Week of November 30, 2008

Saturday, December 6 2008

G.Skill 2x2GB PC2 6400 (F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B) Review @ Overclockers Online

Posted by Nathan @ 2:51 PM (EST)

With the relatively slow adoption of DDR3 it's nice to see great DDR2 kits still being released. G.Skill has a great line of memory with the PI series and they have improved even further with the Black editions. The Black edition brings latency timings down even further while still retaining the low power requirements making these an ideal memory upgrade for those with a limited FSB CPU or motherboard.

FSP Power Mod 700W Power Supply Review @ Rbmods

Posted by Nathan @ 2:50 PM (EST)

Choosing a power supply can be a tough choice, with a wide range of suppliers and features for each unit. While power output is important, there are other factors such as efficiency, noise, and even looks that are equally as important. Today we’ll be looking at a 700W power supply from FSP, the FSP Power Mod 700W PSU, which has been designed with performance in mind. Will this power supply prove to be a good balance of all the factors that make a good power supply? Let’s find out.

QNAP TS-509 Pro @ techPowerUp

Posted by Nathan @ 2:50 PM (EST)

QNAP's latest NAS device is built around a full featured PC. As processor a Socket775 1.6 GHz Celeron is used. Upgrading the SO-DIMM memory should be easy too since QNAP was so kind to leave a memory slot unpopulated. The new hardware greatly improves the processing power resulting in much better transfer rates over the dual Gigabit interfaces.

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CPU3D Review: Coolermaster Sileo 500 Silent Chassis

Posted by Nathan @ 2:50 PM (EST)

"The Coolermaster Sileo 500 is a very well made and decent chassis for anyone who cherish their silence. Cooling performance is OK, considering there are only 2 x 120mm silent, low rpm fans to cool the entire chassis. It may not be suitable to most gamers or enthusiasts, but it is one of the most silent chassis we've tested to date ... ideal for the office or home study."

Thermalright True Copper Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Heatsink @ DragonSteelMods.com

Posted by Nathan @ 2:50 PM (EST)

"AcousticPC has sent me over the Thermalright True Copper Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Heatsink - Limited Edition, or TRUE Copper for review. This thing is huge, coming in at 1900Grams or about 4lbs, it's enough to bust some motherboards, but if your board can handle it then get it as it will provide the best cooling performance of any air cooled CPU cooler on the market today, and most likely in the foreseeable future as well. "

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Nova Overslide Review @ XSReviews

Posted by Nathan @ 2:49 PM (EST)

"Nova recently impressed us with their Slider X mouse, though it had it's few annoyances. Now the company has been kind enough to send us the accompanying mouse mat, designed specifically to improve the Slider X while working well with others too. Containing "Ceramic Micro Balls" and a flip tone surface, will it impress as much as the Slider did? Let's see."

Lian Li 750W Maxima Force Series Power Supply Review @ Bigbruin.com

Posted by Nathan @ 2:49 PM (EST)

While I have been familiar with and impressed by cases from Lian Li for years, I did not know exactly what to expect from one of their power supplies. I assumed that the same high standards and attention to detail would be applied, and the 750W Maxima Force Series power supply confirmed that. It is a well made unit designed to serve in a variety of system configurations.

bit-tech News: Thermaltake's Spedo chassis

Posted by Nathan @ 2:48 PM (EST)

On paper the Thermaltake Spedo should be one of the best cases we’ve looked at this year, combining a whole range of desirable features like an excellent cable routing system, easy access drive bays in a highly configurable setup and an innovative compartment system with one of the most capable cooling setups we’ve see here in the bit-tech labs.

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Samsung Propel Review @ Digital Trends

Posted by Nathan @ 2:48 PM (EST)

"Samsung has solved the whole portrait vs. landscape form factor debate with the Propel. The Propel, officially the SGH-a767 and available from AT&T Wireless for the bargain price of $79.99, is a 2.33-inch wide slider - the perfect width for a breast pocket. By making the phone wider, there's more room for a wider screen, and a wider QWERTY keyboard, without having to turn the phone on its side. This ridiculously simple "duh!" solution makes using the Propel for viewing video, surfing the Web, AGPS maps and navigation, writing email, taking photos or just making calls far more civilized. We can only hope other phone makers copy this innovative ergonomic development."

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GIGABYTE GK-K8000 GHOST Gaming Keyboard Review @ Tweaktown

Posted by Nathan @ 2:47 PM (EST)

Without even taking it out of the box, you can tell this is a different class of keyboard all together. It weighs a ton; well, feels like it! - If you ever get your ass kicked at a LAN party, just start swinging this baby whilst screaming "BOOM! HEADSHOT!". It’s a lethal weapon, really.

Eagle iNeo I-NA205UE 2.5”/3.5” SATA to USB/eSATA Docking Station with Enclosure @ Bjorn3D

Posted by Nathan @ 2:46 PM (EST)

Although, the 2.5'' hard drives may not have the same performance as the 3.5'' desktop drives, they are an excellent choice for data storage on the go. Currently, you can find 500GB of 2.5'' SATA hard drive as cheap as $110. It's hard to argue any other better means of portable storage. Simply put a 500GB 2.5'' HDD to an enclosure and it's ready to carry any data you wish to throw at it.

Friday, December 5 2008

Hiper Type M 780W @ techPowerUp

Posted by Nathan @ 4:19 PM (EST)

The Hiper Type M 780W is a great all-round power supply. It offers an exceptionally stable 12V line and is sufficiently quiet to not annoy you during every day PC use. Also it supports SLI or CrossFire with a high efficiency of over 83%. With a price of around $125 it is cheaper than similar products from bigger brand names.

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Gigabyte EG45M-DS2H @ Techgage.com

Posted by Nathan @ 4:18 PM (EST)

On the test bench today, we have Gigabyte's latest Micro ATX offering, the Intel G45-based EG45M-DS2H. This board carries the typical Gigabyte enthusiast charm, but also caters towards those looking to build a media center. But how does it stack up against the other Intel mATX boards we've tested recently?

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A-DATA Vitesta DDR3-1333MHz 3GB Triple Channel Kit @ Tweaktown

Posted by Nathan @ 4:18 PM (EST)

Thanks to the on-chip memory controller, Intel is limited to a single type of memory and this is where Intel is pushing DDR3. If you want to use any of the current Core i7’s or the upcoming LGA-1156 processors due next year, it’s DDR3 or nothing. And with the LGA-1366 supporting three memory channels, we are seeing triple channel kits coming out for Core i7.

CPU3D Review: Elixir DDR3-1600 PC3-12800 4Gb Kit

Posted by Nathan @ 4:17 PM (EST)

"If you're after affordable DDR3-1600 4Gb kits without all the overclocking "nonsense" ... then Elixir is your answer. The only question is ... are you going to overclock? True hardcore enthusiasts might want to look elsewhere. "

ATI FirePro V8700 Workstation Graphics Card @ HotHardware.com

Posted by Nathan @ 4:16 PM (EST)

ATI has yet to introduce top to bottom FirePro-class products to replace the FireGL, but it's delivered the first four cards of many to come in the future. ATI has released four new workstation cards under the FirePro moniker. On the low-end you have the FirePro V3700 followed by the mid-range V3750 and V5700 models, and finally the new high-end model which we'll be looking at today, the RV770-based FirePro V8700.

AeroCool AeroRacer Pro PC Case Review @ Legit Reviews

Posted by Nathan @ 4:16 PM (EST)

"It seems that over the years fans have become larger and it looks like they have finally become the same size as the case dimensions themselves. The first thing that jumps out at you when looking at the AeroCool AeroRacer Pro case is the 40cm or 15.7 inch box fan strapped to the side. At 400mm in size the fan is nearly as tall as the 410mm chassis, which makes it look like a box fan strapped to the side of the computer. Back in the early days of LAN gaming people used to improve cooling by using a household box fan, so it looks like that cooling trick finally went mainstream and a 120V electrical connection isn't needed..."

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Toshiba Qosmio F50 @ InsideHW

Posted by Nathan @ 4:16 PM (EST)

“Toshiba’s trump card in area of affordable gaming notebooks is model F50. Although Toshiba’s X300 notebook series is meant for gamers and F50 doesn’t belong to that series, it does have certain qualities that can attract low-budget gamers that want to buy notebook. Despite the fact that Toshiba notebooks from A300 , P300 and F50 series have different looks, they share some design elements that Toshiba calls Fusion design. In case of F50 model that design is enriched with Vibe design elements…”

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Gelid Silent Spirit CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Canucks

Posted by Nathan @ 4:15 PM (EST)

As for the Silent Spirit cooler itself, this is an ultra quiet, hybrid downdraft cooler which is designed as a low noise solution. It is slowly becoming available at retailer and e-tailers throughout the country and should go for about $35. The Silent Spirit is not designed nor intended for monster overclocking, nor is it designed for passive cooling. What this cooler has been designed to do is provide adequate cooling and do it with as little noise as possible.

MSI Turbostream 600 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Posted by Nathan @ 4:15 PM (EST)

"MSI Turbostream 600 W (a.k.a. MS-4600-010) is a rebadged Solytech SL-8600EPS power supply, featuring active PFC, two 80-mm fans and two auxiliary power plugs for video cards under SLI or CrossFire configuration. Is this a good product? Can it really deliver 600 W? Let's see."

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Gateway FX6800-01e Gaming PC Review @ Digital Trends

Posted by Nathan @ 4:15 PM (EST)

"The hype surrounding Intel's new Core i7 Quad-Core processor touches down at Gateway in the form of the new FX6800-01e gaming machine, with a hot new i7 beating within. The inky-black-and-orange machine impressed us with its computational fortitude, but lost points with a messy array of trialware scattered on the new machine, some cheap construction issues, and a few odd crashes. Despite the holdbacks, it's still a lot of machine for the money, and not many other manufacturers can match the same outfit of premium hardware for the price."

Asus My Cinema-U3100Mini TV Tuner Review @ OCC

Posted by Nathan @ 4:14 PM (EST)

"The Asus My Cinema-U3100 has only delighted me. It does what it is designed to do perfectly, unobstructed with any errors during operation. The fact that it uses USB is extremely handy since it can be used in virtually any computer, and is also portable. It also means that no tools are required to use this device. Since the coaxial adapter is flexible, it helps to relieve tension from thick coaxial cables – which helps keep the tuner from being knocked out from the USB port. The TotalMedia software works great, and is very simple and easy to follow – it is very intuitive. The only downfall of this tuner is that it is limited in use until ATSC is enforced in 2009 (2011 for Canada). But when that time comes, this gem will shine even more!"

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EVGA GTX-280 SLI @ Bjorn3D

Posted by Nathan @ 4:14 PM (EST)

We've spent several weeks with the EVGA GTX-280's we received some time ago. They've been productive weeks, full of testing, playing, and living with the EVGA GTX-280 in single card and SLI configuration and while we still have a lot of testing to do, we decided to go ahead with a Single card and SLI review. We're saving the Triple SLI review for a week or two and then we'll break it out with some of the hottest titles of the season in what's sure to be an SLI vs. Crossfire extravaganza of epic proportions.

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Tagan BZ 1300W PSU Review @ HardOCP

Posted by Nathan @ 4:13 PM (EST)

Tagan BZ 1300W PSU - Tagan delivers some impressive features in this 1300 watt powerhouse of a PSU. It is advertised as future proof and guaranteed to last, but does it deliver the full 1300 watts of advertised power under our test conditions?

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Thursday, December 4 2008

MSI DKA790GX Platinum Motherboard @ Viper Lair

Posted by Nathan @ 5:09 PM (EST)

"From a performance standpoint, the MSI DKA790GX performed on par with the 790FX in a stock speed scenario. Overclocking tells a different tale as the 790GX was a very good overclocker. The new SB750 South Bridge is a lot more stable in this department and for those of you looking to squeeze more out of their CPU, you will want to think about this if you're due for a motherboard upgrade."

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ASUS Lamborghini VX3 @ t-break

Posted by Nathan @ 5:08 PM (EST)

You know you're in for a treat right from the moment that you press the power button the ASUS Lamborghini VX3 and hear the sound of a Lamborghini engine purring.

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Palit Revolution 700 Deluxe HD 4870 X2 2GB Graphics Card Review @ Tweaktown

Posted by Nathan @ 5:08 PM (EST)

The latest company to attack a HD 4800 series card is Palit and the particular model is the top dog from the ATI range, the HD 4870 X2. So, what has Palit done to the card to make it stand out from the rest?

SouthWing SF605 Bluetooth Car Kit Review @ Legit Reviews

Posted by Nathan @ 5:08 PM (EST)

"The SouthWing SF605 Bluetooth car kit features a DSP for noise reduction and echo cancellation to make your calls sound crisp and clear. The full duplex 2-Watt speaker is designed to work well in even the noisiest of environments. We have seen Bluetooth speakerphones before and our hands-down favorite has been the BlueAnt Supertooth 3. The Supertooth 3 was an excellent performer and the speaker and noise reduction system were great. Let's see if SouthWing's SF605 can be crowned the new king..."

Sparkle 9800 GTX+ Review @ Madshrimps

Posted by Nathan @ 5:07 PM (EST)

"In time for holiday shopping spree Sparkle launches a custom Geforce 9800 GTX+ which features onboard HDMI and a silent GPU cooling. Can it run the latest games fluently? We test twelve on them to find out..."

XFX GTX260 Black Edition (GX-260N-ADB9) @ InsideHW

Posted by Nathan @ 5:07 PM (EST)

“As announced, nVIDIA presented new GTX260 with larger amount of Stream Processors. This is consequence of the facts that regular GTX260 didn’t have expected performances levels and price was too high compared to similar products on the market. Simply put GTX260 was very fast but since Radeon HD 4870 had better performance/price ratio nVIDIA had to do something and as result we have GTX260+. Difference between GTX260 and GTX260+ is in 24 Stream Processors so GTX260 has 192 SP and GTX260+ has 216 SP. This time we got GTX260+ graphics card signed by XFX that belong to their Black Edition series…”

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BFG MX-550 Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Posted by Nathan @ 5:06 PM (EST)

"The new MX series of power supplies from BFG features a modular cabling system, one 120-mm fan and one 80-mm fan that only kicks in when the temperature on the secondary heatsink is above 50º C. Let's see if the 550 W model (MX-550 or BFGI550WMXPSU) is a good product."

Canon Powershot G10 Review @ Digital Trends

Posted by Nathan @ 5:06 PM (EST)

As D-SLR prices continue to fall-you can get a 10-megapixel Sony A200 for $499 including a lens-the appeal of similarly-priced advanced point-and-shoot digicams dims even further. And yet, while all the imaging buzz centers on D-SLRs, fully-featured aim-and-forget cameras definitely have their place, especially for people who don't want to lug around a bulky three pounds of plastic and glass just to take a good photograph. We're not so snobby as to turn our noses up to handy point-and-shoots though, especially when there are models like the Canon Powershot G10 around. This rugged and solid digicam fits in your pocket (as long as it's a reasonably large one) and has 14.7MP - that's right, nearly 15-megapixel - resolution. In addition, the retro-looking camera has a wide-angle zoom and several cool dials that give it a rather unique feel. However, this is an almost-$500 camera, not a sub-$250 model like the pocket-sized and very popular 10MP Canon SD880 IS. So is the G10 worth the extra cash, or is an affordable D-SLR the way to go?

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Lian-Li PC-60FW Case Review @ Virtual-Hideout

Posted by Nathan @ 5:06 PM (EST)

“The PC-60FW turns out to be another winner from Lian-Li. The level of quality, professionalism and attention-to-detail has been properly carried over from previous models to this one, and it shows in many places, from the nicely-installed window to the improved HDD cage. Additionally, the relocation of the PSU to the bottom of the case helps improve the layout by making it cleaner and less prone to airflow blockage from messy cables.”

Sapphire HD 4830 512MB Review @ OCC

Posted by Nathan @ 5:05 PM (EST)

"I very much like the dual slot cooler because I personally had issues with early HD 4850 card overheating and this card stayed cool and quiet even when overclocked to speeds higher than the stock HD 4850 cards. Sapphire was smart about the heating issues on the HD 4850 with their dual slot cooling solution and I am very pleased to see they brought it to their HD 4830 line as well to aid in cooling. Out of the HD 4830 cards I tested this one stayed the coolest even to the touch. My HD 4850 has to sit in my case for a few minutes before I even dare to remove it because I have burned my fingers on it before. Sapphire did a great job in designing and building the HD 4830 for us."

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Thecus N4100PRO Networked Area Storage (NAS) Server @ Bjorn3D

Posted by Nathan @ 5:05 PM (EST)

If you're like many small business owners, you panic and break out into a cold sweat, jump out of bed and race to the office, hoping that your employee was wrong and that the hard drive didn't really fail and that it was all a mistake. It's either that, or that it was all just a bad dream. Because if that hard drive really did fail and all of your data is gone, then your business is dead in the water. Data is priceless. But not everyone puts that much value on it.

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bit-tech News: G.Skill, Intel & Patriot SSD Group Test

Posted by Nathan @ 5:03 PM (EST)

And that, in essence, is where the SSD rests today - as an expensive extravagance limited only to the most ludicrously high end PCs. While the Intel X25-M breaks the mould and proves SSDs can deliver not only phenomenally fast read, but also decent write performance, its price tag is sure to put all but the most opulent hardware enthusiast off.

Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350 Review @ ASE Labs

Posted by Nathan @ 5:03 PM (EST)

" Antec makes superb computer cases for all types of situations. One of the latest markets of custom cases is the entertainment PC. There are specific requirements for a PC that fits with a home theater setup including good cooling and a small A/V form factor. Antec has a new case called the Micro Fusion Remote 350 which targets this exact market. "

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Hiper M1000W PSU Review @ Driverheaven

Posted by Nathan @ 5:02 PM (EST)

Hiper have just released a very promising product, the M1000. Hiper claims that the M1000 is a very high performance 1kW unit regardless of the relatively low price of the product. Let us see how well the latest and most powerful Hiper PSU will perform.

Wednesday, December 3 2008

Sapphire Radeon HD4830 512MB Graphics Card Review @ Bigbruin.com

Posted by Nathan @ 4:24 PM (EST)

I am not exactly sure how I expected the Sapphire Radeon HD4830 512MB graphics card to fare during testing, but it wound up looking more like an enthusiast grade card than an entry level offering. It should be able to handle just about any game without having to sacrifice too much in terms of frame rates or settings, making it a great option for the gamer on a budget.

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Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 Toxic Review @ OCModShop

Posted by Nathan @ 4:24 PM (EST)

The PC gaming industry has seen many graphics chips come and go. Companies like 3dfx, S3, Trident, Intel, nVidia, ATI and others have tapped into the gaming industry and have produced 3d accellerators for the PC, and most of them have gone. There are only two major players in the PC graphics industry: nVidia and ATI.

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E- Power Thunder 650W 3- in- 1 Power Supply Review @ Overclockers Online

Posted by Nathan @ 4:23 PM (EST)

Topower is about affordability and capability. Topower manages to do an excellent job balancing price and performance. While there are cheaper power supplies available, and at the same time better performing power supplies available, Topower has managed to reach an equilibrium.

Tagan A+ El Diablo Advance Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

Posted by Nathan @ 4:23 PM (EST)

"A+ El Diablo Advance from Tagan is a full-tower case targeted to users worried about ventilation. It has a big 330-mm side fan (with 300-mm blades), two 180-mm fans on the top (with 160-mm blades) and one 250-mm fan on the front (with 220-mm blades) - all featuring speed controller -, plus a thermometer. Let's see if this is really a good case."

HTC Touch Diamond Review @ Digital Trends

Posted by Nathan @ 4:22 PM (EST)

"With a chiseled black case and stunning 2.8-inch touchscreen, the HTC Touch diamond is one the sharpest smartphones we've laid eyes on recently, both literally and figuratively. Unfortunately, HTC's glossy TouchFLO interface slapped over the tired old Windows Mobile 6.1 weighs on the phone like a ball and chain, and performance does not live up to the inviting exterior."

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Silent Computer Article @ Rbmods

Posted by Nathan @ 4:22 PM (EST)

These days everyone wants a quiet computer, it doesnt matter if its a stationary, laptop or HTPC they are all supposed to perform at all times with the smallest amount cooling possible.

CPU3D Review: In-Win 'NA USB Hard Drive Enclosure

Posted by Nathan @ 4:22 PM (EST)

When I initially looked at the 'NA USB enclosure, I first thought ... what a strange name for a product. Then I realise what In-Win was trying to do. The name of the product is inspired by Chinese calligraphy, NA. The device removes itself from the traditional, boring and dull look of the most USB enclosures. The new artistic design has a touch of Chinese cultre. It's ART!

iXBT Labs Review: Seven USB Flash Drives In Tests

Posted by Nathan @ 4:21 PM (EST)

"Today we are going to review seven interesting USB drives from different manufacturers. The products differ in capacity, performance and functionality. Some of them are well-known, some are less known, and one drive is a newcomer."

HTC AT&T FUZE Reviewed @ TestFreaks.com

Posted by Nathan @ 4:21 PM (EST)

"Today I've got the HTC Fuze for review, it's the new Windows Mobile based phone from AT&T, this phone goes by a few names and there are quite a few variations of it floating around the cellular networks right now. I'm sure by this point most of you know this phone, it's been hyped for quite a while, but is it worth the hype? Is it really all that? "

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NZXT Whisper Case @ Modders-Inc

Posted by Nathan @ 4:21 PM (EST)

NZXT, a company known for it's unique lineup of gaming hardware, accessories and cases, has added a new case to it's Classic Series. This new case is the NZXT Whisper, a Silent Steel Full Tower. According to some, it is the big brother or a step from the NZXT Hush Mid Tower case.

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bit-tech News: Asus' P6T Deluxe Motherboard

Posted by Nathan @ 4:20 PM (EST)

The Asus P6T Deluxe is a good value motherboard (which may be a little expensive for most) that works well and you can easily ignore the bits you don't want to use without losing out on the experience. It is an excellent backbone for some Core i7 shenanigans, despite the fact Asus could really do with a tidy up and consolidation in the future.

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Intel X58 Smackover - DX58SO @ Bjorn3D

Posted by Nathan @ 4:20 PM (EST)

For the last six months or so, we all have been awaiting the arrival of a highly anticipated motherboard from Intel. We've all heard the rumors and we've seen all the sneek peeks, but it just wasn't enough for us. We wanted MORE. I bring you one of those most highly anticipated products from Intel, the Smackover motherboard. This motherboard is being armed with Intel's latest chipset, the X58 northbridge, and it was paired up with an already proven southbridge, the ICH10R. The X58 northbridge chipset has the capability of cross platforming GPU's from ATI's Crossfire to NVIDIA's SLi all on the same board. Fully supporting tri-channel DDR3 memory, using three sticks of memory instead of two sticks of memory, for even more memory bandwidth. The X58 chipset, supports up to 36 PCI-Express 2.0 lanes, so it is possible to have two PCIe x16 slots and one PCIe x4 slot on the same motherboard.

G.Skill Pi Black PC2-6400 4GB Kit Review @ DriverHeaven

Posted by Nathan @ 4:20 PM (EST)

G.Skill are a renowned memory manufacturer and they have released many high performance products during the past months. That said, they haven't forgotten about the mainstream market and they just released several new DDR2 kits for the mainstream market as well. Today we will have a look at a Pi Black series PC2-6400 4GB kit, which can operate at 800MHz while needing only 1.8-1.9V.

Tuesday, December 2 2008

Antec Veris Fusion Remote Max Premium Home Theater PC Case Review @ Tweaknews.net

Posted by Nathan @ 4:14 AM (EST)



With the explosion of the home theatre market in the past decade or so, it was inevitable that the personal computer would enter the fray at some point. After all, a well-designed PC with the proper hardware can do the work of a myriad of home theatre components, and do it as well or better than even the most high-end equipment.

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SilverStone Fortress FT01 Mid-Tower Case Review @ Hardware Canucks

Posted by Nathan @ 4:12 AM (EST)

As popular as the TJ07, TJ09 are, they are massive cases. Measuring in at over 600mm deep, they were clearly designed with EATX motherboards and full-length expansion cards in mind. Not everyone needs beautiful monstrosities like this. After all, that extra unused real-estate does add to the cost of the chassis. Two years after the release of the popular TJ07, SilverStone has released a smaller, more affordable all-aluminium case; the Fortress FT01. Some of the unique features found in the Temjin series as well as the Sugo line of cases can be found in the FT01.

Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package Review @ OCC

Posted by Nathan @ 4:12 AM (EST)

"Fans, fans, and more fans. The Thermaltake Spedo Advanced Package comes with a ton of cooling. There are 2 120mm fans in the rear of the case for exhaust. There is a 230mm at the top of the case for exhaust and a 230mm intake fan on the side panel. There is a 140mm intake fan in front that was shown when the bezel of the case was off and also a bonus 120mm fan shown in the extras photos on the first page to place either at the bottom of the case or behind the mother board. I mounted mine as an intake behind the motherboard. There is also a multi-chamber cooling system that uses plastic dividers to channel the air better."

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MSI P6NGM mATX @ Viper Lair

Posted by Nathan @ 4:12 AM (EST)

"With HTPC becoming more and more a mainstream thought, a few chipsets have been designed with that exact end game in mind. Unfortunately, just because a chipset has a desired function or gizmo attached, it does not equate into the motherboard manufacturers implementing said technology, fortunately, there are some motherboard manufacturers that have taken note of the HTPC desires. Case in point, this Socket 775 P6NGM motherboard from MSI. While mATX and on-board graphics might not get you all in a tizzy, on-board HDMI might make you take a second look."

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Left 4 Dead Review @ OCModShop

Posted by Nathan @ 4:11 AM (EST)

Do you know how long I've been waiting for a game like this? A game where no matter how many times you play it you never know what is going to happen next? I tell you, as a lover of games I am excited. As a lover of zombies, I have reached a state of nirvana.

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Asus 9800 GTX+ Dark Knight @ Bjorn3D

Posted by Nathan @ 4:11 AM (EST)

What would the Dark Knight name be without a cool design to go with it? That is why Asus has painted the GPU cooler a cool black/silverish color along with a blue PCB. I feel that Asus really succeeds with the look of the Dark Knight, but can it perform just as good as the true Dark Knight? With the custom GPU cooler, Asus hopes that you will be able to overclock your heart out with this card, and thus achieve higher frame rates.

NZXT Guardian 921 Review @ XSReviews

Posted by Nathan @ 4:11 AM (EST)

"A good case can be a gamer’s best friend, holding all the vital components whilst looking good and keeping the system cool. However a case doesn’t contribute in any great way to the performance of the computer so people tend to be a bit tight and skimp on a good looking but not very functional case. NZXT has released the Guardian 921, a relatively cheap but swish looking case. Is it like the hundreds of other budget cases or does it have something special to offer? XSR's gonna' find out."

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FarCry 2 DX9 vs. DX10 Performance @ HardOCP

Posted by Nathan @ 4:10 AM (EST)

"All we can leave you with is this, FarCry 2 supports DX10, and in Windows Vista with the latest DX10 video cards from AMD and NVIDIA you will receive higher framerates using DX10 mode. FarCry 2 is the first game to impress us with its DirectX 10 performance, actually providing up to a 20% performance advantage with antialiasing enabled."

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Antec Veris Fusion Black HTPC Case Review @ Legit Reviews

Posted by Nathan @ 4:09 AM (EST)

Getting rid of the old tower PC case is one of the most important steps when integrating an HTPC into your home entertainment center. The sleek, elegant looks of the Antec Veris Fusion Black Media Center Case provide the perfect touch to any home theater. Even my brother walked in, stared at my home theater and asked, "Where is this new computer case you have been talking about?" When we pointed it out to him, he just thought it was a sound system since the graphic equalizer was going to town while my music was playing...

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OCZ Platinum Edition PC3-16000 2GB Memory Kit Review @ HardwareLogic

Posted by Nathan @ 4:09 AM (EST)

Platinum is an extremely rare metal that is often associated with exclusivity and wealth. For example, if an album sells over one million copies, it is certified platinum; and if you make more money than you can spend, you might have a platinum debit card. OCZ's Platinum Series memory kits offers some of the highest speeds and tightest timings on the market. Made for enthusiasts like you, this memory is backed by OCZ's lifetime warranty and Extended Voltage Protection, a feature that allows you to use higher than rated voltages without invalidating the products warranty.

ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition X58 Motherboard @ BmR

Posted by Nathan @ 4:09 AM (EST)

After a very extensive testing phase, Benchmark Reviews will present its findings with regard to the ASUS P6T Deluxe X58 motherboard. Before getting into the meat of our review there are a few facts about the versions of this board that we'd like to share. The ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard actually comes in two editions: 1) The P6T Deluxe edition which includes the motherboard and a bevy of accessories; and 2) The P6T Deluxe OC Palm edition which includes all of the items from the Deluxe edition plus the OC Palm device. This review will encompass not only the performance and features of the P6T Deluxe, but also those that the OC Palm monitoring interface brings to the table.

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ASUS Rampage II Extreme @ Techgage

Posted by Nathan @ 4:08 AM (EST)

ASUS has long supported overclockers with their motherboards, but the Rampage II Extreme takes things to the next level. In addition to an even more robust BIOS than what we're used to, we're given the ability to put our multi-meters to good use with the help of easy-access board contacts. When all said and done though, is the RIIE really worth the $400 asking price?

Antec Skeleton Open Air Case Review @ Virtual-Hideout

Posted by Nathan @ 4:08 AM (EST)

“The Antec Skeleton is an original, innovative concept finally put to work. It's a fresh break from square edges, windows, and standard features. Besides being unconventional, it combines excellent features of both a accessibility and efficient use of space. The quality and design behind the Skeleton are top notch Antec. If you're a real enthusiast, you just have to ask yourself one question. Are you afraid of change?”

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Monday, December 1 2008

PowerColor HD 4830 Review @ OCC

Posted by Nathan @ 2:51 PM (EST)

"Wow was I surprised when I got to overclocking this baby. She took everything I threw at her and begged for more. Using the Catalyst Control Center I was able to increase the core speed from 575MHz to a whopping 670MHz almost 100MHz increase. Not bad for a little card like this. As expected the memory came close to the rated 1GHz limit topping off at 995MHz ( 1990MHz Effective ). This card easily reached these speeds by upping them in 5Mhz increments each until it became unstable and then I backed off 1MHz at a time until I had no more issues or display problems."

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Intel X25-M SSD @ InsideHW

Posted by Nathan @ 2:50 PM (EST)

“Intel was always innovator in IT industry even if we don’t consider microprocessor manufacturing. Intel is “guilty” for many IT standards that we all use every day. Some of them become widely accepted and some don’t (BTX for example). SSD disks (Solid State Drive) are already for some time present among us primarily in notebooks (netbooks). Intel has in its portfolio SSD disks that stand out from the crowd (although it’s not that big crowd) because of their performances. Extreme and Mainstream series of Intel SSDs have made “quantum leaps” in SSD technology. Intel X25-M (2.5”) SSD that we got in our test lab belongs to Mainstream series…”

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ASUS EN9800GT HybridPower Video Card Review @ Motherboards.org

Posted by Nathan @ 2:50 PM (EST)

The ASUS EN9800GT has several things going for it including a low price ($109.99 after MIR), performance that matches the competition at this price point and the features that matter for the holiday season including DirectX 10.0, F@H support, and PhysX support. The price is competitive with the ATI card at this price point, the HD 4830 and with faster performance apparently in several reviews. Another positive is the silent operation of the card which is pretty interesting considering the huge fan and heatsink on the card.

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ATP EarthDrive USB Drive Review @ DVHardware

Posted by Nathan @ 2:49 PM (EST)

Over the past couple of years I've had dozens of flash drives in my hand, with varying sizes, shapes and colors but the EarthDrive from ATP is the first USB drive that claims to be eco-friendly. The housing of the ATP EarthDrive is built using the maximum amount of biodegradable materials, it features plastic made from corn, and ATP promises an unspecified portion of all profit generated from EarthDrive sales will go towards American Forests, an organization which plants trees through the United States as well as on a global basis.

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ECS A790GXM-A \\\'Black Series\\\' @ t-break

Posted by Nathan @ 2:49 PM (EST)

It seems that fire breathing dragons are beast of choice for hardware packaging these days. The ECS 'Black Series' packaging sports on too on its black box with model and features decorating the rest.

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ICYDOCK EZ-DOCK 2.5”/3.5” SATA to eSATA & USB HDD Docking Station @ TestFreaks.com

Posted by Nathan @ 2:48 PM (EST)

"Today for review I've got a rather cool product from IcyDock that is sort of a hard drive enclosure but not really, it's called the EZ-Dock and as it's name implies it's more of a dock than an enclosure. The Ez-Dock allows you to use either 2.5" or 3.5" SATA hard drives with it in a small docking station that is removable from the base so you can take it with you if need be. It is though, and enclosure of sorts in that it comes with a carrying case so you can dock a 2.5" drive, put it in the carrying case and take it with you. "

Sapphire HD 4830 @ Bjorn3D

Posted by Nathan @ 2:48 PM (EST)

After taking a look at my last Sapphire video card and being totally impressed, I was more than willing to take a look at their latest offering in the 4800 series family. The HD 4830 is basically a cut down version of Sapphire's HD 4850, and by doing so, Sapphire is able to offer it at a much lower price point while offering pretty close to the same overall performance, or so that's what Sapphire is saying anyways. We'll find out just how well (or bad) the card does soon enough.

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Core i7 920 Core Disabling Performance Analysis @ Tweaktown

Posted by Nathan @ 2:47 PM (EST)

So, while I was there pondering around with the options, I wondered what would happen if we started disabling cores. How would that affect 3D performance? What I really wanted to know is how many cores we really need; one, two, three or four? – Sure, there have been articles that compare a dual core based Core 2 processor to a quad core one, but what happens if the only difference between every CPU configuration is the amount of cores while FSB, speed and memory settings are all the same?

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Sunday, November 30 2008

NZXT Rogue Small Form Factor Computer Case Review @ Rbmods

Posted by Nathan @ 3:34 PM (EST)

Most computer cases nowadays are suffering from a size problem; they seem to be getting bigger and bigger as people find more stuff to put inside them. But what if you’re looking for a case that is easily portable and takes up less space under your desk? NZXT, makers of a wide range of computer products, offers such a case, the NZXT Rogue Small Form Factor Computer Case.

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Logitech V550 Nano @ InsideHW

Posted by Nathan @ 3:34 PM (EST)

“In a variety of interesting products from Logitech, our attention especially was driven by one not so long ago introduced Logitech V550 Nano wireless laser mouse for notebooks. Beside standard attributes for this mouse category, V550 Nano has few unusual characteristics that will make work easier to every notebook owner. You have for certain heard of Logitech Company so in this occasion we will skip usual introduction and we’ll go right to the point…”

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Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator @ TestFreaks.com

Posted by Nathan @ 3:33 PM (EST)

"Razer is the well known peripheral maker of gaming keyboards, mice and more. Today we will look at one of their audio products – the Razer Piranha. This is a gaming communicator which means it features both headphones and a microphone for in game communication. The Razer Piranha includes a noise canceling microphone which allows the gamer to be heard clearly in crowded gaming environments such as LAN parties. "

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Canon PowerShot A590 IS Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Posted by Nathan @ 3:33 PM (EST)

"One of Canon's latest digital cameras is the Canon PowerShot A590 IS, which is a mid-line budget camera that looks a little bulky, but works very nicely and impresses with its quality pictures. It's an 8-megapixel camera with 4x optical zoom, image stabilization, and more that packs quite a punch in its clunky body that will cost you $200 or less."

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Intel 80GB SSD (X25-M MLC) @ Bjorn3D

Posted by Nathan @ 3:32 PM (EST)

Hard drives have been a big bottleneck in computer systems for quite some time now. Speeds on typical non-raid drives average somewhere between too slow and too darn slow. SSD's have been on the market for a while and prices are starting to drop. Some are becoming inexpensive enough for manufacturers to include them in laptops, and others are inexpensive enough for enthusiasts to dabble with. Initially sizes were very small, and 32GB wasn't uncommon to see running in the $500 (USD) range. We've done some scouting lately and we've seen 64GB drives from reputable manufacturers running in the $150 dollar range.

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