Saturday, March 29 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:29 PM (EDT) |
The Maximus Formula was also used in a upcoming E8500 review and the board overclocked that CPU to over 4.4GHz on air, meaning that there’s a lot of headroom on this board for overclocker's. ASUS motherboards have generally been used for all of our video card test platforms and this board is actually one of the best of the breed motherboards I've seen on the X38 platform with all of the extra features like the LCD Monitor and the inclusion of STALKER making this a first-class motherboard for any taste. |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:29 PM (EDT) |
"The next generation of hard drive camcorders are here with the JVC GZ-HD6 which records in glorious 1080p." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:28 PM (EDT) |
USB flash drives are almost standard issue amongst IT professionals, and are useful for students and pretty much anyone who uses more than one computer. The capacities of today's flash drives allow us to carry many gigabytes of personal data, so the write performance must also increase to fill the drive in a timely manner. It was only two years ago when a good flash drive could read at a rate of 10 Megabytes per second, and today's Memory Monsters are expected to reach 25MB or more. |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:27 PM (EDT) |
"Intel originally planned for the X38 chipset to be the big kahuna for the Core 2 platform, but unfortunately its extremely poor overclocking, heat generation and lack of support for the 1600MHz FSB made Intel go back and bring up a new chipset. X48 however is not actually a new chipset, rather a hand picked X38 silicon that works at higher FSB clock speeds along with a lower voltage draw than that of the X38. But this also means it carries a premium with it, thus Intel decided to give it X48 naming. |
Palit GeForce 8800 GTS 1GB Sonic SLI Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:27 PM (EDT) |
"At the heart of our Palit GeForce 8800 GTS 1GB Sonic graphics card is the G92 core clocked at 730 MHz which is a generous step up from the 650MHz that comes on most GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB cards. Not only does our card have double the memory, it's clocked higher than the standard 512MB cards as well, coming in at 2100MHz versus 1940MHz for the standard card. After a bit of testing different speeds we overclocked our cards up to 760MHz core, and 2250MHz memory clock frequencies. While this isn't a huge increase it is still an impressive 30MHz core and 150MHz memory increase over an already substantial overclock..." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:26 PM (EDT) |
Matt takes a quick look at the Quarterback Case from Sunbeamtech.com and has both the good and the bad for you along with some testing. Does the Quarterback live up to its claims of keeping your PC components cooler? |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:25 PM (EDT) |
Today we will take a look at the latest drive from Patriot (PDP systems), the Xporter XT Boost 32GB drive. The 32GB version of the Xporter XT Boost drive is designed for people who do not only need high storage, but a fast and ultra-portable solution. |
Tagan Icy Box 390 External HDD Enclosure Review @ HardwareLogic |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:25 PM (EDT) |
"The newest Icy Box to hit the streets is the IB-390StUS-B. This external hard drive enclosure includes a feature we have come to expect in all external drive cases that enter our lab, eSATA. What else does it bring to the table in order to stand out from the crowd? Let's find out as HardwareLogic reveals if the Icy Box really is a cool product." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:25 PM (EDT) |
"Pushing for additional performance on a heavily overclocked manufacturer released video card is often akin to pulling a chicken's teeth. It just does not happen because the card's performance is already maxed out. With that in mind, I began leaning on the card and achieved a core clock of 761MHz, a boost of 21 MHz while gaining an additional 69 ticks on the memory. Both substantial gains for a mid range, already overclocked video card. The huge gains over stock speeds are just not there because the card's capabilities fall within the overclocked range the card is already running in. A performance increase is still a performance increase, no matter how you look at it." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:24 PM (EDT) |
“Case lighting has definitely come a long way. In the early days, any and all case lighting involved a drill, soldering iron, some knowledge of electronics, and an attempt to find something that would work in a case that was originally beige. Today, it is pretty hard to find something new and unique, nearly everything one could imagine has already been done, but the guys at CoolJagUSA have come up with a really cool item, programmable LED marquee fans. Program a message to be displayed on your case fan.” |
Friday, March 28 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:10 PM (EDT) |
Finding the right case to suit the desires of the lady of the house can be a difficult process. Well, I know it is when it comes to mine. When it comes to looking for a case it is more like hunting for that perfect outfit to wear to work. Apevia reckon they may just have that perfect outfit for her next computer build. The X-Qboii is a short case in stature but is large in style and looks. The great looks begin with a brushed aluminum covering that is guaranteed to please almost everyone. Is the X-Qboii capable of knocking us off our feet with other wonderful features? |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:10 PM (EDT) |
“Barriers are meant to be broken. As capacities have increased and prices fallen, each company wants those bragging rights of having the "biggest," or at least the fastest. We put three 1TB hard drives through the paces - Hitachi's Deskstar 7K1000 and Seagate's Barracuda 7200.11 (ST3100340AS) as well as their Barracuda ES.2 (ST31000340NS). Which one will come out on top?” |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:09 PM (EDT) |
Network storage if growing more popular each day, and thanks to that, there are countless NAS boxes to choose from. We take our first look at a QNAP offering, that proves you do get what you pay for. This single-bay NAS offers pure silence, a great feature-set and simple setup. |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:08 PM (EDT) |
"While the 9800 series of cards from NVIDIA might be the talk of the town at the moment, there’s no denying that the 9600GT is more in line with most people’s budgets when it comes to buying a graphics card. |
Samsung Syncmaster 943B 19-inch LCD Display Review @ PCSTATS.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:08 PM (EDT) |
"The Samsung Syncmaster 943B offers users a luscious black 19" screen (5:3 aspect ratio) with a native resolution of 1280x1024 pixels. The LCD panel has an anti-reflective non-glossy coating and features a brightness rating of 300 cd/m2, contrast ratio of 1000:1 (dynamic contrast of 8000:1). The panel boasts a 6ms G-to-G pixel refresh time." |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:05 PM (EDT) |
In a change to our normal Desktop PC component & hardware reviews, PC Freaks & Geeks have decided to expand our review categories. With special thanks going to Logitech, PC Freaks & Geeks will be examining a product from their notebook/keyboard range that should be a godsend to laptop users everywhere: The Alto Cordless. With it's wireless keyboard and intuitive design, the Alto cordless is design to keep your laptop monitor at eye level resulting in a relaxed user experience over lengthy hours of notebook use. So will it improve our laptop experience? |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:04 PM (EDT) |
AMD has finally gone into full production with a new mask spin of their Phenom processor now dubbed the Phenom X4. The new flagship 2.5GHz Phenom X4 9850 is representative of a new revision of the native quad-core Phenom silicon that resolves the well known TLB errata. Quad-core Phenom X4 processors based on the new B3 revision silicon should be hitting store shelves in the not too distant future. In addition to resolving the TLB bug, AMD is also unveiling some higher clocked Phenoms and tri-core and low-power models too. |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:04 PM (EDT) |
"The new AMD Phenom X4 50-series of processors is how Phenom should have launched back in November of last year. This stepping of Phenom doesn't offer higher performance versus the older Phenom B1 and B2 steppings, but does remove the TLB erratum that caused many consumers to skip over Phenom when considering a platform for their next system. Those that already have an AMD Socket AM2 platform now have a solid upgrade path to look forward to..." |
ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe WiFi-AP Motherboard Review @ Elite Bastards |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:03 PM (EDT) |
"As per most new chipsets these days, PCI Express 2.0 support is present and correct, with 790FX offering up to forty-two PCI Express lanes. Thirty-two of these lanes are reserved for graphics boards, with 790FX capable of supporting up to four electrical PCI Express slots for ATI's latest quad-GPU CrossFireX technology if required - Naturally, with only 32 lanes set aside for such a configuration, each PCI Express 16x slot will only be granted eight lanes of bandwidth, although this should still be more than enough for the majority of operations (especially given the doubling of bandwidth in PCI Express 2.0 over the 1.1 standard). This leaves another six PCI Express lanes for PCI Express 1x slots, with the final four lanes set aside to connect the 790FX northbridge with a southbridge." |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:03 PM (EDT) |
"The tiny Asus Eee PC uses a 4 or 8GB solid state hard drive and fits in the palm of your hand. " |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:02 PM (EDT) |
"When it came time to overclock the Viper Fin modules, I had to wonder how much was left on such a high speed rated module. The answer was not what I was looking for but was kind of expecting. I topped out the modules at 1884MHz (942MHz), or 84MHz (42MHz) over the baseline rated speeds. Not a bad increase by any means, but I had thoughts of 1000MHz running through my skull. Loosening the timings to 9-9-9-24 or increasing voltage beyond 2.1volts did not help at this point. The modules were air cooled and felt similar to the ambient air temperatures, so heat was not a factor during the testing. One unexpected side effect was the ability to tighten the timings up at the max overclock. Sweet! It just took a little more voltage to get there." |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:02 PM (EDT) |
“ASUS wowed ThinkComputers in January 2007 within its WL-500W, an pre-802.11n router with USB ports for mass storage devices or a printer. ASUS recently released a 125 Mbps 802.11g router with a USB port for a printer, called the WL-520GU. This router is Vista-ready and features an easily configurable Bandwidth-On-Demand feature for Quality of Service adjustments. ThinkComputers investigates...” |
Patriot Viper Series 2GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Memory Kit Review @ Bigbruin.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:01 PM (EDT) |
Configuring the Patriot Viper Series 2GB PC3-12800 DDR3 memory kit was extremely easy, which made getting up and running at over 1600MHz and 7-7-7-18 timings even more enjoyable. It usually takes some tweaking to get the test system stable at such elevated frequencies, but this kit was pretty much plug and play. |
Thursday, March 27 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:50 AM (EDT) |
"Corsair is a traditional memory manufacturer they gained a lot of respect in the industry with their power supplies - we reviewed HX620W and TX750W and they are terrific products. But how the entry-level series from Corsair, dubbed VX, performs? Today we will take the most inexpensive power supply from Corsair, VX450W, and completely disassemble it and see if it can really deliver its labeled power." |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:50 AM (EDT) |
"The original P180 case was launched already three years ago and has since been replaced by a new and improved P182 model. The P1-series also includes the P190, which is a larger case including same design features as the P180, but it also offers room for EATX-motherboards and dual power supplies. Now the performance 1 series also includes a long awaited mATX-case - say hello to the P180 Mini!" |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:49 AM (EDT) |
In the past we have always been impressed with Cooler Master's cases, they really seem to stay on top of the technology and incorporate features that enthusiasts want. Cooler Master never leaves anything at "good enough", with each new case they are constantly refining and improving to make the best product available to the consumer. |
bgears b-Envi Gaming/HTPC Enclosure Review @ Virtual-Hideout |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:49 AM (EDT) |
“When I first looked at the b-Envi enclosure, I thought the front panel controls were either hidden or on the side of the bezel. Boy, was I surprised when I flipped through the manual and found out they were touch sensitive; I couldn't wait to try them out. The buttons work great, and there is even a little beep every time you push them.” |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:48 AM (EDT) |
As far as this game, it's short, and I would have thought it shorter had I not been writing this guide while playing, among other things that interrupted playing time. You get six hours, seven hours tops, but that should not be a knock against this game. Just like Call of Duty 4, this game cuts out the filler and delivers solid gameplay from start to finish. Just think of it this way: if you like condensed, more solid gameplay that is short, you'll not feel cheated at all, and if you prefer as much playing time as possible with as much repitition as can be tolerated, go grab Mass Effect or Assassin's Creed (yeah, those games are great, but not perfect). |
Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red DDR2 4GB PC2-6400 Review @ ASE Labs |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:48 AM (EDT) |
" Remember that the Tracer series from Crucial is very mature. I even reviewed the original set of black modules last year. These new red modules mark a trend in computing that Crucial is good to follow. The fact of the matter is that people like personalization. I'm guilty of that myself. I know that these modules are hardly better than the normal Ballistix breed, but the fact that it is red and has lights adds something of value to people. Red is my favorite color and I would naturally gravitate to these in a computer I would build. " |
Thermaltake Bigwater 760i Water Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:48 AM (EDT) |
"For my first venture into water I learned a lot, and the main thing is that it's not nearly as hard or complicated as I thought. That may be due to the Thermaltake Bigwater 760i kit, but either way the whole process was very easy. It took all of 30 minutes to do the pre-install and fill the system, the long part was the bleeding the air from the system and leak test. I chose to do this out of the case for the fact it was easier to fill the tank and work the bubbles out of the lines. That and the nagging thought of a leak..." |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:47 AM (EDT) |
We take a look at a very special graphics card from Gigabyte. The GV-NX96T512HP utilises Nvidia's Geforce 9600GT (G94) GPU and 512Mb of DDR3 ram ... both of which are overclocked. The card is cooled by a special, in-house designed VGA cooler, that's totally silent and has no fans. It's perfect for any mainstream gamer or HTPC enthusiast who's after silence. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:46 AM (EDT) |
"We like the HD 3870 X2; generally speaking it gets good gains at high resolutions in most applications we test. The single PCB design is leaps and bounds ahead of the original dual GPU offering from NVIDIA under the 7900 naming scheme. We’ve seen pictures of the HD 3870 X2 from ASUS before, but now it’s our chance to get down and dirty with it to see if it’s worth spending the extra money the ASUS cards generally carry with them. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:46 AM (EDT) |
Zalman have released several high end units lately and today we will examine the most expensive unit they currently produce, the ZM1000-HP. There are a few things about the ZM1000-HP which make it unique but the most important of them is the cooling system. Zalman have used their expertise with cooling to create a heatpipe system able to keep the powerful 1000w power supply cool and silent at the same time. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:45 AM (EDT) |
One positive result with the release of new graphics cards from AMD and NVIDIA is that older models usually drop in price. AMD's first DirectX 10 card, the HD2900XT might no longer be the fastest card out there but it still packs a lot of punch. While it works well it has two "faults": the card runs quite hot and the fan is pretty loud. Arctic Cooling has the solution for this problem. The Accelero Xtreme 2900 promises not only to cool the GPU more than 20C lower than the stock cooler but also make the card run much more silent. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:45 AM (EDT) |
The Porsche 911 Turbo wheel is an exact replica of the real wheel and comes with hand stitched leather and wireless technology for unrestricted racing fun. The pedals and choice of gear box round up the exclusive package. The gearbox is available as either 6+1 speed H-pattern gear stick or a sequential version. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:45 AM (EDT) |
OCZ is well known for their memory and power supplies, but we thought we'd see just how well their current fleet of CPU coolers held up. We pit the Vendetta, Vendetta 2, Vanquisher and even the old-school Vindicator against our QX6850 to see what each one is made of. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:44 AM (EDT) |
Yes you can go out and purchase one of the cards from any of the several manufacturers that endorse the ATI brand. The Toxic HD 3870 is an overclocked version of the ATI 3870 chipset. The Toxic HD 3870 uses a single slot cooler that would be a godsend for those that are tight on space or have motherboards with the PCIe slots too close together. This non-reference cooler helps to cool a RV670 clocked to 825MHz from the default 775MHz. Time to put the Toxic 3870 on the bench and see what performance numbers we can get. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:44 AM (EDT) |
It seems like it was just yesterday that I bought my first discrete graphics card to outfit an overclocked Cyrix M2-300 6x86MX-based computer. Back in those Windows 98 (first edition) days of 1998 the term GeForce wasn't even in existence yet, and NVIDIA was called referred to as nVidia. So when I bought my first computer late that year, I would have never thought Quake II played on my RIVA TNT2 AGP video card would mark the last time I would spend money in an arcade. This was nearly ten years ago and since that time NVIDIA has developed several successful GeForce product lines, including the newly launched 9th generation. |
Wednesday, March 26 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:27 PM (EDT) |
For those users out there that are constantly swapping around parts, Thermaltake introduces the BlacX HDD Docking Station. This USB 2.0 device is a variation of a hard drive enclosure that lets the user plug a bare drive into an opening on top, and then eject the drive with a push of a button. The BlacX is so simple and easy to use, anyone with extra drives laying around should think about picking one of these up. |
OCZ Platinum PC3-12800 2GB Memory Kit Review @ HardwareLogic |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:27 PM (EDT) |
"Just as DDR2 went through a maturation process, DDR3 is finally beginning to realize its promise. And with kits from the top contenders already pushing the 2GHz barrier, those looking (and who can afford) to make the jump from DDR2 to DDR3 are taking notice. Up to this point, many scoffed at the idea of spending several hundred dollars "upgrading" to a DDR3 based system, and for good reason. DDR2 compatible motherboards based on INTEL's P35 or NVIDIA's 680i have, for the most part, served their masters well. Coupled with the retail pricing landslide that's grabbed hold of DDR2 chips in recent months, yesterday's builds have clung to life longer than many in the industry could have predicted, or hoped." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:26 PM (EDT) |
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is the heavily anticipated follow-up to one of the most successful shooters on a next-gen console. Does it follow in its predecessors footsteps? |
Cooler Master Real Power Pro 1250 Watt Power Supply Review @ OCIA.net |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:26 PM (EDT) |
"The Real Power Pro 1250 is one of 10 power supplies receiving nVidia's highest SLI rating, for three 8800 Ultras or 8800 GTXs. It also has an 80Plus certification, certified to maintain more than 80% efficiency. Actually, this power supply is rated up to 87% efficiency. What does that mean? A more efficient power supply uses less wall current than a less efficient one, which means less dollars out of your pocket." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:25 PM (EDT) |
"This is the first card we’ve seen from VVIKOO, and what a card it is. Expecting nothing more than a reference design I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box to discover just how cool this 9600GT is. |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:25 PM (EDT) |
Last week, NVIDIA formally launched the dual-GPU powered GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card and nForce 790i SLI Ultra chipset. We evaluated both products in our coverage of the launch, but had to leave out one important detail per NVIDIA's embargo agreement - that being Quad-SLI. The embargo has since lifted, however, and today we take a look at 2008's version of Quad-SLI technology with a pair of retail-ready graphics cards from ASUS, the EN9800GX2. |
XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 Quad SLI Video Card Testing @ Legit Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:24 PM (EDT) |
"NVIDIA has done a great job with Quad-SLI and with some driver improvements it should only get better. The XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics cards running in a quad-SLI showed increased performance in every application we tested versus a single GeForce 9800 GX2, which is something that can not be said about the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 as they had some driver issues on Tomb Raider: Anniversary. We almost didn't include Tomb Raider: Anniversary in our testing, but our two store-bought DVD versions of Bioshock say they have been installed too many times, so this game was a last minute addition..." |
OCZ Rally2 Turbo 4gb USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review @ DragonSteelMods.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:24 PM (EDT) |
"Up on the review block today I have the OCZ Rally2 Turbo 4gig flash drive, the OCZ Rally series is very popular for it's speed and durability and has won numerous awards. I've got six other flash drives on hand to put up against the Rally2 to just see how fast it is compared to them, including OCZs own ATV Turbo and the speedy Super Talent 200X. Is the Rally2 Turbo all that? Continue on to find out... " |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:24 PM (EDT) |
"While the rest of the mainstream world moves on to PCI-Express and DDR3, we take a step back to the previous generation hardware. Our aim is to build a scalable AGP benchmark platform with sole purpose: breaking overclocking records. Fueled by HWBot competition we squeeze the best AGP performance from a budget-friendly Asrock motherboard. Which memory goes the fastest? DDR1 or DDR2? Let us find out." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:23 PM (EDT) |
"Zalman has a complete line of power supplies from 360 W to 1,000 W. We decided to take a look on the simplest model, ZM360B-APS, which costs only around USD 60. Even though it is an entry-level power supply, it features active PFC, a 120-mm fan and two video card power connectors, so things looked pretty spec-wise. But can it really deliver its rated 360 W? Is this a really good product for Average Joe? Let's see." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:23 PM (EDT) |
"Except for Crysis, GeForce 9800 GX2 Quad SLI provides no real gameplay advantages and quite frankly we do not see Quad SLI benefitting much else right now. And haven't we all played through Crysis enough times by now? A single GeForce 9800 GX2 is able to accelerate "demanding" titles like the shader-intensive Jericho and the tremendously popular Call of Duty 4 quite well; adding another GX2 does not provide gaming improvements to justify the cost. The only game that does possibly call for Quad SLI is Crysis; and even then AA higher resolutions is still not a reality due to the 9800 GX2's limited memory amount and bus width." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:23 PM (EDT) |
"OverDrive gives you complete and comprehensive access to virtually every tweaking and overclocking option you can think of, saving you the need of constant reboots and trips into the BIOS in lieu of far more straightforward overclocking from within Windows. |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:22 PM (EDT) |
“If I was looking at the N299 with a clean slate, and there was no issue with the speed, I would give it very high marks. The only place it would really lose marks is the quality of the start page. The features list is on par, if not above most other network access servers. I could overlook the lack of decent speeds if it wasn't for the fact that, not only was I lead to believe the speeds would be better (why else would they say it has gigabit Ethernet?), but that there are other units with not only similar features, but also similar prices.” |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:21 PM (EDT) |
"In my mind, the Gigabyte EP35-DS4 is an average motherboard. Overall, it kept up with most of the motherboards, but rarely beat out all the competition. This motherboard did about the same as the Foxconn Mars, which also has a P35 chipset. This EP35-DS4 did nothing to distinguish itself from the competition, so I can't recommend it over any of them. With this motherboard, I was able to achieve a 455 x 7 (3.18GHz) overclock, which is decent, but nothing extraordinary. I almost expected the EP35-DS4 to go above 470 since the Gigabyte EX38-DS4 that I tested did 466 without a problem." |
Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 4GB USB Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:21 PM (EDT) |
“Earlier this year Kingston released the DataTraveler HyperX series USB drives which are available in three different capacities: 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB. This is by far the fastest USB drive Kingston has produced with transfer rates of 30mb/s read and 20mb/s write. It not only has fast transfer rates, but fast access times as well. The HyperX is enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost and comes with a 5 year warranty. Read on further to see how well this USB drive puts out.” |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:21 PM (EDT) |
All three are microATX form factors with support for a full range of Intel socket 775 CPUs from Celeron to Core 2 Quad. They can each handle up to 4 GB (2 x 2GB) of DDR2 memory. Some of the major differences other than the obvious chipsets include a 1066 MHz Front Side Bus (FSB) and support for 667 MHz DDR2 on the nForce 610i/7050, whereas its more robust siblings (630i/7100 and 630i/7150) both sport a 1333 MHz FSB and native support for 800 MHz DDR2. Additionally, both flavors of the 630i include onboard DVI and HDMI ports for high definition output while the 610i has only a VGA port. |
DH Review: XFX 9800 GX2 Quad and 8800 Ultra Three Way SLI + ESA |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:20 PM (EDT) |
Last week we brought you coverage of the new nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset along with the 9800 GX2. Within that article we would have liked to include benchmarks of the GX2 in an SLI Quad configuration but due to a rather bizarre decision by Nvidia they asked all partners to withhold Quad performance until today. Members of the public could have bought two of these cards and used Quad Sli themselves, so the decision was for all intents and purposes, utterly ridiculous. |
Tuesday, March 25 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:42 AM (EDT) |
Sleek and silent seems to be what Cooler Master was going for when they designed the Cosmos 1000 computer chassis. This case has style, from the brushed aluminum sides, to the piano black finish on the door, even the black mesh for the front drive bays. This isn't your average case, this case was designed for performance, silence, and you. |
Aeneon XTUNE 1GB DDR2-1066 Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ Bigbruin.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:42 AM (EDT) |
While a 1GB dual channel DDR2 kit might be a tough sell considering the demands of operating systems like Windows Vista and the extremely low prices on 2GB and 4GB kits, the Aeneon XTUNE 1GB DDR2-1066 Dual Channel Memory Kit did perform well. The speeds and timings are competitive with many kits from other brands, and the performance was quite respectable. |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:41 AM (EDT) |
GMC is a Korean based company who focus almost entirely on the design and production of HTPC cases. We had a look at several of their products in the past, each of them designed with a different purpose in mind. Today we will take a look at their latest HTPC case, the AVC-S7. The AVC-S7 is an elegant but very short case which is designed to match DVD players and other home theater equipment. Let us see if such a short case can be practical for housing modern home theater systems. |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:41 AM (EDT) |
In the past few years, thermal compounds have undergone an evolution. I'm sure many are familiar with the basic silicon based thermal compound, also known as white goop. This quickly evolved into metal based thermal compounds, which by its namesake have a composition of metal particles. This improved the thermal conductivity, but also had the problem of being electrically conductive. Now we are at a stage where performance thermal compounds are ceramics based. Thermal conductivity has been improved even more, and don't have the problem of being electrically conductive. Most of the thermal compounds we are looking at today are ceramics based. The thermal compounds we are looking at in our mini-roundup are the Stars-700, Noctua's HT-N1, Arctic Silver's Ceramique, Tuniq's TX-2 and OCZ's Freeze. |
WD Caviar and RE2 GreenPower 1TB Hard Drives @ HotHardware.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:41 AM (EDT) |
n addition to their large capacities, these drives offer a number of proprietary features designed to lower their power consumption and acoustic profiles, like IntelliPower, IntelliSeek, IntelliPark, and in the RE.2's case RAFF (Rotary Acceleration Feed Forward). |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:40 AM (EDT) |
The Cooler Master Cosmos S is the "sport" variant of the original Cosmos chassis. Coolermaster has taken various aspects of the Stacker series and fused them with the original Cosmos case. The door is gone and the plastic top has been redesigned to fit a triple radiator of your choice. The new Cosmos S is also made of Aluminum which makes it much lighter. |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:40 AM (EDT) |
"So when it comes to the GeForce 9600 GT, it has truly turned into a buyers' market. The pricing and feature set has spread out enough that the consumer can dictate everything you want with your video card, or everything you don't. If you find your cost inching back towards to the $200 price level, it is still hard for us to not suggest spending that hard earned cash on one of the many 8800GT that are available for Newegg and TigerDirect." |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:40 AM (EDT) |
"The first motherboard on AMD 780G to be tested in our lab is a full-size ATX motherboard, which reminds of the popular Gigabyte M55plus-S3G, Gigabyte MA69G-S3, and MSI K9AG Neo2-Digital. This product starts a new Black Series aimed for users in need of a functional and upgradeable basis for an all-purpose PC." |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:39 AM (EDT) |
"It feels weird to have done four articles on the 9800 GX2 without having actually had a look at a single retail card yet. The first retail card to come out of the gates comes in the form of a ZOTAC offering. |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:39 AM (EDT) |
In a change to our normal 2GB memory kit reviews, today PC Freaks & Geeks will be taking a huge 4GB memory kit for a test drive in our DDR2 test machine. Introducing the Patriot Extreme Performance Viper Series DDR2 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-8500 Enhanced Latency DIMM Kit, Will we see any additional performance with an extra 2GB of memory in our test machine? Hopefully our review will reveal the answers behind the question: 2GB or 4GB? Performance enhancement or waste of money? |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:38 AM (EDT) |
It may come as a surprise to some, but graphics cards aren't always just about getting the best frames per second. Home theater, fileserver, and other specialized PCs may never see a game but in most cases they still need a video card to operate. And of course that is leaving out the surprisingly large number of PC users that simply do not play videogames (I've been told such people do exist). |
Posted by Nathan @ 1:37 AM (EDT) |
"Today I have for review an Icy Box multi-drive NAS device, the IB-NAS4220-B. NAS is short for Network Attached Storage, and unlike a typical external hard drive enclosure which must be connected directly to a host computer in order to access, a NAS device uses a network client to allow access across a shared medium, like Ethernet." |
Monday, March 24 2008 |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:19 PM (EDT) |
"As a factory overclocked card, the expectation was that the increase in core clock and memory speeds would not be that significant. Overclocked cards usually have little performance headroom left to increase the clock speeds to gain additional performance. The final speeds I attained were 60MHz above stock on the GPU core and 44MHz on the memory. Neither were really significant, but high enough to increase the performance of the Asus 8800GT. This allowed the card to perform much better than a stock clocked 8800GT. The performance increase in benchmarks was sometimes not evident in games until the higher resolutions were run." |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:19 PM (EDT) |
The E8500 is the fastest Core 2 Duo solution on the market with the clock speed set at 3.16GHz, fully 266MHz higher than the next fastest E series CPU. For a MSRP on the Intel CPU price list of $266 this makes an affordable solution for those not wanting to spend $999 on an Intel CPU like the QX9770 that’s upcoming. Dual Core CPUs like the E8500 are excellent choices for the everyday user. The E8500 also overclocks like a beast reaching 4.389 GHz, a nearly 40% overclock on normal air-cooling. Other people have reached over 4.5GHz on theirs. Dual Core processors still have a market as only the Q6600 Core 2 Quad CPU reaches this level of price but performance on the E8500 beats that CPU in many cases. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:18 PM (EDT) |
Zalman opened up shop in 1999 with a focus on bringing peace to the computer world - in the form of silent computing. They became well known for their quiet and unique (if not bizarre at times) cooling products. Nearly a decade later, Zalman's product line has expanded, but their philosophy of producing unique and quiet products has continued. That philosophy can be seen in the Zalman HP power supply line. The Zalman HP line of supplies are designed for silent performance and utilize a heat pipe system in pursuit of that. It's unique, and it's oh so "Zalman." |
ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi-AP Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:18 PM (EDT) |
“ASUS is one of the most well-known motherboard manufacturers. Its boards are known for consistent stability and awesome features, as well as excellent design. ThinkComputers reviewed the M3A32-MVP Deluxe/Wifi, a top-shelf, Crossfire-capable motherboard using the AMD 790X chipset and an on-board wireless module. This writer's first motherboard review, I load this board with everything I could throw at it: a top of the line power supply and graphics card, oodles of RAM, and three operating systems.” |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:17 PM (EDT) |
"The HTC Dual Touch is arguably the most feature-rich phone currently on the market, and it's good looking to boot." |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:16 PM (EDT) |
The Petito's "grab ya" claim is its size. Priced at $50 for such a very portable 2GB unit, it is a hard item to ignore. While you won't catch me wearing a pink one on a chain around my neck, you may see another color hooked onto my key ring. The 2GB ToughDrive has a bit more going for it with its faster speed and rubberized coating that makes it a far more durable item. Add in the street price of $27 and it becomes very attractive. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:16 PM (EDT) |
Thinking about getting a new case to allow you to overclock your new hardware on air and yet doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg? Enter Antec’s Nine Hundred Gaming Case that is reviewed at The BleedinEdge.com. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:15 PM (EDT) |
This is our second part in our coverage of the Multiplay i33 LAN event. Checkout the our exclusive photos of modified Coolermaster cases, which a lot of people were using. Also Bench Tec UK (extreme overclocking team) teamed up with Aqua PCs to demonstrate some LN2 and Phase Change cooling. Later we looked at some of the teams that were competing ... Team Coolermaster, Team Dignitas and Fnatic. Also watch out for our exclusive interview with Team Coolermaster. |
Sunday, March 23 2008 |
Rosewill R6XR8-BK Black ATX Computer Case Review @ Legit Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:22 PM (EDT) |
"The overall process of putting everything together in the Rosewell R6XR8-BK case was a seamless and painless one. Rosewill's idea of screw less design certainly delivered and made the process a little more enjoyable. The two supplied 120mm fans..." |
Zalman ZM-RS6F USB Theater Surround Headphones Review @ OCModshop |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:21 PM (EDT) |
If you've ever wanted to look as geeky as humanly possible, Zalman has come to the rescue. The Zalman ZM-RS6F USB Headphones are not only freaking awesome, but they are huge and simply using them screams nerd alert! at any LAN party or plane ride. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:21 PM (EDT) |
The SteelSeries Ikari Optical gaming mouse is aimed at hardcore FPS gamers who want the best possible tracking. The optical version of the Ikari mouse looks just like its laser brother, but without the LCD display that indicates which profile is being used. |
Logisys Ultra Slim Soft Touch Multimedia Keyboard @ TechwareLabs |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:20 PM (EDT) |
Nitro takes a quick look at an ultra slim keyboard by Logisys and gives you the lowdown on the functionality of this little marvel. The keyboard and mouse are the most used device associated with your machine so their ease of use and functionality can be highly important. Will the Logisys replace your keyboard? |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:20 PM (EDT) |
"Optical was around first; and has been since the 1980s. It’s older than most people realize, but it’s certainly come a long way. Optical sensors are in most modern mice that use LEDs to illuminate the patch of surface under the optical sensor; this creates a snap shot of the surface and gets compared to the last snap shot to determine how far the mouse has moved (if at all). Quite simply, if you increase the resolution of the optical sensor then you get greater accuracy. But this requires more powerful on-board image processor chips to do the grunt work of translating image differences into X and Y movement. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:20 PM (EDT) |
With the introduction of their first ever notebook cooler, the Cryo LX, NZXT introduces a new product geared towards enthusiasts that own laptops. In an age where computing components require ever more elaborate cooling solutions, notebook computers are no different. Utilizing all-aluminum, 3mm thick construction, and three adjustable RPM 120mm fans, the Cryo LX is designed to keep your notebook ice cold. Can the Cryo LX deliver? Will NZXT’s first foray into the notebook cooling arena be met with standing ovation or bitter defeat? Read on to find out! |
