company's CWT based unit tocompete in a market flooded with similar built units. Jetway HZ01 AM2+ Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [May-05-09] (0 Comments) Jetway has contacted us to see if we would like to take their HZ01and put it on our test bench. Always wanting to do business with a newcompany I would not turn them away. The HZ01 is based on the ATI 790GXboasting all the features we discussed earlier, but also some surprises aswell. The first thing we saw that was unique about the HZ01 is that itutilized SO-DIMMs DDR2 vice standard 240 pin DIMM. Yes, you heard it rightlaptop ram. PC6400 of the 200-pin variation. Another Jetway feature isG.P.I. Just what does this mean? Well, you will have to read on. ASUS Radeon EAH4870X2 Tri-Fan Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [May-05-09] (0 Comments) A while ago we heard ASUS was going to mix it up with the HD 4870 X2 and today we've got the card in our hand and we're going to take the time to see exactly what ASUS has done with this HD 4870 X2 to make it stand out from the pack. If you're looking for an ATI card and you still want the fastest available from the company, the HD 4870 X2 is the card to be looking at. With a fair bit of time gone since the release of the model we don't want to see a standard cooled model here from ASUS. Cooler Master Storm Scout @ techpowerup.com [May-05-09] (0 Comments) The CM Storm Scout is the newest additon to the gaming line-up of Cooler Master. It comes packed with a lot of gamer oriented features and mean looks. To top things off, the Scout features a built-in handle so you can carry your rig to that next big LAN party without breaking a sweat. DDRdrive hits the ground running - PCI-E RAM-based SSD @ pcper.com [May-04-09] (0 Comments) The DDRdrive was purpose built for pure unadulterated random IO, andfrom what I have seen, it absolutely delivers. The only thing holding itback from decimating the competition is the single channel PCI-E bandwidth.Enterprise environments requiring hugely random yet persistent storage (i.e.database transaction logs), may benefit from the X1, provided the storagespace is sufficient and their IOPS requirements fall within the X1'srespective sweet spots. Kingston 80GB SSDNow M Series Drive @ legitreviews.com [May-04-09] (0 Comments) The Intel X25-M/Kingston SSDNow M Series 80GB SATA 2.5 QPAD XTR - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-04-09] (0 Comments) Therange of materials that have been used for making mouse pads ishuge:metal, glass, cloth, plastic and more have all been tried and thegeneral consensus is that there is no winner; it's all down to personalpreference. I'm a cloth man myself, however today I'm reviewing QPAD’slatest mouse pad which constructed from hard plastic with a hardsurface too. It promises top precision, speed and accuracy but can itreally take on the cloth pads and beat them? Let’s find out… MSI N285GTX Videocard SuperPipe OC @ rbmods.com [May-02-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at one of the latest MSI cards on themarket! We got a sample of their N285GTX SuperPipe OC which has a twin fancooler, and thicker heatpipes for better cooling. This card should clock abit better than the others on the market with this new cooler and maybe alsobe a bit more silent although that remains to be seen. Lets have a closerlook! XtremeComputing have Posted three new s @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [May-02-09] (0 Comments) More blue from the front also, all matching as the power and driveLED's are blue also. The whole thing is pretty quiet little more than a lowhum coming from it and looking rather splendid with the blue lights andblack with a splash of silver detailing on it. Intel DX58SO X58 Express Chipset Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [May-01-09] (0 Comments) The Intel DX58SO motherboard was just an awesome board to work with. It made the transition to Core i7 easy and enjoyable. We had absolutely no issues at all using the board. It met all expectations that one would have with an Intel board. As we looked at performance on this board it was very good, and it shows how much promise there is with the X58 express chipset and the Core i7 CPU. If you are looking for a power boost in performance, you will find it here... Foxconn G31MV-K Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-01-09] (0 Comments) Let’s take an overall look on this value motherboard from Foxconn for Intel socket 775 processors, with on-board video based on Intel G31 chipset. PowerColor HD 4890 PCS 1 GB @ techpowerup.com [May-01-09] (0 Comments) PowerColor is one of the first board partners to release an overclocked, custom designed HD 4890. Instead of the AMD reference cooler a solution from Zerotherm is used. The clock speeds have also been bumped to 950 MHz core and 1100 MHz memory. Due to their improved PCB, PowerColor has managed to position their HD 4890 PCS at the price that normal reference cards go for:$249. ATI Radeon HD 4770 Video Card Overclocking Guide @ legitreviews.com [May-01-09] (0 Comments) The ATI Radeon HD 4770 512MB video card is no slouch when it comes to overclocking performance, but the trick is that you will need to use RivaTuner in order to get great overclocks as Catalyst Control Center really limits how high you can reach. The 931MHz overclock that we were able to reach was only stable for 3DMark Vantage overclocking, but the 915MHz clock frequency was 100% stable for all games and benchmarks. We are happy with the overclock as 915MHz/1000MHz sure sounds and performs better than the default clocks of 750MHz/800MHz. The only thing really holding back the ATI Radeon HD 4770 is the number of stream processors and texture units... XtremeComputing have Posted three new s @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [May-01-09] (0 Comments) More blue from the front also, all matching as the power and driveLED's are blue also. The whole thing is pretty quiet little more than a lowhum coming from it and looking rather splendid with the blue lights andblack with a splash of silver detailing on it. TRENDnet TEG-240WS 24-Port Gigabit Web Smart Switch @ tweaktown.com [Apr-30-09] (0 Comments) On the home front, as we have mentioned before people are turning their homes into small infrastructure environments. Many families have a computer per person living in the house and in some you may have more than one. This leads to an issue where you may over load your home router with connections. Most routers today only provide four ports. This is great if you only have a couple of hardwired systems, but what happens when you have five, six, or even more.TRENDnet has graciously provided us with a potential answer to both of these issues. As the Pro-Sumer and the Enthusiast encroach on what was formerly a “members only” market, we have to look at more advanced equipment to meet the needs of these more demanding users. To find our answer we look at an enterprise class product and see if it can fit into the enthusiast space. So we present to you the TEG-240WS 24-Port Gigabit Web Smart Switch. Rasurbo GAP 750w - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-30-09] (0 Comments) Powersupplies are neither the most glamorous nor the most excitingpart of a computer but they are essential to every rig. In recent timesthey have developed into being much more than just the power providerand in a time where looks are everything, style is a big factor not tomention noise and most importantly in the credit crunch, pricing.Rasurbo, which I must admit to not having heard of before, havereleased the GAP GaminX and Quiet PSU Series which hopes to tick allthe boxes. We have the 750W unit here today so let’s see how it shapesup. Technic3D/Recoltec PipeTower Pro @ technic3d.com [Apr-30-09] (0 Comments) The Revoltec PipeTower Pro CPU Heatsink arrived Technic3D. HTC technology (Heat-pipe Touch Chip), 120mm PWM Fan, 4x 8mm Heatpipes ca n you see in the following Review compared with EKL, OCZ, Xigmatek and many more. Technic3D/PC Power & Cooling 750W @ technic3d.com [Apr-30-09] (0 Comments) The PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad PSU arrived Technic3D . See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next 750W PSU w ith one +12V rail (60A), 80mm Fan (Thermal fan control), 6x SATA hard disk connectors, 2x PCI-e 6-Pin and 2x PCI-e 6+2 Pin. =?windows-1252?Q?Seagate_Momentus_5400.6_500GB_SATA_Hard_Drive__ @ bigbruin.com [Apr-30-09] (0 Comments) The Seagate Momentus 5400.6 500GB hard drive appears to be a good, solid performer. It runs cool, is quiet, and quite fast considering its slower spindle speed and meager cache size... With all things considered, the Seagate Momentus 5400.6 500GB SATA hard drive is a great buy and a great alternative for laptop and MicroPC storage. SilverStone Nitrogon NT07-775 Low Profile CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [Apr-30-09] (0 Comments) The low profile cooler in question I will review today is the SilverStone NT07-775. The NT is for the Nirogon series of coolers and the 775 at the end is of course for the socket it applies to. The AMD counterpart is labeled as NT07-AM2 and sports a different design entirely; this makes selection of the right version of CPU cooler very simple. SilverStone boasts better cooling performance and at a lower noise level than the Intel retail cooler. Soon, after a few images, I will strap these two coolers up in a head to head comparison. Let’s see what the NT07-775 low profile cooler has to offer in HTPC or SFF cases. Eteknix Competition Faking Update @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-29-09] (0 Comments) Therehas been some recent controversy when it came to light that thereview website Eteknix could be faking their current competition forsome AMD hardware. It was denied by the owner, and the issue was leftas probably a hoax. However, after the finishing of the competition,two winners were picked and I was emailed a database screenshot thatshowed that the winners were infact, the owner in disguise. Tuniq TX3 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-29-09] (0 Comments) Thethermal paste market is very vast with many different companieshaving their own brand or brands; plural. Despite not making as muchtemperature difference as upgrading a cooler, thermal grease is anintegral part of any computer system in supporting the main cooling foryour CPU and GPU. A good paste will not only give great temperaturereadings but will also be easy to spread and clean off as well as beingcost effective. The latest contender to enter the fray is the TuniqTX-3 which follows on from their similarly named TX-2; let’s see whatis can do. Thermaltake Element S Case @ modders-inc.com [Apr-29-09] (0 Comments) With the smooth corners, a matte black finish and subtle rededging around the door, it seems that Thermaltake has gone with a moresubdued, stealth-like if you will, appearance package to the first releasein this series. Sennheiser IE7 @ techpowerup.com [Apr-29-09] (0 Comments) Sennheiser's long awaited performance IEMs are finally here. The IE7 earphones aim to take on some of the very best in-ears around with their bold design and conventional driver. For a price of $300 you get some of the best in-ears on the market today that impress with a detailed bass and full sound stage. Vizo Ares II Dual 2.5-inch SATA Drive Adapter @ tweaktown.com [Apr-29-09] (0 Comments) You may have noticed that nearly all of the exciting hard drives in the last year have been 2.5 inch drives. The 2.5 inch standard has long dominated the notebook market and is quickly starting to take over the enterprise server market. When Western Digital released the VelociRaptor analysts took notice as it marked the 2.5 Soyo Pearl 24" LCD Monitor @ rbmods.com [Apr-29-09] (0 Comments) Sometimes it's more important to choose a high-quality product thatsuits your needs rather than choosing the largest, more expensive one.Today, we will be testing that theory when we examine a monitor thatGeeks.com sent us:the Soyo 24 Reeven RCCT - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-28-09] (0 Comments) CPUCooling has advanced somewhat in recent years with many differenttechniques being tried and tested. A relatively new company, Reeven,currently offer two direct heat-pipe CPU Coolers. Today, we’ve beenluckily enough to acquire one such cooler, the RCCT-0901S. Let’s see ifit performs to the same specification of more well-known CPU Coolers. AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition AM2 Kuma Processor @ benchmarkreviews.com [Apr-28-09] (0 Comments) Last week's launch of the Phenom II X4 955 was a big win with the enthusiast crowd. This week, however, it looks like AMD has shifted GIGABYTE HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Apr-28-09] (0 Comments) The frequency of graphics card releases now compared to two years ago is just jaw dropping. There used to be three models; a low, mid and high-end model. And while we still have that base structure today, there are so many models that fit into each category. These days we have high mid range cards and low high end cards amongst the main three categories; the reason for this is because of the amount of power these cards offer. The latest card to hit the market is the HD 4770 which expands upon the HD 4700 series from ATI. The weird thing is that it's a series that we haven't heard about a whole lot leading up to its release, especially in the new model market. What we've seen from ATI lately are models in the HD 4800 series, HD 4890, HD 4870, HD 4850 and more. ATI Radeon HD 4770 512MB Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Apr-28-09] (0 Comments) The ATI Radeon HD 4770 graphics card might cost just $109, but the card doesn't look and perform like what many would expect out of a card in that price range. The Radeon HD 4770 was able to keep up with the Radeon HD 4850 and GeForce 9800 GTX+ in numerous benchmarks as a testament to that. For those that game in the 1280x1024 to 1680x1050 resolution range the Radeon HD 4770 should be fine for most games with average settings as our testing had the image quality cranked all the way up in almost every test and the card did fine... Talking iPod Shuffle @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-28-09] (0 Comments) Review of the new version (a.k.a. 3rd generation) of iPod shuffle, which is even smaller than the original shuffle and... talks! Lian Li PC-A05N & Maxima Force 470 W @ techpowerup.com [Apr-28-09] (0 Comments) The Lian Li PC-A05N is an extremely compact chassis, which can still hold a full size ATX board, thanks to a unique interior layout. This should make the case a great choice for LAN party gamers or those looking to stuff as much in as little space as possible. Pair the case with one of those Lian Li Maxima Force power supplies and you have a great base for an ultra compact power house. AMD Radeon HD 4770 @ techpowerup.com [Apr-28-09] (0 Comments) Today AMD released the world's first GPU that is produced in a 40 nm process. The HD 4770 is aggressively priced around ~$100 and offers great performance for your hard earned dollars. In our testing realized out that the card performs almost on par with the HD 4850. With the amazing 30%+ memory overclock we got on our sample, the HD 4850 will be surpassed easily. AMD Radeon HD 4770 512MB - World's First 40nm GPU @ pcper.com [Apr-28-09] (0 Comments) The beauty of the Radeon HD 4770 512MB graphics card is that itbrings another low price, high performance part to the market that will alsopotentially make AMD more money as the ramp up to 40nm technology at TSMCincreases. If prices stay stable (the $99 HD 4850 withstanding) then the HD4770 is the best card you will find under $100. GMC R4 Bulldozer - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) Caseshave evolved dramatically in recent times to be so much more than ametal box to keep your rig inside. A whole series of factors determinethe quality of a case:strength, cooling, noise, cable management andsize to name but a few. However, the aesthetics of PC enclosures aremore important than ever with enthusiasts wanting an attractive casewith all the gizmos and features available in order to show off at aLAN. The GMC R-4 Bulldozer certainly has a few special features up itssleeve particularly the front panel design. The question though, iswhether the case can still be high quality despite all the extrastyling? Let’s find out. ASRock X58 SuperComputer Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) The ASRock X58 SuperComputer was a fantastic performer, had great overclocking potential, and had a decent bundle. ASRock produced a board that rivals most of the other leading manufacturers out there. The only hold up for the board may be the price once you compare it to some of the other offerings out there... Thecus N7700 7 Drive NAS Server @ tweaktown.com [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) Speed without compromise; that is Thecus’ slogan for their latest enterprise NAS servers, the N7700 and N8800. These new products are a step up from the SOHO N5200 Pro we reviewed a year ago and are geared specifically for the large office, mid level enterprise market. Thecus has a long history of making NAS Servers for both consumer and enterprise markets and their cost has always remained within reach for enthusiasts looking to add enterprise hardware to their home network. Today we will be focusing on the Thecus N7700 model, a 7 drive NAS server that has more features than a single office could hope to take advantage of. Thecus has worked very hard to ensure that every possible check box can be ticked when it comes to the features of their products. Razer Arctosa Keyboard @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) Today, we will be taking a look at the Arctosa keyboard. The Arctosais the lower model of the three keyboards that Razer make. Cosmetically itresembles the Lycosa which is Razer middle model keyboard. The Arctosa is aslick black keyboard that is screaming to place on the desktop of everygamer. Programmable macros, media keyboards and customizable profiles areall possible with the Arctosa makes it easier for the gamer in you to adjustthe keyboard just the way they want to have the edge in their next deathmatch. GOOC 2009 Kicks Off - 13 Overclockers Face Off @ legitreviews.com [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) When doing extreme overclocking insulation is the name of the game and it seems every overclocker had their own idea as to what is best. Some overclockers brought their own motherboard stands like Jody '3oh6' Bailey from Canada pictured above. 3oh6 is 29 years only and the only overclocker here from Canada. He got here by being ranked 1st in Canada on hwbot.org in not one, but five hardware configurations.... In Win X-Fighter & Commander 750 W @ techpowerup.com [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) The X-Fighter takes its inspiration from the Star Wars universe. In Win has gone to great length and created their own design around that aspect. The result is a very interesting chassis with a lot of unique features and one of a kind, animated LEDs, which are certain to draw a lot attention at the next LAN Party. Antec Nine Hundred Two Gaming Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) The Ultimate Gaming Case, Evolved. That's the theme Antec is using to sell it's new and improved version of the Nine Hundred, now simply Gigabyte Open Overclocking Championship 2009 - North America @ legitreviews.com [Apr-26-09] (0 Comments) Overclocking is nothing new to the enthusiast community, but it seems that it has become increasingly popular as many found out about it and that overclocking can be done on a rather small budget. Last year Gigabyte, one of the world's largest motherboard and video card manufacturers, figured that the time was right to support the overclocking community and hold a world wide event to find out who the best overclockers really are. Today, here at the Pacific Palms Resort in California you will be able to find the thirteen overclockers that will be facing off in the North American Gigabyte Open Overclocking Championship... Asus VW226H Monitor @ rbmods.com [Apr-26-09] (0 Comments) In need of a new monitor? Then take a closer look at this monitorwith its 26 inches and full HD resolution! At first glance it seems to be apretty nice monitor and knowing Asus their prices are not very high eitherwhich is always a plus. A HDMI output with 2 MS and alot more featuresreally seems to make this a good monitor but does it live up to its name ordoes it have back bleed issues like previous Asus monitors? [News] Supermicro SuperServer 5035L-IB @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-25-09] (0 Comments) Server All Athlon 64 Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-25-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX and Athlon 64 X2 models released to date. Updated to include socket AM2+ models. Enermax Aurora Micro Wireless Keyboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-25-09] (0 Comments) A look on the new Aurora Micro Wireless, a small wireless aluminum keyboard for your home theater PC or video game console. Vigor Gaming Monsoon III LT CPU Cooling System @ pcper.com [Apr-24-09] (0 Comments) Vigor's Monsoon III LT definitely delivered during testing and Ithink it could have even handled a mild overclock on our Intel i7-920 CPU. Iwas also a bit surprised at how well it kept up with our Zalman CNPS9900 LEDheatsink. The dual 120mm fans and dual fin arrays seemed to be a winningcombination that should give other third-party heatsinks on the market a runfor their money. TwinTech GeForce GTS 250 XT OC 1GB Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Apr-24-09] (0 Comments) It's been a bit few and far between seeing cards from TwinTech, but today we've got a new one that sits in with their XT series of overclocked cards. The particular model we're looking at today is the GTS 250 XT OC 1GB. Since the GTS 250 is nothing more than a rebranded 9800 GTX+, companies have been able to attack the Razer Goliathus @ techpowerup.com [Apr-24-09] (0 Comments) Razer recently launched a new mouse mat concept dubbed Goliathus. The Goliathus mats are available with two different surfaces and in three different sizes. Add the fact that they can be had for as low as $14.99 makes them extremely interesting. Enermax Galaxy Evo 1250W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Apr-24-09] (0 Comments) Shortly after I completed my review of the Enermax Revolution85+, the folks at Enermax asked me a simple question:would I like to have alook at a 1250W unit from a new line intended to make up for the absence ofa Revolution 85+ 1250W model in the North American market? OCZ Blade DDR3 6GB 2000MHz CL7 Memory @ legitreviews.com [Apr-24-09] (0 Comments) When it comes to pricing the OCZ Blade DDR3-2000 7-8-7-20 6GB Triple Channel memory kit will set you back a cool $415 shipped, which is a high price to pay in this day and time. The OCZ Blade DDR3-2000 9-9-9-30 6GB Triple Channel memory kit retails for just $134.99 shipped after a $20 rebate. Is paying an extra $280.01 for CL7 versus CL9 timings worth it? To many it may not be, but to those looking to build the fastest system and have the money to spend then it sure is... FSP POWER_MOD 700 Watt Modular Power Supply @ tweaktown.com [Apr-23-09] (0 Comments) You may not be familiar with FSP Group as a brand, but, you may have actually bought one under a more familiar name like Antec, OCZ, Silverstone, or Zalman. FSP Group has been providing OEM built power supplies since 1993. Expanding on this business, they are now marketing directly to the consumer under the FSP label instead of the Fortron name you may be somewhat familiar with. In the lab today is one of these direct branded power supplies, the FSP Group POWER_MOD 700W. This item is squarely aimed at the mid-range market with capacity support for one high-end or a couple of entry level graphics cards in SLI/Crossfire configurations. It offers all of the latest items you might look for in a power supply; semi-modular, 80 Plus certified, SLI capable and stable. Ulti-Mat Mousepad Roundup @ rbmods.com [Apr-23-09] (0 Comments) Mousepads are important part of gaming. These come in various sizes,materials, brands and colors. Today we will have a look at three highquality gamer mousepads made by Ulti-Mat. AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE AM3 Processor @ benchmarkreviews.com [Apr-23-09] (0 Comments) Following their success in the Athlon 64 era, many were surprised to the see AMD struggle with the Phenom family of processors. With the AMD Phenom II X4 955 Processor - AM3 gets serious @ pcper.com [Apr-23-09] (0 Comments) While the Phenom II processors are not entirely competitive withthe i7 cores, AMD has certainly been executing at a very high level as oflate. Considering that the Phenom II is actually a larger chip in terms ofdie size and transistor count than the i7, we catch a glimpse of how reallyimpressive the i7 is. AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE AM3 Processor @ benchmarkreviews.com [Apr-23-09] (0 Comments) Following their success in the Athlon 64 era, many were surprised to the see AMD struggle with the Phenom family of processors. With the QPad CT Grin - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-22-09] (0 Comments) Whenyou’re looking at peripherals and in particular mice, the mousepad often falls by the wayside – mouse pads are just freebies forcompanies to advertise on right? Wrong; the mouse surface is almost asimportant as the mouse itself and a good pad will be smooth,comfortable and allow the mouse to be very high precision – somethingthat is essential for all gamers. So, spare a thought for the humblemouse pad and read this review to see if the QPAD CT Grin can stake aclaim to being the perfect surface. The large areas, high precisioncoating and non-slip backing all make for great reading but can itexcel in real world testing too? Let’s take a look. Patriot Extreme Performance Viper DDR3 6GB Kit @ modders-inc.com [Apr-22-09] (0 Comments) Patriot sent us over a sample of their Extreme Performance ViperSeries DDR3 PC3-12800 modules. These modules are designed to operate at1600MHz with 8-8-8-24 timings. They are available in either 3GB or 6GB kitsand utilize Patriot's ACC (Aluminum Copper Composite) heatsinks. Cogage TRUE Spirit CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-22-09] (0 Comments) Thermalright's new offspring is Cogage. Cogage is targeted at gamers,mainstream users and moderate overclocker. Cogage opens with two coolers:TRUE Spirit which we are reviewing today and the MST-140. Each of thecoolers are aimed at two different users. The Spirit which looks prettysimilar to the original Ultra-120. And is geared to cool your overclockedCPU while the MST-140 is aimed at the person that is in need of a cooler fortight spaces like HTPC and SFF boxes. Even though the Spirit and theUltra-120 look similar they do have their differences. What are they? Readon and find out. Eteknix Could be Faking Competition @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-22-09] (0 Comments) Oneof our eagle eyed users emailed me an MSN transcript between theowner of the Eteknix site, and a 3rd party, discussing the faking oftheir currently running competition. This was apparently posted on theEteknix forums before being pulled by an admin. Raptor LH1 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-22-09] (0 Comments) Wehave had quite a lot of headset reviews recently on XSReviews andthe latest arrival trying to stake a claim at being a great product isthe Raptor-Gaming LH1. Typically, Raptor-Gaming manufactures expensivehigh end peripherals that have a very good reputation. Here todaythough, we have more of a budget headset but will it be able tomaintain the high quality at a lower price? Only one way to find out. Technic3D/Mushkin 12GB CL9 @ technic3d.com [Apr-22-09] (0 Comments) The Mushkin 12GB Kit DDR3 1333 CL9 (EM3-10666) arrived Technic 3D. Technic3D will see as good they are with Overclocking against the OCZ Platinum 1600 Memory Kit on Windows Vista Ultimate 64 Bit and the Gigabyte EX58-Extreme Mainboard. You can see 1.600 MHz (1,5V) with 9-9 -9-24 in the following Review. AMD Earnings and Istanbul News @ pcper.com [Apr-22-09] (0 Comments) The biggest news is that AMD is pulling in their Istanbul launch,which is a native hex-core processor. Products will be shipping toconsumers in June, and AMD will be recording revenue from shipments tomanufacturers as early as next month. Early previews of Istanbul have beenvery positive, and the 45 nm process that AMD is using is surprisinglymature. Initial parts look to be released in power ranges that are verysimilar to current Shanghai processors, and will be very close in overallclock speed. WD Scorpio Black 320GB Hard Drive @ legitreviews.com [Apr-21-09] (0 Comments) With a 7200 RPM drive speed, 16 MB cache, and 3 GB/s SATA interface speed, the Western Digital Scorpio Black 320GB hard drive looks impressive on paper and had solid performance numbers in the benchmarks. The performance benchmarks also showed that the Scorpio Black 320GB (WD3200BJKT) was faster than the Scorpio Blue 500GB (WD5000BEVT), which is no slouch. The Scorpio black series is faster than the blue series without a doubt. When compared to competing drives like the Seagate Momentus 7200.3 320GB hard drive, the WD Scorpio Black 320GB hard drive falls a bit short as it was found to have lower read and write speeds. The WD Scorpio Black 320GB hard drive did do better than the 7200.3 when it comes to access times though... Technic3D/Nexus 850W PSU @ technic3d.com [Apr-21-09] (0 Comments) The Nexus RX-8500 850W PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the f ollowing Review from Technic3D the next PSU with a high efficiency. Wi th four +12V rails, 135mm Fan (Thermal fan control), 6x SATA hard disk connectors and 4x PCI-e 6+2 Pin. All Core 2 Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-21-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing all Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme CPUs released to date. Updated. Thermaltake ISGC-300 CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [Apr-21-09] (0 Comments) I get quite a few coolers to test that pass over my desk. Most of these coolers follow the basic tower design and heatpipes of various quantities and diameters that remove the heat either by directly touching the IHS of the CPU, or removing it from an aluminum or copper base. What soon follows after the design is to start looking at a sufficient cooling mechanism or a high CFM fan in most instances. We should all know by now that with high CFM fans brings with them an elevated noise level as well. Thermaltake is one of the smaller percentages of manufacturers that are taking the jump to silent computing. They have developed a line of ISGC, or Inspiration of Silent Gaming Cooling CPU coolers. Thermaltake incorporates a new fan to cool this line-up of coolers, the Pure Silence ISGC Fan 12. This fan provides a decent amount of CFM and has some technology involved to keep the noise levels down to a whisper while in use. More on these fans will be discussed later in this review. BlackBerry Pearl 8100 Smartphone @ bigbruin.com [Apr-21-09] (0 Comments) The BlackBerry Pearl 8100 may not be the most modern or exciting smartphone on the market, but it is still an appealing option. Given the variety of functions, compact size, and decent battery life, it is worth considering by anyone who wants to upgrade their mobile phone without getting locked in to a new deal or spending a lot of money. DimasTech Bench Table Easy V2 @ techpowerup.com [Apr-21-09] (0 Comments) The DimasTech BenchTable Easy is a metal overclocking/testing station with the possibility to hold large water cooling kits. Unlike some other tables out there, you can stuff this puppy with three optical drives, four hard drives and add double or triple radiators to the rig. On top of that, you can freely choose from a whole array of colors to customize the look of your own Bench Table. NZXT Performance Power 800W PSU @ rbmods.com [Apr-21-09] (0 Comments) When choosing a power supply, it can be very hard to find one thatexcels in both home/office applications that need quiet operations while atthe same time provided the raw power needed from a gaming power supply.NZXT, a manufacturer of a wide range of computer products, has produced apower supply, the Performance Power PP800 800W PSU, that claims to providesolid performance in a quiet package. Let's find out if it can deliver. Caustic Graphics Ray Tracing Acceleration Technology @ pcper.com [Apr-21-09] (0 Comments) These new algorithms attempt to find order in what we all see as therandomness of ray tracing and they attempt to drastically increase thememory locality for efficiency reasons and the founders decided thatrequired a custom co-processor. But they seem to have played the gameintelligently by continuing to utilize hardware where it is most efficient:the Caustic card will handle only the operations that modern components areinefficient at yet they still leverage the power of the GPU for pure shadinghorsepower. Scythe Kama Angle CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-21-09] (0 Comments) The newest cooler from Scythe is the Kama Angle. A very unique coolerthat is comprised of 90 degree cut fins and a special silent fan to coolthem. According to Scythe the angled fins also takes advantage your casefans for even better cooling performance. Today, we will put the Kama Angleon the test bench just to see how well it does. The Likely Delay of Intel's Core i5 Processor and Derivatives @ pcper.com [Apr-17-09] (0 Comments) While the chipset theory is a good one, I do believe that in the endIntel sees that when compared to Penryn, the Nehalem parts will not benearly as successful as a midrange part from an economic standpoint. It isbetter to keep Penryn chugging along, and at the end of 2009 introduce thefirst series of i5 parts at 45 nm, and quickly migrate to their 32 nmprocess to make the i5 much more successful and economically attractive.The final portion to consider is that AMD is really only now competitivewith their Shanghai core (which is also around 264 mm square) and it isprimarily aimed at the Core 2 Quad products rather than the i7. Asus 4850 Matrix Videocard @ rbmods.com [Apr-17-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at the 4850 Matrix videocard from Asusthat is very similar to the other 4850 cards Asus offers but this one comeswith a lower clock frequency and hopefully a lower price. We are going tosee how this card can handle high resolutions and also share ouroverclocking results from our testsl Lets have a closer look. [News] ASRock X58 SuperComputer Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-17-09] (0 Comments) In the world of computers, value priced hardware has had quite a bitof a bad rap for quite a while. In the early dawn of the industry, cuttingcosts meant cutting corners. In these later days, the procedure of cuttingcosts has come through efficiency, simple manufacturing, and limitedbundles. Now, while ASRock has spent much of it's time in the former ofthese worlds, I happen to be able to confidently say that this board - thex58 SuperComputer is going to be a positive change on the pattern - a boardwith a good layout, plenty of features, and a nice low cost. The onlypotential catching point? We'll need to see how it performs. After all, ifthat ticket is in the bag, we may simply have a contender for the top slot! Galaxy GeForce GTX 285 2GB Tri-Fan Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Apr-17-09] (0 Comments) It's good to see that not long after the launch of a new high-end product a company has come out and mixed it up a bit. While it's not uncommon for us to see higher end ATI cards make this transition quickly, it seems that NVIDIA partners tend to take longer or sometimes not even bother at all. Of course, it doesn't help with the obscure PCB design on some of their cards like the GTX 295; fingers crossed that the rumors of a new single PCB dual GPU card is true. We're not here to talk about that today, however. What we have with us is a GTX 285 which in the looks department manages to stand out from the pack. If that wasn't enough, Galaxy thought they would also take the time to strap on 2GB of memory. Aerocool AVN 1000 Hard Drive Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-17-09] (0 Comments) To computer performance extremists and fetishists like myself, heatis literally a four letter word. To eek out the most bang for the buck, onehas to keep their rig as chilly as possible. Processors, video cards, powersupplies, chipsets and memory pretty much come with cooling schemes builtin, built on or wrapped around. One of the most overlooked components in amodern computer is the hard drive and yet some models can clock well over a100 degrees Fahrenheit. This is nearly the equivalent of placing a spaceheater inside your computer. Cases usually come equipped with front coolingfans to blow over hard drives to keep temps lows, but for people who want tokeep their hard drives chilly, there is the AeroCool AVN 1000 passive harddrive cooler. Speedblack Gaming Platform - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-16-09] (0 Comments) Withthe wide range of games on different consoles, they give rise tosome interesting accessories and peripherals. We've seen mechcontrollers that are 4ft long on the original Xbox, Wii motes, Lightguns, dance mats and a whole host of others. Sometimes though, theseaccessories have their own accessories; like the Speedblack. Thisgaming platform is designed to give you a sturdy surface to race on,with your steering wheel and pedals. Is it worth it? Let's find out. Asrock A780GMH/128M AM2+ @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-16-09] (0 Comments) Over the past couple of years we have reviewed several of Asrock'smATX motherboards here at Pro-Clockers. Asrock's whole thought processbeyond their smaller line of motherboards is affordability, stability andupgradable. And all three of these aspects is what you will see in our nextreview sample. The A780GMH/128M offers a new twist on an older chipset. Themotherboard is based on the AMD 780G but instead of using the older SB700South Bridge, Asrock took it upon themselves to implement the newer SB710.Why not the SB750 SB?. Well, we did mention that the motherboard offersafford ability. And this was one way to cut cost. What else does the boardhave to offer? You will have to read a little more. Corsair TX850 850W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Apr-16-09] (0 Comments) Overall, most higher-capacity Channel Well Technology built powersupplies have proven to be excellent but they have a weakness, which ishigher levels of AC ripple on the DC outputs. While still well within spec,the TX850W continues to exhibit relatively high levels of AC ripple,especially at max load. In reality however, the TX850 should perform verywell in real-world operation. I typically wouldn't push an 850W PSU beyondabout 600W (which is approximately 70% of the max rated capacity) and atthat level the TX850 performs very well. Here Comes Bluetooth 3.0 @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-16-09] (0 Comments) On April 21st 2009 the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (a.k.a. Bluetooth SIG, http://www.bluetooth.com) will release the latest version of this wireless technology, aptly named Bluetooth 3.0. What is new and exciting about this new version is not only a higher transfer rate, but the use of IEEE 802.11 wireless network standard to achieve it. Technic3D/Asus Rampage II Extreme @ technic3d.com [Apr-16-09] (0 Comments) The Asus Rampage II Extreme Mainboard arrived Technic3D. The M ainboard with Overclocking functions and X58 chipset for all Intel Soc ket 1366 CPUs. See you in the following Review the Intel Core i7 920 o n Windows Vista 64Bit SP1 Performance Benchmarks against the Foxconn B loodrage. Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-16-09] (0 Comments) Review of the Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet, an inexpensive tablet for you to draw and write on your computer using a pen. All Core i7 Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-16-09] (0 Comments) A quick reference table showing the main specs of all Core i7 models released to date. Thermalright AXP-140 HTPC CPU Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Apr-15-09] (0 Comments) The Thermalright AXP-140 HTPC CPU cooler opens up a couple of different ways to keep your system cool. Combined with a dual core 45nm CPU you should have no problem running this heat sink without a fan, or with one below 20 decibels. As an HTPC enthusiast that leans more towards the multimedia aspect as opposed to gaming, the difference in sound is HUGE! Instead of hearing the CPU fan spinning its little heart out when it comes to a quiet scene in a movie, you have a silent computer that keeps you focused on being entertained. That is really the whole point here, giving you peace of mind that your hardware is running cool, as well as giving you peace and quiet... Evercool Rifling - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-15-09] (0 Comments) Thethought of an 80mm fan scares most. Stereotypically they’reregarded as noisy, offer poor airflow and are a waste of space.However, when we suddenly mention 92mm or 120mm fans, our view on thesefans becomes rather opposite. So, what about trying to squeeze a 92mmfan blade into a standard 80mm fitting fan? Well that’s what coolingspecialists Evercool have done. Introducing the Evercool Rifling fan. Sennheiser IE6 Earphones @ techpowerup.com [Apr-15-09] (0 Comments) Sennheiser recently launched the IE6 earphones. Marketed at budget conscious sound enthusiasts, Sennheiser aims to conquer a market already booming with new and innovative products. For a price of $200 you get a very smooth listening experience with a nice balance between the lows and highs. Inno3D GeForce GTX 275 OC 896M @ techpowerup.com [Apr-15-09] (0 Comments) Inno3D's latest graphics card release is the GeForce GTX 275 Overclocked. It is based on NVIDIA's P897 design but comes with considerably increased clocks. This results in a nice performance boost over the reference cards and allows the card to beat the much more expensive GeForce GTX 285. Zalman 770 XT - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) Choosinga power supply gives endless choice with seemingly hundreds ofunits to choose from; with different watts, colours, sizes and styles.But, it all boils down to two things – stable rails and efficiency.With poor performance in these two areas, no matter how glamorous orhow quiet the unit may be, it’s not really up to scratch. At XSReviewstoday, we have a 770W unit that comes from a very reputable company.Introducing the Zalman ZM770-XT Z-Machine Extreme PSU, let’s see if itcan blow us away with its performance. iConnplus iBP1200 iPhone 3G Case/Charger @ legitreviews.com [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) The first order of business is to charge the iConnplus iBP1200 iPhone 3G case battery. This can be done with or without the iPhone in the case. If the iPhone is in the case, both will charge. For test purposes, I charged the iConnplus by itself just to see how long it takes to fully charge. Their website's frequently asked questions section states that it should take about 3 hours to charge from a completely drained state and lo and behold, that's almost exactly what it took. I tried this on three different occasions and had the same result so I'm satisfied it's accurate although the manual does state that charge times will vary by PC or laptop... Galaxy GeForce GTX 275 Overclocked Tri-Fan Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) It hasn't taken long for NVIDIA partners to start spicing up the GTX 275. Come launch day we already saw that Gainward had opted for aftermarket cooling. Galaxy has kicked up a notch, though; this not only by including a pretty mean cooling setup on the card, but also taking the time to increase the core and memory clock.While the card was designed to compete directly against the HD 4890, what we're seeing is that in the retail channel the GTX 275 is slightly more expensive. While this might be a bad thing considering the fact that the GTX 275 is designed to compete head to head with the HD 4890, it isn't really, as that little bit of extra cost carries with it that little bit of extra performance. Xigmatek Thor's Hammer CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) The cooler was the Xigmatek Thor's Hammer. The Hammer is one of thosecoolers that when you first see it you could not but think how does thisthing compete with the big boys like the Coolermaster V8 and ThermalrightT.R.U.E. Well that is what I thought anyways. And to think about how wellthe HDT-S1283 has done at a budget price you would think this monster wouldbe a Top Ten cooler killer. The Hammer is based on the Heat pipe DirectTouch, or HDT for short, technology. To explain this in a brief sentence,the heat pipes come in direct contact with the IHS of the processor for moredirect cooling. We will get more into that later in the review. So, you haveto read a little more to see what this cooler and HDT is all about. Hiyatek HY-CF-6288-1 Laptop cooler and stand @ rbmods.com [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) Laptops are used in many places. Some of us use laptops as theirdesktop replacements. Those laptops can get quite hot every now and thenwhen using programs which use a lot CPU- and GPU-time. Hiyatek has providedus the solution for this. Hiyatek HY-CF-6288-1 2 in 1 laptop cooling pad &stand is meant to be used as a stand for your laptop and to cool yourlaptop. Let's have a look at it. Best Firefox Add-Ons @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) Firefox has gained a cult-like following forits speed, stability, and interface, but todiehard fans, third-party plug-ins remain byfar its biggest selling point. Like adjustingthe mirrors in a car and fixing the seatheight before you leave the driveway,customizing your browser can make you feel alot more comfortable on the Web. And likesetting cruise control, a lot of them canmake certain tasks a lot easier, too.Unfortunately, the endless pool of add-onsout there can also be quite daunting forfirst-time users who aren't sure what they'relooking for. We've cut through the clutter toround up 10 of the most useful add-ons outthere. Gigabyte EP45-UD3L Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) Let’s take an overall look on this Gigabyte's mainstream motherboard for Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors based on Intel P45 chipset, with Ultra Durable 3 technology. Intel Responds to Fragmentation with New X25-M Firmware @ pcper.com [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) The 8820 firmware has completely renewed my faith in the X25-M. The weak link has been eradicated, and I’m thoroughly impressed with therenewed performance it will bring to all M series drive users. I am alsothoroughly pleased with Intel for being so open to feedback from thereviewers. GlacialPower GP-AL650AA 650 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-14-09] (0 Comments) GlacialPower GP-AL650AA is a 650 W power supply with Spartan looks. Is it a good product? Can it really deliver 650 W? Check it out. Gigabyte Setto 1000 & ODIN 470W PSU @ techpowerup.com [Apr-13-09] (0 Comments) The Gigabyte Setto 1000 looks great on the outside, with its stylish aluminum front and choice of three different colors. The case goes all out on looks, but keeps to the bare minimum on interior features and the price tag as well. This is for all of you who want to pimp their entry level PC or simply want to steer clear of beige OEM enclosures on their first build. Hiper M300 300W Media Center PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Apr-13-09] (0 Comments) I'm looking at the strange and unusual once more today in theHiper M300, a tiny little 300 watt power supply intended to be used inHiper's Media Center cases. This unit promises plentiful power at betterthan 80% efficiency, all while being crammed into a box barely larger than acouple of stacked 3.5 MSI 790GX-G65 ATX Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Apr-13-09] (0 Comments) AMD's 790GX + SB750 platform makes for a great HTPC gaming platform while also offering enough flexibility to function as a full-blown gaming platform and even an extreme benchmarking platform. MSI's 790GX-G65 pulls all three roles off effectively for a paltry $129.99. In nearly all of our tests the AM3 platform pulled ahead of the AM2+ platform with a modest margin, so the performance improvement is there... Thrustmaster Run-N-Drive PC/PS3 Wireless Gamepad @ benchmarkreviews.com [Apr-13-09] (0 Comments) Since testing computer hardware products is a PC-centric task, I've never wandered very far from what I know. But after writing my OCZ ModXStream Pro 600 @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-13-09] (0 Comments) The ModXStream is geared more at the creative modder's as well asgamers. The ModXStream boasts a few new features like dual 12 volt rails, alarger fan and a Nvidia SLI certified badge. The feature that I really likeis the warranty that backs the ModXStream, a three year PowerSwap guarantee.In brief this means that OCZ with swap out your defective power supply overthree years. With OCZ you won't be getting back a repaired unit that yousent in but a new working replacement. How is that for backing your ownproducts. The Sorry State of Dell's Tech Support @ pcper.com [Apr-11-09] (0 Comments) Oddly enough, I did buy this LCD for a reason. There are some newproducts coming out shortly, and I wanted to get some high resolutiontesting done on them. This weekend was to be chock full of testing, but nowI will have to cut some of my results down and make due with the monitors Icurrently have available to me. Yes, yes, cry me a river. But during tougheconomic times, I decided to make a large purchase from Dell. Patriot Xporter Magnum USB Flash Drive @ rbmods.com [Apr-11-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a flash drive from Patriot. They havemanaged to boost their sticks up to 64GB now which makes them good for alotof projects so let=B4s have a look at what type of speeds we can expect. Cooler Master CM Storm Sniper case @ modders-inc.com [Apr-10-09] (0 Comments) Cooler Master launched a new division geared toward the gamer.That division is CM Storm , the new sub gamingbrand from Cooler Master. Today we will look at the first release from theCooler Master CM Storm line, the CM Storm Sniper, dubbed the World's 1stTrue Gaming Chassis ... Let's take a look. NZXT Cryo Laptop Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-10-09] (0 Comments) This is were the Cryo LX comes in action. The Cryo LX is a new laptopcooler from NZXT that is bigger to allow cold air to flow underneath laptopsas large as nineteen inches. And if this isn't enough the Cryo LX eliminatesone of the many accessories that many notebook user carry around with themand that is a USB hub. That's right the Cryo LX has a built-in four port USBhub. If there anything this cooler has to offer you will have to read more. OCZ Eclipse & Behemoth Laser Gaming Mice @ techpowerup.com [Apr-10-09] (0 Comments) OCZ’s newest offerings on the mouse market are the Behemoth and Eclipse gaming mice. Equipped with the latest sensor technology available and an abundance of buttons they face the competitors. Competitively priced at 26.99 € for the Behemoth and only 24.99 € for the Eclipse they are sure to create quite a stir in the midrange market. CM Storm Scout Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-10-09] (0 Comments) CM Storm is a brand from Cooler Master targeted to high-end gamers and today we are going to take a look on their latest mid-tower case, Scout. InWin Matrix - XS @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-09-09] (0 Comments) Recentlywe reviewed the rather impressive InWin X-Fighter. Today, wehave another case from the same company but this time it’s on the smallend of the scale. The Matrix is designed especially for MATX boards andwith its unique design and 360 degree visuals, it certainly looks thepart. The white colour is very distinctive but unfortunately isn’t theeasiest to photograph so let’s see how it shapes up. NZXT Khaos Welded Aluminum Full Tower PC Case @ legitreviews.com [Apr-09-09] (0 Comments) Just taking a quick look at the Khaos you can see the two 120mm blue LED fans for fresh air intake on the front of the case and just the overall size of this full tower compared to these fans. The Khaos can hold over 8 hard drives along with eleven 5.25 10 Must-Have Gadgets @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Apr-09-09] (0 Comments) As you may have noticed if you've leafedthrough a SkyMall catalog or walked into aBrookstone store lately, there are a lot ofstupid gadgets out there. If someone can makea buck off it, it will be built. (And as therecent bankruptcy of Sharper Image proves,sometimes even that isn't a prerequisite.)But before you write off the premise ofbetter life through gadgets entirely based onyour experiences with an ionic air purifierand a battery-powered margarita blender, takea look at the more practical side ofgadgetry. We've rounded up a few of the mostdownright useful technologies out there. Ifyou haven't already gotten on board with someof them, we'll try our best to make youreconsider. Technic3D/Jersey 650W Modular PSU @ technic3d.com [Apr-09-09] (0 Comments) The Jersey CM-650E85 Modular PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next PSU Review with a very h igh efficiency. With four +12V rails, 120mm Fan (Thermal fan control), 7x SATA hard disk connectors, 1x PCI-e 6 Pin and 1x PCI-e 6+2 Pin th e perfect PSU? CM Storm Scout Gaming Case SGC-2000-KKN1-GP @ benchmarkreviews.com [Apr-09-09] (0 Comments) What differentiates a serious Gaming PC from all the rest of the PCs in the world? To me, it's all about graphics performance, but I know Aerocool CoolPanel 3 @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-09-09] (0 Comments) Today we're taking a look at the AeroCool CoolPanel 3. With a sleekblack design and color LCD display, it should be an attractive addition tojust about any case. The CoolPanel III allows one to monitor temperaturelevels and fan speeds. It also has two USB ports, an eSATA port, HD audiojacks and a 56-in-1 card reader. Scythe Typhoon - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) Despitenot being very glamorous or exciting, fans are essential toevery rig out there. The balance between cooling and noise is a key onethat differs for every user depending on their own personalpreferences. With so many different shapes, sizes, colours and designson the market, it’s difficult to know which will suit you best. Well,if you’re looking for a quiet 92mm fan then the fan up for review today– the Scythe Gentle Typhoon 92mm 2150 RPM Cooling Fan – could just bethe perfect fan for you. Read on to see what we thought. How To Setup a Home NAS Server - QNAP TS-439 Pro Turbo @ legitreviews.com [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) I found the TS-439 very easy to setup and use. The NAS served up files at reasonable speeds, and the performances of NFS was excellent. I am happy with the media server functionality and it was very simple to get my media served up to my PS3. I would have liked a manual or other comprehensive documentation for Twonky, though. Also, I had some issues with the finer configuration points such as setting the UIDs so that I would have proper permissions on all my files. I should mention that I contacted technical support with a number of my questions, and they were quick to respond and very helpful... Antec P183 Computer Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) Launched in 2005, the original Antec P180 case was immediately welcomed into the industry as one of the best cases of the year. A few Novatech Zu PC @ driverheaven.net [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) LCD display.Read the review here: http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews.php?reviewid=749-- Allan =93Zardon=94 CampbellDriverheaven/GamingHeaven Editor In ChiefBA/BSc (Honours) Digital Art and TechnologyBA (Honours), Graphic and Media Design (Typo/Graphic Design)www.driverheaven.net | www.gamingheaven.net |This message is intended only for the use of the person(s) (=93The intended recipients)=94 to whom it is addressed). It may contain information which is privileged and confidential within the meaning of applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender as soon as possible. The views or offers expressed in this communication may not necessarily be those held by the company and must be clarified if in doubt.Company Registration Number:4019815VAT Number:GB879288744--Apple-Mail-76-972505695Content-Type:text/html; charset=WINDOWS-1252Content-Transfer-Encoding:quoted-printableNovatech are a well known and reputable supplier of computer hardware and accessories in the UK and they sell a range of gadgets and electronics. They have a large offering of prebuilt desktop and laptop machines in their online store and today we're going to look at the Novatech Zu, a desktop computer containing ATI's fastest single GPU available on the market today accompanied with a Hyundai W240D 24 Everything You Need to Know About The Centrino Platform @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) A quick guide for you to understand what is the Centrino platform, what are its requirements and what are the differences between its several generations. Updated to include Centrino 2 platform. Asus Eee 1000HE @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) Though notebook manufacturers have managedto make netbooks ultra portable by shrinkingdown just about everything and doing awaywith nonessentials like optical drives, oneaspect of being small has also been theAchilles Heel of the netbook:battery life.With batteries practically the size of packof Twix, most conventional netbooks are luckyto limp three hours before zonking out,making them less than useful for theaway-from-home computing their size has beentailored for. Asus does away with thatsmall-battery mentality on the Eee 1000HE,which has been specially built for endurancecomputing away from the wall socket - 9.5hours, according to Asus. But can this tinylittle netbook hold up to that promise? Anddoes the bulky new battery impair itsfunction as a netbook? [News] VIZO Mini Ninja & Ninja HS Notebook Coolers @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) And we're back again with another notebook cooler review, or in thiscase, a pair of notebook coolers for you guys to check out. They come fromVIZO, a well reviewed company here at VH, and are geared for low noise andadjustability. The full sized unit goes by the name of the Ninja HS, withthe smaller unit going by the Mini Ninja. Overall the Ninja HS is a prettynice notebook cooler for those in need of something totally silent. Iwouldn't use this to cooler high power (and high heat) gaming laptops, forthe majority of you out there, this should be just fine and certainly betterthan using nothing at all. Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 @ pcreview.co.uk [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) The most important component of KIS 2009 is undoubtedly the anti-virus scanner, which is the backbone of protection for any computer. Some of the most comprehensive AV testing is done by a company called AV-Comparatives, which test a variety of scanners against a huge database of viral infections. This is one of the most effective ways of measuring the performance of AV scanners, and provides a much more representative result than personal testing. In the latest test of on-demand AV scanners (Feb 09), Kaspersky is tested alongside 16 other products in their default modes. A 97.1 overall detection rate was achieved, which is roughly a mid-table result – however the number of false positives was significantly lower than many other scanners. Choiix Mini Air-Through Laptop Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) This is where Choiix comes in. Choiix prides themselves on providingthe consumer with a ultra performance laptop product that is aestheticallypleasing at the same time. They have chosen to leave all the techie robotlooking stuff to other companies and produced a product that fits the visualstyle that many of us want. This goes for the new Mini Air-Through notebookcooling pad or C-HL02-WP. The Mini Air is simple in design but at the sametime provides you with more than enough cooling functionality and has theaddition of USB hub. Will the Mini Air remain under my wife's laptop afterthis review? We will soon see. Technic3D/Mushkin 6GB DDR3 1600 CL7 @ technic3d.com [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) The Mushkin 6GB Kit DDR3 1600 CL7 (XP3-12800) arrived Technic3 D. Technic3D will see as good they are with Overclocking against the P atriot Viper 1600 Memory Kit on Windows Vista Ultimate 64 Bit and the Biostar TPower X58 Mainboard. You can see 1.671 MHz (1,65V) with 7-8-7 -20 in the following Review. Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 1GB OC Video Card @ thetechlounge.com [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) =22Alright. Time for a refresh, it's almost spring, and that's the season for growing video cards. The HD 4890 is, for all intensive porpoises, a re tooled HD 4870, which, in my humble opinion, is overdue. Not that the 4870 was by any means a bad card, and it certainly got its deserved amount of p ress, but it had its failings and, when prices were even, I'd generally rec ommend a GTX 260. AMD doesn't like losing on the price front, that's for da mn sure. But it never hurts to have a great high-end card, either. Look, this card still isn't a match for the ridongulous GTX 285 or the limited 29 5, but it's an outstanding improvement over the HD 4870. Enough to upgrade ?=22 Coolmax V600 600W PSU @ rbmods.com [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) Deciding on a power supply can be a tough choice, with a wide rangeof suppliers and features for each unit. While power output is important,there are other factors such as efficiency, noise, and even looks that areequally as important. Today we'll be looking at a 600W power supply fromCoolmax, the Coolmax V600 PSU, which has been designed with performance inmind. We will keep that in mind while we examine this product and compare itto some of its competition. OCZ Fatal1ty 700 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) OCZ launched this 700 W power supply licensing Fatal1ty’s name, promising to be a high-end gamer product. Will it live up to our expectations? NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse @ modders-inc.com [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) NZXT's Avatar gaming mouse is designed to provide gamers with theultimate crafted gaming armor to emerge victorious in the gaming arena ofchoice. Featuring a ambidextrous and smaller form, the Avatar mouse isversatile and ideal for gamers. Best of CTIA 2009 @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Apr-07-09] (0 Comments) They've rolled up the neon-colored coloredcarpets, torn down the booth cities and flownhome the booth babes. Now it's time to lookback at the highlights from this year's CTIAWireless 2009 conference. While some of thisshow's best contenders had already beenannounced, manufacturers still managed topull some surprising tricks out of their capsfor Vegas. And laying hands on thosepreviously photographed, but not-yet-handledphones was pretty exciting, too. Here are our10 most memorable new products from the showfloor, along with five honorable mentionsthat weren't released for the show, but stillmanaged to raise our eyebrows in person. Zalman VF950 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-06-09] (0 Comments) Tokeep up with the latest hotter and faster graphics cards, Zalmanhave needed to update their VF900 – which we reviewed back in May 2007– with the VF-950. They haven’t just changed the cooler to support morerecent graphic cards though; the new model is entirely different. Wehope so too, as we weren’t very impressed with the VF-900. Anyway let’snot dwell on the past, introducing the Zalman VF-950… ECS A790GXM-AD3 Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Apr-06-09] (0 Comments) The ECS A790GXM-AD3 motherboard was a board that was easy to set up and to work with. There was nothing that gave us any issues at all. It was smooth sailing throughout the review, which has been something that rarely happens any more. It seems there is always something that we have to struggle with, but not on this board. It is fast, a great gaming board, and has upgrade options for the end user. Also, overclocking is phenomenal... Antec Twelve Hundred Gaming Case @ jonnyguru.com [Apr-06-09] (0 Comments) Last week, we saw Antec attempting to reinvent the wheel byintroducing a new power supply form factor called CPX. This week, we'llcontinue our look at this new form factor by examining in detail one of thefew cases on the market to support it, the Twelve Hundred. Super Talent 16GB Pico C Flash Drive @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-06-09] (0 Comments) Our next Pico we will be reviewing is the Pico-C Nickel. Which likethe Gold model is plated with the precious metal. The advantage the Nickelhas over the Gold we reviewed is an additional 8 gigs of storage. Not onlyis the storage size a pretty amazing aspect of the Pico but its physicalsize is as well. The Pico weighs in at an incredible 6 grams. At this sizethe drive is a non factor while hanging around your neck on a necklace or onyour key chain. Plantronics Explorer 370 Ruggedized Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [Apr-05-09] (0 Comments) Working with the Explorer 370 is really easy and natural. The headset just seems to work right with no weird quirks or hiccups. When a phone call comes in or when the user initiates a call, the headset responds quickly and transfers calls as fast as any headset we have tested. Advertised range of the headset is 33 feet and when tested in an open area, we can confirm those numbers. Usable range for the headset is easily 15-20 feet before encountering static or dropouts. For the majority of users - even those who have a need for a ruggedized headset – the range of the Explorer 370 will be satisfactory. It certainly doesn’t match the 100-foot + range of the Callpod Dragon, but then again, who really needs that kind of range? AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-04-09] (0 Comments) A table comparing the basic technical specs from all AMD/ATI graphics chips available on the market, from Radeon 9200 to Radeon HD 4890. Updated to include Radeon HD 4890. ASUS RT-N15 SuperSpeed N Gigabit Wireless Router @ tweaktown.com [Apr-04-09] (0 Comments) ASUS has been hard at work making themselves a global brand name. In recent years they have moved forward with a large number of products. In keeping with their already high standard for their components ASUS has produced some great networking products as well. We have had their WL-500gP V2 in house recently and although it lacked in speed, it had features found in more expensive products. Now we have their RT-N15 SuperSpeed N Gigabit Wireless Router. This wireless device claims a 300Mbps speed and a host of other features. We dive in and see if the RT-N15 can keep up. AMD Phenom 2 940 CPU @ rbmods.com [Apr-04-09] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at AMD=B4s latest processor, the Phenom 2940 Quad core Cpu. How will this unit perform vs the high performing Intelprocessors on the market and how will it perform vs the older Phenom? Let=B4stake a look. nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-04-09] (0 Comments) A table comparing the basic technical specs from all nVidia graphics chips available on the market, from GeForce 4 MX 440 AGP 8x to GeForce GTX 295. Updated to include GeForce GTX 275. Zalman CNPS9900 LED CPU Heatsink @ pcper.com [Apr-04-09] (0 Comments) The standard Zalman heatsinks are held to might be a bit unfair,but their history certainly makes them a target for any vendor who wants toknock them off the top spot in the air-cooled heatsink industry. While thedual-heatsink design is sound on paper, I don’t think it worked when itwas executed. I might be making something out of nothing because theresults were very close to the Monsoon III LT, but it just seems that theirheatsinks should stand out from the pack and not just stay even with them. Different Brand Video Cards Change What You See in Games @ legitreviews.com [Apr-03-09] (0 Comments) After some further research from the community it and on the test bench it appears that when running Enhanced Full Dynamic Lighting that the camo mesh is present on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 200 series graphics cards, but not on ATI Radeon 4000 series graphics cards. If the setting is changed to Enhanced Full Dynamic Lighting (DX10) on the ATI Radeon HD 4000 series of cards the camo mesh appears after the game is restarted. This is still interesting as it means that benchmarking ATI versus NVIDIA with the 'Enhanced Full Dynamic Lighting' setting doesn't matter much as the cards will be rendering different objects in various parts of the game and this could impact the frame rate as the render path is not identical... Thermaltake ToughPower XT 750 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-03-09] (0 Comments) The new Tough Power XT models are not going to replace the originalsbut to offers some nice features that are not part of the older models. TheXT series boast a single and powerful 12 volt rail. Yes we know this is notrevolutionary but they have also added the neat ability to determine howmuch time after PC shuts down that the fan stop spinning. If that isn'tenough the XT also tells you if anything is ailing it. If all this is notenough then you have to read the rest of the review to see what else the XThas to offer. G.Skill Triple-Channel 1600 MHz 6 GB Kit @ techpowerup.com [Apr-03-09] (0 Comments) G.Skill offers a full range of tri-channel memory kits at speeds of up to 2000 MHz. We are taking a look at their red kit rated at 1600 MHz and CL9. Even though this memory is on the lower end of the line-up, it manages to surprise with good overclockablity and the possibility of tighter timings. Speedlink Chronos - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) Witha range of Speedlink product reviews having being recentlypublished on XSReviews, we have another one to get our claws into. Thistime it’s a headset and comes in the form of the Speedlink ChronosStereo and let’s hope it can impress like many of Speedlink’s otherproducts have done. Read on to find out if it can. 64 bit vs 32 bit? @ w7forums.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) Not only are there going to be several Windows 7 editions, but you will also need to decide if you are going to run a 32 bit or 64 bit version of the operating system. If your CPU is more than a few years old there is a good chance that you can only run the 32 bit version of Windows 7, however if you have a modern processor you may have to decide between each version.The 32 or 64 bit architecture refers to the memory address length that can be referenced by the processor. This also has an impact on the maximum amount of memory that can be utilised, which is 4GB for a 32 bit CPU (but in reality the maximum accessible ram is closer to 3.4 GB due to other hardware allocations). All Sempron Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Sempron processors released to date. Updated to include newer models. Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) Today's review sample is in the same category as the above items asit fits the 'different' list. The SpinQ is a cooler that has a realinteresting design and concept that sets it apart from all the other coolersout there. The heat pipes that make of the cooler is very similar to anyother cooler that uses heat pipes but the huge circular arrangement of finsis what will make many of you stand up and say wow. But is the wow factorworth the money for the SpinQ? Coolermaster N520 Dual Fan CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) To add to the performance line of cooling, Coolermaster graced uswith a new cooler labeled the Hyper N520. The N520 is designed is based onthe tower and heat pipe technology which is very popular today. One thingthat sets the Hyper N520 from the rest is it built-in dual 92mm coolingfans. This simple addition is something that higher priced coolers tend tocome with. From all this we can see the Hyper N520 is aiming to be one ofthe top of the budget coolers. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 Versus ATI Radeon HD 4890 @ legitreviews.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) When it comes to the Radeon HD 4890 it is hands down the fastest single-GPU graphics card that AMD has every produced. It performs significantly better than the Radeon HD 4870 1GB and runs cooler and uses less power at idle. There really is not much bad to say about the card as it is also priced lower than the GeForce GTX 275. Add in the fact that it has already proven itself to be an overclocking monster with a core clock frequency of nearly 1GHz with the stock cooler and no voltage adjustments you have a clear winner for all the Radeon fans out there... SanDisk Sansa slotMusic Player @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) Review of the SanDisk Sansa slotMusic player, an MP3 player that is based on microSD memory cards, not requiring a PC connection to work. USB Geek USB Frog Mouse @ rbmods.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) USB Geek is reseller of many USB-gadgets. Their product rangeincludes devices from many manufacturers. You can find almost everythingwhich fits to USB from their websites with reasonable prices too. Today wewill have a look at their frog mouse, which is mainly targeted to children. Sapphire HD 4890 1 GB GDDR5 @ techpowerup.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) Sapphire's new HD 4890 comes with 1 GB of GDDR5 memory and yet unseen clock speeds offering much better performance at a competitive price. Will that be enough to beat NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 275 ? AMD Radeon HD 4890 RV790 and GeForce GTX 275 @ pcper.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) The HD 4890 1GB card is not much more than a highly overclockedRV770 design, but that is more than enough to see noticeable performancegains across the board. In fact, we saw nearly uniform 10-15% performancejumps at ALL resolutions from 1600x1200 to 2560x1600 which indicates to methat AMD has really found the bottleneck of its architecture in this RV790product. PowerColor HD 4890 1 GB GDDR5 @ techpowerup.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) AMD has just announced the availability of their latest HD 4890 graphics card series which is based on the new RV790 GPU. The highlights of RV790 are considerably higher clocks speeds and 1 GB of fast GDDR5 memory on all boards. AMD Radeon HD 4890 CrossFire @ techpowerup.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) Our HD 4890 CrossFire review investigates whether running two of these brand-new cards is a viable choice if you need that extra bit of performance or want to run with even more eye candy than what is possible with a single HD 4890 board. Zotac GeForce GTX 275 Amp! Edition @ techpowerup.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) Today NVIDIA released their GeForce GTX 275 Series. While there are no architectural improvements, the new cards offer substantially improved performance at competitive prices. Zotac's Amp! Edition offers higher clocks out of the box - is that enough to combat ATI's new offerings? Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 RV790 Video Card @ benchmarkreviews.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) The Radeon HD 4800-series has been a real success for AMD, and combined with Phenom II Processors they create a synergistic effect called TechwareLabs Unveils The Truth Behind The Conficker Virus @ techwarelabs.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) With all of the talk lately about the April Fool's Day Virus, what does it do really? Today, Programming Specialist Dan Shannon takes a look at the code behind the Conficker virus, and tells us what it REALLY does... Technic3D/Gigabyte GA-EX58-Extreme @ technic3d.com [Apr-02-09] (0 Comments) The Gigabyte GA-EX58-Extreme Mainboard arrived Technic3D. The Mainboard with Overclocking functions and X58 chipset for all Intel So cket 1366 CPUs. See you in the following Review the Intel Core i7 920 Water cooled on Windows Vista 64Bit SP1 Performance Benchmarks. Seagate Momentus 7200.3 320GB Notebook Hard Drive @ legitreviews.com [Apr-01-09] (0 Comments) The Seagate Momentus 7200.3 320GB notebook hard drive didn't disappoint and was much faster than the 200GB hard drive from the 7200.2 series. Not only was it faster, the drive is also more resilient as it has a shock tolerance of 350g @ 2ms. This shock tolerance is 17% better than the 300g @ 2ms found on the 7200.2 series. If you are hard on your notebook you might want to search for a drive with G-Force Protection as it will increase your chances of not losing data in the case that your notebook is dropped. This is made possible due to an optional drop sensor that senses when the system is in a free-fall state, moving the heads off the platter and locking them in place—all within three-tenths of a second. This is a pretty neat little feature that not many people know about, so if you are upgrading an old hard drive it is something to look into if you like trying out new things... InWin X-Fighter - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-01-09] (0 Comments) Thefuturistic sci-fi Star Wars films have influenced and inspired thedesign of In Win’s X-Fighter case with its triangular feet, geometriclines and steel and aluminium chassis. All this makes the X-Fighterinto the ultimate spaceship but how will it fare at doing its job as aPC enclosure? The aesthetics certainly look great, so let’s see whatthe rest is like. Cooler Master Sileo 500 Mid-Tower Case @ thetechlounge.com [Apr-01-09] (0 Comments) =22One thought springs to mind. Is this case too budget? It's for sale we ll under a hundred bucks, which might mean that there are too many cut corn ers, or maybe that instead of some kind of NASA-developed space quiet foam, they're using leftover packing materials. Maybe the steel's only for show , and the case is made out of plastic with a metal veneer (Cooler Master, I know you did this that one time, you cheeky channel partner, case, and coo ling company). Well, no matter what, it's moot if it's sturdy, pretty, and above all, quiet.=22 Corsair 6GB DDR3-1866 Dominator GT Memory @ legitreviews.com [Apr-01-09] (0 Comments) For the average consumer the Corsair DDR3-1866 Dominator GTs would be overkill; for the price of this one kit you could purchase 12GB of decent DDR3-1600C7. But those 12GB of DDR3-1600C7 may only overclock to the stock speeds of this Dominator GT kit. This is what you are more or less paying for - the binning process Corsair has undertaken to insure these kits are stable at 1866MHz... Top 10 Chic Cell Phones @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) Much like watches, cell phones today are asmuch fashion accessories as they areindispensible pieces of technology. Fans lustover the latest models before they come out,critics pick apart the latest design choicesof the biggest manufacturers in glossymagazines, and companies wheel outcelebrities to glam up the latest andgreatest they have to offer. With all modernphones now having mastered the basics offunctionality, why not pick one that looks asgood as it works? Here are a few of the moststylish, unique and downright sexy models onthe market today. All Core Duo and Core Solo Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Core Duo and Core Solo processors released to date. Updated. Intel Xeon X5570 and E5520 Gainestown Processors @ legitreviews.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) Our quick look at the Intel Xeon 5500 series was a very impressive one. The Intel Xeon X5570 that we looked at today operates at 2.93GHz during normal operation, but when Turbo Boost Technology is enabled the operating frequencies increased up to 3.33GHz. With this much clock frequency and all the performance features that the Intel Xeon 5500 series has to offer you end up with a server processor that blows past the competition without looking back... Synology DS209+ NAS Diskstation @ modders-inc.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) Being able to host your own website, FTP, Multimedia Server orother web based products meant that you had to rent a dedicated server. Wellthose days may be in the past as you can now buy your very own NAS server todo all this work for you and it is actually simpler than you think. ASUS WL-500g Premium V2 Multi-Function Wireless Router @ tweaktown.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) Wireless networking has been a standard in homes and home offices for years now. As more people move from the desktop to the laptop we will see an even bigger increase in the need for fast wireless to handle our data. The evolving of the netbook has also ignited this frenzy. But with more and more people working, un-tethered files and printer sharing becomes an increasing problem. Enter the ASUS WL-500g Premium V2; this b and g specification wireless router has speeds of up to 54Mbps while combining the features of a NAS and wireless print server. Added on top of these features is a profile based QoS system (Quality of Service) that lets you easily prioritize the traffic on your network for the best performance. Additional FTP and Samba support round out the package. Technic3D/OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W @ technic3d.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) The OCZ 600W ModX Stream-Pro arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next modular PSU with two +12V ra ils, 135mm Fan (Thermal fan control), 6x SATA hard disk connectors, 1x PCI-e 6-Pin and 1x PCI-e 6+2 Pin. Fujitsu LifeBook U820 @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) Intel has a lot of work to do with the Atomprocessor before it is ready to powernext-gen mobile devices. Crippled for speed,it has very little useful application foranyone who uses a computer for anything morethan simple e-mail, Web, media, and timemanagement. Of course, if that describes yourneeds on the next flight to Tahiti, or if youfind most laptops to be overkill when youjust need to study at the library, Atom - andthe brand-new Atom powered LifeBook U820Mini-Notebook from Fujitsu - might be justright. The U820 is a fun, eye-catchinggadget, but a major disappointment forserious business users and techies. Thermaltake Element S Case @ rbmods.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) When I choose a computer case, I am often drawn towards a couple ofthings:good looks and cool features that will make building and using thecomputer enjoyable. Thermaltake, makers of a wide variety of computer products, sent us asample of one of their new cases, the Thermaltake Element S Computer case,which from the package seems to combine stylish looks with a sophisticateddesign. Does this case have all the elements needed to be considered a casefor pros? Let's find out in this case review. NZXT Zero 2 Full Tower Chassis @ tweaktown.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) My last review of a case was a bit on the small side and slightly frustrating when trying to add all the pieces into that puzzle. That’s the good thing about what I do, though. Never fear, as something different is just around the corner. This time around, it just so happens to be a full tower case from NZXT; the Zero 2, that is up for discussion. In the past five years NZXT has started from a fledgling company, into a name that most gamers and enthusiasts recognize. These people are who NZXT strives to please by using ideas of the masses to incorporate better ideas and technologies into their products. OCZ Gladiator Max CPU Cooler (OCZTGLADM) @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) Gone are the dimples that were pressed into the fins in theprevious Vendetta coolers, this time the fins are plain and smooth. Ratherstrangely the aluminium base around the heatpipes has 6 columns that extendup and have three fins attached to them. I can only assume this is to givemore supporting structure to the cooler as I doubt it would make muchdifference in temperatures In Win NA eSATA & USB Enclosure @ techpowerup.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) The In Win NA is a very stylish and unigue HDD enclosure. In Win has gone all out and included a porcelain plate as cover and hid the USB 2.0 and eSATA interface within the confines of the smooth white bowl. Gigabyte EP45C-DS3R Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) Let’s take an overall look on Gigabyte's mainstream motherboard for Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors based on Intel P45 chipset. Technic3D/G.Skill 6GB 1600 CL9 @ technic3d.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) The G.Skill 6GB Triple Channel Kit DDR3 1600 CL9 (F3-12800CL9T -6GBNQ) arrived Technic3D. Technic3D will see as good they are with Ov erclocking against the Corsair Dominator 1600 Memory Kit on Windows Vi sta Ultimate 64 Bit and the Biostar TPower X58 Mainboard. You can see Low-Voltage 1.400 MHz (1,5V) with 9-9-9-24 and Command Rate 1 in the f ollowing Review. ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 1GB AMP Video Card @ thetechlounge.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) =22In the midst of all the rebranding and fine-tuning, NVIDIA managed to ma ke again, the most powerful single-GPU video card. Well, they also made th e most powerful dual-GPU video card but that's not what I'm reviewing, is it. I'm reviewing the GTX 285, the die-shrunk, power-boosted bastard o f the GTX 280. It's really, really powerful. There has to be some kind of flaw, right? In some ways, it's overpriced, but is that even fair? I t's maybe a bit expensive, but only compared to other video cards--for le ss than =24400, I'm sure everyone at NVIDIA thinks they're just giving these away. Which is sad for them, great for everyone else. This is an exe mplary performer on its own, and costs =24200 less than the GTX 280 back wh en it came out. Did I mention how frustratingly powerful it is?=22 Antec CP-850 850W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Mar-31-09] (0 Comments) The PS/2 form factor has been with us for a long, long time now.And for the most part, our power supplies have conformed to this twenty plusyear old form factor, even as they grew more and more powerful. This has ledto kilowatt power supplies in long, heavy cases that were hard to cool andcramped for their powerful innards. Microsoft SideWinder X8 @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Mar-30-09] (0 Comments) Wireless mice are all well and good, butyou'd never use one for gaming, right?Everybody knows wireless mice suffer fromlag, skipping, and all sorts of otherproblems. Well, here's a situation wherecommon wisdom is wrong. Microsoft has managedto chop off this mouse's tail while avoidingthese and other problems.Does that mean the SideWinder X8 WirelessGaming Mouse is the ultimate offering in itsclass? Not exactly. It's a very good exampleof its breed - and we mean that for gaming aswell as productivity - but it's not perfect.And cutting the tail off the mouse doesn'teliminate cords. TechwareLabs s the Razer Goliathus Gaming Mouse Pad @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-30-09] (0 Comments) Serious gamers require serious hardware to dole out the pain and lay down the law. For a gamer one of their most important tools is their mouse and almost as equally important is the mouse surface. William takes a look at the Razer Goliathus and gauges its performance in some of the most popular titles today. We show you why the Goliathus is more than up to the task for your gaming needs. to:content-type; @ testfreaks.com [Mar-30-09] (0 Comments) Microsoft has recently released a new product, it's a wireless gaming mo usecalled the SideWinder X8 and it aims to actually be a usable wireless mousefor gaming. It's got the standard features of gaming mice, adjustable DPIsettings, macros management and programmable buttons. It also features anextra button which acts as a quick launch button to the games folder inVista, it also features replaceable feet as well, and includes two extrasets of them. One of the other features I found unique is the ability tocharge while playing, the charging cable clips to the base via a magneticconnection and allows you to continue playing while the mouse is charging.Overall it's a great mouse and in my time with it I've come to like it verymuch, so read on to learn more about a very adept and adequate wirelessgaming mouse. Lancool Metal Boned K6 @ techpowerup.com [Mar-30-09] (0 Comments) The Lancool Metal Boned K6 packs a lot of the exclusive new features found in the modern Lian Li cases in a sleek and clean designed case. The Lancool Metal Boned K6 is intended for LAN party gamers, wanting great construction quality and sturdiness in combination with the looks and engineering backbone one has come to expect from Lian Li. ZOTAC GeForce GTX 295 1792MB Video Card @ thetechlounge.com [Mar-30-09] (0 Comments) =22The GTX 295 is, like ATI's HD 4870 X2, two cards in one. It has two GPU s, connected by an onboard PCI-Express bridge, in SLI fashion. The GPUs ar e modified GTX 260s, architecturally identical, clocked at the same frequen cies, although slightly-cut improved memory bandwidth (the GPUs of the 295 have 589-bit memory interfaces unlike the 260-216s with 448-bit interfaces) . So there are two questions I have about this card:is it worth the pric e hike over two GTX 260s, and who is this card tailored for?=22 SanDisk Extreme III 4GB SDHC Flash Card @ legitreviews.com [Mar-29-09] (0 Comments) The SanDisk Extreme III memory SDHC was designed from the ground up for DSLR camera users as the card features read/write speeds of up to 30MB/second. This means that when shooting in rapid succession (your camera’s continuous shooting mode) the memory card should be able to keep up! Once you are done with your photo shoot you can then offload the photo/video content you shot at record rates with a card reader like the SanDisk ImageMate Multi-Card USB 2.0 Reader/Writer that supports cards of this speed. To top it all off the Extreme III also has write protection security feature that will not allow anyone to erase your files unless authorized. SanDisk Extreme III Secure Digital cards are available in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities, but today we are taking a closer look at the 4GB version... [News] Cooler Master V10 CPU Heatsink @ virtual-hideout.net [Mar-29-09] (0 Comments) Cooler Master, one of the staff favorites here at Virtual-Hideout,to say the least. On the block today is the middle child in their family ofhigh-end, automotive themed heatsinks. Offering a potential extra 20 wattsof dissipation over the former champion V8, thanks to the inclusion of aThermoelectric module and extra heatsink mass, the V10 promises to the bethe premier item in the cooling market for the time being. The questionthen, is if the extra cost over the V8 is worthwhile, and if the inclusionof a TEC will be another rendition of gimmick flair - much like the TitanAmanda, or Ultra Chillitec - or if the V10 will actually keep things niceand chilly. Let's take a look. NZXT ZERO 2 Crafted Series Full Tower Case @ jonnyguru.com [Mar-28-09] (0 Comments) On occasion, we here at JonnyGURU.com take a step out of ournormal routine of talking about power supplies, and dive into somethingdifferent. Well today is one of those endeavors. We are going to take a lookat a chassis from NZXT, the Zero 2. The overall look of the Zero 2 chassis,closely reassembles the older sibling, the Zero. So let's dig in and see howthe Zero 2 holds up to todays standards. Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 Processor @ legitreviews.com [Mar-28-09] (0 Comments) With four processing cores running at 2.66GHz, a total of 6MB of shared L2 cache, a 1333MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) and the fact that the processor is built on the 45nm process are all great reasons to think about getting a Q9400. Add to that a 1.2GHz overclock that was easy to reach and you have yet another winner from Intel. If you don't want to go with an Intel Core i7 series processor, the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9XX's series of processors are good choices as they cost less and can still compete... Coolmax CU-700B PSU @ rbmods.com [Mar-28-09] (0 Comments) With so many power supply manufacturers, choosing a power supply canbe a difficult task. Today we'll look at another offering from Coolmax,makers of a wide range of computer parts, the Coolmax CU-700B 700W PowerSupply. Will this modular unit offer decent performance at a reasonableprice? Read on to find out. Speedlink Formula Laser - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-27-09] (0 Comments) Witha few very high end gaming mice passing through XSReviews, we takea look at the mid range market today. This product comes in the form ofSpeedlink’s Red Formula Laser Mouse and has some very interestingfeatures. The main one being the cable compartment which allows the USBcable to coil up inside the mouse.E Speedlink has a very god reputationof providing top quality products, so can they continue this trend withthe Formula Mouse? Galaxy GeForce GTX 260+ OC Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Mar-27-09] (0 Comments) Today we're looking at Galaxy's version of the GTX 260+ and it carries everything you want for a card that has been out for a while; a pretty mean looking cooler and an overclock that is going to give us a bump in performance. Today we’ll be taking the time to see how the GTX 260+ from Galaxy we have here goes up against another Galaxy card, the GTS 250 and the current top single GPU card from ATI, the HD 4870, which is due to be replaced by the HD 4890 very soon. OCZ Gladiator Max CPU Cooler (OCZTGLADM) @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Mar-27-09] (0 Comments) Gone are the dimples that were pressed into the fins in theprevious Vendetta coolers, this time the fins are plain and smooth. Ratherstrangely the aluminium base around the heatpipes has 6 columns that extendup and have three fins attached to them. I can only assume this is to givemore supporting structure to the cooler as I doubt it would make muchdifference in temperatures AMD and Havok demo OpenCL accelerated physics @ pcper.com [Mar-27-09] (0 Comments) The power behind this announcement is easy to see - now that Havokcan run its APIs easily on either a CPU or GPU, the ability to acceleratephysics in a way we had hoped would come about with technology like AGEIAPhysX is much more attractive. While currently today PhysX only runs onNVIDIA GPUs, OpenCL products will run on AMD and NVIDIA GPUs as well asIntel and AMD processors enabling heterogeneous computing algorithms acrossboth product lines. Gigabyte EX58 Extreme Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-27-09] (0 Comments) Let’s take an overall look on Gigabyte's high-end motherboard for Core i7 processors based on Intel X58 chipset. Speedlink Mini Chat - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-27-09] (0 Comments) Eventhough speaking to other players over VOIP or other services isbecoming more prevalent, with PC games including voice chat in game,and console users able to discuss over headsets within their parties,and within certain games, one of the main modes of chat is still thetext message interface. One problem with this on consoles, is how longit takes to spell out a message with a standard controller. Speedlinkhopes to rectify this with their Mini Chat keyboard for PS3, Xbox, WiiMac and even PC. Technic3D/MSI 790GX Platinum @ technic3d.com [Mar-27-09] (0 Comments) The MSI DKA790GX Platinum (MS-7550) - AMD 790GX Mainboard arri ved Technic3D. The Mainboard with Overclocking functions and AMD 790GX chipset for AMD Phenom II CPUs. See you in the following Review the P henom II X4 940 @3,5 GHz and the Gainward GoldenSample HD 4870 1GB Gra phic Card on Windows Vista 32Bit SP1 Performance Benchmarks. HIS HD 4650 iSilence 512 MB @ techpowerup.com [Mar-27-09] (0 Comments) The HIS HD 4650 iSilence with its passive Zalman cooling solution offers a noise free experience, which is especially important when building a quiet media PC system. On top of that you will also receive a full version of the STALKER Clear Sky game. Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 Core i7 Specific CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [Mar-26-09] (0 Comments) The last review I did for Noctua was of the NH-U9B which is sort of the little brother to the NH-U12P that Chris reviewed for us earlier on. This time Noctua sends the newest variation, the NH-U12P SE1366 CPU cooler. The SE or ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U External DVD-RW USB 2.0 Slim Drive @ legitreviews.com [Mar-26-09] (0 Comments) The ASUS SDRW-08D1S-U Diamond slim USB DVD drive was incredibly easy to use straight out of the box. All I had to do was plug the cable into the drive and the other 2 ends into the computer, and voila! It works. There was no installation necessary, which is nice. The stylish and attractive DVD burner utilizes the high-speed USB 2.0 interface with the ability to record on 8X DVD+R, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-R (DL) and 5X DVD-RAM... Technic3D/Seasonic M12D 750W PSU @ technic3d.com [Mar-26-09] (0 Comments) The Seasonic M12D 750W arrived Technic3D. See you in the follo wing Review from Technic3D the next PSU with two +12V rails, 120mm Fan (Thermal fan control), 11x SATA hard disk connectors and 4x PCI-e 6+2 Pin. WD Scorpio Blue 500GB Notebook Hard Drive @ legitreviews.com [Mar-25-09] (0 Comments) The Seagate Momentus 7200.2 200GB hard drive was able to reach 48MBps on both the read and write tests, but the Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB hard drive was able to reach 84MBps on the same test. With a 75% faster transfer rate the Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB hard drive is very impressive.. to:content-type; @ testfreaks.com [Mar-25-09] (0 Comments) Today for review I've got the Zivio Boom Wireless Headset, it's Blueto othobviously, and it's basically for use with your cellphone, but it can beused with other BT devices as well. I'll be honest here, I hated thisproduct when I first got it, it was very difficult to fit to my ear, it jus twouldn't stay in my ear, it kept falling out no matter what I did. My earwas actually sore from the time I spent playing with it trying to get it tofit me correctly, so I did what anyone would do, I gave up, at least for acouple days until my frustration wore off. Taking a fresh look at it, I gotit fitted and in my ear in less that 5 minutes, not sure what I diddifferent this time, but it fit and stayed in my ear, and I like it, I likeit very much now. The Zivio Boom gets it's name from the boom stylemicrophone that can be pulled out of the ear piece, the sound is loud andclear, and it's nicely made. So, continue on to learn more about a very n iceproduct=85 Laptop for Kids @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-25-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to explore a rather different market segment:kids. What are the features one should expect to find on a portable computer targeted to children? Speedlink Vento 2.0 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-25-09] (0 Comments) Withthe growth of notebooks, netbooks, and other portable media players,something people tend to like to do when they arn't in a far away placewith their beloved piece of kit, is enhance it with improvedperipherals. Be it a mouse, larger keyboard, increased screen size, orimproved sound quality. Today I'll be reviewing something that wouldprobably suit that purpose very well, the Speedlink Vento 2.0 speakerset. HIS HD 4870 IceQ4+ Turbo 1 GB GDDR5 @ techpowerup.com [Mar-25-09] (0 Comments) In addition to the long and complicated name, the HIS HD 4870 IceQ4+ Turbo features twice the memory compared to the AMD HD 4870 reference design. The clock speeds have also received a boost, now running at 770 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory out of the box. Last but not least, HIS replaced the AMD cooler with their own IceQ cooling system. OCZ Behemoth Large Gaming Mouse @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-24-09] (0 Comments) It is, as if the mouse is apart of your arm when fragging along. Whenyou get these types of feelings toward anything computer related OCZunderstands. And when they know that you as a consumer needs something,chances are they are right in the midst producing something to suit yourneeds. And this something would be the new Behemoth gaming mouse. TheBehemoth is aimed at the person that wants a large mouse with all the extraswe find in mice like the Razers, Logitechs and Microsofts. Yeah, you get allthe features of these mice but with the OCZ touch thrown in. Is the Behemoththe right mouse for you when you start your next frag session? Read on. Cooler Master Cosmos-S @ modders-inc.com [Mar-24-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at the Cosmos-S which is anupdated version of the Cosmos 1000. Cooler Master has made several changesfor the new version while still retaining the awesome design of the originalCosmos. Hawking HomeRemote Pro Wireless Video Camera @ rbmods.com [Mar-24-09] (0 Comments) Recently we had the change to check out Hawking's HomeRemote Pro HomeAutomation Starter Kit and were impressed by the easy installation andintuitive user interface. As mentioned, there are a number of add-onaccessories to this system, and today we'll take a look one such item, theHawking HomeRemote Pro HRPC1 Wireless Video Camera. Will this camera takehome automation and monitoring to the next level? Read on to find out. Windows 7 series:NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance @ pcper.com [Mar-24-09] (0 Comments) As I mentioned on the one of the first pages of this article (thatwas a LOONG time ago...) the only fair comparison for looking at pure Vistaversus Windows 7 gaming results is with AMD's graphics cards and theirunified Catalyst 9.3 driver that supports both operating systems. To thatend, the AMD situation showed us that users will likely see very modestperformance gains moving over from a Windows Vista gaming system to aWindows 7-based PC. Considering how early we are into the life of Windows 7(it is still in beta after all), this is a very welcome shift from howthings worked before Windows Vista's release. Cooler Master UCP 700W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Mar-23-09] (0 Comments) Our last look at Coolermaster's offerings was just over a monthago, when I tested the Silent Pro M600. Today, Coolermaster's back in thespotlight with the Ultimate Circuit Protection series, or UCP for short. ASUS Rampage 2 Extreme Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Mar-23-09] (0 Comments) The ASUS Rampage 2 Extreme is the most advanced motherboard I have ever tested. Having owned many TechwareLabs Video and Editorial:Hard Drive Destruction - 4 Guns and a Hard Drive @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-23-09] (0 Comments) TechwareLabs takes aim as resident Firearms Specialist Dan Shannon fires upon several hard drives just for fun and to see how well a hard drive would protect you from several different types of rounds. Call this the ultimate data destruction test as we are pretty sure you won't be getting anything from these hard drives any time soon. Let the hard drive massacre begin! Scythe Mugen 2 Update - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-23-09] (0 Comments) Withthe last CPU Cooler review here at XSReviews way back in October oflast year, it was time for another. It comes in the form of the ScytheMugen 2 which is a revision of the previous Mugen cooler and featuresScythe’s new MAPS (Multiple Airflow Pass-through Structure) technologyalong with a Multi Fan Mount Structure. Read on to find out more… Antec TruePower New Series 750W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Mar-23-09] (0 Comments) Antec has combined quality features from their high-end SignatureSeries with the affordable pricing of the TruePower line with theintroduction of the TruePower New series. The TruePower New 750W PSUdelivered excellent efficiency with good voltage regulation and cleanoutputs. The TP-750 is quiet during normal operation and includes a goodcompliment of both fixed and modular cables/connectors. And let's notforget Antec backs the TruePower New series with their 5-year warranty. Coolmax CU-700 700 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-23-09] (0 Comments) The answer is the CU-700. The CU-700B which we will be reviewingtoday is aimed at the individual's that don't want to fork out $100 plus fora power supply. The same individual that do not even need 600 watt but wantsthe insurance when the time to upgrade comes along. The CU-700 fits thisindividual to a tee. The Cu-700 not only boasts 700 watts of power but doesit at a price that any can afford. At $60 the CU-700 will not break thebank. The same individual would also like the fact the low cost unit is 80%efficient. [News] Starlight Creations LaTosta Laptop Stand @ virtual-hideout.net [Mar-23-09] (0 Comments) This may be the shortest review I've ever written but it's also oneof the most useful items a laptop owner should have. The way this item isdesigned is just perfect. It's tiny, tough, inexpensive and can lengthen thelife of your laptop by allowing it to breathe. Not to mention the perfectkeyboard angle is created when this product is installed is great on thewrists. Unleashing NVIDIAs GTX 295 Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Mar-23-09] (0 Comments) CPU limitation is something that we always talk about when it comes to high-end graphics cards. When we say this, we mean that the CPU is holding back the frames that the graphics card is capable of putting out. The less intensive the game, or the lower resolution you play at; this increases the chances of hitting that bottle neck.There are ultimately three ways to remove the bottleneck on a high-end graphics card. First, increase the settings in the game; things like turning on AA and AF help. The problem is that this might put you at an unplayable FPS level. Seagate Momentus 7200.2 200GB Notebook Hard Drive @ legitreviews.com [Mar-22-09] (0 Comments) I personally replaced an older Fujitsu MHV2060BH 60GB 5400RPM SATA 2.5 CoolIT Domino A.L.C CPU Cooler @ techpowerup.com [Mar-21-09] (0 Comments) The CoolIT Domino A.L.C. CPU cooler is a water cooling unit at the price of an air cooler. It has three fan speed modes and features a blue backlit LCD screen. Installation is simple for a water cooling unit and its performance is exceptional considering its low price of $79.99. How to Stop Cold Calls and Credit Card Offers @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-21-09] (0 Comments) O.k. I know that this has absolutely nothing to do with PC hardware, but since I HATE cold calls and junk mail, especially credit card offers, and spent some time researching how to stop them, I thought that it would be worthwhile sharing my knowledge, so other people on the same situation could stop being bothered. Steelseries World of Warcraft Mouse @ rbmods.com [Mar-21-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at a new mouse from Steelseries,this mouse has been hard to get due to its popularity. The reason it is sopopular is because it's an official World of Warcraft mouse, what is sospecial about it then? Let=B4s find out! Intel Atom Done Right? @ legitreviews.com [Mar-20-09] (0 Comments) Without a doubt the NVIDIA Ion platform is going to turn heads when it comes to market as it is a mixture of a netbook, a laptop, and a desktop all in a miniature PC. Since the Ion has the ability to play HD content it would make a great platform to design an ultra sleek and lower power home theater PC (HTPC) or media PC. Could you imagine if a computer manufacturer picked up the Ion platform and put it in a slightly larger chassis that contained a slot load Blu-Ray player and a TV tuner? That would be the ultimate HTPC and I, for one, would purchase a pair to replace the two HTPC's that I own. My most power efficient HTPC idles at 90W, so to move to something that takes up less space and 77% less power is an easy call... Coolmax V-600 600 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-20-09] (0 Comments) From the two models described above you would think that all Coolmaxis making are power supplies for the high end rig that many of us do nothave. Well that is not true. Coolmax realizes there is a need for lowerwattage unit that can provide stable and safe power to an everyday box thatyou would find underneath the desk of an office, in a kid's room or downnear your very own feet. The new model Coolmax is labeled the V-600. If youwere to venture to guess, yes it is a 600 watt power supply. The V-600includes a 140mm cooling fan to keep your system running cool and a singlePCI-E power connector for those that would like to equip their box with amid to high range graphics card. All Celeron Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-20-09] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Celeron models released to date. Updated to include Celeron Dual Core E1500. Ultra vs. Modular Unit Retailers @ jonnyguru.com [Mar-20-09] (0 Comments) Well, friends, it looks like Ultra's at it again; according tosome information that just fell into my inbox. No longer content to just suemanufacturers of modular PSU's, they're going after retailers now. Filed inNew Jersey, the lawsuit names Best Buy, CDW, Fry's, Micro Electronics/MicroCenter, and Staples. Neoseeker s the OCZ PC3-16000 Reaper 6GB memory kit @ neoseeker.com [Mar-20-09] (0 Comments) With Intel's Core i7 slowly but steadily gaining ground, more and morepeople are looking into lightening fast DDR3 memory kits. The latest triplechannel on the market are rated between 1066 MHz for entry level kits andover 2000 MHz in the top-end market. With the latter being theoreticallytwice as fast and carrying an equally impressive price tag, you can be leftwondering whether the investment is worth it or not. Then, there are thosekits clocking at a very reasonable 1600 to 1866 MHz which, thanks toconstant price drops, are actually selling at a somewhat reasonable price. Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider v1.3 @ ngohq.com [Mar-20-09] (0 Comments) It seems that Microsoft has forgotten end users when itintroduced a very restricted module of driver signature enforcement inWindows Vista and Windows 7. All drivers and system files must bedigitally verified or they cannot run when using both 32-bit and 64-bitversions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. In the past, it was possibleto turn that feature off in Vista, but due to new kernel securityupdates, it is impossible to turn it off without degrading security andstability of your operating system or putting your master boot recordsin risk by using other software alternatives.So what is the problem with digital certificates? Well, the problem is…developers have to pay Microsoft to receive verified certificates, andthat makes many applications inaccessible under Windows Vista andWindows 7. However, it is still possible to turn it off by pressing theF8 function key during system boot up, but pressing F8 every time onboot up can be a serious pain in the butt. Others have foundworkarounds, but most of them are too risky and may trash your masterboot records, at least until now thanks to our latest tool. OCZ 8GB Throttle eSATA Flash Drive @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-20-09] (0 Comments) Well, I guess we should be asking OCZ that question. It is funny thatthe minds of OCZ could come up with a twist on something so simple andcommon. The OCZ Throttle takes the newest and fastest port on the PC andmakes it usable for small portable storage. You know the port we are talkingabout.eSATA. The Throttle is offered in sizes ranging from 8 gigs up to 32. ASUS Eee Top - Touch Screen Desktop PC @ legitreviews.com [Mar-19-09] (0 Comments) The ASUS Eee Top was designed with usefulness and convenience in mind. It is an excellent solution for networking, as an educational tool in small meetings or classrooms, leaving memos without the paper waste, or even for using at home for something as simple as looking up recipes online without taking up hardly any counter space!... Gamecom 367 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-19-09] (0 Comments) Gamecom,a company I had not previously encountered much, are themanufacturers of the latest headset to been reviewed here at XSR. TheGamecom 367 Headset carries the slogan ‘Engineered by gamers forgamers’ so let’s hope its cut out for some serious gaming but will itbe able to cope with other forms of media, namely movies? Only one wayto find out. Nexus Beamair @ rbmods.com [Mar-19-09] (0 Comments) Fansand cooling are something you should keep in mind when building a computer.There isn't such a thing yet as a silent yet powerful fan. Nexus has made a newand original attempt to solve that issue. Nexus Beamair is a new kind of fan ductto get everything from your fan. Let's have a look at it. Thermaltake BigTyp 14 Pro CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [Mar-19-09] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has sent for this review, the BigTyp 14 Pro. As mentioned, the BT14 Pro is a large cooler using a 140mm fan mounted in a horizontal fashion to blow air down through the CPU cooler and towards the motherboard. While this concept has been tried before and tested averagely, Thermaltake took things to a much larger scale with how the BT14 Pro is assembled. I will elaborate a bit more on these TechwareLabs Editorial:What the OLPC project is screwing up and how to not be the next Newton @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-18-09] (0 Comments) Is the OLPC doomed to be the next Apple Newton, a niche device with a cult following but with lackluster sales? We cover what we feel the OLPC project is doing right and wrong and how the users and the market is reacting. Could the OLPC be the savior for educational systems or is too late? Amazon Kindle 2 @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-18-09] (0 Comments) Review of the Kindle 2 electronic book reader. How is it compared to the previous Kindle and other e-book readers? Check it out. Best CPU Cooler Performance LGA1366 - Q1 2009 @ benchmarkreviews.com [Mar-18-09] (0 Comments) Throughout all of 2008, I made it my mission to test every high-performance CPU cooler that Benchmark Reviews received. The Core 2 Duo TechwareLabs s the QPAD CT Gaming Mousepad @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) Are you looking to get the most out of your game and do it in style? You might want to take a look at the GRIN CT by QPAD. Will this Swedish company kill the competition or have you laying in a trench looking down the end of the enemies barrel? Join JasonD as we find out. PaLiT GeForce GTX 260 55nm Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) Making the jump from 65nm to 55nm has helped tame load power consumption and enabled even more overclocking headroom. Judging from the overclocking results, PaLiT could easily ramp up the clocks another 20 to 30MHz on the core and compete against the top tier 65nm GTX 260s. The only sour moment we had with the PaLiT GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216SP 55nm was the idle power consumption, the lack of 2D and 3D clocks threw off power consumption and tarnished an otherwise satisfactory card. This is due to a vBIOS issue and PaLiT is using a reference NVIDIA board. This means that NVIDIA needs to release a new vBIOS for reference designed cards. Right now the PaLiT GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP video card seems like a rush job that fails to impress us. What is the point of releasing a new card that is basically nothing more than a die shrink only to have a rushed and incomplete vBIOS? If the vBIOS was 100% this 55nm card would have lower temperatures and power consumption numbers when compared to a 65nm card at both idle and load, but that is not the case... Scythe Mugen 2 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) Withthe last CPU Cooler review here at XSReviews way back in October oflast year, it was time for another. It comes in the form of the ScytheMugen 2 which is a revision of the previous Mugen cooler and featuresScythe’s new MAPS (Multiple Airflow Pass-through Structure) technologyalong with a Multi Fan Mount Structure. Read on to find out more… Proporta Universal Emergency Charger - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) Whilenormally at XSR we deal with PC hardware only, we occasionally get aninteresting gadget of sorts to check out. Recently I was contacted by acompany called Proporta to review some of their products; being thegreedy git I am, accepted. Today I'll be checking out their EmergencyUniversal Charger. A handy little gadget that fits in your pocket whilecarrying a large charge. Let's see if we can figure out how to testthis. NZXT Whisper Classic Series Full-Tower Enclosure @ pcper.com [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) The NZXT Whisper full-tower enclosure is a solid case that providesa lot of storage space and accommodates both E-ATX motherboards and largerexpansion cards. Nine internal drive bay locations permit a lot offlexibility with room for up to nine HDDs with active air cooling. Whilenot silent, the included noise dampening features do result in a case thatis whisper quiet. Kodak Zi6 Pocket Camera @ rbmods.com [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) Like digital still cameras, digital video cameras are becomingsmaller yet more capable. Many companies now offer video cameras that canrecord with HD quality yet also can fit in your pocket. But can these pocketcameras produce decent video, and are they all alike? Geeks.com, popularonline retailer, sent us one such camera, the Kodak Zi6 1.6MP Digital PocketVideo HD Camera. Let's find out how it stacks up against the competition inthis review. All Phenom Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) A quick reference table showing the main specs of all Phenom models released to date. Updated to include Phenom II models. [News] In Win NA 3.5" External HDD Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) When I first saw the In Win NA at CES, my first impression wassomewhere between intrigue and confusion. At a distance, you couldn't tellwhat it was exactly. But, it had to be something tech related being that itwas CES. Sitting there on the table was what appeared to be a whiteporcelain storage container of sorts. It was the small white button and wirecut outs that suggested it was more than just any container, but a harddrive enclosure. At first glance, even my wife wondered what motivation wasbehind such a concept. And, she wondered what makes it so different from thecountless other enclosures that have been on the test bench. Once it wasassembled and set in the perfect spot on the desk, it suddenly revealed itsvalue and purpose. TechwareLabs s the FSP Group BoosterX 5 450W Plus GPU Power Suply @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-16-09] (0 Comments) Today, we pull out the big guns with the FSP Group BoosterX 5 450W Plus GPU Power Supply. As a dedicated graphics card PSU, can this beast just about handle anything you throw at it. Join us as we take a look at what happens when Chris Breaks out the Palit 4870 Sonic Editions in CrossfireX. Will the BoosterX 5 stand up to the torture, or become a flaming projectile with a vendetta for its reviewer? FSP Everest 900 @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-16-09] (0 Comments) We have taken a few FSP power supplies for a ride here atPro-Clockers. Just recently we took the Everest 700 which was a meaty littlepower supply that had the power to push more high-end systems. But today wewill be taking a look at a more aggressive and powerful unit in the Everest900. The Everest is aimed at the gamer and enthusiast that is going to beputting the best of components into their next build. And anyone fittinginto either of these category's, are most of the time a neat freak when itcomes to the inside of their rigs. So in this case the 900 is a semi-modularPSU, with the main ATX cable permanently attached. Is this blue powerhouseworthy of being placed in your rig? Read the next few pages and find out. Sandisk ImageMate Multi-Card USB 2.0 Reader @ legitreviews.com [Mar-16-09] (0 Comments) Using the Removable Storage Benchmark found in SiSoftware Sandra 2009 SP3 we were able to get a pretty good idea of the performance that the SanDisk ImageMate Multi-Card USB 2.0 Reader/Writer offers with various file sizes. As you can tell from the chart above, performance generally increases as the file size goes up. In the 64MB Files Test the Sandisk reader was 39% faster than the Kingston reader when it came to reading files of this size... akasa Elite (ak-cr02-bk) Card and sim reader @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Mar-16-09] (0 Comments) For this review I will be looking at a new product from possiblyone of the best-known names in the computer hardware business, akasa. Theproduct I will be looking at is the akasa elite, a card reader with adifference as it can also read sim cards and smart cards. Antec Truepower New 750W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Mar-16-09] (0 Comments) In the many forums I frequent, I sometimes see people wishingthey could afford one of Antec's high end Signature units and yet not quitewilling to go for one of the Truepower Trio models. Well, Antec's decided tofreshen up the Truepower line once more, and they've just released the brandnew Truepower New series. These are 80 Plus certified units that promise tobring the Truepower name closer in quality to the Signatures while stillkeeping the price affordable. Technic3D/Patriot Viper 6GB 1600 CL8 @ technic3d.com [Mar-15-09] (0 Comments) The Patriot Viper 6GB Kit DDR3 1600 CL8 (PVT36G1600LLK) arrive d Technic3D. Technic3D will see as good they are with Overclocking aga inst the Mushkin 1600 Memory Kit on Windows Vista Ultimate 64 Bit and the Biostar TPower X58 Mainboard. You can see 1.731 MHz (1,65V) with 9 -9-9-24 and Command Rate 1 in the following Review. Technic3D/Tagan SuperRock 680W PSU @ technic3d.com [Mar-14-09] (0 Comments) The Tagan SuperRock TG680-U33II 680W arrived Technic3D. See yo u in the following Review from Technic3D the next PSU with Four indepe ndent +12V rails, 120mm Fan (Thermal fan control), Total 14 IDE and SA TA hard disk connectors, 1x PCI-e 6+2 Pin and 1x PCI-e 6-Pin. What if nVidia launches a mobile x86 processor? @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-14-09] (0 Comments) This is the big question people are asking for a quite some time, especially because nVidia is bashing hard Intel on their nTeresting newsletters for quite some time. In fact we can interpret nVidia's criticism on Intel in two ways. CM Sniper Case @ rbmods.com [Mar-14-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at a new case named Sniper that ismanufactured by a sister company to Coolermaster. This case seems to havealot of cool new features to lets check it out! Nvidia Geforce GTS 250 - VR-Zone @ vr-zone.com [Mar-14-09] (0 Comments) The latest product of Nvidia's renaming spree is the GTS 250, previously to:content-type; @ testfreaks.com [Mar-14-09] (0 Comments) I have a large desk, and I prefer to have my PC on my desk, my setup ismonitor, monitor, monitor and then the case, so having it that close to me Iwant my PC to be as silent as possible, I don't want to hear my computer,but yet it still needs to be cool. Enter NZXT with their Whisper case, trueto it's name it is silent with the help of insulating foam to dampen nois eand several low RPM fans to help keep things cool. The Whisper though is alarge case, and it's very heavy, but it's also very well made with room fornine hard drives and six 5.25 Cooler Master V10 CPU Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Mar-13-09] (0 Comments) I have to say that I really like the Cooler Master V10 CPU Cooler. Cooler Master has been hard at work on it for over a year and it looks like all that hard work paid off. Yes it is big, yes it is bulky, but that and the ability to cool so well are what make this thing awesome. Even though you may not get Megan Fox under your side panel checking it out, I'm sure that you'll have plenty of friends asking you about your new CPU cooler... Which Internet Browser is Fastest for Windows? @ legitreviews.com [Mar-13-09] (0 Comments) Using a resolution of 1920x1200 and with no other applications open, we fired up the brand new Peacemaker benchmark to see which was the fastest browser. After the dust settled Apple's Safari 4.0 beta was clearly in the lead and was found to be over six times faster than the slowest browser, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7.0. It should be pointed out that SeaMonkey 2.0 Alpha 3 did very well and offers significant improvements over SeaMonkey 1.1.14. Firefox 3.1 beta 3 was just released this afternoon and it offers better performance than the previous beta... ASUS VW266H 25.5-in Monitor - Going large on a budget @ pcper.com [Mar-13-09] (0 Comments) The ASUS VW266H and VK266H offer an outstanding combination offeatures, screen size and price to really put a stamp on the LCD monitormarket. If you are a gamer on a budget or just a PC user looking for adisplay that can also be used for your console gaming or DVR set top box,then definitely give this ASUS monitor a shot! Super Talent Luxio 64GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive @ legitreviews.com [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) Super Talent is well-known and respected when it comes to memory products and currently holds over 200 patents in Flash and DRAM technology. Their latest USB flash drive is called the Luxio and at 64GB is one of the largest capacity USB drives available. Considering it wasn't long ago when 60GB was more than ample for an OS installed hard drive on a system, that's an incredible amount of storage in a small package. There are even some laptops and netbooks shipping today with only 60GB drives. To put it in perspective, this is enough storage to hold nearly 20,000 six megapixel photos. Impressive for a device weighing a mere ounce and can be found online for roughly $139.99... Speedlink Medusa NX - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) Speedlinkare well known for making some top notch headsets, with their previousrange of Medusas making real waves in the review community. Now thoughit's time for a refresh, a re-release if you will. The Medusa is back,this time termed the NX and while it's still got a really long cableand 5.1 surround sound, can it stand up to the previous generation'stop notch performance? NZXT Zero 2 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) Zero 2 is a steel full-tower case from NZXT supporting a total of nine fans. Let’s take a good look on this new model from NZXT. Topower Powerbird 1100 SE Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) The Powerbird was initially released in a 900 and 1100 model but alesser wattage 800 watt unit soon followed. Each of the power suppliessports a maximum 87% efficient rating and six 12 volt rails. From all thenumbers and specifications I am throwing your way you can see these powersupplies mean business. So much business that HP selected the 1100watt,which we are reviewing today, to use in the Blackbird gaming system. We willnow take the Powerbird for a spin to see if it is right for your highperformance rig. MSI's X58 Pro motherboard @ bit-tech.net [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) */If you're in the market for a budget Core i7 motherboard, the Gigabyte FiiO E3 & E5 Portable Headphone Amplifier @ techpowerup.com [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) When it comes to portable headphone amplifiers one brand that has everybody talking is FiiO. Their inexpensive portable headphone amplifiers shook the market and has gained immense popularity. Read on as we take the E3 and E5 out for a spin. Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro Sound Isolating Earphones @ thetechlounge.com [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) =22The super.fi 5 Pros are the best-of-the-best headphones in Ultimate Ears ' super.fi range. You're getting into pretty serious territory when your h eadphones start sporting two drivers per ear, and barring Apple's still unr eleased set, it's nigh impossible to find a set that retail below 200 dolla rs. A couple of months ago, I couldn't have told you this kind of headphon e existed, or why. But, in my newly enlightened state, I'll try to tell yo u a bit about the super.fi 5 pros with some authority.=22 Chieftec HM-01B HTPC Case @ bigbruin.com [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) Installing a system in the Chieftec HM-01B HTPC case was extremely simple, and the tool-less drive features may be the best I have ever used. Unfortunately not all aspects of the installation are tool-less, but it went quickly anyway. The internal layout gives you plenty of room for all the necessary components, with means to manage the wires neatly. to:content-type; @ testfreaks.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) The Spyder II GX Green Laser from Wicked Lasers is quite possibly the mostpowerful hand held laser in the world, and that's saying quite a bit real ly.The Spyder resembles a small flashlight and it's much larger than a commo nlaser pointer, this is because it's a constant on type of laser, meaning youcan run this laser full time until the battery runs out, unlike other laser swhere they need time to cool down, the reason the Spyder can do this isbecause of the integrated cooling system, inside of it. When you purchasethe Spyder not only do you get the laser, but you get a charge, twobatteries and even safety goggles. Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S Processor @ legitreviews.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) The performance of the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor was impressive, and for those wanting to spend under $275 on an LGA775 processor it packs some horsepower under the hood that rivals nearly any other LGA775 processor. With four processing cores running at 2.83GHz, a total of 12MB of shared L2 cache, a 1333MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) and the fact that the processor is built on the 45nm process are the reasons that it does so well in the benchmarks. The Intel Q9550 is also an overclocking monster as we were able to reach an overclock of 1.2GHz with ease. With the Intel Q9550 processor running at a clock frequency of 4GHz it was easily able to compete against the Intel Core i7 series, which shows what a little clock frequency will do to the potential of the Q9550... Asus P6T Motherboard @ rbmods.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at a new socket 1366 motherboard from Asus. Thisnew board seems to be the new Core i7 badboy from Asus, it is available indifferent versions that come in different prices. This seems to aim itselfvs overclockers mainly and it also has a quite high pricetag of 270$. Letssee how this board will perform and we will also try to boost our Core i7 abit to see what features this board can offer. Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green :Bigger and Quieter! @ pcper.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) So long as you can get accustomed to having your large, stagnantdata a seperate 'mass storage' drive, the slower access times and rotationalspeeds will have little effect on your daily use. The Caviar Green seriesstarts to make sense when you realize your bulk data does not necessarilyneed to be spinning at 10,000 RPM, and the lower heat output will likelyresult in greater longevity of your storage medium. This is especially trueif you don't have the greatest ventilation in your particular application(i.e. DVR's). ASRock AOD790GX/128M AM2+ Motherboard @ benchmarkreviews.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) Everybody knows that if you're number 2, you try harder, What if you're number 3 or 4, what do you do then? You look for Golden ASRock AOD790GX/128M AM2+ Motherboard @ benchmarkreviews.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) Everybody knows that if you're number 2, you try harder, What if you're number 3 or 4, what do you do then? You look for Golden Asus VH242H 23.6" Widescreen LCD Monitor @ hothardware.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) Widescreen LCD Monitor @ HotHardware.comThis is a multipart message in MIME format.--Boundary_(ID_vwhUHoKHuzdNQu1Bb/x/Wg)Content-type:text/plain; charset=us-asciiContent-transfer-encoding:7BITHello Everyone, With Asus's recent Blitzkrieg of inexpensive Eee PC netbooks and nettops, itmight be easy forget that Asus also manufactures a full bevy of componentsand peripherals from motherboards to graphics cards to networking products.Asus also makes LCD displays, ranging in size from 17-inches on up to26-inches, which cover a wide swath of feature sets and needs from thebudget user to the graphics professional. One of Asus' recently released displays is the Asus VH242H 23.6-inchwidescreen LCD Monitor. The Galaxy GeForce GTS 250 1 GB @ techpowerup.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) While NVIDIA's GTS 250 isn't really new technology, Galaxy has chosen to put an Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo cooler on their card. Even though it uses two fans, the card is extremely quiet making it an excellent choice for a media PC. The best is that it won't cost you anything extra. Galaxy is offering their cards at NVIDIA's reference design MSRP of $149. Scythe Ninja Mini CPU Cooler @ thetechlounge.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) =22The Ninja had everything going for it:silence, performance, a low price , and, er, size. It's monolithic design was a concern, in that people reall y did need to be concerned that it might not fit in their computers. The Ni nja Mini is less of a revision and more of a derivation:a much shorter, br oader heatsink that's got titanic shoes to fill. Besides a simpler mounting system, lighter weight, and improved compatibility, has anything changed? That is to say, does it still perform (to continue the mixed metaphor) like a chainsaw at a water park?=22 Thermolab Baram CPU Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Mar-10-09] (0 Comments) Thermolab was established in 2005, and started by supplying companies with thermal solutions. While doing this they noticed there was a growing need for small PC systems. The server market has several coolers for small systems, but Thermolab noticed there was not much for the SFF PC market, so they developed the Silencer Series coolers. The Silencer Series coolers are low noise, low profile, heatpipe coolers. Now Thermolab has released their first tower cooler, the Baram. Thermolab says on their website, “Baram has a meaning of 'airflow' in Korean, and is the product for a cooling mania who is expecting to have a supreme cooling performance... BlackBerry Storm @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-10-09] (0 Comments) Our review of the BlackBerry Storm touch screen cell phone. Steelseries QCK Mass - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-10-09] (0 Comments) AfterWhoopty apparently found the ‘best gaming mouse mat’ ever, in theMionix Alioth 400, future mouse pads are going to have a lot to live upto. The first one giving it a shot, is another cloth surface thatboasts a high thickness and smooth surface; and a top notch name toboot. The Steelseries QCK Mass, we all know their credentials, but havethey delivered again? Let's see. [News] ASRock N7AD-SLI Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Mar-10-09] (0 Comments) Of the computing marketplace, there are always niches to fill. Sure,the budget user has their darling and the enthusiast simply empties theirwallet, but what ever happens to those users who want something eclectic,that has certain features, but not others - often things that are in no wayoffered by a chipset, motherboard, or manufacturer. Call me crazy, but itseems that for the bulk of it, the engineers of ASRock take delight inproducing an uncommon product. Whether it's a 945 board that fully supportedSLI, a 680i board that sported 45nm CPUs, or the simply odd layout of theirbackplate, ASRock's boards are always eye-catching, to say the least. Thoughthere are reviews of their products in the month coming, what we'll have tosettle for today is the 740i - a motherboard that offers a thick feature setfor the Intel platform, at a reasonable price. Let's dive in. Palit GeForce GTS 250 2GB Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Mar-10-09] (0 Comments) We recently saw Palit announce that they would be offering the GTS 250 in three forms, 512MB, 1GB and the model we have here today, 2GB. I have to say, this amount of memory sounds quite excessive for a graphics card that barely makes it into the higher end spectrum of the market. Today we'll be having a look at the Palit GTS 250 against a number of cards. The main card we want to compare it against is the Galaxy GTS 250, which while carrying a clock speed a few MHz lower than the Palit in both the shader and core department, the main difference is the fact that we see an extra 1GB of memory on the latter card. Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+ Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Mar-09-09] (0 Comments) The GA-MA790GP-DS4H is an unusual board in that it works both as an enthusiast overclocking platform and a meek desktop platform. The board has extensive support for overclocking but includes features like an integrated HD3300 GPU and SidePort connected GPU memory to enable HD video playback. Today, we'll test the integrated GPU along with some beefier discrete GPUs and overclock Phenom II further than we have before.... Thecus N4100 Pro @ techpowerup.com [Mar-09-09] (0 Comments) The Thecus N4100 Pro is a relatively low cost four bay NAS. It features basically all features the other models do and promises high performance. Where is the catch? We tested the N4100 to find out. Evercool RF-8 Rifling 80mm Fan @ rbmods.com [Mar-09-09] (0 Comments) Case fans come in a wide variety of sizes, with the most popular onesbeing 80mm and 120mm. But is there any way to squeeze more fan blade area ina standard size fan? Evercool, makers of a wide range of fans, has produceda new product, the Evercool Rifling RF-8 80mm Case fan, that provides 92mmfan blades in an 80mm housing. Will this design provide the best of bothworlds? Read on to find out more. G.Skill Triple-Channel 1600MHz DDR3 Memory Kit @ benchmarkreviews.com [Mar-09-09] (0 Comments) With 64-bit Operating Systems nearing popularity as Windows 7 approaches, the 4GB system memory barrier is going to be a relic of the Will the AMD RV790 Architecture be Something Different? @ pcper.com [Mar-09-09] (0 Comments) I do not think we will see a massive increase in stream units as wesaw going from the RV670 to the RV770. I think we will see an increase to960 stream units (divided into 12 SIMDs), but the amount of RBEs will likelybe unchanged (though AMD would include another texture unit per SIMD, addinganother RBE would sort of upset the orthoganality of the setup).Considering the current texturing and AA performance of the HD 4870, thosechanges are likely not needed in the new chip. Performance increases inpure pixel fillrate and texturing will be improved from the clockspeedincreases as well as further internal optimizations into these units. Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Mar-09-09] (0 Comments) A couple weeks ago, I took a look at a new line from Enermax, theLiberty Eco series. Today, I've set my sights on something much bigger andbadder, the Revolution 85+ 1050W. This is a unit promising top notchperformance at 80 Plus Silver levels of efficiency. You're going to not wantto miss this one. OCZ 2GB Diesel USB 2.0 Flash Drive @ legitreviews.com [Mar-08-09] (0 Comments) The OCZ 2GB Diesel USB 2.0 Flash drive is a decent little device as long as you aren't looking for blistering fast transfer rates. The Diesel should be fast enough for mainstream use or for those that don't do a whole lot of file transfers. If you only use a USB 2.0 Flash drive to back data up or to move files around when needed the Diesel should be perfect. The OCZ Diesel also has a slick looking appearance and is certainly not bad looking by any means... GMC R-4 Bulldozer Computer Case @ rbmods.com [Mar-07-09] (0 Comments) Most computer cases on the market nowadays come with a fairlystandard set of equipment and have similar layouts. It's rare that you finda case that offers a unique design. GMC, makers of a wide range of computercomponents, has developed a new case, the GMB R-4 Bulldozer Computer Case,which challenges the concepts of traditional case design. Will this casebulldoze the competition? Let's find out in this review. Galaxy GeForce GTX 285 Overclocked Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Mar-07-09] (0 Comments) Just the other day we looked at the GTS 250 from Galaxy. But today we're looking at something a bit more higher up in the market, NVIDIA’s number two card and the fastest single GPU graphics card on the market; the GTX 285. Galaxy has taken the time to get a bit down and dirty with the card and squeeze some extra MHz out of it. We're going to find out just how these extra MHz effect overall performance when compared to a card that follows the reference clock speeds. Girls @ techpowerup.com [Mar-07-09] (0 Comments) In times of economic crisis companies are saving where it hurts most:the amount of booth babes at this year's CeBIT has been at an all-time low. We looked extra hard to bring you proof that there are still companies out there who can afford to please your eyes. to:content-type; @ dragonsteelmods.com [Mar-06-09] (0 Comments) Today I've got the JerkStopper Cable Retention Device for review, it's avery simple and useful product that will protect the AC Adapter on yourlaptop from possible damage when accidentally pulling or tugging on it. TheJerkStopper works by utilizing a free USB, RJ11 or RJ45 port, it's twopieces that clip together to lock your AC adapter cable in place, so if youdo accidentally move your laptop while it's still plugged in the force ofthe action is taken by the JerkStopper instead of your adapter's plug.What's nice it that you can use it for other cables as well like phone, USBor ethernet PNY & XFX GeForce GTX 285 Video Card s @ legitreviews.com [Mar-06-09] (0 Comments) The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 video card proves to be a step in the right direction for NVIDIA in taming power consumption. The 55nm revision has enabled higher efficiency and increased overclocking overhead while still keeping thermals in check. I suspect in the near future we'll see a few GeForce GTX 285s with lighter coolers and 3rd party PCBs to cut costs. The two cards reviewed today, the PNY GeForce GTX 285 and the XFX GeForce GTX 285 Black Edition, both consistently beat the PNY GeForce GTX 280 used for testing... [News] IKONIK Zaria A10 Case & Vulcan 850w PSU @ virtual-hideout.net [Mar-06-09] (0 Comments) I don't have many concerns or complaints about the Zaria A10, or theVulcan 850Watt power supply. It is a fine case, and I love the SIM module.The Vulcan works very nicely with the Zaria, I love being able to turn offevery single LED on both the Case, and the Power supply. TechwareLabs s the eStarling ImpactV Wireless Digital Photo Frame @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-06-09] (0 Comments) Are all those picture frames just taking up too much room? Have a cluster of picture frames laying around the house? Today JasonD takes a look at a Digital Picture frame that will help alleviate you of this mess. With this Digital Picture Frame, you can now convert all of your pictures into one frame and have them play in a slide show. Now - does it work? Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler @ pcper.com [Mar-06-09] (0 Comments) Thermaltake's new SpinQ CPU cooler delivers good cooling performancewith minimal noise and it looks great. The fit-n-finish is good and theperformance to noise ratio is above average. The cooler is easy to installand features mounts for both Intel and AMD platforms. However overclockersand users interested in maximum performance will likely want to lookelsewhere. TechwareLabs s the Ford Fusion Side Marker Replacement @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-06-09] (0 Comments) Today, JasonD steps out of the office to show us his new car. But, with the black and white theme of the Ford Fusion, the amber turn signals must go. Join us as we explain the process of replacing them, and where to get the replacements. GigaTribe Private Peer-2-Peer Software @ techdomain.com.au [Mar-05-09] (0 Comments) The GigaTribe software is an interesting concept. At first glance it seems to be a mix of P2P software, together with a hint of IM, and a tiny dash of Facebook or any other social networking site thrown in on the side. Find out how GigaTribe Private Peer-2-Peer can work for you! Cooler Master Storm Sniper Black Mid-Tower Case @ legitreviews.com [Mar-05-09] (0 Comments) I have very little (if anything) bad to say about the Cooler Master Storm Sniper Black Mid-Tower Case. This is one very nice case! It has loads of room and is relatively light. It also gives the end user the ability to remove unwanted items, add in needed items, and reconfigure fan locations. As open as the case is it is very quiet, on low you don’t even know the system is running. I turned it off once by accident by hitting the power button because I had the LEDs off and I thought the system was off. Thermaltake V14Pro (CL-P0472 ) CPU Cooler @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Mar-05-09] (0 Comments) Thermaltake have taken the design of the V1 and tweaked and enlarged it into a monster that is the V14Pro. The added bulk is not in vain though and it works well and temperatures are improved because of it. The fan on full speed is loud, and I wouldn’t want to run it like that all the time, but the manual fan speed controller allows you to dial in your own compromise between noise and performance. Thermaltake V14Pro (CL-P0472 ) CPU Cooler @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Mar-05-09] (0 Comments) Thermaltake have taken the design of the V1 and tweaked and enlarged it into a monster that is the V14Pro. The added bulk is not in vain though and it works well and temperatures are improved because of it. The fan on full speed is loud, and I wouldn’t want to run it like that all the time, but the manual fan speed controller allows you to dial in your own compromise between noise and performance. TechwareLabs s the Patriot WARP 128 GB SSD @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-04-09] (0 Comments) Looking to upgrade that sub-par 2.5 5400RPM HDD that came with your laptop? Look no further. Join Chris as we look at the 128GB WARP SSD by Patriot. This drive is meant to perform, but can it actually outperform the speed of light? Lets find out... WARP Review, Engage... Mionix Saiph 3200 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-04-09] (0 Comments) Followingon from our review of their excellent mouse mat, Mionix sentover their top of the line gaming mouse, the Saiph 3200. Featuring aDPI of 3200, teflon feet, programmable buttons, DPI adjustment, andmany other features, let's see if the Saiph 3200 can live up to theirnew found good rep. here at XSR. BFG Tech GeForce GTS 250 Graphics Card @ legitreviews.com [Mar-04-09] (0 Comments) The BFG Tech GeForce GTS 250 1GB performed roughly the same as the original GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB, which makes sense since both cards have the same 'engine' under the hood. The BFG Tech GeForce GTS 250 1GB's larger 1GB frame buffer came into play when the image quality was cranked up or when running at resolutions above 1920x1200. In games like Call of Duty:World at War and FarCry 2 we were able to see a 10-13% performance improvement from the extra frame buffer. The GeForce GTS 250 didn't put a world of hurt on the GeForce GTX 9800+, as many of you would have guessed without reading any of this... Evercool Zodiac Notebook Cooler @ rbmods.com [Mar-04-09] (0 Comments) We recently reviewed a small cooler from the folks at Evercool andhad mixed results. Today we get a chance to look at another cooler fromthem, the Evercool Zodiac Notebook Cooler. This larger sized cooler has acouple of hidden features that we didn't see in the other cooler. Will thisbe enough to put it over the top? That is what we'll attempt to find out inthis review. TechwareLabs s the Itami FiTrainer @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-04-09] (0 Comments) The FiTrainer from Itami seems to be a very handy gadget whether you are already in great shape, are looking to shape-up, or even are attempting to just find a way to fit a quick exercise into a daily routine. Join Erik as we find out whether or not the FiTrainer does its job or is just another useless gadget. Palit GeForce GTS 250 2048 MB @ techpowerup.com [Mar-03-09] (0 Comments) Today NVIDIA released their GeForce GTS 250 Series which is based on the G92 graphics processor that has already been used on a number of GeForce 8 and GeForce 9 designs. While NVIDIA's reference design comes with 1 GB of memory, Palit has chosen to create a card that comes with 2 GB of VRAM. Corsair Memory Designs Enthusiast ATX Case @ legitreviews.com [Mar-03-09] (0 Comments) If you take a look at this picture you can see spots for three 120mm fans located at the top of the Corsair case. These will be spaced for a triple 120mm radiator and will even come pre-drilled for the radiator! Corsair has also included water cooling cutouts in the back, so water coolers should be highly interested in this case as you should be able to mod it very easily. Something else that is very interesting is that the Corsair case comes with four hot swappable hard drive caddies that slip into a standard SATA backplane. The corsair case can hold six 3.5 How to Install Vista on the ASUS P6T Deluxe with SAS RAID @ legitreviews.com [Mar-03-09] (0 Comments) In our review of the ASUS P6T Deluxe we noted that the motherboard was one of very few desktop boards to feature an on-board SAS controller. With this controller from Marvell, the board can just as easily function as an incredibly powerful and reliable workstation, or a monster gaming rig with ultra fast hard drives. Since there are a few different speed grades when it comes to SAS hard drives we aren't going to focus much on the speed of the drives, but simply how to get Windows Vista installed on a pair of drives in RAID 0 (stripe set)... Sandberg 2.5 Fingerprint HDD enclosure @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Mar-03-09] (0 Comments) For this review I will be looking at a laptop hard drive caddy. However this is a caddy that comes with a bit of extra security in the form of a fingerprint scanner. The caddy in question is from Sandberg, who I must confess I have heard very little about before this review, and the caddy is from their AluGear range. Sandberg 2.5 Fingerprint HDD enclosure @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Mar-03-09] (0 Comments) For this review I will be looking at a laptop hard drive caddy. However this is a caddy that comes with a bit of extra security in the form of a fingerprint scanner. The caddy in question is from Sandberg, who I must confess I have heard very little about before this review, and the caddy is from their AluGear range. Palit GeForce GTS 250 1GB Graphics Card - More G92b @ pcper.com [Mar-03-09] (0 Comments) Regardless of the politics involved, the GeForce GTS 250 1GB carddoes do one thing:decrease the price of great gaming GPU solutions fromboth NVIDIA and AMD for the consumer. Fan boys on either side will surelycomplain about how the other group is doing it, but it's a win for all ofus. You can now essentially buy a graphics card that will play most oftoday's recent PC titles at resolutions of 1600x1200 and above with top IQsettings for under $150, regardless of which GPU vendor you choose. How'sthat for a way to help get out of the funk of winter? Hiper S625 625W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Mar-03-09] (0 Comments) We continue our look at Hiper's brand new energy efficientofferings here today with the 80 Plus Bronze certified S625. You'll recallthat the M1000 came up somewhat short when it came to impressing me, so itwill be interesting to see where the S625 stands when it comes to providinga quality lower powered unit for folks on a budget. TechwareLabs s the Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 USB Headset @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-02-09] (0 Comments) Looking to get the most out of your gaming experience? Quality audio can make or break your game so its important that you have something thats up to par. Join Ian as we take a look at the Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 USB Headset to see if we are unstoppable or if it gets us killed at every turn. Enermax Revolution85+ 1,050W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Mar-02-09] (0 Comments) Enermax continues to raise the bar with the introduction of theirnew Revolution85+ power supply units. The Revolution85+ 1,050W exhibitedexcellent efficiency, very good voltage regulation, with relatively clean DCoutputs and quiet operation. And Enermax includes an excellent complimentof both fixed and modular cables/connectors to distribute over 1,000W ofpower. If you are looking for a top quality PSU in the 1,000+W range, thisone will be hard to beat. Techseed v2 Launch @ I'd like to welcome everyone to the new version of tech seed. [Mar-02-09] (0 Comments) I’dlike to welcome everyone to the new version of tech seed. It’sbeen in the making for well over 2 months now, and has been the biggestoverhaul of any XSR Group site to date. However, all is now well andit’s my pleasure to introduce you to a plethora of new features.For Publishers: Easier RSS integrationwith example feed Automatic imagegrabbing from RSS Simpler Admin Panelsetup Category sorting onhomepage Multi-lingual reviewsubmissionHowever, one of the biggest feature introductions was adding asecondary account system for you readers out there. We felt that it wastime you made your voices heard on what reviews you like, and don’tlike. So the commenter account system was born. Anyone can sign up forthese accounts just by hitting the “Sign up” button at the top of thesite and selecting the commenter account.Readers/Commenters will also be pleased to hear we have improvedsearching facilities, as well as easier to navigate categories andarchive systems, making it easier to locate the reviews you want toread. With more than 30 publishers now signed up, we hope to make techseed the number one place to come to find the reviews you’re interestedin. How to Install Vista on the ASUS P6T Deluxe with SAS RAID @ legitreviews.com [Mar-02-09] (0 Comments) In our review of the ASUS P6T Deluxe we noted that the motherboard was one of very few desktop boards to feature an on-board SAS controller. With this controller from Marvell, the board can just as easily function as an incredibly powerful and reliable workstation, or a monster gaming rig with ultra fast hard drives. Since there are a few different speed grades when it comes to SAS hard drives we aren't going to focus much on the speed of the drives, but simply how to get Windows Vista installed on a pair of drives in RAID 0 (stripe set)... ASUS BC-06B1ST Blu-Ray Disc Optical Combo Drive @ benchmarkreviews.com [Mar-02-09] (0 Comments) It wasn't more than a few months ago that Benchmark Reviews tested the ASUS BC-1205PT Blu-ray Drive, which was proven to be a Foxconn Renaissance Mainboard Final @ technic3d.com [Mar-01-09] (0 Comments) The Foxconn Renaissance X58 Mainboard become the Final Review on Technic3D. The Mainboard with Overclocking functions and X58 chipse t for all Intel Socket 1366 CPUs. See you in the following Review the Core i7 920 @4,1 GHz and two XFX GTX 280GTX XT SLI Graphic Cards on Wi ndows Vista 32Bit SP1 Performance Benchmarks. SilverStone Raven RV01 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-01-09] (0 Comments) Raven is a full-tower case with a unique design, where the motherboard is rotated 90º, making the rear connectors to be available on the top part of the case. Ineo 2,5" All in one Enclosure @ rbmods.com [Mar-01-09] (0 Comments) With todays need of more HDD space, enclosures can be found invarious sizes and colors to help you use your harddrives. How fast are they?How well do they perform? SanDisk 16GB Mobile Ultra microSDHC Card @ legitreviews.com [Feb-28-09] (0 Comments) The SanDisk 16GB Mobile Ultra microSD card (part number SDSDQY-016G-A11M) comes with a SanDisk MobileMate Micro card reader makes switching devices simple. By inserting the microSDHC card into the MobileMate it can then be used in a computer or any device with an open USB port. This feature is nice for those that want to take pictures straight from their phone and look at them on a TV or digital picture frame as it can be done in seconds and nothing else needs to be purchased... Leadtek WinFast GTX 260 EXTREME+ in SLI @ tweaktown.com [Feb-28-09] (0 Comments) The GTX 260 has quickly become one of those confusing models. We had the card originally launch in June of 2008 and towards the end of last year word came of an updated model that would carry with it 216 shader processors over the original 192 we saw at launch. Today we're going to be looking at the Leadtek GTX 260 EXTREME+. While the card doesn't carry the new 55nm core, it does carry the upgraded shader processors. Before we get stuck into the performance of the card, though, let's take the time to have a quick look at the package along with a closer look at the card and the clocks it carries. Hopefully the card will warrant the Extreme name tag, so let's not delay and get stuck into it. Professional Graphics Roundup:NVIDIA Quadro and AMD FirePro @ pcper.com [Feb-28-09] (0 Comments) Professional 3D developers are finally getting their hands on thelatest GPU technology from NVIDIA and AMD in the form of updated Quadro andFirePro designs. The price gap between the Quadro FX 4800 and the FireProv8700 might be a little hard to justify for some professionals that don'tspend a lot of time using 3d studio max (where the Quadro really seems toshine) since in some other cases the v8700 will outperform the FX 4800. Will truly DIY laptops ever exist? @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-28-09] (0 Comments) Today we don't have much control over the laptop configuration. We have to choose a portable from one of the list of available models from the manufacturer (it is true that big manufacturers provide a myriad of models to try to accommodate all kinds of user). Even with manufacturers that allow personalized configurations, you have to order the laptop and they will assemble one with the exact specs you requested and have to wait the system to be delivered. Today there is no way to build your laptop like the way we build desktops. MNPCTECH Spring Loaded Case Handles @ modders-inc.com [Feb-27-09] (0 Comments) So, you've just finished modding a kick butt gaming rig, adding akiller paint job that causes neck snapping double-takes, to take to LANparties? But, it is a pain to carry around, it's heavy for one thing andhaving to clean finger prints etc off the paint is a drag. If only it hadhandles eh? Silverstone Fortress & Strider 750W @ techpowerup.com [Feb-27-09] (0 Comments) The Silverstone Fortress aims to shrink the same awe inspiring and award winning uni-body construction of the legendary TJ07 to a mid-tower case, while still offering modern functionality and all the bells and whistles one should expect from an enthusiast enclosure. OCZ Apex Series 120GB SATA II SSD @ legitreviews.com [Feb-27-09] (0 Comments) The folks at OCZ have come up with a creative solution to help improve performance with their new Apex line of MLC based SSD's. Available in 60, 120 and 250GB capacities with a 2.5 Windows 7 vs. Vista VGA Performance Analysis @ tweaktown.com [Feb-27-09] (0 Comments) I'm one of those people who love Vista; I will openly admit it and honestly, from day one I've loved it. Over time it's only gotten better and as someone who loves their graphics cards and games, why would you not want to experience DirectX 10? Today we want to see how VGA performance looks under the new Windows 7 in comparison to the now very well established Vista. We want performance to be close to Vista, but with Windows 7 still being in its Beta stage, we're not going to hold our breath. Corsair XMS3 Dominator 6GB 1600 CL8 @ technic3d.com [Feb-27-09] (0 Comments) The Corsair XMS3 Dominator 6GB Kit DDR3 1600 CL8 (TR3X6G1600C8 D) arrived Technic3D. Technic3D will see as good they are with Overclo cking against the G.Skill 1600 Memory Kit on Windows Vista Ultimate an d the Foxconn X58 Mainboard. You can see 1.805 MHz with 9-9-9-24 and C ommand Rate 1 in the following Review. Mionix Alioth 400 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-27-09] (0 Comments) Mousemats aren't considered to be the most exciting of reviewproducts, as their usually fairly mundane, and with the ratheropinionated testing methods, it's not something every reviewer looksforward to. However, now and again one comes along that really catchesyour eye, like today. Powerdrive Computers have sent over a new matfrom a company called Mionix. This is their Alioth 400. Let's see if itperforms as well as it looks. System Cache Explained @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-27-09] (0 Comments) Have you ever wondered what the term Cache means? Join Brad as we explain the ins and outs of the term and how it can help or hurt you in your computer. [News] Kingston HyperX PC3-16000 3GB Tri-Channel Memory @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-26-09] (0 Comments) The new HyperX 2000 MHz Triple Channel 3GB Kit is perfect forextreme gamers that play titles like Command & Conquer, Supreme Commander,or even Farcry 2. It's also the right amount of memory for XP Pro and Vista32-bit users who realistically don't need more than that. 64-bit users willwant something a little larger which we hear is already well under way andshould arrive very soon. In the meantime, if your I7 is going to be your newextreme gaming system and need the fastest memory available, this is thecurrent memory of choice. This is HyperX at its best! Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Feb-26-09] (0 Comments) We have earlier reviewed several Noctua coolers and they have allbeen top of the line with very low noise. Now that Coolermaster ATCS 840 @ pro-clockers.com [Feb-26-09] (0 Comments) The success of the HAF932 was not a surprise to many of us as itoffered a lot room, a rugged good looks and enough fans and cooling to keepeverything in the case in good cool and solid running fashion. Coolermasterbuilding on the success of the HAF932 decided to take the functions andfeatures of the HAF and employ them in a new ATCS unit. The ATCS 840 willissue in a new class of ATCS (Active Thermal Convention System, yeah I knowI should have mentioned it earlier) with its abundance of room, huge fans,easy assembly and clean looks. If you are a person that like refined casesthis new case may be your next one. Nyko Charge Station Quad & Kama Wireless Remote for Nintendo's Wii @ legitreviews.com [Feb-26-09] (0 Comments) We added the Nyko Kama to our Wii remote and took it for a spin as well. The Kama is approximately the same size as the original nunchuck but slightly heavier due to the 2 “AAA” batteries that are installed. The dongle that allows the Kama to communicate with the Wii remote snaps onto the bottom of the “Wiimote” and requires no batteries. When we used the Wii remote protector, the fit was a little snug, but it just took some adjustment for a proper fit... Antec Nine Hundred Two Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-26-09] (0 Comments) Antec has just released a new version of their famous Nine Hundred mid-tower case. Let’s see the differences between the two models and if Nine Hundred Two is really a good product. Super Talent 16GB Pico Flash Drive @ legitreviews.com [Feb-25-09] (0 Comments) In the past, really small USB flash drives have had to make compromises on performance to fit everything in such a small form-factor. I'm pleased to say that the Super Talent Pico 16GB doesn't suffer from these drawbacks and offers great read and write performance. When you consider how small the drive is, this is even more impressive... TechwareLabs s the Atrio Earbuds by FutureSonics @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-25-09] (0 Comments) Tired of those flimsy earbuds that came with your iPod? Wish you could hear those lows a little clearer? Now you can. Join Ian as we take a look at the Atrio brand Earbuds by FutureSonics. With replaceable tips to fit any ear, will these earbuds be right for you? Noctua NH-U9B CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [Feb-25-09] (0 Comments) Today Noctua has sent us the NH-U9B CPU cooler for testing along with a matching optional fan to allow for dual fan testing. The Noctua NH-U9B is a scaled down version of the NH-U12P that we reviewed some time ago. The major difference with these two coolers is that this is a 92mm fan cooled version for HTPC, or possibly even some SFF cases. This four heat-pipe cooler shows promise from what I have read in reviews of other products, as well as word of mouth from forum members and highly experienced people like Chris. I know, technically the NH-U9B shouldn’t compete with its larger brother in temperatures, but Noctua pride themselves on quiet solutions to CPU cooling. With this in mind, I would hope this cooler is in fact quiet and can still hold its own footing battling temperatures. It is time we get to opening up Noctua’s NH-U9B and see if everything I have been lead to believe is true. TheGameCade Flash Gaming Site Launched @ thegamecade.com [Feb-24-09] (0 Comments) Ina partnership between the owners of XSReviews and Tech-Reviews,we've launched a new flash gaming website, designed to showcase simplythe best games the web has to offer. It features a wide range of genregames, with comment accounts and full search integration allowing youto find exactly the game you want. Marvell Introduces Plug Computing with SheevaPlug @ legitreviews.com [Feb-24-09] (0 Comments) With the economy in nearing 1997 lows we all need a distraction from the pains of the market and today that distraction is the Marvell SheevaPlug. Marvell’s SheevaPlug looks like night light, but it is a what they are calling a plug computer — an embedded computer that plugs into the wall socket and is capable of running network-based services that normally require a dedicated personal computer. The enclosure is designed to plug directly into a regular US wall socket and draws less than one tenth of the power of a typical PC being used as a home server, which should lower your monthly electric bill if you run a PC at home 24/7. Even better the SheevaPlug development kit is available right now for $99 through Marvell... Tuniq Potency 650w - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-24-09] (0 Comments) Withthe extremes having being recently reviewed here on XSReviews,from 1000w to 450W, today we have a PSU that is somewhere in the middlewith a wattage of 650. The manufacturer Tuniq has a reputation forproducing high quality units so let’s hope the Potency 650 is nodifferent. Only one way to find out. Dell's S2209W 22-inch Full HD LCD Monitor @ bit-tech.net [Feb-24-09] (0 Comments) */In the end, it's one of those monitors that does better in isolation Technic3D/Hiper M1000 PSU @ technic3d.com [Feb-24-09] (0 Comments) The Hiper M1000 PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the followin g Review from Technic3D the next Big PSU with 135mm Fan, 4x 12V rails, 8x Serial ATA connectors and 3x PCI-e 6+2 Pin. Hawking HomeRemote Starter Kit @ rbmods.com [Feb-24-09] (0 Comments) Home control and remote monitoring is a field that has yet to reallycatch on as a mainstream industry, perhaps because setting up the devicesand linking them over a network is complicated and not readily available.Hawking, makers of a wide range of networking products, might have solvedthat problem with their line of home automation products. Today we'll lookat the Hawking HomeRemote Pro Starter Kit, which promises out-of-the-boxhome automation. Will this product prove to make home control andmonitoring easy? Read on to find out. Latosta Portable Laptop Stand @ bigbruin.com [Feb-24-09] (0 Comments) For those with a compatible computer, the Latosta portable laptop stand is an extremely lightweight and compact stand that can make it much more comfortable to use your laptop for extended periods of time. The typing angle created is more comfortable than a flat surface, and the elevated screen takes some of the strain off of your neck. OCZ 6GB 1600MHz CL7 DDR3 OCZ3P1600LV6GK @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-24-09] (0 Comments) In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the performance of an top-speed triple-channel product for the Intel Core i7 platform. The OCZ Sansa Fuze MP3 Player @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-24-09] (0 Comments) Our review of the Sandisk Sansa Fuze portable digital music player. Is this a good MP3 player? How does it compare to iPod nano? Check it out. Enermax Liberty Eco 620W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) The last time we looked at an Enermax unit here at jonnyGURU.comwas way back in mid 2007 when the founder of the site looked at the GalaxyDXX 850W unit. Well, the dry spell is over, for today I'm looking at myfirst Enermax unit, the brand new Liberty Eco series 620W. Let's see ifit'll live up to my high expectations. Cooler Master UCP 900W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) The UCP 900W power supply is another good addition to Cooler Mater'sfull line up of PC switching mode PSUs. The UCP 900W power supply's voltageregulation, line regulation and cross-loading regulation are all good. Theoverall efficiency is excellent and AC ripple noise suppression is good,especially on the +12V outputs. Under normal operating conditions (below600W load) the UCP 900W is very quiet. The PSU comes fitted with a largeassortment of hard-wired cables and connectors that can support multiple,high-end video cards. And let's not forget that industrial look finish,active PFC, and a 5-year warranty. TechwareLabs s the Crucial PC2-8500U DDR2 1066Mhz RAM @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) One of the most critical components inside your computer is the RAM. With Vista using so many resources its almost necessary to have 4GB. Join Matt as he takes a look at the Crucial DDR2-1066 PC2-8500. Will this cost effective high speed kit get the job done? Or will it send our computer flying out the window on flames? Join us as we take a look. First GeForce GTS 240 Card Exposed - VR-Zone @ vr-zone.com [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) We have already told you quite a bit of details about GeForce GTS 240which is slated for April release. It is basically 55nm G92 based 9800 GTGPU on a new P361 PCB and internally Nvidia calls it D10P2. Now we willprovide you a glimpse on the schematic diagram of the GTS 240 card. Thedifferences are mainly on the power design department. Alienware Area-51 m15x 15.4-inch Gaming Notebook @ tweaktown.com [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) Gaming notebooks are an odd breed of machine that tends to be much more expensive than what you could get a higher performance desktop for. However, anyone who has tried to lug a decked out full tower desktop gaming machine to a LAN party can tell you, sometimes giving up performance for portability isn’t such a bad thing. Today we are going to look at one of the latest gaming notebooks form Alienware called the Area-51 m15x. As you can gather from the name of the gaming rig, it uses a 15-inch screen and packs oodles of performance inside the slick looking chassis. If you have the green and you want a serious 15-inch portable gaming machine, this is the review for you. eDimensional Voice Buddy Software for Gaming @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) Strangely, a few days later when I came back to get some screenshots of Voice Buddy, the problem seemed to have magically resolved! Voice Buddy understood every command I threw at it. I think that this could be down to a temporary system fault (or background noise, as it was much quieter in my house on the last time I tried), so I don’t think it should be blamed on Voice Buddy. eDimensional Voice Buddy Software for Gaming @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) Strangely, a few days later when I came back to get some screenshots of Voice Buddy, the problem seemed to have magically resolved! Voice Buddy understood every command I threw at it. I think that this could be down to a temporary system fault (or background noise, as it was much quieter in my house on the last time I tried), so I don’t think it should be blamed on Voice Buddy. Sapphire HD 4670 GDRR4 @ pro-clockers.com [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) Taking a look at the HD 4670, this is not the same HD 4670 wereviewed some months ago. This is a new and improved HD 4670 when has beenpacked with GDDR4, which is a technology jump from the GDDR3 on the oldermodel. What we will be looking at besides the performance increase from thenew memory is the new and quieter dual slot active cooler which sits atopthe 750MHz GPU core. Sit back and read on as we take the new HD 4670 for ahefty round of tests. Heatsink Showdown:Cooler Master V10 vs. Xigmatek Thor's Hammer - @ vr-zone.com [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) We take a look at 2 new CPU heatsinks from Cooler Master and Xigmatek - Sapphire's ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB Toxic graphics card @ bit-tech.net [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) */Up until this morning though, we'd have agreed with that because the Evercool Hermes Notebook Cooler @ rbmods.com [Feb-22-09] (0 Comments) Like most desktop PCs, a typical notebook/laptop nowadays is usingmore power and thus is creating more heat. In response to the heat, manycompanies are starting to offer notebook PC coolers designed to provideadditional cooling capability. Today we'll be looking at the EvercoolHermes Notebook cooler, which has a small footprint and a unique shape.Read on to find out if this cooler brings cool temperatures to yournotebook. Early Look:Asus Eee PC T91 @ bit-tech.net [Feb-22-09] (0 Comments) */Pricing is one final topic that we haven¡¯t covered yet ¨C that¡¯sbecause nothing has been confirmed yet. Sadly, the exchange ratefluctuations we¡¯re seeing at the moment mean that all Asus can give usis a ballpark range for the device. The company is expecting the Eee PCT91 to sell for somewhere between the Eee PC 1000HE at around ?360 andthe Eee PC S101, which is currently available for about ?420. Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Feb-21-09] (0 Comments) In the $300 price segment, the Sapphire Radeon HD 4850x2 can't be accused of bringing a knife to a gunfight; with 1600 Stream processors, 2GB of GDDR3 memory running at 993MHz, and two GPU's clocked at 625MHz all packed on the massive 11 1/4 [News] OCZ HydroFlow Waterblock @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-21-09] (0 Comments) For better or for worse, OCZ has always been one of the moreadventurous companies to service the needs of the enthusiast. While othercompanies focused solely on producing memory, OCZ had already begun theirsimple forays into cooling, and power supplies. Today, their lines extendout to a few, slightly more exotic locations, namely pre-built phase changecooling, and even a neural interfacing device. Yet, as with any company thatdoes not specialize in these exploratory fields, OCZ's alternate productsremain a niche interest. In this spirit, we're looking at their HydroFlowwaterblock - the company's first step towards a performance liquid coolingsolution. If OCZ's reputation as a memory manufacturer has anything to dowith this little waterblock, then there's plenty in store for us. Let's getwet, intrepid readers. TechwareLabs s the Glacialtech Altair A381 Media Center PC Case @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-20-09] (0 Comments) Chris has a look at one of the nicest looking and most sleek Media Center PC cases we have tested. The Glacialtech Altair A381 comes with a built in VFD, front panel buttons, and even a remote control to round out the package. Ultimately the Altair A381 allows you to watch your favorite movies without ever leaving your couch. Click to see the Altair close up. ASUS Travelite HS-1000W Wireless Headset @ tweaktown.com [Feb-20-09] (0 Comments) Hot on the trail of their very impressive new Xonar sound cards, ASUS have just sent me some wireless headphones. Up until this point I was not aware that ASUS were in the headphone business, but with so many users, particularly gamers, needing a personal audio solution and also taking into account the trend towards wireless devices, it makes sense to see an offering in this category by arguably one of the largest manufacturers in the game. Offering an easily accessible retail price and a simple software-free installation, it will be interesting to see what ASUS have come up with in what will be my first ever headphones review for TweakTown. Hiyatek HY-HB-8700 USB-hub @ rbmods.com [Feb-20-09] (0 Comments) Hiyatek is one of the many manufacturers of USB-peripherals. Theirproducts range includes USB-hubs, USB-mobile racks, notebook coolers,thermal panels and other USB-related products. This time we got anopportunity to have a look at their 7-port USB hub. Rosewill Performance 650 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-20-09] (0 Comments) Performance 650 W (also called RP650-2) is a new power supply from Rosewill. Is this a good product? Can it really deliver 650 W? Let’s see. Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-19-09] (0 Comments) Thecombination of Creative chip and Auzentech PCB magic was been asuccess before with the likes of the X-Fi Prelude 7.1. That card fitteda normal PCI slot but today we have its successor which slots into thePCI-e instead. I give you the Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1; can this cardcarry on the success of its predecessor and even go further in terms ofsound quality and performance? Time to find out. M-ROCK's Extreme Zion Laptop & Camera Bag @ legitreviews.com [Feb-19-09] (0 Comments) M-ROCK is primarily a maker of a line of camera bags. The line extends from very small bags for things like phones and music devices to their new combination laptop and full DSLR kit backpacks, with many intermediate sized bags between. There are several styles and many sizes of bags to fit the needs of almost any photographer. All of the M-ROCK bags (beyond the very smallest sacks) are made of durable padded nylon materials with soft non-scratch interiors, have combinations of hook and loop, zippers, and buckle closures and feature multiple carrying options such as hand-held, belt attached, and shoulder straps... TechwareLabs s the NEXTAR I4-BC GPS @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-19-09] (0 Comments) With more and more people driving places, it is important for you to know where you are going. Today, RTM takes a look at the Nexus attempt to get you from point A to point B in style. Will RTM get where he wants to go, or will he end up 200 miles away in Georgia at five in the morning, unaware of how he got that far? LGA 1366 Heatsink Group Test @ bit-tech.net [Feb-19-09] (0 Comments) */So given the option, which would we choose? Well, as always it comes Corsair Dominator 1866C8 TEC - Peltier-cooled memories @ nordichardware.com [Feb-19-09] (0 Comments) Normally you don't even consider theheat coming from the memories. Some have more exclusive heatspreadersthan others, some even come with a fan setup, but overall they tend tojust work. But when you start packing high-density modules, raise thevoltage and start overclocking the effect becomes noticeable. Like withmost overclocking lower temperatures are preferred, thus Corsair'sPeltier cooling solution. Tuniq Potency 650W Power Supply @ bigbruin.com [Feb-19-09] (0 Comments) The Tuniq Potency 650W power supply is a no nonsense unit that will get the job done on a basic computer system without wasting your money on bells and whistles. It has decent features and specifications, was able to power the test configuration without issue, and it remains cool and quiet during operation. Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384 CPU Cooler @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-19-09] (0 Comments) Overclockers are always looking for the best CPU cooler made, and Benchmark Reviews has taken a new approach to determining this for them VisionTek Radeon HD 4870 X2 Redux @ thetechlounge.com [Feb-19-09] (0 Comments) =22Only after being bested by it could I ever hope to wield it's=85 Oh scre w it, it's just a video card. I mean, it's the best video card and all, an d definitely not for everybody. Actually, as you'll see, it's not really i ntended for mainstream gaming. You need a damn big display to really see t his card make frames. If you're looking to spend serious dollars for the b est gaming experience, you're set. If you want a video card that will no d oubt last years, here you go. But if you're reading this on anything less than a 24-inch display, an HD 4870 X2 is probably overkill.=22 The Complete Guide to Left 4 Dead @ bit-tech.net [Feb-18-09] (0 Comments) */It's the end of the world. Everyone but you and your small group of Gelid Solutions Wing 8 UV Case Fan @ legitreviews.com [Feb-18-09] (0 Comments) The Wing 8 uses patented nanoflux bearings inside their fan. Nanoflux bearings use a magnetic design and are able to run friction-free, extremely silent and could last for a very long time. The fan comes with a 5 year warranty, but I think that with the use of this technology it could last much longer. The Wing 8 is also UV responsive. Legit Reviews made a 39-second video showing the blue UV properties of our test fan. It does produce a nice blue color as it advertises on the package... TechwareLabs s the Silverstone Nvidia Edition TJ-10 Computer Case @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-18-09] (0 Comments) Today Ian takes a look at what happens when you put an award winning computer case in the hands of the most popular graphics card developer in the world. Will NVIDIA shock us all with their special edition of this already awesome case, or should they just stick to video cards? Join us as we find out. OCZ Vertex Series 120GB SSD Performance P - Indilinx makes an intro @ pcper.com [Feb-18-09] (0 Comments) The Indilinx Barefoot controller, based on a custom logic ARMprocessor, is doing nothing dramatically different than JMicron or Samsungor even Intel controllers; but it has proved itself to be a strongcompetitor for a first offering. In my initial preview testing the OCZVertex drive offers read speeds just slightly below that of the Intel X25-M80GB SSD but in most cases has a much faster write speed than the Inteldrive thanks in large part to the addition of 64MB of on-drive cache. Griffin Wave Case for the iPhone 3G ed @ thetechlounge.com [Feb-18-09] (0 Comments) =22As news from Apple's recent quarterly results showed, the demand for i Phones has never been higher. With almost 6.9 million phones sold worldwide from July through September, demand for the phone and its accessories are expected to skyrocket. Griffin is one of the biggest names in iPod and iPho ne cases, and with the release of the new iPhone 3G, Griffin is there to pr ovide several case options, including the Wave Case.=22 QNAP TS-509 Pro Turbo 5-Drive NAS Server @ tweaktown.com [Feb-18-09] (0 Comments) Today we are moving the spot light to NAS Servers with the QNAP TS-509 Pro. The 509 isn’t designed to sit in an enthusiast’s computer room, but many will eventually end up being used by power users like myself. If the Thecus N4100PRO impressed you with features, prepare to be blown away. The TS-509 Pro goes far beyond anything a normal consumer or prosumer would ever use under normal circumstances. The good thing is that QNAP has mastered ease of use when it comes to configuration. Many features that you may have passed off as unusable for your situation will eventually get used because they are just so easy in implement. As you can imagine, feature rich comes at a cost. After digging through the web I was able to find the QNAP TS-509 Pro Turbo NAS listed at MWAVE for 899 USD. For comparison Thecus makes a similar 5-drive NAS, the N5200PRO. The N5200PRO is a step above the N4100PRO and has a few more features, but not as many as the QNAP TS-509, with a 664 USD price to reflect that. Slidamat Platinum R - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) Inthe world of mouse mats, no matter what the specifications given, it'sall down to the materials used that determines the comfort levels, thesensitivity and the functionality of it. Once in a while a new materialis used for mouse mats that promises to bring something new to thetable. A manufacturer of conveyor belts, TechBelt has now come up witha mat of their own. It's slippery and slidey, it's called the Slidamat;let's check it out. NZXT Sentry LX at Modders-Inc @ modders-inc.com [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) Fan controllers are fairly simplistic by their nature, and as suchcan come off as [News] EagleTech Hard Drive Enclosure Roundup @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) On the bench today are three separate enclosures - one from the Wseries with E-SATA, one from the M series that can safely install a drive inseconds, and one from the T-Series, which caters to both IDE and SATA users- a great idea, in theory. Each enclosure has its own target market, it'sown set of strengths, weaknesses, and applications. Just the sort of thingsto pick at in a roundup! TechwareLabs s the CoolMax CU-950B Power Supply @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) The unsung hero of your system, the power supply which often goes unnoticed after installation is responsible for bringing all of your components to life. We take a look today at the CoolMax CU-950B power supply, some of the claims, its construction, and much more. This budget minded green friendly power supply could well suit your needs, but only if it passes our inspection. World-Exclusive:Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP 896 MB @ techpowerup.com [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) Palit's new GTX 260 Sonic 216 SP is based on NVIDIA's latest GT200b 55 nm graphics processor. Palit has chosen to go with a dual fan design for improved airflow and increased overclocking. Not only the thermal design has been changed but also the PCB design, which features several cost optimizations and comes in an appealing ATI-red. Kentech Labs Ps-Mi Portable Apple iPod Audio System @ legitreviews.com [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) With more than 173 million Apple iPods sold as of September 2008, the iPod has become a staple in households and offices around the World. Since the Apple iPod has become so popular many find themselves unable to part form them and take them to and from work, which means you have to have a way to listen to your large collection of music at both locations. Using headphones to listen to your music in the privacy of your own home does not really make sense, and transporting a docking station between multiple locations isn't going to happen. That leaves you with the option to buy a docking station for wherever you plan on listening to your music. With tough economic times you have to get certain 'bang for the buck,' and the Apple iPod universal docking station by Odio called PS-Mi might just be a winner from both an audio and price perspective... FSC Amilo Sa3650 laptop with Graphics Booster @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) As you will know; the primary purpose of laptops are for them to be carried around and used out and about, so they have to be small/light enough to be comfortably carried for long periods of time, and so consequently use a relatively low amount of power to have any chance at a decent runtime on battery. Because of this, they must make sacrifices and compromises when it comes to what calibre of hardware they can use. So for most laptops, gaming at decent resolutions/quality settings is out of the question as they have to use a basic integrated graphics card. contains G.a.p.p.y-T.e.x.t @ bit-tech.net [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) */The result is that F.E.A.R 2:Project Origin is just overwhelmingly predictable for the most part. The enemies are uninspiring, faceless clones -- even the ones that aren't supposed to be. The weapons are all just rebadged versions of the standard FPS arsenal, the bullet-time power has become a faded cliché and the characters are all unsympathetic cut-outs. Westone 3 Earphones @ techpowerup.com [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) The long awaited Westone 3s are finally here and they make quite an entry. Leaving the competition behind, these earphones set the pace. Using the first true three way cross over ever to be fitted in a universal style in-ears these set the standard when it comes to sound quality. Promolocker Promotional Product @ rbmods.com [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) Since I'm running a website I am always looking for good ways tomarket it. Online you can find funky kinds of stuff that you can get yourlogo on. Promolocker is one of these companies that offers various promotionproducts with your print on them. They have some products I have not seenbefore and they seem to also be able to create decent looking logos. Letshave a closer look at a USB flash drive and a wireless presenter from themand see how good they really are. EVGA GeForce GTX 295 @ nvnews.net [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) Priced at $504.99, the EVGA GeForce GTX 295 delivered average frame rates that were close to the GeForce 280 running in SLI. At the time this article was published, the cheapest GeForce GTX 280 was selling for $319. Two of them cost $638, which is a much more expensive configuration right off the bat. With an SLI configuration, additional costs are possible as the purchaser may require an SLI-enabled motherboard and also needs to consider the strength of their power supply and the number of PCI-E connections available. BFG LS Series Revisited @ jonnyguru.com [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) A little while ago, the Wolfster (that's me) took a look at somebrand new offerings from BFG, the LS series power supplies. Well, times havechanged and these units have changed too. A 450W model has been added, whilethe 550W model gets a new OEM in Enhance. Join me and we'll see if thechange was for the better. OCZ Summit Series 250GB SSD P - New Samsung MLC @ pcper.com [Feb-16-09] (0 Comments) The cache on the OCZ Summit drive is really what will help it standout from previous solid state offerings. While having cache on board withstandard hard drives has been the norm for many years, it was long thoughtthat the speed of flash memory negated the need to have dedicate memory ondrives for performance reasons. After all of our experience with JMicroncontroller and the very slow writes they were famous for, we have learnedthat cache is still a technology SSDs can take advantage of. TechwareLabs s the Gigabyte 512M 9800GT Video Card @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-16-09] (0 Comments) Following up on our budget friendly reviews of hardware worth your hard earned cash we take a look at the video card segment. Looking to upgrade your graphics prowess but you don't want to break the bank? Today, Jason D takes a look at the most economical performance upgrade, the 9800 GT. Will Gigabyte crush the competition with this 512MB powerhouse, or be left in the electrical dust? Read on to find out... Kingston HyperX T1 3GB & 6GB 2000MHz DDR3 Memory @ legitreviews.com [Feb-16-09] (0 Comments) Compared to more conventional heat spreaders, this HyperX T1 kit is much taller. You can see in the photos that there are plenty of ribs in the heat spreader to utilize every bit of airflow it can get. At 2000MHz, any extra cooling you can get is welcome to ensure that you maintain stability under an enormous load. Our kits today come set up with XMP, or Xtreme Memory Profile. By choosing one of the two XMP profiles in BIOS, your memory is automatically configured to run optimally on a Core i7 system. Our Kingston HyperX T1 kits have XMP profiles of either 1866MHz or 2000MHz.... How TIM Works & How To Apply It Correctly @ bit-tech.net [Feb-16-09] (0 Comments) */TIMs break down into two basic types. If you've bought a retail processor in the past, you'll probably be familiar with the thermal pad, which is a small square patch of phase-change material (one that changes state from solid to liquid according to temperature). At room temperature, it's solid or semi-solid, but once the CPU warms up, it softens to provide a thin, thermally conductive interface. OCZ 6GB Triple-Channel 1333 MHz DDR3 Memory Kit @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-16-09] (0 Comments) System memory is one of the most over-looked hardware components in computer systems, and with applications demanding greater memory Message-ID:MIME-Version:Thread-Index:Content-Language:X-Authenticated-Sender:X-BeenThere:X-Mailman-Version:Precedence:List-Id:List-Unsubscribe:List-Archive:List-Post:List-Help:List-Subscribe:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Sender:Errors-To:X-Mailer:X-Face; @ overclockersonline.net [Feb-16-09] (0 Comments) Often, when a product is marketed for a certain special feature, itsuffers in other aspects. The ATP EarthDrive is not one of those products.In addition to being the world's first recyclable USB drive, it alsoperforms well. With read speeds just shy of 30 MB/s and write speeds of 10MB/s, the EarthDrive is similar to other USB drives we've reviewed in thepast. Its small size also makes it easy to work with. Also, it's waterproof! AMD Phenom II 810 & 720 BE Processor Dry Ice Overclocking @ legitreviews.com [Feb-15-09] (0 Comments) The AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processor overclocked much better with Dry Ice cooling since the multiplier could be increased and the CPU voltage was able to go up to 1.90V in the BIOS since ASUS allows for higher voltages on the Black Edition processors. After playing around with the HT reference clock frequency and multiplier we managed to reach 4590MHz from the 2800MHz processor. This is 200MHz shy of a 2GHz overclock and is what we expect from Dry Ice cooling... PCPer Hardware Leaderboard @ pcper.com [Feb-14-09] (0 Comments) Here is our biggest change this month:the Mid-Range Leaderboard nowsports a shiny new Intel Core i7-920 processor! Along with that come someother changes like the inclusions of the MSI X58 Platinum motherboard and3GB of OCZ DDR3-1333 memory for an unbelievably low price after mail-inrebate. The slowest part on this system might be the GeForce 9800 GTX+graphics card so if you have some extra cash during your build that would becomponent I would look to replace. Zotac GeForce GTX 295 Video Card @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-14-09] (0 Comments) Let’s see the performance of the Zotac GeForce GTX 295, based on the currently most high-end GPUs from nVidia. SAPPHIRE HD 4670 GDDR4 @ modders-inc.com [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) Sapphire has a track recorded of taking the reference designs fromAMD/ATI and pushing them up a notch or two. The SAPPHIRE HD 4670 512MB GDDR4is another fine example of their hard work. ASUS M4A79T Deluxe Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) Using the same ASUS Triton 81 CPU Cooler that I used on the MSI DKA790GX Platinum motherboard the ASUS M4A79T Deluxe motherboard reached an HT clock frequency of 294MHz, which is 1MHz shy of our previous best for this specific AMD Phenom II X4 810 processor. This put the final clock frequency at 3.82GHz, which is an overclock of 1,222MHz. The ASUS M4A79T Deluxe was also able to run 8GB of Corsair DOMINATOR DDR3 memory at 1333MHz with CL9 timings like a champ. Even increasing the memory frequency up to 1600MHz the board would still run four 2GB DDR3 modules with no stability issues, which is a good sign that the BIOS is already pretty solid on this motherboard... Gigabyte GA-EP45T-Extreme Motherboard @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) Consumers are looking for value in when putting together their shopping list with increased frequency. These same consumers still continue to seek the best performance for their dollar. Gigabyte seeks to fill the motherboard best performance for your dollar segment with their GA-EP45T-Extreme motherboard. We show you how extreme this copper clad warrior is and compare it to the fastest rig available in the 3DMark Vantage test for a cost vs performance comparison. Who do you think the winner will be? Mophie Juice Pack - iPhone 3G @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) Got JUICE? Got an iPhone 3G that needs some extra kick in the power department? Get a Mophie Juice Pack and slap your iPhone in to get some juice on the go. Dan takes a look at the Mophie Juice Pack and lets you know what to expect from this product. Does it turn out to be the equivalent of a sippy pack or a jug o juice. Find out. Long-term performance analysis of Intel Mainstream SSDs @ pcper.com [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) Dozens of different scenarios were played out on our drives. XP /Vista installs, repeated application / game installs, batch copying offiles, and custom IOMeter access patterns were all liberally applied to theX25-M. Various combinations of the above all seemed to point to one commondenominator - all three of our SSDs suffered a drop in performanceregardless of the type of workload applied to them. The next sections willexplore the issues at hand while simultaneously addressing any steps thatcan be done to counter the effects at play. Antec 900 V2 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) TheAntec 900 was one of the most popular gaming cases released in the pastfew years. It was good looking, had great cooling and some interestingfeatures, and was even followed up by a little brother version, theAntec 300. Now though, Antec felt that it was time for a refresh, meetthe Antec 900 v2. It's got whopping cooling options, along with a niceside window, dust filters have been added and it still looks damn sexy.Let's see how it holds up in our testing. Technic3D/Corsair CMPSU-450HX @ technic3d.com [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) The Corsair CMPSU-450HX 450W PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next PSU Review with a high e fficiency. Make the 120mm double ball-bearing fan, 6x Serial ATA conne ctors and 2x 6+2 PEG connectors support this PSU better than other PSU s or the Corsair CMPSU-400CX 400W? Zotac GeForce GTX 295 1792 MB @ techpowerup.com [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) Zotac's GeForce GTX 295 comes with two NVIDIA GT200b GPUs sandwiched together in one graphics card. The card can successfully defeat ATI's HD 4870 X2 in our benchmarks and offers plenty of overclocking headroom beyond that. Thanks to the 55 nm GPU design and clever power saving methods the card even delivers in the performance per Watt segment. [News] CoolerMaster Silent Pro-M 600w Power Supply @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) It may only be flexing 600 Watts. And, it may not look like it hasanything special underneath that clean, sexy, black exterior. But, theCoolerMaster Silent Pro M 600W Power Supply does have some extra horse powerhiding underneath the hood. This is why I suggested having a look at thetest results before running off to buy a 700 Watt PSU. The Silent Pro M 600Wis like a 5 Reasons I'm Holding Out on Canon's 5D Mark II @ thetechlounge.com [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) =22The Canon 5D Mark II brought with it another revolution, though it wasn' t quite as universally praised, and it also wasn't the first. Video. In a D SLR. The D90 was first to this game, but Canon seems to have done a better job of it. There's more to it than just video, of course, but here's 5 reas ons I'm holding out on Canon's 5D Mark II... and 5 reasons I can't wait to stop waiting.=22 House of the Dead:Overkill interview @ bit-tech.net [Feb-13-09] (0 Comments) */*BT:* //Are you at all worried that someone like The Daily Mail is going to pick the idea up and make a big controversy out it? AMD Phenom II AM3 X4 810 2.6GHz Quad-Core CPU @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-12-09] (0 Comments) AMD, creator of the Phenom labeled processors, finally releases their X4 810. We are very excited about this product because it is focused towards lower costs for the consumer without sacrificing performance. Take a look as Matt tests it, and tells us whether or not it will make the cut into the TechwareLabs hall of fame. Microsoft Zune @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-11-09] (0 Comments) Review of the Zune 4, Microsoft's 2nd generation digital music player. Zalman GS1000 Full-Tower Case ed @ thetechlounge.com [Feb-11-09] (0 Comments) You want a big, breezy, E-ATX case. You've gone over your floor plans, mov ed the furniture around, checked the availability of outlets, and made sure the space next to your desk can withstand the weight. Good. You're ready . There are only a few options that don't look like recycled server equi pment, and Zalman's got their entry. Of course, these enclosures get expen sive. This particular case's appeal is that it's not that expensi ve. It's available for less than =24200, but it's got the slick looks and volume of cases that cost another fifty or more. So we know that something 's left out of this case; the Cosmos has all kinds of NVIDIA ESA hardware, that adds to the sticker, but the Zalman 1000 has a SATA hot-swap cage, tho se probably add about the same build costs. What's been overlooked? Const ruction, or fit-and-finish?=22 AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition CPU HDZ940XCGIBOX @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-11-09] (0 Comments) Nearly every enthusiast who has overclocked a computer system has wished that processors weren't restricting them from the hobby they AMD's Phenom II 810, 805, 720 & 710 socket AM3 processors @ bit-tech.net [Feb-11-09] (0 Comments) */Finally, AMD is mostly lacking stock - right now, even a few days after release you still can't buy any of these CPUs - that's a mirroring of the Athlon X2 7750 and Phenom II X4 940/920 launches where actual product was unavailable for several weeks. We seriously hope AMD rectifies this soon, because it only gives Intel more chance to fill the gap. Intel Atom 330 Dual-core Processor @ pcper.com [Feb-11-09] (0 Comments) The performance results for the Atom 330 processor are actually veryimpressive - in a lot of our tests the scaling percentages from a singlecore to the dual-core CPU are approaching or over 100%! Of course, it helpswith the applications we are benchmarking with are basically starved forprocessing power with any of derivative of the Atom or Nano processor sothat every additional floating point operation available is quickly gobbledup. Technic3D/2PCOM PS1264U Cooler @ technic3d.com [Feb-11-09] (0 Comments) The 2PCOM PS1264U CPU Heatsink arrived Technic3D. HTC technolo gy (Heat-pipe Touch Chip), 120mm PWM Fan, 4x 6mm Heatpipes and PILLAR Technology can you see in the following Review compared with Zalman, T itan Cooling and many more. Intel 32nm Westmere CPU and Roadmap Updates @ pcper.com [Feb-11-09] (0 Comments) This slide shows the design of the first 32nm Westmere product thatuses two physical chips on a single substrate - the processor cores arebuilt on the 32nm process technology while the graphics and memorycontroller are built on the current 45nm technology. While it might seemodd to see a mix of both 32nm and 45nm products on the same chip, we shouldnote that the graphics chip is actually seeing a drop from 65nm to 45nmprocess. Intel 32nm Westmere Desktop Processor Roadmap Exposed @ legitreviews.com [Feb-11-09] (0 Comments) The first Intel 32nm Westmere products will feature both a processor core and an integrated graphics & integrated memory controller on a single processor. What makes this design so interesting is that the processor core is 32nm and that the memory controller and integrated memory controller are on a separate 45nm die. Intel has perfected the 45nm process since they have been doing it so long they have made the gates inside the processor perform better. Since the integrated graphics and memory controller is located on a separate die it is rumored that you can adjust the power settings and clock frequencies better than on one die. Intel took their current 65nm integrated graphics technology and shrunk it down to 45nm and added all the performance tweaks to get even more performance... TechwareLabs Editorial:What is Memory and How it is Used? Memory Hierarchy Explained. @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-10-09] (0 Comments) Your out buying a processor and RAM, and you keep hearing this word memory being thrown around. Everything from your processor, to your RAM, and even your video card has memory. Why do you need so much and what are the differences in the memory? Join Brad as we take a look at the hierarchy of computer memory. AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE Black Edition CPU @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-10-09] (0 Comments) Three is a number not normally associated with processors, although it's actually gaining momentum thanks to Intel's triple-channel Thermaltake ElementS (VK6000) Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-10-09] (0 Comments) ElementS is a high-quality steel mid-tower case from Thermaltake, bringing interesting features such as two 2.5” hard disk drive bays. Let’s take a look on this new case. Coolermaster Silent Pro M600 Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Feb-10-09] (0 Comments) It's been a little while since we last looked at a Coolermasterunit here at the site, but at long last I'm looking at one today:the SilentPro M600. This is a modular 600W unit that promises 600 watts of good cleanpower while not making a lot of noise in the process. Let's see if it candeliver. [News] UPDATED!:Seagate 7200.11 Drive Issues @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-10-09] (0 Comments) At first, I was told that I would have to attempt the firmwareupdate on my own, and that Seagate would only replace the drive if thatfailed. After I commented that their website specifically recommends *not*to attempt to update the firmware on your own, as they have a warrantyreplacement program for just such a situation, I got a much differentanswer. A quick break on hold, and I was then instructed to simply followthe online instructions for returning a drive. Thermaltake MaxOrb EX @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) Improving on the design of their previous monster performance cooler the MaxOrb, Thermaltake has released the MaxOrb EX which promises even better performance in a shiny new all copper package. Will copper make the difference and is this new cooler worth the price tag? Mike Takes the MaxOrb EX out for a spin and compares the two monster coolers on the same platform to bring you the results. Scythe Kama Bay - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) Todaygoing under scrutiny at XSReviews is one of the less sought-afterproducts in the enthusiast hardware industry, something expected tocome with your case – a card reader. However, this is not simply a bogstandard card reader but in fact a multi-function controller and mediacard reader, or so the manufacturer describes it as. Let’s see whetherthis product is all it’s cracked up to be. Time to introduce theproduct in question; I give you the Scythe Kama Panel. Cooler Master HAF 932 (RC-932) Full Tower @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) “There is no doubt the Cooler Master HAF932 is a very good case, it is huge, which makes building in it nice and easy and I believe it would take a substantial water cooling set up internally. It’s built like a tank, it has fairly striking looks without going too far and it has a lot of nice features, like the hole for the fill port and the front mount E-sata connector and of course that cooling which is very quiet but incredibly effective. AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE & Phenom II X4 810 Processor @ legitreviews.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) The AMD Phenom II X4 810 is an interesting processor in that it is locked and has a multiplier of 13x with a default HT clock frequency (bus speed) of 200MHz. With multiplier options ending at 13x I figured I'd just see how high I could crank up the bus speed till the processor needed more voltage. Without touching any other option in the BIOS other than the HT clock frequency I managed to hit 3.32GHz! This is a 715MHz overclock for doing nothing more than adjusting a single setting in the BIOS! The AMD Phenom II X4 810socket AM3 processor really comes to life at 3.3GHz... Lian Li PC-C36 Muse HTPC Case @ bigbruin.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) The Lian Li PC-C36 Muse HTPC case is a very well made case that has a lot of nice features. Its brushed black anodized aluminum construction is not only clean and elegant, it looks at home in the typical home entertainment center. It's clear Lian Li never intended this case to house one of the more powerful graphics cards, but that's not really an issue in the HTPC market segment. Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200S Processor @ legitreviews.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) Seeing the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor (4MB Cache, 2.33 GHz, 1333MHz FSB) trade blows with the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor (8M Cache, 2.40 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB) was very impressive. Why is that impressive? Back in 2007 when the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor was launched it cost $851 in 1,000 quantities. When the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 was released it was available for just $245 in 1,000 quantities. The actual street price today on an Intel Q8200 is just $169.99, so you are getting a great performing chip at a fraction of what it cost just two years ago. Not to mention that the processor we looked at today was built on a newer 45nm processor, uses less power since it is a 65W TDP part and is even more environmentally friendly thanks to being halide and lead free... Sunbeamtech Mini-ITX Acrylic Case @ rbmods.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) Small computers is the word in today's world. Asus EEE series andMSI:s Wind PC are very common in thin-client business. However it's possibleto build your own mini sized computer. Keyparts are mini-itx motherboard andmini-itx case. Today we will take a look at Sunbeamtech's Mini-ITX Acryliccase which is designed for HTPC:s. Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720 @ pcper.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) The X4 810 is a nice part which will make quite a few folks happy.It does not run really hot, it does not pull all that much power, and itcertainly performs well considering the price it is at. In most tests, incomparing to previous results from the Phenom 9950, it was about 5% fasteroverall than its predecessor at that same speed. It does hold 2x the L3cache as the 9950, and the extra internal tweaks are likely to help as well.Currently it is one of only a few chips that will fit in AM3 motherboards,so if a user who is adamant about buying an AM3 platform they have no otherchoice if they want a quad core. OCZ's Apex 120GB SSD @ bit-tech.net [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) */Value wise the Apex is also a little disappointing. While weappreciate that cutting edge tech always carries a premium, the cost pergigabyte of the Apex at ¢G2.87 in comparison to the G.Skill Titan¡¦s¢G1.83 doesn¡¦t make it as appealing (if you can ever call that sort ofprice per Gigabyte appealing!), although it¡¦s still a lot better thanthe ¢G4.50 per Gigabyte Intel charges for its 80GB X25-M. Thermalright TRUE Copper @ pro-clockers.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) Thermalright has never been one to be out done by anyone when itcomes to air coolers. One of their newer coolers is not going to be out donewith it comes to weight. The TRUE Copper is the heaviest cooler we have everhad in our labs here at PC. The new TRUE weighs in at a whooping 1900g. Thatis over four pounds of pure copper weighing down on your motherboard.Special precautions should be made in order to use this mammoth on amotherboard standing in a upward position, but this is not what we areconcerned about. What we want to know today is it worth the $100 plus askingprice many retailers are asking. AMD Phenom II X4 810 AM3/AM2+ Processor @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) The Dragon platform is AMDs last hope for success in a time when financial ruin is destroying every business on the planet. Perhaps the has too many raw illegal characters @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-07-09] (0 Comments) Yes, I can! A laptop with three or four LCD screens! It would work like this. When closed, the laptop would be just like a regular laptop. When opened you could nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-07-09] (0 Comments) A table comparing the basic technical specs from all nVidia graphics chips available on the market, from GeForce 4 MX 440 AGP 8x to GeForce GTX 295. Updated to include GeForce GTX 285 and GTX 295. NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision @ legitreviews.com [Feb-07-09] (0 Comments) NVIDIA Stereoscopic 3D has come out with guns blazing and it looks good, real good! It is a shame that the economy is doing badly, but economies like that of America thrive off consumer spending and launching a product like this might be perfect to get people out and spend some money. You have to see it to fully understand how great gaming in 3D is, but I can honestly say that it is the best thing to happen in gaming in years. If you are getting bored of PC gaming in general 3D gaming will invigorate your gaming appetite and make you wonder why it took this many years to come to market... TechwareLabs s the NZXT Whisper - Silent Computer Case @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-06-09] (0 Comments) Shhh... Do you hear that? It's the Whisper by NZXT. Join Chris today as TechwareLabs takes a look at what is perhaps the quietest case on the market. Can the Whisper quietly live up to its name or will it run screaming on to the list of hypocrisy. Badaboom Media Converter v1.1.1 @ legitreviews.com [Feb-06-09] (0 Comments) Just yesterday Elemental Technologies released a second update to Badaboom Media Converter with release v1.1.1. This version fixes 12 bugs and also adds new features like FRAPS support for gamers that record demos and a new 960x540 resolution for Apple TV users. Legit Reviews asked Elemental Technologies to think about including FRAPS support in December as I thought that gamers and enthusiasts would see a value in being able to easily record and format movies for social networking sites like YouTube. It is a great feeling to see your ideas come to life, so let's take a look at the latest version of Badaboom Media Converter... Coolermaster V10 Hybrid T.E.C. Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Feb-06-09] (0 Comments) The V10 offers many more features than the V8. The first would be theadditional capabilities of cooling your ram while taking care of the CPU.Sitting atop a second set of aluminum fins is a 120mm cooling fan whenplaced properly blows right over your DIMM slots. We saw this in the Geminicooler as well. This kind of cooler eliminates the need to deal with extrafans for ram cooling. Yet the most beneficial feature of the V10, if usedright, is the T.E.C. base. With the right amount of heat to activate thethermal electric plate that is attached to the base of the cooler, the V10is posed to offer a new level of performance and cooling and is capable oftaming the most voltage hungry processor. [News] In Win Commander 850w Power Supply @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-06-09] (0 Comments) Based on the same standards, the In-Win Commander 850 Watt PowerSupply can easily handle your loftiest power requirements. At 100% load, thePSU produces power rails just above spec which earns it a spot on my ExtremeGamer Approved list. The all important 12V rails remained 12.07 or abovewhich is all you can expect from this mean, green gaming machine. However, Idid manage to find an extra 35 Watts under that militant exterior which wasstill supported by at least 11.97 Volts. The Dark Side of Overdrive @ bit-tech.net [Feb-06-09] (0 Comments) */Faster is always better. Thanks to that simple philosophy, LCD pixel * XSs Anniversary Competition @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-05-09] (0 Comments) HappyBirthday XSReviews! To celebrate our 3rd anniversary in thereview game, we've got a shed load of prizes to give away to our forummembers. The rules are simple, just signupfor an account if you haven't done so already, and post 5 timesanywhere on the forums. That's it. We got gaming mice, mats, PSU,router and plenty of other bits. You don't want to miss this one. Dymo LabelWriter Twin Turbo @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-05-09] (0 Comments) Whether you have to print one label or 1000 labels, the DYMO LabelWriter could be the product for you. Join Ilya as TechwareLabs takes a look at what this Twin Turbo model has to offer. Will we grow an unhealthy addiction to printing labels or will it sit around collecting dust? Read on to find out... NOX Coolbay HX Case & APEX 700W @ techpowerup.com [Feb-05-09] (0 Comments) Yes, the Coolbay HX looks similar to the Antec 900, but this chassis from NOX manages to score with additional features, a nice interior paint job and better cooling, making it a choice to be taken very seriously, especially considering the price point. How to Install Windows 7 within your existing OS @ w7forums.com [Feb-05-09] (0 Comments) Trying out Windows 7 isn’t quite as difficult as you may think, as you don’t need to wipe or dual boot your existing Vista/XP installation to try out the new Microsoft operating system. It is entirely possible to run Windows 7 from within your existing Windows installation, at the cost of reduced performance. All of this is thanks to virtualisation technologies which allow you to run a computer within a computer.There is a downside to this, as a virtualised PC normally uses emulated hardware – so the graphics card used to power Windows 7 will be nowhere near as good as a modern gaming card. This means you won’t be able to play recent games within the virtualised installation, but it is more than adequate for testing and playing with the new OS. XFX GeForce 9800 GT 512MB XXX Edition @ bit-tech.net [Feb-05-09] (0 Comments) */Despite packing performance that's a good few frames per second faster NZXT Zero 2 Case @ rbmods.com [Feb-05-09] (0 Comments) When I choose a computer case, I typically am drawn towards a coupleof things:good looks and cool features that will make building and usingthe computer enjoyable. NZXT, makers of a wide variety of computerproducts, sent us a sample of one of their new cases, the NZXT Zero 2mid-tower computer case, which claims to combine stylish looks with extremecooling capabilities Can their case live up to these lofty claims? Let'sfind out in this case review. Enermax Pro 82 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-04-09] (0 Comments) WhenEnermax contacted us regarding reviewing a power supply for them,we were pleasantly surprised. With such a prime range of PSUs, it’sdifficult to see why Enermax would release yet another series of units.However this was made clearer after doing some research…price. All ofEnermax’s units top the £60 bracket, but the Pro 82+ series is aimedmore so at the low-mid range and the price reflects this. But by stillmaintaining price, Enermax boasts that the Pro 82 range providesoutstanding efficiency and a quiet fan. Let’s see how this 425w unitholds up. Gelid Silent Spirit LGA 1366 CPU Cooler @ legitreviews.com [Feb-04-09] (0 Comments) The latest trend in heatsink design has been to add more heatpipes, more fins, and make everything wider and taller. GELID's Silent Spirit flips this concept on its side with a small heatsink with an unusual design and unique fin shape. With a 100mm fan spinning on average around 1600RPM, 46 max CFM, and only 370g of material, the Gelid Silent Spirit CPU Cooler hopes to pack a lot of punch in a very light frame. It weighs less than half of the popular Thermalright Ultra 120, clears every motherboard I could mount it to, and is silent to boot... 3 Year Old G71M Notebook GPU Gets A New Refresh - VR-Zone @ vr-zone.com [Feb-04-09] (0 Comments) Nvidia recently informed their partners that they will be producing G71M-T [News] Intel i7 965 Processor & DX58SO "Smackover" Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-04-09] (0 Comments) Obviously, where the i7 system really excels is currently the moreprofessional content creation folks. (That's right, I called youprofessionals.) These are the audio, video, and graphic rendering folks whothrive on faster compilation and rendering times. This also includes userswho like encoding their movies to other media formats like DivX and iPodplayers. CC enthusiasts are definitely going to enjoy the fastermulti-tasking performance. I guess the only other noticeable results will bethe squabbling as you wait for your aging ROM drive to catch up. Asrock A780FullHD AM2+ @ pro-clockers.com [Feb-04-09] (0 Comments) Our friends at Asrock have sent us one of their newest micro ATXboards labeled as the A780FullHD. The A780FullHD is the powerhouse that willsit atop your desktop as your everyday rig or can be placed in your HTPCcase and serve as the focal of your entertainment center. The A780FullHD hasall the features of a standard size mainboard but in a small package. Theselist of features are four DIMM slots, six SATA port with raid support anddual video display option. The A780FullHD is looking to be a relief for thebudget minded buyer. Home Theatre PC Buyer's Guide - Q1 2009 @ bit-tech.net [Feb-04-09] (0 Comments) */We've been interested in HTPCs for certainly the last few years andhave been covering integrated graphics motherboards with the emphasis ofusing them in these scenarios for the last year, testing importantfactors like power consumption, HD capability and video quality. Hardware Buyer's Guide for February 2009 @ bit-tech.net [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) */It's certainly been a busy month is the world of enthusiast hardware, NZXT Cryo LX Vs. Vizo miniNinja 2 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) Nexton the review agenda at XSReviews are notebook coolers. However notjust one but two, ready to go head to head to see which is the betterin terms of value, style and performance. The contenders are:the VizoNinja II and the NZXT Cryo LX. It’s time to find a victor so let’s getstarted. ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) In the world of motherboard makers, they just don't get any bigger than ASUS. Over the past year the company has grown by leaps and bounds. They have always offered a value priced motherboard with a good selection of features and stability, and at the same time they build in overclocking must haves. The last couple of years we've seen a number of enthusiast motherboards, but none have offered more than ASUS. They keep building in more and more features to cater to overclockers. It's to this end that we have the ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm... EVGA X58 SLI Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) EVGA, a traditional nVidia partner, decided to manufacture a motherboard based on Intel X58 chipset. Let’s take an overall look on this high-end motherboard for Core i7 processors. Ikonik Ra X10 SIM @ techpowerup.com [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) The Ra X10 SIM case is the company's flagship model, featuring the unique software controllable fans and thermal monitoring system for the 13 included cooling fans. On top of that you will be able to stuff the Ra X10 with 10 hard drives, an eATX motherboard, multiple GPUs and a full compliment of external drives - with room to breath. AKAI ADPF10x LCD Digital Picture Frame - Video @ tweaktown.com [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) AKAI's ADPF10x 4:3 picture frame is not only that - it also has video playback support with sound through its two built-in 2 watt speakers. It is able to playback MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG3 and MPEG4 video codecs on its screen, which is capable of a workable but less than stellar 640 x 480 resolution. It will also playback your MP3s, but no other audio formats. As far as image support goes, only JPEG is supported. On this side of the frame is the area where the unit gets it storage and connectivity. From the top we have a Compact Flash port, then it's a USB SilverStone Fortress FT01 Case @ modders-inc.com [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) SilverStone is becoming one of the best know manufactures for topof the line cases with their ever so creative and innovative ideas. Thistime SilverStone has come up with a positive air flow case know as theFortress FT01. Designed with the positive air pressure concept, it enablesbetter cooling performance than traditional chassis but also helps toprevent dust from penetrating into the chassis. Corsair Dominator 6GB DD3 Memory Kit TR3X6G1600C8D @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) Today, we at Benchmark Reviews will be presenting our findings for the Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D memory kit which is a 6144 MB kit of 1600 Burnout Paradise:Ultimate Box @ bit-tech.net [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) */The action in Burnout Paradise:Ultimate Box is as good as it's ever OCZ Platinum DDR3-1333 Triple Channel @ pro-clockers.com [Feb-02-09] (0 Comments) DDR3 has been around for some time, but with the changing of socketsand newer north bridges there is no choice but to get DDR3 if you want toupgrade to the current standards. If you want the onboard memory controllerof the X58 chipset you will want a kit of triple channel DDR3. The firsttriple channel kit we will be testing here at Pro-Clockers will be from ourfriends at OCZ. We received a kit from the Platinum series rated at 1333MHz. Noctua NH-C12P CPU cooler @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Feb-02-09] (0 Comments) Once it was fitted it was practically silent in operation without either the Low Noise Adapter or the Ultra Low Noise Adapter, with those fitted I couldn’t hear the fan on the NH-C12P at all above the other fans in my set up which isn’t at all noisy. Raidsonic's Icy Box IB-NAS4220-B network storage @ bit-tech.net [Feb-02-09] (0 Comments) */For SOHO or personal and family use, the Icy Box IB-NAS4220-B is pretty nippy and plentiful for the majority of people who are after just a plain two disk NAS. With 2TB hard disks just released, having a potential of 4TB at your disposal should be enough for all but the most prolific porn data collectors. It's a bit noisy, so in a particularly quiet room you'll certainly notice it is on, but it's no better or worse than the alternatives and it still looks great, works great and for the price we'd certainly opt to get one./* HIS Radeon HD 4670 IceQ graphics card @ bit-tech.net [Feb-02-09] (0 Comments) */With that said though, picking up a mid range graphics card like the Hiper Type M 1000W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Feb-02-09] (0 Comments) I've looked at several Hiper power supplies in my time here atjonnyGURU.com, and some have been better than others. Today, I'm looking atthe brand new Type M 1000W unit; Hiper's first foray into the kilowattjungle. Let's now find out if this one is a hit or a miss. Spire SP331CB USB CombiPod Card Reader @ rbmods.com [Feb-02-09] (0 Comments) Nowadays you can find memorycards almost everywhere. Digital cameras,mp3 players, PDA:s , mobile phones and even some laptops use them as theirstorage device. Having a card reader in your computer can boost datatransferring from the memory card significantly. Spire has provided us theirnewest USB2 card reader which we will have a look. [News] Editorial:Seagate 7200.11 Drive Issues @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-31-09] (0 Comments) Now however, there is talk of more problems with the 7200.11 series.The 1TB and 500GB versions seem to be ones most often affected. Problemsinclude, but are not limited to a BFG Tech's GeForce GTX 285 OCX graphics card @ bit-tech.net [Jan-31-09] (0 Comments) */BFG Tech has ticked most of the boxes on our checklist with its GeForce GTX 285 OCX graphics card - its clock speed increases are impressive, there's still headroom for overclocking, performance is excellent, the after sales service has a proven track record and it's the fastest single GPU graphics card we've ever tested. But all of this comes at a price and sadly that cost is just too much when you look at the wider market in the UK. SilverStone Fortress FT01 Mid-Tower Case @ pcper.com [Jan-31-09] (0 Comments) The SilverStone Fortress FT01 is a beautiful mid-tower enclosure.The all aluminum build quality is excellent resulting in a light weight, yetsturdy case. The FT01 comes with three high quality case fans that producepositive air pressure and deliver excellent cooling with very little noisewhile helping to keep dust out. For a mid-tower case the FT01 offers a lotof storage space but working inside the enclosure and routing cables canbecome quickly cramped if your build includes multiple graphic adapters andmore than three HDDs. And yes, the Fortress FT01 is relatively expensivebut you get what you pay for. Jays c-Jays Headphones @ techpowerup.com [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) Swedish headphone manufacturer Jays recently released the much anticipated c-Jays supra-aural headphones. Their slim design together with a customizable sound signature has made quite a stir amongst the headphone crowd. SimpleTech [Re]Drive - 500GB External Hard Drive @ techwarelabs.com [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) If you have a lot of important data that you need to back up, you need an external hard drive. I know exactly what youre thinking:why not help out your planet while you back up your information? Well now you can. Join Will as we take a look at the energy-efficient, resource-conscious external hard drive made with renewable, naturally grown bamboo and recyclable aluminum. And its got 500GB of storage priced less than the drive alone costs to boot. But will the energy efficiency affect the drives performance? Join us as we take a closer look. Thecus N4100PRO NAS @ legitreviews.com [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) The Thecus N4100PRO uses an AMD Geode LX800 processor and 256MB of DDR memory for powerful data-processing capabilities. The N4100PRO has the capacity for four 3.5 HIS 4670 IceQ - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) Recentlywe've been reviewing some pretty high end graphics cards, andwhile it's all well and good checking out the £100 plus fair, the realmoney is made for the manufacturers in the budget, to mid range cards.So, if you're looking at the current generation of ATI's GPUs, andanything with 4 and 8 at the start of the name is too much for you,perhaps the 4670 from HIS is up your street; let's test it and findout. Energizer Zinc Air Prismatic Battery @ legitreviews.com [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) The Zinc Air system requires oxygen from the air as “fuel” to operate. The air access holes under the tape have been included to support the maximum rate capability of the battery. When the battery tab is removed, the battery is “fully open”. The rate of oxygen flow required is proportional to the discharge rate. Therefore, limiting the amount of air access to a zinc air battery can increase the useful life of the battery from 1 – 3 months with no air management to 1 – 2 years using air management. The Energizer PP355 battery has an air requirement of 1.3 cc air/min @ 25 mA, so there is a minimum amount needed for the battery to operate. By using air as fuel it will leave design companies with the ability to custom tailor a battery to their device, which is very innovative... On Our Desk gadget roundup @ bit-tech.net [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) */Card readers are a generally quite boring product. They're all the same as one another, with hardly any innovation and each one with the same boxy design to them. G.Skill's F3-12800CL8T-6GBHK Tri-Channel DDR3 memory @ bit-tech.net [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) */If we are going by US prices, at the end of the day we think the G.Skill F3-12800CL8T-6GBHK with its Samsung HCF0 ICs have slightly more overhead than the Elpida-based Corsair DHX+ modules we looked at earlier this week - if your Core i7 CPU can stretch, the memory should accommodate. It may not have anything like the funky and more importantly, moddable (but also patented), DHX+ heatsinks on the Corsair but a case with good airflow should keep the G.Skill cool enough. Moreover, they have a lifetime warranty to cover mishaps and being low profile they're less likely to chance interference with a large CPU heatsink. XSs Competition - 1 week left @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) HappyBirthday XSReviews! To celebrate our 3rd anniversary in thereview game, we've got a shed load of prizes to give away to our forummembers. The rules are simple, just sign up for an account if youhaven't done so already, and post 5 times anywhere on the forums.That's it. We got gaming mice, mats, PSU, router and plenty of otherbits. You don't want to miss this one. ASRock N7AD-SLI Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) This N7AD-SLI motherboard from ASRock certainly had potential to be what it was created to be:an affordable enthusiast board that, while not a top dog, would be a great overclocker, and a board that would allow for upgrades like SLI. Performance on this board was decent, but we were left wondering how much better it would have been if we had not had the limitations that we had in setting our DDR timings... InWin Commander 850W PSU @ techwarelabs.com [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) Looking for something to power that rig? Is that five year old 300 Watt Power Supply just not cutting it? Today we look at something that will have no problem handling all your components. Join Erik as we let the InWin Commander take command of our computer. Hiyatek HB-8700 7-Port USB Hub @ bigbruin.com [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) If you find yourself contemplating what to unplug each time you want to use a different USB device, perhaps it is time to pick up a hub. A unit like the Hiyatek HB-8700 7-Port USB hub will provide you much greater connectivity without taking up much space, while offering the convenience of a vertical or horizontal installation. Tagan SuperRock 680W TG680-U33II @ techpowerup.com [Jan-29-09] (0 Comments) The Tagan SuperRock 680W is a great power supply for budget aware users who are looking for a cost effective way to power their system. With 680W it should be good for almost everything you can throw at it. During our testing we found out that the PSU is running very quiet which makes it a good candidate for a silent media PC system, too. Enermax Liberty ECO 500 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-29-09] (0 Comments) The new Liberty ECO series from Enermax comes to replace their popular Liberty DXX series. Is Liberty ECO 500 W a good product? Check it out. Laptops vs. Desktops @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-29-09] (0 Comments) Will Laptops Ever Replace Desktops? This is a recurring question and it seems that everyone has his or her own opinion on this matter. Let me share mine. OCZ Apex 120GB SSD OCZSSD2-1APX120G @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-29-09] (0 Comments) OCZ may not have created the Solid State Drive, but they've done more to bring SSD technology mainstream than any other company in the Cyber E-Sport Orbita Mouse @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-28-09] (0 Comments) The Orbita looks far different from your traditional mouse and movesa lot different. The Orbita is a completely circular mouse that can move themouse pointer simply by twisting the mouse in a circle to get to the top andbottom of your document or web page. The Orbita sits on a ball bearing basethat allows the unit to be rotated continuously forever. This new conceptlooks to be promising when it comes to everyday computing and working aroundgraphic applications like CAD and other production software, but I want toknow how well it works in a game. XFX 9800GT 512MB - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-28-09] (0 Comments) Consideringhow long it took XSR to get it's first high end graphicscard review, it's interesting that they are now one of our mostoft-reviewed pieces of hardware. Not to be the exception to the rule isour recently acquired 9800GT from XFX. The smaller brother of the morewell known GTX branding, the GT saw excellent sales during the 8 seriesfor it's high end performance, with lower end price tag. Let's see ifincreasing the initial number by 1 makes much of a difference. Thermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 750W Power Supply @ modders-inc.com [Jan-28-09] (0 Comments) Today we look at Thermaltakes Toughpower Cable Management 750WPSU. The Toughpower 750w is a modular power supply with simple clean look.It is SLI ready with a large 14cm fan keeping it cool and rated for 80% plusefficiency. Read on as we take this power supply and find out if it has whatit takes to power your system. OCZ Apex Series 250GB Solid State Drive @ pcper.com [Jan-28-09] (0 Comments) Probably the most interesting part of the OCZ Apex drive is the factthat it uses not one, but rather a pair, of the JMicron JMF602 controllers.Yes, these controllers are somewhat notorious for performance issuesincluding stuttering and pausing but they are cheap and allow OCZ to offerdrives with larger capacity than what MLC Samsung-based drives andIntel-based drives offer. In order to attempt to address these performancecomplaints the Apex series uses a PAIR of the controllers with an internalRAID-0 configuration. Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook Computer ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jan-28-09] (0 Comments) =22The default Windows XP configuration comes in at =24399, and has 512MB o f RAM and an 8GB solid state drive (SSD, they're flash-based, like your i Pod nano or iPhone). For =2450 more you can upgrade to a 16GB SSD and 1GB o f RAM. Its more expensive than the comparable netbooks from Asus or Acer, t hough the lack of Windows XP configurations that closely match the Dell mak e a direct price comparison difficult since both Asus and Acer netbooks th at come with Windows XP come with 120GB or 160GB hard disk drives, compared to the SSD in the Dell Mini 9.=22 Abandonware:The Ethics and Essentials @ bit-tech.net [Jan-28-09] (0 Comments) */As PC gamers, we tend to be as much about the good games of old as the Scythe's Fenris Wolf chassis @ bit-tech.net [Jan-28-09] (0 Comments) */Despite its silent performance though, we're still far from convinced Dawn of War 2 multiplayer beta impressions @ bit-tech.net [Jan-27-09] (0 Comments) */What I'm trying to say here is that Dawn of War 2's multiplayer beta ASUS M4A79T Deluxe Motherboard Pictures - Socket AM3 @ legitreviews.com [Jan-27-09] (0 Comments) While we've had a number of engineering sample motherboards floating around our test bench in recent weeks the ASUS M4A79T Deluxe motherboard is the first retail motherboard to show up at our door step. The ASUS M4A79T Deluxe motherboard packaging states that it is designed for the new AMD AM3 processor series. It also says that the board uses 100% Japan-made solid capacitors that have a VRM of 57 years at 65C as well as other features like anti-surge protection, DDR3 Memory, Quad CrossFireX, Express Gate, and an 8+2 phase power design. It is clear that this AMD 790FX chipset powered board is loaded with a ton of interesting features, so let's open the box and see what it comes with... Zotac GeForce GTX 285 & GTX 295 @ techgage.com [Jan-27-09] (0 Comments) When NVIDIA released their GTX 285 and 295 earlier thismonth, they successfully reclaimed the performance crown for bothsingle and dual-GPU graphics cards. We're finally putting both of thesemodels through our grueling testing, in both single card and SLIconfigurations, to see just how much value can be had when compared toprevious offerings. First Look:SilverStone's Raven RV01 case @ bit-tech.net [Jan-27-09] (0 Comments) The odd thing about the Raven is that it doesn’t even showoff itsinnovation very well. The side window is modest, and not positionedwell to show off your ‘crazy’, vertically aligned expansion cards.Given that this is an interesting and key innovation of the case, it’srather odd that the window doesn’t make more of a big deal of thevertical card arrangement. CoolIT Domino ALC CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Jan-27-09] (0 Comments) While air cooling solutions continue to progress, liquid coolingstill offers better cooling performance. But most users shy away fromliquid cooling as being too Creative Zen MP3 Player @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-27-09] (0 Comments) Review of the Creative Zen MP3 player. Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P X58 Motherboard @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-27-09] (0 Comments) The GA-EX58-UD4P is the latest high performance X58-Express Series motherboard from GIGABYTE, designed to unleash the awesome power of Intel Core i7 Memory Performance @ bit-tech.net [Jan-26-09] (0 Comments) */Intel has made a system that for the most part alleviates the need for Battleforge Hands-On P @ bit-tech.net [Jan-26-09] (0 Comments) */In some ways we suspect that Battleforge may be a little bit ahead of Spore:Galactic Adventures P @ bit-tech.net [Jan-26-09] (0 Comments) */The real issue that's facing Spore now isn't really a matter of how Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Jan-26-09] (0 Comments) Having used the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard for the last few weeks I have been very impressed with the performance. For anyone looking at a moderate cost, high performance solution it is definitely the way to go. Overclocking is where the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P really shines, I was able to take my retail Q9450 with just an 8x multiplier and crank it up a full 1200MHz without going over 1.3v... Seagate ST3750330AS 750GB HD @ monster-hardware.com [Jan-26-09] (0 Comments) While making a few preliminary testing observations I noticed that the Seagate ST3750330AS burst rate seemed to be abnormally low. At first I couldn't discern why this was but after a little more poking around I discovered the drive was operating in SATA I mode. To switch it to SATA II mode meant removing the world's smallest jumper that was so tiny and pushed to the back of the block I had completely missed it in my earlier visual drive inspection, but taking the jumper off solved the low burst rate situation. Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P DDR2 P45 Motherboard @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-26-09] (0 Comments) There are certain products in every category that somehow manage to attain legendary, if not mythical stature. In the Intel socket based Coolermaster CM Storm Sniper Gaming Case @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-26-09] (0 Comments) Today in the lab we have Cooler Master's new case the CM StormSniper. Never heard of CM Storm before? Well I am sure you have heard ofCoolermaster, right? Well CM Storm is Coolermaster's new gaming line ofcases. The Sniper is to be considered the best gaming case for the truegamer. Coolermaster realized that gamers want the best in their rigs, soCoolermaster decided to equip the Sniper with large fans that are positionedto cool all areas of the case. To make the building process to go smoothlythe case is almost completely tool-less. This just the start of what theSniper has to offer. If you want to know what else is in this case you willhave to read ahead. to:content-type; @ dragonsteelmods.com [Jan-25-09] (0 Comments) Today for review I'm taking a look at a new mousepad from XTracPads calledthe Hybrid. What makes this pad special is the fact that it appears to be acloth mousepad, but yet has the slickness and qualities of a plastic surfacethrough a process of blending plastic to the cloth on a molecular level tocreate a very good mousing surface. The Hybrid has the qualities of a clothpad in that it can be rolled and taken with you, and, and mentioned, thequalities of a plastic pad as well, truly a hybrid pad that gives the userthe best of both worlds. [News] VH Attends PDXLAN 13 @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-25-09] (0 Comments) When you go to any PDX event, you'll see vendor booths whichincluded Patriot Memory, Antec, DangerDen, Intel, and usually one gamesponsor who offers a free licensed copy of a decent game title. Last event,everyone received Front Lines:Fuel of War. This time, we all got a copy ofCall of Duty:World at War. (SWEET!) As usual, there were many, many eliteand customized systems for browsing pleasure. Sure, some are proprietary.But, with a little creativity, they look much better. The customized casecontest awarded $1500 to its creator. Only, actual customized cases/systemswere entered in to the event. Steelseries WoW Mouse - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-24-09] (0 Comments) Thereare plenty of gaming peripheral manufacturers out there:Razer,Logitech, Roccat, Revoltec, Cyber Snipa, NZXT and many more. However,one of them that stood out for a while was Ideazon, for their productsand keyboard keysets designed for specific games. Since Steelseriesrecently bought out the brand, they've now released a WoW mouse to comeout in conjunction with their keyboard for the same game. Let's see howwell it works in the World of Warcraft, and other titles. XClio 1000 Computer Chassis @ techwarelabs.com [Jan-24-09] (0 Comments) In the market for a new home for your computer? Worried about heat? Join Matt A. as we look at the XClio 1000. With more fans than you can shake a stick at and enough room to house a family of four, will the XClio be all its stacked up to be? In Win Commander 650 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-24-09] (0 Comments) Commander 650 W is power supply from In Win that comes with an army-inspired looks. Is this a good product? Can it really deliver its labeled power? Should Notebooks Come With Higher Quality Built-In Cameras? @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-24-09] (0 Comments) Should Notebooks Come With Higher Quality Built-In Cameras? Definitely yes!The problem is that lots of people still think that the only parameter to measure camera quality is the resolution (number of megapixels), which is not the best way to compare cameras. V-Moda Vibe II Headset @ legitreviews.com [Jan-23-09] (0 Comments) We used our Denon AVR receiver, Apple iPhone, Blackberry Bold, Cowon A2, and Dell Precision laptop computer as our test devices to drive the headset. We found that the new design on the V-Moda Vibe II headset had very slight improvements over the original Vibe and Vibe Duo. Bass response seemed to have improved over earlier versions producing really chest-thumping lows without distortion. Our reference test track was Hans Zimmer’s “The Kraken” from the Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack. Even at very high sound levels, the Vibe II headphones didn’t seem to waver and stood up to Zimmer’s low-frequency onslaught better than our beloved original Vibe headphones... C&C:Red Alert 3 Uprising P @ bit-tech.net [Jan-23-09] (0 Comments) */Regardless of whether there's a Steam release or not though, it's fair Evo-G MP3 Mousepad @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-23-09] (0 Comments) A few weeks ago I was contacted by Evo-G to review their newestgaming mouse pad the MP3. Evo-G is one of those companies that wantseveryone to get the best from their mice when it come to fragging anddemolishing your enemy's army. They did well with the MP1 and MP2. The MP3is the latest model from them that is produced out of cloth and rubber withsome killer graphics. Is the MP3 worthy of being placed on your desktop? Weplan on answering that question by the end of this review. Technic3D/NZXT Whisper @ technic3d.com [Jan-23-09] (0 Comments) The NZXT Whisper is the next PC Case in the Technic3D Editorsh ip. The chassis that is designed for the enthusiast that combines nois e dampening features with expandability and storage. Featured in a lar ge size E-ATX Full Tower, the Whisper can support up to Nine hard driv es and a total of six 5.25 NVIDIA's ION Platform:Hands-On Impressions @ techgage.com [Jan-23-09] (0 Comments) There's been a fair amount of attention hovering aroundNVIDIA's ION this month, and for good reason. It's small, offers decentperformance, and can deliver huge peripheral connectivity. We were ableto spend some time with the ION earlier this month, putting it throughvarious tests, such as gaming, HD playback and even Photoshop. Read onfor all of our experiences. Sapphire's ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB graphics card @ bit-tech.net [Jan-23-09] (0 Comments) Despite these flaws, the Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 doesdeliver a generally better gaming experience than Nvidia’s moreexpensive GeForce GTX 285. The cheapest we have been able to find the285 for is around £300, including VAT, which makes it £40 moreexpensive than the 4850 X2. That makes the decision difficult and whilewe’d typically recommend a single GPU solution almost every time(especially in light of what we’ve described above), the pricedifference makes it an awkward choice – the GTX 285 is 15 percent moreexpensive and it’s slower in four of the seven games we’ve tested here. Super Talent Godfather Flash Drive @ bigbruin.com [Jan-23-09] (0 Comments) The Super Talent Godfather flash drive has a unique appearance and includes a bunch of images that should appeal to the Godfather fans out there. Novelty aside, the drive still takes care of the important things by being super compact, offering decent transfer rates, and by being available in a wide range of capacities (1GB - 16GB). ASUS EAH4870 Matrix 512MB Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Jan-22-09] (0 Comments) The Asus Matrix HD 4870 is a most unusual card to overclock. Unlike nearly every other video card I've overclocked, this particular card has been equipped with everything you would need to reach the limits of the components. With Asus' iTracker software, you can increase the GPU and GDDR5 voltages well past what would be useful on air-cooling... Nvidia GeForce GTX 285 - VR-Zone @ vr-zone.com [Jan-22-09] (0 Comments) VR-Zone checks out the GTX 285, a slightly higher clocked version of the Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Jan-22-09] (0 Comments) With a market composed of a large variety of CPU coolers,manufactures have to get it right the first time around. If the cooler posesto many issues, or simply fails to meet today's standards, it will likelyfind its lifespan to be short. Today we are going to be taking a look at acooler from a company that knows all about cooling, Cooler Master. Is CoolerMaster really the master when it comes to cooling? Well, we are about tofind out how well the Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler can compare to a few othertop performers on the market. [News] Kingwin Big Drive RAID Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-22-09] (0 Comments) Let's be honest, this is a very cheap product, right on the verybottom end of any competing products. It looks good on the outside, but it'svery basic inside. The manual does a great job of explaining the differentRAID levels, but that's about it. The codes that it describes for the frontLED's are nigh indecipherable. That said, being so cheap makes it reallyattractive to a lot of people, and without any performance or setupproblems, I can't see any real reason *not* to get it. As long as youunderstand you aren't getting the easiest to use, or most feature richenclosure. Sleek-Audio W1 Wireless Kit @ techpowerup.com [Jan-22-09] (0 Comments) Sleek-Audio's much anticipated wireless kit has finally arrived, dubbed the W1 it brings Kleer wireless technology to all Sleek-Audio earphones currently in production. With the promise of uncompromised sound quality and wireless operation this product is sure to meet the demands of many customers worldwide. Cooler Master Sniper CM Storm Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-22-09] (0 Comments) With the start of the new year, comes a new line of gaming cases from one of the most recognized case manufacturers in the industry: Lian Li's PC-888 chassis @ bit-tech.net [Jan-22-09] (0 Comments) */For those of us with our sanity intact though, it’s not enough. In fact, even if the PC-888 was the coolest and easiest case to use in the world it probably still wouldn’t be enough. Paying over £400 for a case is just nuts, even when you discount the fact that it’s outperformed and under featured in comparison to other premium cases like the awesome Cooler Master ATCS 840. Technic3D/Microsoft Sidewinder X8 @ technic3d.com [Jan-21-09] (0 Comments) The Microsoft Sidewinder X8 Gaming-Mouse arrived Technic3D wit h 4000dpi Sensor.Microsoft BlueTrack Technology, 2.4 GHz wireless, USB charging while y ou play, an advanced design for precise handling and fast action, adju stable feet, custom tuning and much more. See you in the following Rev iew on Technic3D. 6-Way Intel Core i7 CPU Cooler Roundup @ legitreviews.com [Jan-21-09] (0 Comments) As for the coolers themselves, the Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler is the winner in our testing. Either in its original single fan configuration or in its new SE1366 dual fan configuration it led the pack and did it quietly Next in line is the Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme 1366RT. It's heavy and has a name as long as my arm, but it is quiet and performs well. The Ultra 120 is a very popular line of coolers and for good reason - it is solidly built. This is the only other cooler in our round up other than the NH-U12P that I don’t worry about bending up the cooling fins when I handle it... * XSs Competition - 2 Weeks Left @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-21-09] (0 Comments) HappyBirthday XSReviews! To celebrate our 3rd anniversary in thereview game, we've got a shed load of prizes to give away to our forummembers. The rules are simple, just signupfor an account if you haven't done so already, and post 5 timesanywhere on the forums. That's it. We got gaming mice, mats, PSU,router and plenty of other bits. You don't want to miss this one. Rosewill Conqueror Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-21-09] (0 Comments) Conqueror (a.k.a. RPS-01) is an entry-level mid-tower case from Rosewill with some interesting features usually found only on more expensive models. Check it out. CoolIT Domino A.L.C. CPU Cooler @ techgage.com [Jan-21-09] (0 Comments) If you want toget rid of that air CPU cooler, but find water-coolingtoo complicated and expensive, CoolIT might have just what you'relooking for. Their Domino A.L.C. is designed to offer greatercooling-abilities over air, while retaining reasonable noise-levels.Best of all, it's inexpensive, at $80, and won't hold back yourimpressive overclocks. AXP 2.5/3.5 SATA HDD to eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo Dock Station @ rbmods.com [Jan-21-09] (0 Comments) With todays need of more drive space and easy access to USB ports andmemory readers forces us to have alot of extra devices on the table. AXP hasfound a solution to this by combining 2,5/3,5, USB and a card reader intothe same device. This devices can easily take care of all your media with aquick plugin function and E-SATA interface. Lets have a closer look to seehow this device will perform and how it actually looks like. ASUS My Cinema-U3100Mini HDTV Tuner @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-21-09] (0 Comments) Come February 17, 2009, most major broadcast stations in the US will make the final switch from analog to digital broadcasts and this has Gigabyte's GA-EX58-UD4P and DS4 mobos @ bit-tech.net [Jan-21-09] (0 Comments) */Using both the boards has been an overall positive experience, although I have to say quite frustrating when we were overclocking. Gigabyte has tweaked both with a good software set that works and some nifty features, but they both just need a few loose ends tidying in places like the BIOS. Technic3D/Topower 1100W @ technic3d.com [Jan-20-09] (0 Comments) The Topower PowerBird 1100W PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next PSU Review with a good pr ice, modular cable management and a high efficiency. The Topower have a 120mm fan, 16xSerial ATA connectors, 2x PCIe 6-Pin and 2x PCIe 6+2 P in connectors. Leadtek GeForce GTX 285 1024 MB @ techpowerup.com [Jan-20-09] (0 Comments) NVIDIA's latest addition to their graphics card lineup is based around the 55 nanometer GT200b. The new card offers more performance, consumes less power and is quieter than the previous model. Yet these improvements cost you a premium of about $70 over the GTX 280. Is that price justified? What are we Expecting from our Laptops in Today’s Notebook Space? @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-20-09] (0 Comments) Maybe we are taking laptops for granted, meaning that we know what to expect from a portable computer. Changing what we know about them isn't an easy task, thus making more difficult for manufacturers to introduce new ideas. Intel X25-M SATA 80GB MLC SSD @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-20-09] (0 Comments) In early September, 2008 Intel released their mainstream series of solid state drives. In its initial offfering Intel brought two drives Silverstone Strider ST60F Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-20-09] (0 Comments) The Strider series is one of Silverstone's best-selling power units.The lineup consists of models ranging from 350 up to a massive 1200 watts.It is obvious that we won't be testing the whole lineup but we will look atthe middle model the ST600F which is 600 watts of stable power aimed at theindividuals that want modest power while providing a high level ofefficiency and remaining quiet. And if you are looking for more reasons toconsider the Strider well it is modular and priced to sell. We will gothrough the usual test to see is Silverstone's repetition be upheld by theStrider ST600F. Lord of the Rings:Conquest (PC) @ bit-tech.net [Jan-20-09] (0 Comments) */If you're thinking that all this sounds as drab, dreary and dreadful G.Skill Titan 256GB SSD @ bit-tech.net [Jan-20-09] (0 Comments) */Frankly we're amazed by how quickly the SSD market is moving forwards HIS IceQ4 4850 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) WhileXSReviews has had the chance to check out GPUs from manydifferent companies, one of the ones we haven't worked with much isHIS, but recently they've decided we're worthy of their attention. Withthat in mind they've sent us a HD 4850 with their special IceQ4branding. Let's see how it compares to some of our recently reviewedGPUs from other manufacturers. Thermaltake Spedo Advance Case @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) This new case that Ramsom was telling me about was the ThermaltakeSpedo Advance. The Spedo offers an interior look that many will think isattractive. What the Spedo has that everybody will agree is on the inside.The case offers nearly unmatched cable management, very easy installation,cooling, and air ventilation that puts in the top tier of great cases. Withall the new stuff the case has, the other parts such as spaciousness,storage, and cooling options were not sacrificed. I will now take you on avisual tour of the Spedo case from Thermaltake. HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB IceQ4+ Turbo @ bit-tech.net [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) */We had high hopes for the HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB IceQ4+ Turbo, but Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower Case @ modders-inc.com [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) Cooler master brings you the HAF 932. A larger full size towercase featuring a unique design set and a High Air Flow structure. This casefeatures a wide range of premium features including tool less components,enhanced motherboard tray for cable routing, rear access to the mother boardfor easy CPU cooler installs and ready made mounts for water cooling just toname a few. If that sounds like a lot of features for one case your right.Is the HAF 932 worthy to be the next home for your hardware? to:content-type; @ testfreaks.com [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) Bonds' latest movie is Quantum of Solace, and as with most action orientedmovies we've got a video game spin off over onto to several of the platformsincluding the PS2, which I've got for review today. It still surprises meall of the support the PS2 still gets from game companies, the PS2 has had agreat run and seems to still be going strong. Quantum of Solace for the PS2puts the player in Bonds shoes and allows him or her to really get a feelfor what it's like being the famous super spy. In the PS2 version of thegame,sadly, there is no multiplayer support like the other versions have,it's fully intended to be a single player game. Inwin Commander 1200W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) Two years ago, in late 2006, a weird electronics tech was draftedby jonnyGURU.com to torture innocent power supplies for crimes they did notcommit. This electronics tech promptly began to take his job too seriously,and was then thrown into an imaginary maximum security mental institution.He promptly escaped from this institution into the Saskatchewan wilderness.Today, still hunted by men in white coats, he's up against an InwinCommander 1200W power supply which he plans to try and let the magic smokeout of. ASUS ENGTX285 TOP GeForce GTX 285 Video Card @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) NVIDIA Continues to refine the GT200 GPU, and the latest 55nm version offers better efficiency and higher performance. In this article, The Godfather 2 Hands-On P @ bit-tech.net [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) */Above all though what we like the look of most in The Godfather 2 is Intel Put Graphics Into Pineview Atom CPUs - VR-Zone @ vr-zone.com [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) Intel is planning to launch the successor to the current Atom lineup in Q4 Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital @ techpowerup.com [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) While many are satisfied with having a single screen, imagine gaming across 3 displays with 180° vision. The Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital overcomes the shortcoming of a single or dual display setup and gives you the possiblity to connect up to three DVI based LCD screens with a total resolution of up to 5040 x 1050 for real surround gaming. Running 12GB of DDR3 Triple Channel Memory on Intel Core i7 Platforms @ legitreviews.com [Jan-18-09] (0 Comments) Armed with two Corsair DOMINATOR 6GB 1866MHz CL9 memory kits with the AIRFLOW fan I set out to see how easy it would be to run 12GB of memory on an Intel Core i7 desktop system. These TR3X6G1866C9DF memory kits retail for $449 each and are fastest Core i7 triple channel memory kit that Corsair has to offer. Since these kits go through the tightest screening and binning at Corsair I figured that a pair of these kits should provide not only the best chance at getting 12GB of memory running, but also the best performance should overclocking be in order... MSI's Click BIOS - Evaluating UEFI @ bit-tech.net [Jan-18-09] (0 Comments) */If you buy an MSI board and don't like it though -- the old school BIOS is still supported, just re-flash over it. However, MSI doesn't include any sort of BIOS backup on board, which is a little worrying, and what would also be a good idea is to ship the board with both BIOS' and let the user manually switch between them -- creating a backup, and a safer real time option. Modders-Inc at CES 2009 @ modders-inc.com [Jan-18-09] (0 Comments) Each year the town that never sleeps and where the lights never gooff is the host for CES (Consumer Electronics Apple iPod Touch @ rbmods.com [Jan-18-09] (0 Comments) When you think about digital music players, one name comes to mindimmediately:iPod. Apple has regained its popularity thanks to their lineof iPod mp3 players, including the Nano, iPhone, Shuffle, etc. But arethey worth all the hype? Geeks.com, popular online retailer, sent us thefirst generation, 8GB version of the Apple iPod Touch. Read on to find outour take on the latest incarnation of the popular media player. [Affiliates News] Thecus N4100PRO Network Attached Storage System @ aphnetworks.com [Jan-17-09] (0 Comments) Happy, happy new year! It seems that 2008 has gone by so fast,when I was entering the information of this article earlier today, I simplytyped Best of CES 2009 @ techgage.com [Jan-17-09] (0 Comments) CES 2009 may have felt a little smaller than previousevents, but one thing's for certain... there was no shortage offantastic products on display. In this article, we've picked 10 suchproducts that went above and beyond our expectations, and as a result,have earned our Technic3D/Cooler Master Storm Sniper @ technic3d.com [Jan-17-09] (0 Comments) The new Coolermaster Storm Sniper is the next PC Case in the T echnic3D Editorship. See you in the following Review which qualities t he High-End Gaming Tower with a new Cooling concept (3x200mm Fan) and many Features presents. Better than the Cosmos? Zalman CNPS9900 LED CPU Cooler @ techpowerup.com [Jan-16-09] (0 Comments) Zalman's CNPS9900 LED is their newest all copper model in the CNPS series. A silent 120 mm blue LED fan has been placed between two arrays of pure copper fins. With exceptional performance and amazing looks, the CNPS9900 LED is a great CPU cooler if you can justify spending $79 for a CPU cooler. OCZ Throttle 32GB eSATA Flash Drive @ legitreviews.com [Jan-16-09] (0 Comments) If you are looking for something faster than a USB 2.0 Flash drive for file transfers the eSATA interface it certainly an option that you should look into if the systems you work with have eSATA available on them. When moving roughly 30GB of files like we did in the real world testing the OCZ Throttle saved over a half an hour of time and to those that work on deadlines or are in a hurry that is very important... CES 2009 Coverage @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-16-09] (0 Comments) Phew! We saw so many things during CES last week that we could only finish all our coverage today! We've written several articles about what we've seen on the show and in order to help you out we listed below all articles about CES that we posted on Hardware Secrets. We published a total of eight full-articles and 24 news. Enjoy! Windows 7 Beta Performance @ bit-tech.net [Jan-16-09] (0 Comments) */Generally speaking, the performance is almost identical to Vista with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 1GB @ pcper.com [Jan-15-09] (0 Comments) Our short time with the GTX 285 has left me pretty impressed - eventhough the GTX 280 was the top performing single GPU graphics card on themarket, the GTX 285 easily outpaced it by about 10-15% in my tests. Even atreal-world resolutions like 1600x1200 and 2048x1536 the GTX 285 was able torun noticeably faster than the GTX 280 OC. Technic3D/Dragon Force 530W @ technic3d.com [Jan-15-09] (0 Comments) The Dragon Force DF-530GT 530W PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next PSU Review with a very good price and a high efficiency. The Dragon Force have a 120mm fan a nd 2x PCIe 6-Pin connectors. [Affiliates News] Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package @ aphnetworks.com [Jan-15-09] (0 Comments) Things have changed quite a lot over one year. With the dawnof a new year, it will bring about a refreshed array of new products that theworld will soon see. In the past year, we have witnessed the introduction ofnew products that were faster and more efficient than ever before. Rangingfrom the initial launch of new unibody Apple MacBooks, to the exciting betaversion of Windows 7, everything on the face of the earth seems to be gettingbigger and faster (We're not saying it's a good thing or bad thing -- youdecide). There's $1000 12-inch Antec Signature Series 850W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Jan-15-09] (0 Comments) The Signature 850 has excellent voltage regulation, exceptionallyclean DC outputs, and operates very efficiently. Antec includes a goodcompliment of both fixed and modular cables/connectors and backs theSignature 850 with a 5-year warranty. If you are looking for a top qualityPSU in the 850W range, this one will be hard to beat. NZXT Whisper Silent System PC Case @ rbmods.com [Jan-15-09] (0 Comments) In the quest for silencing a computer system, we often focus on noisesources such as CPU coolers and case fans. But what if the case itself canaid in reducing noise? NZXT, makers of a wide range of computer products,has developed a new case, the NZXT Whisper Series Case, which has addedfeatures to reduce computer noise. Will this case live up to its name and beas quiet as a whisper? Let's find out in this review. CoolIT Domino ALC Water Cooler @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-15-09] (0 Comments) During CES 2009 we could take a look on CoolIT Domino ALC, a self-containing water cooling system for CPUs with an LCD display and that is coming with an impressive low price (USD 79). Check it out. [News] Cooler Master ATCS 840 Chassis @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-15-09] (0 Comments) Provided you have the room for it, and the desire for one of thebest air cooled cases on the market, then the ATCS 840 is a hard case topass up. What's even more impressive to it, though, is how this case managesto move more air than the previous champion - the HAF932, all whileappealing to a more global audience than the formerly hard designs. I'mgoing to go and call this one a major winner. Go out and grab this if you'relooking for a new case! Samsung Eternity Cell Phone @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-15-09] (0 Comments) Our review of the Samsung Eternity cell phone. Callpod Dragon V2 Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [Jan-14-09] (0 Comments) We actually, went outside to test the range of the Callpod Dragon V2 Bluetooth Headset to see just how far we could get away from the mobile device. While on the phone, I sat my Blackberry Bold on the mailbox in front of the house and started walking up the street. Well, I’m not sure I got 100 meters away, but the Dragon V2 didn’t seem to care about distance as it kept the connection with no static. I went a bit further up the road, but started to get concerned since I couldn’t really see my cell phone anymore (see red arrow in above picture)... NOX Coolbay HX - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-14-09] (0 Comments) Todayhere at XSReviews we have a product from a very muchup-and-coming company – NOX. With cases these days needed to be so muchmore than just a chassis; aesthetics, cooling and noise are allimportant aspects. With the high standard of PC enclosures in thismodern era, will NOX be able to break into this heavily competitivemarket and become a well-known brand themselves? NOX are hoping toachieve this with their latest product; introducing the NOX Coolbay HX. Logitech WiLife Security System @ techwarelabs.com [Jan-14-09] (0 Comments) Interested in getting a fully featured security system but don't want to pay over $300 for it? If so, then WiLife's Digital Video Security System might be worth a look. Join Nitro as he looks at the three available cameras for the complete security system from Logitechs WiLife. Neoseeker s the Sapphire HD 4850 X2 @ neoseeker.com [Jan-14-09] (0 Comments) Though only sold exclusively by Sapphire, HD 4850 X2 nonetheless plays apivotal role in ATI's current line-up. Quite simply, a small segment ofcustomers might want something a step above the substantial power offeredfrom a sole HD 4870 -- but this same segment might see the HD 4870 X2 asoverkill. Priced in between the HD 4870 and HD 4870 X2 and offering theintermediary level of performance, the Sapphire HD 4850 X2 is product thatmight have just the right price and performance to entice some folks to stepinto the world of dual GPU cards. GeForce 185.20, ambient occlusion tested @ tcmagazine.com [Jan-14-09] (0 Comments) Everywhere you turn these days you see people saying that 2009 will be tough, with economic recession, more trouble in the Middle East and the filming of BloodRayne 3. Despite the grim outlook, this year has started on a high note for Nvidia graphics card owners as a new GeForce driver bearing a new feature and the potential of improved performance got trapped in the spider-less world wide web. Also coming with a rather high number jump - from 180.70/87/88 to 185.20, the driver features support for every GeForce desktop card from the 6 series up and adds a new tab in the Nvidia Control Panel that enables Ambient Occlusion, a lighting model that's supposed to bring more realism to 3D games. Lian-Li PC-888 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-14-09] (0 Comments) During CES 2009 Lian-Li introduced a concept case, PC-888, shaped like a billowing sail, made of blue anodized aluminum and costing a fortune. Let’s take a look on this very different case. XFX 9800GTX + Black - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-13-09] (0 Comments) nVidiahave recently decided to rename a lot of their 9 series cardswith the GT1 series moniker. Fortunately, XFX sent us over a couplebefore this, so today I'm not testing a GT something or other, it's a9800 GTX + Black Edition. Let's check it out. iStarUSA T-5 SS Tooless HDD Reader @ computingondemand.com [Jan-13-09] (0 Comments) My digital life is one that can be categorized as anything butstagnant. In my world, hardware changes as often as my underwear (well, notreally. but close) and when products come along that may make things easier;I get excited. iStarUSA thinks they might have the answer to one of myproblems. Enter the T-5 SS, a screw-less and trayless design for fast HDDmounting. Jays C-jays Headphone @ rbmods.com [Jan-13-09] (0 Comments) We have previously reviewed a few pairs of earphones from Jays buttoday we are going to actually take a look at a real pair of headphones.This is a pair of really light weight headphones and they almost give aflimsy feeling when playing around with them but what will we think in theend? Gadgets Galore @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-13-09] (0 Comments) Learn about the exciting new gadgets and gizmos from CES 2009. Palit GeForce 9800 GTX+ Video Card NE/98TX+XT352 @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-13-09] (0 Comments) Benchmark Reviews has had the wonderful opportunity to review and critique some of the best and most powerful video cards currently Technic3D/Topower 400W @ technic3d.com [Jan-13-09] (0 Comments) The Topower Silent EZ 400W PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in t he following Review from Technic3D the next PSU Review with a good pri ce, modular cable management and a high efficiency. The Topower have a 120mm fan, 4xSerial ATA connectors and 2x PCIe 6-Pin connectors. Bett er than the 350W? Cell Phone Introductions @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-13-09] (0 Comments) We took a look on the new cell phones introduced at CES 2009. NVIDIA Ion Platform Design and Benchmarks @ pcper.com [Jan-13-09] (0 Comments) You can see the company has lofty goals for this product and it islikely a big part of NVIDIA strategy going forward in order to sustaingrowth in a world where super-high-powered GPUs are becoming less relevant.While the netbooks argument is pretty basic, the notebook section above ismore interesting. Essentially, NVIDIA is saying that companies that chooseto use the Intel Atom processor in conjunction with the NVIDIA Ion platformcan save as much as 80% on the CPU cost rather than going with an Intel CoreCPU and still get high quality graphics and computing performance. CES 2009 @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-12-09] (0 Comments) My trip to the Vegas begun away too early in the A.M. Because for meto change my departure I would have to give up more money that supported bymy wallet I had to leave early on Thursday morning, 7 A.M. in the morning.The flight from San Diego to Vegas is one of the shortest I have evertaking. I get to my hotel just after 9 A.M. to soon for me to actually checkin. So I leave the bags there and hop in a taxi and head over to the LasVegas Convention Center. I previous trips to Vegas that was for CES hasalways resulted in mad traffic in the area and this trip was no different.Fifteen minutes later I felt as if I as home again after entering the SouthHall. I love this time of year. Cars of CES @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-12-09] (0 Comments) We know everybody that goes to CES not only want to see the newest inelectronics some are there for the rides. Here are a few that I show while Iwas browsing through the North Hall. GELID Wing9-Wing12 UV Blue Case Fans @ modders-inc.com [Jan-12-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to be taking a look at a set of case fans froma relatively new company called GELID Solutions. With the endless number offans on the market, you can just about get anything you want, if you lookhard enough. We are going to be looking at the GELID Wing9 and Wing12 UVBlue case fans. GELID has done what a few other manufactures have done;offer us something different than the normal case fan. Silverstone Fanless ST45NF 450W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jan-12-09] (0 Comments) We've looked at lots of interesting power supplies here at thesite, some big, some small. But today's unit will be a first for the site,when I take a look at our first totally fanless unit in the SilverstoneNightjar ST45NF. CES 2009 Coverage @ legitreviews.com [Jan-11-09] (0 Comments) Psyko Audio Labs has announced a 5.1 Gaming headset with quite a few speakers including a subwoofer for each ear. They call it [News] Patriot Viper PC3-12800 6GB Tri-Channel Memory @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-11-09] (0 Comments) However, when the Patriot Viper PC3-12800 6GB Triple Channel Memoryis pushed to its full potential, there's a huge amount of memory bandwidthavailable which the I7 can use with things like audio and video formatting.It's actually quite surprising to see just how fast the kit is in both dualand triple channel mode. To give you a good idea, formatting an 8GB videofile came close to matching the Skull Trail's performance which I had ondemo at PDXLAN. The difference here is that the Skull Trail is two physicalCore 2 Quad Extreme 1600 MHz FSB processors versus a single Extreme 965 withHyperthread making virtually 8 cores. Evercool Serpent Northbridge Chip Cooler @ rbmods.com [Jan-10-09] (0 Comments) One of the main problems with various motherboard's northbridgecooler is the small heatsink with little fan at 5000rpm. Fan at such speedmakes high noise making use of computer very uncomfortable, not to mentionthe situation where the fan stops at all making the northbridge to overheatand possibly break due to it. Evercool was kind enough to provide us theirnewest northbridge cooler called Serpent. Digital Camera & Camcoder Introductions @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-10-09] (0 Comments) We took a look on the new cameras and camcorders introduced at CES 2009. Corsair TEC-Based Cooling Solution for Memories @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-09-09] (0 Comments) During CES 2009 Corsair displayed their forthcoming TEC-based water-cooling solution for memory modules. We were able to take a good look on this system. AMD Phenom II X4 940 - Not the Second Coming @ pcper.com [Jan-09-09] (0 Comments) AMD showed up to the party, but they brought light beer instead ofchampagne. That's not entirely bad though, as some people prefer light beer(though I still question why). That AMD is able to at least poke their headinto the party is probably the most important part of this entire exercise.The Phenom II is a big upgrade from the previous Phenom parts, in terms ofboth IPC and the ability to clock to higher speeds. Technic3D/AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ technic3d.com [Jan-09-09] (0 Comments) The AMD Phenom II X4 940 CPU arrived Technic3D. We will check the new 45nm CPU against the Intel Core i7 920 and the Phenom 9500 on Windows Vista. Overclocking with Air Cooling and more see you in the f ollowing Review. [News] Thermalright TRUE Copper Heatsink @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-09-09] (0 Comments) Well then, when it comes down to it, this TRUE is a bit of aparadox. It's a very heavy beast that performs to... some degree offantastic, though to be honest, it really could be better. There areabsolutely no qualms with aesthetics, design, or installation. Even thepackaging is up to the par set. But honestly? What it comes down to are thematerials themselves. Back when, the utilization of copper was in place dueto the inability of the heatsinks to dissipate the heat, due to a low amountof surface area. The other issue in the pipe, though, is the fact that thisheatpipe uses the same six heatpipes as every other TRUE; which means thatunless it can dissipate heat any faster, the additional heat capacity won'tdo much all of good. It's all a shame, but I do rather love this sink EVGA GeForce GTX 295 SLI Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Jan-09-09] (0 Comments) The EVGA GeForce GTX 295 graphics card has solid performance numbers and was hands down the faster card after the benchmark numbers were averaged out and the wins added up. If that wasn't enough the GeForce GTX 295 is also more energy efficient! Since the GeForce GTX 295 takes up the same number of slots, performs better and uses less power doing it there isn't really anything negative to say about the card. It comes into the market as the flagship card from NVIDIA and successfully took away the performance crown from ATI without a big fuss... ASUS Eee Keyboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-09-09] (0 Comments) During CES 2009 ASUS presented a prototype for their Eee Keyboard, a complete computer – including a 5” touch-screen display – housed inside a keyboard running Windows XP. We took a look on this innovative product. GeForce 3D Vision Article @ nvnews.net [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) Today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) NVIDIA is scheduled to announce GeForce 3D Vision. Using wireless glasses, an IR emitter and driver software, the technology adds a 3D effect to games running on displays that can deliver a 120 Hz refresh rate. The effective refresh rate is basically halved as each eye receives a refresh rate of 60Hz, which is the minimum refresh rate that is usually needed to deliver flicker-free viewing. NVIDIA BFG GeForce GTX 295 @ pcper.com [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) The single card performance (though dual GPU of course) of the BFGGeForce GTX 295 1796MB solution was impressive and the new card easily takesthe top spot as the best performing single slot graphics card available.The Radeon HD 4870 X2 has FINALLY been unseated after a full five and halfmonths as the king of the hill. NVIDIA would have liked to haveaccomplished this feat earlier than this but I imagine they were forced towait for their 55nm process move (from the 65nm that the GeForce GTX 280 andoriginal 260 use) to fit inside the power envelope. NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Technology @ pcper.com [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) The NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision technology comes at a time when the PCgaming world needs a lift the most and I think any enthusiast (even thosethat are fans of AMD) can appreciate the chance to show off to theirconsole-loving friends a feature that can't be matched by one. The PCgaming world has been floundering around a bit since the days of Doom 3'srelease and we have slowly seen the exclusive titles on the PC migrate to a Budget Gaming Part 3:Low Cost Options @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) Inthe previous parts of this article, we discussed the basics ofgaming on a budget, and where you can get a healthy dose of free gamesto tide you over. However, if you're budget is a little bigger thanzero pounds, there are plenty more options you can also consider.There's several different ways in which you can get plenty of playtime, without busting the bank. EVGA X58 SLI Classified P - VR-Zone @ vr-zone.com [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) VR-Zone today takes a Sneak Preview at the new X58 Motherboard from EVGA, Design Features to Better use a Notebook on Our Laps @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) The question today is “What design features could we consider to make the laptop sit better on your legs or to increase airflow when on a des Corsair and MSI @ legitreviews.com [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) At the Corsair Memory hotel suite we got our first look at the highly anticipated thermoelectric (TEC) TEC cooled Corsair DOMINATOR GT DDR3 memory modules. Thermoelectric cooling uses the Peltier effect to create a heat flux between the junction of two different types of materials. One side of the Peltier cooler acts as a cold plate as the heat is transfered to the other side, which is known as the hot plate. All this is done by the flow of electrical current and it has worked very well for over a hundred years as the technology was discovered in 1834... AMD's Phenom II X4 940 and 920 CPUs @ bit-tech.net [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) */The bottom line is that unless Intel drops its price to win favour on AMD Phenom II X4 940 Processor @ legitreviews.com [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) For the average consumer, Phenom II is a surprisingly efficient powerhouse and its power consumption numbers will only get better once all the power saving features are enabled in BIOS. It is also a relatively cheap platform, compared to Core i7. An off-the-cuff estimate, I'd say you pay 60% of the price for a Core i7 system and get 80% of the performance.... NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Gaming Kit @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-08-09] (0 Comments) It was exactly one year ago that I shared my first experiences with stereoscopic gaming in the 2008 CES Technology Highlights article. Innovation Inspired by Consumers @ legitreviews.com [Jan-07-09] (0 Comments) ASUS has created some new innovative products to expand their Eee brand. One of the most intriguing is the Eee Keyboard. The Eee Keyboard is a fully functional PC that features Ultra Wideband HDMI. So this device can be used to stream HD content to a properly equipped HDTV. There is a 5 Lian Li PC-888 Exotic Aluminum PC Case @ techwarelabs.com [Jan-07-09] (0 Comments) Perhaps best known for their work with aluminum PC cases Lian Li has recently released the PC-888 which will be the focus of this review. Lian Li has a wide range of media center cases, small, medium, and full tower cases in addition to a line of power supplies. With more than 20 years manufacturing cases for the PC market Lian Li has more than enough experience in what works and how to engineer it. We will be taking a look at their latest creation to see if their engineering and experience has been put to good use. First Online Photo's of Asus New Aluminum EeePC keyboard with Embedded Screen @ techwarelabs.com [Jan-07-09] (0 Comments) See the first online photo's of Asus new EeePC keyboard with Embedded Screen at TechwareLabs. This sleek aluminum machine includes an Atom Processor and everything you would find in a netbook in the standard form factor of your average keyboard. Get our shots at our site. Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB @ techgage.com [Jan-07-09] (0 Comments) If you game at ultra-high resolutions and want to knowwhere the best bang for the buck can be found in graphics cards, lookno further than Sapphire's dual-GPU HD 4850 X2. At $300, it'spriced-right and offers incredible performance regardless of whetheryou prefer high anti-aliasing settings or resolutions. ASUS at CES 2009 - All About Eee and Multi-Touch @ techgage.com [Jan-07-09] (0 Comments) ASUS kick-started their CES announcements two days priorto the official show start, and to say that a few interesting productswere unveiled would be an understatement. At the event, we saw a hardpush for multi-touch technology, a slew of Eee products and even anentire computer inside of a keyboard.=C2=A0Continue sending your news to us at news@techgage.com. Games to Watch in 2009 @ bit-tech.net [Jan-07-09] (0 Comments) */So, we're back. You may not have ever realised we ever left thanks to Technic3D/Thermal Compund Roundup @ technic3d.com [Jan-07-09] (0 Comments) Two new Thermal compounds from GELID and Revoltec arrived Tech nic3D. We will see how good is the High-End compound GC-1 and Freeze a gainst the Collaboratory Metal Pad or Arctic Silver with a Scythe CPU Heatsink. Choosing the Right Netbook @ thetechlounge.com [Jan-07-09] (0 Comments) =22The only thing these machines have in common is an ideal. It's not price , since some of these machines do or can break the =241000 point, and it's not performance, because there are, or at least are going to be, some relat ive powerhouse netbooks. It's about function:the idea that you want connec tivity, data, and everything else that comes with the series of tubes, but you don't even want to carry a laptop with you. =22 Asus VK246H LCD Monitor @ rbmods.com [Jan-07-09] (0 Comments) Our flat screens keep growing in size all the time and today a 22inch monitor is almost standard for the normal user while the hardcoregamers are even higher up at 24 inch. Todays review will be on a 24 inchmonitor from Asus. This new VK246H seems to be a good monitor on the paperwith HDMI and 2 ms response time. It also has a built in webcam on the topand to finish the package it has a nice glossy black color. The question isthough, how will it perform and will it have any back bleed? XSs 3rd Year Anniversary @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) HappyBirthday XSReviews! To celebrate our 3rd anniversary in thereview game, we've got a shed load of prizes to give away to our forummembers. The rules are simple, just sign up for an account if youhaven't done so already, and post 5 times anywhere on the forums.That's it. We got gaming mice, mats, PSU, router and plenty of otherbits. You don't want to miss this one. ThermoLab Baram CPU Cooler @ bigbruin.com [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) The Baram CPU cooler made a strong first impression for ThermoLab and what they are capable of... I hope to see more products from them in the future. The cooler performed quite well during testing, and for those interested in running their system in near silence, the Baram will cooperate with temperatures that may be better than on some more popular (and louder) coolers. Lian Li announces crazy PC-888 @ bit-tech.net [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) */For those who're always moaning that every modern case designs are always just another turn on the familiar black/silver box, Lian Li is here to shake things up with its newly announced PC-888 case, set to début at CES this week. CoolIT Domino A.L.C. @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) But CoolIT has been in the market of taking the above optionssimplifying them and making it easier to get to the next level without muchmodding, tweaking or research. price on the most part have been decent tohigh on a lot of their products. But their newest cooler is priced at thelevel of higher end coolers but promises to be much better when it comes toperformance. The Domino A.L.C. is an all-in-one water-cooling setup thatcontains a rad, fan, tubing and CPU block. For about $70 you get all thisand Coolit's word of a superior cooler. We took the time to connect thecooler to our new i7 bench for a test spin. Is this cooler all that CoolItsays it is? We will find out. Hiper Type R II 680W PSU @ bit-tech.net [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) */We love the fact Hiper has tried to do something different - an actually useful box, a different cable routing style, a unique look, a USB hub with some ports and a different airflow dynamic:all of which deserve credit, even if we don't agree with every decision made. Budget Gaming Part 1:The Basics - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) Withfears of a recession spreading like a virus throughout the world,and people clamping their wallets tightly shut after Christmas, perhapsit's time we all stopped playing games and got on with some work toearn back our hard spent dollars and pounds. But who are we kidding,recession or not, we're still going to spend a large proportion of ourtime doing what we enjoy most, playing video games; but how to do itwith so little money around? Ladies and Gentleman, I welcome you toXSReviews multi part budget gaming article, that I hope will help youstretch those pounds to the maximum amount of enjoyable playing hours. NZXT Whisper @ techpowerup.com [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) The NZXT Whisper aims to give you the basis for silent computing with sound dampening all around the interior of the chassis. A large compartment design with the possibility of an eATX motherboard and a heavy duty front door, make for an interesting case. Zalman CNPS9900 LED CPU Cooler @ bigbruin.com [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) The CNPS9900 LED CPU cooler features the familiar look of a Zalman product, with a variety of innovations and refinements that make it stand out over models from previous generations in the CNPS (Computer Noise Prevention System) product line. A 120mm fan is located in between two rings of thin copper fins that dissipate the processor's heat thanks to three heatpipe loops. Thermaltake MaxOrb EX CPU Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at their latest version, theMaxOrb EX CPU Cooler. The MaxOrb EX utilizes six copper heat pipes that passthrough six different sets of cooling fins. Will the MaxOrb EX have what ittakes to cool your processor? Audio Archiving Guide:Part 2 - CD Ripping @ techgage.com [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) In the first part to this series, we took a deep look atthe various music formats available, while here, we'll tackle theactual ripping process. Believe it or not, some methods are better thanothers, and we'll explain why. We'll also discuss specific rippers forWindows, Mac and Linux, so no matter your OS choice, we have youcovered. [News] XClio 1000 Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) The XClio 1000 Enclosure produces the largest light show of sortsI've ever seen on a prebuilt case. You have four choices in colors for eachset of fans. There's red, green, blue, and chameleon where the fans changethrough various shades of purple, white, yellow, or what not. It practicallyout does my controllable lights on the Christmas tree. (No, you can't putthis case on top of the Christmas tree...or can you?) AMD Athlon Neo:The New Ultra-thin Platform @ bit-tech.net [Jan-06-09] (0 Comments) */You may have assumed to gather my opinion of this from the cynicism What Software Bundles Should Come With a Laptop? @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-05-09] (0 Comments) This is an excellent question that notebook manufacturers are apparently not asking consumers. I don’t know about you, but whenever I buy a new portable the first thing I have to do is to uninstall all the crappy programs that come with it (90% of the programs) and then install the ones I really nee Xigmatek NRP-PC501 500W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jan-05-09] (0 Comments) Xigmatek is an unfamiliar name for power supplies in these parts.However, the company does have some degree of presence out there in theworld of CPU cooling; and we've gotten more than a few requests to see howgood their watt boxes are. Today I'm finally taking a look