Saturday, October 31 2009 |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:18 PM (EDT) |
"MSI launched so far five different socket 1156 motherboard models based on the new Intel P55 chipset. Today we are going to take a look on one of their high-end models, P55-GD80 (a.k.a. MS-7581), which comes with several overclocking features not found on competing products. Let's take a look." |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:17 PM (EDT) |
“For an average user, question of monitor backlight is, in most cases, a trivial one. Most users simply don’t like to see too much backlight breach along edges along with bright or smudgy black areas. And that’s it, for an average user. In case you do need good display, and do pay attention to small details, you expect much more from your monitor’s backlight. LED (Light Emitting Diode) backlight is often mentioned as better and more energy efficient solution, but only in case RGB LED technology is correctly implemented. Changing neon backlight for an LED does sound like a simple task in theory, but this can also present some new problems. Since LG W2486L does have LED backlight, and we will check out how LG did its homework…” |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:17 PM (EDT) |
"As we can see, Athlon II X2 250 can still compete with the E6300. So the rollout of new triple-core processors has consolidated AMD's positions in the market segment of below $100. But apparently this was not the only goal. Note the nearly identical results demonstrated by Athlon II X3 435 and Phenom II X3 710, the latter being more costly to manufacture." |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:16 PM (EDT) |
We review a lot of peripherals here at XSR, and over the years we've noticed the growing trend of steadily increasing prices with gaming mice costing upwards of £50 now. Still though, they aren't the most expensive input accessory you can use with your PC, with specialised keyboards getting close to the £100 mark. |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:16 PM (EDT) |
Although the Core i7 and X58 combo is a proven performance leader, there are still plenty of Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad CPUs out there in the wild. The Core 2 is still a very capable processor with many models costing less than half the price the cheapest Core i7 processor, the Core i7 920. Thus, systems based around the P45 chipset are still a viable option for getting good, if not great, performance at a vastly more affordable price. |
Friday, October 30 2009 |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:17 PM (EDT) |
OCZ has sent of one of the fastest kits from their Platinum lineup, the 1866MHz triple channel kit. Since its introduction, the world has been gaga over the Intel Core i7. With its ease to overclock, forums are filled with people trying to achieve the magical 4.5MHz on the CPU and 2000MHz on the memory. We achieved both with the OCZ Blade series, but what if you are not willing to pay the $200 for such high end memory? OCZ has the trusted Platinum series which look to get the same high levels as the Blades. Read on. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:17 PM (EDT) |
"The HTPC 8000 from nMediaPC is different to say the least. With its almost all wood construction it's unlike any case I have ever had. With its style being that of something out of the 1940's it might look a little out of place in most of today's sleek AV setups. I have had more than one my woodworking nut friends say they loved the looks of it, and I had several people ask me where I got the old radio. That got me thinking that it would be a nice case for a rec-room, man cave, behind a bar, or could even make for a nice garage juke box..." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:16 PM (EDT) |
With the SSDNow V+ 64 GByte, Kingston presents the second generation of its value SSD series. The latest models are based on the Samsung S3C29RBB Controller which in idle draws only 0.15 Watts. Furthermore you shall get 220 MByte/s reading and 140 MByte/s writing performance which on paper sounds quite promising. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:16 PM (EDT) |
In-Win is back with their latest computer case designed for gamers, overclockers, and of course high-end workstation PCs. While we know that In-Win makes some of the craziest looking chassis' on the market, it seems that the latest Maelstrom chassis is somewhat more unique in a sense that it's not too wild looking, and instead of putting too much time into the whole outside look, there are some very interesting and useful features that make this case stand out from the crowd. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:16 PM (EDT) |
"If you have to choose between these two models, it's really easy. Deluxe has a tad better power supply system and a formally better audio codec. But EVO offers eSATA on the rear panel. You have to agree that the boards are very similar. The key difference is TurboV Remote that is not available for EVO." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:15 PM (EDT) |
"The build quality is excellent and the white LED lighting on the large chrome cooling fan will I'm sure, appeal to some enthusiasts with a liking for case lighting. The Sapphire Pure 1250W with its six 6+2 pin PCI-E connectors will easily power any SLI or Crossfire configuration using two or even three high-end graphics cards. We are starting to see the move away from devices with 4 pin peripheral (Molex) power connectors and the Sapphire Pure 1250W with only 6 of these and a massive 16 SATA power connectors reflects this trend. The modular cable connectors for PCI-E power on the Sapphire Pure 1250W power supply are 12 pin and with all the included cables utilised there is still one spare. Sapphire have pointed out in the enclosed literature that extra cables will be made available should any future developments require more than the 8 pin PCI-E connector and therefore avoid the need for a power supply upgrade." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:15 PM (EDT) |
Logitech's acclaimed G25 has been given a refresh in the form of the G27. Logitech claims to have addressed user's issues with the G25. Let's take a look at the G27's new features. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:15 PM (EDT) |
"Thermaltake Element V (a.k.a. VL20001W2Z) is the first full-tower case from Element series - all other models (G, S and T) are mid-tower products - coming with a controller for the fans where you can adjust not only the speed from the fans, but also the LED color and blinking pattern, identically to what happens with Element G. Let's see what is new on this latest release from Thermaltake." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:14 PM (EDT) |
AMD's Sempron 140 is here to seal the deal in the entry level market for $39. It offers all the features of the K10.5 architecture, but comes with only a single core at 2.70 GHz. Despite its single core it offers decent performance for every day office use, media PCs and casual gaming. If you get lucky you might even be able to unlock a second core. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:13 PM (EDT) |
"As all good companies do, SteelSeries have taken one of their existing products, and made a series of improvements, upgrades and enhancements. The original Siberia headset, already a success, did have a number of flaws; perhaps the most notable of all was the microphone. The V2 should be able to put all this right as well as a few other bits and pieces. So can the Siberia headset be transformed from a good headset to a great one? Let’s take a look..." |
Thursday, October 29 2009 |
Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive Desktop Upgrade Bundle @ TestFreaks |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:22 PM (EDT) |
"Kingston has just announced a new SSD drive, while that in itself isn’t that exciting as SSDs have been around for a while, the purpose of this particular drive though is different than others. The Kingston SSDNow V Series 40gb SSD is meant to be a boot drive only with the user putting their files, folders etc on a standard hard drive. The idea behind this is to speed up boot, shut down and the operating system overall, and I think everyone can appreciate that. What I got for review is the entire bundle, which is a kit that includes the SSD drive, rails for installation, cables and software to make the transition easier for the user. So continue on to see how it compares to other SSDs and standard hard drives… " |
BFG Tech EX-1000 1000W Modular Power Supply Review @ Bigbruin.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:21 PM (EDT) |
The BFG Tech EX-1000 1000W modular power supply is a quiet, well built unit that almost really impressed me. If I had tested in our old format I wouldn't have seen the ripple issues, and would have been left with the "semi-modular" design as my biggest beef. With all things considered, I would still recommend it, especially in situations where it wasn't to be used under a constant 1000W load. |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:21 PM (EDT) |
NZXT has been around for while in the computer industry. This company has been making some of the most interesting chassis we have seen. NZXT chassis also has been one of the few companies that like adding that little extra that most other chassis manufacturers don't normally add. |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:21 PM (EDT) |
In this review we will be looking at the latest and greatest case from Silverstone called the Raven 2. As the name indicates this case is a second generation Raven chassis that shares many of the same fundamentals established by the original Raven. We had a rare opportunity to see a working prototype of the Raven 2 at Computex and were impressed from the start. |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:20 PM (EDT) |
With our second HD 5770 arriving which carries with it the same stock setup as the previous one we tested, we had one idea on our mind; to CrossFire the two cards and see what kind of performance we could achieve out of the new mid-range card from ATI that has done well to impress us in solo form. |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:20 PM (EDT) |
"The fan controller is a nice feature, but almost doesn't need to be used with the included fans, as they are nearly silent at full speed. The case performed very well in the testing, but seemed to fall behind by a large margin in the chipset temperature test. This was most likely due to the low position of the side intake fan, which passes no air over the passive chipset cooler. If this fan were moved up by no more than one-and-a-half inches, enough air could have reached the chipset cooler to keep it cool." |
Gigabyte GTX 275 1792MB Super Overclock Review @ Hardware Canucks |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:19 PM (EDT) |
Amid the torrent of new ATI releases, Gigabyte has introduced their GTX 275 Super Overclock which is billed as the highest clocked GTX 275 available today. While some may question this move and others may scoff at it, we take an in depth look at this card to see if it has what it takes to stand up to the DX11 competition from the current crop of ATI cards. If anything, Gigabyte has a fight on its hands. |
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:19 PM (EDT) |
"Today we are reviewing Cooler Master Hyper TX3, a CPU cooler with a tower design, three heatpipes and a 92 mm fan. How will it perform?" |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:19 PM (EDT) |
"Today we are going to look at the SteelSeries Siberia in-ear headphones which are designed for use with most portable audio devices. They are in fact one of the only products from SteelSeries that aren’t specifically designed for gaming although they are also available with a separate microphone if you’re looking for a portable gaming headset." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:18 PM (EDT) |
“When it comes to notebook sales figures, home entertainment models are in majority. Because of demand for such models, many home entertainment models exist on the market today, so users that search for one of these are presented with huge variety of models. ASUS positioned their new K50 series in that category, and we decided to take a look at K50IN model and see how it matches against ferocious competition…” |
Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R Intel P55 Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:18 PM (EDT) |
"Enter the Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R motherboard, just one part from Gigabyte's line up of Intel P55 Express boards. The GA-P55-UD3R is the most affordable of the ATX motherboards that Gigabyte will be launching, cutting down on some the frills that you might find on its bigger brothers in favor of a better bottom line. We like affordable PC hardware just as much as you! Fortunately a slightly smaller feature set doesn't affect its overall performance or compatibility. Gigabyte's GA-P55-UD3R motherboard supports all of Intel's socket 1156 Core i5 700-series and Core i7 800-series processors." |
Posted by Nathan @ 2:18 PM (EDT) |
The Lian Li PC-V351 is one ultra compact enclosure, without many of the expected shortcomings. It can swallow a big CPU cooler and long graphics card while managing to keep things cool and quiet. You even have the choice of up to 6 colors - a first for an all aluminum enclosure. |
Wednesday, October 28 2009 |
Gigabyte GTX 260 Core 216 Super Overclock Video Card @ Legit Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:23 PM (EDT) |
Today we get our first ever look at a video card from Gigabyte, the GTX 260 Core 216 Super Overclock. That's a mouthful, but I suppose we have NVIDIA to thank for that! This video card from Gigabyte features the wildly popular GTX 260 core 216 GPU, but does fine screening of the cores to get the very best. These top bin chips are then mated to a PCB that features an extra 2 ounces of copper on the PCB, along with high quality voltage regulators, to bring you the highest clocked GTX 260 core 216 of any manufacturer. The standard core clock of 576MHz has been bumped up to 680MHz, which is an 18% frequency boost over the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 reference design. With clock speeds like this you can expect 3% better performance than standard GTX 275 graphics cards... |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:22 PM (EDT) |
"Frankly speaking, we expected a bit more from DDR3-1333 support, but the game was not worth the candle. Still, from another angle it's a very good result, because even 1066MHz memory with two modules per channel causes no trouble." |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:22 PM (EDT) |
With video card technology growing consistently for some time now today’s video cards have grown into large power hungry monsters, some requiring 300w of power. With that amount of power being used they are bound to create a lot of heat in the whole possess. Reference designs from both ATI and Nvidia have heatsinks with fans that are sometimes very loud while not cooling to the extreme that some enthusiasts expect. That’s where Thermalright jumps in with their T-Rad?, designed to cool better than the stock design while (when using the right fans) keeping the noise to a minimum. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:21 PM (EDT) |
OK, we're through playing nice with these new ATI 5xxx video cards. The corporate logo for XFX says: "play hard.", so Benchmark reviews is going to take that motto to heart and show what this cards can really do. Almost every single competing card runs at higher than reference clock rates, and they all come that way from the factory. Every single card I compared the HD5770 to, when we reviewed the reference design from ATI, was factory overclocked. That's just the way it is with video cards built on mature GPU technology. Well, every ATI 5xxx card can easily be overclocked using the standard driver package from ATI, Catalyst Control Center, since it includes ATI Overdrive. So let's do it, let's compare apples to apples, and as a bonus, I'll throw in some CrossfireX results, too. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:21 PM (EDT) |
"The only downsides are the fact that the fan can get a bit noisy when set to above 40% mark, something still needs to remedied. But if the majority of people don't play with the fan speeds, there is no concern. While there are not any true DirectX 11 games out yet to allow the HD 5800 series to take advantage of the technology, it means that we are still playing a waiting game. One more thing is the availability of the 40nm 5800 series - the same problem that ATI had with the HD 4770. Currently, there is only one 5800 series card in stock at the online retailer Newegg: no 5870 and only one 5850 SKU. It seems like ATI is missing the golden goose on this launch. Otherwise, this card is awesome!" |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:20 PM (EDT) |
In order to achieve and become a “great” product, a case needs to succeed in a number of different areas. It not only has to keep the internals safe and secure, and with plenty of cooling but also look stunning too. Modders and enthusiasts pride themselves on the aesthetics of their enclosures and so the style, shape and even lighting of a chassis are hugely important. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:20 PM (EDT) |
There are many reason today to invest in such an enclosure and because they are accessible from the internet security measures are capable of warning you via emails. There is more to a NAS enclosure than meets the eye. Coolmax sent us a sample of their CN390 NAS enclosure to see what their unit has to offer. So, if you are in the need for this type of device we suggest you read along to see if it will be your next purchase. |
Tuesday, October 27 2009 |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:17 PM (EDT) |
The economy did not keep Lian Li from producing their top of the line products. The PC-A71F is an example of the quality that Lian Li puts out with each of their cases. The A71F is a tall tower that stands an incredible two feet tall. Handcrafted from aluminum, the unit is designed for the person looking for every option and feature imaginable in a case. If you are looking for an attractive case just to house all your components or looking to build a massive water-cooled gaming rig, Lian Li has given you the PC-A71F. Now it is time to take a closer look at the case to check out all the new features it has to offer. |
Buffalo MiniStation Metro 250GB USB Hard Drive Review @ Bigbruin.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:16 PM (EDT) |
If you are looking for a semi-rugged portable hard drive, the Buffalo Technology MiniStation Metro is well worth checking out. The attached USB cable makes sure that you always have a cable on hand, while the included extension cable helps when the six inch cable is not enough. Available in a variety of colors and capacities, you should be able to find one to meet your needs. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:16 PM (EDT) |
OCZ Technologies Memory is one of the most preferred types of memory to have in our computers. Who would not want to have memory that performs well, and stable in our computers? Unlike the Intel 1366 socket Core i7 CPUs tring to find a set of low voltage high frequency memory was next to impossible at the starting of this newer CPU type. This time around, memory manufacturers were prepared to have high frequency, low voltage memory for the newer Intel Core i5/i7 1156 socket CPU's. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:15 PM (EDT) |
The A.C.Ryan PlayON! DVR TV combines the benefits of a media player with the ability to record and playback analog and DVB-T signals and act as a wired or wireless NAS. It is capable of streaming and playback of up to 720p video as well as audio and pictures. To top things off, the PlayON! DVR TV also acts as an Internet radio for your living room. |
Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS 15,000RPM Hard Drive Review @ Benchmark Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:15 PM (EDT) |
Until SSDs can safely prove that they're a reliable long-term media for Enterprise storage, the Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface owns the market share for server storage. Until Seagate launches their Solid State Drive counterpart, the 600GB Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS Hard Drive ST3600057SS delivers safe and affordable high-capacity storage to data servers and Enterprise environments. The 4Gb/s FC or 6-Gb/s SAS 2.0 interface allows the perpendicular storage technology to deliver 15,000 RPM data bandwidth for an industry-leading 1.6-million-hour MTBF. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS hard drive against a wide variety of storage solutions. |
In Win Maelstrom Full Tower Chassis Review @ ThinkComputers.org |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:14 PM (EDT) |
“In Win is a company mainly known for its power supplies or unique mid tower cases. Today we got the opportunity to review In Win's first Full Tower Case, the In Win Maelstrom. This airflow giant can boast a total of 10, 120mm fans to go along with the airflow design built into the case. In Win has added many sound/vibration reducing implantations into this case such as the acoustic absorbers and patented hard drive rails. Read on further to see what In Wins first Full Tower Chassis has to offer." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:14 PM (EDT) |
"Although this case was extremely great, I did have one major problem with it. The built in PSU failed to power my system. The PSU is only 90W so I guessed it wouldn't be able to do much. I even pulled out the HDD and optical drive to be powered by a second PSU. This however, didn't solve the problem. I ended up running the entire system off of a spare PSU. This problem would be minor, if it wasn't for the fact that the Skeleton doesn't accommodate for a PSU other then the built in one. To me this pretty much ruins the part of having a Mini ITX system, especially if you need a second object sitting on your desk." |
AMD Athlon II X2 240e 2.8 GHz Energy Efficient Processor Review @ PCSTATS.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:14 PM (EDT) |
"Do you leave your computer on all the time? If you've nodded yes to any of the above, it might be time to think about a more power-efficient processor. That's the idea behind AMD's Athlon II X2 240e. It's a 2.8GHz dual-core processor based on the AMD "Regor" core with a TDP of just 45W. The "e" behind the Athlon II X2 240e model name indicates that it's one of AMDs Energy Efficient processors. The Athlon II X2 240e has support for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, depending on if the processor is dropped into a socket AM2+ or socket AM3 motherboard. Memory can be run at speeds of DDR2-1066 or DDR3-1333 via the Athlon II X2 240e's integrated memory controller." |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:13 PM (EDT) |
Today we have the pleasure of looking at the first video card from HIS Digital that is capable of playing the soon to be released DirectX 11 games such as Colin McRae's Dirt 2. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:13 PM (EDT) |
Every ATI HD 5850 card on the market is exactly the same at the moment with differentiators being the Support and the bundle. GIGABYTE has a reference HD 5850 card that performs as well as any other HD 5850 card as the clock speeds and memory clock speeds are the same as the other cards on the market. ZipZoomFly sells this card for $269.99 which is the MSRP suggested by ATI for their HD 5850 cards and GIGABYTE. At the moment they are out of stock as is Newegg making this and the HD 5870 hard cards to get a hold of at the moment. This is still a very Hot Product for the consumer masses. |
Gigabyte GTX 275 SOC & Nvidia 3D Vision Review @ Driverheaven |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:12 PM (EDT) |
Today we have Gigabytes GTX 275 Super Overclock in our labs which takes nVidia's GTX275 to a whole new level. To make things even more interesting we have paired this impressive card with Nvidias 3D Vision kit, today we see if the latest development in display technology is ready for the mainstream market. |
[Tech ARP] Western Digital 320 GB Scorpio Black Notebook Hard Disk Drive Review |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:12 PM (EDT) |
If you were impressed with the performance of the 5400 RPM Western Digital Scorpio, you will be astounded by the "higher-end" Western Digital Scorpio Black. |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:10 PM (EDT) |
Marketed as a gaming mid-tower case the M59 offers up features like clearance for 10.5 inch graphics cards, support for water cooling, and a well ventilated design. We will see how well the case handles a budget system. |
NZXT BETA EVO Classic Series PC Case Review @ Bona Fide Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:10 PM (EDT) |
"Today for review I’ve got a PC case or chassis from NZXT called the Beta Evo. The Evo is the improved or redesigned version of the original Beta case, and it’s improved for the better overall. The Beta case is a budget style case, at least in price, but it’s won many awards and is not what you would expect from such a low priced case, the features and quality is something you’d see a much higher priced chassis. So read on to learn more about this case and see the comparison shots as well to the original Beta case…. " |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:10 PM (EDT) |
"Today for review MobileFun has sent me over the Jabra BT3030 Stereo Bluetooth Headset and I have to say that in my time with it I’ve truly come to like this little product. It’s a BT headset yes, but it’s also a stereo headset so you can listen to music with a regular set of headphones. It’s bluetooth so it’s wireless, and it features a full set of controls to play and pause music, raise and lower the volume and skip back and forward between tracks. The BT303 resembles a dog tag, and it’s meant to be worn just like one with the included necklace, or it can be clipped onto your clothes with the included clip. The BT303 is a great little product in both quality and ease of use, if you’re like me and use your phone as an MP3 player then you might want to check this out… " |
Posted by Nathan @ 4:09 PM (EDT) |
Once upon a time, Thermaltake sent me a brand new unit called the Toughpower XT. This unit, although priced and targeted as being one of Thermaltake's best, ultimately came up short when it came to performance. |
Monday, October 26 2009 |
Posted by Nathan @ 12:38 PM (EDT) |
The Zalman CNPS10X Quiet takes the CNPS10X Extreme and pairs it with a silent fan for all those users who want the cooling performance of a tower cooler in combination with silence. We crank up the heat to see if the CNPS10X Quiet can stay cool when it counts. |
Posted by Nathan @ 12:37 PM (EDT) |
The value in PC components today is fantastic, with the chassis being no exception. With its M59 mid-tower chassis, NZXT proves that value doesn't have to mean cheap, as this one is packed. It features a cool design, LED lighting, features usually only seen on higher-end models, and of course, a $59.99 USD price-tag. |
Posted by Nathan @ 12:37 PM (EDT) |
“It’s been a pretty successful formula for any number of companies - and it’s also the basis for most of the world’s x86 and x64 servers (HP, IBM, Dell and all their competitors all do RAID controllers this way in their main servers). |
Posted by Nathan @ 12:37 PM (EDT) |
"Today I will be reviewing a sharp looking new desktop HTPC case by nMediaPC. It accommodates a standard ATX motherboard and a full sized power suppy, with pricing in the economy range of HTPC cases (under $100). It definitely does not look like a PC case, which is definitely the trend in the HTPC case arena. Read on to find out about the nMediaPC HTPC-6000B!" |
Posted by Nathan @ 12:36 PM (EDT) |
Two HD 5770 cards perform better than a single HD5850 card and two HD 5850 cards perform much better than a single HD 5770 card. Considering the price of the two HD 5770s is nearly the same as a HD 5870 card I would suggest buying a single HD 5870 or HD 5850 depending on which price range. On the other hand, if you only have $160 a HD 5770 added to the system later will improve performance immensely in most applications. Two HD 5750s in Crossfire mode make for an attractive upgrade as well if you only have $130 to spend on a video card today. |
Kingston 40GB V Series Boot Drive SSD Review @ Legit Reviews |
Posted by Nathan @ 12:36 PM (EDT) |
"The idea of having one drive as a boot drive and another drive for storage is nothing new. Kingston is the first company to bring to market an SSD for this task, though, and we must say that it is an interesting solution. With the Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive available for as low as $84.99 after rebates it really might be one of the most cost-effective ways to improve any desktop's boot, shutdown and application load times. It's not every day a low-cost upgrade solution comes to market that makes such a big performance improvement, so we can see how this SSD will breathe new life into existing desktop computers and workstations in homes and offices around the world. The drive's performance was nothing short of amazing as we were seeing sequential write speeds over 230MB/s in popular benchmarks like HDTach. The drive is rated for a sequential read speed of up to 170MB/s, so this was a nice surprise..." |
Posted by Nathan @ 12:36 PM (EDT) |
It seems that every time we look at the SSD market new companies have thrown their hats into the ring and are releasing their products. Lately, Indilinx-based drives are the talk of the town with everyone from OCZ to Corsair to G.Skill releasing drives with Indilinx controllers. A-Data is the latest to enter the fray sporting Indilinx hardware but what can they bring to the table that their competition doesn’t? Let’s find out. |
Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB SSD Desktop Upgrade Kit Review @ OCC |
Posted by Nathan @ 12:35 PM (EDT) |
"The Kingston SSDNow V-Series SSD does exactly what is set out to do. It offers great performance, an easy upgrade path, and comes in at a great price. While the upgrade might not be as easy as adding a new stick of memory to your system, most users will not have too much difficulty in achieving the proper results. Once I had the drive set up in my system, the difference over my hard disk drive was very noticeable. My operating system and applications loaded faster, large photo editing was much smoother." |
Sunday, October 25 2009 |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:41 PM (EDT) |
Today we are taking a look at a PSU from Enermax, a well known power supply manufacturer. We received a sample of their ECO friendly 80+ and SLI certified PSU. This unit has 620W and should be quite silent if we look at the specifiations. Lets have a closer look at this unit and how it can perform. |
Vizo Luxon 3.5" External IDE/SATA HDD Enclosure Review @ Madshrimps |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:41 PM (EDT) |
You can find them in nearly every variation you want: black, white, pink, robust, ultra-light, slick, mat, ... but deciding which one suits you best, performance and style wise often is not an easy job certainly if you are trying to integrate these into your living room environment. HDD Enclosures, that is what I am talking about and today we have a look at an 3,5inch IDE/SATA enclosure offering by Vizo. |
Alienware OptX AW2210 Monitor & TactX Headset Review @ DriverHeaven |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:40 PM (EDT) |
We've already taken a look and the TactX Keyboard and Mouse, today we have on review their OptX HD Monitor and TactX Headset. Is this ‘outside the box’ thinking from Alienware good enough to match up with components inside the box of many higher end systems? |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:40 PM (EDT) |
It’s official! The iPod Nano has become the worlds most successfully selling mp3 player. This should come as no surprise as the nano’s color options, size, and relatively low price range make it a very accessible product. This small update bring some major game changers for the iPod Nano, but will they be enough to warrant an update from recent up-graders? Let’s find out. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:39 PM (EDT) |
“Vantec is well known for its NexStar line of hard drive enclosures and we've reviewed quite a few of them, along with their other product lines, here on VH over the years with favorable results. Vantec recently took their basic hard drive enclosure to another level by offering a secured model called the "Vault". This is a password protected setup that basically splits your hard drive 50/50 with one side being public (unsecured) and the other side being private (secured) and it does it all automatically. Let's see how Vantec's Vault get this accomplished.” |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:38 PM (EDT) |
"Windows 7 was just released this week and we are already starting to look ahead to Windows 8, which Microsoft is already in the process of developing even before 7 was released earlier this week. So far the reception of Windows 7 has been mostly positive and definitely better than Windows Vista, but there are still things we wish it had. Below are our top 8 things we want to see in Windows 8." |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:38 PM (EDT) |
AMD's Athlon II X2 240 is set out to deliver a best-in-class experience for less than $60. Even though it has only two cores it can deliver in many benchmarks including gaming. Its attractive price point and undervolting capabilities also make it an interesting choice for a budget oriented media PC setup. |
Posted by Nathan @ 6:37 PM (EDT) |
"While storage space has stayed well ahead of software in terms of increasing capacities, because of duplicated and backed up data, most people now have a plethora of different storage solutions to hold their ever important information. There's pen drives, optical media, portable hard drives and more. However, the cheapest option of them all tends to be a run of the mill hard drive, with a docking point of some sort. This can also be a great way to utilise an older, smaller drive that you no longer have use for. With that in mind, lets commence today's review of the Sharkoon SATA QuickPort Duo." |
