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News Search Results for: mod 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... 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.... 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? 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. 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. 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. 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... 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. 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. 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... 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 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. 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. 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! 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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 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. 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 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. 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. 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. Hornettek Viper and Hover Enclosures @ rbmods.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Today we will be looking at two 3.5 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 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 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 $236.01 shipped. This a fair price for a 10.1 Gigabyte M61PME-S2 Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) We took a quick look on M61PME-S2P, a motherboard based on GeForce 6100 chipset that Gigabyte claims to be a socket AM2+ model. Check it out. Enermax Revolution 85+ 850W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [May-25-09] (0 Comments) I've looked at the flagship line of Enermax power supplies twicenow in the Revolution 85+ 1050W unit and the Galaxy Evo 1250W unit. Today,I'm looking at the baby of the series in a unit that promises all theexcellence of its bigger siblings in a package intended for those who don'tneed quite so much power. Asus EAH4770 TOP Videcoard @ rbmods.com [May-25-09] (0 Comments) We are going to take a look at a brand new video card that sells foraround 120$ 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. 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. 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. 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? 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. 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. 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. 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 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. Nexus Value 430 & RX-8500 @ rbmods.com [May-14-09] (0 Comments) Quiet yet powerful powersupplys are the keyword in today=B4s computer 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. 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. 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, 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? 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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! 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. 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 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. 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. 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? 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. 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 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? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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... 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. 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. 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? 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. 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. 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. 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… 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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! 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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! 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 [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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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? 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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... 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. 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. 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. 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... 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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... 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. 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. 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. 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. 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? 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. 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? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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? 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? 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. [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. 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. 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... 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? 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. 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? 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 at one of them inthe NRP-PC501. This is a 500W value oriented unit boasting a good sized140mm fan and 80 Plus certification. Viewsonic's VX2260WM 22-inch Full HD monitor @ bit-tech.net [Jan-05-09] (0 Comments) */In truth, it's the sort of visual faux pas you usually have to try very hard to spot, but just occasionally it can throw up distracting artefacts along the edges of moving objects, particularly in games. Still the good news with the VX2260WM is that you have the option of turning Ultra Fast mode off if it is giving you gyp. The Advanced mode is still extremely rapid and suffers from no visual artefacts. Hawking HWRN1A Hi-Gain Wireless-300N Router @ rbmods.com [Jan-04-09] (0 Comments) Still using one of those older 802.11G or even 802.11b routers? Asdemand for networking bandwidth increases, 802.11N is becoming more popular.Today we'll be looking at one such upgrade option offered by well-knownnetworking provider, Hawking Technology:the Hawking HWRN1A Hi-GainWireless-300N Router. Have they finally made wireless routers plug-in-play,or will you need to mess around a bunch of connection settings? We're hereto answer that question in this review. Various News Items @ bit-tech.net [Jan-03-09] (0 Comments) */Part platformer, part content creation tool, LittleBigPlanet comes from a group of ex-Lionhead developers who sought to bring their unique sense of humour to the PlayStation 3. While a good part of the game is actually built as a frustratingly difficult 2D platformer, the core part of //LittleBigPlanet is actually a complex series of tools that let players make their own levels and experiments. Think //Garry's Mod for consoles. [News] FSP Group Power Mod 700w Power Supply @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-01-09] (0 Comments) The PSU offers a performance to cost value which is extremelyhelpful given the current state of the economy. At a $109.99 price tag, it'sone of the more cost effective options currently available. The quad 12Vpower rails provide a decent amperage boost over previous FSP generationswhich cost a bit more making it an even better choice. Otherwise, the PowerMod 700 PSU is a good launch in the gamer and enthusiast market for FSPGroup. Technic3D/Topower 350W @ technic3d.com [Dec-31-08] (0 Comments) The Topower Silent EZ 350W 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. Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Dec-30-08] (0 Comments) We've seen a lot of intricate cooling solutions, from largeair-cooled units to liquid coolers to peltiers. Yet despite all thedifferent companies that create these products, one name often comes tomind:Thermaltake. Thermaltake sent us a sample of one of their newest CPUcoolers, the Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler, that has a unique design Willthis translate into better performance? That is the question we're going toanswer in this review. [News] Zotac 790i Ultra SLI Supreme Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Dec-30-08] (0 Comments) I guess if I had to put the Zotac 790i Supreme in a category, itwould be an extreme gamer and overclocker's bracket. It offers the samebenefits that any other 790i Ultra SLI, but not quite the price. My sourcesat Zotac put the price about the same price as EVGA's 790i FTW model. That'sbasically about the $270 price range. If that's the case, then retailers andconsumers better take a hard look at offering and picking up thismotherboard. Prices are undoubtedly going to be very competitive given thestate of things. After the Holidays Giveaway @ modders-inc.com [Dec-29-08] (0 Comments) You know sometimes the holidays are just not all that they aretalked up to be. Sure sweet ol' Grandmas heart was in the right place whenshe knitted you that sweater, but what is with the third arm? So a few goodfriends of ours have decided to help you get the good stuff you so welldeserve. [News] ASRock AOD790GX & A780GXE Motherboards @ virtual-hideout.net [Dec-27-08] (0 Comments) These motherboards are a pretty good deal, though from what I canfind, the price of the two is almost identical, averaging only $6-10 betweenthe two models. With such a miniscule difference, the only reason to takethe 790 over the 780 would be if you are building a very cheap system thatstill has a video card. Also having 100% solid state capacitors on the 790will provide another advantage. There is an order of magnitude increase inreliability from liquid caps to solid. Anyone who has seen a blown cap knowshow much of a headache that can be. World Exclusive! Qpad QH 1339 Headset @ rbmods.com [Dec-27-08] (0 Comments) This is the first time the world sees these headphones from Qpad! Themousepad maker has now gotten themselves into the headphone/headsetbusiness. With a pricetag of 400$ USD this might not suit just anyone, willit be worth it and can it really perform well enough to be worth 400$ bothheadset and heatphone wise. Read, Vote, Win - Mod of the Year 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Dec-24-08] (0 Comments) */Wow, it's been an incredible year in the world of modding here atbit-tech, and as it comes to an end we're running our annual Mod of theYear competition to celebrate all the blood, sweat and tears put intothe many mods finished in 2008. We've scoured the archives and haveincluded all the featured mods from this year, plus the mod of the monthwinners that have both finished their mods and were completed to astandard fitting in with the rest of the competition. Logisys Two-Color Illuminated Keyboard @ rbmods.com [Dec-24-08] (0 Comments) Still hunting and pecking when it comes to typing and having troubleseeing at night? Well, today we might have the answer as we take a look atthe Logisys Two-Color Illuminated keyboard offered by Xoxide.com, popularretailer of a variety of computer parts. Will this new keyboard bringstellar performance to both gaming and everyday applications? That is whatwe're here to find out. Asrock AOD790GX/128M @ pro-clockers.com [Dec-23-08] (0 Comments) The 790GX brings a lot to the table in form of features andperformance for the dollar. The main feature would definitely be theintegrated Radeon HD 3300 graphic chipset. Sharing up to 512MB of memory anyboard possessing this integrated GPU will be a simple source for moderategaming. And if gaming isn't your cup of tea but visual performance is, thenhow about support for multi-display setup without the use of an additionalvideo card? Yes, the 790GX packs a lot and we will begin our coverage of thechipset with the Asrock AOD790GX/128M. CoolIT Systems Domino Liquid CPU Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Dec-22-08] (0 Comments) You want to get away from air cooling and those oversized heatpipesetups are adding a lot of unwanted stress on the motherboard, but you don'twant to endure the cost and hassle of converting your system to a watercooled unit. CoolIT Systems Inc may just have what you are looking for withtheir newest liquid cooling setup that goes by the name of Domino A.L.C.(Advanced Liquid Cooling). G.SKILL FM-25S2S-64GB SSD Drive @ rbmods.com [Dec-21-08] (0 Comments) SSD drives are slowly making it on to the market but the prices stillscare alot of people of. The SSD drive does not have any movable parts whichmakes it completely silent and also more well performing than our currentharddrives. Price and small drives are still the main issue but I have seenover 200GB drives hitting the market already although today we are taking alook at a 64GB SATA 2 drive from Gskill. AMD Phenom X4 9850BE @ rbmods.com [Dec-18-08] (0 Comments) It was awhile ago we tested a processor so today it's time again. AMD sent us their second fastest processor that ison the market right now, X4 9860BE. We are going to put this vs our IntelQX6700 that is a bit outdated compared to the faster i7 processors but youwill also see some results on how the i7 perform so lets get this show onthe road. Jetway NC92 Series Mini-ITX Motherboard @ modders-inc.com [Dec-18-08] (0 Comments) Downsizing PC's are the way of the future and you can start onyour trek today with the Jetway NC92-230-LF ITX Motherboard. ThisMotherboard is an all in one setup with CPU, graphics and other featuresalready on the board making it easy for you to be on your way. Can thisall-in-one do what you want it to do? Let us find out... Corsair TX850 Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Dec-17-08] (0 Comments) Once upon a time, a small company known for memory decided tofollow in the footsteps of another company known for memory and startproducing power supplies. In the months and years since then, Corsair hasgone on to be one of the most highly regarded companies out there when itcomes to releasing good quality units at a good price. NZXT Whisper - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Dec-17-08] (0 Comments) Soyou’re looking to build a new computer or are upgrading your currentsystem. The last thing on your list is probably the case. It reallyshouldn’t be. If it is, you’re usually left with a flimsy, cramp andugly heap of metal which is supposedly a PC enclosure. You’re kiddingright? Well no, it’s true and most of us can put our hands up and admitwe’ve done this on more than the odd occasion. So how about a casewhich actually has an affect on your internal components and is a joyto work with? Will that step up a mark on your wish list of parts for anew rig? Well after reading this review on a case which offers silence,an aluminium chassis and modernity, you may just think twice.Introducing the NZXT Whisper... Chiaroscuro by Nick Falzone @ bit-tech.net [Dec-16-08] (0 Comments) */I was looking through an issue of Architectural Record one day and noticed the renderings of the Beijing Digital building which would be the technical centre of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Immediately I thought to myself “this could be a computer case”, at this point not knowing that I was actually going to build another one. When it came time to build another case, this building came immediately to mind. I showed the renderings of the building to my friend, Belgian architect, and fellow modder, Gert Swolfs and he responded by saying that //he actually did the renderings and would be happy to render the case for me. These renderings are shown below.//For the design, I took the “circuit board” design on the building and transferred it onto a 30cm cube. Three sides would contain this design and the other two sides would have a movable fin design. The fins act as a “skin” (excuse the architecture lingo) that could be opened or closed depending on the heat load inside. ASUS Eee PC 1000HA Netbook @ techgage.com [Dec-16-08] (0 Comments) With a countlessnumber of netbooks available, we're looking to see ifthe originator of them all still has what it takes to deliver a modelthat's both affordable, and complete with the features we're after. The1000HA lacks the Bluetooth and Draft n of the 1000H, but still retainsthe same great looks, along with killer battery-life. Sigma WindStorm Mid Tower Case @ modders-inc.com [Dec-15-08] (0 Comments) Sigma is working hard to develop new innovative designs built withhigh quality standards. They have just released a new case for computerenthusiasts with airflow in mind. Today we will take a look at the SigmaWindStorm and see if it is indeed a WindStorm or just a mild breeze! In-Win Commander 850W PSU @ rbmods.com [Dec-15-08] (0 Comments) Today we get a chance to check out a new power supply manufacturer,In-Win, which is a company that makes a wide range of PC products. They sentus a sample of their latest power supply offering, the In-Win Commander 850WPSU, which boost a military paint scheme. Will this power supply be ready tobattle some of the more established brands? Let's find out in this review. Ikonik Vulcan 1200W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Dec-14-08] (0 Comments) Ikonik is a brand new name in these parts, bringing a neverbefore seen Channel Well based design to my eager hands in the Vulcan 1200W.We've looked at Channel Well's high powered offerings before in units likethe Corsair HX1000 and Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W and 1200W models. Howwill the new DSR platform compare to those older PUC based units? Vizo Armada II RAM Cooler @ rbmods.com [Dec-12-08] (0 Comments) As computer performance increases, the need to cool the internal components of the computer becomes greater. While we focus a lot of attention on the CPU, video card, and case fan cooling solutions, another cooling product that is starting to become more prominent are RAM/memory coolers. Vizo, makers of a wide range of computer components, as released a new product, the Armada II RAM cooler, which offers a cooling solution for RAM sticks. Read on to find out if it makes a noticeable difference in performance. Planet Express Klan's Eco-Intel Mod @ bit-tech.net [Dec-11-08] (0 Comments) */The build was designed around the four basic elements from Greek Civilitation:Fire, Air, Earth and Water, although in the mod we've used the Latin wording:Ignis, Aeris, Aqua and Tellus. In its origins, they represent the basic composition of the cosmos. The idea goes that these four elements are not only the ones that built the world but the ones that can destroy it as well:a thought that's clearly prevalent again in modern society mainly due to climate change:fires, rising sea levels, hurricanes and tornadoes and earthquakes. Coolermaster HAF 932 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Dec-11-08] (0 Comments) Whenit comes to cases, Coolermaster aren't exactly known for theirsubtleties. With chassis like the Stacker range that have dominated thelarge tower market for years, it's about time they introduced somethingnew; but hopefully just as OTT. Their new range is called the HAF, andI'm looking at the 932 model. It's a pretty monstrous in terms of sizeand cooling ability. Let's check it out. Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Dec-11-08] (0 Comments) Today we are going to be taking a look at the NH-C12P. The NH-C12Putilizes Noctua's newest fan design, the NF-P12. This time around Noctua hasdecided to use a horizontal design rather than the vertical design like theNH-U12F and NH-U12P. Special Edition Video Game @ rbmods.com [Dec-09-08] (0 Comments) Tired of singing in the shower and want to show your true rock startalent? Games such as Guitar Hero allow you to become a musician, but noneof them provide the full rock star experience as the video game Rockband.Geeks, popular online retailer, sent us the Wii version of Rockband:SpecialEdition to check out. Will this game rock out? That is what we're going toanswer in this review. NorthQ Giant Reactor 1000W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Dec-08-08] (0 Comments) We've looked at lots of NorthQ units here at jonnyGURU.com, somebig and some small. Today though I'm taking a look at the Big Daddy of theirlineup, the 1000W Giant Reactor. Come on in and see how it does. FSP Power Mod 700W Power Supply @ rbmods.com [Dec-06-08] (0 Comments) Choosing a power supply can be a tough choice, with a wide range ofsuppliers and features for each unit. While power output is important, thereare other factors such as efficiency, noise, and even looks that are equallyas important. Today we'll be looking at a 700W power supply from FSP, theFSP Power Mod 700W PSU, which has been designed with performance in mind.Will this power supply prove to be a good balance of all the factors thatmake a good power supply? Let's find out. MSI Turbostream 600 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Dec-05-08] (0 Comments) MSI Turbostream power supplies are manufactured by Solytech. We reviewed one of their 600 W models featuring active PFC and 120-mm fan. Is this a good product? Can it really deliver its labeled power? Mod of the Month - November 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Dec-05-08] (0 Comments) */I have to admit, I have a bit of a soft spot for small form factor case mods and jhanlon303's latest project is another that has grabbed our attention this month. jhanlon303 has been making some good progress and, unlike his fellow modder on the previous page, he prefers a more hands on approach to planning. OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Dec-05-08] (0 Comments) The OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W tested out to be a good power supply.It produced good voltage regulation and delivers excellent efficiency. Inaddition, the ModXStream does its job very quietly, is 80Plus and NVIDIA SLIcertified, and comes backed with OCZ's PowerSwap warranty. On the downside, the DC outputs were not as clean (AC ripple) as we have come to expectfrom OCZ and PC Power & Cooling. And the 3-Year warranty goes along withthe lower price point. Ace KUC500 Slick Touch Keyboard @ rbmods.com [Dec-04-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at another Ace product, this time we got akeyboard on the test bench. Will this work well together with the Ace mousewe reviewed a few days ago? How will this keyboard work vs Logitech andMicrosoft keyboards that have been dominating the market for a longerperiod? Let's have a closer look to see what we can come up with. BFG MX-550 Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Dec-04-08] (0 Comments) The new MX series of power supplies from BFG features a modular cabling system, one 120-mm fan and one 80-mm fan that only kicks in when temperature is above 50º C. Let’s see if the 550 W model is a good product. Palit Revolution R700 Deluxe - VR-Zone @ vr-zone.com [Dec-04-08] (0 Comments) For those who missed it, the HD4870 X2 is essentially two HD4870soperating in Crossfire mode, albeit on a single card. And as if theoriginal wasn't already huge enough, Palit has super-sized the HD4870 x2.What it calls the Revolution R700 Deluxe takes up a grand total of 3slots. [News] Lian-Li PC-60FW Case @ virtual-hideout.net [Dec-03-08] (0 Comments) The PC-60FW turns out to be another winner from Lian-Li. The levelof quality, professionalism and attention-to-detail has been properlycarried over from previous models to this one, and it shows in many places,from the nicely-installed window to the improved HDD cage. Additionally, therelocation of the PSU to the bottom of the case helps improve the layout bymaking it cleaner and less prone to airflow blockage from messy cables. Technic3D/Fractal Design 1000W @ technic3d.com [Dec-03-08] (0 Comments) The Fractal Design Newton 1000W (FD-PSU-NEWT-1000W) arrived Te chnic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next Big P SU with modular cable management, 135mm Fan, 4x 12V rails, 6x Serial A TA connectors and 2x PCI-e 6+2 Pin. Silent Computer Article @ rbmods.com [Dec-03-08] (0 Comments) These days everyone wants a quiet computer, it doesnt matter if its astationary, laptop or HTPC they are all supposed to perform at all timeswith the smallest amount cooling possible. NZXT Whisper Case at Modders-Inc @ modders-inc.com [Dec-02-08] (0 Comments) NZXT, a company known for it's unique lineup of gaming hardware,accessories and cases, has added a new case to it's Classic Series. This newcase is the NZXT Whisper, a Silent Steel Full Tower. According to some, itis the big brother or a step from the NZXT Hush Mid Tower case. Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider 1.1 @ ngohq.com [Dec-02-08] (0 Comments) Microsoftdid well releasing Service Pack 1, but somehow they forgot end userswhen they introduced a very restricted module of driver signatureenforcement. In laymen’s terms, all drivers and system files must bedigitally verified or they cannot run when using both 32-bit and 64-bitversions of Vista. In the past, it was possible to turn that featureoff; but due to new kernel security updates, it is impossible to turnit off without degrading security and stability of your operatingsystem or putting your master boot records in risk by using othersoftware alternatives.Pressing F8 every time on boot up can be a serious pain in the ass andfrustrating to those that miss the time window available to press F8during start up. Others have found workarounds, but most of them aretoo risky and may trash your master boot records and some others weretoo complicated for the average end user to perform, at least until now- thanks to our latest tool. Vizo mini Ninja II Notebook Cooler @ techpowerup.com [Dec-02-08] (0 Comments) The Vizo mini Ninja II notebook cooler is the evolution of the first mini Ninja. While keeping the same design as the previous model, it also features the same great construction quality and cooling performance, but also adds an USB hub to the mix. Death of a Gutless Wonder @ jonnyguru.com [Dec-01-08] (0 Comments) Quite some time ago, I took a look at several cheap-o units aspart of my Bargain Basement roundup in an effort to determine whether or notthese generic units that come free with computer cases are worth trusting.Since then, I've had people hounding me to blow up some more of these units. Dreamhack Winter 2008 Coverage @ rbmods.com [Dec-01-08] (0 Comments) Our toughts of Dreamhack, the worlds biggest LAN party with almost10,000 computers connected to each other. See pictures all the way from oddcomputers to new hardware on the market. We have the whole LAN party in ourpicture article. NZXT Rogue Small Form Factor Computer Case @ rbmods.com [Nov-30-08] (0 Comments) Most computer cases nowadays are suffering from a size problem; theyseem to be getting bigger and bigger as people find more stuff to put insidethem. But what if you're looking for a case that is easily portable andtakes up less space under your desk? NZXT, makers of a wide range ofcomputer products, offers such a case, the NZXT Rogue Small Form FactorComputer Case. Will this case steal the show? Read on to find out. Sapphire HD 4830 Graphics Card @ modders-inc.com [Nov-28-08] (0 Comments) I have to say that the card performed above my expectations. Iplayed Call of Duty 4 for roughly 3 hours straight and the card maintained agood frame rate throughout each map. I estimate my frames to average outbetween the mid 90s to the mid 130s, sometimes hitting a lot higherdepending on the location in the map of course. [Affiliates News] Lenovo customer service hell, as you've heard @ aphnetworks.com [Nov-27-08] (0 Comments) A few weeks ago, I ordered a Lenovo T400 laptop -- and fromwhat I had read, it was one of the best laptops in the market. With excellentbattery life (9+ hours with a 9-cell, switchable integrated/dedicated onspecific models, and LED screen), generally excellent reputation for ThinkPadlaptop's excellent reliability, it was really hard to resist this purchase --considering the fact that my Dell Inspiron 6400 recently died. The LenovoT-series' features, performance, weight, you name it -- are as perfect as alaptop would be. The funny thing is, many of these customer service articlesthat I've been writing here on APH Networks started off with a couplenegative reviews, balanced with another handful of positive ones frommanufacturers such as BenQ, NEC, and Shaw Cable. And then it all stopped,with the amount of reviews that we've been putting out every week for thelast couple years. Well, while I'll still write this week's review(Hopefully!) despite spending time to write this article, here's a new onefor you:and right off the bat, I hate to say it but -- it's more thannegative. To clarify, I'm not trying to Ace Mouse MLUC100 Laser 1600D @ rbmods.com [Nov-27-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at the Ace MLUC100 mouse from Ace. Thisseems to be a fairly new company on the market but they seem to aim theirmarket on the gamers with high quality products. Lets see what type of mousethey have released for gamers and also check out how it performs. Zalman ZM750-HP Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-27-08] (0 Comments) ZM750-HP is a 750 W power supply from Zalman featuring a modular cabling system and a heat-pipe-based heatsink to cool down the secondary rectifiers. Let’s see if this unit survives our tests. [News] Aerocool AeroRacer Pro Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Nov-27-08] (0 Comments) The AeroRacer series feature styling reminiscent of a race car. Theparticular model up for review today is the AeroRacer Pro, which is amid-tower chassis. When it comes to versatility and ventilation, theAeroRacer Pro has no competition. The overall lines are styled like a racecar, and it features both an enormous 400mm side intake fan (which remindsme of the large radiator cooling fans on a car) and an Silverstone Fortress FT01 Mid-Tower Chassis @ jonnyguru.com [Nov-26-08] (0 Comments) A couple of years ago Silverstone created a uni-body PC chassis,the Temjin TJ07. The TJ07 case is still one of the best looking cases fromSilverstone to date. In an attempt to expand on that design Silverstone hasdecided to create a new line of chassis, the Fortress series. TheSilverstone Fortress FT01 is the first chassis in that product line, whichutilizes the same uni-body design as the TJ07. It also brings several greatfeatures to the table, so come on in and see what we have to say about it. Tuniq Potency 550W Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Nov-26-08] (0 Comments) The Tuniq Potency 550W promises to be a perfect fit for alot of uswith a systems that have just enough components to do just what we need forthem to do. The Potency is the third series of power supplies from Tuniq.The Potency comes in three different power level which would be 550, 650 and750 models. The biggest feature of the Potency is that it has been ranthrough the ringer while being tested to be rated at 80 Plus certification.We will now take a look at the unit up close to see what it is all about. SilverStone Decathlon 700 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-26-08] (0 Comments) Decathlon 700 W is a power supply from SilverStone where all cables – including the main motherboard one – uses a modular system. Is this a good power supply? Let’s see. TechwareLabs Official Netbook Buying Guide @ techwarelabs.com [Nov-25-08] (0 Comments) Netbooks have become wildly popular due to their ability to be taken anywhere, ultra light weight, and low low price. It is no surprise then that many companies have a netbook product on the market and with so many models to choose from how do you make your selection? TechwareLabs has this Netbook Buying Guide that will help you to see the differences and make a selection that is right for you. Technic3D/Ikonik Vulcan 1200W @ technic3d.com [Nov-25-08] (0 Comments) The Ikonik Vulcan 1200W arrived Technic3D. See you in the foll owing Review from Technic3D the next Big PSU with modular cable manage ment, 140mm blue LED Fan, 4x 12V rails, 12x Serial ATA connectors and 6x PCI-e 6+2 Pin. 2008 Supplementary PSU Roundup - Part 2 @ jonnyguru.com [Nov-24-08] (0 Comments) In part one of this roundup, I looked at two lower powered modelsfrom Ultra and FSP designed to supplement one's main PSU in providing powerfor the newer and more watt hungry video cards. In part two, both of thoseunits are in for some Lian Li PC-9 Computer Case @ rbmods.com [Nov-24-08] (0 Comments) We've had the opportunity to review a lot of cases here onrbmods.com, but one manufacturer seems to stand out amongst the crowd interms of quality and reputation:Lian Li. But as the competition getstougher, everyone needs to elevate their new products to new levels. Today,we get a chance to look at one of the newest products from Lian Li, the PC-9computer case. Will this case continue the Lian Li's tradition ofexcellence? Read on to find out in this review. Thermaltake V9 Case @ rbmods.com [Nov-21-08] (0 Comments) Cases and more cases, if you look at the market you will find variouscases from small to big towers and even HTPC cases, but the queston is howare you supposed to know which is right for you. Thermaltake is a big casemanufacturers and have supplied the market with reliable and high qualitycases for a longer period now, we are going to take a look at their V9 casetoday that seems to be a normal sized miditower case but with the extratwist to it. ASUS GeForce EN9800GT Matrix @ techgage.com [Nov-21-08] (0 Comments) Picking out a new graphics card is easier to do now thanever, as there seems to be a model to cover every single price-range,and not just from one single GPU manufacturer, either. Today's card isone that represents the ~$125 price spot and is designed as a step-upfrom the 9600 GT, with ASUS applying their usual TLC to help add evenmore appeal. Kingston HyperX 3GB DDR3 2GHz Triple-Channel Memory Kit @ legitreviews.com [Nov-20-08] (0 Comments) All said and done, the performance of the Kingston HyperX DDR3 2GHz 3GB triple-channel memory kit was impressive and it was great to see that it was overclocking beyond 2.1GHz with no extra voltage. Another thing that should be pointed out when it comes to performance is that no active cooling is required at 2GHz since the kit uses just 1.65V! I tested the memory inside the ThermalTake Spedo Advance chassis, which has good airflow, and when I touched the modules while playing Far Cry 2 they were just warm to the touch. Not what one would expect for some memory modules that are running at 2000MHz. It makes you wonder how fast these triple-channel kits will become in 2009 now that the Intel Core i7 platform is here. Lian Li Maxima Force 750 Watt Power Supply @ modders-inc.com [Nov-20-08] (0 Comments) The growing demand of PC users for high-end products andoutstanding performance has initiated Lian Li to declare a new series ofPower Supply Units (PSU) entitled GeForce GTX 260 with 216 cores Video Card @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-20-08] (0 Comments) nVidia is launching today a new version of GeForce GTX 260 with 216 processors instead of 192. Let’s see the performance increase this new model brings and how it is compared to other nVidia products and competitors. ASUS EN9800GT Matrix 512MB @ pcper.com [Nov-19-08] (0 Comments) The 9800 GT does not OFFICIALLY support 3-Way SLI even though thecard sports the necessary SLI connection for it. The answer from ASUS isthat because the 9800 GT Matrix shares some manufacturing options with othercards, the connectors were left on for easy transition. If someone were soinclined, they could likely modify the firmware in such a way to activatethat second SLI connector and perhaps get a set of 9800 GTs workingtogether. NorthQ Siberian Tiger II Water Cooler @ jonnyguru.com [Nov-18-08] (0 Comments) Back at the end of April, I took a look at the NorthQ SiberianTiger water cooling kit. Today we are taking a look at the Siberian Tiger II watercooling kit, which is the bigger brother due to its use of a 240mm radiatorcompared to the little brothers 120mm radiator. Will the extra liquidcapacity, increased radiator size, and dual 120mm fans give it the edgeyou're looking for? Well let's jump in and find out. Evercool Booster Cool Wrist Pad @ rbmods.com [Nov-18-08] (0 Comments) Every now and then various manufacturers publish strange products.Sometimes those products come with great success. Generally those productsare fun for a week or two, and then they lie around your cabinet after thepurchase. This time we have an opportunity to review Evercool's Boosterwrist cooler. Sapphire Radeon HD4650 OC Edition 512mb GDDR3 @ modders-inc.com [Nov-18-08] (0 Comments) Are you looking for a budget graphic card for your HTPC withenough kick to really game with? A graphic card that is energy efficient butalso has enough power to play the latest and greatest games. If that's notenough for you how about you throw in 320 stream processing units, up to 1GBof memory and support for Microsoft DirectXR10.1 games, the ability to watchBlu-Ray movies and play HD content. Well Sapphire Tech has done just thatwith the HD 4650 OC edition graphics card. Not possible you say? Sapphire Radeon HD 4550 @ modders-inc.com [Nov-15-08] (0 Comments) Anybody who knows graphics cards, knows Sapphire. They have been amain player in the ATI graphics card market for what seems like an eternity.Is the HD4550 the benefactor of its higher performing siblings, or is it oneof those GlacialTech GP-AL 650A Powersupply @ rbmods.com [Nov-14-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a powersupply from Glacialtech. Theyhave released a new interesting PSU that has a thermal controller which evenstops the fan if possible to reduce noise. It comes at a nice 650W which isquite optimal today and it also seems to have most of the features that isneeded for our current and coming hardware. Lets get this review going andcompare it vs some other well performing PSU=B4s on the market. Antec NeoPower Blue 650W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Nov-14-08] (0 Comments) I've looked at several Antec power supplies lately, and this timeI'm looking at a new take on a Seasonic based platform introduced with theTruepower Trio line. Only this time, there are blue LEDs and it's modular. [News] G.Skill F2-6400CL4D-4GPI-B DDR2 Memory @ virtual-hideout.net [Nov-13-08] (0 Comments) Though G.Skill's kit managed to melt it's wax wings on the path togreatness, it still managed to impress a fair bit before it plummeted backto the earth. Though it managed only 1,000 MHz, this is still a 25%overclock, so to speak - something which is quite impressive on a kit thatruns for under $90. Even if you don't intend to overclock, these modulespack a fair punch with their low latencies, great build quality, and oddly,lower cost than the rest of the flock. Considering these few graces, as wellas the small tokens inside the package, I'd have to say that I recommendthis kit to anyone looking for a quick fix in terms of a memory upgrade -something that will simply drop in and work - now that's peace of mind. Corsair Flash Voyager - Part 1 (8GB) @ jonnyguru.com [Nov-13-08] (0 Comments) Today's review is actually the first part of a two part review.Recently, Corsair released their Voyager 64GB flash drive. 64GB? Good lord!That's 30 times larger than the hard drive I had 10 years ago! It's probablystill larger than the hard drives of some of our readers. Unless you have abig MP3 or porn collection, 64GB is pretty hard to fill up. Everything You Need to Know About Megapixels @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-13-08] (0 Comments) With the first digital cameras a model with a higher megapixel value was better than one with a lower value. This isn't necessary true today. Learn why. Technic3D/Super Talent Pico-Gold Series 8GB @ technic3d.com [Nov-12-08] (0 Comments) Super Talent's Pico series features mini on-chip technology fl ash drives. However the models differ from each other, be it by retrac table plugs or the lately launched 24K golden platted Pico-C. Technic3 D wanted to know if there's more than a benefit in style - results can be found in our review. Corsair HX1000W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-12-08] (0 Comments) Corsair HX1000W is a 1,000 W power supply with six 6/8-pin auxiliary cables for video cards, modular cabling system, solid aluminum capacitors, dual-transformer design and labeled at 50º C. Let’s see if this is a good power supply. Xigmatek Battle-Axe VGA Cooler @ techpowerup.com [Nov-11-08] (0 Comments) The Xigmatek Battle-Axe VGA Cooler takes the innovations from the company in the CPU cooler area and applies them to a GPU cooler. This means that you will get direct touch heatpipes and massive fans to cool that modern graphic card of yours. Coolmax CUG-950B 950W Power Supply @ rbmods.com [Nov-11-08] (0 Comments) A few weeks ago, we took a look at Coolmax's 950W PSU and wereimpressed by the quality and stable voltages. Coolmax also offers a 750WPSU, the Coolmax RM-750B 750W PSU, which they claim has a high level ofperformance with a lower price point. Will the reduced power prove to be toomuch of a sacrifice? Let's find out as we take a closer look at this powersupply. QNAP TS-209 Pro II NAS @ modders-inc.com [Nov-10-08] (0 Comments) QNAP TS-209 Pro II Turbo NAS is an all-in-one, high performanceNAS server designed for storage-hungry modern business and SOHO users tosave, back up, manage, and share data. It also satisfies the needs of modernbusiness for centralized data management and brings more value-addedfeatures plus the hardcore home network users. CrazyPC Red EL Neon Wire Kit @ modders-inc.com [Nov-08-08] (0 Comments) Did you know that lighting is one of the most effective ways andprobably the most commonly used ways to draw attention, highlight oraccentuate just about anything imaginable? Yep, even custom street rods andyou guessed it, custom computers .Well, CrazyPC has just what you need to help you accomplish a wide array ofvery easy lighting effects Icy Box IB-250 2,5" External HDD Enclosure @ rbmods.com [Nov-08-08] (0 Comments) Today one of the main things people are looking for is size andperformance/size and when it comes to harddrives the flash drives are slowlycoming onto the market but there are competitors like a 2.5 Kingmax Long DIMM DDR3-1600 @ pro-clockers.com [Nov-05-08] (0 Comments) Our test bench will play host to the Kingmax FLGE85F-B8MF7 or betteryet their Long DIMM DDR3-1600. The Kingmax offering is capable of this whileoperating at 1.9 volts. And to protect the modules the kit wears a set ofblack aluminum heat spreaders that will remind you of the Corsair Dominatorsand the Patriot Viper. But we will see if the Kingmax set can set itselfapart when it comes down to performance and overclocking. iPod Nano Mono-Chromatic @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-05-08] (0 Comments) Apple has scratched last year’s design in favor of a comeback to the iPod Nano’s roots. Let’s see what we think about the new iPod nano model. [News] OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600w Power Supply @ virtual-hideout.net [Nov-05-08] (0 Comments) It always makes me feel better knowing and being able to report thata PSU can live up to its recommendation. The OCZ 600 Watt ModXStream PowerSupply is a very, very worthy choice. The price seems to be on par with the600 Watt range, though just a bit on the top end at around $110. If anythingmakes it worth the buy, consider the efficiency and power produced. Sapphire HD 4850 X2 Video Card @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-05-08] (0 Comments) The new Radeon HD 4850 X2 that is being launched today is simply two Radeon HD 4850 video cards in a single board working in CrossFire mode and priced to compete with GeForce GTX 280. Which video card is the best? Asus 901 Eee PC @ rbmods.com [Nov-04-08] (0 Comments) Today=B4s hottest thing is the new ultra portable EEE laptops fromAsus. Alot of companies have started to manufacture similar products butAsus is still leading in the market. What can we expect from this smalllittle 2008 Supplementary PSU Roundup - Part 1 @ jonnyguru.com [Nov-04-08] (0 Comments) Today we're looking at two units in one review. Back when thereally power hungry video cards first started appearing, somebody somewhererealized that these cards were surpassing the ability of the averagecomputer power supply to power. Especially at risk were the NZXT Cryo LX Notebook Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Nov-04-08] (0 Comments) NZXT, a company more known for it's gaming cases and products, hasentered the notebook cooler arena in a Large way, introducing to thenotebook cooler market, the Cryo LX, which boldly boasts in large letteringon the front of the retail box, ... World's largest full aluminum notebookcooler. Nehalem Revolution:Intel's Core i7 Processor Complete @ the fact [Nov-03-08] (0 Comments) Intel's new Core i7 series of processors is a modern marvel oftechnology that brings previously inaccessible performance to the consumer.In areas where multi-threaded applications are dominant, heavy multi-taskingis the norm or multimedia encoding is the primary function, the move to aHyperThreaded Core i7 part is a no brainer. But Intel's biggest problemmight not have anything to do with AMD or another outside source:the factis that the Core 2 Quad processors are still fantastic performers, widelyavailable and pretty damn cheap. Anyone that has a quad-core system willlikely not find a compelling performance benefit to upgrade from it to aCore i7 unless they subscribe to one of the usage models mentioned above.Intel has definitely attempted to curb this dilemma with the introduction ofthe $284 Core i7-920 and I think that this CPU will find its way into manyof our reader's machines. NZXT Cryo LX Notebook Cooler @ rbmods.com [Nov-01-08] (0 Comments) Recently, we've had a chance to review a few different products fromNZXT, a manufacturer of a variety of computer and gaming accessories, andmostly have been impressed with their quality and attention to detail. Todaywe'll look at another one of their offerings, the NZXT Cryo LX NotebookCooler. Will this cooler prove to blow away the competition? Let's find outin this review. Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-01-08] (0 Comments) Spedo is the most recent full-tower case from Thermaltake, available in two versions. We reviewed the most expensive model, “Advance Package”, which seems to be one of the most complete steel cases in the market right now. Let’s see. A.C.Ryan Udock USB & eSATA docking station @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Nov-01-08] (0 Comments) For this review I will be taking a look at a product from a company that whilst not totally unknown unless you are into modifying your pc’s you may not have heard of as a lot, but not all, of their products are used for modifying pc’s. The item I am reviewing is a hard drive docking station the Udock from AC Ryan, yes that’s correct a docking station NOT a caddy, all will be revealed. ATI All-In-Wonder HD Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Oct-31-08] (0 Comments) Overall I feel that the ATI All-In-Wonder HD is a great card for the casual gamer that is looking to upgrade their aging video card and would like to add HD content playback to their system. The bundled software is wonderful for anyone not planning to use Vista Media Center. There is little to dislike about the card, it is very quiet in operation and under the highest HD mode of operation the system uses less than 125W. Since so little power is used the video card stays nice and cool... Patriot Extreme Performance Viper Series PC2-8500 4GB Memory @ modders-inc.com [Oct-31-08] (0 Comments) The Extreme Performance Enhanced Latency modules are designed tooperate at 1066MHZ with 5-5-5-15 timings. They utilize Patriots Viper HeatShields with integrated ACC (Aluminum Copper Composite) technology. They aredesigned for maximum performance and stability under extreme overclockingconditions. So let's dig in and find out. Mod of the Month - October 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Oct-31-08] (0 Comments) */One of my favourite things about watching you guys mod is the concept Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR3 1333MHz @ pro-clockers.com [Oct-29-08] (0 Comments) Just a few weeks ago Crucial released some new DDR3 modules under theTracer line. The modules came rated at a mere 1333MHz but at a industry low6-6-6-20 timings. One may look upon this as great when it comes to such lowtimings but not so great when it comes to the low speed rating. Well this isa kit from Crucial and you can beat it has plenty in the tank to give somevery respectable numbers in the overclocking department. Read along to seejust how high we got with this new kit. MSI N9800GT GeForce 9800 GT 512MB Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Oct-28-08] (0 Comments) In the time I’ve had to spend with this card, I haven’t really found much to dislike about it. The card has performed well in Folding@Home and in Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare. Of course, I didn’t try to push the card to ridiculous resolutions, as gamers that own 24” or 30” monitors probably aren’t looking at sub-$120 video card to run them. Even with Crysis Warhead, where I thought the card could stumble and fall, as many higher priced cards did with the original Crysis, the 9800GT from MSI was able to play the game fairly smoothly at 1280x1024. Cyprio's Apple Core Duo mod @ bit-tech.net [Oct-28-08] (0 Comments) */Modding an Apple G5 case had been a dream of mine for as long as I set NZXT Guardian 921 @ pureoverclock.com [Oct-28-08] (0 Comments) Today we're looking at NZXT's new mid-sized tower, the Guardian 921. NZXTis looking to take a winning formula in the original Guardian and improveupon it, promising gamers a case that offers solid design, construction, andfeatures for a very modest price. Targeted towards the budget conscious PCenthusiast with a futuristic and aggressive design aesthetic, we tackle theGuardian 921 and see if it indeed fits the bill. SilverStone Raven Mouse @ modders-inc.com [Oct-28-08] (0 Comments) The look, balanced feel and cutting edge ideas shows me thatSilverStone is truly serious about the mouse market. If they take some ofthe feed back that has been put out on the web about the Raven, which hasbeen favorable, and tweak it I think that they will have one heck of mouseand most definitely be a serious contender in this market. A job well doneby SilverStone and thank you for pushing the limits on a mouse. Asus 9800GT Matrix Videocard @ rbmods.com [Oct-28-08] (0 Comments) Another day another review and today we got Asus latest 9800GT Matrixcard on the bench with DirectX 10 support and 512 mb DDR3 video memory sothis should be a interesting review as we are going to compare it vs someother high performing cards on the market right now. NZXT Avatar Mouse Giveaway @ modders-inc.com [Oct-26-08] (0 Comments) NZXT and Modders-Inc has teamed up to giveaway one of their greatnew PC mouse, the Avatar. Winning it is easy so just check out the contestpage for the details. Butterkneter's Far Cry 2-themed Playstation 3 mod @ bit-tech.net [Oct-24-08] (0 Comments) */A while back, I received an email from Ubisoft asking me for some concept art for a potential Far Cry 2 mod based on Sony's Playstation 3. Ubisoft had been pleased with my past work when I worked with it on a number of similar projects for Assassin's Creed and Rainbow Six:Vegas 2, so with such a big game I needed to create something special. ECS P43T-A2 Motherboard @ modders-inc.com [Oct-24-08] (0 Comments) Not everyone can afford to spend lots of money on a motherboard orneed all the extra fancy stuff you can get. This is where companies likeElitegroup (ECS) come into play with their budget minded boards. Today weare going to be taking a look at one of those products, the ECS P43T-A2V1.0. Raidmax Aura Case at Modders-Inc @ modders-inc.com [Oct-22-08] (0 Comments) Raidmax has introduced a new member to its Performance SeriesGaming Cases, the Raidmax AURA. A mid-tower computer case. Asus U6V Laptop @ rbmods.com [Oct-22-08] (0 Comments) Asus are well known for their high quality products which range allthe way from coolers to laptops. This is the first time we are going to testa laptop from Asus and we got their last super portable U6V model which hasa smaller screen to make it more portable but it still seems to have fastparts inside. At a price around 1500$ this thing better perform well so letstake a closer look. ASUS EN9800GTX+ 512MB Dark Knight @ techgage.com [Oct-21-08] (0 Comments) Need a new mid-range GPU for under $200? NVIDIA's 9800GTX+ is a good model to keep in mind, and ASUS' Dark Knight card inparticular proves to be one well-worth considering. The card offersgreat gaming performance for the cash, even handling certain games at2560x1600 with ease, has a sweet-looking cooler, and best of all, ispriced-right. Technic3D/Aerocool Modern-V @ technic3d.com [Oct-20-08] (0 Comments) The AeroCool Modern-V Color LCD Display for 2x 5 1/4 Antec Signature 650W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Oct-20-08] (0 Comments) You may recall that the SG-850 received the first 10 out of 10rating I've ever given out for performance, and I have a confession to make:after that product's very impressive showing, I installed it into my maincomputer where it is now running as I type this, displacing a veryimpressive in its own right 1200W unit. Not just any unit can make thatclaim, and you better believe that I want to see how the 650W versionperforms just as much as you all do. Let's get things rolling with a few boxshots. NZXT Avatar Mouse Giveaway @ modders-inc.com [Oct-20-08] (0 Comments) NZXT and Modders-Inc has temed up to giveaway one of their greatnew PC mouse, the Avatar. Winning it is is easy so just check out thecontest page for the details. NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse @ rbmods.com [Oct-19-08] (0 Comments) When you are in the middle of an intense battle in your favorite FPSgame, do you ever wish you could change the sensitivity of the mouse aseasily as changing weapons? The NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse allows you to dojust that with the press of a button and also has a series of lights toindicate what speed has been selected. How does it stand up in both gamingand non-gaming situations? Read on to find out. OCZ Reaper HPC DDR2 PC2-8500 4GB @ modders-inc.com [Oct-17-08] (0 Comments) We will be doing our testing on Vista 64 and also seeing how wellit works with our E8400 test rig. We know that OCZ has shown to offer someoutstanding memory in the past and hope to see the 4GB kit hold up. Microsoft SideWinder X6 Gaming Keyboard @ tweaktown.com [Oct-17-08] (0 Comments) Rocking up with the previously reviewed SideWinder X5 mouse, I was lucky enough to receive an X6 keyboard to complete the desktop of evil. This keyboard boasts a full backlight and letter illumination with a built-in dial to adjust the intensity. The coupe de grace, however, comes with the hot swappable numeric keypad module that can be changed up, left or right depending on your preference, or if you want to add more macros to the left hand side. Microsoft SideWinder X6 Gaming Keyboard @ tweaktown.com [Oct-17-08] (0 Comments) Rocking up with the previously reviewed SideWinder X5 mouse, I was lucky enough to receive an X6 keyboard to complete the desktop of evil. This keyboard boasts a full backlight and letter illumination with a built-in dial to adjust the intensity. The coupe de grace, however, comes with the hot swappable numeric keypad module that can be changed up, left or right depending on your preference, or if you want to add more macros to the left hand side. NZXT Guardian 921 Case @ rbmods.com [Oct-16-08] (0 Comments) With the large number of case manufacturers on the market, we here atRbmods.com don't get a chance to review every case on the market. But it'sstill exciting when we get to evaluate a new company's case, especially whenthey offer features that stand out amongst the crowd. Today we get to lookat a case from NZXT, a provider of a wide range of computer and gamingaccessories, called the NZXT Guardian 921 Case. Will this case turn a buildinto a computer rig everyone will want? We will find out in this review. Tales from a Modder's Garage @ techgage.com [Oct-16-08] (0 Comments) Over the courseof the past few years, PC modding has exploded into ahobby enjoyed by many, and for good reason. I've been building mods fora while now, and if I can say one thing, it's that it can be one of themost rewarding hobbies you can have. Read on as I tell you why I enjoyit so much, and what it takes to become a modder yourself. Microsoft SideWinder X5 Gaming Mouse @ tweaktown.com [Oct-15-08] (0 Comments) Microsoft has sent me a whole box of goodies to review recently and in amongst the pile of goodness is something sinister looking; something very black and very evil...The SideWinder X5 Gaming Mouse. This is a modified version of the classic SideWinder gaming mouse that sported a lovely burgundy coloured detailing. However, they have done away with the colouring in favour of a look that reminds us of stealth bombers. Gone are the silver side buttons, replaced with some black ones to complete the look of pure malevolence. It's like Darth Vader in mouse form. R&B and TomTom presents a TomTom GO 930 Giveaway @ forum.rbmods.com [Oct-14-08] (0 Comments) Today we are starting our next contest together with TomTom. We aregiving away their latest GPS so check in on the forum and follow the simplerules for a chance to win a nice TomTom Go 930. OCZ Reaper HPC PC3-10666 @ pureoverclock.com [Oct-13-08] (0 Comments) Today we'll be looking at a pair of OCZ Reaper DDR3 modules, which arepriced very attractively and sport some very slick spreaders. Good looks,good price..but what about performance? In our world, performance shouldspeak for itself, so today we'll found out if these sticks will bringsshouts or silence. Silverstone OP1000-E 1kW PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Oct-13-08] (0 Comments) Back in January of aught seven, the founder of this very sitepitted two of the biggest and baddest against each other to see which ofthem rose to the top. Those two power supplies were the newly releasedSilverstone OP1000 and the PC Power and Cooling Turbocool 1kW. Sapphire HD 4870 TOXIC Edition @ modders-inc.com [Oct-13-08] (0 Comments) What we have come to expect from Sapphire is that when a top tiergraphics card has been released a newer and more powerful one will be on theway and branded with the Toxic name. They have done it again with thepowerful HD 4870 by cranking up the numbers and by adding a heat pipecooling system. Boddaker's Battlestar Galactica case mod @ bit-tech.net [Oct-13-08] (0 Comments) */First order of business was to disassemble the case down to its bare 500 GB Hard Disk Drive Round-Up @ hardwaresecrets.com [Oct-11-08] (0 Comments) We compared the performance of ten different 500 GB SATA-300 hard disk drive models from Seagate, Samsung, Western Digital and Hitachi. Which is the fastest 500 GB in the market? Check it out! Evercool Transformer 6 CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Oct-10-08] (0 Comments) Companies that make CPU coolers try all different tactics todistinguish their products in the marketplace. One of those tactics is togive a product an interesting name. Evercool, makers of a wide range ofcooling solutions for PCs, has a new product, the Evercool Transformer 6 CPUcooler, which promises to show you extreme performance. Will this coolerprove to be more than meets the eye? Let's find out. Samsung S3 MP3 Player ed @ tweaktown.com [Oct-09-08] (0 Comments) Arriving on my doorstep recently was a sleek and sultry little number from the big S, their new S3 series MP3 player. The version sent to me by post as pictured is the “pretty in pink” model, because as a modern 20something guy, I’m secure in my manliness... The menu system of the player is fairly intuitive and you will rarely find yourself flummoxed or lost in menus, so it’s easy to switch into DSNe 2.0 environments while playing a track. There is a bunch of standard pre-sets offering you EQ boosts and then there are spacial simulators to give the effect of a concert hall or a stadium gig. Asus Eee PC S101 @ bit-tech.net [Oct-08-08] (0 Comments) */Opening the flap reveals the Eee PC S101's striking metallic burnt orange lid -- a massive change from the black and white casing used on the older Eee PCs. It's already clear that Asus has changed direction with the S101 and we think that it's for the better. However, we're sure that some won't like the burnt orange -- we've heard that Asus will be offering a number of lid options, including graphite and champagne, along with the metallic burnt orange on the model we looked at. Keelog USB Keylogger @ rbmods.com [Oct-06-08] (0 Comments) Every now and then, the idea of knowing what your friend might typeon his computerpops in mind. Keelog has provided us their newest product Keelogger FlashUSB keylogger, which saves everything you type on your computer to tiny USBflash memory and allows you to read it whenever you want. The currentproduct line includes PS/2 and USB keyloggers with 2MB, 512MB or 2GB ofmemory. Sapphire Radeon HD 4550 Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Oct-06-08] (0 Comments) The low to mid-range market has been heating up over the past few months; NVIDIA released the 9500 GT which I personally felt was a massive disappointment due to the price to performance ratio when compared to the 9600 GSO. ATI / AMD hasn't been asleep, though. The HD 4670 came out and has really managed to impress. The HD 4650 is also supposed to be out, but for some reason it hasn’t really shown up on the market. Adding to the HD 4000 series, however, is a new low-end entry level model; the HD 4550. Mitsubishi LaserVue 65" HDTV World Premiere @ thetechlounge.com [Oct-06-08] (0 Comments) Yesterday afternoon, Kurtis and I got the chance to check out the World Premiere of Mitsubishi's new =93LaserVue=94 HDTV at San Antonio's high-end audio/video emporium, Bjorn's. The folks from Mitsubishi were kind enough to take the time to give us a grand tour and explain the details about what makes this new tech so special. I read up on the technology a few months back, but since I wasn't at CES 2008, I'd never seen the prototypes in action. Well, now I've done one better, since Mitsubishi brought their only two production models in existence to Bjorn's for this World Premiere event. And you're in luck, because I'm gonna tell you all about it. Sapphire Toxic HD 4870 @ pro-clockers.com [Sep-22-08] (0 Comments) We got our mitts on the latest card to the Toxic line, the 4870Toxic. And if you are one of those that have had a Toxic card before youhaven't seen anything yet. The last Toxic we had here was the 3870 modelthat had a single slot cooling system based around the Vapor-X coolingsystem. While Sapphire took this Toxic in a whole new direction. This timethe cooler coves the entirety of the card which is like the latest Nvidialineup. I can't give you all the details of the new card in the introductionof the reviews so you must read on to find out more about the Sapphire HD4870 Toxic. Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Keyboard and Mouse Combo @ rbmods.com [Sep-21-08] (0 Comments) If you have ever bought a Logitech product you know that they makelarge variety of diverse products for your computer. I have for a long timebeen impressed with their keyboards and mice and today we got a combo kit toreview from Logitech. We got their latest Cordless Desktop Wave Keyboard andMouse combo that really seems to have all the necessary features to make ityour number one choice. Lets have a closer look a the features this kit has. Zalman ZM600-HP 600 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Sep-20-08] (0 Comments) ZM600-HP is a 600 W power supply from Zalman with a heat-pipe to cool down the secondary rectifiers and a modular cabling system. Internally identical to OCZ GameXstream 700 W, could this unit be a disguised 700 W unit? Check this out! Mushkin XP3-16000 Ascent 2GB DDR3 Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [Sep-20-08] (0 Comments) Through the DDR and DDR2 days Mushkin kits came thick and fast with high speed, high capacity and low latency modules designed for both Intel and AMD platforms. Now we have the dawn on the DDR3 revolution coming and it won’t be long before we really start to see DDR3 hit its peak. The kit we were supplied with contained two pieces, 1GB in density. The modules are designed to run at PC3-16000 or 2000MHz using 9-9-9-24 timings at 1.9v. These are the specs for use on 790i SLI chipsets and not guaranteed to run on the Intel chipsets. However, we aren’t content to just follow the rules here. GMC K2 Ebony Multi Media tower @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Sep-20-08] (0 Comments) Having previously reviewed the K1 case from GMC I was excited to get hold of their next model; the K2. In my opinion they have made the case even more attractive and the buttons on the front of the case easier to use. On the K1 I didn’t like how the bottom USB (etc) cover wasn’t spring loaded to lock shut, but on the K2 GMC have sorted that out with a much better cover system. Technic3D/Cooler Master Silent Pro 500W @ technic3d.com [Sep-19-08] (0 Comments) The Cooler Master Silent Pro 500W PSU (RS-500-AMBA D3) arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next PS U Review with a high efficiency and a good price. Make the quiet 135mm fan, 6xSerial ATA connectors, 2x PCI-e (6+2)Pin this PSU better than other PSUs? Logitech V550 Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks @ rbmods.com [Sep-18-08] (0 Comments) Todays review will actually be about a notebook mouse. When it comesto notebooks people tend to want a normal mouse to work with but it might behard to carry around a bulky big mouse with a wire or big signal receiver.Logitech have solved both of these problems by releasing the V550 NanoCordless mouse. There is no cord nor is there a big bulky receiver, how havethey done it then? Thermaltake Toughpower QFan 500W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Sep-17-08] (0 Comments) Not too long ago, I took a look at a new line of Toughpower unitsfrom Thermaltake that boasted a fancy schmancy frameless fan that promisedfantastic performance with not a lot of noise to go with it. Today, I'mlooking at the 500W little brother of that unit, the Toughpower QFan 500W. Modify the Name of Your Hard Drive WHS @ computingondemand.com [Sep-16-08] (0 Comments) People like to customize things. With that said, I ran across anindividual that had an issue with his WHS. He imaged his existing harddrive to a larger hard drive, but was left with the original disk name inthe Windows Home Server Console. This poses no problems, but is more of anannoyance than anything. If you want to change the name, you can. Raidmax IceCube SFF Micro ATX Case @ modders-inc.com [Sep-15-08] (0 Comments) The Raidmax IceCube is considered to be the mini version of theRaidmax IceBerg. The Raidmax IceCube is a SFF (Small Form Factor) casebasically designed to be a LAN party case. [News] BFG LS-Series 680w Power Supply @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-15-08] (0 Comments) Things continue to advance in the video card area and we find themrequiring less and less wattage realistically. So, smaller, more efficientwattage power supplies are all the rage and everyone wants more power fortheir money. One PSU that could very well be your next investment is the BFGLS-680 Power Supply. As the model number denotes, it offers at least a solid680 Watts with four 12V rails. Let's open this PSU and see what it can do. Gateway T-6836 14.1" Notebook @ techgage.com [Sep-15-08] (0 Comments) Notebooks aremore popular than ever, and the vast selection isincredible. There's a notebook for everyone, and in the case ofGateway's T-6836, if you are looking for something in between a netbookand a $1,000 model - you are covered. It carries certain downsides, butstill packs enough performance and features to make the $800 retailprice feel well-worth it. [Affiliates News] Gigabyte GeForce 9800GT 512MB Graphics Card @ aphnetworks.com [Sep-14-08] (0 Comments) What do you call a company that manufacturers the same carunder 50 different nameplates? Answer:General Motors. So, in that sense,what do you call a company that markets the same graphics card under twomodel numbers that indicate (supposed) separate generation of cards? Answer:NVIDIA. Jokes aside, no one can deny that there are truths to these claims --with the General Motors one having a bit of exaggeration, of course. Theever-so-popular NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT was ever so popular amongst enthusiastsand general consumers alike for its excellent performance; and even more soconsidering the retail prices. That was approximately one year ago. Now,tides have changed and ATI/AMD is returning to the game in the graphics frontwith the performance-to-price leaders such as the 4850 and 4870. How abouttaking the G92 based 8800GT and calling it a new product? Well, here we are,with a 8800GT called a 9800GT. As most would know how the NVIDIA 9-series arebasically are mostly derived off the 8-series and not a completely newgeneration (They are mostly G92's and G94's) -- the 9800GT made it into the9-series with a few minor updates. But trust us, it's practically the samething -- more info on the second page of this review. Therefore, in honor ofNVIDIA's excellent branding job, we based this review off the Gigabyte 8800GTTurboForce review with a few minor changes (We made it as similar aspossible, haha). Good thing Gigabyte made it a little more unique with acustom built unit and an aftermarket Zalman HS/F. Let's see how the 8800GT,er, 9800GT, performs. NVISION 08 Video @ modders-inc.com [Sep-12-08] (0 Comments) With NVISION 08 just a few weeks ago Modders-Inc brings you avideo review of the event. Modders-Inc site member Stealth was able tocreate an awesome video that highlights the NVISION event. Four differentvideo sizes are available to view. Kingston HyperX XMP-1800 2GB DDR3 Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [Sep-12-08] (0 Comments) Kingston is one of the big wigs when it comes to producing memory modules. Kingston HyperX memory modules have made some impressive strides; the DDR2 modules are amongst the highest quality out there. And with DDR3 showing clock frequencies up to the 2000MHz range now, Kingston is on the front line of clock power.Today Kingston enters the XMP market with the highest clocked XMP kit we have seen thus far, that being 1800MHz. Let’s see how it compares to our OCZ XMP 1600 modules. Fall Processor Pricing - Finding the Best Bang for the Buck @ techgage.com [Sep-05-08] (0 Comments) If pondering anupgrade, the time to purchase a new processor is now.Both AMD and Intel are offering a great collection of models that fitall budgets, and we take a look to find the best options available.Whether it's a Dual-Core or Quad-Core you're after, there's undoubtedlya model that fits nicely into your price range and won't let you down. Everything You Need to Know About the CPU C-States Power Saving Modes @ hardwaresecrets.com [Sep-05-08] (0 Comments) The CPU has several power saving modes called C-states. In this tutorial we will explain what these modes are, what they do and the modes supported by each processor. SumoSac Sultan Luxury 'Beanbag' Chair @ thetechlounge.com [Sep-04-08] (0 Comments) Endurance gamers will love the Sumo Sac Sultan. The huge pillow easily accommodates nearly any size human, and at least two average- sized ones. If you are looking for a man-chair to add to your furniture fold, consider the Sultan. Apartment residents wanting to save space and avoid shoving a couch up three flights of stairs may find a Sumo Sac a suitable alternative. The Sumo Sultan will suffice for basically any application you can think of for a huge bag of comfort... just don't operate heavy machinery after use. Coolmax HD250 Series 2.5 Enclosures @ pro-clockers.com [Sep-03-08] (0 Comments) One company that we have not reviewed an enclosure from is Coolmax.We all know that Coolmax has an eye for making pretty good power supplies.But there knowledge of enclosures is just as big. That knowledge spreadsover to their latest line of enclosures which is the 250 series. The seriesconsist of three different models:B and L which both have eSATA and USBports and there is a B model that just has a single USB port. We will beconcentrating on the eSATA models which are more future proof. CyberSnipa Sonar 5.1 Headset @ rbmods.com [Sep-02-08] (0 Comments) Using a headset is becoming more of an everyday occurrence, with theincreased popularity of MMOs and VOIP. Why not upgrade the experience with ahigh quality headset? Today we'll be looking at the latest headset fromCyberSnipa, the CyberSnipa Sonar 5.1 Headset. We have reviewed products fromthem in the past and have been impressed by their attention to detail andhigh quality product. Read on to find out if this headset continues thattradition. Mod of the Month - August 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Sep-01-08] (0 Comments) */One of the only things that is considered to be cooler than a model Asus Maximus II Formula Motherboard @ rbmods.com [Aug-29-08] (0 Comments) Today we look at another DDR2 solution from Asus, they still keeppushing out motherboards for the DDR2 market since DDR3 still might have notgot the recognintion it should. This new Maximus 2 board is filled withvarious new features that might come in handy when overclocking, playing,and even just surfing the net. No more crap talk lets get this review on theroad. Nikon Announces D90 Digital SLR - First Ever With Movie Mode @ thetechlounge.com [Aug-28-08] (0 Comments) Nikon today announced the D90 Digital SLR - successor to the D80. It's slated for availability some time (late?) September, at an ESP (estimated street price) of $999.95. At this point, I should mention that I'm a Canon user. I love my 5D and my treasure chest full of expensive L lenses. Point being, I'm so happy with Canon that it's rare for me to get excited about anything from the Nikon camp. In fact, this is the first time my eyes have wandered. [Forgive me, Canon, 'tis but a fling.] Oh, and we got some exclusive footage of the D90's movie mode in action, courtesy of professional photographer, Chase Jarvis. FiveWood by cc3d @ bit-tech.net [Aug-28-08] (0 Comments) *Today, we're going to let Chris Cook (aka cc3d) answer that question for you with a resounding 'Yes! Asus Eee PC 1000 @ bit-tech.net [Aug-26-08] (0 Comments) *The Eee PC 1000 is a very interesting product, especially to someone like me who still uses the original Eee PC 701 regularly, but the issue with it is that Asus are obviously struggling on ways to upgrade the older models without losing the focus on web browsing and general office tasks. Modders-Inc at NVISION08 @ modders-inc.com [Aug-26-08] (0 Comments) NVISION08 is underway and Modders-Inc is there. Come take a lookwith us as to what is happening at NVISION08 Vantec Aeroflow FX 120 CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Aug-26-08] (0 Comments) Vantec's new coolers are named after their best selling cooler todate the Aeroflow 2. The new Aeroflow FX 92 and Aeroflow FX 120 are based onthe ever popular tower design which all the top coolers share. Even with thesimilarities of these coolers they also had their differences. Whether it issize, number of heat pipes, number of fins or the number of fans it supportsthey all have characteristics that make them stand out from one another. TheAeroflow models boast the vastly becoming popular Heat-pipe Direct TouchTechnology and a sweet white cooling fan. But is this enough for Vantec tobecome a real player in the air cooling market? We will put it up againstthe several other coolers to see where it ranks. TomTom GO 930 @ rbmods.com [Aug-25-08] (0 Comments) If we look back in time just a few years ago we see that the GPS wasstill quite basic with simple instructions and graphics on how to drive.These days the GPS holds high end graphics, FM transmitters, music players,Bluetooth and video playing functions just to mention a few so we can reallysee that they have gone forward. Today we are going to look at the TomTom GO930 which is one of the latest badboys from TomTom. With a pricetag of 500$this unit better perform extremely well so lets take a look. Thermaltake Power Express 650W VGA PSU @ rbmods.com [Aug-22-08] (0 Comments) As video card power demand grows, so do power supply outputs;nowadays it's not uncommon to see a 1000W+ power supply being offered. Butwhat if you already have a decent power supply but just want to add a bitmore power for the video cards? Thermaltake, well-known makers of a widerange of computer products, might have the solution in the Thermaltake PowerExpress 650W VGA Power Supply. This dedicated power supply brings seriousamounts of power to your video cards, but is it worth the effort? Read on tofind out more. Suitcase turned into PC @ tweaktown.com [Aug-21-08] (0 Comments) Up on the bench today we have a special DIY workshop tutorial in building your own LAN party case on a budget. We take an ordinary cheap flight case and mount a full PC inside so you can truck it to and from the party with ease.With the case closed up and ugly-lid hidden away, we see that this unit doesn’t look half bad from the outside! - With no more weight than the components inside, this unit is easy enough to carry around to and from LAN parties. And I’m about to do just that... Bloo Balls by Cheapskate @ bit-tech.net [Aug-21-08] (0 Comments) *I was driven into custom case building by cheaply made cases with sharp edges. I decided after getting cut up particularly well that I needed something that wouldn't kill me. I also wanted to see the flames when I burned up my hardware, so I started making plexiglas cases. Asus' Eee PC 1000 40G netbook @ techreport.com [Aug-20-08] (0 Comments) screen, a cramped keyboard comfortable only for munchkin fingers, limited storage capacity, an underclocked Celeron processor, and average battery life.My, how things have changed.Today's netbook market is littered with much more capable devices powered by Intel's slick new Atom processor. Screens have gotten bigger, too, bringing with them not only higher display resolutions, but enough space for larger keyboards that can easily accommodate adult hands and high-speed typing. Storage capacity has also risen to the occasion, and battery life and connectivity options have expanded. The netbook has quickly grown up before our eyes.I quite liked the first Eee PC, but despite its infectious novelty and honest-to-goodness utility, what is now known as the 700 series is hampered by too many limitations to be a viable notebook replacement for most folks. Asus' new Eee PC 1000 40G, however, is another beast entirely. Perhaps the most mature of this latest crop of netbooks, the 40G sports a 1.6GHz Atom processor, a 10 Intel Reveals More About Nehalem @ techgage.com [Aug-20-08] (0 Comments) Intelopened up about their Nehalem architecture at this summer's IDF,and while we are unable to talk about performance data, what we cantalk about is of great interest. Read on as we take a brief look atTurbo Mode, HyperThreading, CPU and Memory overclocking, thetriple-channel memory controller and much more. Asus EAH 4850 TOP Videocard @ rbmods.com [Aug-19-08] (0 Comments) The 4850 videocards seem to be the best bang for the buck cards onthe market right now. Asus has released a TOP version which is a factoryoverclocked card and it also has a big Glacier cooler on it to keep thenoise down. We are going to compare it vs some other high performing cardstoday and see if this TOP card really adds some top performance to it. TRENDnet 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Gigabit Router @ tweaktown.com [Aug-19-08] (0 Comments) How do you decide which router to buy in this day and age? Is there one product that has it all? You’ll be hard pressed to find a product with all the bells and whistles, but we may have one here today that comes close to the mark.Today we get up close and personal with TRENDnet’s very latest router, the 300Mbps Dual Band Wireless N Gigabit Router sporting model number TEW-672GR. Specifically, we are looking at version 1.0R, which is the shipping version you’ll find in the stores when buying. Silverstone Zeus ZM1200M 1200W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Aug-18-08] (0 Comments) Last month, I took a look at one of the most powerful unitsSilverstone has to offer, the ZU1200M .Today, I'm checking out the modular version of this unit and am anxious tosee whether or not it performs as good as, better, or worse than its nonmodular brother. I'm sure you're all anxious to find that out as well, solet's delay no more. Vantec NexStar MX NST-400MX-SR @ modders-inc.com [Aug-15-08] (0 Comments) This External enclosure supports JBOD, Individual, Raid 0, andRaid 1 modes for effective storage management .It also has the Ability to accept two drives with a total capacity of 2TB. ECS "Black Series" P45T-A @ techgage.com [Aug-15-08] (0 Comments) Need to build anew rig on the cheap? Need modest Crossfire support,and a decent feature-set? The ECS P45T-A might be worthy of yourconsideration, as it packs in a good amount of functionality, solidperformance, a cool color scheme and of course, a good price tag, ofaround $110. Crucial Ballistix 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-10600 @ rbmods.com [Aug-15-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at another DDR3 kit on the market, thistime it comes from Crucial. We got their PC3-10600 kit for review which isthe first DDR3 kit that we look at from Crucial. Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-14400 Memory Kit with Intel XMP @ legitreviews.com [Aug-14-08] (0 Comments) The Kingston HyperX KHX14400D3K2/2GX memory kit is a very nice kit of 1800MHz memory as you can see from the benchmarking results. The Micron ICs that are used on the module can easily reach 2GHz with CL8 timings and are also able to reach tight CL7 timings at 1800MHz with a slight voltage boost. Enthusiasts are looking for modules that allow them to adjust timings and overclock, which is exactly what these HyperX modules have been designed to do... 320 GB Hard Disk Drive Round-Up @ hardwaresecrets.com [Aug-14-08] (0 Comments) We compared the performance of nine 320 GB SATA-300 hard disk drive models from Seagate, Samsung, Western Digital and Hitachi. Which is the fastest 320 GB in the market? Check it out! Thermaltake Toughpower 1,500W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Aug-12-08] (0 Comments) Why anyone would actually want (let alone need) a 1,500W power supp ly is a very good question, but if you are in the market for a very high ou tput PSU, the Toughpower 1,500W deserves consideration. The Toughpower 1,5 00W PSU exhibited very good voltage regulation along with good efficiency. Active PFC, modular sleeved cables, and a 5-year warranty are all nice-to- have features. On the down side the unit gets quite warm, the fan noise is loud and the AC ripple approaches maximum allowable values at high loads. [News] Zalman ZM750-HP Power Supply @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-11-08] (0 Comments) The Zalman ZM750-HP Power Supply passed testing and all my methodsto melt it down. It's rated to 750 Watts and doesn't come up short in anypower rail. If four 12v rails offering 20 amps each isn't enough, thenconsider Zalman's 850 or 1000 watt Heat Pipe models. Most users are going tofind this PSU far more capable for their SLI based systems and endless drivearrays. It's a silent, clear winner from a name trusted by enthusiasts theworld over. You can rest easy that the Zalman 750 Watt Heat Pipe PowerSupply can fulfill its purpose. NZXT Sentry LX High Performance Fan Controller @ rbmods.com [Aug-11-08] (0 Comments) We've seen a lot of fan controller designs here on rbmods.com,everything from simple knobs to more elaborate controllers. Today we get achance to look at a new fan controller from NZXT, the NZXT Sentry LX HighPerformance Fan Controller. Will this product live up to its Corsair Dominator XMS3 DDR3-1600C9 Memory @ pcper.com [Aug-09-08] (0 Comments) Most readers would consider memory modules to be moving the way of acommodity item for a gaming or enthusiast PC - we aren't quite there yet butare getting closer. That is why products like the Corsair XMS DDR3-1600C9kits are going to become more and more popular - these are memoryconfigurations that are both fast and easy to install. There islittle-to-no legwork necessary by the end user to reach these speeds andthat is what MOST users want. Palit GeForce 9800 GT 1 GB Video Card @ hardwaresecrets.com [Aug-09-08] (0 Comments) GeForce 9800 GT is simply a GeForce 8800 GT with a new sticker. How does this 1 GB model from Palit compare to the original 8800 GT and current high-end video cards? Check it out. [News] Norcotek RPC-450 Rackmount Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-08-08] (0 Comments) These two things, though quite bad on their own, don't obscure thewall of pros that come hurling along with this chassis. Firstly, is thecomplete modularity, and secondly is the included hardware - being able tofit 11 hard drives which are cooled off the bat is incredible, especiallywhen they're actively cooled. Couple this with the fact that this is one ofso very few cases at this price point which are capable of holding anextended ATX system, and the fact that when the door works, the inboundairflow is filtered, the result becomes a very good deal, despite theflaws. Sunbeamtech Quarterback Mid Tower @ pro-clockers.com [Aug-08-08] (0 Comments) I do a lot of case reviews as the junior reviewer at Pro-Clockers. Itdoesn't bother me, because I've got a case fetish of sorts. In its owntwisted way it works out fine for everyone involved. Over the years, I'veowned big cases, small cases, weird cases and modded cases. To be honest, Ichange cases more than some men change shirts. The last few years, I settledin with the Antec Sonata II. It's a great case and did what I needed it todo. However, I changed it for the Aerocool AE Plus last month. Always asucker for big fans, the Aerocool drew me in. After trying out theSunbeamtech Quarterback, I switched again. My main rig is now happily housedin the slightly odd, yet highly functional Quarterback. Read on to see why Ichanged cases. Sapphire HD4870 512MB @ modders-inc.com [Aug-08-08] (0 Comments) The use of the GDDR5 memory, increased bandwidth, DirectX 10.1 anda 55nm GPU it sounds like it should place this card in the higher end of the HTC Touch Smartphone ed @ thetechlounge.com [Aug-08-08] (0 Comments) For me, Windows Mobile has always been primarily focused on data access, rather than data creation or modification. The Touch excels in this regard. It's not a multimedia powerhouse, but it will get an acceptable job done for most of your basic needs. If HTC added a hardware keyboard and a standard audio port, I think this would be a perfect Windows Mobile device. For now, if you are looking for a small, attractive smartphone and you can put up with a less-than-ideal input solution, the Touch may be a great option for you. Thecus N5200PRO NAS @ techpowerup.com [Aug-07-08] (0 Comments) Thecus' N5200 PRO NAS device holds up to five drives internally in any RAID configuration desired for maximum safety. With plenty of features and a modular design, when it comes to both hardware and software, it fits anyone's needs. As the N5200 PRO uses a fast 1.5 GHz CPU it has serious potential to stomp the competition. Corsair Flash Voyager Mini @ rbmods.com [Aug-07-08] (0 Comments) Wehave in the past reviewed various kinds of Corsairs Voyager series, today wehave their newest creation which is a bit smaller than the older Voyagers.Today we will look into the Voyager Mini that has some of the same features asits older brothers. The Mini is quite a bit smaller which will aim for adifferent market. This is still dent and drop resistant and should survivequite a bit of beating. Vantec NexStar 3i External Hard Drive Enclosure @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-07-08] (0 Comments) The Vantec NexStar 3i External Hard Drive Enclosure incorporatespower saving modes to help save power and prolong the life of hard drives.It operates in three power saving modes:idle, stand by, and power down; allof which are automatic. The USB connectivity provides high data transferrates on hard drives with up to 1TB of data. The small design of the NexStar3i takes up very little desk space and even keeps cool with an aluminumcase. Read on further to see how it performs. All Athlon 64 Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Aug-07-08] (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. MIME encoded twice @ rbmods.com [Aug-05-08] (0 Comments) Geeks provided us with todays review product, we are going to take alook at a Blu-Ray player that also is a dvd burner. If you don't knowwhat Blu-ray is I recommend you Google for it as it is the new format thatwill replace DVD in the near future. Blu-ray players are dropping in priceas the become more mainstream, we are going to compare picture quality todayand also see how loud and how well this product works. Tagan BZ Series 900W Modular Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-05-08] (0 Comments) I have reviewed Tagan's 2 previous power supplies the GuardianX1000W and the ITZ Series 1300W. Both power supplies performed well, butthere was one problem they were not modular. No one wants a ton of wireslaying around in their case. Tagan has a new series of power supplies, theBZ series which not only are modular, but are very attractive as well. Taganwas nice enough to send us the 900W version of the BZ series, let's check itout! News@Technic3D/Cooler Master Silent ProM 600W @ technic3d.com [Aug-05-08] (0 Comments) The Cooler Master Silent ProM 600W PSU (RS-600-AMBA-D3) arrive d Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next P SU Review with a very high efficiency and a good price. Make the quiet 135mm fan, 9xSerial ATA connectors, 2x PCI-e (6+2)Pin this PSU better than other PSUs? Asus EAH 4870 TOP Videocard @ rbmods.com [Aug-02-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at one of the top of the line cards atthis time. The card costs a bit more than the others on the market so themain question is does the card really perform so well that it's worthputting the money into it. We are going to compare it vs a few other Asuscards that have proven to perform quite well and we will also see if we cantweak a bit more out of the card even though it's factory tweaked already. [Affiliates News] Thermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 650W (Report) @ aphnetworks.com [Aug-01-08] (0 Comments) Wow, time sure flies by. Precisely two months ago, I was stillsitting in a classroom, scribbling down notes and preparing for exams. Thenthere's the excitement of the stuff I have planned for the summer afterexams. And of course, I was often found at various car dealerships checkingout the latest releases (And of course test driving, which is just my excuseto redline cars) -- that aside, what I'm talking about is that I have thisThermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 650W modular power supply sittinghere at APH Networks for the last two months before I even started thisreport. Historically, I haven't been a big fan of Thermaltake power supplies.I owned quite a few of their cases, which were excellent. But the powersupplies, at least back in the days, were low in price but not really the'tier 1' performance that I'd come to expect. Generally speaking, this powersupply didn't capture much of my attention either due to my personalimpression. When I finally decided to open it and check what was inside overa month later, and did some research online, it seemed to me that theToughpower Cable Management 650W offered incredible performance across theboard. Was I surprised? Well, yes I was. Let's crack open this power supplyand take a look at the physical build of this Channel Well Technology builtunit in our report today.* Link:http://aphnetworks.com/reports/thermaltake_toughpower_cable_management_650w[1]* Image:http://aphnetworks.com/report/thermaltake_toughpower_cable_management_65...[2]Thanks for your support. Don't forget to send your site news tonews@aphnetworks.com [3] as well!Best Regards,JonathanAPH Networkshttp://aphnetworks.com [4]Add this newsletter issue to a newsletter by selecting a newsletter from theselect list.Send a newsletter or a test newsletter by selecting the appropriate radiobutton and submitting the node.Install Mime Mail module to send HTML emails. Mime Mail is also used to sendemails with attachments, both plain text and HTML emails. nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-31-08] (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 280. Updated to include GeForce 9500 GT and 9800 GT models. How to Use the SPDIF Output from Sound Blaster X-Fi Sound Cards @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-31-08] (0 Comments) A list of all Sound Blaster X-Fi models released to date and how to add SPDIF connectors to them. Updated to include X-Fi Titanium sound cards. Mod of the Month - July 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Jul-30-08] (0 Comments) *The month of July is coming to a close, and that means it's time again for us to bring you some of the world's best works in progress hand picked straight from our forums. That's right, it's time for Mod of the Month for July! 250 GB Hard Disk Drive Round-Up @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-30-08] (0 Comments) We compared the performance of nine mainstream 250 GB SATA-300 hard disk drive models from Seagate, Samsung, Western Digital, Maxtor and Hitachi. Which is the fastest 250 GB in the market? Check it out! MIME encoded twice @ rbmods.com [Jul-30-08] (0 Comments) Spire is one of the manufacturers everyone knows. Spires productsrange includes everything from computer cases to computer coolers and fromcard readers to USB hard disk enclosures. This time we will have a look ontheir new SATA to USB enclosure. Raidmax Iceberg Case @ modders-inc.com [Jul-30-08] (0 Comments) The Raidmax Iceberg case is a mid range enthusiast case. Itfeatures 3 -120mm blue LED fans and 1 - 120mm black rear exhaust fan. Thecase sports two unique one click easy access side panels and is setup withpre-drilled holes for water cooling. This case has a lot of great featuresgoing for it along with plenty of room for your hardware. Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 650W @ bit-tech.net [Jul-29-08] (0 Comments) *Overall it has to be said that Be Quiet! has made a fantastic product - it works, it has supreme efficiency, excellent quality outputs, lots of cable variation (which is perfect for a modular PSU) and is damn near silent to boot. We were really struggling to find things wrong with it because it's really not /that/ expensive when you look at the whole package, and the only thing that grates us is the RMA to Germany - other companies offer better after-sales support. GIGABYTE 9800 GT Zalman Edition @ tweaktown.com [Jul-29-08] (0 Comments) It seems like NVIDIA graphics card releases run as clock work with the Catalyst drivers from AMD. With the GTX 280, GTX 260 and 9800 GTX+ released not all that long ago, it comes as no real surprise that NVIDIA has gotten up once again and released not only one new card today, but two.The first card is the 9800 GT which is what we have here with us now. The other is a 9500 GT which of course sits at the lower end of the scale when it comes to performance. Unlike some of the more recent releases, it seems that companies are already prepared to attack the 9800 GT with new cooling methods and overclocks. We see here that GIGABYTE has already strapped a Zalman cooler onto the newly released card and Palit are ready to go with an overclocked model carrying the Spire CoolFlow III - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jul-28-08] (0 Comments) Whenit comes time for an enthusiast to upgrade his or her processor,it's usually quite a momentous occasion. Lots of planning goes into theperfect choice of hardware, and it's not uncommon for a cooler upgradetoo; as faster usually means hotter. Therefore they usually go forsomething something much beefier than before – not one which lookssimilar to the stock Intel model. It’s odd saying that as today, we'vegot a Spire CoolFlow for review, which does, look remarkably similar tothe stock Intel heat-sink and fan. Let’s just hope it gives a boost inperformance. EVGA UV Plus+ UV16 USB 2.0 Video Adapter @ legitreviews.com [Jul-28-08] (0 Comments) Setting up the EVGA UV Plus+ UV16 could not be easier. First you’ll want to plug your monitor into the display adapter. As the manual states, drop in the driver CD, install the driver when prompted, reboot. Once Windows comes back up you’re ready to hook up the USB cable to your laptop/desktop. After an extremely brief “found hardware” your display may flash, and then will be visible on the newly attached monitor. On the two systems that I installed this on the monitor started in clone mode. A simple click on the system tray icon brings up options to change it to extended and even lets you choose which way you want to extended it... Corsair TX750W Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-28-08] (0 Comments) Corsair is one of those companies no matter what they venture into itwill be a success. Not only are they one of the most successful memorymanufacturers but last month we took a look at their Voyager 32GB flashdrive and it too was a big hit. Corsair has of lately broaden their range ofproducts to include power supplies. The HX received great awards from aroundthe web. based on the same tech that made the HX a hit the TX series is sureto be a benchmark in the world of power supplies. The unit that we will betaking a look at today is the 750 watt model. According to Corsair the TX isdesigned to give you maximum amount of power with the maximum of protectionbut at a minimum amount of money spent. Thermaltake M9D Computer Case @ rbmods.com [Jul-27-08] (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 computerproducts, sent us a sample of one of their new cases, the Thermaltake M9Dmid-tower computer case, which from the package seems to combine stylishlooks with a sophisticated design. Can their case live up to these loftygoals? Let's find out in this case review. Thermaltake M9D Computer Case @ rbmods.com [Jul-27-08] (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 computerproducts, sent us a sample of one of their new cases, the Thermaltake M9Dmid-tower computer case, which from the package seems to combine stylishlooks with a sophisticated design. Can their case live up to these loftygoals? Let's find out in this case review. XFX GeForce GTX 260 640M XXX Video Card @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-26-08] (0 Comments) GeForce GTX 260 640M XXX is a factory-overclocked model from XFX. How does it compare to the standard GTX 260 and to its main competitors? Check it out. Leadtek WinFast PX9600 GSO Extreme 384MB @ tweaktown.com [Jul-26-08] (0 Comments) We’re not quite sure what makes this 9600 GSO so Extreme, but we intend to find out today. Not unlike its 8800 GS twin brother, the 9600 GSO hasn’t really had much attention due to AMD offering two new cards, the 9600GT already being excellent value and of course NVIDIA offering two new high-end models as well.There are a lot of people on a tight budget though, and the 9600 GSO might come in at a price point that’s most attractive to them. We'll have a look at the Extreme version from Leadtek today and see if it’s worth buying or if should you save a few more dollars and just buy the better known 9600GT. NZXT Performance Power 800 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-25-08] (0 Comments) If you haven't guessed by now this unit is an 800 watt model. Thismuch power should be enough to power a decent multi-GPU rig. The PP800 hasthe greatest amount of power output in Performance Power as the other modelsare 500 and 600 watts. Like most power supplies today the PP800 boast four12 volt rails totaling up to 78 amps. A lot of power, a lot of ampere and anSLI certification is enough to warrant a good run on the old test bench. Qpad Giveaway @ forum.rbmods.com [Jul-25-08] (0 Comments) This time we are going to give away 3 mousepads from Qpad with someminor accessories. These are 30$ mousepads which are extremely high quality;I know this because I've personally have used mine for 4 years now and thepad is still going strong. BFG LS550 550W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jul-23-08] (0 Comments) Not long ago, I looked into a new line of units from BFG Tech,the LS series. Today, I'll have a look at the 550W model and see how itperforms compared to the 680W. Efficiency is given as greater than 80%typical, and though they don't mention it, this model is 80 Plus certified.You will recall that big brother didn't quite manage to pull that off, andI'll be interested to see what happens on the load tester with this unit.Come in and join me, won't you? Vantec NexStar MX Raid Edition @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-22-08] (0 Comments) Earlier in the year we got a chance to review the Vantec 400MX-S2that boasts dual hard drive support but no raid but had JBOD capabilities.This was a pretty cool enclosure, one that is still around today acting as abackup storage device for this site. You can never have enough backups. Buttoday we are going to review Vantec's newest MX enclosure entitled the400MX-SR. I bet you can guess what is different about this one compared tothe last model. Ok, give up? Raid! The new unit has Raid 1/0 as well asJBOD. Zalman ZM750-HP 750W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Jul-22-08] (0 Comments) Zalman has successfully added another high-quality power supply totheir line up. The ZM750-HP power supply's voltage regulation, lineregulation and cross-loading regulation are all very good. The overallefficiency is excellent and AC ripple noise suppression is very good. Undernormal operating conditions (below 500W load) the ZM750-HP is virtuallysilent. The PSU comes fitted with a good assortment of hard-wired andmodular cables that can support dual core CPUs and multiple video cards. Speedlink VOIP Mouse @ rbmods.com [Jul-22-08] (0 Comments) Todays product must be one of the oddest things we have reviewedever- and I've seen alot! We are going to take a look at Speedlinks VOIPmouse, this little mouse is the size of a laptop mouse and it opens up to bea corded Skype Phone. You can either receive calls or just make a callyourself. The small display shows you who is online and it allows you tocall straight from the phone, to me those features don't sound to bad buthow well does it actually works is the question I ask myself. Seventeam Thundering 1000W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jul-22-08] (0 Comments) I continue my journey through the offerings of SeventeamElectronics once more this week with my look at one of the first 1000W unitson the market, the ST-1000E-AD. Silverstone fans will recognize this unitbetter as the basis of the original OP1000. Let's see how kind Father Timehas been to this platform. Modders-Inc podcast interview with mnpctech.com @ modders-inc.com [Jul-21-08] (0 Comments) This is our final installment of our interview with Bill Owenowner of mnpctech.com. We talk about modding as a business and his newestproject. Coolmax CUQ 1350 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-21-08] (0 Comments) Coolmax was kind enough to send over one of their more powerful powersupplies. The CUQ1350 is the big dog from Coolmax and guaranteed to powerthe most extreme systems. The CUQ1350 is a small cry from the CUG950 wereviewed a few weeks ago. The CUQ series is not totally modular like the CUGbut still modular. And a stunning brushed aluminum enclosure encloses allthe power the unit has to offer. This is just some of what the new CUG1350has to offer. What else does the CUG has to offer? Lets read the reviewshall we. Gigabyte EP45-DQ6 Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-18-08] (0 Comments) From the very beginning many of us could have figured the P45 chipsetwas going to be the chipset of chance as it is price considerably cheaperthan the older X38 and the X48. And from the early reviews the P45overclockers pretty well. We have seen able forum post and web reviews withfront side buses reaching the 600MHz range on Core2Duo processors. But forthe non-overclockers out there another advantage over the older P35 is thetwo 8x PCIe slots when attempting to using ATI video cards in Crossfiremode. Today, we will take the EP45-DQ6 through a ring of benchmarks and seewhat type of FSB numbers we can achieve. Corsair XMS3 DHX 1600MHz 4GB Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [Jul-17-08] (0 Comments) Well before NVIDIA had any plans for DDR3, EPP or Extreme Performance Profile DDR2 memory was making its way into the mainstream. These modules were really designed to work with 680i chipsets, since any AMD solutions have the memory controller moved to the CPU, this eliminated any offerings NVIDIA can give.EPP has made its way into DDR3 with EPP 2.0; this being the DDR3 variation. Today we have Corsair’s monster 4GB DDR3 kit (2x2GB) supporting EPP 2.0. Let’s see how it copes. Novint Falcon @ rbmods.com [Jul-16-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a cool gaming device from Novint, namedFalcon. This new device will be gamebreaking if the features and hype aboutit are correct. It is a A-DATA Gaming Series DDR2-800 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-16-08] (0 Comments) Today I will be looking at a DDR2 4GB kit marketed towards gamers,the A-DATA Gaming Series DDR2-800 5-5-5-12. A-DATA probably isn't your firstchoice for high-performance memory, but in a mere 7 years, they have becomethe second largest vendor of memory modules in the world. Will the GamingSeries memory impress? Read on to see. Team Fortress 2 Sentry Mod @ bit-tech.net [Jul-16-08] (0 Comments) Last time we looked at one of TiTON’s mods was with the Team Fortress 2 Dispenser Mod, ThermalTake Armor+ MX Case @ modders-inc.com [Jul-15-08] (0 Comments) The case is virtually a tool free design, in fact with theexception of the screws I used for the PSU installation. Managing the cablesand wiring was a snap and Thermaltake even provided the cable managementsupplies and need space in the chassis. Installation in the ThermaltakeArmor+ MX was simply the easiest I have done in a while. A-DATA Vitesta DDR3-1600X 2GB Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [Jul-15-08] (0 Comments) Intel added what it termed XMP or Extreme Memory Profiling to its X38 and X48 chipsets; this in terms of technology is the same as NVIDIA’s EPP which adds extra instructions into the memory SPD, allowing the memory to tell the system how fast it can run, what extra voltages it needs and what timings can be used for certain extreme profiles.Today we have A-DATA’s Vitesta Extreme Edition DDR3 modules designed for XMP with a rating of 1600MHz; the fastest that Intel currently supports on its X series chipsets. Let’s see how well it performs. BFG LS680 680W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jul-14-08] (0 Comments) Things in the power supply department over at BFG have beenlooking up in recent months, thanks in no small part to some new staff hiredon over there, and one of the results is a unit I'm looking at today, the LSseries 680W model. Sourced from an OEM I don't know all that much about,Fore Point, the LS680 promises good performance with a good amount of powerat a good price. quoted-printable encoded unnecessarily @ bigbruin.com [Jul-14-08] (0 Comments) Most headsets can handle phone calls just fine, but they fail to address the stereo audio playback features found on many modern phones. Lubix offers an innovative line of Bluetooth headsets capable of handling your communication needs, while also letting you enjoy the multimedia capabilities of your phone. PowerColor HD 4850 512MB Video Card ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jul-12-08] (0 Comments) Interestingly, there seem to be few, if any drastic, architecture changes for HD 4000. It's all scale down, add more. PowerColor, a long-time board partner, shows just how well this strategy pays out for the HD 4850.Even side-by-side, this card looks just like a 3850. That's really superb, because not only was its predecessor small, clean, and fast, it was also quiet. The sticker's adornment is a busty, armored model in Viking chic. But it's a stock card, with the same design that you'd get with any 4850 currently available. Visiontek Radeon HD 4850 Videocard @ rbmods.com [Jul-12-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a ATI HD 4850 videocard from Visiontek.This card is a middle class card but I have seen stats that show this cardshould perform as well as many other high end cards on the market. We aregoing to put it against the Asus 9800GX2 Top and the Asus 3870 X2 videocardto see what type of performance we can expect from this 4850 from Visiontek. Modders-Inc Interview with mnpctech.com @ modders-inc.com [Jul-12-08] (0 Comments) We continue our podcast with Bill Owen of mnpctech.com and creator of some of the best modsout there. If you want the inside scoop on modding you really need tocontinue with this series. Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red DDR2-800 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-12-08] (0 Comments) Yes, DDR2 is still a viable platform, and still suits well over halfof the enthusiast community just fine. But to put it bluntly, in the past,the PC industry has had no problem creating a new technology, and making theold obsolete, regardless of how we, the enthusiasts, feel about it. Yet herewe are, over a year into DDR3, and we steadily are seeing new DDR2 memoryand motherboards. Today I will be looking at Crucial's latest DDR2 modules,the Ballistix Tracer DDR2-800 4 gig kit. Besides a capability of 4-4-4-12timings, in a market that has seen DDR2 4GB kits for quite some time, whatcan Crucial do to make a PC2-6400 memory kit interesting enough for us totake notice? Read on to see! Samsung SyncMaster 245T @ bit-tech.net [Jul-12-08] (0 Comments) *There's a lot to like about the 245T including its static image quality, viewing angles and contrast performance. But at this price point, something close to perfection is to be excepted. At £600+ any major flaws are simply unacceptable and the fact that the 245T actually has two -- moderate input lag and occasionally serious inverse ghosting -- might seem pretty shocking. A-DATA SDHC Class 6 Eee PC Edition 8GB @ aphnetworks.com [Jul-11-08] (0 Comments) So here's the deal, guys:You bought an Asus Eee PC, and you got all the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from your non-geek friends who've never seen such a thing you ever wanted. What now? One of the biggest 'problems' faced by majority of Eee PC users with regards to current generation Asus Eee PCs comes down to storage capacity limitations of the subnotebook's flash SSD -- with configurations starting at 2GB and the higher end (Read:More expensive) models consisting of a 4GB Silicon Motion solid state disk, it's not hard to imagine that you're running low on disk space even after an nLited installation of Windows XP, plus a few programs to boot. I have an Asus Eee PC 4G; and with a somewhat slimmed down version of Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Office 2000 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) with minimal features, Foxit Reader, Firefox, Windows Live Messenger, Wavelab Lite -- just to name a few off my head -- already used up 2.5GB. How about some multimedia files such as music, videos, and pictures? Good luck with that. Well, thankfully, Asus had considered that already with the Eee PC and incorporated a SD/SDHC card slot that's can accommodate a card fully engaged into the unit with no edges left sticking out. It's very convenient, and solves the storage problem fairly well. But what card are you going to use? A-DATA presents to you their solution. The A-DATA SDHC Class 6 Eee PC edition cards are designed for this very purpose. My Eee PC is white in color, and these white colored cards will fit the scheme just perfectly -- along with a performance of excellent read and write performance, how will it step up to its task? Let's jump right into our A-DATA SDHC Class 6 Eee PC Edition 8GB flash memory card review. Thermaltake SwordM Water Cooling System - Part 2 @ pcper.com [Jul-10-08] (0 Comments) The SwordM integrated water cooling system proved easy to setup(most of the components come pre-installed) and will deliver acceptableresults for cooling most modern CPUs. However, there are other watercooling systems available (including DIY) that will deliver higherperformance. And if you are not ready for water cooling, the standardSwordM chassis offers excellent airflow for aggressive air cooling. BFG GeForce 8800 GT and 9600 GT OCX ThermoIntelligence @ pcper.com [Jul-09-08] (0 Comments) Though they might seem outdated we have to say that both the BFGGeForce 8800 GT and 9600 GT OCX ThermoIntelligence graphics cards have somelife left them, just as we proved in our recent 9600 GT roundup article. Itis true that there are a BUNCH of graphics options huddled around the$150-$250 price mark now and that could make your decision a bit moreclouded than we'd like but it really comes down to your exact budget andperformance desires. BFG has put both the 8800 GT and 9600 GT OCX TI cardsin a very good position with pricing but I would definitely lean towards the8800 GT OCX model as being the best value in our comparison; that's a lot ofextra performance for just $10. Metal Gear Solid 4:Guns of The Patriots ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jul-08-08] (0 Comments) Before MGS4 hit the shelves, a flurry of gameplay videos hit the web, and I couldn't help but watch a couple of them. These videos left me deeply worried about the game. Reservedly excited, you might say. The thing that really had me worried was that it seemed the formula might have been modified a bit too much - elements I had loved so much in the previous titles didn't seem to be there anymore. In a way, it just looked a bit like Call of Duty meets Splinter Cell, with some Metal Gear Solid rainbow sprinkles on top. So, after playing the game all the way through (and then some), were my reservations justified? Silverstone Zeus ZU1200M 1200W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jul-08-08] (0 Comments) The Zeus line is the very pinnacle of the power supply offeringsfrom SilverStone, and at long last the platform has made it to the 1200Wlevel. Was it worth the wait? Well... uh... sort of. Come inside and I'llspill the beans. Aeneon XTune DDR2-1142 2GB Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [Jul-07-08] (0 Comments) XTune is Aeneon's brand of enthusiast level memory modules. While our first encounter with the XTune was less than fantastic, we don’t reject companies from coming back with new products to try out. Today we have the newest addition, being a DDR2 package. That’s right; DDR2 still lives and it’s definitely not going anywhere soon.The kit sent to us is the DDR2-1142MHz overclocked pack with 2x1GB modules for a total of 2GB in Dual Channel; ideal for both Intel and AMD. These modules aren’t rated for Phenom’s 1066MHz memory controller, but that shouldn’t stop it from working with a bit of a boost in memory voltage. The Team Fortress 2 Dispenser Mod @ bit-tech.net [Jul-07-08] (0 Comments) *And now, after looking over Ton Khodee's, aka TiTON's , latest case mod, I just can't even begin to conceive the amount of effort and passion that must have gone into building a mod like this - the Team Fortress 2 Sentry and Dispenser Case Mod. Words can't even describe how awesome it is. Dell Axim X51v @ monster-hardware.com [Jul-07-08] (0 Comments) As mentioned earlier the Dell Axim X51v is refurbished. That means that inside the standard OEM white stickered cardboard box you will find a stylus pen, battery cover, USB Sync cable, power adapter, and new battery, but you will not find an owner's manual or the Dell companion CD. These are not insurmountable obstacles, since the manual is available from Dell in .PDF format. You do, however, miss out on the Dell companion CD, which as far as I know is not available for download from Dell and contains some extra bonus Pocket PC software. Qpad CT Mousepad @ rbmods.com [Jul-06-08] (0 Comments) A few years ago we looked at a few Qpad mousepads and since thenthese pads have been used by us. I have not been able to find another padthat works as well as these and and because of this we are going to look atthe new CT pad which is available in various sizes and colors. This new CTpad lets you choose between a soft or hard top depending on the thicknessyou choose. [News] LapLogic AeroGel Extreme Lapdesks @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-06-08] (0 Comments) Today I'll be looking at a new introduction to the lapdesk marketfrom LapLogic.com. Actually two new models with one being regular sized andone being the super-sized model. They're called the new AeroGel Extreme andAeroGel Extreme - Wide laptop desks. With so much competition out there,let's see what sets these new units apart from the pack. bit-tech :MSI Wind U100 @ bit-tech.net [Jul-05-08] (0 Comments) *The MSI Wind is a good sub-notebook– nay, a /great/ > subnotebook. The build quality is solid and convincing, the design is > basic but all you need and the choice of hardware is perfectly > balanced with the exception of the HDD – which still does give you a > few advantages in terms of cost, capacity and modability.>> The Wind looks nice, feels nice and performs well even with the > slightly bulkier XP option. It’s got all the connectivity you’ll > really need, though the wireless card only supports slower > connections, and it’s easy to use. To the point, nice and simple – it > lives up to its name and /flows/.> /> / *>> *Cheers guys!>> Tim Smalley> www.bit-tech.net Diamond HD 4870 512MB ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jul-05-08] (0 Comments) The 4870 is an excellent card, but for now, all the models are functionally identical, and there are yet to be factory-overclocked cards, let alone custom-cooled models. Variation ranges from changing the sticker to adding spiffy adapters. If you buy Diamond, you're not buying a different card, you're buying better service, only they're not charging extra. Modders-Inc Podcast with mnpctech.com @ modders-inc.com [Jul-04-08] (0 Comments) This podcast is with owner Bill Owen of mnpctech.com and creator of some of the best modsout there. His recent mod is the AMD Sapphire HD3870 Ultimate Video Card @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-04-08] (0 Comments) Based off of the RV670 chipset is the Sapphire Ultimate 3870 videocard. This card many not be overclocked like the Toxic we reviewed a fewweeks back. This means it won't perform at the same level of the Toxic did,but the major thing the Ultimate has over the Toxic is silence. Combinedwith 512MB of GDDR4 and Shader 4.1, silence isn't the only feature the cardhas that it can boast about. Just how well does it match up against theToxic mode? Read on to find out. PowerColor AMD TV Wonder 600 PCIe x1 @ techpowerup.com [Jul-03-08] (0 Comments) The new TV Wonder 600 PCIe TV tuner card is the PCI-Express x1 entry level model of the new series. This is also the first time that the TV Wonder series is available in Europe with the PAL standard. It can be used for analog or DVB-T signals and manages MPEG encoding by software. The card is built on a fancy purple PCB, comes with an extremely stylish IR receiver along with a remote and PowerCinema 5. Sigma SP-700 700W Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-03-08] (0 Comments) ThinkComputers liked Sigma's Shark 635W when we reviewed in inFebruary. It was a decent, affordable unit with a unique exterior design.The quad 12V-railed, 700 watt SP-700 is Sigma's newest model, and it ditchesmost of the qualities which made the Shark so unique. Despite its exterior,the functionality of the unit is still pretty decent. Read on, through, andsee where Sigma could improve the SP-700. Headphones @ modders-inc.com [Jul-02-08] (0 Comments) The Razer Piranha is engineered from the ground up to blendperformance, long hours of comfort and functionality, to deliver realisticin-game audio that will satisfy the needs of the most demanding gamer - You. How To Replace Memory Heat Spreaders @ tweaktown.com [Jul-02-08] (0 Comments) Welcome to another session of void-your-warranty, as today we will look at upgrading the stock heat spreaders on a pair of Kingston DDR2 memory modules.What we will do here is run through a step-by-step of removing the plain flat aluminum spreaders that come with most RAM modules and upgrading them with some Nexus HXR-550B Heat-Pipe memory coolers. Thermaltake XaserVI Mx Case @ rbmods.com [Jul-02-08] (0 Comments) Today its time for another case review, Thermaltake was kind enoughto send us a sample of their XaserVI Mx case for review. This seems to be anice looking medium tower case if we take a quick overview of it but thequestion is how good is the quality, and what kind of new features does ithave that should give it the edge over its competitors? The main featureseems to be that the case is designed for both air and watercooling so letssee if there is enough space to squeeze in a watercooling setup. Technic3D/Tagan PipeRock TG1100-BZ 1100W @ technic3d.com [Jul-02-08] (0 Comments) The Tagan PipeRock TG1100-BZ 1100W arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the next PSU with modular cable management with colorful housing to avoid wrong connection, 135mm LED Fan, Six 12V rails, 12 Serial ATA connectors, 2x PCI-e 6+2 Pin and 4x PCI-e 6-Pin. All Phenom Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-02-08] (0 Comments) A quick reference table showing the main specs of all Phenom models released to date. Corsair HX1000W Modular Power Supply @ pcper.com [Jul-01-08] (0 Comments) Corsair took their time and did it right. The new HX1000W modularpower supply is one of the best 1,000W PC power supplies we have tested todate. The HX1000W PSU provides excellent voltage regulation and deliversclean outputs with very good efficiency. As if that weren't enough, theHX1000W does it's job quietly, is 80Plus and NVIDIA Triple SLI certified,and comes backed with a 5-year warranty and 24/7 support. Highlyrecommended! Top Spin 3 @ bit-tech.net [Jul-01-08] (0 Comments) It's important to realise that Top Spin 3 is more of a tennissimulator than a tennis game. There are no tennis-themed minigames inthe career mode and no unlockable naked tennis modes either. TopSpin 3 is all about the game, pure and simple.With that in mind, it's also important to realise that it isn't reallypossible to just pick up the game and start playing. It does take timeand perseverance before you'll be winning games consistently. If you'rewilling to put in the time and effort, and play through hours oftournaments, you'll be rewarded with a very in-depth and involving game.Online play is the icing on the cake and its polish and relativelyglitch-free operation could show some other developers how it's doneproperly. The inclusion of seasons in the online leaderboards meansthat there'll still be an incentive to play online tournaments, even inmonths to come.For me, I'm glad to say that my badminton wrists were up to the job,and I have just one final thing to add:move over Federer, there's anew boy on the tennis court. Coolmax CUQ-1350B 1350W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jul-01-08] (0 Comments) Once upon a time, a company by the name of Coolmax sought toimpress me with two of their Green Power branded power supplies, and failed.Now, they've sent their biggest and baddest at me, the Green Power 1350W,looking to rectify the situation. Civilization Revolution @ bit-tech.net [Jun-30-08] (0 Comments) Still, despite all these minor flaws and control issues,Civilization Revolutionis still pretty good and Firaxis has done well to carry over the sameaddictiveness and educating mechanics as the previous games.There are issues, but there’s also a lot to like in CivilizationRevolutionand even though a lot of the depth has been trimmed out, there’s stilla lot left in in terms of negotiations and deciding what to build next.There’s also a lot to like in terms of the different scenarios andmodes – though there’s only support for up to four players, which islimiting. The game is boiled down, streamlined and basic – but that isn’t all badand one could easily level accusations of needless depth and bloatinessat the original games. To have a lighter option is no bad thing and thedevelopers have done well to adapt the game to a console audience,though there are some obvious failings and concessions that have beenmade.The game could have been made better in some fairly fundamental ways -we'd have loved to see some of the more varied campaign scenarios andthe like from Beyond The Sword, the add-on for the last proper Civilizationgame. Some expanded multiplayer support and better controls would godown a treat as well. Still, Civilizationis a strong brand and an awesome series of games, so these failuresdon't really have that big an effect on the overall outcome. As good asthe PC forefathers? Definitely not, but still better than the nearestcompetitor on a console. Mod of the Month - June 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Jun-30-08] (0 Comments) Well, here we are at the end of June! We're half-way throughthe year,in the start of a gorgeous summer (or maybe winter for those of yousouth of the equator), and we're celebrating the first birthday of ourMod of the Month competition!One year ago, we rolled out the first of our monthly awards, won bynone other than a fishtank with a computer.Since that point in time, we've seen all manner of beasts and builds,from top-spec watercooled SLI rigs to slim and trim HTPCs. Scratch casebuilds, full-on mods and everything in between have graced these pagesas 55 of the best from our forums vied for prizes and recognition. This month, we're celebrating the anniversary by going back to the oldschool - June's Mod of the Month contains absolutely no scratch builds.Don't worry, all you talented creators - we'll go back to pick up acouple of you for July. But this one is all about the art of theold-fashioned mod. Lamptron Case Lighting Products @ aphnetworks.com [Jun-27-08] (0 Comments) When it comes to customization of personal computers, no one can disregard the popularity of the application of lighting effects -- it seems that adding lights are the basics of case modding. The funny thing is that the use of case lights in the general custom built personal computer market are decreasing in popularity in the computer scene as far as I can see -- I haven't used any lights since my pair of cold cathodes went on fire in 2005 (Hey, I'm not kidding. It smelled really bad). I'm not the only one though, many enthusiasts with nice cases and large side windows either didn't install any lights at all, or simply did it in a half-hearted fashion. That did not turn me away from case lighting though; the reason why I did not have any case lights for the past few years is that I was simply too lazy to find some. Not to mention that while there's an abundance of such products in the market, but none of them really appealed to my tastes because they are all so... generic, or simply just trying way too hard to be unique that ironically inhibited its very purpose. Of course, that's not until Lamptron contacted us with their huge array of unique case lighting products that's actually practical in my opinion. Today, we'll take a look at five out of the many products from Lamptron, and see how they fit in with my Silverstone KL-02 which incorporates a huge window on the side. If you've been following my computer photo posts for a while, you may have seen them already, if you haven't, they look absolutely beautiful. I won't waste anymore of your time, let's jump to the details. ASUS EN9600GT TOP Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Jun-27-08] (0 Comments) The Asus 9600 GT TOP edition is obviously not the fastest card in NVIDIA’s line up but that is not the goal here. As of this writing, the Asus 9600 GT is selling for $129 after a $20 Mail-in-rebate, which is an astounding value! You get a card with a great cooling, low-noise heat sink, and an overclocked card for the same price as a reference model. Though the performance differences weren’t that large compared to the reference card the heat sink easily makes this card the, forgive the pun, TOPS in its class... GlacialTech Igloo 5710 CPU Coolers @ modders-inc.com [Jun-27-08] (0 Comments) The 5710 Series cooler is the largest cooler that Glacialtechcurrently offers and the only difference in the two samples we have todayare the fans. One utilizes a silent fan rated at 1600 RPM while the otherutilizes a PWM fan rated at 800 - 2600 RPM. Zalman LQ1000 Z-Machine Hybrid Liquid - XSs World Exclusive! @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-26-08] (0 Comments) WaterCooling has always been a quite complex part of the computer industryand in the past, only extreme hardware enthusiasts have undertaken it.It’s a long process of buying water-cooling parts singly and themmodifying your case to fit the parts; this can prove daunting for most.Fortunately though, Zalman have come up with a case designedspecifically for water cooling which also includes a basic WC setup. Sowithout further a do, I introduce to you the Zalman Z-Machine LQ1000. Fingerprint protected Personal Data Manager @ rbmods.com [Jun-26-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a USB memory stick from N-trance. Theyhave sent is their latest fingerprint protected USB memory stick which alsohas software that allows you to backup the information you have on thedrive. You can also run Skype and Miranda straight from the drive whichgives it alot of functions in just one single drive. ASUS EAH4850 512MB @ techgage.com [Jun-26-08] (0 Comments) Proper competition from AMD in the mid-range scheme ofthings might have taken a while to happen, but it does happen with theHD 4000 series. We are taking a look at the smaller of the two newmodels, which offers exceptional performance for the price of $200. Crucial Ballistix DDR3-2000 2GB Dual Channel Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-26-08] (0 Comments) Yes, you read the title correctly, DDR3-2000. Isn't that incredible,that memory operating speed has climbed that high in such a short time?Think about it, one year ago, we were beginning to see the first DDR2-1066modules being released. Today, all memory manufacturers offer a DDR3-1600module, many offer a DDR3-1800, and over the past month the more prominentof them have released a DDR3-2000 module. Considering PC3 system memory hasonly been out for about a year, I don't think that we've come close toseeing the limits of DDR3. In Win PowerMan Commander 1200W Modular Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-26-08] (0 Comments) In Win, purveyor of many fine cases which ThinkComputers reviewedthroughout the years, recently burst into the power supply market with itsPowerMan line of high-wattage units. Decorated like military hardware andsupplying 1200 or 1500 watts of sweet, sweet electricity, the PowerManseries is ready to ensure your weapon of newb destruction is solidly juiced.ThinkComputers locks and loads the PowerMan 1200W in this review. CPU Cooler Roundup - 22 Models Tackle Our QX6850 @ techgage.com [Jun-25-08] (0 Comments) What better way is there to find out which CPU coolersexcel than to throw them at our ultra-hot Intel QX6850? We took 22different models and did just that. Some surprised us, some didn't.What we were left with were five different models that deserved ourEditor's Choice award. Technic3D/Enermax Modu82+ 525W @ technic3d.com [Jun-25-08] (0 Comments) The Enermax MODU82+ 525W arrived Technic3D. See you in the fol lowing Review from Technic3D the next PSU with a high efficiency, 12c m Fan, Three 12V rails, Modular Design, 6 Serial ATA connectors and 2x PCI-e 6-(+2)Pin. Razer Destructor Proffessional Gaming Mat @ modders-inc.com [Jun-24-08] (0 Comments) Razer has a nice line up of great gaming gear designedspecifically to enhance the gaming experience of hardcore gamers out there.The Razer Destructor mouse pad is no different. Kira CS 630W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jun-24-08] (0 Comments) X-Spice is a newcomer to the shores of North America, and theyhave shared their Kira series 630 watt power supply with me to see how itdoes. Roogoo (PC) @ bit-tech.net [Jun-23-08] (0 Comments) Just because the game is tough though, isn’t to say that RooGooisn’t fun. It is fun to play, kind of. Fun in the same kind of way as Peggleor Drug Warsor any other casual game. You don’t actually massively enjoy playingthe game, you just crave the sense of accomplishment and completion andyou get sucked into this trap early on thanks to the pick-up-and-playdesign. There are only two real things that prevent RooGoo frombeing a good game and neither of these are really going to be a hugeproblem to any initiated puzzle fans. The first is that there reallyisn’t much to be had beyond the single game mode and once you’ve playedone level you’ve played them all. The other problem is the way the game presents itself. We’ve jokedabout the bright colours, MeeMoos, King Goos, and Roos of RooGoo, but the reality is that they really are a problem. RooGoois too fast and frantic to be a kids game, so we have to judge it asmore than that and while the game would still have problems if it waspresented as a less immature puzzler, it would be a bit better off. Silenx Ixtrema ICX-HA2 CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Jun-22-08] (0 Comments) We've seen a number of fan manufacturers branch out into the CPUcooler business, with mixed success. CPU coolers are a lot different thanfans, but if a company pays attention to quality, they typically do well.Acousticpc.com, well-known retailers of silent performance computercomponents, sent us a new cooler from Silenx, the Silenx Ixtrema ICX-HA2 CPUCooler. We've had a chance to review Silenx fans in the past and weregenerally impressed by their silent operations and good airflow. Will thisCPU cooler leave the same impression? That is what we're here to find out. BlacX and BlacX-SE HDD Docking Stations @ modders-inc.com [Jun-21-08] (0 Comments) Hot swapping hard drives through an external dock, Is thatpossible? Yes it is. Check out our review on the Thermaltake BlacX DockingStations. Coolermaster Real Power PSUs - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-20-08] (0 Comments) Coolermasterhave, at times, been considered the kings of top of theline case manufacturing; thanks in part, to their popular Stacker rangeof chassis. In recent years though, Coolermaster have branched out intoother areas, and attempted to apply their industry defining style andpanache to other product types. Today I'll be testing 3 of CM's top ofthe line Real Power modular PSUs; lets see if they can live up theCoolermaster name. OCZ EliteXStream 800W Power Supply report @ aphnetworks.com [Jun-20-08] (0 Comments) Well guys, here we go again -- another close-look-at-power-supply-hardware report. Last week, we took apart the Seasonic M12II 500W power supply. As usual, because we don't have the necessary professional equipment to do the simulated load testing, measuring the quality of power delivery (Voltage, ripple, etc) in accordance to load, and that we don't want to use some fake hardware test reports, we are up for another power supply hardware examination report. This time, we are going to crack open the relatively recently released OCZ EliteXStream 800W power supply (A 1000W model is also available for those who really need it). This power supply has gained excellent reputation in regards to performance and efficiency from other excellent online publications that tested it with professional load testing equipment. When OCZ asked me a couple months back to see if I wanted to take a look at the EliteXStream, I was nothing but excited to see what OCZ has in store lately. The OCZ EliteXStream series power supplies combine a 120mm fan with an open rear exhaust design like the Seasonic M12II for a somewhat good reputation of 'quietness' in this regard, and high power output ratings. So today, let's see how extremely elite is the OCZ 1337-Extreme 800W -- I mean, OCZ EliteXStream 800W. Dreamhack Summer 2008 Article @ rbmods.com [Jun-20-08] (0 Comments) Dreamhack is the biggest LAN Party in the world with up to 10000computers. The summer version that we are going to talk about today is notas big as the winter one. There was plenty to look at though as we went downthere the first day of the LAN alot of people were still arriving to theevent which was nice to see. They also have some companies showing theirlatest gear and this time we saw Asus, Mushkin, Steelseries just to mentiona few. X-Spice Kira 630 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-20-08] (0 Comments) But today we are here to discuss X-Spice's new model lineup entitledthe Kira. The Kira is aimed at the gamer and small enclosure user at thesame time. How it is able to do this you may ask. Well, you will have toread more of the article ahead. But, we can already tell you that the unitis cooled by an industry standard 120 cm cooling fan and has fourindependent 12 volt rails. And if that is not enough, how about anadvertised 83 % efficiency rating? Yeah, we figured that would draw yourattention. Zalman ZM1000-HP 1000 Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-19-08] (0 Comments) Another one of those quality products is the subject of our nextreview. The ZM1000-HP is one powerful power supply and it is also goodlooking. This six 12-volt rail 1000 watt behemoth is a sterling dark grayglossy finish that is pretty attractive without being flashy. And while Iam on the exterior features of the ZM1000-HP is mostly modular for unlimitedcable management possibilities. This power supply has all that one wouldneed in a unit to power the best of gaming rigs. Motorola Bluetooth Headset H680 @ bluetomorrow.com [Jun-19-08] (0 Comments) The Motorola Bluetooth Headset H680 combines contemporary style and modern technology to provide users with attractive communication device that performs as good as it looks. The H680 features a sleek, elegant design, premium finish and easy to use functionality. Straight out of the box, this unit looks great and offers a lightweight design that is comfortable to wear, even after extended use. Splitting the Atom:Inside the Asus Eee PC 901 @ bit-tech.net [Jun-18-08] (0 Comments) Getting in isrelatively easy, providing you know where to look. You'llfirst need to remove the battery and take out all the screws on theunderside (there should be 13 in total), including the one for the flapthat hides the non-warranty voidable removable parts.Once that's out, take out the 16GB SSD and the single DDR2 memorymodule - note if you want to upgrade you'll have to replace this DIMMwith a bigger one since there's only one socket available in the 901.We're still keen to try this 16GB SSD in another notebook and we'd loveto know how much of the 901's BOM (bill of materials) is taken up bythe SSD. To the left of the SSD slot and above the DIMM socket, there is theWireless 802.11n module. Both antennas are connected to it - they runup and around the 8.9 All Core 2 Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-18-08] (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 to include 45 nm models. nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-18-08] (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 280. Updated to include GeForce GTX 260 and GTX 280 models. NVIDIA GeForce 280 GTX in Tri SLI Tested @ tweaktown.com [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) It was always going to happen; the testing of two and three GTX 280 cards. We had hoped to have had it ready by launch date, and we’ve fortunately done it with an absolutely massive weekend that has involved over 250 benchmark runs across four different motherboards. Before we get into it though, we have to laugh at our power supply situation. When we started testing our Tri SLI setup with a 1000 Watt Zalman PSU, we ran into some problems. During the Canyon test on 3DMark06, the system would just shut down! - Since this would seem to resemble a power problem, it was time to pull out a HX 620 Watt and do a bit of ghetto modding to get the two power supplies working together. What we ended up doing is running one GTX 280 off the Corsair HX 620 PSU while the 1000 Watt took care of the other two cards and the rest of the system. Sigma Unicorn Mid-Tower Case @ modders-inc.com [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) Overall the Sigma Unicorn Mid Tower ATX case is a decent case forthe budget minded builder who wants a few extras already added, like 2 x120mm fans (1 LED), 2 x 80mm Fans (1 LED), a side panel window and easyopening side panels. The case is well built and has a nice futuristic /brutish look to it. Scythe Ninja Copper heatsink @ bit-tech.net [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) The key problem for the Ninja Copper lies in the fact thatwe’vealready tested ultra low noise coolers like the Noctua NH U12P andThermalRight Ultra 120 eXtreme, and not only were they very quiet, butboth performed brilliantly thermally. When you consider that the NinjaCopper is priced in the same region as these top performers, it becomesimpossible to recommend as even a silent cooling solution.The enormously frustrating mounting process for S775 and thefingerprint magnet copper surface are the final shuriken to the heartof the Ninja Copper. Scythe has left the Ninja’s design fundamentallyunchanged for over three years now, while its competitors have beenreleasing more and more advanced coolers, packing in more cooling finsand more efficient heat pipes - this is starting to show now.While it might be silent, we simply cannot excuse the poor thermalperformance and S775 mounting problems of the Ninja Copper, and at over£40, it represents very poor value for money compared to moderncompetition. Silent? Yes. Deadly? Definitely not. Thermaltake Toughpower QFan 650W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) Today's review is brought to you by the letters W, T, Q, and thenumber 3. W is for Wolf, that's me; T is for Thermaltake, who sent me thereview sample for today; and Q is for QFan, a specially designed fan thatThermaltake believes will decrease fan noise in your standard power supplywhile maintaining efficient cooling. While the Q in QFan could stand formany things, like Quality or Quigley:Down Under, the Q actually stands forQuiet. We'll have to see if this fabled QFan of yore can be heard over theyowling, screaming exhaust fan in the old load tester, won't we? Asus GTX260 and GTX280 Videocard P @ rbmods.com [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) Today the the new videocards from Nvidia went public and we had asneak peak at them earlier last week. This is just a preview to show you thelooks and hopefully we can arrange a review within a few weeks for you.Quote from Nvidia, NVIDIA GeForce 280 GTX in Tri SLI Tested @ tweaktown.com [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) It was always going to happen; the testing of two and three GTX 280 cards. We had hoped to have had it ready by launch date, and we’ve fortunately done it with an absolutely massive weekend that has involved over 250 benchmark runs across four different motherboards. Before we get into it though, we have to laugh at our power supply situation. When we started testing our Tri SLI setup with a 1000 Watt Zalman PSU, we ran into some problems. During the Canyon test on 3DMark06, the system would just shut down! - Since this would seem to resemble a power problem, it was time to pull out a HX 620 Watt and do a bit of ghetto modding to get the two power supplies working together. What we ended up doing is running one GTX 280 off the Corsair HX 620 PSU while the 1000 Watt took care of the other two cards and the rest of the system. GeForce GTX 280 with QX9650 @ tweaktown.com [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) Feeling a little underwhelmed with the initial GTX 280 results, I took the time to make my way over to the IBuyPower Australia bunker to let the card have a bit more breathing room. While our 3GHz test bed is quite modest and a good indication of performance for the everyman or woman, there is of course people out there who are a bit more hardcore and do have a few more dollars to splash about. Since the card has just been released, we thought it was the perfect time to really see what the card was capable of in a very nicely overclocked QX9650 rig carrying with it a 10 x 400MHz FSB combination. At this speed we had a Swiftech water cooling setup attached which caused the CPU to stay below 47c on all four cores. We had found our rig, and now it was time to see what kind of performance increase we get when we move to something that carries with it faster RAM, a faster HDD and of course a faster CPU. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 and GTX 260 Unleashed @ hothardware.com [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) =93The high-end 280 card is powered by NVIDIA's 1.4 billion transistor GT200GPU, produced on TSMC's 65nm process node and is the largest, most complexchip TSMC has ever manufactured. Beyond just a larger number of streamprocessing units, the GT200 also supports three times the number of threadsin flight, as NVIDIA's previous G80, at any given time. It also has a newscheduler design that is up to 20% more efficient, along with a wider512-bit memory interface with improved z-cull and compression technology.Perhaps what's most interesting about this GPU however, are its twooperational states, one as a 3D Graphics processor and another standardcompute mode configuration. NVIDIA's new behemoth chip not only lights upthe gaming benchmarks but also can be specifically reprogrammed for moreefficient general purpose GPU (GPGPU) computing usage models like Foldingand supports atomic read-modify-write operations in memory.=94 Coolermaster Silent Pro M500, M600 and M700 Power supply @ rbmods.com [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) Today the NDA lift for these three different PSU types. The M seriesPSU have the following main features, one 12V rail, flat modular cables andsilence ofcourse. Asus Eee PC 901 First Impressions @ bit-tech.net [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) We like the Eee PC. It's small, it's lightweight, it'sperfectlybalanced - it's perfect for press trips; in other words when we need adinky little notebook to help us bring you the latest news and reviewsfrom events round the world. Also, at the same time, it runs Linux - which can't help but appeal tothe elitist geek in all of us. The nice folks at Asus know that we like the Eee PC as well, which waswhy they took the first possible chance to head down to the new bit-techoffices and show us the brand new model of the insanely popularsub-notebook. The Eee PC 901 is the latest in the Eee PC line and is fundamentallysimilar to the Eee PC 900 we revieweda few weeks ago, but with a handful of new features and software thrownin - including a new 1.6 GHz Atom Processor instead of the older,underclocked Celeron. On top of that swanky, sparkling new 45nm CPUchip, the Eee PC 901 also houses new Bluetooth support and Dolby SoundRoom on the XP versions, but unfortunately not the Linux like we havehere. CradlePoint CTR500 3G Cellular Travel Router @ pcper.com [Jun-14-08] (0 Comments) The CradlePoint CTR500 is really an interesting all-in-one productthat can act as a normal broadband router, accepting a WAN connection fromcable or DSL internet lines and then creating a wireless network for yourhome or office. What really makes the CTR500 unique is its ability to use aUSB or Express Card based 3G wireless modem as the WAN connection, givingmobile users and teams the ability to maintain productivity and freedom frombe tethered to cables and switches. Kingston 2GB 800MHz HyperX FB-DIMM Memory Kit @ legitreviews.com [Jun-13-08] (0 Comments) The Kingston 800MHz HyperX FB-DIMMs are hands down the most innovative cooling design that we have seen Kingston bring to market. The design is flawless and the modules run cooler than any other FB-DIMMs that we have seen. For those that want even better cooling, simply place a fan on the modules like we did and you'll notice another massive temperature reduction. When it comes to building a high-end enthusiast platform using the Intel Skulltrail motherboard having the right memory modules is critical and Kingston should be the top brand on the short shopping list... OCZ EliteXStream 800W @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-13-08] (0 Comments) The EliteXStream is the example of what two companies can think upwhen they get together. The EliteXStream is a single 12 volt rail behemoththat is sure to raise some eyebrows. The EliteXStream belongs to the crowdof people that believe all the power should be in one main 12 volt rail.This is a philosophy that we have seen for many years from PC Power andCooling. But if you are a member of the multi-rail power supply club, OCZhas the ProXStream for you. The EliteXStream is available in to varieties,an 800 and 1k models. Each is enough to power the biggest of gaming systems.And today we will be reviewing the 800 watter for you. All Pentium Dual Core Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-13-08] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Pentium Dual Core released to date. Updated to include E22xx models. Seasonic M12II 500W Power Supply Report @ aphnetworks.com [Jun-13-08] (0 Comments) Whether you want to recognize it or not, power supplies are an integral part of your computer. And it's not just about wattage -- if you don't have a quality power supply that delivers, your latest quad core, pair of graphics card, and half a dozen of hard drives won't run stably. And then you would end up blaming that on the OS or whatever. On the other hand, most people with relative high end configurations probably won't even need 1200W power supplies anyway -- my Core 2 Extreme QX9650 and 8800GTS G92 (Plus all the relatively high end components) needed no more than a quality, efficient, high performance power supply that delivers what it's rated for. I used to run my computer off a Seasonic M12 500W. That was my first Seasonic power supply that impressed me throughly in both performance, efficiency, and silence. When Seasonic released the M12II, it didn't take me too long before I got one and installed it to see what kind of improvements they had made to it, in order to make it an even better power supply. With relatively modest power ratings by today's standards of only up to 500W, how will this power supply accomplish its tasks with the latest configurations? Although we won't directly test performance, as we don't have professional load testers and for the fact that this is only a product report -- we'll take a look at what kind of internal components it takes off with. Raidsonic IB-390StUSD-B HDD Docking Station @ rbmods.com [Jun-13-08] (0 Comments) With the need of more harddrive space we need more space to storethem. The latest HDD docking station makes it easy for you to swap drivesand take them with you wherever you might need them. It also looks good andis made out of a high quality casing... the question is; how well does itperform with a USB interface? Sapphire AM2RX780 Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-12-08] (0 Comments) Our first Sapphire motherboard featured on Pro-Clockers isn't thehigh end model just mentioned, but rather one notch lower on the modelscale. The AM2RX780 PURE CrossfireX 770 is based on the AMD 770+ chipsetwhich is aimed at the AM2 and the soon to be released AM2+ processors. Oneof the best features of the CrossfireX is dual X16 PCI-e slots on this wellpriced motherboard. There are a few more bells and whistles this board hasto offer and you can discover those yourself by reading this review. [News] Computex 2008 - Part 1 @ virtual-hideout.net [Jun-12-08] (0 Comments) One of the biggest shows in the technology community each year isComputex. It's located in Taipei, Taiwan and gathers thousands of theworld's biggest and best vendors to showcase their goods on the world stage.Computex shows of years past have been located in one main grouping ofbuildings located very close to each other and to the world famous Taipei101 skyscraper. However this year Computex opened a brand new building tohouse a portion of the show. The good is that the new building is morespacious and modern. The bad part is that it's located miles away from theold venue area. That really shook things up and made it a bit more tediousto cover the entire event. OCZ Rally2 Turbo Flash Drive @ modders-inc.com [Jun-12-08] (0 Comments) One of OCZs offerings, the OCZ Rally2 Turbo USB 2.0 Flash Driveallows you to transfer large music, picture, videos, and data files to yourlaptop or desktop in record times. E-Power Thunder EP-650-TD1 3-in-1 PSU @ tweaktown.com [Jun-12-08] (0 Comments) Enter E-Power, a company that has been around since 1990 but is not one of the big contenders. This company has a goal of creating high quality at an affordable price, and today we will take a peek at one of their moderate level power supplies to see if they have managed to pull this off. While the power port and toggle switch appear pretty normal, there is an added port on this unit that resembles a PCI-E plug. Though that is not what it really is, it does add to the feature list and is where they get the “3-in-1” label. Let’s take a quick look at what plugs into this port and then we will see what we have. Yuin OK2 Earphones @ techpowerup.com [Jun-11-08] (0 Comments) Yuin OK2 is the name of the second best earphone from the Chinese brand Yuin. Unlike their bigger brother these earphones are easy to drive, and are also optimized for use with a normal modern DAP. The OK2s can function both as normal earbuds and as in-ears which makes them quite unique. Kingwin Mach 1 1000w - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jun-10-08] (0 Comments) Withthe ever growing technologies such as quad SLI and quad coreCPU’s; the need for more power also grows. However, not only have PSUmanufacturers got the task of creating a power supply which pumps outplenty of watts, they’ve also got the task of making their units silentand aesthetically pleasing – to compete with similar models on themarket. One such power supply that boasts to do all this is the 1000WKingwin Mach 1; let’s see how well this beefy unit performs. NorthQ Black Magic Flex 850W PSU @ jonnyguru.com [Jun-10-08] (0 Comments) Greetings once more, my good readers. We're continuing our magictheme here at jonnyGURU.com by taking a look at the NorthQ Black Magic 850Wunit. This is my second encounter with NorthQ after reviewing the GiantConnector 850W notlong ago, which you may recall that I gave high marks to. Will the BlackMagic be able to ensorcel me into giving it as good of a score? We shallsee. Meantime, let's all look at the box. Thermaltake Max 4 HDD Enclosure @ rbmods.com [Jun-09-08] (0 Comments) We need more and more harddrive space these days and our cases mightnot be able to handle all the drives so therefore there are external HDDenclosures on the market. Thermaltake is one of the companies that havereleased several different enclosures on the market and today we are goingto look at their Max 4 HDD enclosure with a blue led fan mounted on theside. How well does it perform, and will the drive stay stable even aftergaming? Water Cooled Sapphire Radeon HD3870X2 Atomic @ modders-inc.com [Jun-07-08] (0 Comments) Leave it to Sapphire to drop the hammer and show us something newwith the Sapphire HD3870 X2 Atomic Water Cooled edition. Diamond Viper HD 3650 PE 512MB ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jun-06-08] (0 Comments) ATI's HD 3650 replaces the HD 2600 Pro, a frustrating underachiever. Generally, I dislike video cards in the $50-100 range, mainly because they're not going to play new games well and, if you're after features, then you're better off buying a lesser model from the same series. The features here are the real selling points--two of which stand out ahead of price, connectivity (HDMI), and low power- consumption. First is video playback. ATI swings when it comes to playing movies, and even their entry-level cards are going to do well, if not flawlessly. Second is Hybrid CrossFire. All 3000-series cards can be run in CrossFire with motherboards that have the 780G (and upcoming 790GX) chipsets, in either a performance mode (like regular CrossFire) or power-saving mode, which completely powers down the video card when integrated video is good enough. Combined, these features might give cause to move up a price bracket, favoring a 36 over a 34. MSI N9600GT Hybrid Freezer Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Jun-06-08] (0 Comments) It’s always nice to see companies mix it up with new coolers, and the Hybrid Freezer seems to have some pretty cool technology behind it. It makes sense that they’re installing it on the popular 9600GT series of card, and in this case MSI has decided to install it on a card carrying with it 1GB of GDDR3 memory for added appeal. While we’ve looked at so many 9600GTs, you have to admit that we’ve seen such a huge variety of different models; some excellent clocks, some excellent connectivity and some pretty funky aftermarket coolers. All Celeron Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-06-08] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Celeron models released to date. Updated to include Celeron E1400 (dual-core Celeron, 2.0 GHz). G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D DDR3 Memory @ rbmods.com [Jun-06-08] (0 Comments) Today we look at the new DDR3 kit from Gskill. The F3-12800CL7D seemsto be a middle class memory kit from Gskill that is supposed to perform verywell, it is also equipped with a new heatsink that is also supposed tooutperform the old design Gskill uses. Check out the rest of the review tosee what speeds we can boost this ram kit to. Samsung SyncMaster 2253LW @ bit-tech.net [Jun-05-08] (0 Comments) Awkwardly proportioned and packed with ostensibly clever butactuallyrather pointless image quality enhancements, what exactly do we make ofSamsung's new 21.6-inch display? In default mode—the mode we recommendyou leave this display set to—it's a solid but unspectacular performer.The real problem, therefore, is pricing. At over £200, it's not exactlycheap. Especially when you factor in the missing HDMI port and 0.4-inchshortfall in panel size. That may not sound like a lot. But in theabsence of any mitigating features, it's just noticeable enough to be asignificant niggle at this price point. PNY Verto GeForce 9600 GT Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Jun-05-08] (0 Comments) No doubt the PNY Verto GeForce 9600 GT was up against some stiff competition when we tested it at a resolution of 2560x1600. Given that the card is a reference model it performed admirably against the GeForce 8800 GT and GTS, and outperformed the Radeon HD 3870 in many of our tests at both resolutions. Considering that currently the Radeon HD 3870 has to have a rebate to match the price of our PNY 9600 GT it’s hard to argue against what a great value this card is... BFG Tech GeForce 9600GT OC2 @ tweaktown.com [Jun-05-08] (0 Comments) Not too long ago BFG extended upon the OC range by adding the OC2, which was an even higher overclocked model. The company has actually managed to take it yet another step further in some cases, offering an OCX in the 9800 GTX range. What we have here today is BFGs highest clocked 9600GT; the OC2. We’ll see if it’s able to stand out from the huge pack of 9600GTs with something impressive. New ASUS Eee PC Models Arrive for 2008 - Techgage Article @ techgage.com [Jun-04-08] (0 Comments) * At Computex 2008, ASUS has just introduced three new models into its Eee PC lineup of sub-notebook PCs, all three infused with Intel's Atom CPU technology, as well as two with larger displays. We've got all the details you want right here. GFXChilla by Coolink @ modders-inc.com [Jun-03-08] (0 Comments) The GFXChilla is a new cooling solution for your graphics cardthat uses two fans and a series of heat pipes. It easily dropped thetemperatures of the video card and installing the card is a simple process. ASUS Eee PC Updates - 901 and 1000 Series @ pcper.com [Jun-03-08] (0 Comments) The 1000 is still a bit of mystery when it comes to specifications,but we DO know that it will at least offer some WiMAX connectivity and 3Gcellular network connections. As the model number suggests, the Eee PC 1000has a 10 Apevia Warlock Power 900W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jun-03-08] (0 Comments) Apevia comes to us today with a checkered history among those whoknow about power supplies. Today, I am looking at the Warlock Power 900Wunit, which promises to change people's minds about Apevia; offering plentyof power for today's high end systems. Will it prevail in its quest toimprove Apevia's image? You be the judge. The Reflection HTPC @ bit-tech.net [Jun-03-08] (0 Comments) So now its time again for me, the crazy Swede, to build a HTPCcase -but this time, I have strayed a bit from my usual path. I'm trying togo a bit more clean and stylish in my design than before. My casemods usually have some skulls, flames or pentagrams in them, butthis one has none of that at all. Even I get tired of the same oldthing eventually, so now it's time for me to boldly go where I haven’tgone before. My past projects like the Pentagram HTPC and the WeightedCompanion PCwere a lot of fun to build and I'm very happy with them, but fittingthe pentagram beneath my TV turned out to be a bit of a problem. So,this time I'm going small sleek and stylish...or at least I think so.The aim here is to build a case that could be used in any living roomwithout scaring your grandma out of her socks. For me that is a bit ofa challenge since I have no experience in this type of design. But,enough with the small talk - lets get to it and do some case building. Zalman Trimon ZM-M220W Monitor @ rbmods.com [Jun-03-08] (0 Comments) Zalman is mostly known from their high quality cooling solutions, but during the last months Zalman has expanded their product range to cover also other interesting products. New products are FG1000, their new mice, and couple of innovative monitors. It is true, that display markets are full of products, which differ only a little from each other. Zalmans monitors have some attributes which other manufacturers do not. Zalman provided us ZM-M220W 3d-monitor for test and now we will have a look at it. Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 Ultimate Edition @ tweaktown.com [Jun-02-08] (0 Comments) While new AMD cards are around the corner, AMD-only partners continue to release new HD 3870 models. One particular AMD partner is Sapphire who has always been pretty much on the ball when it comes to stand-out models. With our passively cooled Ultimate Sapphire HD 3870 in hand, let’s see how the card is fairing against the 9600GT in both stock and overclocked form. If there’s a card to beat at the moment, it’s the 9600GT. Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Jun-01-08] (0 Comments) A while back, we had a chance to check out the latest CPU cooler fromNoctua, a well-known maker of high quality cooling products. Noctua didn'tstop with just one CPU cooler; rather, they made a slightly larger versionthat accommodates 120mm fans. Will the Noctua NH-U12P CPU cooler prove thatbigger is better? Let's find out. [News] G.SKILL PC2-8500 4GB PI DDR2 Memory Kit @ virtual-hideout.net [May-31-08] (0 Comments) The G.Skill PC2-8500 4GB PI Memory is another strong performing dualchannel memory kit. Stability is top notch and the kit is very reliableunder pressure. At full load, the memory keeps its composure and pumps outthe bandwidth. Thanks to the new spreaders, it was only slightly warm to thetouch and looks pretty sweet. It's also very nice to see that the heatspreaders haven't added much extra weight to the modules. Akasa Mirage-62 chassis @ bit-tech.net [May-30-08] (0 Comments) Due to the similarities between this and the Eclipse-62, theMirage wasalways going to be compared to its sibling, the Eclipse. However, whenyou look at the case on its own, you realise just what a good piece ofkit it really is. Probably the best removable motherboard tray I'veever used, combined with rock solid build quality from the light anddurable aluminium frame make a great base for a system build, and whilethe look of the case could be seen as a little boring, there's plentyof room for customisation.Although the component temperatures were admittedly a littledisappointing, we feel the Mirage more than makes up for this slightstumble with simple brilliant noise levels, and its customisable,spacious and straightforward internal layout. However, I can't help butfeel that this update to the Eclipse could, and perhaps should havebeen so much more than a face lift, especially when you consider the£20 price difference between the two models. Just because something works well, doesn't mean there isn't room forimprovement, and despite a few nice additions, and the excellent noiseperformance, I came away wanting more. In the end, both are very wellbuilt and very high quality cases – it'll be down to personalpreference whether you pay the extra money for the Mirage and its door. XFX GeForce 9600GT XXX Alpha Dog Edition @ tweaktown.com [May-30-08] (0 Comments) It has been a while since we’ve seen anything from XFX, but they’re back today with a 9600GT. This particular model we’re looking at isn’t any ordinary 9600GT, it’s the XXX Alpha Dog Edition which sits at the absolute top of the food chain in the world of 9600GTs. We’ve looked at so many 9600GT cards over the months that getting one which stands out from the pack isn’t an easy task these days. We’ll have to see if XFX is just offering a big overclock and nothing more, or if they can actually do something that makes them stand out from the pack that bit more. X-Spice Kira CS 530W Power Supply @ techpowerup.com [May-29-08] (0 Comments) Even though X-Spice is not a very well known brand name, they achieved what nobody else could do:building an extremely quiet power supply that is stable and affordable. We are testing the 530W model today and found that it could easily handle a Quad CrossFireX rig, and produced less fan noise under load than most other power supplies in idle. Boom Blox (Wii) @ bit-tech.net [May-29-08] (0 Comments) With all that said though, there are a few weak points in BoomBloxwhich perhaps limit how much fun you can have with it. The first andmost damaging flaw is the length of the game because after only a fewhours of gaming we¡¦d already finished nearly the entire Explore modeand were making a decent dent in the Adventure side of things. The other thing to bear in mind is that, like all puzzle games, BoomBloxwill frustrate you as much as it¡¦ll keep you entertained. Playingthrough the Chemical Blox campaign in Explore mode was something we didwith ease until about the eighth level, at which point we got stumpedfor more than an hour. Lots of swear words were uttered before weeventually got a gold medal. Still, it¡¦s all very much a minor chink in the armour of BoomBloxand this is definitely one of the must-have family games in ouropinion. As a party game it may play second fiddle to the likes of Warioware,but if you¡¦re after something to play on a week night when you don¡¦tneed a bottle of tequila to have fun then this is definitely the gamefor you. The combination of fluid controls, screaming chickens and hugeexplosions is a sure winner. Cooler Master Centurion 590 Mid-Tower Case ed @ thetechlounge.com [May-29-08] (0 Comments) The Centurion line of Cooler Master cases has always been a solid entry-level series, targeted at gamers who don't want bling. Even modders like the steel. For enthusiasts, there's the Stacker series, with 5.25 Corsair Flash Voyager GT 16GB @ rbmods.com [May-28-08] (0 Comments) Flash memory has gotten bigger the past year and we have reviewedsizes up to 32 GB already. Today we are going to look at the Flash VoyagerGT with 16GB of memory and since it is the GT line it's supposed to be a bitfaster than the ordinary Voyager from Corsair. This line of flash memoryhave shown itself to be extremely durable and still has been able to performwell. We have tested the Voyager line before with boiling them, droppingfrom high hights, freezing, and even hitting them with a hammer and theyhave been able to withstand this treatment. Lets see what type ofperformance we can expect from this. Vizo Propeller II @ modders-inc.com [May-28-08] (0 Comments) Computers of today are used in so many different ways thatgenerate tons of heat. So, for those of us who know more about computersthan just where the power button is, realize that we must do something toalleviate this problem if possible. One such way to do this is by utilizingsystem or case fans. Hiper 880W Double Header Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [May-27-08] (0 Comments) Recently, I took a look at the Hiper Type M 580W Razer Lycosa Keyboard @ rbmods.com [May-25-08] (0 Comments) You might have tried several keyboards but none really feels good. If that's the case then take a look attodays review; the Razer Lycosakeyboard. This is the latest gaming keyboard which has non slip rubberbuttons which probably will come in handy when gaming for hours. It alsohave backlight for the keys so you can see what keys you are using in thedark. Lets have a closer look at what we think about the keyboard. Watercooling Radiator shootout @ bit-tech.net [May-23-08] (0 Comments) Both the Black Ice GTX and the TFC X-Changer series ofradiators arewell designed, but it's clear that there's definitely a difference inperformance for the price increase. Feser's performance starts off witha nice and cool two degree difference at idle on the 120mm radiator,and though the idle difference shrinks as the sizes increase as we'dexpect, the temperature differences at load continues to increase. Looking at either extreme, we have cost vs. performance issues. The TFCX-Changer is almost 50 percent more expensive than the Black Ice at the120mm level, but we start out two degrees cooler at idle. Granted, most people shouldnot attempt to cool an 8800GTX anda Q66600 CPU on just a 120mm radiator, but it quickly sorts the wheatfrom the chaff - the TFC X-Changer wins hands down. At the moment itlooks like you'll be paying quite heavily for that privilege - however,if you're looking at cooling a lot in a small space and you've alreadybought into watercooling, it'll be worth the investment withoutquestion. The 360mm group shows much less differentiation for the same nearly 50percent price increase, and my best guess for the performance is abovein the results section. In order to get the most out of this type ofsetup with either instance, you're really going to need to look at why you need it - If you're not looking at 8800GTX SLI setups witha fairly well overclocked processor all in the same loop (in which caseI ask, Sony HDR-SR12 @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [May-23-08] (0 Comments) The popularity of hard disk drive standarddefinition and high-def camcorders continuesto climb. Nothing beats the storagecapability of a HDD video maker-just think,you can record hour after hour of babygiggles, if that's your thing (and newparents, you can admit it). Hard drive camsare great for everyone else too since you canrecord anything to your heart's content formuch longer than any tape or disk-basedsystem. And nothing beats the instantlygenerated thumbnails that let you hop fromscene to scene during playback. Sonydominates the HDD market for SD and HD videomakers-just as they do every other camcorderformat. That said we were happy to get ourhands on the new HDR-SR12, the company'stop-of-the-line HDD model that records FullHD 1920 x 1080I video along with 10-megapixeldigital stills to a hefty 120GB hard drive.The camcorder even has Face Detection, thedigicam feature du jour that works for videoand stills. Even though there were notoddlers in the house, we definitely wantedto start recording ASAP. Synology Disk Station DS107+ @ modders-inc.com [May-23-08] (0 Comments) The DS107+ is a great solution for small businesses or home usersthat are looking for a reliable easy to use NAS setup. Plus being able torun a web server, FTP, Multimedia server and more makes this a must havesolution for your home network. Haze (PS3) @ bit-tech.net [May-23-08] (0 Comments) For a game that's had so much hype surrounding it, Haze shouldhave been the perfect game. The problem is that few games rarely liveup to the hype, and Haze falls firmly into that category.Nectar should have been an important part of the game, but instead itcomes across as just another gimmicky power-up. It makes the openingsections of the game far too easy and appears to disappear in the rebelsections of the game, only to be used as an artefact to drive theplotline forward.The storyline itself is hackneyed and feels lazy in its execution. Thetale of the corporate stooge who joins the rebels to bring down thecorporation has been done before and, more importantly, it's been donefar better. There are a few clever twists and turns to the tale laterin the game, but not enough to drag the story out of mediocrity.Taken as a run-of-the-mill FPS, Haze certainly isn't dire, but on theother hand it never really reaches the heights to which it aspires. Ataround six or seven hours to complete, there's not really enough in thesingle player game to keep you coming back after the first playthrough. You might play it again in co-op mode, but even themultiplayer games aren't enough to get you hooked.Haze could have been so much more, but it falls short on so manylevels. The game feels unfinished, as though it has been pushed out ofthe door six months early. Depressingly, it might be that another fewmonths of spit and polish could have produced the game that the hypepromised.Then again, perhaps not. Maybe every game studio is destined to producea game that they're embarrassed about. If that's true, then Haze willbe hiding at the back of Free Radical's closet for a long time to come. Aeneon Xtune DDR3-1600 2GB Dual Channel Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [May-21-08] (0 Comments) A few months ago I reviewed the Aeneon Xtune DDR3-1333 2GB kit fromQimonda. It was an impressive pair of memory modules from a company we'dnever heard of. The kit was very flexible, gaining tighter timings at lowerclockrates, and overclocked reasonably well, all at the PC3 standard of1.5v. Today I will be looking at Aeneon's latest PC3 kit, their DDR3-16002GB kit. It is rated at DDR3-1600, CL9, once again at the standard 1.5v.Will this new kit impress us as well as the earlier kit did? Continuereading to see. BenQ's X2200W 22" widescreen LCD monitor @ bit-tech.net [May-21-08] (0 Comments) If ever a monitor was a tale of two halves, the BenQ X2200W isit. The bad half of the equation is that the image enhancement measuresarea a major flop. In truth, we didn't expect a great deal.Traditionally, these sorts of techniques tend to promise a whole lotmore than they deliver. In this case, they merely serve as a reminderthat there's no substitute for premium panel technology.However, consider the X2200W as a more conventional 22-inch TN+Filmmodel and it makes a much better case for itself. It's a competitivepanel with a good range of input options. What it isn't however, isterribly well priced. The essentially pointless enhancement technologycomes at a cost that pushes this panel into a price range that sees itcompeting with the more affordable 24-inch TN alternatives, completewith much higher 1,920 x 1,200 resolutions.With a quality PVA or IPS panel that might just be winnable fight. Butas it is, the X2200W is simply too expensive. OCZ Technology 64GB SATA-II Solid State Disk - SSD Update! @ pcper.com [May-21-08] (0 Comments) The new OCZ 64GB SATA-II SSD drive improves on the previous OCZmodel's performance quite dramatically in burst speeds, average transferspeeds and especially write speeds that suffered horribly before. While theold drive really only was shining in the random performance tests the newrevision is competing or beating the WD VelociRaptor (the fastest standarddrive available for consumers) across the entire testing array. Even thoughthe burst speed of the OCZ 64GB SATA-II SSD is less than half that of the WDVelociRaptor it is able to average a transfer speed just 18% behind at 95.1MB/s sustained. Rosewill RD600N-2SB-SL-BK Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-21-08] (0 Comments) Rosewill is a popular brand in the US and their power supplies are manufactured by Solytech. We reviewed one of their 600 W models featuring active PFC and 120-mm fan. Is this a good product? Can it really deliver its labeled power? Inno3D GeForce 9600 GT iChiLL Hurricane @ nvnews.net [May-21-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at Inno3D's GeForce 9600 GT Hurricane, which is based on their iChiLL Series of graphics cards. This particular model features a custom cooling solution from ZEROtherm. What makes this product unique is that the cooling system, which consists of a heatsink, fan, and shroud, is separate from the graphics card and must be installed by the owner. The cooling system supports three types of configurations - overclocking, standard, and silent. Jetway's JNC62K (GeForce 8200 mini-ITX) motherboard @ bit-tech.net [May-20-08] (0 Comments) At under £90 including VAT, the board is certainly good valuefor its size and niche appeal. A good mini-ITX board can easily set youback £150, and usually an Intel mini-ITX board will need to add thecost of a CPU as well. While this doesn't have the grace of a few otherHTPC-orientated mini-ITX boards we've seen (Albatron's AMD 690G withcomponent outputs was especially nice), unless you can find an AMD 780Gbased one we suspect this could make the smallest possible Blu-raycapable machine you can buy (we'd love to see some mods around this).45W or 65W AMD CPU's are exceptionally inexpensive, and literallyanything you buy now will be HD-capable. Yes, the GeForce 8200 did havea fit at VLC and it used nearly 50 percent CPU, however Elephants Dreamis one probably of the most intensive 1080p DivX videos out there sothere's still plenty of overhead before things become a slideshow.If you're unconcerned with size and are interested in IGP performanceinstead, the GeForce 8200 guns ahead into the distance in our realworld general productivity benchmarks compared to the other IGPs—eventhe AMD 780G on the micro-ATX Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H board. However ifyou're buying for video playback performance then the AMD 780G is stillthe one to buy – it's just simply more consistent and quite frankly,AMD still continues to do video acceleration better with more intuitivedrivers and a more consistent UVD-enabled product list.Specifically, is Jetway’s JNC62K worth buying? Absolutely. While it'snot as inexpensive as a micro-ATX board, it is still great value forits size if you’re looking to build a very small home theatre PC. Allin all, it's a very low power and tiny motherboard with HDMI and DVI(with HDCP) and oodles of other features that vary its application. Iteven has a comprehensive BIOS that really surprised us – you'll rarelyfind this elsewhere on mini-ITX, however you wouldn't really want tooverclock on it because of its 65W limitation.Is it worth it over a VIA C7 EPIA or future Atom mini-ITX boards?Again, yes! Just for the general productivity performance alone,regardless of the fact a premium VIA C7 board like the Jetway J7F5M,which comes complete with a 2.0GHz C7, for £163.33 will be moreexpensive than the JNC62K and an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4850e 45W CPU, andyou won't even get HDMI or HDCP.The JNC62K is the right balance of efficiency – getting your work donein the minimum amount of time, while using a fraction of the power (andphysical size) a full ATX case labours you with. Razer Piranha Headset @ rbmods.com [May-20-08] (0 Comments) There are a few things you can't be without when you are a gamer andthat is a good mouse and a good headset. Razer can provide you with both andfor tonights review they have provided me with the Piranha headset fromtheir latest headphone lineup. This Piranha headset seems exceptionallysmall and easy to use while it is supposed to have a very clear noisefiltering microphone. We are going to give this headset a go and have a few World of Warcraftplayers have their say when it comes to the microphone quality. Targus Fandango Tote Women's Laptop Bag @ thinkcomputers.org [May-20-08] (0 Comments) When it comes to laptop bags women do not have that much varietywhen it comes to laptop bags. Women usually carry more things than men so itwould be nice if there was a laptop bag that could accommodate them. WellTargus has the answer with the Fandango Tote, which is a laptop bag that notonly accommodates everything that a woman would carry, but looks good too.Let's take a look... Seventeam Hurricane 1200W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [May-20-08] (0 Comments) In December, we took a look at the flagship of the SeventeamElectronics fleet, the Thundering 1200W. Recently, the folks at Seventeamasked us to take a look at the modular version of this mammoth beast, theHurricane 1200W. Join me on a tour through our torture park as I find outjust what this massive unit is made of and if it performs any differentlyfrom its brother. Will the platform earn a recommendation this time around? Asus EN9800GX2 TOP Videocard @ rbmods.com [May-18-08] (0 Comments) Todays review will be about the new 9800GX2 TOP videocard from Asus.This badboy seems to have pretty much everything when it comes to featuresand speed. You end up paying around 550$ USD for this card so the questionremains, is it really worth it or are there cheaper solutions on the marketthat can give similar performance? D-Tek FuZion v2.0 Waterblock @ bit-tech.net [May-18-08] (0 Comments) The FuZion v.2.0 may not be a monumental difference from itsolderbrother, but this prettier version has a lot going for it. Outside ofthe convenient Pro-Mount for LGA-775 users who want to set it andforget it, it's got a lot of fluid running through its veins.The differences in this test may seem small, but we're dealing with abattle of some of the best of the best. The TDX, as I've said time andagain, is far from too old to compete. But the FuZion manages to shavedegree after degree off as my beefy test system starts to stretch itslegs. It's to the point where I look at the radiator and wonder if it'sbecoming the limiting reagent of the system...All of this is before you even begin looking into It's a Mod Thing @ modders-inc.com [May-17-08] (0 Comments) It's A Mod Thing!! You see, modders are that rare species that cantake any aspect, well of just about anything, and associate it with a mod oreven make a mod out of it, or build a mod into it. Mountain Mods U2-UFO "Choose Your Own" Case @ techpowerup.com [May-17-08] (0 Comments) For nearly five years, Mountains Mods has been wowing the enthusiast community with their series of cube cases. Now Mountain Mods takes that to the next level with the classic U2-UFO design gone [News] NesteQ ECS5001 500w Modular PSU @ virtual-hideout.net [May-17-08] (0 Comments) The price tag of the NesteQ ECS5001 comes in at around $115.00 whichseems a little high given the wattage. It's right at about that mark wheresome users who aren't so worried about reliability will opt for a littlebigger wattage PSU in another name. However, you're not going to find thissturdy a power supply for much less these days.Can I recommend the NesteQ ECS Series Power Supplies to anyone including theenthusiasts? Definitely! If your system requires more power or if you have anewer Quad Core Extreme and 8800s in SLI, you'll want to consider somethingmore powerful like their ECS6001 or ECS7001. Otherwise, the ECS5001 won'tdisappoint any expectations. A big thanks to Acoustic PC for bringing ussomething surprisingly new. Modders-Inc Mod Your Mouse Contest @ modders-inc.com [May-17-08] (0 Comments) Grab that mouse and mod it like there is no tomorrow. Cut it, paintit, put a window in it, do whatever it takes to win theses great prizes fromXTracPads and Logitech. Antec TruePower Quattro 850 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-16-08] (0 Comments) TruePower Quattro 850 W is a high-end power supply from Antec with modular cabling system that the manufacturer claims it can deliver its rated power at 50º C. Is this true? Is this a good power supply? We will see. Vizo Mini Ninja at Modders-Inc @ modders-inc.com [May-15-08] (0 Comments) Overall, the Vizo Mini Ninja is a well made little notebookcooler. It is fairly compact, light weight, and sturdy. Being made of a nicegrade of aluminum, it is going to be structurally durable for an extendedtime. CoolIT Freezone Elite watercooling kit @ bit-tech.net [May-15-08] (0 Comments) The Freezone Elite will definitely beat anything you can likelybuild to fit in anywhere nearthe same space by a mile - let alone any pre-built kits. But its priceclass puts it in a whole different realm, which is why I built such abig system to compare it to. An enthusiast is going to look at what heor she can build for a similar cost, not just what fits in the samespace.The watercooling system I compared to costs around £200 in the UK (and$320 in the US) – that's about £50 less, and it's quieter and cooler.However, every time I need to make a change, I invest twenty minutes inundoing everything, draining the loop, etc. And that's in a case that'sdesigned for it.It took me all of two minutes to disconnect the Freezone Elite. Ofcourse, then it took another five to get all the pre-applied thermalpaste off, then a hunt for the manual to hook it back up again when Icouldn't remember which unmarked cable goes where. They may seem likeminor niggles, and they are – but for almost £250 of yours or my money,you can damn well bet that I don't want to be talking about littleniggles.With the Freezone Elite, I think CoolIT has a good product...but it hasa better foundation for a great product. There's a lot of potentialhere, but I think it's not yet realised in this particular model. Withthe brilliant MTEC software and controller, the great TEC performanceand the incredible ease of use, it's off to a great start – but it willonly ever get rid of as much heat as that CPU block can absorb. Lexar Gaming Edition 2GB SD Card and 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo @ rbmods.com [May-15-08] (0 Comments) With flash memory getting cheaper and capacity getting larger, itmakes more sense than ever to purchase a new card for your gaming system orfor any other device that takes it. What makes these cards special is thatthey feature free downloadable Xploder Lite software, meaning that theyessentially, and I quote, give ThermoLab Nano Silencer CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [May-15-08] (0 Comments) recently looked at the ThermoLab Micro and found it to be an energy efficient processor-only cooler that was designed for small enclosures. Today we are going to look at the ThermoLab Nano, an even smaller cooler made for the same type of application; extremely small enclosures and cases. Before you start to yawn I will go ahead and say upfront that the Nano performed better than the Micro, even though it is a smaller cooler and fan. What is really attention getting is the size of the cooler and the custom applications that modders will be able to use with it. AcBel Polytech iPower 660 Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-14-08] (0 Comments) AcBel Polytech, a traditional OEM manufacturer, is trying to enter the retail market. We made an in-depth review on their iPower 660 model. Is it a good product? Let’s see. ASUS 8600GT TOP Video Card ed @ thetechlounge.com [May-13-08] (0 Comments) I was a bit surprised that Asus asked us to review their *flagship budget* -- it's weird just writing that -- 8600 GT TOP. It's new SKU for a card closing in on its end of life; the model being about a year old now. Just the same, with a hundred-dollar price tag, it's definitely got an audience, no matter what cards there are competing against it, or what cards have been released since. And it's a pretty highly-regarded card; go on any hardware forum and there's a dozen NVIDIA people extolling the virtues of the 8600 GTs when it comes to budget gaming. Now, I'm not saying that they're all wrong, but it is worth finding out if new drivers and some moderate factory overclocking can put value on an otherwise dated video card. ASUS 8600GT TOP Video Card ed @ thetechlounge.com [May-13-08] (0 Comments) I was a bit surprised that Asus asked us to review their *flagship budget* -- it's weird just writing that -- 8600 GT TOP. It's new SKU for a card closing in on its end of life; the model being about a year old now. Just the same, with a hundred-dollar price tag, it's definitely got an audience, no matter what cards there are competing against it, or what cards have been released since. And it's a pretty highly-regarded card; go on any hardware forum and there's a dozen NVIDIA people extolling the virtues of the 8600 GTs when it comes to budget gaming. Now, I'm not saying that they're all wrong, but it is worth finding out if new drivers and some moderate factory overclocking can put value on an otherwise dated video card. Enermax Modu82+ 625W Power Supply @ pcper.com [May-13-08] (0 Comments) The new Modu82+ and Pro82+ power supplies from Enermax were designedto deliver stable outputs with high efficiency and minimal noise. In factthe Modu82+ and Pro82+ power supplies are some of the first to be certifiedunder the new 80 Plus Bronze classification to be at least 82% efficient at20% and 100% of the rated output and at least 85% efficient at 50% of therated output power. And as you will see later on, the Modu82+ 625W unit wehave in for review proved to be the quietest power supply we have tested todate! Corsair HX1000 Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [May-12-08] (0 Comments) Corsair has been taunting and teasing us for months now with theprospect of their very first foray into the 1kW jungle. And now, our waitingis over. Join me as I pit the HX1000 in a battle to the death against my hotbox of doom and a SunMoon ATE. Sunbeamtech Quarterback Case @ modders-inc.com [May-12-08] (0 Comments) Sunbeamtechs budget case, the Quarterback, is a standard ATX casewith some rather interesting features. It has got a unique cooling optioncalled the Core Fan Design that helps keep temperatures down. The case isalso tool less and has plenty of room inside for today's larger video cards. Gigabyte X48 DQ6 Socket 775 Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [May-12-08] (0 Comments) Gigabyte being a leader in motherboards is making it easy on us tohave the best when new chipsets are released. They have being right there,first to market, when Intel believed it was time for change. This used to bea position held by Asus. Gigabyte is the first to bring us the new X48chipset to our rigs. This honor belongs to the X48-DQ6 and X48T-DQ6, DDR2and DDR3 versions respectively. The DQ6 being the high end model forGigabyte, it has all the bells and whistles. From complex cooling systems tohigh-end capacitors you can't ask for more in a motherboard except forexcellent overclocking. Can the X48-DQ6 accomplish what we achieved withEX-38 just a few weeks ago? Noctua NH-U9B CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [May-12-08] (0 Comments) Noctua, makers of some of the best case fans on the market, hasbranched out into the CPU cooler market, which is a move that makes sensesince they already dominate the high-end fan market. They sent us one oftheir new CPU coolers, the Noctua NH-U9B, to test out. Will this be anatural expansion of their product line or will we find growing pains? Readon to find out. Warhammer Online Interview:Josh Drescher @ bit-tech.net [May-10-08] (0 Comments) BT:So, speaking of other Warhammer games, did you know aboutIron Lore shutting down? Their last game was the Warhammer 40K Dawn ofWar:Soulstorm expansion and the company said that piracy played a bigpart in their closure.JD:Yeah, well if I’m honest then piracy is the number one concern fora PC gaming developer.BT:You think it’s putting off a lot of PC developers and driving themto consoles?JD:I think that in other genres, yes. Luckily, as an MMO we’re largelyinsulated from all that because of our model. It’s impossible for aplayer to pirate our game and, even if they did, then it’d be themalone in their basement. For our game to make sense you need thousandsof players all playing together on a massive architecture.As a result, we’re very attracted to Asian markets along with Russiaand China – places where piracy is everywhere. Piracy is just apandemic there. So, while we’re very worried about it, it doesn’treally affect us as much.Obviously, I can’t speak for other developers like Iron Lore. But,y’know I had friends who worked there and we tried to bring a load ofthem over to us when they closed. If they say piracy was a problem forthem then I absolutely believe them. Piracy is why we see so many sameyshooters. Asus EAH3870 X2 1GB graphics card @ bit-tech.net [May-09-08] (0 Comments) I have to say that I’m impressed with the Asus EAH3870 X2graphics card– it’s quite a step away from the reference design and innovation likethis should be encouraged. The inclusion of four DVI ports will be awelcome addition for anyone looking to run more than a couple ofmonitors on their workstation and what makes it even better is the factthat, unlike Nvidia’s SLI, ATI CrossFireX technology scales acrossmultiple displays.There is no need to disable CrossFireX in order to enable multi-displaymode – and believe me when I say that is a big thing for anyone like mewho is a gamer but also runs multiple displays. It’s for that reasonalone that I have never used a GeForce 9800 GX2 or GeForce 7950 GX2 inany system that isn’t used for testing purposes – it defeats the objectof having a single graphics card for me because it has all thecompromises of SLI.It’s not all rosy though because there are some things that aren’t aslikeable about the Asus EAH3870 X2 1GB. The biggest one is of courseperformance. In short, the Radeon HD 3870 X2 is not as competitive asit needs to be and, if you took some games in isolation, you could makethe card look like exceedingly poor value for money compared to theGeForce 8800 GTS 512 and GeForce 9800 GTX, which are both retailing forunder £200. The 3870 X2, on the other hand, sits at about £240 (inc.VAT) at best, and heads up towards the £280 mark at worst.Another peeve of mine is with the fansink. Now, I accept that it’s acompromise that had to be made in order to accommodate the fourdual-link DVI ports on the PCI bracket, but that doesn’t mean it’s agood thing. While the two fans don’t really increase the amount ofnoise pollution by a significant amount, it does mean there are now twopoints of failure on the card – you could say you’re twice as likely toneed to change the card’s heatsink later down the line when one of thefans inevitably fails. There’s also the fact that heat created by theGPUs is no longer exhausted out of the back of the card, which meansthat you end up heating up the inside of your chassis – I doubt that’sgoing to be a major concern for most though.On the whole though, I think that the Asus EAH3870 X2 is a good choicecompared to what’s on offer from other partners on both red and greenfronts. It will undoubtedly please the multi-monitor crowd and that’swhere I see this card making the most headway. A word of warningthough:Asus has two EAH3870 X2 cards—one with four DVI ports (thisone), and one that follows the reference design pretty closely—so ifyou’re unsure, please do check with the retailer before purchasing. Patriot Viper DDR3-1866 2GB Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [May-09-08] (0 Comments) Patriot has been one of the newer companies to come on board at T weakTown to supply us with their high performance memory for testing, and so far we have been pretty impressed with their line of high performance memory. Once again they have come on board to send us their new series o f DDR3 modules. Today we have Patriot's Viper Fin DDR3 2GB dual channel memory kit. The sticker on one side of each memory module contains info on the module s. The kit we received was rated for speeds of 1866MHz or 933MHz core spe ed with timings of 8-8-8-24 at a maximum voltage of 1.9v. The modules are all RoHS which means they are manufactured with lead free solder. In Win B2 Stealth Bomber Case @ rbmods.com [May-07-08] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at the InWin stealh bomber case and as the namereveals is inspired from an airplane. Inwin has been in the case market fora long time and they have now started to focus on designed cases which youmight see if you take a quick look at their website. We are going to belooking through this case in tonights review and we will also show you themain feature this case has which is a motorized front door. Corsair VX550W PSU @ bit-tech.net [May-06-08] (0 Comments) Continually, we find ourselves looking at great Corsair PSUs –the HX,the TX and now the VX have all performed fantastically. The VX550W doesexactly what it says on the tin and even though our model dropped afraction below 80 percent load under significant 3.3V and 5V stress,it's very unlikely they'll ever hit these sorts of values in a real PC.Where it matters the Corsair VX550W works exceptionally well, hittingupwards of 85 percent efficiency throughout the rest of the tests.We'dbe torn between the significant benefits of buying modular, versus theextra cost and slightly lower power. I used the VX550W in my own hometheatre PC for a few months prior to this review and it was nothing butfantastic. In this instance, cable management didn't matter since therewas a large enough case that was designed just to be super-low noise:in that respect it worked perfectly. I even had to install an extracathode it to tell if the system was on or off, simply because it was thatquiet I couldn't hear it unless my head was all of two inches away.Ihad to swap it out for the Thermaltake Toughpower Q-Fan 650W wereviewed before the Corsair and while that quotes just 17dB you'd bevery hard pushed to tell them apart. I'd still prefer to use theCorsair VX550W simply because the cables are better designed (4+4-pinEPS 12V instead of an 8-pin with a 4-pin tail), even though it's notmodular.For any Intel P35/P45 or AMD 770X, 780G based PC with mainstreamcomponents the VX550W should absolutely suffice, but it's not theanswer for everyone – there are a lot more ifs and buts than when welooked at the TX750W. If you do decide to buy a VX550W though, youwon't be disappointed. Sapphire Hybrid CrossFire 780G Motherboard @ modders-inc.com [May-06-08] (0 Comments) Are you in the market for a small form factor m-ATX motherboardthat can give you blistering performance for your multimedia needs, plus theability to play the latest Direct X 10 games? And as a bonus you can installa second card to gain CrossFireX for your games. Then you have to check outthe Sapphire PURE Hybrid CrossFire 780G Innovation Motherboard. Zalman ZM850-HP 850W Modular Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [May-06-08] (0 Comments) A little while ago, ThinkComputers reviewed the Zalman ZM500-HP 500Wpower supply unit. This time around, Zalman, maker of fine cooling productsand power supplies, submitted for review a more powerful, but louder versionof its line of power supply units, the ZM850-HP 850W. This 80PLUS-certifiedunit has lots of connectivity with its modular design, and two heatpipes andan ultra-quiet fan keep the unit virtually silent. The review is here. GlacialPower GP-PS550BP Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [May-05-08] (0 Comments) We continue our exploration of some of the market's lesser knownpower supplies today with the GP-PS550BP from GlacialTech, a budget unitfeaturing semi-fanless operation, passive PFC, and a promise by the companyof being capable of full power to 45 degrees. ASUS EN9600GT Silent 512MB @ techgage.com [May-05-08] (0 Comments) Looking for excellent gaming performance but also want tokeep PC noise to a minimum? The EN9600GT Silent from ASUS is the cardto buy. It couples the power of the 9600 GT with pure silence, andcosts little more than the stock model, making it a great choice foreither the HTPC or desktop. Geeks HP Jornada 728 @ rbmods.com [May-05-08] (0 Comments) Looking for something smaller than a laptop to fulfill your computingneeds? Many have turned to handheld PCs as a substitute, but some lack allthe features/applications needed. Geeks.com, popular online retailer ofcomputer hardware, offers one such device, the HP Jornada 728, which comesloaded with applications in a compact size. Will this device offer thesolution to your portable computing needs? Read on to find out. NZXT Tempest Mid Tower Gaming Case @ legitreviews.com [May-04-08] (0 Comments) The Tempest from NZXT's crafted series is a very nice looking c omputer case. With a current street price of $109 plus shipping it is in the same price bracket as the ever-so-popular $99.99 Antec Nine Hundred h ardcore gaming case.To compare these two cases one will find that they ar e similar in style, but the Tempest has a little more going for it; it ca n hold up to 8 hard drives and the top of the case is designed so that it can mount some of the most common dual 120mm water cooling radiators to it with out modifications. Buying a case is obviously a personal decision , but it would be hard to go wrong with the Tempest... Matrix Orbital GX Typhoon Display @ bit-tech.net [May-04-08] (0 Comments) I started the project of reviewing the GX Typhoon as one ofthose whothought monochrome LCD technology had well passed its heyday. But whatdid I end up feeling? Hope.There are things that an LCD like the Typhoon could never do. It willnever be a mini movie screen. It will never show Winamp visualisations.It will also never slow my computer down or prevent me from using SLI.It will never take me more than five minutes to design a basic screen,or fifteen for a complex one.What it will do is give me a lot of handy information atmy fingertips, and I can easily add more. It will pull my weatherreport from the web, display my song titles and even my calendarentries. It will display my Speedfan info on my test rig, and monitormy temperatures on my main rig. It will do it colourfully,intelligently and easily. It will allow me to control Windows Mediaplayer and it will give me data on that, too. In short, it will do everything I would ever need an intelligentdisplay to do. Add to this the ability for proper add-ons – a baybus thatcan run more than a few milliamps of current before it fries; aseparate control panel that I could configure independently; awatercooling pump monitor or IR blaster for my TV or a lightbus thatties to my music beats or anything else that comes up that could beuseful. And all this comes with an interface that's open and encouragesusers to develop more great ideas. With the pros and cons on the table, the GX Typhoon is, to me, proofthat small-scale LCD technology isn't dead...far from, it's juststarting to come back into style. The classics always do. PC Power & Cooling CTO talks shop @ bit-tech.net [May-04-08] (0 Comments) BT:How do you expect the PSU to evolve in the nextthree to five years considering the push to greener, more efficientcomputing? (Personally we believe PSUs will become more of a commodityproduct so in the future there will be an emphasis on price andfeatures rather than component quality).DD:I expect a major change. There will be only one DC output:+12 Volts. The +3.3V, +5V, and -12V outputs will be eliminated in thefuture. This will make the PSU more efficient, since +12 Volts is themost efficient output, and of course it will make the PSU simpler andless expensive.Some of the cost savings will be used to improve component qualitysince the cost of upgrading is minimal compared to the cost ofreturning a defective PSU and the cost of computer downtime. Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler @ modders-inc.com [May-03-08] (0 Comments) The NH-U12P is the newer version of the NH-U12. It has the samebasic features as the NH-U12F, but is paired with the new Noctua NF-P12120mm fan. The Noctua NH-U12P has shown that it preforms better than itsolder brother, the Noctua NH-U12F. Aeneon XTune DDR3-1333 @ pro-clockers.com [May-02-08] (0 Comments) If you are not familiar with Aeneon's DDR3 modules here is a quickrundown. Aeneon makes two different lines of DDR3, the first is their'value' line which has no heat spreaders and a better price point. But thesecond series is the one that many of us would choose as it is meant for theoverclocker and gamer that wants the most out of their rig. XTune is whatthis line is called and sports a very clean set of heat spreaders and prettygood timings. For those that are into numbers, how does 8-8-8-15 at just 1.5volts sound? Spire SP332CB 3.5" Internal Card Reader @ rbmods.com [May-02-08] (0 Comments) Since the early 90s you may have found a cooler made by Spire in yourcomputers. Spire is known of its cheap CPU coolers which are mainly used inlow-end and home user computers. On the other hand, Spire has been wellknown of its USB Hard disk enclosures. This time, we will have a look ofSpires new 3.5 Motorola MotoPure H12 Bluetooth Headset @ bluetomorrow.com [May-01-08] (0 Comments) The Motorola MotoPure H12 Bluetooth Headset is a sleek and lightweight headset that combines modern style with simple functionality. The MotoPure H12 boasts what Motorola calls its CrystalTalk 2-microphone technology, which is designed to cancel out excess outside noise. Its design addresses several comfort issues many people have with less expensive units and offers a look that doesn't scream for attention. The Three Evils by Greensabbath @ bit-tech.net [May-01-08] (0 Comments) I'll be honest – of all of my deeply devoted modder friends, Iinitially had the least Mod of the Month - April 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Apr-30-08] (0 Comments) We're going to start this month's competition off with a modthat'sactually just finished its build process – which goes a little againstthe standard Mod of the Month policy. However, I've been following thework of our crazy German friend FrooP since his mod, Unit:4, firstappeared on our forum over six months ago – and since this is all aboutthe closing of old projects, I'm glad to finally get to add it!At the time, Froop had already completed quite a bit of his project,which is based on a building from our favourite nuclear-powered game, S.T.A.L.K.E.R..Nonetheless, it seems as if there were, well, about six more months ofwork left to do on it!The completed project is really a site to behold – extremelyreminiscent of the style of our beloved friend CrimsonSky, FrooP hasreconstructed an entire area from the video game, leaving you wonderingwhether you're looking at a model or a computer. Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock @ modders-inc.com [Apr-29-08] (0 Comments) Ever found yourself in the need to be able to take a huge amountof computer related files with you on the road or say just over to a friendshouse. Vantec just may have the answer you are looking for with their newNexStar Hard Drive Dock. PCPer Hardware Leaderboard @ pcper.com [Apr-29-08] (0 Comments) The High End system also saw a price increase going from $1245 to$1399 - a modest increase I think considering the changes I implemented.First we moved to a new Yorkfield, 45nm Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 processorbut kept the 780i SLI chipset motherboard. I also upgraded graphics card inthis system as well with the new 9800 GTX card - a great single-GPU boardthat offers 8800 Ultra-like performance at a lower price. Navigon 2100 Max GPS @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Apr-29-08] (0 Comments) Dramatically-dropping cost is perhaps thebiggest driver of GPS popularity since youcan now buy one for $149 US, although low-endmodels are hard to recommend. In GPS Land,three companies dominate sales-and no, Sony,Samsung and Panasonic are not among them.Garmin, TomTom and Magellan own 80 percent ofthe market while others like Navigon aretrying to claw their way into the top ranks.That said, we recently were sent the Navigon2100 Max off to our testing labs to determineif it deserves to be considered a top-tierunit. Now let's take a drive. Modders-Inc Mod Your Mouse Contest @ modders-inc.com [Apr-29-08] (0 Comments) Grab that mouse and mod it like there is no tomorrow. Cut it, paintit, put a window in it, do whatever it takes to win theses great prizes fromXTracPads and Logitech. Nzxt Tempest Case @ rbmods.com [Apr-29-08] (0 Comments) The Swedish distributor for Nzxt send us their latests case namedTempest. Nzxt has earlier been well know for their superb designs on thecase but they have lacked a bit when it comes to functionality and quality.Will this case change this? We are going to see what type of features theyhave been able to manage in to this case that they call the Motorola MotoPure H12 Bluetooth Headset @ bluetomorrow.com [Apr-28-08] (0 Comments) The Motorola MotoPure H12 Bluetooth Headset is a sleek and lightweight headset that combines modern style with simple functionality. The MotoPure H12 boasts what Motorola calls its CrystalTalk 2-microphone technology, which is designed to cancel out excess outside noise. Its design addresses several comfort issues many people have with less expensive units and offers a look that doesn't scream for attention. DIAMOND Radeon HD 3650 1GB Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Apr-28-08] (0 Comments) What's different about the Diamond HD 3650 from Diamond is that it carries with it a massive 1GB of memory. We're not really big on hu ge amounts of memory added to a mid-range card, but we'll have to see i f Diamond is able to do anything with the HD 3650 here today that impress es us. Diamond does something that is quite common when companies increase the a mount of RAM on lower end models. Instead of using 1GB of GDDR3, they'v e dropped back to GDDR2. MotorStorm for Playstation 3 @ rbmods.com [Apr-27-08] (0 Comments) As the best selling Playstation 3 game as of February 2008, there wasalways a lot of hype surrounding this game. A less-than-typical racer, thisgame prefers off-road, muddy fun over serious, tight cornering track-basedaction. But how will it fare, and is its reputation deserved? Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red 800 MHz 4 GB Kit @ techpowerup.com [Apr-26-08] (0 Comments) Crucial has updated their successful Tracer line-up with the Ballistix Tracer 4 GB Dual Channel kit. Despite stock ratings at 800 MHz with CL4 timings at 2.2V this kit is capable of reaching 1120 MHz stable at CL5 and 2.2V. In addition, the Ballistix Tracer Reds were completely stable at stock speed and timings with only 1.8V, making this a great kit for those with limited voltage options. That said, the entirely red LED accented theme and great performance from these high density 2GB modules is sure to please. Noctua NF-P12 Case Fan @ modders-inc.com [Apr-25-08] (0 Comments) Noctua has come up with another uniquely designed fan, the NF-P12.Although some might mistakenly think these are similar to their NF-S12 fansdue to the colors used. They are completely different in design. NorthQ Siberian Tiger Water Cooler @ jonnyguru.com [Apr-25-08] (0 Comments) The Siberian Tiger water cooling system is a sealed CPU watercooling system that takes a lot of the headaches out of water cooling. Youdon't have to worry about filling or draining the system every time you needto pull your rig down. Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital-SLR Camera @ techgage.com [Apr-24-08] (0 Comments) Targeting newer photographers, the Nikon D60 is pricedright and includes a fantastic feature set. On top of the 10MP sensor,the D60 includes an automatic sensor cleaner, a vibration reduction kitlens, fast 3FPS performance, high ISO modes and a lot more. Mushkin XP-800 AP 800W PSU @ techpowerup.com [Apr-24-08] (0 Comments) Mushkin's new XP-800AP power supply offers enough power for even the most demanding rigs. The shiny black paint looks great and the connectors are numerous. One special feature is Rail Fusion which lets the user select if the whole PSU should run with one big rail or in Quad Rail mode. ASUS Radeon HD 3850 X2 1GB hits PCPer @ pcper.com [Apr-24-08] (0 Comments) The estimated price on the ASUS EAH3850 X2 1GB card is $349 and itshould be available starting sometime next week. That price tag places thecard between the HD 3870 single-GPU cards (some of which have come out with1GB of memory as well) and the dual-GPU HD 3870 X2s. This is indeed an areathat AMD needs to address as they have no other GPU options for gamers inthe $250-$350 range. Hopefully we'll see the the HD 3850 X2 1GB models frommore vendors causing a price drop closer to $300. Asus 9600 GT TOP Videocard @ rbmods.com [Apr-24-08] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at a new videocard from Asus. It this in themiddle class segment on the market but the question is how it actuallyperforms. We are goint to compare it vs the 8800GT and Asus 3850 videocardsto see what type of performance we can expect. Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider @ ngohq.com [Apr-24-08] (0 Comments) Microsoft did well bringing the 64-bit architecture to Windows Vista but somehow they screwed up. Apparently they forgot who their target audience was when they introduced a very restricted module of driver signature enforcement. In laymen's terms, all drivers and system files must be digitally verified or they cannot run when using the 64-bit version of Vista. In the past it was possible to turn that feature off; but due to new kernel security updates it is impossible to turn it off without degrading security and stability of your operating system.In order to turn this off it involves uninstalling critical security updates that Microsoft has released to increase system security. Sadly, this feature makes Windows Vista 64-bit into a closed and locked down operation system.So what's the problem with digital certificates? Well, the problem is. developers have to pay Microsoft to receive verified certificates, and that makes many applications inaccessible under Windows Vista 64-bit. This driver signature enforcement can be a serious pain to end-users; however it is still possible to turn it off by disabling it up by pressing the F8 function key during system boot up.Pressing F8 every time on boot up can be a serious pain in the ass and frustrating to those that miss the time window available to press F8 during start up. Others have found workarounds, but most of them are too complicated for the average end user to perform, atleast until now. NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 @ modders-inc.com [Apr-22-08] (0 Comments) The GeForce 9800 GX2 combines the two GeForce 9800 GPUs in asingle graphics solution, which offers 256 processor cores and a framebuffer of 1 GB (512 MB per GPU). It also allows a user to take advantage ofthe second-generation Quad SLI technology. Logitech diNovo Mini Keyboard @ rbmods.com [Apr-22-08] (0 Comments) If you got a HTPC setup at home you know that you need a smallkeyboard/mouse combo to match the rest of your home theather system.Logitech has lately relesed their Dinovo Mini keyboard/mouse combo that weare going to take a look at today. This small keyboard is filled withfeatures that might come in handy when using your HTPC. ViewSonic VX1940w 19" widescreen monitor @ bit-tech.net [Apr-21-08] (0 Comments) Clearly the ViewSonic VX1940w is not a mass market monitor thatwillconvince the mainstream hordes to ditch their 22-inch panels. But itcould be extremely attractive for a few niche markets and for thoseable to divert their attention away from simple screen acreage.Obviously, it's a great solution when space is in short supply. Nodoubt LAN gamers will appreciate the combination of high detail, speedypixel response and compact, travel-friendly dimensions. It also makesfor a very nice low-profile secondary display with decent resolution,perhaps to compliment a large 30-inch primary panel.Of course, the VX1940w will be fighting a largely losing battle againstsimilarly-priced 20- and 22-inchers for the attention of buyers lookingto maximise screen size within their budget. And frankly, for mostusers we wouldn't give it a blanket recommendation over such models.But we are glad ViewSonic has decided to add it to the mix and offersomething a little different. Fallout 3 p @ bit-tech.net [Apr-21-08] (0 Comments) You should be able to tell by now that we already love howFallout 3is shaping up. It’s grim and visceral, keeping close to the good sourcematerial and barely dealing with the lamentable spin-offs that laterruined the Fallout name. The best thing of all though is that we’ve barely scratched the surfaceof the game – in fact, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the Alphabuild of the game which is growing by the second. The ending, which isdesigned on the same branching model as in the first games, has grownfurther now too so that there are now around 500 endings on offer. You may think that that is too many endings. You may be right. Ifthat’s your line of thinking though then the people you should feelsorry for are the Xbox 360 Gamerscore addicts like Jamie – Pete reckonsit’ll take at least three or four playthroughs to get all theachievements on offer. And yeah, that does sound daunting – but personally I can’t wait togive it a shot. Supertalent 8GB USB Pico Flash Drive @ rbmods.com [Apr-20-08] (0 Comments) Supertalent is well known for their high quality RAM-modules, andduring the last few years they have expanded production to USB-modules andMP3 players. Their newest invention is Solid State Disk -drives. WithUSB-modules Supertalent has not settled for just traditional USB-modules.They try always invent something new, since on fullbooked USB-flash modulemarkets traditional products will not be distinguished from the mass. Wehad an opportunity to review the worlds smallest USB Flash Drive,Supertalent Pico-A 8GB Flash Drive, which are both water resistant and shockproof. Supertalents USB-module selection includes also Pico-B and Pico-Cmodels, which differ mainly with size, though all being very small. NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT Voltmodding Article posted @ techpowerup.com [Apr-18-08] (0 Comments) NVIDIA's Geforce 9600 GT is quite an exceptional midrange card that offers excellent overclocking potential. Since the cards run at a relatively low voltage there is some extra overclocking waiting to be unleashed by raising the card's voltages. The GPU voltage mod we present in this article uses a new method which will not be affected by the card's overvoltage protection. Also we describe an easy to do modification to increase the memory voltage. How to Use the SPDIF Output from Sound Blaster X-Fi Sound Cards @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-18-08] (0 Comments) A list of all Sound Blaster X-Fi models released to date and how to add SPDIF connectors to them. Lamptron Aluminum Case Handles @ techpowerup.com [Apr-17-08] (0 Comments) In a world where case modding is becoming increasingly more popular, Lamptron focuses on giving modders and enthusiasts alike what they are asking for in accessories. The Aluminum Case Handles that we are taking a look at today have style with their custom CNC milled design and smooth elegant finish. The aluminum construction is solid yet very light weight and will certainly please anyone who wants to add portability to their case as well as looks provided that you are willing to spend a little extra money for the quality. Interview with Alex 'Unwinder' / RivaTuner @ techpowerup.com [Apr-17-08] (0 Comments) The VGA Tweaking Utility RivaTuner has changed a lot over the years, and so has its creator. TPU talks with 'Unwinder' about software development and the role he played in starting the softmod community. rock Xtreme 770 X9000-8800 gaming notebook @ bit-tech.net [Apr-17-08] (0 Comments) Honestly, my feelings about the rock Xtreme 770 are a bitmixed. On theone hand, the Xtreme 770 offers very good gaming performance,application performance and comes with some nice extras and a goodwarranty. Even the bag that comes bundled with the laptop is nice,though the laptop itself is quite heavy—but that’s to be expected. On the other hand though, the battery life won’t let you even getthrough one two hour film and I still feel that the concept of a gaminglaptop is one that hasn’t been explored properly yet. Just because itdoesn’t have a separate monitor, keyboard and speakers doesn’t meanthat this 17-inch beast suddenly becomes portable!In the end, for me, it’s the gaming performance and overall feel of theXtreme 770 that makes this laptop a winner – this is a machine whichfeels good to use and some obvious care and attention has obviouslygone into the design. rock has even spaced out the USB ports so you canfit multiple devices in without making it a squeeze. The laptop as awhole feels good to use and the gaming performance, while maybe not asgood as we had hoped, is more than enough for modern gaming. It may be expensive and many bit-tech readers may guffawand pledge continued, undying loyalty to their desktop machines, butthe reality is that the rock Xtreme 770 is a very tempting piece of kitand more than capable of any task you might care to throw at it. Patriot Viper PC3-14400 DDR3 Memory @ rbmods.com [Apr-16-08] (0 Comments) Another DDR3 kit hits our test bench and this time it is a kit fromPatriot. We got their latest Viper kit that we will put vs some fastperformers from both Corsair and Supertalent. We are going to twist and turnthis ram kit to see how it performs in Superpi and Everest among other testprograms. We are also going to put this kit vs the otheres in a overclockingtest to really see how well it performs so stay tuned. Coolink SWiF 1202 Cooling Fan @ modders-inc.com [Apr-16-08] (0 Comments) With our comparison between the Coolink and Noctua fans, we can seethat the Coolink does have a slight lead in the cooling area, but comes atthe slightly louder noise level. Unboxing the Asus Eee PC 900 @ bit-tech.net [Apr-15-08] (0 Comments) Another cool feature is the Macbook Air-esque (I just diedinside)multi-touch trackpad, so you can use two fingers to zoom and scroll.While the scroll works in everything, the zoom function is currentlylimited to Works, StarSuite 8 and Adobe Reader.There's also a new OS option:Windows XP Home. That will make the extramemory and storage evaporate, although it is now open to a wealth ofother software and more immediately familiar to non-Linux users.Included in the package are Microsoft Works, Intervideo DVD XPack andSun StarSuite (databases, spreadsheet, presentation, illustration andword processing– basically a “slimâ€� Microsoft Office). The problem with the XP versionis that despite the larger screen resolution, you still have to scrollup and down the desktop - that's not ideal.The 20GB Linux model pictured below should retail for £329 in the UK,which is only a modest increase in price considering the advantages.Our resident games expert, Joe, recently spent £250 on an Eee PC and isnow regretting it – the extra screen room makes a huge difference andthe added storage is a definite boon. The Windows XP version will onlyship with 12GB of hard drive space but will retail for the same price.Because of this, we'd absolutely suggest buying the Linux version andthen shoehorning XP into the 20GB model. NEC AccuSync LCD24WMCX 24" widescreen monitor @ bit-tech.net [Apr-15-08] (0 Comments) On the whole then, the NEC AccuSync LCD24WMCX has its share ofproblemswith precise editing of photos taken in a photo studio, but it wasnever intended for that usage model – NEC has a whole host of displaysthat deliver colour accuracy far and above this particular screen. Andfor most usage models—especially gaming and movie playback inparticular—the LCD24WMCX will be more than adequate.Given its price point, it's quite an attractive proposition, but youmust be aware of the drawbacks of the panel technology used. From ourexperience, it's one of the better 24-inch TN+Film displays on themarket so it represents reasonable value for money for those on a tightbudget.Simply put, if you're looking for a relatively cheap 1,920 x 1,200monitor with lots of inputs to use for gaming, movie playback, Internetbrowsing and a bit of light image editing, the NEC AccuSync LCD24WMCXis definitely a tempting option. What it isn't though is a screentargeted at those looking for a very colour-accurate display and, ifyou fall into that camp, there are better PVA or MVA units on themarket that will suit your needs. Mod Your Mouse Contest @ modders-inc.com [Apr-15-08] (0 Comments) Grab that mouse and mod it like there is no tomorrow. Cut it, paintit, put a window in it, do whatever it takes to win theses great prizes fromXTracPads and Logitech. Samsung LN-T4081F LED Backlight LCD 40" HDTV @ bonafidereviews.com [Apr-15-08] (0 Comments) Today in the BFR labs we have a brand new display from Samsung's latest 81 series of LCD HDTV's. The specific model we have is the LN-T4081F, a 40 DDR3 1800MHz Round Up @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-14-08] (0 Comments) Today is the day where I try something a little different here in thePro-Clocker lab. I will take some of the fastest DDR3 modules on the marketand see how high I can get them to overclock. We are taking four sets of thehighest quality DDR3 that are advertised at least 1800MHz from theirrespective manufacturers. OCZ, Super Talent, Patriot and Kingston were allnice enough to test samples for this mini roundup. Rosewill RX82-U HDD Enclosure @ techpowerup.com [Apr-14-08] (0 Comments) The Rosewill RX82-U is a USB enclosure for SATA hard disk drives featuring two easy-to-swap trays. Running in JBOD mode, each drive gets seen as its own self, so the user will see two drives if two drives are installed. More trays can be purchased and drives can be hot-swapped as needed. Enermax Liberty DXX 500W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-14-08] (0 Comments) Liberty DXX 500 W is one of the most popular power supplies from Enermax, featuring a modular cabling system and a 120-mm fan. Is this a good product? Can it really deliver its labeled 500 W? Check it out. Asus Striker II Formula Motherboard @ rbmods.com [Apr-13-08] (0 Comments) DDR2 ram doesn't cost anything these days so if you are going for aupgrade maybe you should look at this Striker 2 formula that we are going toreview today and get a good setup of DDR2. Yes todays review will consistof a review on the Striker 2 board that has gotten quite good results inearlier tests. This board is aiming for the overclockers and most feturesrevolve around that theme today. We are going to compare it vs a couple ofwell performing DDR2 board though to see how it performs at stock. Of coursewe will finish this review with some overclocking results to actually see ifthis board lives up to its name. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue @ bit-tech.net [Apr-12-08] (0 Comments) The game is undeniably beautiful to look are but the car modelsare probably on a par with Forza 2 and PGR4, not reallysurpassingthem as you might hope. There are also a few occasions where thejaggies creep in which, given the alleged complexity of the models,you'd expect not to see.So, is GT5 Prologue worth your money? That depends. Yes,it's half the price of other games, and yes it's the only serious raceravailable on the PS3 for the foreseeable future. But on the downside itdoesn’t ever feel really complete. The lack of progressive difficultyand the limited number of tracks means races can get a littlemonotonous.If you only have a PS3, then I'd recommend you get this game to tideyou over until the full release comes along sometime next year. On theother hand, if you've got an Xbox 360 as well, I'd recommend that youstick with Forza and PGR as they'll give you moresatisfaction in the meantime.As a demo, it's a great way to show us what's to come. The only problemis, it leaves you feeling unsatisfied with what you've got andimpatient to wait for the final release. Should we really be paying fora demo in the first place? Crytek's Cevat Yerli Speaks on Rasterization and Ray Tracing @ pcper.com [Apr-11-08] (0 Comments) And the fact remains that pretty much everyone we talk to outside ofIntel is confident that rasterization is going to have at least one morededicated generation in gaming. That means that if Intel intends to competein the graphics world in the next 2-3 years that it will have to take onNVIDIA and AMD/ATI on current-model GPU terms - rasterization, DirectX andOpenGL. Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 X48 Motherboard @ aphnetworks.com [Apr-11-08] (0 Comments) The last time we looked at a motherboard was the P5E3-Deluxe/WiFi-AP@n X38 motherboard from Asus roughly half a year ago. At that time, the X38 chipset was Intel's latest flagship chipset chosen to officially replace the tried-and-true 975X from last season. Lately, there's lots of news surrounding Intel's next generation flagship chipset -- the Intel X48. What makes this chipset so interesting, is that while it is not very different from X38 (It's really a cream of the crop X38, optimized with minor modifications such as official 1600MHz FSB support) enthusiasts still watched closely with Intel X48 based motherboards simply for its overclocking potential. Today, we'll take a look at Gigabyte's flagship DDR3 board featuring Intel's flagship X48 chipset, the Gigabyte X48T-DQ6. Gigabyte has been gathering tons of attention ranging from hardcore overclockers to the relatively casual everyday enthusiasts lately -- and with their latest flagship board with one of the best chipsets available on the Intel platform, what can Gigabyte's engineering team put together and run it through the factory to our testing platform? The packaging of a high end board, and tons of enthusiast oriented features -- as I gathered together tons of excitement, as well as nothing less than high expectations from the moment I laid my eyes upon this board, we'll see how the Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 steps up against the rest. Verbatim Desktop Mouse Roundup @ rbmods.com [Apr-10-08] (0 Comments) Verbatim is well known for their high quality CD and DVD media. Inthe last few years they have decided to expand their product line intovarious computer accessories. For example they have started selling externalHDD, memory cards, USB flash drives, and even mice. For today's test werecieved a couple of Verbatims latest's mice which we will take a closerlook at. Ultra Stackables @ modders-inc.com [Apr-09-08] (0 Comments) The Ultra Stackables are a new creation from Ultra offering theability to stack several external devices together with a single powersupply. Thermaltake M9 Mid Tower @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-09-08] (0 Comments) The M9 is a mid-size tower that is filled with cooling inspirations.There are four different versions of the M9 which means there may well beone to suit you. There are models with and without the side panel window.And if you are not looking to use some high powered power supply each of thefore mentioned models can be had with 400 watt power supplies. Thermaltakeis one company that is known to try and provide products that suit allindividuals no matter your budget, taste or needs. Cavalry 500GB External HD @ monster-hardware.com [Apr-08-08] (0 Comments) The drive seems to be a Western Digital AV GP hard drive, AV being Audio Visual, GP being Green Power. One spec conspicuously absent was drive rotational speed. Since Western Digital seems to have gone out of their way to omit this I would imagine that the drive is spinning at something less than 7200 RPM. Will this have a major impact on performance? The answer to that question is coming up soon in a later section. NesteQ ASM 620W PSU @ rbmods.com [Apr-08-08] (0 Comments) Power supplies can be the largest source of noise in a computerbuild, especially with today's supplies that distribute more power than everbefore, thus producing more heat. But is it possible to have a high outputPSU to have a silent mode? AcousticPC.com, well known retailers of quietperformance products, has searched the globe for such a supply and has foundone in the NesteQ ASM 620W PSU. Will this silent power supply deliver thegoods? Read on to find out. Corsair TX750 750W Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Apr-07-08] (0 Comments) Corsair is best known for its memory products-DIMMs and flash-but ithas a solid line of power supply units, as well. The company sentThinkComputers its TX750, a 750W unit with a single 60A 12V rail-powerfulenough for a GeForce 8800 GTX. While non-modular, the cables are sleeved andhave quick-release connectors. We tested this device with a five-yearwarranty-results within. Gigabyte 9600 GT 512MB @ techgage.com [Apr-07-08] (0 Comments) If on thelookout for a good GPU at a great price, it's easier thanever. NVIDIA's 9600 GT packs a punch and retails for well under $200.We are taking Gigabyte's stock-clocked solution for a spin to see howit stacks up against our other models. And yes, it overclocks like abeast. Xigmatek Red Scorpion, S1283 CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Apr-05-08] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at a cooler from the fairly new company namedXigmatek. This new cooler focuses on peformance and silence which actuallycan be quite hard to combine together so it is going to be very interestingto see what this S1283 cooler can do vs a well performing cooler fromCoolermaster. It seems to have the size and the quality but does it perform? A Pro Modder ... Really? @ modders-inc.com [Apr-04-08] (0 Comments) I have heard a lot talk about Pro Modders and in my honest opinionI think too much emphasis is put upon such a distinction. Hitachi Travelstar 5K250 2.5 Hard Drive @ tweaktown.com [Apr-04-08] (0 Comments) Hitachi has really come through in the hard disk market since tak ing over the department from IBM. So far the Hitachi drives have been top notch with no real reason to discredit them. Hitachi's current range o f drives are extremely impressive. On the design side there is nothing spectacular about the drive, it's l ight in weight and looks well constructed. On the top of the drive there is a identification label with info on the drive including model numbers, spindle speed and capacity which is 250GB for this model we were sent. [News] Kingwin Heat-Pipe Direct Touch CPU Coolers @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-04-08] (0 Comments) The overall designs for the H.D.T. coolers are great. The install onthe RVT-12025D model was easier than the RVT-12025. This was due to a tightclearance issue with my fingers pushing down on the pins for the Intelinstall. On a positive note, the motherboard removal was not necessary, andthat is another major plus in my book for CPU cooler installs. With thatsaid, both H.D.T coolers performed well, both are damn near silent, and theoption of either a tower or low profile unit is another plus. BFG Tech ES-800 Power Supply - Frequency Conversion @ pcper.com [Apr-03-08] (0 Comments) BFG Tech has invested a lot of time and effort into improving thequality of their PSU offering over the past year and for the most part theyhave succeeded. The new BFG ES-800 is a definite step up from their earlierpower supply models. The overall efficiency is excellent, voltageregulation is very good, and the +12V outputs are very clean. The ES-800packs 800W of DC power into a compact chassis that will fit inside most anyenclosure and it operates quietly under normal operating conditions. ASUS GeForce 8800GS TOP 384MB @ tweaktown.com [Apr-03-08] (0 Comments) While there were whispers of the 8800GS in the background, it was never really one of those cards that got much attention. Everyone was to o busy concentrating on the 8800GT and new 8800GTS 512MB card to really p ay much attention to it. ASUS are only one of two companies in Australia who have an 8800GS on the market here. The only other company who chose to take up the card and re lease it locally was XFX. The card seems to be a bit of a weird model and we're not too sure where it will sit. The card should sit behind a 880 0GT, but the 9600GT also sits just behind it. It's possible that both c ards perform quite similar and companies chose to uptake the 9 series mod el over the ageing 8800 series. Noctua NF-B9 92mm Case Fan @ rbmods.com [Apr-03-08] (0 Comments) Case fans come in a wide variety of sizes, with the most popular onesbeing 80mm and 120mm. But a somewhat less common size is 92mm, which isin-between the two. Today we'll take a look at Noctua's latest fan offering,the Noctua NF-B9 92mm Case Fan. Will this middle child prove to offer thebest of both? Read on to find out. Mod a Mouse Contest @ modders-inc.com [Apr-03-08] (0 Comments) Grab that mouse and mod it like there is no tomorrow. Cut it, paintit, put a window in it, do what ever it takes to win theses great prizesfrom XTracPads and Logitech. ASUS WL-520gU Wireless Router @ techgage.com [Apr-03-08] (0 Comments) Need a new router but not ready to take the 802.11nplunge? We're taking a look at a brand-new ASUS model that boasts triedand true 802.11g and offers it at a great price. It lacks in certainways, but makes up for it in others, such as with the inclusion of areal print server. bit-tech Feature:Ten minute modding @ bit-tech.net [Apr-03-08] (0 Comments) Not everyone has days upon days of time to pour into a case mod. However, that doesn't mean that the quick builds need to look like a wire explosion on the inside and boring black on the outside! Years of modding have made companies develop some great products that make formerly huge projects into ten minute mods. Apevia Warlock 750 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-02-08] (0 Comments) Apevia is back at it again, not with a case but with a power supply.And like the rash of power units we have seen over the last few months thisis not your typical 500 watt model. It is a 750 watt mammoth called theWarlock. Boasting a 135mm cooling fan that can change many colors this PSUcould be what many of you modders out there are looking for. What I like isthe Crossfire and SLI support with a boatload of power. But is it worthy ofbeing placed in your system? To find out you will have to keep reading. bit-tech Mod of the Month - March 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Apr-02-08] (0 Comments) Anyway, here we are again. If anyone missed the opportunity to congratulate our crazy dutchman zwicks on his win in February's Mod of the Month , make sure you do so! He won an awesome water-cooling prize pack from AC Ryan, FrozenCPU and Feser One. GIGABYTE X48T-DQ6 DDR3 Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Apr-02-08] (0 Comments) X38/X48 chipsets are the first chipsets to come out with true spl it PCI Express architecture. This time they are both running a 16/16 conf iguration. Added to this is the fact they are running PCI-E 2.0 specs as well as being XMP memory module ready; we now have a good overall platfor m. X48 adds to the already impressive array of features the X38 has along with much better overclocking support and official support for the 1600M Hz FSB. Today we have GIGABYTE's new X48 based board with DDR3 memory support. Following the naming lines, anything with DDR3 support gets a =93T=94 add ed to the name, so today we have the GIGABYTE X48T-DQ6. This is GIGABYTE' s top of the range high performance board. How will it stack up against o ur already tested MSI X48 Platinum and ASUS' P5E3 Premium WiFi? - Let' s get down to it and find out! Sapphire HD 3870 TOXIC Edition @ modders-inc.com [Apr-01-08] (0 Comments) Sapphire is always trying to figure out how to out do itself withtheir graphic cards and this holds true with the HD3870. Once they take acard and kick it up a notch or two they brand it with the now familiar Toxiclabel. Does the Sapphire HD3870 Toxic Edition live up to it namesakes? Asus EN9600GT (NVIDIA 9600GT) TOP 512MB @ aphnetworks.com [Apr-01-08] (0 Comments) It's mostly been like this:This generation's performance graphics cards are next generation's midrange series. For NVIDIA, it has been like that for the NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT, 7600GT, well, and less so for the 8600GT and 8600GTS; and so to say today we'll be looking at the successor to the less than appreciated 8600 series -- the 9600GT. NVIDIA's 9600GT has been launched for more than a couple weeks now, and we've finally gotten our hands on Asus' newly modified version of the 9600GT -- the Asus EN9600GT TOP 512MB with a special cooler. As usual, the 'TOP' suffix from Asus signifies that it's overclocked (Usually pretty aggressively too) out of the box. How well will the 9600GT step up against the ATI Radeon 3870 and NVIDIA's own 8800GT? Better yet, we've even got all the fastest factory overclocked cards to test against each other in our review today. Let's get right to it and see if the 9600GT takes the midrange performance crown and how much bang you get for your buck. US Modular Cold Fusion DDR2-800 2x1GB Memory Kit ed @ thetechlounge.com [Apr-01-08] (0 Comments) US Modular's enthusiast parts are all recent additions to their portfolio. In fact, the Cold Fusion RAM is their first big, branded push into the profitable arena, and it's kicking off with the DDR2 reviewed here. While they're mostly known for their portable hard drives and USB flash drives, US Modular has been making system memory in California long enough to know how to bin the good stuff and slap some swanky blue heatspreaders on it. Of course, in order to make a name for themselves, this memory will have to fly. Does Cold Fusion have what it takes to stir up the ranks? TWM Performance Complete Short Shifter Kit @ aphnetworks.com [Apr-01-08] (0 Comments) It's been quite a while since APH Networks, obviously the most well known highly dedicated car enthusiast website, took a look at what we've originated from -- car reviewing. Lately we've gotten a little off track and got into all those computer products for some odd reason. But in all seriousness, take a look out on the streets. Here in North America, cars are so common, it's not even funny. From 20 year old Buick sedans to the latest Acura CUVs, and then *gasp* there's a high school kid driving their ricer that's so low they can barely make it over a speed bump, wing so big and heavy that turned their car's weight distribution into 40/60, decals on the side of their car from dozens of companies that they don't even own parts from, and tinted windows that resemble those of an opaque black wall. Well here's one for you:Performance modifications are more practical than visual modifications. Driving a standard transmission (Or manual transmission, stick shift, or whatever you want to call it) myself, there's all to one point that makes it so unique and fun to drive:The combination of the third pedal and the gearstick. Sitting in a few real performance vehicles lately, I wasn't all in for their fuel economy, but their short throw manual really intrigued me. Moving back to my own car, here's a cheap, easy do-it-yourself modification that makes your shifting all that much fun -- the complete short shifter kit from TWM Performance. Adding onto that, we also had an aftermarket weighted shift knob to go along with it. Let's see how it improves your driving experience. Doing Little to Please Consumers @ techgage.com [Mar-31-08] (0 Comments) Despite Creative being a leader in PC audio, theirstature as such is being comprised with newcomers releasing superbofferings. To make matters worse, they've just added to the pile bybanning modded X-Fi/Audigy drivers, a move that received an outstandingresponse from the community. Logitech MX5500 Revolution Cordless Desktop @ rbmods.com [Mar-31-08] (0 Comments) When it comes to computer upgrades, nothing provides a more visceralimpact than a new keyboard and mouse. These essential input devices havecome along way since the early days, yet still companies are findinginnovative features to add. Logitech, well-known makers of peripheraldevices, has developed a new keyboard/mouse combo, the Logitech MX550Revolution Cordless Desktop. Will this combo live up to its name as arevolutionary product? That is what we're here to find out in this review. Asus 3850 TOP Videocard @ rbmods.com [Mar-29-08] (0 Comments) We have earlier looked at the 8800GT, 8800GTX and even a 3870X2 card from Asusand today we have another card from them on the test bench. We are going tolook at the 3850 TOP which is a overclocked version of their 3850 card thatis a middle class card that should still be able to perform quite well. Ourtests are going to put it vs the 8800GT card so youget an idea of how it will perform. Sennheiser PXC 450 Headphones ed @ thetechlounge.com [Mar-28-08] (0 Comments) Sennheiser creates some of the best audiophile headphones you can buy, butthey also manufacture professional headsets for the aviation industry thatfeature an active noise-canceling technology dubbed NoiseGard. Today we'lltake a look at a pair of their high-end consumer headphones, the PXC 450,that includes the same NoiseGard technology as used in some of theprofessional aviation models. Gigabyte iSolo 210 chassis @ bit-tech.net [Mar-27-08] (0 Comments) There’s basically two ways to look at the iSolo 210 and itdepends ifyou’re a glass half full, glass half empty or an “I ordered acheeseburger with my drink” kind of person. On one hand, you could say that the Gigabyte iSolo 210 is a little dulland uninspiring – certainly not as cool as my word association gamesmay have convinced me it was. The inside of the case is very muchby-the-numbers, the performance is solid but not truly outstanding andthe same is true with the noise performance. Then you can look at it the other way. You can say that this is abudget end chassis, that the case follows the standard designconventions for a reason and that the performance for the case ispretty damn good. You can say that the exterior of the case is prettysnazzy looking and that there’s plenty of room for modding. This is theview we’re leaning towards here, though we don’t really like the windowall that much and we’d do away with the tool-less system if we could. Now you’ll have to excuse us – our glass may be half full, but we stillhaven’t got our cheeseburger yet... ASUS 3850 Trinity specifications, benchmarks @ nordichardware.com [Mar-27-08] (0 Comments) Sooner than expected, we've been served some more information about the prototype triple-core card from ASUS. Radeon HD 3850 Trinity will sport three RV670 cores, all on  separate MXM modules. Last we reported we did not know the exact specifications of the card, but those have been unveiled today. Interview with Alex 'Unwinder' / RivaTuner @ techpowerup.com [Mar-27-08] (0 Comments) The VGA Tweaking Utility RivaTuner has changed a lot over the years, and so has its creator. TPU talks with 'Unwinder' about software development and the role he played in starting the softmod community. Ultra m998 Computer Case @ rbmods.com [Mar-26-08] (0 Comments) Most ATX cases on the market nowadays come with a fairly standard setof equipment and have similar layouts. It's rare that you find a case thatoffers a variety of unique features. Ultra, makers of a wide range ofcomputer components, has developed a new case, the Ultra m998 Computer Case,which offers a number of unique features. Will the case prove to be awinner? Read on to find out. XtracPads Fat Mat @ modders-inc.com [Mar-26-08] (0 Comments) X Trac Pads Fat Mat is a Cloth Nanofiber mouse pad that isrelatively large and has a soft 1/4 inch thick foam backing. The large slicksurface and extra thick soft material is invented to provide a morecomfortable and efficient mouse surface. Modders-Inc Mod Your Mouse Contest @ modders-inc.com [Mar-25-08] (0 Comments) Grab that mouse and mod it like there is no tomorrow. Cut it, paintit, put a window in it, do what ever it takes to win theses great prizesfrom XTracPads and Logitech. What is Happening to Modding @ modders-inc.com [Mar-24-08] (0 Comments) Strangely enough it seems that lately there has been a decrease inthe Modding community. We see more of the same mods over and over and lessnew stuff. So, why is that? I have an opinion, yeah I know everyone usuallydoes and they usually stink! lol DDR3 with both EPP 2.0 & XMP support "is possible" @ bit-tech.net [Mar-24-08] (0 Comments) Terry Groth, a Product Marketing Manager at Crucial Technologyhas revealed to bit-techduring a conversation at this weekend's i33 LAN party that making DDR3memory modules that support both EPP 2.0 and XMP is definitely possible.However, Groth later added that having modules supporting both Nvidia'sand Intel's extended memory performance profile standards ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi-AP Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Mar-24-08] (0 Comments) ASUS is one of the most well-known motherboard manufacturers. Itsboards are known for consistent stability and awesome features, as well asexcellent design. ThinkComputers reviewed the M3A32-MVP Deluxe/Wifi, atop-shelf, Crossfire-capable motherboard using the AMD 790X chipset and anon-board wireless module. This writer's first motherboard review, I loadthis board with everything I could throw at it:a top of the line powersupply and graphics card, oodles of RAM, and three operating systems. Raidsonic Icy Box IB-3218StU-B @ rbmods.com [Mar-23-08] (0 Comments) Today we are taking a look at a SATA enclosure that has room for upto two SATA drives, this device runs through your USB interface which makesit compatible with most computers out on the market. This product comesfrom Raidsonic which we have not been in contact with before so it's goingto be very interesting to see how this device works and what type of qualitywe can expect from this product. Frontlines:Fuel of War @ bit-tech.net [Mar-23-08] (0 Comments) If I was to say that Frontlines:Fuel of War disappointed methen you¡¯d probably get the wrong idea, so I won¡¯t say that. But itkind of did. You see, Frontlines isn¡¯t a bad game at all. It¡¯s actually quite a good game.There¡¯s a good balance to everything and the game alwaysmakes it possible to salvage victory from the jaws of defeat if youhave a good understanding of where to put your tanks and helicopters.If you get a group of people working together then it can take on anenjoyably military feel, especially with the inclusion of artillery andairstrikes.However, with the history behind Frontlines of theboy-wonder modders who¡¯ve struck the big time, we have to admit we werehoping for something a little more interesting. Kaos Studios is adeveloper built on a team of amateur modders from outside the industry,so the logical if misplaced hope is that bringing them within theindustry could lead to a few interesting and new ideas. But that hasn¡¯t happened. Instead, the result is that Kaos has usedtheir knowledge of how games are played to create a well-balancedshooter. What they haven¡¯t really done is introduce any fundamentallynew ideas. There¡¯s nothing here to set Frontlines apart from any other game like it on the market ¨C infact, it feels very, very similar to Enemy Territory:Quake Warspretty much all the way through. So, while the game itself isn¡¯t flawedin any major way, it doesn¡¯t really do anything to stand out in thecrowd either. Enermax Pro 82+ 625W power supply @ bit-tech.net [Mar-21-08] (0 Comments) The Enermax Pro 82+ 625W power supply is an excellent unit thatdelivers great performance, but sadly all of the hard work done thereis marred by an asking price that prices it out of the competition. Ifthe market wasn't full of great power supplies at lower price points,we would argue that the Enermax was worth the much higher asking price.Unfortunately for Enermax though, there are a lot of very good products(some with higher ratings) that perform as well as the Pro 82+ 625W.We raised the serious price concerns with Enermax (“...are youserious?”) when we first talked about and tested the Pro and Modu 82+PSUs. When told the RRP before launch (it has dropped by only a fewpounds since then), it was clear that Enermax had an uphill strugglebut the bottom line is that it doesn't matter how good the product isif the asking price is far, far too high to remain competitive. As apredominantly PSU-centric company, I hope Enermax realise this soon andnot sit in a warm bubble back patting from the impressive performanceresults it is getting, otherwise it'll not notice people are shoppingelsewhere. Coolink Chipchilla Chipset Cooler @ rbmods.com [Mar-20-08] (0 Comments) Chipset coolers are often overlooked in a computer build, as mostpeople focus on CPU coolers and case fans. But as computer performanceincreases, these chipset temperatures are also rising. Today we'll look at anew chipset cooler, the Coolink Chipchilla Chipset Cooler. Will this chipsetcooler be an improvement over a stock chipset cooler? Read on to find out. Antec Sonata Plus 550 Case @ modders-inc.com [Mar-19-08] (0 Comments) Need a stylish case with plenty of power included, but want tomaintain a low noise level? Perhaps the Antec Sonata Plus 550 is the casefor you. We will take a closer look at the Antec Sonata Plus 550 and seejust what Antec has to offer in this stylish case. XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Mar-18-08] (0 Comments) It's been nearly two years since NVIDIA has produced a dual PCB video ca rd design and they feel they have a winner in the works with the GeForce 9 series. One of the reasons NVIDIA feels so strongly about the GeForce 9 800 GX2 is because they have a whole new approach at how the video game f rames are being rendered. The first generation Quad SLI technology seen o n the GeForce 7950 GX2 back in 2006, used a hybrid mode of split frame re ndering (SFR) and alternate frame rendering (AFR) to enable concurrent re ndering on four GPUs. With the latest games utilizing complex shaders, in ter-frame effects, and multi-pass rendering, SFR becomes less efficient.. . Intel IDF P:Tukwilla, Dunnington, Nehalem and Larrabee @ pcper.com [Mar-18-08] (0 Comments) Larrabee didn't change much in this presentation either from what weknew before:no detail on number of cores, speeds, implementations, etc.We did finally seeing the fruits of Intel's software labor with thediscussion on AVX, a new extension for SSE that will start to bring moregraphics functionality to x86 IA architecture for Larrabee's cores. Newinformation on the cache system on Larrabee was interesting but againnothing to get overly excited about since these are problems that we knewIntel was going to have to address in order to even stay competitive withmodern GPUs in current applications. Intel E8000 "Wolfdale" Dual-Core Processors @ overclockers.com.au [Mar-18-08] (0 Comments) ----To find out to what extent the changes implemented with Penryn translate into dual-core performance gains, we benchmarked an E8500 engineering sample. The E8500 is the E8000 series top model. In this capacity we compared it with an E6850, the previous top-of-the line product. However, the E8500 is running at 3160 MHz and the E6850 at 3000 MHz. This means that differences between them cannot be entirely attributed to the new features that come with the E8000 series, but at least partially to the 160 MHz higher core frequency. In order to “isolate” the impact of the various changes Intel has implemented with E8000 we run all tests with a multiplier of x9 as well.---- Xigmatek NRP-MC851 Power Supply @ rbmods.com [Mar-17-08] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at an interesting looking product from anexciting new company. Xigmatek seems to have been on the market since 2005but it is the first time I see one of their products. We got a sample of theNPR-MC851 PSU which seems to have some very nice features as 4x 12V railsall the wya from 18 to 30 amps. You also have modular cables and a smartsilent fan which should run this product fairly quiet. Cooler Master Cosmos S Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Mar-17-08] (0 Comments) Cooler Master's Cosmos case made waves last year because of itsincredibly silent design, awesome size, and excellent accoutrements. Thisyear, Cooler Master altered the Cosmos design and released a new model:theCosmos S. Whereas the Cosmos case was a silent beast, the Cosmos S isdesigned to keep things inside as cold as possible, sacrificing silence forperformance. After salivating upon seeing this case in Cooler Master's boothat CES, we had to get our hands on it. ThinkComputers blasts off to explorethe unknown regions of this expansive case. Thermaltake Xaser-VI VG400BWS (LCS) Case @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Mar-16-08] (0 Comments) The model that I shall be looking at today is the VG400LBWS, or more specifically the ‘Xaser VI Super Tower Black with Transparent Side Window With Embedded Liquid Cooling’. Yeah, that’s quite a mouthful; but Thermaltake have made 8 variations of this same model case, so they have to distinguish between them properly somehow! Vizo mini-Ninja Notebook Cooler @ rbmods.com [Mar-15-08] (0 Comments) We've had a chance to review quite a few different Vizo coolerdesigns, each with their own interesting names like the Xena, Ninja, andNinja 2/Sumo to name a few. Vizo's back at the drawing board again, thistime with a smaller version of their notebook cooler, the Vizo mini-NinjaNotebook cooler. Will this little guy prove that good things come in smallpackages? Read on to find out. Spire Edge Laptop Sleeve @ aphnetworks.com [Mar-14-08] (0 Comments) It's only been over a month since we've looked at the Spire Dart laptop bag/sleeve, and we definitely can't say we were disappointed! Carrying that around for more than just a couple of weeks now, we've recently obtained another Spire product. Like last time, it's another laptop sleeve. The Spire Edge is not a full featured sleeve though. Unlike the Dart, the Edge carries a level of simplicity in achieving the essentials only of products in its category. This means that it gives the user more or less a higher level of flexibility; the primary purpose of what we use a sleeve for is to allow any backpack or container of choice to accommodate your laptop while retaining a degree of protection. With that it mind, it doesn't mean you can't carry the sleeve by itself if you don't need any accessories such as an AC adapter. We won't put too many spoilers out this early in the review, but let's take a close look at the Spire Edge and see how it can accommodate laptop users wanting a sleeve for protection in that particular market segment. A modder's guide to acrylic @ bit-tech.net [Mar-14-08] (0 Comments) Acrylic at its worstcan be a garish mess of various transparentcolours, glued together roughly or fastened poorly with screw-headshanging out and cold cathodes everywhere. An LED fan here, afluorescent something or other there, packed with a rat's nest ofcabling.However, at its best it can be the only case that goes from solid blackopaque panel to perfectly translucent window with no visible seam. Thereservoir can be built directly into the front panel, creating a Aerocool Horsepower 1020 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-13-08] (0 Comments) Aerocool is widely known for introducing the world to extra largecase fans. I am sure you are familiar with the ExtremEngine case. If youdon't know it by name, maybe by description - it was one of the first tohave a 25cm cooling fan on the side and 14cm at the front as an intake.Well, putting the ExtremEngine to the side, Aerocool is introducing theHorsePower line of PSUs. This power supply comes in two models, 720 wattsfor the modest PC builder and 1020 watt model for the extremist. When youconsider that Crossfire using two 3870X2 cards can be done on a highperformance 620Watt PSU you can see how much further Aerocool is trying topush things. Each unit divides the power between four different rails andboasts an Aerocool trademark a large fan. A 140mm one with blue lights. Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC3-12800 Kit @ aselabs.com [Mar-12-08] (0 Comments) These modules are rated for operation at DDR3-1600 which is PC3-12800 at 1.8V. The modules have SPD values for lower speeds (DDR3-1066) at JEDEC specs to provide boards the needed initial boot to provide the RAM with the proper voltage and timings. The stock timings at DDR3-1600 are 8-8-8-24. DDR3 latencies are very high compared to DDR2 and should only get better in time. These modules are lead free which helps the environment. Nothing like being green in today's world. I almost forgot that the command rate is 1T which means you get an extra performance boost. Alpahcool LC-Display 240x128 Pixel blue neg. black @ rbmods.com [Mar-12-08] (0 Comments) It was quite sometime ago I reviewed something from Alpahcool but Iam glad they got in touch with us again and sent us their new LC display toreview. This little display can show you the following features; CPU,CPU-load, Networking Stats, Memory use, Winamp Titles, News-Feeds (i.e.BBC-World), Game Stats, Email details. My question is can you ask forsomething else and does it actually do all this? Well lets check out and seewhat we come up with in the review. Alpahcool LC-Display 240x128 Pixel blue neg. Black @ rbmods.com [Mar-12-08] (0 Comments) It was quite sometime ago I reviewed something from Alpahcool but Iam glad they got in touch with us again and sent us their new LC display toreview. This little display can show you the following features; CPU,CPU-load, Networking Stats, Memory use, Winamp Titles, News-Feeds (i.e.BBC-World), Game Stats, Email details. My question is can you ask forsomething else and does it actually do all this? Well lets check out and seewhat we come up with in the review. Jeantech Absolute 1000w - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-11-08] (0 Comments) Thelast time we got out mitts on Jeantech property, the power supplyended up being used in our test rig for months afterward thanks to itsfully modular design. Today I have a slightly more powerful model – the Absolute 1000W whichpromises a semi-modular design, low noise output and stable rails.Let’s see if it’s ready to give our twin Ultra’s the required oomph. BFG 8800 GTS OC 512MB @ modders-inc.com [Mar-11-08] (0 Comments) It performed the best overall through the testing process and comesin at the same price range of the HD3870. Alphacool External 240x128 LCD-Display @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Mar-11-08] (0 Comments) The screen editing software has a lot of control over everything that you could possibly want to add, you can modify existing screens or create a new one completely. You can even drop a picture into the background (2 tone pictures work best). Gateway XHD3000 30-inch Wide-Screen @ techgage.com [Mar-11-08] (0 Comments) Gateway, not content to let Dell and others hog thelimelight in the display market, have recently launched their XHD3000monitor. It offers a wide-range of connectivity options along withbright picture and an incredible upscaler. When said and done, this isone model we can heartily recommend. A-Data Vitesta DDR3-1600X CL7 PC3-12800 RAM @ benchmarkreviews.com [Mar-10-08] (0 Comments) Benchmark Reviews has amassed the largest collection of DDR3 memory modules anywhere, and we are now ready to showcase the thirteenth ASUS VW222 22-inch Wide-Screen @ techgage.com [Mar-10-08] (0 Comments) The display market is chalked-full of models that fill upthe quality spectrum, from sub-par up to high-end. The VW222 falls intothe sub-par category, sadly, with overall poor color representation andnoticeable screen-door effects, resulting in a model that should not beconsidered for purchase. Asus 8800GS TOP Videocard @ rbmods.com [Mar-10-08] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at a relatively inexpensive videocard from Asus.We recieved a sample of their 8800GS card that cost around 200$. This cardis cheaper than the 8800GT card but can it compete with it at all or will itfall behind in every test we put it through? How does it perform and is itactually worth even looking at this card? Those are a few questions that wewill digg deeper into. GlacialTech Igloo 5750 PWM CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Mar-08-08] (0 Comments) A while back, we had a chance to review the GlacialTech Igloo 5750Silent CPU cooler, which we found to be an average-performing cooler withgood sound performance. But what happens if you sacrifice a little noise;will it result in better cooling? We get to chance to test out that theorywhen we look at the similarly designed GlacialTech Igloo 5750 PWM CPUCooler. Let's find out if the sacrifice is worth it. NVIDIA Comments on Ray Tracing and Rasterization Debate @ pcper.com [Mar-07-08] (0 Comments) Reality intrudes into the most fantastic ideas and plans. Virtuallyall games and professional applications make use of the modern APIs forgraphics:OpenGL(tm) and DirectX(tm). These APIs use rasterization, not raytracing. So, the present environment is almost entirely rasterization-based.We would be foolish not to build hardware that runs current applicationswell.Ray tracing may be the future of rendering-it's definitely part of thefuture at least. There is an old joke that goes Chipset Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Mar-07-08] (0 Comments) CPU cooled... Check! GPU cooled... Check! Hard drives cooled...Check! Case cooled... Check... Did you cool your chipset?!?! Is your chipsetoverheating? You know your chipset is a very important part of yourmotherboard, so it only make sense to cool it better than stock as well.Coolink has the answer, the ChipChilla will indeed cool your chipset. Patriot Memory PC2-9200 2GB EP DDR2 Kit @ tweaktown.com [Mar-06-08] (0 Comments) The sticker on one side of each module contains the full specs of the memory modules; these are rated for PC2-9200 or 1150MHz with timings of 5-5-5-12 and a maximum voltage rating of 2.3v. Our test system is identical to the one used in the PC2-6400 test setup, this time however we are using the PC2-9200 memory and the Geil. For our stock setup we used 800MHz memory dividers. Hyundai W241D 24" widescreen monitor @ bit-tech.net [Mar-06-08] (0 Comments) If you are in the market for an all-purpose 24-inch monitorwith a highend PVA panel, the good news is that the Hyundai W241D is cheaper butbroadly as good as the competition. After all, it shares the same paneltechnology. Similarly, several of its minor glitches, such as slightlyoversaturated colours and a touch of inverse ghosting, are very likelypresent on its key competitors.In that sense, the choice is fairly simple in the 24-inch segment atthe moment. Those with tight budgets will put up with the relativelypoor viewing angles, mediocre contrast and dull colours that TN+Filmunits consistently suffer from. People who can stretch a bit furthercan enjoy a more vibrant but not necessarily more accurate PVA model.If you fall into the latter camp, the W241D should be on yourshortlist. Admittedly, it's a shame that there's nothing based on the latest IPSpanel technology and offering a little more accuracy available in24-inches currently. But unless you're a graphics or media professionalwho demands seriously tight colour control, odds are you be very happywith the W241D or one of its PVA-powered brethren. Asus EAH3870X2 Videocard @ rbmods.com [Mar-06-08] (0 Comments) With the new 9600 GT cards we have a very close competition betweenNvidia and ATI. Today we got one of these contenders on our test bench, tobe more precis we have the 3870 X2 card from Asus to test. We have decidedto run the card vs a 8800GTS 640mb and vs the well performing 8800GTX card.We will push the card through games and various benchmarks before we end upthe review with the mandatory overclocking tests so stay tuned. Phase III scratch built case mod @ bit-tech.net [Mar-05-08] (0 Comments) I know, cubes aren't exactly 100 percent original - but they'restillone of the most popular and yet least done builds - and the smallerthey get, the less of them you see. I'm sure a part of that is due tothe difficulties inherent in fitting everything, as the cube shapealmost requires the motherboard to be in only one of two places - flaton one of the faces (and facing inwards), or dissecting the middle.The first idea is fairly boring and straight-forward. Take a normalcase and give it a little extra width, and you're done! All the goodsgo on one side, the motherboard's back faces out and that's it. Dissecting the case with the motherboard to put it on display isanother thing entirely, though. Suddenly, there's a challenge in howsmall you can get the cube and still fit everything you need - a DVDdrive, HDD and PSU get to be harder to fit. By the time you addmultiple hard drives, card readers, LCD display and watercoolingcomponents, you get quite a challenge indeed.It's this challenge that initially attracted Chris Cook (aka cc3d onour forums) to design and build Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth Keyboard/Mouse Set @ aphnetworks.com [Mar-04-08] (0 Comments) We have been following pretty much every new cordless laser set releases from Logitech since 2005. As Logitech releases a new set every year, we are generally very impressed with pretty much all of them -- what makes it truly interesting is that, despite the fact that they are 'just' keyboards and mice, Logitech still manages to innovate in every successive release that makes their products convincing enough for a lot of people to upgrade from their existing set, yet retaining the originality and usability factor of the keyboard and mouse itself. What we are trying to say is making changes and improvements are one thing, but some companies ruin their products in the progress of modification. Logitech is certainly not within this category. As a new year arrives, so does Logitech with their latest Logitech MX5500 Revolution cordless laser set. Combined with the legendary Logitech MX Revolution cordless laser mouse, as well as a brand new Bluetooth keyboard, how does this keyboard and mouse set stack up against their previous releases? Let's check it out. Patriot Memory PC2-6400 4GB LL DDR2 Kit @ tweaktown.com [Mar-04-08] (0 Comments) DDR2 is still kicking, and today we have a new kit from Patriot m emory who have come through with a bang in the last six months with new m odules hitting the shelves. We have been given their latest PC2-6400 4GB kit with low latency timings on offer. Each module has a sticker on one side that includes the model number, spe ed rating and timings. These modules are designed for a 4-4-4-12 rating a nd support up to a maximum of 2.2 volts under the manufacturer's warran ty. Spire Pinifarina Case @ rbmods.com [Mar-03-08] (0 Comments) Todays review will be about a case, to be more specific it is goingto be about Spire=B4s latest case named Pinifarina that has some functions Ihave not seen before. Apparently you can fold out both sides and it alsoseems to have some great cooling features that we are going to look into.This is a steel case so will weight be an issue? Ideazon Merc Stealth Gaming Keyboard @ bit-tech.net [Mar-02-08] (0 Comments) I suppose it’s a little ironic that a keyboard that has beencrafted totarget a market so specifically should succeed at everything except thegenre to which it should be most suited – but that’s the reality of it.On paper, the Merc Stealth is an excellent gaming keyboard and, withtime and practice, I don’t doubt that gamers could learn to use itfluidly and masterfully. The downside though is that it takestime and practice at all – other keyboards we’ve looked at use a muchmore sensible layout of keys that manages to be both familiar andenhanced. Why can’t the Merc Stealth?It’s a shame. The Merc Stealth is as great a looking keyboard as itwould probably be possible to get if one were shopping for gaminginputs and the ergonomics of the design are at times fantastic. Theangle and slopping of the gaming section is definitely not painful touse as some keyboards are. The media keys, connections and all-roundfeel of the Merc Stealth is in order too, and we like that the boardcan be raised in steps to accommodate different hands. Unfortunately, the one area where we’d have wanted the Merc Stealth toreally shine turned out to be a bit of a letdown and despite usspending longer than usual getting to know the board, we still couldn’tget practiced enough for it to rival a WASD set-up – for that reason,though the keyboard is decent enough despite the extra gaming keys, wecan't really recommend spending the whopping £60 on it compared to anyother keyboard on the market. Vizo Sleet RAM Cooler @ rbmods.com [Mar-01-08] (0 Comments) When we talk about cooling inside a computer, we are usually lookingat coolers for traditional components such as the CPU, graphics card,Northbridge, etc. Well, what about one of the more expensive componentsinside the motherboard, the RAM? Vizo, makers of a wide range of computercomponents, as released a new product, the Vizo Sleet RAM cooler, whichoffers a cooling solution for RAM sticks. Read on to find out if it makes anoticeable difference in performance. Aeneon Xtune DDR3-1333 2GB Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [Feb-29-08] (0 Comments) Aeneon memory is a division of Qimonda, a German memory manufactu rer which is also a division of Infineon Technologies. While Infineon has been around for quite some time, Aeneon hasn't made any major jumps in to the DRAM market, so it's about time we see a new player come in. Aeneon has rated these modules for 1333MHz with a timing rating of 8-8-8- 24, which is about normal for 1333MHz modules. The SPD doesn't support Intel's XMP setup, but this doesn't stop them from running on X38/X48 chipsets. Mod of the Month - February 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Feb-29-08] (0 Comments) If you read this monthly feature or even this site regularly,you knowthat I have a soft spot for the Mac G5 case. So sleek, so sexy,so...perforated. Honestly, how many of us say Complete GeForce 8800 GS/GT/GTS Voltmodding Article posted @ techpowerup.com [Feb-29-08] (0 Comments) Our latest voltmod article contains detailed instructions how to modify the GeForce 8800 GS/GT/GTS for higher voltages to increase the overclocking potential. Included modifications are GPU Voltage, Memory Voltage, Reverse Memory Voltage and Overcurrent Protection. Zalman ZM1000-HP 1,000W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Feb-27-08] (0 Comments) The ZM1000-HP 1,000W power supply's voltage regulation, lineregulation and cross-loading regulation are excellent. The overallefficiency is excellent and AC ripple noise suppression is very good. Undernormal operating conditions (below 600W load) the ZM1000-HP is virtuallysilent. The PSU comes fitted with a large assortment of hard-wired andmodular cables that can support multiple, high-end video cards. However,the cables are only 20 Tuniq TX-2 Thermal Compound @ rbmods.com [Feb-27-08] (0 Comments) When we think about achieving better cooling performance, we oftenfocus on hardware solutions. However, the quality of the thermalcompound/paste that interfaces between the chips and the cooler is anothercritical factor in getting better cooling performance from your cooler.Today we'll take a look at a new thermal compound from Tuniq, well-knownmakers of a variety of cooling solutions, known TX-2. Will this productstand up against the incumbents in the market? We will attempt to answerthat question in today's review. SilverStone SG03 SFF Case ed @ thetechlounge.com [Feb-27-08] (0 Comments) SilverStone must be a cool place for an engineer. Not only do theyobviously put engineering first, but they don't simply accommodateinnovative designs; they make them their staple. Without re-working the sameproducts again and again, SilverStone produces top-shelf enclosures for allpossible form factors, from Mini-ITX mobile-on-desktop to Extended-ATXserver cases. All elegant, and every one an award-winner. Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GT ZL 512MB @ tweaktown.com [Feb-27-08] (0 Comments) The 9600GT is taking much of the spot light at the moment, but th e 8800GT continues to be faster than the 9600GT and only slightly more ex pensive. It's one of the best valued cards on the market at the moment, and you can see why stock was constantly sold out during the launch peri od. Leadtek have mixed it up a bit with the release of their 8800GT 512MB, an d today we're getting around to checking it out. The particular model u ses an aftermarket cooler by Zalman, but before we get into that let's check out what Leadtek have done with the package. Saitek GM2400 Laser Mouse @ thinkcomputers.org [Feb-27-08] (0 Comments) The Saitek GM2400 Laser Mouse certainly has a unique appearance withits grayscale camouflage. In addition to its crazy color scheme there aresome important features to it. It offers three different settings to changeyour DPI and a quick switch button that helps you switch between the 800, to1600, to 2400 DPI modes. The included software will help you customize theperfect gaming experience with the capability to change all of the sixbuttons on the mouse to something more fit for you. Let's take a furtherlook to see what else this gaming mouse has to offer. Thermaltake Toughpower QFan 650W power supply @ bit-tech.net [Feb-26-08] (0 Comments) We like this PSU, but only to a certain extent – it's certainlyasolidly built unit with awesome efficiency and it's virtually silentfor just about everyone that will buy this kind of unit. The modularconnectors work well, however the cable choices could be far better inmore than one case. In addition, the branding is overpowering to thepoint of grotesque – having that in a case will only make us feel likean ad-whore rather than letting the PSU speak for itself. Even thoughit's nice to see a variation in colour—the white fan inparticular—we're not wildly in love with the whole look.The QFan design, while very quiet, is nullified by the stupid piece ofplastic screwed under half of it. It's not like the unit gets hot, butit makes a super-large 14cm fan quiet pointless if the airflow is beingforced out where it was supposed to be sucked in from! I'm not entirelysure still if it's that revolutionary either – it's essentiallya shroudless fan rather than one with specifically clipped edges fromthe likes of a Noctua NF-P12 fan, which, to us at least, seemssignificantly technically superior.Regardless the power supply seems to work well, and even if it is amulti-rail design, the spread of rails and their weighting issufficient to cover the 600W+ out of the total 650W they can pushbetween just three out of four.But the question is:is it worth it over the likes of Corsair, PC Powerand Cooling, Seasonic or Tagan in the same price range? It's difficultto say and it will come down to a personal preference of looks andpackage. An educated guess would tell me that most people will still gofor the tried and tested Corsair HX620W, or the Seasonic M12 (which arevirtually the same thing!) if they are looking for modular connectors.If you are tempted by a Thermaltake though – at least we can say you’dget a good deal with this Toughpower QFan 650W model. Bgears b-Envi Micro Case ay Modders-Inc @ modders-inc.com [Feb-25-08] (0 Comments) Bgears has burst onto the case modder/enthusiast scene with somepretty innovative products. With the new b-Envi Small Form Factor (SFF)case, Bgears tosses its hat into the ring and wants to spar with the othermanufacturers in a crowded case market for the SFF crowd. Does this casehave what it takes to make your friends b-Envious? I think you will findthis to be a special case in many ways, so... step on through and learnabout one of the best kept secrets in town! Lian Li Armoursuit PC-P80 chassis @ bit-tech.net [Feb-25-08] (0 Comments) The Lian Li Armoursuit PC-P80 is, despite the garish Spidermanlook ofthis particular review sample in my eyes, a rather attractiveproposition as a case. The overall design is simple, functional andto-the-point on the basic, non-branded model and the addition of fansall over the case means that the cooling performance is excellent...providing you can live with the noise (or kit the case out withrheostats).There are only a few drawbacks to the PC-P80 in fact, though some ofthem are worryingly fundamental. For example, missing screws and thelack of a manual is a pretty basic error – one an accomplishedmanufacturer like Lian Li should never make and that doesn’t bode well.The look of the case for this ATI model is also pretty dividing – youeither love it or hate it, with very little middle ground for customersto sit in. This design isn’t for the faint hearted at all, but ATIfanboys will lap it up.Still, if a cool running PC is what you’re after and you happen tothink the Armoursuit PC-P80 looks as good as it runs then there’sabsolutely no reason not to go for it. Although the recommended retailprice for the basic model is £250 ($399), which is kind of steep in ouropinion – the fact that Xcase has the standard version on pre-order for£199 (inc. VAT)makes things a little bit easier to stomach though. The ATI versionshown here is even more expensive, at around about £299 – ludicrouslyexpensive? Perhaps, but the PC-P80 does have an awful lot going in itsfavour to justify the cost. Gigabyte VPower - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Feb-25-08] (0 Comments) Havingproved themselves as commendable GPU cooler manufacturers withtheir Cyclops, Gigabyte were keen for us to test their slightly higherend model, the V-Power. With a wider compatibility and 4 heatpipes morethan the Cyclops' 0, let's see how it adds up. ASUS P5K64 WS Intel P35 DDR3 Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Feb-25-08] (0 Comments) It's not something that we in the enthusiast world really thinkabout, but there is a market out there for high-end computers that willprobably never do any gaming, be overclocked, water cooled, or any other ofthe cool stuff that geeks do with their rigs. For example, a design engineermight desire a CAD workstation using multiple large screens...as many as sixor eight...at high resolution. Anyone designing animation would like such arig. So, what does someone desiring to build a modern upper-end graphicsworkstation do? Asus has an answer with the P5K64 WS, a workstationmotherboard based on the very successful Intel P35 chipset. Today we will belooking at the P5K64 WS, to see if it has anything that would hold theinterest of the enthusiast. Can it satisfy the geek? Read ahead to see. G.SKILL DDR2 PC2 8500 (8 Layers PCB) Memory @ rbmods.com [Feb-24-08] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at a DDR2 kit from Gskill. We got their new 8500kit that seems to perform quite well according to some other reviews I haveseen. We are going to compare this vs our previous DDR2 kits that haveperformed the best. We are also going to try to boost this kit a bit to seehow it performs under heavy overclocking. Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare @ bonafidereviews.com [Feb-22-08] (0 Comments) War. Huh. Yeah. What is it good for? Well apparently its good for selling tons and tons of videogames to obsessed FPS fans. Say it again now. Unless you’ve been living in a foxhole for the past few years you have probably heard of Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty series. Kingston HyperX DDR3-1375 2GB Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Feb-22-08] (0 Comments) Kingston's 20 year history is packed with numerous awards from thelikes of Fortune, Inc, and Forbes magazines, and for the last four years,they were ranked the #1 memory module manufacturer for the third-partymemory market. They have been extremely successful at building qualityproducts, and taking care of their employees considering the numerous AMD Quad-CrossFire - CrossFireX Performance P @ pcper.com [Feb-21-08] (0 Comments) Our initial preview of AMD's CrossFireX technology is very positive.Even though the performance benefits of four GPUs is questionable based onthe performance numbers we saw today, the flexibility that allows users toconfigure three GPUs in CrossFireX mode is much more appealing. In titleslike Call of Duty 4, the benefits of four GPUs can really be seen but inother cases, three seems to do the job just as well. Either way though, AMDhas opened up a whole new world of gaming options for enthusiasts byallowing such a diverse combination of hardware. Evo-G Mouse Bungee @ modders-inc.com [Feb-20-08] (0 Comments) Corded mouse users from all over have at one point in time had tohave cursed their corded mouse because the cord was caught on something.Well the Evo-G Mouse Bungee is designed to prevent any unwanted mousemovements that are caused by the longer cords. content-type; @ dragonsteelmods.com [Feb-20-08] (0 Comments) Arctic Cooling makes some of the best GPU coolers on the market and theyare about to unleash their newest model, fortunately, we were able to getour hands on the Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme 8800 Video Card Cooler. Thi scooler is designed to fit the nVIDIA 8800Ultra, GTX, GTS(G80) model graphiccards. Arctic Cooling has garnered a reputation for making excellentproducts that provide superb performance with whisper quiet operation. Let' ssee if they can continue the trend with the Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme8800 Video Card Cooler. Let's get started=85. Bgears b-Tarantula 650 Watt PSU @ modders-inc.com [Feb-20-08] (0 Comments) Bgears has been hard at work to bring new products to their lineover the last year. Today we are going to take a look at one of their latestpower supplies. The Bgears b-Tarantula 650 Watt. Asus P5K Pro motherboard @ rbmods.com [Feb-20-08] (0 Comments) Even though DDR3 is slowly starting to make it on the market the DDR2is still mostly used by consumers. For that reason we still have a DDR2board to review since they perform very well with good ram kits. Asus sentus a sample of their P5K Pro motherboard that we are going to take a look attonight, we are going to twist and turn this card and also try to boost someextreme experience out of the it so stay tuned for tonights review. Corsair's TX750W power supply @ bit-tech.net [Feb-19-08] (0 Comments) Corsair isonto another winner with the TX750W, as it has proved itself to be anawesome PSU. It's clearly far from the best cooling design available,but it has the best components we've tested to date.What makes the deal even sweeter is the fact that the Corsair TX750W iseven cheaper than some of its competitors too. At £88.60 (inc. VAT),it's cheaper than the PC Power & Cooling 750W Silencer, which costs£95.66 including VAT. In contrast, the Enermax Infiniti 720W now looksseriously expensive at £128.23. Even the Gigabyte Odin GT 800W PSU issignificantly more expensive at nearly £125.There are a few 750W units for less, but we honestly wouldn't botherlooking much further than the TX750W. In fact, it’s questionablewhether units that cost more than the TX750W are worth considering overthis unit at the price that Corsair is asking for it.The HX620W is a good £18 cheaper, but it's also 130W less powerful andmodular so there's still a clear differentiation between the two stylesthat are clearly designed to suit different markets. Unless you've gotyour heart set on a modular unit, the Corsair TX750W manages toundercut many 650-700W units on price, while clearly not skimping onquality! BFG 800 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-17-08] (0 Comments) BFG, the traditional video card manufacturer, has recently entered into the Power Supply business. We completely disassembled their 800 W model and tested to see if it could really deliver 800 W. Check it out! Watercooling Fluid Shootout @ bit-tech.net [Feb-17-08] (0 Comments) But all of this was for one worthy goal – is there a fluid thatreignssupreme? Does anything do water's job better than water? The numbersdon't lie – nothing is better than pure, straight up water so far, atleast where temperatures are concerned. But there are a couple fluids that perform just as well, and their sidebenefits of colouring, anti-corrosion and (most of all)non-conductivity make them well worth your time. Though temperaturesare our primary concern, I've also made sure to note other aspects ofeach fluid that can have an effect on overall usability – colouring,bubble dispersion, and clean-up.So which ones are truly better than water, when you take all of thisinto account? Ultra X2 Extreme Edition 750W Power Supply @ rbmods.com [Feb-17-08] (0 Comments) Whenever a company names a product an Aeneon Xtune DDR3-1333 2GB Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Feb-15-08] (0 Comments) Though the memory manufacturers are still designing and building newDDR2 memory modules, DDR3 memory is here and being used. There are plenty ofmotherboards out there that utilize DDR3 memory, and new modules are beingintroduced monthly. No, you have probably not yet heard of Aeneon. Aeneon isa division of a German company Qimonda, the world's third largestmanufacturer of DRAM, part of Infineon Technologies AG. So, there is reallynothing new about Aeneon but the name. Ultra m998 Mid-Tower ATX Case @ pcper.com [Feb-14-08] (0 Comments) The overall construction and build quality is good and the simplelines and black anodized finish provide a nice background for highlightingall your internal goodies (visible through the large side window). Thanksto its slightly larger size, the m998 can easily accommodate a large PSU,extended ATX motherboard and it comes with 11 drive bays. The two bundled120mm fans provide good airflow and can be supplemented with an additional80mm fan on the side window if desired. And if you plan to floor mount thisenclosure you will certainly enjoy the optional (included) caster wheels. SilverStone Decathlon DA800 800W Modular Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Feb-14-08] (0 Comments) SilverStone Technologies, founded in 2003, has in less than fiveyears become one of the industry leaders in PC power supplies. Thoughprobably not as well known as some of the popular companies who haverecently branched out into the power supply field, SilverStone's robust PSUsare well respected by those who are serious about power supplies.SilverStone was one of the first two companies to receive SLI certificationfrom nVidia. The DA800, being a new model, has not received its SLIcertification by nVidia, but both the DA750 750 watt, and the DA850 850 wattmodels of the Decathlon line have been certified for a pair of 8800GTXs, soI can assume that it will receive the same rating. Thermaltake Armor + Case @ rbmods.com [Feb-14-08] (0 Comments) Thermaltake=B4s Armor case was a huge success a few years ago and now ATI Radeon HD 3870 + 3850 CrossFire - Mixing Video Cards @ legitreviews.com [Feb-14-08] (0 Comments) Having a mixed up CrossFire configuration performed better than e xpected and was able to near the performance level of other high end ATI CrossFire setups. This goes to show that ATI has made great improvements to their CATALYST drivers as taking an ATI Radeon HD 3870 and running it in CrossFire mode with an ATI Radeon HD 3850 was found to be stable and o ffered great improvements over a single card of either model. How many pe ople will actually try this has yet to be seen, but this is an easy way t o cut costs and improve performance... [News] Nexus Caterpillar ATX Quiet Case @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-13-08] (0 Comments) In the past few years we have seen the move towards quiet computing.In the early days of modding, the aim was to achieve a well-cooled system nomatter what the cost, with the Technic3D/Zerotherm Hurricane HC92 Cu 8800 @ technic3d.com [Feb-13-08] (0 Comments) The Zerotherm Hurricane HC92 Cu 8800 VGA Heatsink arrived Tech nic3D. HC92 Cu 8800 supports almost all VGA cards including NVDIA Gefo rce 8800 series. (Except ATi Radeon X2900 series). The VGA coolers pro vide 3-in-One function (Fanless mode, Aero-Dynamic mode and Overclocki ng mode). See you in the following Review the Apack Cooler on a XFX 88 00 GTX XXX against Standard CPU Cooling. Origen AE S21T HTPC Enclosure @ modders-inc.com [Feb-12-08] (0 Comments) The Origen AE Technology S21T HTPC Enclosure offers just aboutevery feature that a consumer looks for in a HTPC case. The most prominentfeature that stands out from the rest is the impressive 12.1 inch motorizedTFT touch screen monitor. The S21T has several other great features as well,so let's dig in and see how the S21T does. GMC K1 Muse MediaCentre Mid Tower @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Feb-12-08] (0 Comments) The Muse K1 case from GMC is so feature packed that it has made for my longest review yet, and even after this review there are still features of the case left un-shown. Before reviewing this case I wasn’t so keen on it. But since I have used it, it has really grown on me. The extensive feature set surprised me time after time, and I was pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion when I would enter a different mode on the software and find a new use for the buttons and display on the front of the case. The Secrets of PC Memory:Part 4 @ bit-tech.net [Feb-10-08] (0 Comments) For better signal quality at higher speed grades, DDR3 adopts asocalled “Fly-by” architecture for the commands, addresses and clocksignals. This effectively reduced the number of stubs and signallinglength from the DDR2 T-Branch architecture to a more elegant andstraightforward design. The Fly-by topology generally connects the DRAM chips on the memorymodule in a series, and at the end of the linear connection is agrounded termination point that absorbs residual signals, to preventthem from being reflected back along the bus.We recently asked Aaron Boehm, an Application Engineer at Micron abouthow important the Fly-by topology is to DDR3. He said that the Fly-bydesign was “veryimportant in DDR3. Probably one of the biggest advantages of moving tothe Fly-by topology is that we are able to achieve a much faster slewrate for the signal. This gives us a bigger data-eye, which is veryimportant in DRAM.” Antec NeoPower 550 Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-09-08] (0 Comments) Our review of NeoPower 550 (a.k.a. Neo HE550), a 550 W power supply with modular cabling system from Antec, where we completely disassembled it and tested it to see if it can really deliver its labeled power. Updated to include load tests. Tuniq Tower 120 Ultra Silent CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Feb-08-08] (0 Comments) One thing that is common with most CPU coolers that use air coolingis that they typically include a fan. We've seen all kinds of fan mounts-either horizontal or vertical, and on all sides of the cooler. But whatabout sticking the fan in the middle of the cooler? Tuniq, makers of a widevariety of computer products, has produced a new cooler, the Tuniq Tower 120CPU cooler, that does just that. Will this unique design result in coolerperformance? Let's find out in this review. ABS/Tagan BZ800 800W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Feb-07-08] (0 Comments) As we mentioned earlier, one unique feature found on the BZ800 powersupply is a small slide-switch on the back panel that can be used to selecteither Normal or Turbo operating mode for the +12V outputs. Tagan claims Antec Sonata 550 @ swemod.com [Feb-06-08] (0 Comments) SweMOD has today posted yet another review and today they take a look at ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP @ nordichardware.com [Feb-05-08] (0 Comments) Here we will take a look at one of the boards based on the P35 chipset, ASUS P5K-E. This is card positioned in the middle of the P5K lineup. It doesn't have as many fancy features as the Extreme/Deluxe flavors, but isn't as stripped down as the cheapest models. To be honest, do you really need two network cards and heatpipe cooling for the southbridge?? Vizo Ninja 2 Laptop Cooler @ rbmods.com [Feb-05-08] (0 Comments) About a year ago, we took a look at the Vizo Ninja Notebook Cooler,where we concluded that it was a decent cooler but was a little undersizedfor many of today's notebook designs. Perhaps Vizo was listening, as theyhave since developed a larger version of this cooler design. Will the VizoNinja 2 Notebook Cooler perform as well as its smaller brother? We willattempt to answer that question in this review. Zalman ZM500-HP 500W Modular Power Supply @ thinkcomputers.org [Feb-05-08] (0 Comments) South Korea-based Zalman is most well-known for its coolingproducts, but it makes a line of power supplies, as well. The ZM500-HP isZalman's 500 watt unit. Zalman's main selling points for the series are itshigh efficiency and ultra-quiet heat pipe cooling system. Additionally, it'smodular! Read on for the review. Computer User Beginners Guide @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-05-08] (0 Comments) Recently Jason Dumbaugh and Michael Lynch sat down and created a common computer users guide to the basic programs and utilities that begi nners use. We will be adding more content to this guide as we go along an d are happy to anounce the Computer Users Guide Ver. 1.0. Kingston HyperX PC2-9600 DDR2 2GB @ gideontech.com [Feb-04-08] (0 Comments) Kingston Technology released the first 1.2Ghz RAM kits to the public last December. I was able to get a set of the KHX9600D2K2/2G for some fast action 2GB of ram for my Core 2 Duo system. Knowing that the 975 chipset in my DFI Infinity 975X/G was going to limit the modules in the basic BIOS setup, I needed to overclock the system to take advantage of the speed. content-type; @ dragonsteelmods.com [Feb-04-08] (0 Comments) With the ever increasing popularity of multi-media computers comes anincrease in specialized products aimed at these types of users, specificallythe ones that build Home Theater PCs . One such product is the remotecontrol, there are many types out there that come bundled with some itemsyou can buy, but most aren't that great, in what they can do and theiroverall range. Today for review I've got a remote control from Adesso,called the Vista Remote Control, yes the name Vista is attached but it canwork in Windows XP, and Media Center Editions of Vista and XP as well. Rez HD @ bit-tech.net [Feb-02-08] (0 Comments) One of the things that makes Rez so remarkable, assuming youignore all the vibro-love and pretty colours, is the way it takes agenre commonly regarded as shallow and staid and turns it intosomething you’ll be begging your friends to play. That alone means it’sworth picking up, especially since it’s only going to set you back 800measly Microsoft points.Does Rez HD have flaws? Yes, of course it does – mainly the difficultycurve,which is unreliable at times and jumps around more than a bunny tied toan electric fence. The brevity of the game may also bother some gamerswho want to get real value for money but who aren’t interested in theScore Attack mode. Still, despite that, Rez is a classic and important pieceof video game history and the remastered HD version clearly belongs inthe collection of any serious gamer. Now, with that said, you’ll haveto excuse me – I’ve got a controller to go wipe clean before I give itback to the original owner. Corsair Flash Voyager 32GB USB Flash Drive @ rbmods.com [Feb-02-08] (0 Comments) We have reviewed most of Corsairs flash drives in the past and theyhave performed very well and been able to take a beating in our tests. Todaywe have a 32 GB version, yes a 32 GB version of their popular Flash Voyagerdrive family that we are going to take a look at. Will the bigger memoryslow the drive down, and is it more sensitive to beating than the older 8 GBversions we have looked at? HIS Radeon HD 3850 IceQ 3 TurboX @ tweaktown.com [Feb-02-08] (0 Comments) It's been a while since we've seen anything from HIS which is a bit of a shame as their IceQ series of cards have been one of the more stand-out models of ATI based graphics cards.As we mentioned earlier, this particular model not only carries with it a n aftermarket cooler but also increased core and memory clocks. Intel Skulltrail and Multi-GPU Graphics:Mixed Results @ pcper.com [Feb-01-08] (0 Comments) Perhaps the most appealing part of Skulltrail is that it wasrevealed it would support NVIDIA SLI technology - the first non-NVIDIAchipset motherboard to do so. That is the power of NVIDIA's nForce 100chips - basically PCI Express bridges with custom NVIDIA logic in them toaccommodate SLI configurations. And with the recent release of NVIDIA's3-Way SLI technology, we were really looking forward to pairing Skulltrail's8-cores of processing power with 3-Way SLI to overcome any potentialbottlenecks for PC gaming. Apparently that will not be an option though. MIME encoded twice @ dragonsteelmods.com [Jan-31-08] (0 Comments) One thing about being a reviewer is that you get lots of stuff, especiallyCPU Coolers, so I've got quite a few of them on hand and thought I'd compar ethem all together. This isn't just a comparison of results from a bunch ofreviews, this is all new testing done with these coolers specifically forthis article.Where applicable I've even tested these coolers without fans t osee just how well they perform as truly silent cooling solutions. Insideyou'll find sections with the coolers using the fan connected to a Molex,meaning running at full speed, connected to the CPU header, PWM controlledif applicable and of course a section just for coolers without their fans. Mod of the Month - January 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Jan-31-08] (0 Comments) Remember when you were a little kid, and playing house was fun?Everyone here who is living on his or her own is probably now saying Rbmods and Asus teams up for a giveaway @ ----=_NextPart_001_0027_01C86396.CDBC19C0 [Jan-31-08] (0 Comments) We present another giveaway, this time we have teamed up with Asus togive away one Asus 8800GT Top videocard. What should you do? Register andenter the contest, cant it be easier? quoted-printable encoded unnecessarily @ bigbruin.com [Jan-29-08] (0 Comments) Thermalright always puts out top quality products that offer computer enthusiasts a significant upgrade over stock cooling hardware. The Ultima-90 Heatpipe CPU Cooler is without a doubt an excellent choice for your hot processor due to its cooling capabilities, relatively simple installation, compact design, and support for most modern CPUs. NGO NVIDIA Optimized Driver 1.16925 for Vista @ ngohq.com [Jan-29-08] (0 Comments) The NGO NVIDIA Optimized Driver is a modified version of the NVIDIA ForceWare driver. The main purpose is to satisfy the users with better performance, image quality and compatibility. The NGO NVIDIA Optimized Driver can enhance your experience in games, multimedia and general usage. This project is especially suited for enthusiasts and gamers that want to have the best gaming experience. This driver includes NVIDIA's new Control Panel. We've preferred to include the new Control Panel over the old one due to flexibility and stability reasons. The Driver has support for all GeForce/Quadro cards - including mobile series (Go) as well. Ghost Squad @ bit-tech.net [Jan-29-08] (0 Comments) The gameplay is simple – each player, of which there can be upto four(though the ideal number is two), grabs a controller and goes for it.Your trigger finger shoots, the A button performs scripted actions suchas defusing bombs and shaking the controller reloads your gun. You can also use the D-Pad to change your firing mode but, to behonest, once you’ve found which mode you prefer then you’ll probablynot have to change it. Personally, I found the default three-roundburst was the most efficient, especially on the lower levels.There are only three levels in Ghost Squad – a tropicalvilla, Air Force One and a jungle encampment. In each level somebaddies have taken some hostages and it’s up to you as members of theGhost Squad to try and rescue them. The game tries to layer some plotand exposition over the top of this basic premise through cutscenes andnarration from the squad commander, but it’s all pretty superfluous.There are bad guys. You have a gun. That is all you need to know. GECUBE Radeon HD 3870 X2 Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Jan-28-08] (0 Comments) It's one of those cards we've heard about quite a bit, but of ten when it comes to these dual GPU models they're nothing more than a bit of a prototype. Sometimes they manage to also hit the media and on th e rare occasion they actually go into mass production for all to get thei r hands on it.The whole card design is loads better than the GX2 we saw from NVIDIA in 2006 which was literally two separate PCBs connected by a little bridge. Ultimately though it doesn't matter what the card looks like, it comes down to how it performs and that's something we're going to be lookin g at in just a moment. Palm Treo 750 @ techgage.com [Jan-28-08] (0 Comments) Palm's Treo 750 is one of two models offered with WindowsMobile - this one in particular using 6. Specs include a 2.5 Staying Independent @ bit-tech.net [Jan-28-08] (0 Comments) There are a lot of crushed souls in the games industry. A lotof peoplewho set out with the hope of creating fantastic new games that allowthem to express their creativity, whilst simultaneously providing agreat experience for the players. These are the people who were cutdeepest when publisher’s pull the budget on the “risky” titles infavour of the “safe bets”. These are the people who lost a little morehope each time the producer told them that their idea was way too ‘outthere’ for a modern audience. We knew people like this when we set up Introversion and we run intothem now and then in the bars and restaurants surrounding the gamesconferences. When we first set out to write video games we knew the damage thatpublishers could do both to games themselves, and the people writingthem, and we were not willing to let that happen to us. In order toensure our creative freedom, we had to be independent from publishersand license holders, and that independence has become a guiding mantrafor us.Independence from publishers has allowed us ultimate freedom andenabled us to create without compromise, explore without boundaries andlive by a work ethos that isn’t about setting limitations. After sixyears with the sole aim of keeping the company financially afloat, wedid a spot of team building or as industry bods call it, ‘visionalignment’. We wanted to establish in what direction we might all beheading. Despite the fact that we’re a fairly disparate bunch of peoplewith very different motivations, the exercise really proved thatremaining independent was the key shared aspiration at Introversion. Watercooling 201:The Waterblock @ bit-tech.net [Jan-28-08] (0 Comments) So, before we get into that, let's take a look at what awaterblockactually does and how it works. I suppose the first part is easy – awaterblock sucks heat from the CPU, right?Well, sort of... not really. But yes... no.Why the confusion? Well, this is a huge misconception.Let's rephrase this properly:A waterblock obtains temperatureequilibrium with the heat spreader of the underlying chip. That's it.No sucking involved. It's the same misconception as air cooling – a heatsink doesn'tactually cool the chip. It simply provides a greater surface area forthe heat to spread over. Since there's more metal to heat up, there'sless heat in each molecule of metal – so it seems like it'scooling. The real definition of cooling is the removalof heat from the system – no heat is being removed here, just simplyspread out. Instead, it's the fluid—be it air or water—that actuallydoes the cooling. This probably seems pedantic – the block cools, or the block spreadsthe heat and thus lowers temperature. It may seem the same, but it'snot – it radically changes how we need to look at water blocks. We candistil everything above down to one basic statement:A block's function is not to cool your CPU – it's to provide the mostcontact with water molecules as possible. Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound @ rbmods.com [Jan-28-08] (0 Comments) When I think of quality cooling fans, typically one name jumps tomind first:Noctua. However, Nocuta isn't just about fans, as they'vestarted to branch out into other peripheral products. Today we get thechance to take a look at one such product, the Noctua NT-H1 ThermalCompound. Will the Noctua product be able to stand up against theestablished incumbents in the thermal compound market? Let's find out. GeForce 8800 GT Roundup @ insidehw.com [Jan-28-08] (0 Comments) It's been more than a year since the first DirectX 10 graphicsaccelerator, containing the revolutionary G80, was presented to the public.Everyone should remember the delight it brought and the incredibleperformance which left all high-end competition in the dust. This time, wehave a graphics card with the G92 chip on it, but the card is not from the9xxx series as you might assume. The G92 is a carefully designed, polishedversion of the G80. Models based on this chip are named 8800GT and, shouldthey appear in appropriate quantities, are bound to become very popular. [News] OCZ 4GB Reaper X HPC PC2-6400 Memory @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-28-08] (0 Comments) The kit I received was the 4GB kit, or 2x2GB PC2-6400, that runs at800MHz and has a timing rating of 4-4-3-15. The modules will run thosetimings at 1.8v - 2.1v and handle up to 2.2v without voiding the EVP(Extended Voltage Protection) warranty. The 4-4-3-15 timings are really goodfor DDR2. With such tight timings I wouldn't expect high overclocking ratesat the stock timing; but loosened up, the result might be impressive. ZeroTherm Nirvana NV120 @ swemod.com [Jan-27-08] (0 Comments) SweMOD has today posted a review on the CPU cooler ZeroTherm Nirvana NV120. Burnout Paradise @ bit-tech.net [Jan-26-08] (0 Comments) Burnout Paradise is, by far, the most open and interesting Burnoutgame we’ve ever played. Playing past Burnoutgames has been a very linear experience and getting stuck at a certainpoint, unable to get the 400 takedowns needed to progress within thespace of two minutes, could be a major bummer. Paradise gets rid of that annoyance with an extremely elegantsolution, re-designing the entire game so effortlessly and naturallythat you might struggle to believe that there was ever a Burnoutgame that wasn’t like this. Does it have flaws? Yes, clearly. The most major one is obvious whenyou fail a race and have to hike back across the entire map in order torestart – a simple quick-travel or retry function would have been awelcome addition. The same is true when players want to change theircar and have to spend a while hunting down one of the five junkyards onthe map.Still, ignore that and the lack of offline multiplayer and Burnout Paradiseis clearly a new highpoint for the series. Sure, it’s annoying not tobe able to fight your friends up-close, but for a game this good it’ssomething we can learn to live without and, honestly, we’re far tooaddicted to the Showtime gamemode to say anything really bad about thisotherwise excellent game. GIGABYTE X38T-DQ6 Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Jan-26-08] (0 Comments) Today we have a new candidate in our labs for consideration, GIGA BYTE's X38T-DQ6. The =93T=94 series of the GIGABYTE boards denotes that it is a DDR3 variant of an already existing DDR2 model.X38 based motherboards are soon to take a nose dive in price since the ch ipset is due to be replaced as the enthusiast offering by the X48 which w e have already managed to get our hands on and test in both DDR2 and DDR3 flavours. Thermaltake ToughPower 1000 Modular Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-25-08] (0 Comments) Thermaltake's latest offering is geared toward such a person thatneed an all out power house. And Thermaltake is fast becoming a name that isassociated with high-end power supplies. But things have changed since theintroduction of the ToughPower line. The 1000 watt ToughPower is not thebiggest baddest of the line but will easily power most of the systems webuild today. Coupling large amounts of power and some modular cabling, youhave a boatload of power and with some easy cable management. And becausethis unit is not the most powerful of the line you don't have to worry aboutspending a lot of money like say the 2000 watt unit we saw at CES in Vegasthis year. So. Lets take a look at the Thermaltake TP1000 Modular. Styx Gaming Mouse @ rbmods.com [Jan-25-08] (0 Comments) Styx gaming mouse they say.... It was quite some time ago that Ireviewed a mouse last, Razer, Logitech and Microsoft have been leading onthat part of the market but today we might have an end to that! We recieveda sample of Speedlinks latest Styx gaming mouse with some nice features asDPI setting with a button and also a ergonimiclly designed shape on themouse. Let's have a closer look at this mouse and compared it vs some otherswe have looked in the past. All Celeron Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-24-08] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Celeron models released to date. Updated to include Celeron E1000 series (dual-core Celeron). Kingwin Mach 1 ABT-800MA1S 800W Modular PSU @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jan-24-08] (0 Comments) Kingwin has recently decided to join the ranks of other companies which have branched their product line into the power supply unit ATI Radeon HD 3450, 3470 and 3650 p @ bit-tech.net [Jan-23-08] (0 Comments) Starting with RV635, AMD has decided that instead of havingseparatePro and XT cards like it did in the Radeon HD 2600 series, it wouldstick with just one model name in the Radeon HD 3650 series. AMD’s IainMcNaughton explained that the company looked at the mainstream segmentand asked itself “what can we do that is different and disruptive toour competitors, while offering more value to our customers?”Despite only offering one model name, there are stilltwo products that fit under this name – both share the same engineclock, which is set at 725MHz (slower than the Radeon HD 2600 XT’sengine clock), and the same number of stream processors as the RadeonHD 2600 series cards (120 stream processors or 24 five-way superscalarshader units) – both also feature a 128-bit memory interface.The number of texture units and raster operators hasn’t changed either,meaning there are still just eight texture units and four rasteroperators (or ROPs). What has changed architecturally now though isthat there is support for DirectX 10.1, PCI-Express 2.0 and ATIPowerPlay at a high level... at a much lower level, I've heard (butstill waiting for confirmation) that AMD has added double precisionsupport at one quarter speed, but it’s not exposed in current 3Dgraphics APIs.RV635 also uses fewer transistors—a total of 378 million—than the RV630chip, which itself featured a pretty massive 390 million of the littleblighters. AMD says that it has made some optimisations during the dieshrink, which should help to improve performance per clock andefficiency a little bit when it’s compared to the ASIC it’s replacingat the same clock speed. How Much Power Do Electronic Equipments Consume When in Standby Mode? @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-23-08] (0 Comments) Do electronic equipments consume a lot of power when they are on their standby mode and presumably turned off? We measured several equipments and came to very interesting conclusions. Check it out. CoolIT Freezone Elite CPU Cooler @ techgage.com [Jan-23-08] (0 Comments) During CoolIT's CES-presence this month, the FreezoneElite was unveiled. In addition to offering stellar performancecomparable to the original, the new MTEC control center is thrown in aswell. This self-regulating module proved to do a fantastic job, makingthe Elite a superb cooling solution. First look at the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) @ bit-tech.net [Jan-22-08] (0 Comments) Even though wehave seen an MSI motherboard being used with an AMI EFIBIOS last year, we have only now have been informed that MSI has beguntrialling more motherboards kitted out with EFI BIOSs.Richard Stewart, UK Marketing Manager at MSI told us that “MSIwill start to phase EFI into its next generation motherboard platform,and will allow much easier accessibility of motherboard BIOS systems.The ability to use a GUI and mouse can only encourage users to attemptto unlock the full potential of today’s modern motherboards. Even atthis early beta stage we have seen excellent OC potential using currentgeneration of MSI motherboards.”From the looks of things, everything should become far more intuitive –pictures can finally accompany text for example, which will help togive users a more fundamental understanding of what doors each of theuser’s required options are hidden behind.Given the necessary LAN and Internet connection, in addition to theusual Core Centre hardware tweaking, MSI is planning to enable manymore features in its EFI BIOSs, including a live update option, alongwith instant messaging and streaming audio/video capabilities. Sanyo Denki A11H Online UPS @ techpowerup.com [Jan-22-08] (0 Comments) These days, computer equipment is more sensitive to power disruptions than ever before. The Sanyo Denki A11H is a true on-line UPS that provides constant power to multiple computer systems, and its design allows it to work well with backup generators. We take a look at a 700W tower-style model and the optional LAN Interface card. Asus P5K64 WS motherboard @ rbmods.com [Jan-22-08] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at a fully loaded workstation card from Asus. Werecieved a sample of their P5K64WS that has HDMI, DDR3, etc etc featuresthat we are going to take a closer look at. We decided to run some tests vsthe P5K3 Deluxemotherboard that we reviewed in the past, we had some great luck withperformance and overclocking when it came to that board and we don't expectanything less from this board. All Xeon Models @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-22-08] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables containing the main specs of all Xeon processors released to date, including Pentium II Xeon, Pentium III Xeon, Xeon, Xeon MP, dual-core Xeon and quad-core Xeon. Updated to include 45 nm models. Geeks 7" Digital Picture Frame @ monster-hardware.com [Jan-22-08] (0 Comments) The Geeks 7 MSI X48 Platinum Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Jan-22-08] (0 Comments) We have already tested the X48 chipset in its DDR2 variant (that' s right, because it's a direct descendant of the X38 it keeps the dual mode memory controller); the DDR2 version has already managed to produce some better scores than the X38 DDR2 thanks to its increased FSB support. Today we are moving onto X48 in DDR3 form.MSI has graciously provided us with their new X48 Platinum motherboard wh ich is designed to be an ultra overclockable and feature-rich model. How it stacks up is the subject of today's review. ZeroTherm HC92 CU 8800 @ swemod.com [Jan-21-08] (0 Comments) SweMOD has today posted yet another review of product from APACK, today The Weighted Companion PC - a tribute to Portal @ bit-tech.net [Jan-21-08] (0 Comments) When it comes to great new games, one of the first thoughts onanyone'smind is ZeroTherm BTF90 @ swemod.com [Jan-20-08] (0 Comments) SweMOD has today posted a new review, this time they're testing theZeroTherm BTF90 cpu cooler from APACK. If you want to know how it performs,head over to SweMOD and read their review. GlacialTech Igloo 5750 Silent CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Jan-20-08] (0 Comments) Upgrading from a stock CPU cooler is one of the easiest and bestmodifications you can make to your computer, and choosing the right one canmake a big difference. GlacialTech, makers of a wide variety of thermalmanagement solutions, sent us one of their latest cooler products, theGlacialTech Igloo 5750 Silent CPU Cooler. This cooler actually has onefeature not seen on many coolers:dual cooling fans. Is two better thanone? We are here to put that theory to the test in this review. Cranium Kabookii @ bit-tech.net [Jan-19-08] (0 Comments) It’s quite hard to know what to make of Cranium Kabookiibecause, while to my mind it is clearly the best third-party party gameavailable for the Wii, it’s not strikingly awesome on its own. The mini games themselves range from inventive and fun to derived anddamningly difficult – though they do mostly edge towards the former,thankfully. Games like Cloodle prove themselves to be fairlyfun and repeatable and Cranium Kabookii is a game with acertain amount of replayability because of that.  However,at the same time, the game is full of wasted potential and gameplaythat’s too simple, often seemingly rewarding players arbitrarily.Despite the colourful, vibrant presentation the game also fails toprovide anything that is suitably engaging visually. The developerswould have done a lot better to simply recreate the board from theboard game rather than to feature coloured tokens. All of the above is forgivable for the most part though – what isn’tthough is the extremely limited scope for play. You can only play CraniumKabookiiif you have four people with you and, even then, you can only play themain game mode. There’s nothing to unlock and the options don’t evenlet you alter the difficulty of the game. The result is a game which,while fun, could quickly get old for many and which seems to jumpbetween too hard and too easy a bit too much. If you’ve got a group of people with a wide range of ages and arelooking for a multiplayer game that kids can manage then CraniumKabookii is just what you’d want to look at buying.If you want something a little more flexible and adult-aimed thoughthen you’d be better off keeping your wallet in your pocket. Scythe Ninja Copper 6 Heat Pipes CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-18-08] (0 Comments) The new Ninja, which is simply dubbed as the Ninja Copper orSCNJ-CU1000 for the technical geek, is upon us. The Ninja Cu, as we willcall it, is built identically like the older Ninja but made of Copper.Obviously! About 90% of the cooler is made of copper except the bolts thathold the heat pipes in place and the bottom aluminum thick fins that areattached atop the base. And being made of copper it is obvious this coolerwill be heavy and it is a whooping 1015 grams of copper. We all know theperformance will be there with the Ninja but if you don't act soon you maymiss out on getting one as the Ninja Cu is a limit run anniversary model.And we would like to thank Scythe for sending it over to us. Now lets getwith the reviewing. Wii Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 @ rbmods.com [Jan-18-08] (0 Comments) If you've read some of our past video game reviews, you'll rememberthat we enjoyed one odd game in particular, Rayman Raving Rabbids, for itsunique game play and quirky story. As with most popular games, the gang isback for a sequel. Will Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 for the Wii continue thestreak of solid games for this series? That's what we're here to find outin this video game review. MSI 8800GT 512MB - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jan-18-08] (0 Comments) The8 series of nVIDIA cards have been around for over a year and havealmost completely dominated the market in terms of high end support.Now with the 9 series just around the corner, partners are finishing upwith their last set of performance cards before focusing on the nextgeneration. One of these last cards is the 8800GT; near performance ofa GTX with a sub GTS price tag. MSI might be a bit late in the game to release an 8800GT model, butthey've done it none the less and it's here with me today. Let's see ifit lives up to the 8800GT's sterling reputation. Corsair TX750W Power Supply @ rbmods.com [Jan-16-08] (0 Comments) About a year ago, we had the chance to review a power supply fromCorsair, who is typically known for their memory and cooling products. Atthat time, we were impressed with their performance and quiet operations.Corsair has continued to develop power products in the meantime and has sentus one of their newer supplies, the Corsair TX750W Power Supply. Will thissupply prove that Corsair is serious about becoming a player in the powersupply market? We will attempt to answer that question in this review. [News] Thecus N5200 Pro NAS @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-15-08] (0 Comments) Now on to the latest iteration of the 5200. The N5200BR Pro. This isbasically the original X2, twice the ram, twice the flash and more thantwice the CPU. It has all the features of the older model, and then adds abatch of new ones. Externally, they are completely identical, and it'salmost impossible to tell the difference until they are opened up. Eventhen, you have to know what to look for to tell the differences. Cars @ techgage.com [Jan-15-08] (0 Comments) Sure, the tech is great, but one of the coolest areas ofCES was the North Hall, where all of the cars, car audio and babes werefound. We found over fifty sweet rides through our travels and havepictures of each - everything from modest classics to the latestexotics. Climbing The Difficulty Curve @ bit-tech.net [Jan-15-08] (0 Comments) There has been a growing trend over the last few years to makegamesthat are easy enough for every player to finish them. In many ways thisis a positive development which reflects the maturity of the industryand the mainstream nature of the audience who regularly play games. Italso reflects publisher desires to create mass market, accessibleproducts which can generate maximum profit for them. However today I’m posing the question “Have singleplayer games becometoo easy?”Early games were far more challenging than they are now and initiallythis was largely due to the lack of a save option. You had to play thething all the way through in one sitting, when you ran out of lives youhad to start again from the start. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t missreplaying the first three levels of a scrolling shooter twenty timesjust to progress past that tricky missile but the sense of achievementand immersion is reduced when you complete a game in half hour chunksover a month. Upon completing modern games I rarely feel the same rushof pride that I did from reaching the end of Double Dragon or IkariWarriors. ATI HD 2600 Pro 256MB Video Card ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jan-15-08] (0 Comments) ATI's HD 2600 XT is a pretty nice card. It plays games acceptably well,consumes a negligible amount of power, and has flawless video acceleration.It's my first choice for the mainstream. So where does that leave the HD2600 Pro? Being a cut-down, budget version of a cool card, what, then, ismissing? The HD 2600 Pro is targeted to anyone who wants a discreet videocard, the casual gaming ilk, but doesn't really want either the lowest-endmodel or to spend over a hundred dollars. All that seems reasonable, butit's just not true. I think the GDDR3, 256MB HD 2600 Pro should be skippedaltogether. It does a couple things right, but misses the mark too often. Ultra M998 Mid-Tower Case @ modders-inc.com [Jan-14-08] (0 Comments) The M998 brings several great features to the table like analuminum chassis, 11 drive bays, removable motherboard tray, casters, andoffers complete accessibility to your hardware just to name a few. BGear b-Tarantula 650W power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-14-08] (0 Comments) If you are not familiar with the BGear name, their newest productmaybe the one to get them noticed. The newly released b- Tarantula powersupply is it. The b-Tarantula is a modular unit with some unique cableextensions and also boasts a large 135mm cooling fan. We will talk moreabout the cable extensions later but another thing to know is that the unitcomes a 550 and 650 watt models. Not everyone needs crazy amount of powerbut is the b-Tarantula deserving to be placed in your rig? Lets see. [News] ASUS Triton 75 CPU Cooler @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-14-08] (0 Comments) Asus offers a myriad of CPU coolers, ranging from fanned, to fanswith LED's, to the silent fan-less models. Most of the coolers areuniversally compatible with AMD and Intel processors. So, with this manyoptions, what type of cooler will we have in this review? Well, I'm sure youalready have a pretty good idea just from the name in the title, but I willstill name it fully here. The CPU cooler in the spotlight this time aroundis the ASUS Triton 75. The Triton 75 is a fan-less CPU cooler that helpsdissipates heat away from the core roughly 10% faster than other coolers.The fan-less design allows the end user to choose whatever brand of 120mmfan they want. Supertalent ProjectX 2GB DDR3-1800 Memory Kit @ rbmods.com [Jan-14-08] (0 Comments) When things named ProjectX drops down the mailbox or are delivered to Nexus Caterpillar Silent System PC Case @ rbmods.com [Jan-11-08] (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? Nexus, makers of a wide range of computer products,has developed a new case, the Nexus Caterpillar Silent System PC Case, whichhas added features to reduce computer noise. Will this caterpillar turninto a butterfly? Let's find out in this review. The Booth Babes @ thinkcomputers.org [Jan-11-08] (0 Comments) This year at CES we saw everything from car audio to laptops.Amongst all of the craziness of CES we were able to get some photos of thenice ladies showing off the new products. We even had our own editor AshleyDonaldson pose with some of the models! We know everyone loves booth babesso without further ado I present our CES 2008 Booth Babe Gallery! Antec TruePower Quattro 1000W @ swemod.com [Jan-11-08] (0 Comments) SweMOD has today posted a new review, today it is the Antec TruePowerQuattro 1000W power supply. A high performance power supply that should beable to handle the most demanding equipment available for home computing.Head over to SweMOD to find out more! GIGABYTEs Dynamic Energy Saver Detailed @ tweaktown.com [Jan-10-08] (0 Comments) First of all, DES is not a fad and it will be available on pretty much all GIGABYTE motherboards bar the really low-end models. However, t he roll-out will take some time but the good news is that GIGABYTE has al ready shipped motherboards with DES.As you surely have figured out, Dynamic Energy Saver is something that wi ll save power; but it's not very clear how this works from a marketing name alone, so let's take a closer look at how it all works. Antec P182 @ swemod.com [Jan-10-08] (0 Comments) SweMOD has today posted yet another review and this time it is the Antec Ultra Power Partner PSU @ rbmods.com [Jan-09-08] (0 Comments) As component power demand grows, so do power supply outputs; nowadaysit's not uncommon to see a 1000W+ power supply being offered. But what ifyou already have a decent power supply but just want to add a bit morejuice? Ultra, well-known makers of a wide range of power products, mighthave created the answer to that question with the release of the Ultra PowerPartner Power Supply. This add-on supply provides an additional power sourceto help out your existing power supply. Is adding this supply worth thetrouble? Read on to find out. Belkin SATA2 w/ eSATA @ swemod.com [Jan-09-08] (0 Comments) SweMOD has today posted a review on a SATA add-on card with one eSATA port HIS HD 3850 IceQ 3 Turbo 512MB @ insidehw.com [Jan-08-08] (0 Comments) As usually, after the basic models all made in the same fashion asthe referent one, the first cards with more exotic cooling systems begin toarrive. Not that it is an imperative with such cold weather at the moment,but an overclocker values each degree Celsius. This time, we got a graphicscard from HIS, made in cooperation with ArcticCooling, the (in)famousmanufacturer of different advanced cooling systems for PC components. Thefull name of the graphics card we present you with today is HIS HD 3850 512MB DDR3 IceQ 3 Turbo. Geeks Apple iPod Nano 3rd Generation @ rbmods.com [Jan-07-08] (0 Comments) When you think about digital music players, one name comes to mindimmediately:iPod. Apple has regained its popularity thanks to their lineof iPods, including the Itouch, Iphone, Shuffle, etc. But are they worthall the hype? Geeks.com, popular online retailer, sent us the thirdgeneration, 8GB version of the Apple iPod Nano. Read on to find out ourtake on the latest incarnation of the popular media player. Vizo Luxon Advanced @ swemod.com [Jan-07-08] (0 Comments) SweMOD has today posted a review on the external enclosure Luxon Advanced SteelSeries Ikari mouse and SP mousemat @ bit-tech.net [Jan-06-08] (0 Comments) The Ikari is one of the best mice I've ever had a chance tolook at =96and because drinking tea at your desk is a constant hazard for me, I'velooked at more than my fair share of mice. It ranks up there with theLogitech G5 and the Razer DeathAdder.It has two problems though =96 specifically and only two. First, theenforced ergonomics on it mean that it won't be suitable for all handsand grip types, so you'll definitely want to go hands-on with a demomodel before you buy it. Secondly, the two thumb buttons are a tad toosmall for my taste. Occasionally your thumb will have to search for theright place to push. Despite that though, the Ikari is still easy to wield and will suitmost gamers down to a tee without forcing you to pay through the nosefor features you'll never use. If you're reallybothered by how heavy your mouse is then you may want to lookelsewhere, but if you're man enough to admit that you don't really mindthen the Ikari is the mouse for you. Zalman CNPS9700 NT CPU Cooler @ rbmods.com [Dec-29-07] (0 Comments) We've seen a lot of intricate CPU coolers, from large air-cooledunits to liquid coolers to peltiers. Yet despite all the different companiesthat create these coolers, one name often comes to mind:Zalman.AcousticPC.com, well-known retailer for a wide variety of quiet performanceproducts, provided us a sample of one of their popular CPU cooler offerings,the Zalman CNPS9700 NT. Will good things come in large packages? That is thequestion we're going to answer in this review Jeantech Absolute 1000w Modular PSU @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Dec-28-07] (0 Comments) The rails on this PSU look very beefy, and the breakdown shows that most of the power comes from the 12v rails (Certain manufacturers cheat the wattage ratings of their PSU’s; by pushing up the 3.3v and 5v rails to amounts that will not be used in modern computers as modern computers need lots of power on the 12v rail. And this power supply has plenty of 12v juice). Tagan TG700-U88 BZ 700 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Dec-27-07] (0 Comments) And their latest unit to grace the shelves of your local retailer isthe BZ line. The BZ is not only another power supply to your collection butit offers somethings that are a little out of the norm for power supplies.Tagan threw in the mix of LED lights and other safety precautions to theusual 135mm fan and modular cables. We all know that Tagan makes great powersupplies but this just adds to the goodness. So, lets see if this goodnessis worthy of being put into your rig. Corsair Twinx3x2048-1600 DDR3 Ram Kit @ rbmods.com [Dec-27-07] (0 Comments) Today it is time to take a look at one of the DDR3 kits on themarket. So far it has seemed that the ram costs more than it actually gives.The performance has been lacking and users have had to pay alot of money toget these types of kits. Lets see how well it performs and overclocks intonights review. Raidmax Aztec Gaming Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Dec-26-07] (0 Comments) Among the first PC cases I reviewed, and the first expensive one (Iconsider mid-towers over $150USD expensive) was the Raidmax Samurai. Thoughthe chassis was your standard steel tool-free case, it was covered with astreamlined polystyrene shell, with a sprayed-on showcar paint job. It wasRaidmax's top of the line gaming case at the time. The shell gave it anall-out modded look, and there wasn't any other pre-modded case on themarket that came close. That was four years ago. The Samurai is stillundoubtedly the most radical case I have owned, and the friend I gave it tostill uses it and still gets favorable comments on it, ranging fromadmiration to awe. It is the last Raidmax product I had my hands on, so I amlooking forward to seeing if the Aztec lives up to my expectations for aRaidmax gaming case, a well-made case that is definitely not boring. I wouldalso hope to see some decent cooling for today's hot CPUs and GPUs. Read onto see if it does. Nexus HXR-5500 RAM Cooler @ rbmods.com [Dec-25-07] (0 Comments) As computer performance increases, the need to cool the internalcomponents of the computer becomes greater. While we focus a lot ofattention on the CPU, video card, and case fan cooling solutions, anothercooling product that is starting to become more prominent are RAM/memorycoolers. Nexus, makers of a variety of silent PC components, has released anew silent RAM cooler, the Nexus HXR-5500 RAM cooler. Will this solutionprove to be silent yet remain functional? Let's find out. Toshiba Satellite P205D-S7479 Notebook @ techgage.com [Dec-24-07] (0 Comments) Toshiba's latest AMD notebook offering proves that eventhose on a relative budget deserve a feature-packed model. Besides its17-inch display, the P205D-S7479 offers nice harman/kardon speakers, athumbprint reader, a large 250GB hard-drive, an ATI HD 2600 - all for alight price. Mod of the Year 2007 - vote to win some great prizes! @ bit-tech.net [Dec-24-07] (0 Comments) To end 2007, we've got one of the biggest competitions inmoddinghistory. We pit twelve of the best mods against one another to find outwhich is worthy being named Mod of the Year. The winner will walk awaywith a complete top end system, and there are a bunch of prizes for youreaders as well! Patriot Extreme Performance PC3-10666 DDR3 @ pro-clockers.com [Dec-24-07] (0 Comments) Take Patriot for example, they were first to release faster DDR2module before others. And with the success they had with their DDR2, lineupsurely will carry over to the DDR3 series as well. We at Pro-Clockers willbe right there to present them to you. But to start off the new line we havewith us today the PDC32G1333LLK from the PC3 Extreme Performance line. Themodules sport the new classic Patriot Aluminum bladed heat shields. Thesleek lined heat spreaders protect a 1333 MHz monster with low timingunderneath. Does this have enough umph to get to you to ditch your old DDR2and move into the 21th century? Read the following pages to find out. [News] bGears b-Tarantula 650W Modular Power Supply @ virtual-hideout.net [Dec-24-07] (0 Comments) The outward appearance is pretty decent and quite clean. b-Gears puta bit of focus on this new power supply line that's nice to see, especiallyfor a final revision. Not much can really be improved upon a PSU that is abit more budget oriented. You might find the cabling idea a little toounique at first, but it'll surprise you just how handy it can be redirectingthe modular cables for easier connecting. Users with a more compact computercase will like how much easier it is to maneuver the wiring. If there's aweakness in the b-Gears 650 Watt b-Tarantula power supply, I couldn't findit. If you want to save some cash and don't need that over rated Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200.11 Hard Drive @ tweaktown.com [Dec-23-07] (0 Comments) We have been given a new HDD from Seagate to test based on their ever growing Barracuda 7200 series, this being the 11th generation drive which they call the 7200.11 and it boasts a whopping 1TB storage capacity. We will be pitting the Seagate 7200.11 against our 7200.10 500GB drive and the Western Digital RE2 750GB model. We have also added a new test to the fray, HD Tune which does a good all round job of testing the HDD. Soundgraph iMon Ultra Bay @ rbmods.com [Dec-22-07] (0 Comments) Nowadays, computers are replacing home theater components as the mainsource of media content such as music, videos, and movies. However,controlling the computer without a keyboard and a mouse can be cumbersome.Thankfully, companies are now starting to develop products that allow you tocontrol your computer remotely in a much easier fashion. Quiet PC USA,suppliers of a wide variety of quiet computer hardware, sent us one of theirofferings, the Soundgraph iMon Ultra Bay, that offers to provide easycontrol of the media content on the PC. Will it prove to be as easy as itsounds? That's what we're going to find out in today's review. PC Apex Daily Disturbance // Teh Christmas Story... of PWNAGE! (A PC Apex Tradition) @ forums.pcapex.com [Dec-22-07] (0 Comments) "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, except Vladmir's LED modded mouse.The computer was glowin', the icons were hopping,As a hapless nublets did their last minute camping. Rosewill RX81US Hard Drive Enclosure @ modders-inc.com [Dec-21-07] (0 Comments) The Rosewill RX81US-HT-35B-BLK external drive chassis positionsitself with the tried and true USB 2.0 as well as the up and coming eSATAstandard. With a screw-less chassis, LED activity lights, aluminumconstruction, and support for up to 1TB drives... is this chassis the answerto your external storage needs? Ultra m998 PC Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Dec-21-07] (0 Comments) Ultra makes fantastic products. Its cases, power supplies, fans, andsuch are top-notch and quite affordable. The Ultra m998 PC Case is noexception to this. It's one of the company's newest high-end enthusiastcases. It's solidly built and easy to install and modify-Ultra's exclusivePower Bar makes power cable management incredibly easy and simply fantastic.It's also the first case I've seen with a front eSATA port. ThinkComputerstakes a look at the m998 in this review. Carbon Li case mod worklog @ bit-tech.net [Dec-20-07] (0 Comments) Just in timefor the end of the year, we've had the chance to sit downwith Ediejo, one of bit-tech's most talented modders, and write up oneof his most popular projects of 20