Saturday, August 16 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:25 PM (EDT) |
"One product category that has grown rapidly in popularity recently is the Solid State Drive or SSD. By using an array of flash memory chips grouped together in a standard-sized enclosure, the SSD offers several benefits over a traditional hard disk drive. For one, they have no moving parts, so they operate completely free of noise. They also produce very little heat, which should make them ideal for use in tight spaces where cooling is a concern, like laptops and other portables. Their greater tolerance for vibration and shock are also a boon for notebook use, as is their lighter weight." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:25 PM (EDT) |
Mushkin has also jumped the 4 GB DDR2 memory bandwagon and is offering these kits at tighter than usual latencies. This kit runs at 4-4-4-12 at 2.0 - 2.1V. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:25 PM (EDT) |
Patriot lets the snakes loose with their Viper Series DDR3 kit rated at 1800MHz. We stocked up on anti-venom and let Jason Dumbaugh loose into the lab to wrestle some numbers from the kit. Does the Viper kit strike for a win or do we find that it lacks true fangs? |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:24 PM (EDT) |
"Up on the review block today we've got the Sentry LX Aluminum Dual Bay Fan Controller from NZXT and it's very well made, easy to install and even easier to use. The Sentry LX is a stylish black colored aluminum with diamond cut accents so it will fit in nicely with most any chassis. " |
ASUS TOP 512MB GeForce 9600GT Graphics Card Review @ Bigbruin.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:24 PM (EDT) |
While the saying is that you get what you paid for, I think you might get a little extra with the ASUS TOP 512MB GeForce 9600GT. While you could easily spend three, four, or five times as much to have the latest and greatest video card, if you are satisfied with "really good" performance and a fatter wallet in the end, the ASUS TOP 512MB GeForce 9600GT is a good choice. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:23 PM (EDT) |
The original CrossHair was great, at the time, but we feel the CrossHair II is one to miss. I think Asus has done what it can with what Nvidia and AMD has handed over, but ultimately there are better products elsewhere that can be had for a fraction of the price. The swanky pants Republic of Gamer board might do a lot of things pretty well, but nothing spectacularly like you'd expect. It feels decidedly average at the end of the day, and we don't drop £150 on an average product. |
Top Socket 1366 Heatsink Questions Answered @ Frostytech.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:22 PM (EDT) |
"The first Intel socket LGA1366 heatsinks have landed in the Frostytech labs from a well known heatsink company whose name we can't mention, and we expect to have a full collection of LGA1366 heastink reviews shortly. In the mean time, answers to questions like: 1). Will current Intel socket 775 heatsinks fit on Intel socket 1366 motherboards? 3). Do Nehalem socket 1366 heatsinks use the plastic push pin clips, or something new? 2). If I use a socket 775-to-1366 adaptor bracket to make my existing Intel heatsink fit onto a Socket 1366 motherboard, is that okay? " |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:22 PM (EDT) |
Need to build a new rig on the cheap? Need modest Crossfire support, and a decent feature-set? The ECS P45T-A might be worthy of your consideration, as it packs in a good amount of functionality, solid performance, a cool color scheme and of course, a good price tag, of around $110. |
Cooler Master Passive Hyper Z600 CPU Cooler Review @ XtremeComputing |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:21 PM (EDT) |
"Today we are looking at their mammoth Hyper Z600, a Passive capable CPU cooler that weighs over a kilogram(!) and towers over 6" high. While my motherboard sweats nervously in a corner, at the thought of supporting this giant cooler, let's take a look at the product packaging." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:21 PM (EDT) |
"Compared to its predecessor the Sentry 1, the LX can control three more fans and gather two more temperature readings. It's a good thing, because nowadays, cases tend to have more and more fans. The fact that it occupies two drive bays instead of one allows for a bigger screen to display all of the information at the same time. So you don't need to push any buttons to see the information you want, something that you needed to do with the Sentry 1." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:20 PM (EDT) |
A few weeks ago the world was greeted to a sight many people only read about. The sight I am referring to is the dead coming back to life. No I'm not talking about the next Robert Rodriguez joint. I am talking about the rebirth of ATI and their return to the forefront of PC gaming. In an event that took the world, and NVIDIA, by surprise ATI unleashed their HD 4800 series of cards upon us. With performance levels far surpassing the previous generation and coming in at a price reserved for lesser cards, is it any wonder ATI was able to return to their former glory overnight? |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:20 PM (EDT) |
"I have already taken a look at the BlacX USB and BlacX SE which is also a USB only desktop drive device. The Thermaltake BlacX units have started a new class in hard drive storage. You can’t really call them carriers since you don’t take them with you on the go, nor can you call them internal hot swap since they do not sit inside the case. I guess for now, until someone tells me differently we will call them desktop hot swap devices. |
Friday, August 15 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:03 PM (EDT) |
This External enclosure supports JBOD, Individual, Raid 0, and Raid 1 modes for effective storage management. It also has the Ability to accept two drives with a total capacity of 2TB. |
Audio-Technica ATH-CK7 Canal Headphones Reviewed @ TheTechLounge |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:02 PM (EDT) |
"So, are they truly studio-quality? Eh, if you had a studio you wouldn't put up with the sweepingly uneven amplification. You can compensate for it, and get some very impressive sound from these ATH-CK7s--rolls off the tongue, don't it?--but then they're going to be tied to whatever device you've got them plugged into. I can't use these with both my media player and my PC, because once I switch from my PC speakers, I have to reset my equalizer. And they would be a total waste if my media player didn't have a multi-band, customizable equalizer. There's no preset in the world that can correct for these babies." |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:02 PM (EDT) |
Hot on the heels of the previous DDR3 kit we slam in the Super Talent ProjectX kit rated at a blazing 1800MHz. Does this kit stand up to our other test kits so far or have we discovered a new meaning for the X? |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:02 PM (EDT) |
“Engineers from ASUS took into account every little detail while designing Crosshair II Formula motherboard and by taking a closer look at layout it is obvious that they didn’t economize with components integrated into this motherboard. This had big impact on final price tag for this motherboard but all this doesn’t guarantee that configuration based on this motherboard will work flawlessly and be able to satisfy needs of every overclocker out there…” |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:00 PM (EDT) |
“It IS a great sink in terms of quality, and usability. Anyone can install it, and almost anyone would appreciate it's appearance, yet it's performance and cost are found to be lacking. If you could find this heatsink on sale it would turn out to be a great buy, but otherwise... I'm not sure exactly what would motivate users to purchase it, other than an unusual fondness for Zalman, and a wee case.” |
Samsung Syncmaster 943B 19-inch LCD Display Review @ PCSTATS.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:00 PM (EDT) |
"On the PCSTATS test bench today is the new Samsung Syncmaster 943B 19" LCD/TFT monitor. The Syncmaster 943B is a mainstream/business oriented LCD display with a competitive price tag of about $290 CDN ($290USD / £60 GBP). The Samsung Syncmaster 943B offers users a luscious black 19" screen (5:3 aspect ratio) with a native resolution of 1280x1024 pixels." |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:00 PM (EDT) |
Today we are taking a look at another DDR3 kit on the market, this time it comes from Crucial. We got their PC3-10600 kit for review which is the first DDR3 kit that we look at from Crucial. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:59 PM (EDT) |
Powercolor's latest HD 4850 PCS graphics card is based on the AMD HD 4850 reference design but comes with an improved cooler and slightly increased core clocks. While the overclock makes only a small performance difference, the cooler substantially improves the product. Even under load the PCS 4850 is barely audible which makes it the quietest graphics card ever tested - of all performance classes. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:59 PM (EDT) |
Lian-Li's reputation in the world of computer enthusiasts is legendary and their products are considered to be some of the best quality cases available. Today we will take a look at one of their larger ATX midi tower cases the V1010B. The V1010B is a very spacious midi tower case which can easily be mistaken for a full tower and it is loaded with features ... the end result is something quite special indeed. |
OCZ Rally2 Turbo 4GB Flash Drive Review @ Techconnect Magazine |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:59 PM (EDT) |
"Looking at the drive tested today it’s quite impressive realizing how much one word - Turbo - can make a difference. While it kept the basic design of the Rally2 intact, OCZ has went all-out with the skin/metal casing deep enhancements and made the Turbo drive a lot more attractive by giving it a substantial boost in transfer speed." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:58 PM (EDT) |
"For the last year and a half, ATI have been the underdog when it came to top end performance, with nVidia truly ruling the roost with it's high power GTX cards dominating anything ATI could throw at them. However, now ATI are fighting back with their latest 4 series cards which promise to match the new 2 series from nVidia on performance, while beating them on price. Today I have a 4850 from the kind folks at Sapphire to try out. Let's see how it stacks up." |
Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-14400 Memory Kit with Intel XMP @ Legit Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:58 PM (EDT) |
"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..." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:56 PM (EDT) |
"I’ve seen more 9600 GT cards than I would like to honestly admit. The bottom line is, though, that the card does offer some excellent value for money and if you don’t have the budget to buy new high-end cards like the HD 4870 or GTX 280 and GTX 260, the 9600 GT still remains a very good option. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:55 PM (EDT) |
OCZ prepares to take on the world of gaming keyboards with their new Alchemy Elixir, part of the company's Alchemy lineup of gaming peripherals. How does it stack up to the competition from established gaming peripheral companies like Razer, Logitech, and Creative? |
Thursday, August 14 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:34 AM (EDT) |
Solid State Drives have become a subject of keen familiarity for Benchmark Reviews over the past year. After testing more than a dozen SSDs, I have watched the industry opinion of these cutting-edge products sway from luxury item to performance hardware necessity. While it cannot be denied that SSDs are still a pricey gadget best suited for the affluent enthusiast, there have been so many new developments that now cost is sharply on the decline while performance is continually rising. With prices being much more affordable, and performance having surpassed the best HDD products long ago, it all boils down to a good price-to-performance ratio. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the premium MSP-SATA7525 SATA-II SSD from Mtron, a company that has become the grandfather of Solid State Drives. We dispel the myths associates with SSD products, and prove that Intel's ICH10 controller is still not ready for Solid State Drive performance. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:33 AM (EDT) |
Kingston provided two of their HyperX DDR3 1600MHz ram for your enjoyment. Jason Dumbaugh happily popped them into our TechwareLabs test rig and too it for a ride. Find out if the HyperX is as fast as it looks or if we blew out in the curves. If you are looking for some new sticks rated for speed then our review is a must read. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:33 AM (EDT) |
"Thanks to a glowing array of 115 individual OLED displays fitted under its keys, Art Lebedev's Optimus Maximus is the first and only keyboard that literally morphs before your eyes. Pressing shift and watching all the letters beneath your fingers leap to caps gives you some idea what the Maximus is capable of, and why it's become one of the most hyped-up, fawned-over and generally talked-about devices on the Web. While it delivers sheer novelty value in spades, we found that its princely pricetag, layout and reliability woes may threaten its practicality as a typing device." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:33 AM (EDT) |
"When buying a hard disk drive most users are only concerned with the drive's capacity. Should you also care about performance? We compared the performance of nine 320 GB SATA-300 hard disk drive models from Seagate, Samsung, Western Digital and Hitachi. Is there a big performance difference among them? Is it worthwhile to pay a little bit more and get a drive with a bigger buffer? If so, which is the fastest 320 GB in the market? Check it out!" |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:32 AM (EDT) |
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 200 series of graphics cards have undergone a significant price reduction since they first debuted. At the time, NVIDIA flexed its GPU muscle with a high-end, single GPU graphics design that their primary competition (AMD) could only compete with by throwing two GPUs at the problem. As such, NVIDIA initially priced their flagship GeForce GTX 280 at a significant premium; $649 upon its introduction on launch day. Would you believe us, if we told you back then, that these cards would be selling for $200 dollars less in only about two months time? |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:32 AM (EDT) |
"Thermalright has undoubtedly created a legendary heatsink with their Ultra Extreme. I am pleased to say that their new TRUE Black 120 is no exception and has thoroughly impressed me. Its performance was second to none on our toasty Q6600 test platform. Not only did it best all sixteen other heatsinks we have tested, it did so by a significant margin." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:31 AM (EDT) |
"The only company in the world to market a blank keyboard is back at it again, this time with a pair of planks that have been completely redesigned from the ground up. Can Metadot's Das Keyboard shock the world again?" |
Asrock X38 TurboTwins-Wifi Socket 775 Motherboard @ Pro-Clockers |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:31 AM (EDT) |
It has been a short while since we have had an Asrock motherboard on our test bench. Today, we are ending that dwelt with the X38TurboTwins-WiFi. We know that the X38 is almost a thing of the past but for some of us it is the best priced way to get 16x across two slots when wanting to run a Crossfire setup. So read along as we take the X38TurboTwin for a ride. |
XFX GeForce 9600GT XXX Edition Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:31 AM (EDT) |
"The XFX 9600GT XXX Alpha Dog Edition provides a solid performance/price card that easily fits into most gamer gamer budgets. Given it's minimal power requirements and single-slot cooler, the 9600GT would be at home in the meekest OEM computer or a mid-range custom gaming computer. The XFX 9600GT XXX Alpha Dog Edition is definitely not the fastest option available on the market but it is one of the better buys when you are trying to get the best bang for your buck. If you are gaming at 1280x1024 I would highly recommend the 9600GT as a solid purchase that will hold strong for another 12 months with medium to high quality settings in current and upcoming titles..." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:30 AM (EDT) |
Lets face it; the web is filled with entitlement issues. For a few dollars a month we gain access to the world via an Internet connection. We want sports scores and we dont want to wait for the sports networks on television to scroll their list, so we log on and get the score. We missed a portion of a television show we like so we log on and often find the program available to watch on demand. |
Maxtor BlackArmor 160GB Encrypted Portable Drive Review @ Bigbruin.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:30 AM (EDT) |
The BlackArmor 160GB encrypted portable drive provides a unique twist on a rather common item. Portable hard drives are everywhere, and in general are easy ways for people to lose valuable personal or business data. Security is the key feature of this product, and if protecting your portable data is a high priority, Maxtor has made it just about fool proof. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:29 AM (EDT) |
With ATI and NVIDIA both releasing monster GPU's simultaneously it's hard to find that one product that offers good performance for price. When the ATI 4870 and 4850 came out we found ourselves astonished that ATI was closing the lead between their single GPU cards and the single GPU offerings from NVIDIA. |
ASRock K10N750SLI-WiFi AMD Socket AM2 Motherboard Review @ OCInside |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:29 AM (EDT) |
ASRock left the low-budget market and have entered the high-end market with the K10N750SLI-WiFi Socket AM2+ motherboard. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:28 AM (EDT) |
AMD has done a great job with the Radeon HD 4870 X2 and it has snatched the crown for the fastest graphics card in the world back from Nvidia in the process. Like we’ve said though, it’s not all rosy and there are drawbacks associated with buying a Radeon HD 4870 X2, just like there are with any other multi-GPU configuration. As long as you’re prepared to accept them, then the Radeon HD 4870 X2 is well worth considering if you’ve got that kind of cash to throw around. |
ASrock Penryn 1600SLI X3-WiFi nForce 680i SLI Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:28 AM (EDT) |
"The Penryn1600SLI X3-WiF motherboard is built on nVidia's nForce 680i SLI chipset, and as you may have guessed this platform supports Intel 'penryn' quad core, 45nm 'yorkfield' and dual core 'wolfdale' processors. Essentially, Intel's full family of 45nm quad and dual core chips, ranging from 800-1600MHz front side bus are spec'd out as compatible." |
Wednesday, August 13 2008 |
Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 Video Card Review @ Motherboards.org |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:59 PM (EDT) |
There is nothing to balk about with this release, even the price is not overtly overboard from an out of gate newcomer X2 series card as the 4870 X2 will even out price wise at about $500.00 US, and that's not too out of line for what the card offers and represents. Most cards lately from either ATI or NVIDIA have been overpriced, usually in the over $600.00 range and that really puts the card out of the reach of most people's budgets. $500.00 for the top of the line card when it hits the streets is reasonable in today's PC market where top of the line CPUs are $1200.00, motherboards $400.00 and 4GB ofDDR3 memory are $300.00 as these are the major components that make up your gaming computer. Palit and ATI together have a solid winning victory in the new Radeon HD 4870 X2 card, it a serious Editor's Choice product for anyone who is serious about their game. |
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad 750W PSU Review @ PCSTATS.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:58 PM (EDT) |
"In this review PCSTATS will be evaluating the Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad power supply. The 750W Quad is a unit that hardware enthusiasts should like. The Silencer 750 Quad has been nVIDIA SLI certified (it has four PCI Express videocard power connectors), runs at 83% efficiency and can deliver 825W of peak power. Team that up with a five year warranty and tech suppor and you have a comprehensive package." |
Palit Radeon 4870 X2 CrossFire Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:58 PM (EDT) |
"If you want the absolute best when it comes to gaming graphics performance a pair of Radeon HD 4870 X2 cards are what you need. They are super fast graphics cards and at $549 each they aren't priced too high compared to where other cards have launched in the past few years. AMD has done a great job with these cards and they were able to take back the performance crown with the release of these cards. NVIDIA can no longer say they have the fastest graphics card and that has to hurt with NVISION just a couple weeks away..." |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:58 PM (EDT) |
“The Venders area was a lot smaller than the last Quakecon I attended in 2k5, I don’t really know the reason why. The big Intel/Dell/Alienware trailer always had a lot of attention, tournaments and giveaways. AMD/ATI took up the largest area, with gaming stations on all 4 corners, and a small stage in the middle.” |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:57 PM (EDT) |
“Biostar introduced “office version” of motherboard based on “office” AMD RS740 chipset. Graphics core is based on RV410, identical graphics core as for AMD RD690 chipset. DX10 is not supported, which isn’t a big problem because there isn’t any integrated graphics that can run DX10 games with decent framerate yet. Communication between CPU and chipset is limited to 1 GHz, as for 690G, and in case of full duplex: 2 GHz (communication is carried out in both directions). Since 740G doesn’t support HTT 3.0 (690G doesn’t support it to), it is bottleneck as far as performances of integrated GPU are concerned…” |
Arctic Cooling Arctic Breeze Fan-on-a-Stick @ Frostytech.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:57 PM (EDT) |
"The Arctic Breeze is a fan on the end of flexible metal neck which is attached to a weighed base. It is powered by a USB cable, and has two speed settings and an off button. Not knowing what the Breeze is supposed to be used for, our first excitement led us to the hypothesis that the Breeze was a miniature wind turbine for generating electricity off the exhaust fans from your PC..." |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:56 PM (EDT) |
"The Siberia Full-Size Headset really is the original headset that was released by Icemat back in 2005. The only |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:56 PM (EDT) |
"AMD is saying that the new Radeon HD 4870 X2 which was released today is the fastest single video card in the world today. Is that so? Let's compare its performance to all other high-end video cards available today. Check it out." |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:56 PM (EDT) |
ATI recently came back to kick Nvidia's tail in the marketplace with the new 48XX series cards. And what is better than having one 4870 in your rig . . . why of course having the 4870 X2. We check out the newly released Palit 4870 X2 and give you the scoop on true performance and power of this dually beast. Does the bionic frog on the box top really leap ahead? |
Thermaltake ProWater 850i Liquid Cooling Kit Review @ OCIA.net |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:55 PM (EDT) |
"While unfamiliarity with the Thermaltake name requires residence under a rock in a remote land, this big named company has also been producing water cooling kits and components for several years now and as such is a known name in the business. Today, I have the Thermaltake ProWater 850i, a complete liquid cooling kit for your CPU. While complete kits don’t have the best reputation for performance, they do serve as fantastic introductions to the water scene. Their upgradeability makes them a great introductory choice for beginners and they come with thorough manuals to help ease the leap of faith that is liquid cooling." |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:55 PM (EDT) |
"Wireless networking technology is evolving rather rapidly with 802.11n Draft 2 Wi-Fi currently being the standard of choice when going out to the store and picking up the latest router. If you are in the right place, you also have the choice of connecting your devices to the outside world via 3G or faster HSDPA 3.5G and beyond. If you are really in the right place, you might have the option to use WiMAX. Wireless technology is a wonderful technology and it is really pushing radio to extreme limits. |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:54 PM (EDT) |
"So, would we buy the Silent Pro 700W? It certainly takes precedent over the now ageing but still hugely popular Corsair HX series, though when you compare it to the Dark Power Pro 650W it doesn't quite cut it. Don't get us wrong though, it's still an excellent purchase if you don't want a Be Quiet!, but be prepared to throw out the craptacular rubber surround because it can survive without it. On the whole, it feels like a very good product, but one attempting to be better than it is, albeit made up by a good price." |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:54 PM (EDT) |
"Most of the video cards I have looked at lately have a good bit of headroom for the enthusiast crowd. I was expecting the HD 4870X2 to offer that same level of overhead for overclocking. The HD 4870X2 gave up a little bit of love, but not as much as I had hoped for - 55MHz on the GPU cores and 50MHz on the GDDR5 memory. Both pretty low numbers when you consider that this video card is an enthusiast-level card. I suspect that heat is the main culprit in limiting the overclocking here. With temperatures in the range of 90+ degrees Celsius, heat is a major concern, and may ultimately be the problem to solve to get more overhead. At 955MHz on the memory, I ended up with large colored blotches on the screen. At 950MHz, the problem disappeared. On the GPU cores, once I got over 805MHz, I was greeted with lockups and reboots. Setting up a profile in the Catalyst Control Center and modifying the XML file for the profile did not help, as it has with the 4850 and 4870 video cards. The fan speed never changed, so I was left with a hot card and no way to cool it down any more than the drivers would allow; as with any piece of hardware, your mileage may vary. Knowing what my limits were on the clock speeds, I decided to see how much the CPU clock speed was impacting performance. So I pulled the Q9450 and put in my trusty QX9770 to get some real clock speed to find out what kind of performance difference the CPU makes. At 400x10, the performance did not let me down. In 3DMark06 at the default 1280x1024 resolution, the combo did not disappoint - 22520 was the score I achieved." |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:53 PM (EDT) |
AMD has gone too long without a real high-end graphics card to compete with the competition, but they're done with the pity, and prove it with the HD 4870 X2, which becomes the fastest graphics card the planet has ever seen. It may cost more than the competition, but its end performance easily negates that premium. |
Tuesday, August 12 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:39 PM (EDT) |
Today we have the opportunity to test the card in its shipping form with a driver which is much closer to the version consumers will receive. We will be running the card through a selection of the latest and greatest games at resolutions up to 2560x1600 as well as testing Blu-Ray acceleration and CrossFireX performance. The big question that needs answered ..... are ATI back at the top of their game? |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:39 PM (EDT) |
Today AMD released their new HD 4870 X2 graphics cards. They are based on two RV770 GPUs on one PCB. With a total of 1600 shaders and 2 GB GDDR5 memory the card has excellent chances to achieve the goal "fastest graphics card in the world". |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:38 PM (EDT) |
The Radeon HD 4800 series didn't exactly overwhelm NVIDIA's GTX 200 series with raw performance. In fact, the GeForce GTX 280 and 9800 GX2 were more powerful than the Radeon HD 4870. The Radeon HD 4800 series cards, however, were still excellent cards and they were offered at extremely competitive prices, which put significant pressure on NVIDA. At the time of their launch, the Radeon HD 4850 and Radeon HD 4870 were both less expensive and more powerful than the GeForce 9800 GTX and GeForce GTX 260, respectively. Since then, NVIDIA has reacted with a quick round of price cuts. |
Palit Radeon HD4870 X2 2GB Video Card Review @ Hardware Canucks |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:38 PM (EDT) |
There hopefully isn't a soul alive in the enthusiast community who isn't even partially surprised with how well ATI has been able to turn around their fortunes but there is one area they have not yet tackled: the ultra high-end performance crown. Riding on the coattails of their recent inroads, today marks the launch of their HD4870 X2 2GB card which is looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of the 4800-series while taking performance to the next level. |
ATI HD4870X2 vs NVIDIA GTX 280 - High-End VGA Comparison @ Madshrimps |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:38 PM (EDT) |
"ATI launches their high end single VGA card today, the HD4870X2 is compared to NVIDIA top offering in this review using 8 different games to see which ones comes out on top. Read on to find out!" |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:37 PM (EDT) |
"There are a few points that the Specifications don't cover. The first is MSI's new DrMOS and GreenPower, aimed at increasing power efficiency and lowering power usage. The P45 Platinum has some ye olde overclocking jumpers which allow you to increase the base FSB via hardware; personally I think this will be a little used feature by most. Enough time has passed that this would seem like a new feature to many, but the old(er) folks will remember these from days gone by when New Kids On The Block were cool. Like NKOTB, they should have probably remained in the past. That said, MSI's RapidBoost feature used in conjunction with the jumpers might better justify their inclusion." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:37 PM (EDT) |
"While Lenovo's ultra-sleek X300 may have stolen the show as the company's MacBook Air competitor back in April, the machine's astronomic price tag also left most would-be buyers pressing against the window glass like gawkers at a Maserati dealership. To fill the gap between the flagship X300 and the smaller, but far more affordable 12.1-inch X61, Lenovo released the X61's successor in July, the X200. The reworked machine has grown in width to make room for a new widescreen XGA screen, picked up Intel's latest generation Montevina mobile chip for better speed and efficiency, and stirred in some extra features and refinements as well." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:36 PM (EDT) |
"Antec Twelve Hundred is a full-tower case targeted to gamers, with an impressive number of cooling options (six fans with speed control for all of them and also a switch to turn the top fan LED on or off), twelve 5 ¼" bays with nine of them available for hard disk drives and several other minor features, like washable dust filters. Let's take an in-depth look on this latest release by Antec." |
Seasonic M12-700W 12CM Modular Power Supply Review @ ModSynergy.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:36 PM (EDT) |
Well today I will be reviewing a 700W power supply from a company you all should know by now. It’s from a company that I’ve said is among the best in the industry and kick started the 80PLUS program mainstream. I remember I reviewed the old SS-300 and SS-400 power supplies from Seasonic a few years back and while it didn’t impress me, I’ve got to say Seasonic has improved leaps and bounds. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:35 PM (EDT) |
When you hop into a brand new GMC, you know you are getting all the power of a gas guzzling, four wheel drive behemoth that has sustained rednecks in their quest to get to their sister's trailer for the last few decades. Oh... this isn't that kind of GMC. Okay, I'll start over. Sorry rednecks. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:35 PM (EDT) |
With the recent release of the new ATI 48XX GPU's we've seen something that we haven't seen for a while: Ati GPU's in a direct head to head competition with the offerings from NVIDIA. Not only in a price for performance standpoint, like usual, but from a performance standpoint. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:34 PM (EDT) |
Recently we rammed some solid blue speed into our test rig and took it for a ride. With the Kingston DDR3 1375 behind the wheel Jason D shows you how this kit overclocks and how it will perform for you. The move to DDR3 could well be right for you right now. Read our review. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:33 PM (EDT) |
Overall I am impressed with Biostar's latest TPower offering, the I45. Performance is on par or better than the P35 and you get some added features such as PCI Express 2.0 and increased memory support. Overall layout is well thought out and shouldn't cause issues with any setup. |
Moneual MonCaso 972S Home Theater PC Case Review @ Bigbruin.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:33 PM (EDT) |
The Moneaul MonCaso 972S home theater PC case is something like an all-in-one solution for those looking to build a highly function, extremely attractive HTPC. You not only get a great case with plenty of top-notch features, but you also get a multi-function remote control and an integrated seven inch touchscreen to make interacting with your system enjoyable and convenient. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:32 PM (EDT) |
This is just what Thermalright did with the IFX-14. The cooler consists of twin towers linked by a set of heat pipes. Now I am not going to give you all the features here in the introduction. But I will tell you the cooler does come with a little surprise. Something that no other cooler comes with. If you want to know what it is then you will have to continue reading. |
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Express Motherboard @ PCSTATS.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:32 PM (EDT) |
"I love to know what magic its engineers infused into the Biostar TPower I45 motherboard to make it an overclocking monster, but reaching +600MHz FSB with this board is a real possibility! On first glance the Biostar TPower I45 motherboard has the appearence of a standard mid-range enthusiast friendly platform, but it's not until you start overclocking that it's true potential becomes apparent (as we'll see later in the review). The TPower I45 is based on Intel's new and very popular P45 Express and ICH10R chipsets." |
Patriot Viper PC3-16000 2GB Memory Kit Review @ HardwareLogic |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:32 PM (EDT) |
"Patriot tries to make the choice very clear with one of the fastest memory kits currently on the market. Specially designed for the high end 790i chipset, the Viper PC3-16000 kit sizzles at a stock speed of DDR3-2000. You read that right, 2000MHz! It also weighs in at 2GB (2x1GB) with timings of 9-9-9-24. Sporting an nVidia inspired bright green paint job, there is no mistaking these sticks among the sea of RAM choices available. If you are looking for a memory kit that can help push your system to its limit, you'll definitely want to keep reading as HardwareLogic throws these Vipers on the test bench to see what life at 2000MHz is really like." |
Monday, August 11 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:12 PM (EDT) |
“The Zalman ZM750-HP Power Supply passed testing and all my methods to melt it down. It's rated to 750 Watts and doesn't come up short in any power rail. If four 12v rails offering 20 amps each isn't enough, then consider Zalman's 850 or 1000 watt Heat Pipe models. Most users are going to find this PSU far more capable for their SLI based systems and endless drive arrays. It's a silent, clear winner from a name trusted by enthusiasts the world over. You can rest easy that the Zalman 750 Watt Heat Pipe Power Supply can fulfill its purpose.” |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:11 PM (EDT) |
"The MSI R4850...what is there to say about this video card - except that it rocked! The MSI R4850 was not only able to overclock higher than the Sapphire HD4850 that I recently tested, but the MSI card was also able to stay cooler under a full load than the Sapphire by about 20°C! I was very surprised when I saw that this card was competitively priced with the other HD4850 cards that have the stock cooling solution, which adds an extra value to the card. The performance of the R4850 surpassed the Sapphire HD4850 - not by much - however, in the benchmark world, every point makes a difference and adds even more value to the card." |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:11 PM (EDT) |
“How often you wanted to watch movie on TV that was stored on your PC? How did you solve the problem? Have you burned it on DVD and watched it on DVD player? Or have you watched it through TV-out on graphics card? Whatever you did, we are sure that at some point something bothered you, or the picture quality was really bad, or perhaps you just wanted simpler solution…” |
NZXT Sentry LX High Performance Fan Controller Review @ Rbmods |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:10 PM (EDT) |
We’ve seen a lot of fan controller designs here on rbmods.com, everything from simple knobs to more elaborate controllers. Today we get a chance to look at a new fan controller from NZXT, the NZXT Sentry LX High Performance Fan Controller. Will this product live up to its “high performance” claims? That is what we’re here to find out in this review. |
Super Talent 8GB Pico.C GOLD Flash Drive review @ Accelenation |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:10 PM (EDT) |
Every now and again two different innovations combine to produce a totally new product. This is exactly what occurred when the Universal Serial Bus interface combined with non-volatile flash memory, to produce a pen-sized plug-in storage device that required no batteries. Thus the USB flash drive was born. |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:10 PM (EDT) |
OCZ have made the boldest move lately with the release of their new Core Series SSD drives. The OCZ Core Series not only uses the latest SLC technology (which is currently the fastest commercial design), but their retail prices are half any other similar SSD drive at the time of their launch. |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:09 PM (EDT) |
Just think, not too many years ago you had to look to floppy disks and cd burning to put files on something you could carry with you, either for class or work or even as storage. Then came the flash drive, pen drive, removeable media, usb drive, etc... It has many names. They started out large and eventually got smaller and smaller. Today, Bjorn3D is happy to present to you the worlds smallest pen drive........ with BLING. The Super Talent 24K Gold PICO. It's about the size of a quarter and yet can hold 8GBs of information and water proof to boot. But does it really work? It is so small, and yes, I will even submerge it in water. |
Sunday, August 10 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:59 PM (EDT) |
The NZXT Avatar is the first input device from the famous case and power supply manufacturer. It offers up to 2600 DPI, clean symmetric looks and a driver software that can rival what Razer and Logitech offer. |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:59 PM (EDT) |
Planning a new build and don't know which chassis to choose? Does the idea of having a feature-packed mid-tower intrigue you? Well, the P190 is just that, with its intuitive design and two pre-installed power supplies, offering you a total of 1,200W of overkill pleasure. Is the case a true winner? Not exactly, but it's still worth a look. |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:58 PM (EDT) |
"Since 1987, Elitegroup Computer Systems has been providing motherboards to the masses and now stands as the fourth largest manufacturer in the world. I will be taking a look at ECS' latest creation, the P45T-A, based on Intel's fantastic P45 Express chipset. The motherboard arrived at HardwareLogic's West Coast Lab and immediately demanded attention with its 1333 FSB, CrossFire support, eSATA, 8 channel audio and 16GB of DDR2 capacity. And since its from ECS, you know its affordable. Take a few minutes to check out this review as I throw the P45T-A motherboard on to my test bench for some serious benchmarking. How did it do? There's only one way to find out." |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:58 PM (EDT) |
Gigabyte tends to release many motherboards on the same chipset and the X48 is no exception with no less than four X48 motherboards currently on their website. The X48T-DQ6 supports all of the latest Intel Core 2 Quad/Extreme/Duo CPUs and also supports the older Prescott CPUs which some motherboards don't due to the VRM 11.1 specification. The qualified memory support on the board is rather light as to their Qualified Vendor List on their website, with the lack of Samsung DDR3 memory above 1066MHz and no Crucial memory support on the QVL list at all though both companies' memory worked great when I tried them. Not exactly an Editor's Choice due to its lack of DDR3 support, but it is a Hot Product as it still has plenty of available options that make it worth taking a look at. |
Tritton AX Micro TRI-BH200 Bluetooth Headset Review @ DragonSteelMods |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:57 PM (EDT) |
"Today for review I've got the AX Micro Bluetooth Headset from Tritton, and it's a very interesting headset, unlike any I've ever seen. The majority of BT Headsets out there today have a rubber loop that goes over your ear, I personally do not care for these types as I've found they can be uncomfortable for long periods of use, but the Tritton AX Micro uses no such system to secure the headset to your ear, it actually goes in your ear and has rubber 'fingers' that push against the inside of your outer ear to hold the AX Micro in place. At first I was skeptical of this system but in my time with the AX Micro I've found it works very well and it is very comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The battery life is very good as is the overall sound quality... " |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:57 PM (EDT) |
“Prestigio GeoVision 350 belongs to low-cost GPS navigation devices (we could say that it is cheapest) but its exterior doesn’t give that impression. Casing and windshield cradle are nicely done without rough edges. They doesn’t look cheap and don’t give impression of low quality product. We don’t have any complaints neither on functionality neither on mobility of windshield cradle. In package we found 12V charger (with adapter for car cigarette lighter), USB cable, external (additional) GPS antenna and manual…” |
Palit GeForce 9800 GT 1 GB Video Card Review @ Hardware Secrets |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:57 PM (EDT) |
"GeForce 9800 GT is currently the simplest model inside nVidia's GeForce 9800 family. But in reality it is a GeForce 8800 GT with a new sticker. In this review we will compare the performance of this 1 GB model from Palit with current high-end video cards and also with the original GeForce 8800 GT with 512 MB and GeForce 8800 GTS with 320 MB." |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:56 PM (EDT) |
In the world of computer enthusiasts there is always a competition to have the newest, coolest, and most innovative case. Hiper (High Performance Group) a company known for its computer power supplies is now jumping into the high end computer case market. Anubis is the Egyptian god of the dead, will the Anubis 'kill' all the other computer cases in the market? |
Norcotek RPC-450 Rackmount Enclosure Review @ Virtual-Hideout |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:56 PM (EDT) |
“These two things, though quite bad on their own, don't obscure the wall of pros that come hurling along with this chassis. Firstly, is the complete modularity, and secondly is the included hardware - being able to fit 11 hard drives which are cooled off the bat is incredible, especially when they're actively cooled. Couple this with the fact that this is one of so very few cases at this price point which are capable of holding an extended ATX system, and the fact that when the door works, the inbound airflow is filtered, the result becomes a very good deal, despite the flaws.” |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:55 PM (EDT) |
Laptops have become compact enough to tote along just about anywhere you go. Along with that compact size comes all the heat of modern processors, and the Mobile models generally run hotter than their Desktop counterparts. This heat still needs to be removed, or it'll build up and cause a thermal shut down and damage that expensive equipment. |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:55 PM (EDT) |
ASRock is a company whose goal is to bring motherboards with enthusiast class features to the mainstream market. Based in Taiwan, they offer a wide array of innovative solutions with the design concept of 3C, "Creative, Considerate, Cost-effective". ASRock aims to bring affordable motherboards without sacrificing performance. Today we are taking a look at the ASRock X48TurboTwins-WiFi. Based on the Intel X48 + ICH9R chipsets, this motherboard supports up to 8GB of Dual Channel DDR3 1600 and up to 4GB of Dual Channel DDR2 1066, ATI Crossfire, and WiFi-802.11g. |
