Saturday, January 9 2010 |
Friday, January 8 2010 |
Thursday, January 7 2010 |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:18 PM (EST) |
Thermaltake being one of the leaders in power supply production has once again sent us one of their prized power units. The TR2 RX is aimed at the mainstream segment, for people that are looking for efficiency, decent amount of power and reliability. The TR2 has all that. It is rated 86%, anywhere from 600 to 750 watts and has a great warranty which last five years from date of purchase. We will be taking a look at the 750 watt which has support for dual GPU no matter the card has two 6-pin or 8-pin connectors. We have it here. |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:18 PM (EST) |
Today we are taking a look at a SSD drive from Crucial. We are going to test this drive out in both in normal daily usage and also in some benchmarks to really see what type of performance we can expect from it. |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:17 PM (EST) |
I am a huge fan of cars. I like sports cars of all types, but I get really excited when the cars are exotic, hail from Italy and sport a prancing horse on the hood. I will never be able to afford a Ferrari of my own, unless I hit the lottery, but I can afford the dead sexy Acer Ferrari One netbook. |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:16 PM (EST) |
The design may be unique but performance is quite good, come along with us as we check out this recent addition to the Thermaltake lineup. The Thermaltake SpinQ VT is a heatsink that would make a great addition to most everyone's computer. |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:16 PM (EST) |
Today for review I’ve got another product from our friends at Thermaltake, this time it’s one of their newest cases called the Element G. This case has a lot of great features, it’s well made and it looks good as well. It has enough room for seven 3.5” hard drives and even space for two more 2.5” HDDs or SSDs so you’ll never run out of storage space. So read on to learn more about a very nicely designed case… |
Kingston HyperX 1600MHz 12GB Triple Channel (KHX1600C9D3K6/12G) @ Bjorn3D |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:11 PM (EST) |
With RAM kits we've known for a long time that more RAM is better than less RAM. By that we mean if you have a choice between 3GB and 6GB or even 12GB get as much RAM as you can afford right out of the gate when building or upgrading a system. We've been testing i5 kits with 4 and 8GB and the 8GB kits give you a nice performance edge over 4GB kits. Now we are testing a Kingston HyperX 12GB kit so we are going to run the normal battery of tests on it then split the kit to a 6GB configuration and run some additional tests. So we'll have the same exact kit running in 6 and 12GB configurations in selected tests to show you that more ram is advantageous. |
Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced Case Review Release from around the web. |
Posted by Nathan @ 3:11 PM (EST) |
Here is a short list of review sites covering the launch of this new case. We will definitely look into getting a sample for our own review in the near future. |
Wednesday, January 6 2010 |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:55 AM (EST) |
Many years ago, experts predicted that in the future computer processors would have an integrated graphics processor, instead of having this component on the motherboard chipset or on a discrete graphics card. In fact, AMD was the first CPU manufacturer to announce the development of such solution, dubbed Fusion. However, it is its competitor, Intel, the first company to launch products using this idea (codenamed "Clarkdale"). Today we are going to review one of the first CPUs with an integrated graphics processor (GPU) to arrive on the market, Core i5-661. |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:55 AM (EST) |
Zalman's CNPS10X Extreme fulfills both roles pretty well care of a cleverly integrated PWM fan speed controller in the top part of the fan shroud. Do nothing and the CNPS10X Extreme's 120mm fan will fall under BIOS control, automatically scaling fan speed from 1000RPM to 2150RPM as needed. Set the fan speed controller and the heatsink operates in one of three fan-duty modes, or responds to the turn of a dial to the exact fan velocity you want. |
Netgear EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live Review @ Digital Trends |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:54 AM (EST) |
Media-streaming boxes like Netgear's EVA2000 Digital Entertainer Live are the next best thing to having a home theater PC in your entertainment center. They're smaller, quieter, and considerably cheaper, and can access media stored on computers and servers on your network as well as Internet content such as you'll find on YouTube and Hulu. The EVA2000 can do all those things, as well as access media stored on a local USB storage device, and it boasts a low list price of $149.99. Still, we think Western Digital's similar WD TV Live HD media player is a far better value. |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:54 AM (EST) |
"The overall performance that the card was able to give me during the testing was quite impressive. However, for a price tag of $104.95, I would prefer spending my money on something a little more powerful. This is most likely because I do not have any need for a low end card and when I game, it is with a high performance setup." |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:53 AM (EST) |
With all of these newer videocards come newer GPU coolers. As always Arctic Cooling is one of the first companies to present us a new GPU cooler. Today we are going to look at the Accelero L2 Pro. When I first received this GPU cooler I could have sworn that this was a CPU cooler and not a GPU cooler. When I looked closer at the packaging, I was finally convinced that this was in fact a GPU cooler and not a CPU cooler. Considering most GPU coolers we have been seeing these days are fairly long in length, I was not even remotely expecting a GPU cooler to look like this. |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:53 AM (EST) |
While I knew that Kingwin was able to produce some nice drive enclosures and CPU coolers, I wasn't convinced that their expertise was going to carry over to power supplies. The Mach-1 series 1000W power supply (model ABT-1000MA1S) proved me wrong, and convinced me that Kingwin should be taken seriously in this market, too. |
Posted by Nathan @ 7:52 AM (EST) |
As enthusiasts, we're always interested in the latest monster video cards: the expensive, high-end products that blast through benchmarks and play all your games with buttery-smooth frame rates at the highest resolutions with all the settings maxed out- and sucking a not inconsiderable amount of electricity while doing so! But these products represent only a tiny fraction of the number of video cards sold; the low-to-mid-end cards comprise the bulk of the market. Besides, a GTX285 or Radeon 5870 isn't the ideal solution for every situation: considerations from a limited budget to building a small, quiet system come into play. NVIDIA has been filling out the low-middle end of their video card product line lately, and in this article Benchmark Reviews tests the GIGABYTE GV-N240D5-512I video card equipped with with NVIDIA's new GeForce GT240 GPU and 512M of GDDR5 memory. |
Tuesday, January 5 2010 |
Monday, January 4 2010 |
Posted by Nathan @ 11:47 PM (EST) |
Sharp's latest 32-inch Aquous HDTV delivers some excellent features at an upper-midrange price point, including a 120Hz refresh rate, a fast 4ms response time, and four HDMI 1.3 inputs. But the most important feature by far is the television's full-array LED backlight. As such, we recommend it - however, after extensive testing, we did have a few reservations about the set worth noting as well. |
MSI Eclipse Plus Intel X58 Express Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com |
Posted by Nathan @ 11:46 PM (EST) |
As MSI Computer knows, sometimes overkill is a good thing. This seems to be the philosophy behind the MSI X58 Eclipse Plus motherboard - a jet black beauty built around Intel's X58 Express and ICH10R chipsets for the Intel Core i7 family of socket 1366 processors. MSI's X58 Eclipse Plus motherboard supports DDR3 memory exclusively, and triple channel kits at that. The board will accommodate up to 24GB of DDR3-800/1066/1333 (DDR3-1600 overclocked) RAM in its six physical memory slots. |
Posted by Nathan @ 11:46 PM (EST) |
While all the bells and whistles on All-in-One inkjet printers are nice to have, there are times when you just need a simple black-and-white printer that is less expensive to operate. That's where the Brother HL-2140 comes in. It prints up to 23 pages per minute at resolutions up to 2400 x 600 dots per inch. It is a monochrome laser printer that is less expensive to operate. Could this be the printer that becomes your daily workhorse? We decided to take a look. |
Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ 16GB USB Flash drive @ TestFreaks |
Posted by Nathan @ 11:46 PM (EST) |
USB Flash drives are a great way of carrying around portable data. However, keeping this data safe from prying eyes usually requires some form of security; whether it is password or encryption protection. In most cases, hardware encrypted USB Flash drives are the most secure way of locking up ones data. Of course these drives can be rather expensive. Thankfully, Kingston has released the relatively affordable DataTraveler Locker+ USB Flash drive, which features hardware-based encryption. |
Posted by Nathan @ 11:45 PM (EST) |
A case is the most essential piece of hardware for any computer, and holds a lot of potential to affect its owner's experience: convenience, cooling, efficiency, and appearance to name a few. In the gaming industry, these aspects are all the more important. The market is currently flooded with makes and models, each trying to satisfy every area or specialize enough in one to to become unique. In-Win's Maelstrom case is one of the former's leading contenders, and they've sent us a sample to find out why. |
Posted by Nathan @ 11:45 PM (EST) |
Today we're taking a look at the Core i5-661 processor along with the new H55/57 chipsets which feature Intel's new onboard graphics chip. |
Posted by Nathan @ 11:44 PM (EST) |
"If you subscribe to the hype, Prolimatech's Megahalems heatsink is that legendary thermal solution only spoken of in hushed whispers. As is tradition, Frostytech won't string you along; the Prolimatech Megahalems heatsink is indeed one of the very best performing CPU coolers we've ever tested. Faced with a 150W heat load it doesn't break a sweat keeping Frostytech's synthetic Intel CPU die at just 15.0°C over ambient temperature (w/h 80CFM 120mm fan). That is very nearly a record low." |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:27 PM (EST) |
Here are the first batch of release articles for today. We will be releasing ours tonight. How will this entry level processor with integrated graphics do? Read on to find out. |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:21 PM (EST) |
Today, I would like to thank the guys and gals at Silverstone for sending us their newest case. We know it is bound to please any who want quality, class, simplicity and space. The FT02 is the rebirth of the FT01, which was also called the Fortress. Consisting of two different technologies from the legendary cases, RV01 and TJ07, the FT02 has a uni-body construction and 90 degree rotated motherboard design to give you the best of what both cases had to offer. It also has a few things the other two did not have and we will be talking about those in this review. |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:21 PM (EST) |
Today we have the opportunity to take a look at the AeroCool DCC-C900 CPU Cooler, a compact CPU cooler with a transparent white frame and blue fins. This CPU cooler uses three 6mm copper heatpipes in a “U” form to use the DCC or Direct Core Contact technology to cool the CPU. It supports LGA 775/AM2 and K8 CPUs, but unfortunately doesn’t support the newest CPU architectures. Installation is a breeze with this cooler, which could fit into almost any size case. Read on further to see what else it has to offer. |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:21 PM (EST) |
The Tiger 1200W not only performs well, but it has the looks and features to match. The unit is quiet, only when the temperature hits the mid 50 degree Celsius range and fully loaded does the fan really spin up, but even then it is bearable, and by no means loud. The finish on the power |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:19 PM (EST) |
Intel sees a big market share when it comes to CPUs, but the one place where AMD remains competitive is budget processors. Let's see how Intel's latest socket 775 offering, the E6750, fares. |
QNAP Raises Performance Bar With The World's First Intel® Atom™ CPU D510 All-in-one NAS |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:18 PM (EST) |
Taipei, Taiwan, January 4, 2010 - QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading manufacturer of world class NAS servers, NVR Video Surveillance Systems, and Network-based Video Players today unveiled its new series of ultra-high performance Turbo NAS servers TS-259 Pro, TS-459 Pro, TS-659 Pro and TS-859 Pro (a QNAP exclusive) that have been certified as compatible with VMware's vSphere4 (ESX 4.0) virtualization platform, ideal for departmental file sharing, storage, and advanced server applications in the office environment. VMware's vSphere is the industry's first cloud operating system that offers a way to reduce IT costs and increase responsiveness. Shared networked storage is an essential component of a Cloud Computing infrastructure. The new Turbo NAS series incorporates the Intel® Atom™ D-510 dual-core processor, which delivers exceptional performance and maintains high reliability for multiple concurrent tasks and intensive data transfer with very low power consumption. Businesses of all sizes are able to enjoy the interoperability between VMware virtual machines and QNAP high performance, low power consumption certified storage, take the advantages of VMware Cloud Computing environments. |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:17 PM (EST) |
Blazing fast top of the range graphic cards often get the most attention and get reviewed the most, but this time around we have something a bit different for a closer look - the Nvidia GT220. |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:16 PM (EST) |
01/04/2010 – In the digital age, people are creating and accessing digital content like never before. As such, they require a storage device that is powerful enough to store and serve this content, but friendly enough to manage quickly and effortlessly. Today, digital storage leader Thecus® Technology is proud to announce the Thecus® N4200. Fast, secure, and incredibly easy-to-use, the N4200 is the ideal home NAS for the digital lifestyle. |
Posted by Nathan @ 5:15 PM (EST) |
MSI has taken their portable Wind-series netbook computer system and combined it with the functionality of a full-featured desktop computer system to create a stylish and compact NVIDIA ION-based Wind-Top AE2220-25SUS computer system that fits in the same space as a 21.5-inch widescreen monitor. The small footprint doesn't just shelter a 1080p HDTV LCD display, it also incorporates touch-screen functionality along with an integrated HD web cam and high-fidelity 5.1-channel SRS Premium Sound. Blu-ray Discs can be played back from the MSI Wind Top AE2220, and a digital tuner is also built-in for receiving over-the-air HD broadcasts allowing the DVR functionality within Microsoft Windows 7. Ideal for every workspace conceivable, the dual-core 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor handles compute tasks and 4GB of DDR2 system memory ensure there's no delay in program responsiveness, while a 500GB hard drive offers high-capacity storage space for sa! ved data and recorded audio or video multimedia. Both 802.11b/g/n WiFi and 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet give users the flexibility to connect the MSI AE2220 to a LAN or wireless network. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tested the MSI Wind Top AE2220 1080p All-In-One PC. |
