Week of March 9, 2008

Let’s check out the PCB layout, BIOS features and overclocking potential of the new mainboard on Intel X48 Express chipset. In this article we are also going to investigate in detail such phenomenon as CPU degradation.

Given their nature, external water-coolers have a lot of room to do things right. Zalman took full advantage of the space they had with the XT and delivered a superb external solution with excellent performance. Though slightly expensive, "you get what you pay for" rings true here.

CLICK HERE FOR TWEAKNEWS.NET'S REVIEW ON THIS PRODUCT

"Intel is at it again. After the recent launch of its first 45nm and so far most extreme CPU, the QX9650, it�s now time for the QX9770. The logic behind the model numbering is questionable, but what�s new with this model is 400MHz FSB, which thanks to Intel's quadruple bus give us an effective transfer rate corresponding to 1600MHz. This is denoted by the third number 9770. The frequency has also increased to 3.2GHz (8x400), which is denoted by the second number 9770."

CLICK HERE FOR Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 SHOPPING & PRICING

"While SSD or Solid State Disks are making their way in, we are still working with the current generation of storage and Western Digital has managed to do very well at increasing sizes and speeds.

The underside of the drive is extremely clean of high rise circuits and components, simply because they have been sandwiched between the top of the PCB and the lower casing of the drive. With this design you don’t have to worry about any short circuits or clearance issues."

CLICK HERE FOR Western Digital Scorpio 2.5" 320GB HDD SHOPPING & PRICING

"Today we are going to examine a motherboard on GeForce 8200, previously known as MCP78. As this motherboard is an engineering sample, this is actually a preview of the new chipset by the example of this motherboard."

"Thermaltake Purepower 430 W NP, which is also known by other names like W0070, TR2-430W and XP550 NP, is one of the simplest and cheapest power supplies from Thermaltake. In this review we completely disassembled this unit and tested to see if it can really deliver 430 W. Check it out."

"An Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 Rev. 2 with good airflow represents what can easily be called one of the best values in today's high-end aftermarket GPU coolers. While it does not provide the absolute best cooling in the market, it surely represents a very good GPU cooler. You would be remiss if you did not consider this product on an enthusiast build of any budget."

“The Hyper-X 8GB Data Traveler is one good option among the droves of lesser on the market. It's nice to see the Kingston Hyper-X 8GB Data Traveler with its larger capacity and its 33MB/s transfer rate. This is basically just as fast as many of the pricier USB 2.0 external drives. Granted it’s the not as large a storage capacity, but then no one really wants to haul around their external enclosures.”

CLICK HERE FOR Kingston 8GB Hyper-X Data Traveler USB Drive SHOPPING & PRICING

“Most enthusiasts that have been building for at least a few years most likely have used something with the Thermaltake logo on it. Thermaltake has a wide variety of products: cases; fans; CPU, GPU, hard drive, and chipset coolers; liquid cooling; power supplies; storage solutions; and various other stuff. Today I will be looking at the Thermaltake M9, a mid-tower that appears to take some of its inspiration from the Xaser VI. Will it meet my expectations of a Thermaltake case? Stay tuned to find out.”

CLICK HERE FOR Thermaltake M9 Mid-Tower Case SHOPPING & PRICING

All of the enclosures reviewed at Bigbruin.com have begun to blur in my mind, but every once in a while one of them is different enough to stand out. Eagle Tech Computers has a new product that offers a unique design, as well as a configuration that isn't what you see in the typical hard drive enclosure. The ET-CSIU2J-BK JBOD External Storage System is a compact enclosure that supports two 3.5 inch SATA drives connected via USB 2.0.

CLICK HERE FOR Eagle Tech ET-CSIU2J-BK JBOD External Storage System SHOPPING & PRICING

For a little over a year now Benchmark Reviews has anxiously awaited the fabled Solid State Drive that could replace our current list of preferred Hard Disk Drives. Making this wait seem even longer was the fact that HDD manufacturers were constantly improving there product and adding new enhancements to the technology. First there was perpendicular storage, then came fluid bearings, and finally there was the increase in cache buffer DRAM. Performance has always been the hurdle that SSD's have had a tough time clearing, with read and write bandwidth creating the largest obstacles. Response time and reduced power consumption has been the key arguement for owning an SSD, but without the bandwidth throughput to measure up against HDD's they became an expensive niche item. That time has passed. After a long wait, Benchmark Reviews has discovered the MemoRight GT MR25.2-064S 2.5-Inch 64GB SATA SSD Solid State.

B2 – an all-new ATX tower from Xtreme Series, featuring fighter jet-like auto-sensing front door and a touch sensitive mechanism to activate the front cover and automatically glides it open and close. Inspired by the B2 Stealth bomber, the W-shaped side panel air intakes provide exceptional ventilation for your PC while evoking the unique lines of the bomber! Its unique dark metallic paint with matte finish and front panel LED light both create a unique modern yet low-observable “Stealth” touch. B2 appeals to gamers looking for unique designs combined with quality and easy to install (tool free) mid-tower.

"The doors that we took of to get to the weights, actually serve a second purpose besides securing the weights. They are the parts of the mouse that allow you to adjust the friction. To do this, the doors can be flipped over which reveals a larger contact pad for higher friction. Both this and the weights, are a matter of personal preference, but they are both very easy to change."

CLICK HERE FOR Saitek GM3200 Laser Mouse SHOPPING & PRICING

CLICK HERE FOR TWEAKNEWS.NET'S REVIEW ON THIS PRODUCT

Times are a little tough right now for many small business owners, so any product that offers to save them money while still performing every function they require is sure to interest many of them. The task of providing an affordable product, that cuts overhead yet still performs up to par is not any easy undertaking. Most small businesses today have at least some level of data storage needs. It may be as simple as storing bookkeeping records, emails and customer contact information, it may involve storing legal documents or patient records, it may involve storing work product such as digital artwork or CAD drawings, or it may even involve hosting the company's retail sales website. The bottom line is that in today's business world it is hard to find a small business that doesn't have some need to store their digital data. This is where the Network Attached Storage servers come in and today Benchmark Reviews will be taking a close look at one of these NAS Servers, the QNAP TS-49 Pro.

The ASUS Xonar D2X isn't your typical sound card. It features a host of impressive features, a generous bundle of software, and a variety of connections and cables to help you get fully connected right out of the box. The large Aluminum EMI shield gives it the appearance of a high end graphics card, while the PCI Express x1 connector finally gives you something useful to stick into those unused slots on your motherboard.

CLICK HERE FOR ASUS Xonar D2X 7.1 Channel PCI Express Sound Card SHOPPING & PRICING

Aerocool is widely known for introducing the world to extra large case fans. I am sure you are familiar with the ExtremEngine case. If you don’t know it by name, maybe by description - it was one of the first to have a 25cm cooling fan on the side and 14cm at the front as an intake. Well, putting the ExtremEngine to the side, Aerocool is introducing the HorsePower line of PSUs. This power supply comes in two models, 720 watts for the modest PC builder and 1020 watt model for the extremist. When you consider that Crossfire using two 3870X2 cards can be done on a high performance 620Watt PSU you can see how much further Aerocool is trying to push things. Each unit divides the power between four different rails and boasts an Aerocool trademark a large fan. A 140mm one with blue lights.

"For the mainstream gamer who don't want to spend an arm or a leg on a decent gaming card ... the Vvikoo Geforce 9600GT Turbo is definitely well worth considering."

The Sapphire Radeon HD 3650 512MB differs from ATI’s reference design in that it has double the frame buffer memory (512MB vs. 256MB) and a much higher GPU clock speed (800MHz vs. 725MHz). The Sapphire Radeon HD 3650 512MB also has a fairly good accessory bundle and its priced right too.

CLICK HERE FOR Sapphire Radeon HD 3650 512MB SHOPPING & PRICING

"In this review Frostytech is evaluating the ASUS Silent Knight II heatsink. The Silent Knight II is a copper heatsink vaguely reminiscent of the Zalman CNPS9700NT. Like most thermal solutions being introduced, it's compatible with Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad/Extreme and AMD Athlon64 processors. A 92mm PWM fan is set within the body of the heatsink and spins at 800-2300RPM, generating no more than 46 dBA in Frostytech's real world measurements. A pair of blue LEDs illuminate the translucent impeller blades, giving the Silent Knight II a nice visual effect. "

CLICK HERE FOR ASUS Silent Knight II Heatsink SHOPPING & PRICING

"The wireless IR remote control has 10 buttons to fully control speaker functions as well as basic iPod functions, so you can change tracks from the remote without having to actually touch the iPod. This of course only works with iPods plugged into the dock and will not work with other MP3 players that are connected via the line-in jack."

CLICK HERE FOR mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb SHOPPING & PRICING

Many of the first generation mATX cases were very restrictive and therefore not very popular, however cubic mATX cases have, like much in the world of technology, evolved considerably since then. Today we will take a look at one of the most interesting cubic mATX cases available, the Ultra MicroFly SX6. The MicroFly has an Ultra XVS 600W modular PSU installed from the factory and is able to house full length video cards and optical drives ... therefore on paper the MicroFly SX6 should be one of the best mATX cases an enthusiast can buy.

CLICK HERE FOR Ultra Microfly SX6 SHOPPING & PRICING

"ABT-450MM is one of the most low-end power supplies from Kingwin, targeted to users building a very basic PC. Kingwin promises that this power supply can really deliver its rated power at 50º C. Is that so? Let's check it out."

CLICK HERE FOR Kingwin ABT-450MM Power Supply SHOPPING & PRICING

"The BlackJack II offers the best of the original: the power of a PDA with the ease of a basic Smartphone. "

It recently saw a price drop to continue competing with the HD 3870 and manufacturers are still making loads of them as they continue to represent great value for money. Foxconn tend to produce a nice little reference card with an overclock and at a decent price.

CLICK HERE FOR Foxconn GeForce 8800GT OC Graphics Card SHOPPING & PRICING

"Dell's XPS 1730 is the company's flagship gaming notebook, and is available in several configurations."

CLICK HERE FOR Dell XPS M1730 SHOPPING & PRICING

Sapphire's new HD 3870 Toxic is built on the same Vapor-X cooling technology that the HD 3870 Atomic uses. This means that the card comes with a single slot cooling solution making it a premier choice for Quad CrossFire systems. The accessory package also includes an HDMI cable, PowerDVD and a 3DMark license, not bad for a $40 premium.

"Today I'll be looking at the recently released M9 series mid-tower case. There are two versions available, the VI1000BWS with side panel window and the VI1000BNS non-windowed case, which is the one I received for review. Measuring 17" tall by 8" wide and almost 20" deep, this black-only steel mid-tower offers the typical micro and standard ATX size in a compact frame."

CLICK HERE FOR Thermaltake M9 Mid-Tower Case SHOPPING & PRICING

The Striker II Formula is a member of ASUS’ high-end Republic of Gamers, or ROG, series of motherboards. As such, the board is loaded with features and integrated peripherals that set it apart from run of the mill products.

CLICK HERE FOR Asus Striker II Formula nForce 780i SLI SHOPPING & PRICING

"Indeed, the latest Core 2 Duo E6850 is based on the 65-nm core. That is, a new processor on the old core. On the other hand, Core 2 Duo E8200 operates at the old 2.66 GHz, even though it features the new 45-nm core. That is, the new core at the old frequency. In this review we shall compare these two as well as three Intel Core 2 eXtreme processors."

CLICK HERE FOR Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 SHOPPING & PRICING

CLICK HERE FOR Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 SHOPPING & PRICING

" These modules are rated for operation at DDR3-1600 which is PC3-12800 at 1.8V. The modules have SPD values for lower speeds (DDR3-1066) at JEDEC specs to provide boards the needed initial boot to provide the RAM with the proper voltage and timings. The stock timings at DDR3-1600 are 8-8-8-24. DDR3 latencies are very high compared to DDR2 and should only get better in time. These modules are lead free which helps the environment. Nothing like being green in today's world. I almost forgot that the command rate is 1T which means you get an extra performance boost. "

CLICK HERE FOR Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC3-12800 Kit SHOPPING & PRICING

The ways we can watch TV have increased over the years. In the beginning we were forced to sit by the TV and watch one of the few analogue channels that were broadcasted through the airwaves. Today however we have a lot more options. Not only can we still watch TV on our TV-sets, though now in various digital form, but we also can watch TV on our computers, either through the internet or through a TV-card in our computer.

Most of us wouldn't think of letting a piranha anywhere near our noggin, but this isn't the first time Razer's gone against conventional wisdom. In fact, Razer owes its very existence to this type of thinking. Once considered a niche market, Razer gambled on the future of competitive gaming and arguably helped take the little known segment and cast it into the mainstream limelight. It started with a line of ultra sensitive mice, and today Razer's product line runs the gamut from gaming keyboards to a growing line of audio solutions.

CLICK HERE FOR Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator SHOPPING & PRICING

Logitech unveiled their Z Cinema speaker system at this year's CES, to plenty of fanfare. The system blends a refined two-way satellite design with a robust, powerful subwoofer. We take the latest high performance Z-series PC speaker system for a spin, and find lots of cause for excitement.

CLICK HERE FOR Logitech Z Cinema Speaker System SHOPPING & PRICING

Benchmark Reviews recently reviewed the ZOTAC 8800GT ZT-88TES2P-FSP, NVIDIA's very impressive answer to the HD3800 series. Though the NVIDIA beat ATI/AMD to market, the 8800GT release is a direct result of ATI/AMD's HD 3800 series. Today we'll be looking at one card responsible for the exceptional mid-range offering we are enjoying, the Diamond VIPER 3870PE4512 - ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 PCIE 2.0 512MB GDDR4 Video Card; ATI/AMD's mid-range card that curiously happens to be their top performing single GPU card.

CLICK HERE FOR Diamond Viper ATI Radeon HD 3870 512MB Video Card SHOPPING & PRICING

“Kingston is one of the oldest names in the PC world, and they are the largest manufacturer of system memory purchased by third party buyers. I remember hearing of Kingston in the late 1980s, a time when most PCs only had a megabyte or two of system memory, and I used their memory in my first RAM upgrade about a decade later. Recently I reviewed the Kingston HyperX PC3-11000 2 gig kit. Kingston considers it an entry-level enthusiast DDR3 HyperX kit. Today I will be looking at the PC3-13000 HyperX 2 gig kit, which at present, is considered the "sweet spot" of DDR3 memory by some. Will the HyperX PC3-13000 impress us more than the HyperX PC3-11000 did? Read on to see.”

CLICK HERE FOR Kingston HyperX DDR3-1625 2GB Memory Kit SHOPPING & PRICING

"BlacX is a USB 2.0 SATA hard disk drive enclosure for you to install your hard drive outside your computer. O.k., you've seen hundreds of devices like this before, but what makes this Thermaltake product really unique is the fact that it is a docking station, allowing you to install and remove hard drives with the computer turned on and without needing to open the device to install your hard drive - just insert your hard drive on the available slot on the docking station. In fact hard disk drive installation with this unit remembers the installation of cartridges in older video game consoles. Sounds interesting? Read on."

CLICK HERE FOR Thermaltake BlacX HDD Docking Station SHOPPING & PRICING

"The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini has a lot of things that really make it an attractive buy, but most are not what you look for in a typical hard drive. Instead of blazing speed and low CPU usage, the OneTouch offers extreme portability because of its small size, a rather large storage capacity, and the ability for it to run without an external power adapter. These features are amazing, because who dosen't want to carry around 250Gb of storage in a device about the size of an iPod."

CLICK HERE FOR Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini SHOPPING & PRICING

"The Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS is an 8-megapixel camera with 3X optical zoom and optical image stabilization."

CLICK HERE FOR Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS SHOPPING & PRICING

"How do you define the ultimate gaming system? Is it the best price/performance system or just the system with the most power, regardless of the cost? Intel's answer goes by the name of SkullTrail, which gives you the opportunity of using two high-end processors and two high-end video cards in one system. Today we'll take a look at what Intel is offering in terms of performance compared to a regular high-end system."

Even though the GeForce 8800 GT has already been out for a while, it still has the punch to play all the latest games. The VVIKOO 8800 GT Max 1 GB comes with the Zalman VF1000 pre-installed and also features double the video memory. But is there any performance to be gained by going from 512 MB to 1024 MB of memory?

"The AMD 780G chipset is the first new chipset that was designed by AMD after the AMD/ATI merger and it performs like a winner. Usually when a company designs a chipset with integrated graphics they just take half of a desktop GPU and stick it inside the chipset, but the 780G is the first chipset generation to have the whole graphics engine inside. The Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H motherboard is a great example of what the 780G chipset can do when properly used. The board didn't leave us with any bad to say as it was found to be stable with a BIOS that could easily worked with..."

CLICK HERE FOR Gigabyte MA-78GM-S2H Motherboard SHOPPING & PRICING

"The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, LDAP for short, is a 'fork' of the original X.500 specification for Directory Access Protocol. This X.500 was large and heavy. It also required an OSI protocol stack to run. LDAP was made to be leaner and able to run on top of TCP/IP instead of the OSI complete stack. Active Directory, the directory software that many Windows based enterprise networks use, is LDAP at its heart. Directory services can provide many benefits to a home network or a business. With LDAP setup, it is relatively easy to setup a single sign-on on every computer or have a global address book. The first step is the installation which is very easy on Ubuntu."

"The last time we got out mitts on Jeantech property, the power supply ended up being used in our test rig for months afterward thanks to its fully modular design. Today I have a slightly more powerful model – the Absolute 1000W which promises a semi-modular design, low noise output and stable rails. Let’s see if it’s ready to give our twin Ultra’s the required oomph."

It performed the best overall through the testing process and comes in at the same price range of the HD3870.

CLICK HERE FOR BFG 8800 GTS OC 512MB SHOPPING & PRICING

"O.k., we know that iPod shuffle isn't exactly something new - after all it was released 16 months ago. But with the release of the 2 GB model last month the price of the 1 GB dropped dramatically, being easily found for $50 at Apple, BestBuy, Circuit City and Amazon.com. In this review we will explore Apple's cheapest iPod to date. iPod shuffle isn't only the cheapest MP3 player from Apple, but also the smallest and lightest, measuring only 1.07" (2.73 cm) x 1.62" (4.12 cm) x 0.41" (1.05 cm) (H x W x D) and weighting only half ounce (15.6 grams), making it the most discreet iPod, which is a very desirable feature if you want to use it for jogging, biking or working out, if you don't want something bulky inside your pocket or if you simply just don't like the idea of flashing your iPod around whenever you want to select a song (this model don't allow you to select any specific song, as it doesn't have an LCD display), what can be dangerous for people walking on an unsafe neighborhood."

CLICK HERE FOR iPod Shuffle 1 GB SHOPPING & PRICING

CLICK HERE FOR TWEAKNEWS.NET'S REVIEW ON THIS PRODUCT

Gateway, not content to let Dell and others hog the limelight in the display market, have recently launched their XHD3000 monitor. It offers a wide-range of connectivity options along with bright picture and an incredible upscaler. When said and done, this is one model we can heartily recommend.

CLICK HERE FOR Gateway XHD3000 30-inch Wide-Screen SHOPPING & PRICING

More than just the poor little brother of the famed Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer case, the Antec Thee Hundred gives you a somewhat basic case with lots of space and cooling at a very reasonable price.

The Honeywell SecuraDrive portable USB hard drive is perfect for storing MP3 music files, videos files and photos, or for protecting sensitive and private data while on the go. Featuring Password Protection Technology, the SecuraDrive allows the user to allocate part or all of the hard drive's capacity to be public or private, with the private areas only accessible with the proper password, regardless if the SecuraDrive is lost or stolen. Benchmark Reviews tests the 80GB SecuraDrive FM-HWS80U2 for modern-day performance and reliability.

"To overclock the Foxconn 9600GT, I used Nvidia's Ntune software. I started at the stock clock speeds and just kept increasing the core and clock speeds until I had reached a point that the graphics benchmarks would not complete or have corruption. 749 MHz is a 99MHz overclock over the stock speeds of 650MHz on the G94 core. The memory just kept scaling upwards until I reached the end of the scale. The scale ended at 1100MHz, a 190 MHz increase over the factory memory clock speeds. The Foxconn 9600GT was able to complete the entire benchmark suite at these speeds. Hoping that the overclocked settings would not fail, or more specifically, trying to make them fail, I played an hour long round of Call of Duty 4 just to be sure the settings were good. They were! At these overclocked speeds, the 9600 GT decreased the performance gap between it and the 8800GT. Pretty amazing results."

If you scoff at 55 seconds; I put this to you. How long is 55 seconds with your boss behind you tapping his foot waiting? Now how about that times 5 for a 4GB file? The sleek black aluminum look is all well and good but in the end you want a fast flash drive. The OCZ Rally2 Turbo is the fastest flash drive BY FAR we have seen here.

"Our latest sticks come to us via Patriot and sport a PC2-6400 sticker on them, they also have this nifty little stamp "RoHS Compliant", while not a big deal (yet) in the US, in European countries, without it, it means you can't even sell it. The most important aspect that I can see of RoHS Compliance, is that the gear must be built without any lead whatsoever."

CLICK HERE FOR Patriot Memory PC3-15000 2GB Dual Channel Kit SHOPPING & PRICING

The Toshiba Satellite X205-SLI4 is a feature-rich laptop geared toward mobile gaming, with a potent Core 2 Duo T8100 processor, plenty of memory and storage, and SLI ready GeForce 8600M GT GPUs.

CLICK HERE FOR Toshiba Satellite X205-SLI4 SHOPPING & PRICING

Do you have a need to silence your PC but you wish to retain the cooling power of those loud fans? Nexus has created a kit called the "Hush Kit" which is specifically engineered to give you good cooling while lowering the noise output to virtual silence. We test out this kit and let your know if its worth it or not.

"CM Sphere is the latest CPU cooler from Cooler Master, using a very unique design based on a radial fan. This cooler is 100% made of copper, using four heat-pipes and according to Cooler Master it also helps to cool down the components around the CPU, such as the motherboard voltage regulator and the chipset."

CLICK HERE FOR Cooler Master CM Sphere CPU Cooler SHOPPING & PRICING

"Honeywell makes products that fit nearly every market. Since they have a partnership with SOYO, they have also entered the computer peripheral consumer space. One of their first products to be released is the SecuraDrive. It is a 1.8" USB hard drive built for the security conscious."

“When it comes to cases, there is no shortage of options available to end users. While many consider a chassis to be an afterthought, for some the selection of case is as important as the choice of components that are housed within. With that in mind, it becomes difficult to decide which case to use for one's next system. Often, the selection is immediately limited to the big names - Antec, CoolerMaster, Lian-Li, etc. just to make the task a bit more bearable.

Sigma is one of the lesser-known manufacturers, but they seem to have a decent lineup of cases, all geared towards the enthusiast/gamer crowd. Today, we'll have the chance to look at the Sigma Luna Type W chassis, one of their newer entries and we'll see if it has the style and substance to compete with the bigger names out there.“

"Well it's finally here, the 9 series of GPUs has hit the shelves and the reviews have already poured in thick and fast. I know we're a little behind everyone else on this one, but our 9600GT review is a bit different. Vvikoo's monstrous 9600, comes with a whopping Zalman heatsink and some hefty factory overclocking. Let's see what it's made of."

"Like most people neither wear designer clothes nor live in villas, most users cannot afford expensive powerful graphics cards like GeForce 8800GTX or RADEON HD 3870 X2 and choose cheaper solutions instead. So, this time we are going to review three Mid-End graphics cards of the $100-$180 price range and a more expensive HD 3870. All our contenders today are based on AMD (ATI) RADEON GPUs."

"Though Crysis doesn't show off SLI in its best, COD 4 and UT3 surely do with very high framerate performance even besting an 8800 GTX. The fact that 9600 GT SLI framerates were higher, but with the gaming experience being the same, it seems like a better value to save some cash and get two 9600 GTs in SLI instead of one GTX if you are looking to spend around $300 on a graphics setup right now. Again, you have to have a setup that supports SLI."

CLICK HERE FOR GeForce 8800 GTX SHOPPING & PRICING

"The latest HD 3870 X2 to make its way into the labs comes in the form of a stock clocked Sapphire. We actually haven’t checked out the X2 on our new test bed in any real detail, so we’ll have to see how it goes here today.

If you’re looking for a HD 3870 X2 that doesn’t do anything but produce some good numbers, this could be the card for you. Fortunately, there is only one way to find out so let’s get stuck into the card and see what we have on our hands today before we get into the benchmarks."

On a limited budget but wanting something better than the stock HSF? Check out this Akasa cooler.

It seems to me that every manufacturer in the industry is getting into the power supply business. We have seen memory makers, such as OCZ and Corsair, graphic card makers, such as BFG, and cases manufacture, such as NZXT and Tuniq are making power supplY. Combine these newcomers to the old and established power supply makers, such as Antec, Enermax, and Seasonics, we are having a big battle among power supplies. Even so, it does not deter other manufacturers from entering the arena and tries to fight against all odds to hopefully come out as a winner.

"FSP group first opened its doors in 1996. A decade later they have built themselves into one of the top 10 suppliers of power conversion products in the world. The 700 watt FX700 FX-Epsilon we are testing today is touted as a high efficiency, quiet operation, SLI ready, ATX V2.2 compliant unit. Well, we'll just see about that. Nurse, bring us our screwdrivers! (shaken, not stirred)."

CLICK HERE FOR FSP FX700 FX-Epsilon Power Supply SHOPPING & PRICING

GIGABYTE has done a wonderful job with their new HD3870 card in many respects. One especially nice addition to the bundle was that of NeverWinter Nights 2, a recent RPG game. Many card manufacturers are forgoing the games bundle meaning that there are fewer costs involved in bringing the new video card to the market in packaging. I prefer a game to increase the value of the bundle.

CLICK HERE FOR GIGABYTE GV-RX387512H HD3870 512MB Crossfire SHOPPING & PRICING

"With a new remote there is always that first awkward day or two getting used to the features and location of the correct buttons for the devices you use. The Harmony One has a leg up on both the Harmony 1000 and 890 Pro. The touch screen capability one ups the 890 while the additional buttons one up the 1000. While the touch screen is smaller than the 1000, I found that with my size XXL hands I did not have any issues pushing the correct feature or setting on the touch screen. The feel of the One in my hands was actually more comfortable than the 890 Pro due to its wider dimensions and more ergonomically correct feel. It just felt better to use. The buttons are large and spread at a comfortable distance so that one handed operation is easily accomplished."

CLICK HERE FOR Logitech Harmony ONE SHOPPING & PRICING

The display market is chalked-full of models that fill up the quality spectrum, from sub-par up to high-end. The VW222 falls into the sub-par category, sadly, with overall poor color representation and noticeable screen-door effects, resulting in a model that should not be considered for purchase.

CLICK HERE FOR ASUS VW222 22-inch Wide-Screen SHOPPING & PRICING

Benchmark Reviews has amassed the largest collection of DDR3 memory modules anywhere, and we are now ready to showcase the thirteenth product of our High-Speed DDR3 Review Series. In this article, we test the performance from A-Data's Vitesta X series DDR3, and discover if this overclocker-specific system memory is built for the task. Rated for 1600MHz, Benchmark Reviews successfully pushes the AD31600X002GU well beyond its PC3-12800 rating without disturbing the low 7-7-7-20 clock latency.

"Coming in at under $200, the Canon PowerShot A590 IS has a lot to offer including a 4X optical zoom, and 8MP imagery."

CLICK HERE FOR Canon PowerShot A590 IS SHOPPING & PRICING

“If you are a computer enthusiast then you have heard of Lian Li. They make some of the best cases out there and have been doing it for years. One of my favorite cases of all time was the Lian Li PC-6089 case, to bad you can't really find it anymore. Today we are looking at a brand new case from Lian Li, the PC-A77. It features an all aluminum design, removable motherboard tray, and so many features that you just won't find on other cases. Let's take a look and see if Lian Li can impress us again.”

Crucial is the only memory upgrade supplier that is owned by a major DRAM manufacturer, Micron Techonology. The Crucial name is synonymous with consumers for memory upgrades and accessories such as flash cards and drives. Branching out from its bread and butter of standard memory products, Crucial developed a branding called Ballistix. It is with its Ballistix brand that Crucial reaches out to overclocking and performance crowd. At circuitREMIX, we've already tested DDR2 from Crucial's Ballistix line of memory products and we came away impressed. Now we will be taking our first look at our first Ballistix DDR3 product.

CLICK HERE FOR Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC3-12800 SHOPPING & PRICING

"The MegaCon cenvertion is a conglomeration of every sci-fi, anime, horror, and hero genre ever created. Each year in Orlando Florida thousands of eager people gather to meet the celebrities behind the mask and dress up as their favorite character. We cover MegaCon 2008 and have a 13 page gallery filled with all the ensuing mayhem. Stay tuned for our MegaCon 2008 Babes gallery."

"The HD3800 series have been available for nearly three months now, but it's only until NVIDIA recently decided to launch their 9600GT that we decided to have another look at ATI's current mainstream video card. Our article includes two samples, one standard clocked HD3870 branded Club3D, and one supercharged video card labeled HIS. Head on to found out how we rated the HD3870 three months after release."

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"A while back I took a look at a decent wireless FM transmitter for transmitting music from your portable audio player to your cars' radio, today for review I've got the 2nd version of that, aptly named the Wireless FM Transmitter Version 2. It looks and works pretty much the same as the first version but the 2nd version features a clock and a thermometer built in as well."

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"This 650 W power supply from StarTech.com looks like a very high-end unit, as it is bigger than traditional power supplies and uses a dual-transformer design, feature we've only seen on power supplies on the 1,000 W range like Enermax Galaxy 1000 W and Tagan TurboJet TG1100-U95 1,100 W. It is also cheaper than competing products from better known brands. Is it a good product? That is what we are going to find out."

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"The box the H2gO came shipped in certainly didn't match the typical computer case shipping container; a plain brown cube with no exterior markings to indicate what's inside. I always liked this about one other manufacturer, Thermalright, who for years has used plain brown boxes to pack their products in. I think it says something about the company, something to the effect of... we'd rather spend our money on making you a great product than flashy advertising on the box it comes in."

"The next factor we are going to take a look at is comfort. There are a few things I noticed the moment I took a hold of the GM2400; the plastic on top feels very cheap, and the side buttons were right where I wanted to rest my thumb. The mouse, because of the cheap feeling plastic, was not enjoyable to use and felt like it would break if I handled it with too much force. Also, the buttons being placed on the side where my thumb wanted to rest made me need to almost hover my thumb instead of squeeze the mouse. This just felt annoying and made use of the GM2400 not as enjoyable as its brother, the GM3200, or the old Logitech, both of which seemed to use higher quality plastics. In this next graph, higher is better."

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