Hardware News
Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard Review
March 31, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
HardwareLogic have just reviewed the brand new, high-end Logitech G19 gaming keyboard.
Let's see what they had to say:
"It's obvious the Logitech G19 has a ton to offer whether you're a gamer, business professional, or just looking for a feature-rich keyboard for your home PC, but the obvious question here is does it offer enough to justify it's comparatively steep $200 price tag? In our opinion, the answer is yes, provided you're okay with splurging on an input peripheral.
Gamers will benefit most from the G19, both as a result of 12 programmable macro keys with three profiles each (that's a whopping 36 possible presets) and from the vibrant LCD display. The displays supports nearly 50 games and counting, which run the gamut from World of Warcraft and Everquest II to Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. And plugin support ensures that there's still something to grab the attention of non-gamers, such as displaying real-time system resources information and streaming RSS feeds. But it's the extensive macro capabilities that's the real draw, even if the LCD display steals the show (which it does).
If we were to change anything on the G19, we would make the keys slightly wider, implement touch functionality on an LCD display that just begs for it, and perhaps give it a more weighty construction for a more solid feel. None of these flaws are fatal, nor are they truly flaws so much as they are nitpicks."
Is this the best gaming-oriented keyboard on the market? No doubt, but ouch is it ever going to lighten your wallet. Having said that, input peripherals are one area where I totally recommend splurging since they make or break the computing experience.
Click here to read the full review.
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Gaming Mouse Pad Reviews - Razer, XTracPads, Zowie
March 31, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DVhardware, TechwareLabs, and Verdis Reviews have reviewed enthusiast-oriented gaming mouse pads from Razer, XTracPads, and Zowie.
Let's see what they had to say:
- DVhardware: Zowie P-RF Mousepad Review:
"This is the first product series from ZOWIE and I have to admit they have made a great debut. The ZOWIE P-RF is one of the best mousepads on the market for fans of cloth mousepads, it provides good tracking for your mice, it's well made and unlike other cloth mousepads it's waterproof and very easy to clean. I don't know how much these mousepads will cost in retail stores, but if the pricing isn't stellar I highly recommend them."
Click here to read the full review.
- TechwareLabs: Razer Goliathus Gaming Mouse Pad Review:
"All this is fine and good, but what you really want to know is, will this improve my game? To answer that question, I took the Goliathus to several LAN events over the course of a month, and tried it out with a variety of games, from hardcore FPS like Call of Duty 4 and Left 4 Dead, to casual-friendly games like World of Warcraft and (dare I say it) Bejeweled. Once accustomed to the feel of it, I noticed something remarkable: the pad simply disappeared from my awareness. Normally the mouse surface makes itself known from time to time through little irritations, like a bit of grit causing the mouse to grind to a halt, or a too-slick surface causing me to overshoot the mark, or a worn spot causing the mouse to drag. The Goliathus eliminated all these little flea-bite complaints, and let me focus on my game. Rapid, consistent head shots became the norm with sniper weapons, and leading with rockets and grenades ceased to be a chore."
Click here to read the full review.
- Verdis Reviews: XTracPads Fat Mat Mouse Pad Review:
"The Fat Mat is another great product from XTracPads; we are yet to see anything even remotely unsatisfactory here at Verdis Reviews from them. The tracking and comfort is first rate and the added thickness makes for a great wrist support.
The rubber non-slip backing too works very well and keeps the mat sat firmly on the desk without letting it slide around which can be a real problem.
On the down side, the mouse pad does come in a quite a high price compared to many of its competitors. Having said that, its bigger and thicker than most of them so there should be some sort of price increase. Another point is that the pad does attract quite a lot of dust but as the Fat Mat can be so easily cleaned, this too is not a big issue."
Click here to read the full review.
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625W-1200W Power Supply Review Roundup
March 31, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven, High Tech Reviews, JonnyGURU, Rbmods, Tech-Reviews, TweakTown, and Verdis Reviews have reviewed 625W to 1200W power supplies from a number of manufacturers, such as Antec, BFG, and Hiper.
Let's see what they had to say:
- DriverHeaven: Sapphire FirePSU 625W Review:
"The world class electrical performance of the FirePSU certainly is its most important feature. The voltage regulation circuit is one of the best we have ever seen and the PSU operates very efficiently across the entire power range. It will also operate inaudibly at typical load, allowing you to work undisturbed. Enthusiasts will be pleased by the excellent quality of the product, as Sapphire wisely chose one of the best OEMs and some of the highest quality components for their first PSU. Last but not least, the overall design of the FirePSU is very aesthetically pleasing."
Click here to read the full review.
- High Tech Reviews: Hiper Group M1000 - 1KW PSU Review:
"Its easy to say the Antec Signature 650W is a very impressive power supply. It entails rock stable rails, impressive efficiency and easily the quietest cooling solution weve yet experienced. As well as being a good performer, it looks fab and certainly is a quality piece of tech.
Its a shame about the price, but this unit is built to last so would be a good investment.
I am therefore pleased to award it 4/5."
Click here to read the full review.
- JonnyGURU: Antec CP-850 850W Power Supply Review:
"okay. Let's figure this out here. On second thought, what's to figure out? We have an Antec 850W that performs better than a Signature that appears to cost less than a Signature. We have a unit that was promised to do 80 Plus standard, but ended up doing Bronze. No, the unit didn't quite match the Signature in terms of voltage stability, but it came real close. And to be honest, the differences in voltage readings were so small you could put them down to connector resistance. And since the ripple and noise suppression more than made up for the slightly less stable voltages... 10."
Click here to read the full review.
- Rbmods: Coolmax CU-700B PSU Review:
"The Coolmax CU-700B 700W PSU is a solidly performing power supply, and, at ~$70 USD, is easy on the wallet as well. However, I thought the design of the modular cables could have been improved by making them longer, more spread apart on the supply, and offering more peripheral/4-pin cables. If youre willing to overlook these issues and are looking for a decent supply on a budget, you may want to give this supply some consideration for your next build."
Click here to read the full review.
- Tech Review: Antec Signature 650W Power Supply Review:
"Its easy to say the Antec Signature 650W is a very impressive power supply. It entails rock stable rails, impressive efficiency and easily the quietest cooling solution weve yet experienced. As well as being a good performer, it looks fab and certainly is a quality piece of tech.
Its a shame about the price, but this unit is built to last so would be a good investment.
I am therefore pleased to award it 4/5."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: BFG EX-1200 Watt Modular Power Supply:
"Two years ago, BFG entered the power supply ring with a bit of a whimper. The products were decent but hardly distinguished themselves from their competitors. Well, that is now old news. BFG has managed to distinguish themselves from the crowd in the form of a BFG EX-1200 power supply with excellent features, solid design and industry leading capacity.
I have tested a lot of power supplies in my time and if I had to pick one to own, this would be it. Yes, it is that good. This power supply represents some of the latest engineering accomplishments in power supply design. It is compact, powerful and efficient.
If you are looking for a power supply to handle the latest graphics cards, processor and gobs of peripherals, the BFG EX-1200 will certainly deliver and earns our highest recommendation. "
Click here to read the full review.
- Verdis Reviews: NOX Apex 700W Modular Power Supply Review:
"The NOX Apex 700W is a product of two halves to put it plainly. The rail stability is very impressive and would certainly rival many of the top performers on the market. However, despite having a reasonable PF rating at all three states, the unit is let down a little bit by the power consumption as its quite high in comparison to the Tuniq.
But, if youre just looking at performance, its a great contender a clear 90% for this product."
Click here to read the full review.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 1GB Reviews
March 31, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Guru3D, iXBT Labs, and TechSpot have reviewed GeForce GTX 285 1GB graphics cards from ASUS, Gigabyte, Leadtek, and Zotac.
Here's what they had to say:
- Guru3D: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 285 review:
"Fact is, there is nothing more reference than the product shown today. And as you guys know, the basis is just awesome. However, we save roughly 25 to 50 bucks by purchasing this reference based model. Right now prices are fluctuating a lot, but these Gigabyte GTX 285 cards sell at really aggressive prices. They can save on bundle and they do not have the additional costs to qualify each individual card. As such the price is lower. Now if you know how to overclock and tweak a little (heck come on now, you are a Guru3D reader!), then you can save yourself that premium price of the OC models that other AIBs offer. And that's a good thing. As we have shown in the article, this cards overclockability is just as good as any pre-overclocked model. You just have to do it yourself. But there of course is more risk involved. BFG for example, offers a life-time warranty with the product being factory overclocked. And when you fry your Gigabyte GTX 285 due to overclocking ... well that's your loss then (rarely happens though if you know a little about what overclocking is and involves, read our guides and hints)."
Click here to read the full review.
- iXBT Labs: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 240sp 1024MB:
"GTX 285 is opposed by RADEON HD 4850 X2, which is actually not very wide spread, because such cards are made only by a couple of manufacturers. Just like 4870 X2, 4850 X2 is a dual-GPU graphics card, so it suffers from all problems of such cards. We have already mentioned them here. As we can see, GTX 285 proves to be a very good product for its price (its MSRP in the USA is $349). A number of defeats were probably an annoying mistake.
When overclocked to very high frequencies, GTX 285 still fails to catch up with the 4870 X2 card in most cases (except when CrossFire does not work or works at its partial capacity). It goes without saying that 4870 X2 is more expensive. However, prices for 4870 X2 have been dropping, and that does not make the life of GTX 285 any easier."
Click here to read the full review.
- TechSpot: Asus GeForce ENGTX285 TOP review:
"Asus has done a nice job with their factory overclocked GTX 285, even though it's basically an Nvidia reference card with a few tweaks and a new label. When we tried squeezing a few extra MHz out of this already overclocked card we saw a stop at 710/1600/2690MHz for maximum core, shader and memory frequencies. That is not a bad result given we were using the standard cooler, though actual performance increases out of it should be minimal.
Currently Asus is selling its standard GeForce GTX 285 card for $380, while the overclocked TOP version is fetching $400. This makes Asus cards considerably more expensive than its competitors, and we are not exactly sure why. With remaining GeForce GTX 285 cards selling for ~$350, we cannot wholeheartedly recommend buying an Asus version without taking a look at other manufacturers' offerings first. "
Click here to read the full review.
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AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition CPU Review
March 30, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
X-bit Labs have posted a review of the enthusiast-oriented AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition, a triple-core processor clocked at 2.8Ghz and featuring 6MB of L3 cache.
Here's what they had to say:
"I doubt that anyone will argue that all currently produced AMD Phenom II processors boast very attractive price-to-performance ratio. Triple-core representatives of this family, Phenom II X3, are also no exception. They are very interesting solutions in their price range and their triple-core architecture offers noticeably higher performance during multi-threaded load than dual-core Core 2 Duo E7000 with similar price tags. Since multi-threaded computing gets better adopted by various software developers, including game developers, of course, triple-core processors become faster than their dual-core rivals in a significant number of tasks.
Phenom II X3 processors can also be of great interest to computer enthusiasts. They offer not only good frequency potential that is sufficient for successful competition against overclocked Core 2 Duo CPUs, but also may become quad-core with certain amount of luck on your side. This undocumented feature allows enabling the blocked fourth CPU core that with some probability may turn out fully functional. So, taking into account the possibility to use Phenom II X3 in modes other than the officially defined by the spec, it may deliver an impressive performance boost and hence step up to the level of higher-priced solutions."
The X3 720 BE is a very, very fun processor for those who like to overclock and tweak, particularly if you can unlock the fourth core, and it also provides great Bang for the Buck for everyone else. Two thumbs up to AMD for producing this model.
Click here to read the full review.
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Crucial & OCZ DDR3-1600 6GB Memory Kit Reviews
March 30, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
PureOverclock and ThinkComputers have reviewed triple-channel DDR3-1600 6GB memory kits from Crucial and OCZ.
Here's what they had to say:
- PureOverclock: Crucial Ballistix Tracer 6GB DDR3-1600:
"These Crucial Ballistix Tracer modules offer some impressive headroom beyond their 1600MHz rated speeds, especially considering they're starting at CL8 instead of CL7 like other modules we've seen. The tolerances and returns are smaller the higher you go in the speed department, but these modules have sufficient gas left in the tank to push about 16% higher than their rating, topping out at 1866 MHz. Overclocking is very easy, and the Micron chips respond well to voltage increases, though the timings did have to be loosened to CL9 to get the extra bandwidth.
With X.M.P. enabled here and posting excellent numbers across the speed spectrum, these Tracer modules are classified as "performance" models, and they certainly accomplish that. But the uniqueness of the Tracers lie in their aesthetic; you don't buy these sticks just for the performance, you buy them because you also want that look of something very special. Performance comes at a price, but the prestige factor is what really separates the pennies from the pounds so to speak, and the Ballistix Tracers do have a price tag to match their stunning looks as well."
Click here to read the full review.
- ThinkComputers: OCZ Platinum Series DDR3-1600 Low Voltage 6GB Triple Channel Memory Kit:
"And the OCZ Platinum Series DDR3-1600 Low Voltage 6GB Triple-Channel Memory kit is just as impressive. I've always liked the Platinum's nickel-plated XTC heatspreaders, and something about the new Z3 heatspreaders add to that.
The memory performed very well. Platinum Series memory has in my experience always been a mediocre overclocker, but this memory overclocked like a champ, not only attaining a higher clock at CAS 7, but also reached a healthy DDR3-1872 at CAS 9.
The most impressive thing about this memory is the price. The Platinum Series DDR3-1600 6GB Triple Channel sells for $129.99 at my favorite online retailer. $130 bucks for a low-latency 6 gig overclocker! Definitely a value in my book. ThinkComputersg gives the OCZ Platinum Series Low Voltage DDR3-1600 6GB Triple-Channel Kit a 10 out of 10 score."
Click here to read the full review.
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Top 20 3DMark Vantage Movers & Shakers
March 30, 2009 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Welcome to the latest installment of our weekly look at the top 3DMark Vantage scores submitted to the online result browser (ORB). Rockin' the charts this week, we had eight new vying for top honors. How high did they climb? Was anyone able to crack the top 10? Or top 5? Read on to find out!
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Performance Preset Top 20:
10. P35972 [Shark OC Team] Naka
16. P33653 Dennismagic ~ Chiphell/ HKEPC**
18. P33033 Ara's 33033
19. P32971 team Hardy
New to the 3DMark Vantage - High Preset Top 20:
6. H27703 Dennismagic ~ Chiphell/ HKEPC**
12. H21037 drinksalot
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Extreme Preset Top 20:
5. X21432 EtheEnthusiast
14. X15312 drinksalot
Now that's some tough competition. Congrats on the awesome scores everyone! :D
Keep up the great work! And remember, you can keep track of the top scores throughout the week by visiting our Hall of Fame. Until next time!
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Lian-Li Launches Low Profile PC-C39 HTPC Case
March 30, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Lian-Li have launched the new low profile PC-C39 multimedia home theater PC (HTPC) case.
Let's see what they had to say:
"Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the PC-C39 multimedia chassis. This low profile HTPC case comes in two shades, namely silver and black to match in seamlessly with your current home theater décor. The elegant diamond cut sublimely carved into the front face gives the brushed all aluminum chassis a style of its own. The slim lined PC-C39 stands at 435mm x 97mm x 400mm (W, H, D) and weighs in at 3.65kgs. This stylish chassis combines the traditional class and finery of Lian Li with some outstanding innovations, such as the all new wireless remote controller and sensor. The chassis itself supports 2x 3.5HDDs and 1x 5.25ODD. The chassis has 4x low profile expansion slots.
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The PC-C39 supports a micro-ATX form factor. The chassis has hand-made aspects with Lian Lis traditional care and attention to detail. The low profile structure has special support via a crossbar, which can be swiveled out the way when installing components. This kind of consideration and attention to detail has made Lian Li one of the most respected names in Chassis design. In addition the front mounted I/O ports, which include 2x USB 2.0, 1x Firewire 1394, as well as HD+AC97 Audio options. In addition, the wireless sensor and remote control give added value to an already feature rich product which enhances your HTPC experience.
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Lian Lis hand crafted attention to detail is evident throughout with air vents along the low profile expansion slots, and special anti-vibration spring clips to prevent the panels from rattling, while special rubber grommets prevent the HDDs from vibration noises. The PC-C39 has 2x 70mm exhaust ball-bearing fans@1500RPM. In combination with the extensive air vents throughout the chassis, cooling has never been more efficient or quieter."
This low profile HTPC case is only 4 inches tall, which roughly half the height of regular desktop-style HTPC's. Obviously this is ideal for those who are space-constrained.
Click here to check out the Lian Li PC-C39 product page.
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Kingston HyperX T1 PC2-8500 2GB Memory Kit Review
March 30, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
ASE Labs have posted a review of the Kingston HyperX T1 PC2-8500 2GB memory kit, which sports an extravagantly tall heatspreader design.
Here's what they had to say:
"This 4GB kit is retailing for just under $100. Even though DDR3 prices have fallen to about the same price as the same speed DDR2, the majority of systems still use DDR2 (including all AMD systems, for now). The KHX8500D2T1K2/4G provides excellent looks with performance to match. DDR2 is still mainstream and Kingston manages to deliver with this latest kit.
While most enthusiasts have jumped to the Core i7 platform along with DDR3, the majority of builds just under the bleeding edge are using DDR2. This kit would be a perfect fit for a new DDR2 build. Make sure you seriously consider a 64-bit OS to go along with memory over 3GB."
Although this memory kit looks good, the heatspreaders are impractically tall and may interfere with some CPU coolers. Also, this models appears quite poor in the overclocking deparment, having only displayed 18Mhz of headroom at its reference voltage.
Click here to read the full review.
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Thirteen-Way CPU Cooler Review Roundup
March 30, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
X-bit Labs have reviewed thirteen high-end CPU coolers from the likes of Cooler Master, Noctua, Prolimatech, Scythe, ThermoLab, Thermalright, Thermaltake and Zalman.
Let's see what they had to say:
"Todays test session didnt reveal anything sensational: the most efficient cooling system is again Thermalright IFX-14. Its advantage over the rivals on the Intel Core i7 platform is indisputable. This cooler left everyone behind in both configurations with one and two fans. As for the configuration when IFX-14 comes with three 140-mm fans, only high-quality liquid-cooling systems could probably try to beat that. The drawbacks of this remarkable solution are high price, no fans among the bundled accessories and traditionally uneven base. If we disregard all that, IFX-14 will be an absolute winner. Therefore, we are proud to crown Thermalright IFX-14 with our prestigious Editors Choice title for being the ultimate best cooling solution:
Among the highly efficient coolers from a dense group following the leader we should single out Scythe Mugen 2. This cooler not just outperforms its direct rivals if we consider the total score from all the tests, but it is also the cheapest of all! Mugen 2 comes bundled with a high-performance fan that is inaudible in quiet mode and produces moderate noise under high CPU workload. Moreover, it is a universal cooler, unlike Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme-1366 RT, Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 and Prolimatech Megahalems. Taking into account that Scythe has very well-established dealer network, things will become very tough for their competitors."
Well there you have it, although the Thermalright IFX-14 may be the overall winner, there are 6 CPU coolers effectively tied for second place, all of which are significantly cheaper and smaller than the IFX-14.
Click here to read the full article.
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ATI Radeon HD 4670 CrossFireX Performance Review
March 30, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
X-bit Labs have posted an article in which they tested the CrossFireX performance of the mainstream ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics cards.
Let's see what they had to say:
"The efficiency of CrossFireX technology is as high as at the lower resolutions: the two cards enjoy an average 85% advantage over a single Radeon HD 4670. And like in the previous cases, the overall positive picture is somewhat marred by poor scalability in Red Alert 3.
Comparing the Radeon HD 4830 CrossFireX and Radeon HD 4670 CrossFireX tandems, we should confess that the latter has vaguer perspectives. Although its performance is higher than that of Radeon HD 4850 and GeForce 9800 GTX+/GeForce GTS 250 cards, the difference is not as big as to make the multi-GPU tandem more appealing than a single, more expensive, card that occupies only one PCI Express x16 slot. Moreover, this difference can be rather easily eliminated by means of overclocking. In terms of power consumption the tandem is more economical than a Radeon HD 4850 (94 against 110 watts) but less economical than a GeForce GTX 9800+/GeForce GTS 250 that uses a 55nm G92 core and consumes only 80W."
A Radeon HD 4670 CrossFireX configuration is fairly potent, but given the choice I would rather lose ~5% of average performance for a single Radeon HD 4850, which would offer a much more trouble-free gaming experience.
Click here to read the full review.
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Sound Card Reviews - ASUS, Auzentech, Creative
March 30, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Guru3D, HotHardware, and TechSpot have reviewed a number of sound cards from ASUS, Auzentech, and Creative.
Here's what they had to say:
- Guru3D: Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1 Soundcard:
"his new offering hold true to it's heritage offering the tried and true opamp socket for the front left and right channel which offers some great upgrade possibilities for the Forte 7.1. Users can easily install a higher quality opamp to improve the sonic signature or insert a favorite opamp unit, modifying the cards output to provide a more personal sonic response.
We tested out some Auzentech units for those that are not tech savvy offering users some insight into the upgrade units easily available from Auzentech for use on Forte 7.1.
The Gaming audio, the Forte's strong suit provided spectacular immersive audio in both EAX/OpenAL effect game and games with internal effect engines. The CMSS-3D headphone routine offered spot on surround sound virtualization for those who prefer to game with headphones or love gaming late at night. The Forte offered exceptionaly accurate directional cues and impressive immersion that had this reviewer instinctively turning his head a few times to see what that sound was behind me."
Click here to read the full review.
- HotHardware: Asus Xonar Essence STX PCIe Audio Card:
"The Asus Xonar Essence STX is marketed as an Audiophile's sound card. That being said, we could do without some of the non-essential bells and whistles. An audiophile will never be satisfied with the stock EQ presets and there are plenty. The rotating surround sound is more a novelty than anything else. The line out left and right slides on the mixer could use a link that allows them to be moved together so both do not have to be adjusted independently. The only need we see for this is that on some systems there is a higher output on the left channel which could be accommodated by circular gain controls at the top of the slides. We could do without the karaoke section as well. We understand most of these driver features are carried over from other Xonar sound cards but Asus is setting a new standard here that merits a refresh of feature controls, and perhaps a nice packaging of encoders and audio applications."
Click here to read the full review.
- TechSpot: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! USB Sound Card:
"The X-Fi Go! is only capable of 2.1 connectivity, so if you require true surround sound, this card isnt for you. As of writing, Creative lists the X-Fi Go for $49.99 on their website, which is about middle of the pack for a high-end sound card. For only $10 extra the X-Fi Surround also from Creative adds 5.1 output and extra connectivity but the unit is much bulkier as well.
There are a few other alternatives on the market that also offer more features at an added price, but again, if 2-channel output suits you well and you will enjoy the plug and play convenience of the Go! then don't look further."
Click here to read the full review.
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ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4000 Series Preview
March 27, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
HotHardware have posted a brief first look at the new ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4000 series mobile GPUs.
Let's see what they had to say:
"The experimental Mobility Radeon HD 4000 series cards we tested here exhibited very different performance. The higher-end Mobility Radeon HD 4670 showed that it is a capable GPU, that can handle fairly demanding graphics workloads with solid performance, without consuming very much power. The Mobility Radeon HD 4500 series GPU offered much lower 3D performance, but under full load it also consumed much less power, which is an important consideration for the GPU's thin and light target market segment.
To be perfectly honest, we can't really draw any solid conclusions on the Mobility Radeon HD 4670 and 4500 series based on the reference cards we've shown you in this preview. Without testing them in an actual notebook, constrained by the limitations of a mobile form factor, we can't intelligently comment on thermal output, battery life, acoustics, etc. All we can say, is that should the exact Mobility Radeon HD 4000 series configurations we tested here, with the same frequencies and memory compliments, find their way into some attractive notebooks, users in need of strong graphics performance in a mobile system will likely be pleased by this latest round of mainstream Mobility Radeon products."
If ATI can achieve in the mobile market what they have recently achieved in the desktop market, then we will hopefully see a new age of improved mobile graphics and at much better price points too.
Click here to read the full article.
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NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller Review
March 27, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
PureOverclock and TestFreaks have posted a review of the NZXT Sentry LX dual-bay fan controller.
Let's see what they had to say:
- PureOverclock:
"This piece is nice. Really nice. The aesthetics are gorgeous and it's probably the nicest fan controller you'll find around; it's not over the top and garish but it does have just enough flash to look eye-catching. NZXT has struck a pleasant balance between form and function here, showcasing some great design work and engineering in a solid package. The build quality is excellent, and this thing is solid. There are many flimsy fan controllers out there, and this is definitely not one of them. You really do get a robust product here. "
Click here to read the full review.
- TestFreaks:
"If youre in the market for a fan controller then the NZXT Sentry LX is what you want in your system, its easy to use and install, it has nice long cables, its well made and it look great.
The Sentry LX is easily one of the nicest fan controllers on the market today. "
Click here to read the full review.
This is certainly one of the better looking fan controllers on the market, and if you don't mind the touchscreen and the fact that it takes up to 5.25" drive bays, then it is certainly worth a look. At $40, it is a bit pricey, but then again it is much more impressive than most other fan controllers.
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CPU Cooler Review Roundup - Akasa, Noctua, Titan & More
March 27, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
CPU3D, DriverHeaven, HardwareBistro, ModReactor, ocaholic, and TweakTown have reviewed CPU coolers from Akasa, AMA, Cooljag, GlacialТech, Noctua, Thermaltake, Titan, and ZeroTherm.
Let's see what they had to say:
- CPU3D: Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler Review:
"It's safe to say that Thermaltake have produced a fine product here. From the quality build, and pleasing aesthetics, this cooler ticks all the boxes. Its slightly on the larger side, but hey, you get the performance out of it. The results from our tests show that the Thermaltake SpinQ competes very well against other impressive coolers such as the OCZ Gladiator Max, Enzotech Ultra-X and Xigmatech HDT-D1284.
One thing I would like to mention. Earlier in the review, I mentioned something about the 360 Degree Heat Dissipation. I had my own reserved thoughts about this concept, but in essence, its very good. The surrounding components are cooled at the same time which is a definate plus. Wether or not its the most efficiant way of cooling... well thats down to the R&D departments to figure that one out. "
Click here to read the full review.
- DriverHeaven: Socket 1366 Cooler Roundup March 09:
"As we stated earlier in the article the Noctua NH-U12P SE is an impressive product, even down to the amount of information given on the packaging. We also love the colour scheme chosen by Noctua and the heatsink/fan styling, both of which look great. The use of two low RPM fans really benefits the noise levels and as a result this cooler was the quietest tested today so we see absolutely no reason not to install both fans. The SecuFit 2 installation process was very simple with all of the major steps performed before we place the motherboard in the case and this results in the heatsink installation only requiring two screws to be tightened which is ideal. Noctua even provide a long screwdriver to aid with this. The performance of the cooler in single fan mode is good but it really improves with two attached and throughout our testing it provided the best results from the air cooling category and therefore this very well rounded product wins our Gold Award."
Click here to read the full review.
- HardwareBistro: Noctua NH-U9B CPU Cooler Review:
"Noctua provides very complete range of CPU cooler offerings; 120mm or 92mm coolers as well as U-type or C-type cooler which should fulfill most of the users and Noctua NH-U9B is another good choice for those are looking for a smaller cooler for their setup. Besides that Noctua did a good job to standardize its design ID and installation method. For a ~50USD cooler, Noctua NH-U9B is still acceptable although its price is a bit higher but Noctua NH-U9B comes with luxury accessories, upgradable feature and one last thing is don't worry about Noctua products as they always come with great quality and promising peformance."
Click here to read the full review.
- ModReactor: GlacialТech UFO V51 CPU Cooler Review:
"GlacialТech UFO V51 is innovative product that bets mostly on its looks. If you have a clear acrylic case or one with window in its side panel and need to show off, providing you have the space for it, this is the right product for that. The version with silent fans has mediocre performance for its size. Manufacturers have already provided solution for the problem with the missing backplate for the motherboard. In the end final judgment on the UFO can be passed on only by you - the potential customer, for it indeed is up to you to decide whether you are willing to pay 59 $ for a product with mediocre performance and interesting look or to use better performing one with more conventional appearance."
Click here to read the full review.
- ocaholic: Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 Premium Cooler Review:
"With the Nirvana NV120 Zerotherm did a good job and only the noisy fan disturbs the good overall impression. With the standard rotation speed the cooler is able to climb into the top third of our chart. When the fan is regulated to a moderate speed of 1000 rpm it is still in the top half.
The high quality manufacturing process and the coolers nice looks leave a very good impression. The NV120 is made completely out of copper which is black nickel coated. Together with the blue illuminated 120 mm fan it looks just great. Also mounting the cooler is easy and via the backplate it fits perfectly."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 Core i7 Specific CPU Cooler:
"I tried to sit here and pick the NH-U12P SE1366 CPU cooler apart, but there isnt anything I can find to even try to bring up. From the time I took it out of the box, on through the assembly and into testing, the NH-U12P SE has been a pleasure to test. The SecuFirm2 mounting is spot on and really easy to assemble and the images in the instructions will answer any question you may come up with. I did see a bit of a discrepancy of the testing from our previous results; again, though, these could be contributed to different TIM application, or maybe Chris got the fans that ran +10% and mine ran -10%, I dont really know. They are, however, where I like my processor to be at an overclocked state and are almost inaudible while doing so."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Titan Fenrir TTC-NK85TZ CPU Cooler:
"While all the concepts of the Fenrir have been done and seen in other coolers up to this point, Titan has gotten the formula right on with the Fenrir. The shape and design of the fins, the correct noise to performance ratio of the fan, to the cool wolf-like image on the cooler; Titan has a winner on their hands. The cooler doesnt bring a ton of "flash" to the party, but I will say it can dance with a few of the best. Considering the asking prices of both of the previously mentioned coolers, I do have to say the Fenrir is priced right at a $60 U.S. dollar price tag."
Click here to read the full review.
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ACARD ANS-9010 DDR2 SATA RAM Drive
March 27, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Benchmark Reviews have posted a review of the ACARD ANS-9010 DDR2 SATA RAM drive.
Here's what they had to say:
"In conclusion, the ACARD RAM-Disk isn't what you would want for running Windows or any other Operating System; let one of the other SSD's we've tested do that chore. The reason you'll want the ANS-9010 is for it's blazing fast read speeds, reaching 510 MBps in RAID-0. Because of the sensitive battery-maintained data retention system, important data should not be stored on the ANS-9010, but instead this product makes the perfect scratch disk for video editing tasks or heavy compiling procedures. I can't recommend the ACARD ANS-9010 to casual users, because the package cost is too high to justify and the intended application is more specific. The professionals who understand that time is money will see the value, and that's exactly where this RAM-Disk makes the most sense."
If you've have a healthy budget or simply need the fastest possible storage solution, then this is certainly worth a closer look.
Click here to read the full review.
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Intel X58 Motherboard Review Roundup - ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI
March 27, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Overclock3D, Hardware Secrets, Legit Reviews, PC Perspective, TechSpot have reviewed Intel X58 Express motherboards from ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Overclock3D: MSI X58 Pro Motherboard Review:
"Overclocking the motherboard perhaps threw up the biggest surprise of the day, exceeded my expectations by a fair margin. Previous MSI boards have been very hit and miss in this area but, voltage fluctuation issues aside, the X58 pro is a top performer in this department. A 4Ghz overclock is a damn fine achievement by anyones standards but the MSI did not stop there. Infact the MSI kept going until it reached a eye popping 4.315GHz, beating all of our previously reviewed motherboards, some of which cost nearly twice as much, by a considerable margin. I cannot comment on how long this overclock could be maintained by it is performance and possibilities are certainly underlined by it's ability in this area."
Click here to read the full review.
- Hardware Secrets: Gigabyte EX58 Extreme Motherboard Review:
"Gigabyte EX58 Extreme is probably one of the most complete socket 1366 motherboards based on Intel X58 chipset (with the ICH10R south bridge chip) for Core I7 processors available on the market today, with features not found on most competitors, such as three PCI Express x16 slots with support for SLI and CrossFireX modes, 16-phase voltage regulator circuit, liquid cooling waterblock on the chipset, POST diagnostics display and several other features commonly found on Gigabyte's high-end motherboards, such as passive heatsink with heatpipes for the chipset and voltage regulator transistors, solid aluminum capacitors and ferrite chokes. Let's take a look in the motherboard and see what you should expect from it."
Click here to read the full review.
- Legit Reviews: ASUS Rampage 2 Extreme Motherboard Review:
"The ASUS Rampage 2 Extreme is the most advanced motherboard I have ever tested. Having owned many "enthusiast" motherboards over the years, I was floored with the number of overclocking features and how incredibly stable this board is. At the time this article was written, there have been 10 BIOS revisions since it first launched, so you can see it has taken a bit to get it to where it is today. That should not take away anything from this motherboard but should go to show that ASUS is dedicated to supporting its customers. Priced at $398.99, the R2E is aptly named. This level of tweaking does not come cheaply, so only those very serious about overclocking need apply. Some of the cost is due to the "certification" fee that ASUS has had to pay to NVIDIA in order to validate their motherboard for SLI. The R2E is certified for Dual, Triple, and Quad-SLI. CrossFireX is also supported, and in either triple card configuration you will be running at 16x, 8x, 8x in the three PCIe slots."
Click here to read the full review.
- PC Perspective: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 X58 Motherboard Review:
"It seems the X58 chipset, as well as the Intel i7s, have really been refined since their release last year. Gigabyte harnessed a lot of different technologies when they built the GA-X58-UD5. While the board didnt wow us against other comparable X58 boards on the market, it did show us flashes of brilliance that should entice its fair share of consumers. The Gigabyte brand itself is really pinning itself against ASUS for the top spot in the motherboard industry. I cant wait to see what the rest of 2009 brings for i7s, X58s, and the tech industry as a whole."
Click here to read the full review.
- TechSpot: Asus Rampage II GENE microATX Motherboard Review:
"For now Asus will have to share the title with DFI as the only motherboard manufacturers to offer a mATX Core i7 board. And although we have not tested this new DFI model, we can talk for all the previous mATX motherboards that came to market. The Rampage II GENE is easily the most prominent mATX motherboard we have ever seen, boasting of a wealth of useful features that cannot be matched by many of today's standard ATX boards.
Performance wise the Rampage II GENE met all our expectations matching the performance of the P6T Deluxe, a high-end standard ATX Core i7 motherboard. In this sense, the Rampage II GENE makes for the ultimate LAN goer dream PC, combining today's most powerful hardware into such a compact and portable format. The trick remaining will be perhaps finding a microATX case that can support full-length graphics cards, though they do exist."
Click here to read the full review.
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Cooler Master & Thermaltake Case Reviews
March 25, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DarkVision Hardware, Driverheaven, Futurelooks, HardwareLogic, Modders-Inc, and PureOverclock have reviewed various mid-tower and full tower cases from Cooler Master and Thermaltake.
Let's see what they had to say:
- DarkVision Hardware: Cooler Master Sniper Case Reviewþ:
"To sum it up, the Sniper is another fine case from Cooler Master that will easily please gamers and tech enthusiasts. The open mesh design and large fans deliver lots of airflow at minimal noise levels, and the integrated fan controller makes it very easy to adjust the speed of all your case fans. The overall build quality is very good and the tool-free features are very easy to use. Perhaps the biggest issue of the Cooler Master Sniper is its relatively high price, this Storm series case costs around $140 in the US and 140EUR in Europe. If you don't mind the price in this recessionary climate I definitely recommend the Sniper, this case won't disappoint. "
Click here to read the full review.
- Driverheaven: Thermaltake Element S Chassis Review:
"After testing the Thermaltake Spedo recently I was wary about experiencing the same issues we noted in our last review. This system is solid, the materials are high quality and nothing is poorly constructed. The build quality of the chassis is impressive for this price bracket and it offers several useful features in addition to top notch cooling performance.
The three 5.25 bays allow you to install multiple optical drives and a fan controller if you wish and the case offers unbeatable storage capacity for its class with seven 3.5 bays and two 2.5 brackets. It is by no means a silent chassis but it doesnt inflict painful levels of fan noise and still manages to put in a respectable thermal performance. To top it all off the case looks great with its smooth, sophisticated styling and front door covering the drive bays. "
Click here to read the full review.
- Futurelooks: Coolermaster HAF932 Full Tower ATX Chassis Review:
"The Coolermaster HAF932 Full Tower Chassis definitely lives up to its High Air Flow name. The big fans clearly revealed that one setting was enough to sufficiently cool a highly overclocked system down. The noise levels for this performance were also excellent and could likely be a result of the use of the larger fans vs a larger number of smaller 120mm fans. Coolermaster does give you the option to mount other fans if you so choose. Id just leave them alone and enjoy the performance. Its obviously working."
Click here to read the full review.
- HardwareLogic: Thermaltake SwordM Case Review:
"As such, we feel the SwordM can be a tough sell. The sheer price alone positions this chassis in an extremely small market. Serious enthusiasts know the SwordM well, respect its pedigree, and this offers a tremendous brag factor with a SwordM purchase. But the implication of said purchase, for all those but the wealthy, means that a serious enthusiast is also accepting the nuances that come with this chassis. Does this make the SwordM a bad investment? Certainly not, as we feel the SwordM is an outstanding case: it is extremely well built, and its fit and finish is second to none. While cost remains the only barrier to owning a SwordM, know that by doing so, an enthusiast is treated to one of the finer enclosures offered on the market today."
Click here to read the full review.
- Modders-Inc: Cooler Master Cosmos S Case Review:
"Overall, I was very pleased with the Cooler Master Cosmos-S chassis. I have always liked the look of the Cosmos, and really only ran into a few concerns with the airflow being the biggest issue. The Cosmos-S alleviates that issue completely while still keeping the stylish designs. The unique touch sensitive power button, and back lit panel gives the control area of the Cosmos-S a sleek look. The hard drive mounting in the Cosmos-S is much more flexible, and configurable for the most part, besides the fact that you're able to purchase additional cages and install them without any issues. "
Click here to read the full review.
- Modders-Inc: Thermaltake V9 Gaming Case Review:
"Overall, I like the base look of the Thermaltake V9. I'm not personally fond of the X designs on the side panels, but then again, I do prefer to cut my own windows. I do feel the Thermaltake V9 is suitable for a budget gamer system. The Thermaltake V9 Gaming Chassis is currently going for around the $110 US mark, which to me is a little pricey. In this price range though, there are a ton of cases out there that offer equal or slightly better features. It's all going to boil down to what each individual likes."
Click here to read the full review.
- PureOverclock: Cooler Master ATCS 840 Case Review:
"The ATCS 840 is a very rare breed of product: one that successfully achieves a combination of aesthetics, features, and quality, at a price that leaves you feeling you walked away with the deal of the year. With a gorgeous and sublime aesthetic style, oustanding feature set, and attention to detail and quality that are second to none, the Cooler Master ATCS is one of the very best cases you will find on the market at any price range. "
Click here to read the full review.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 200 Series Reviews
March 25, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Benchmark Reviews, Guru3D, Legit Reviews, TweakTown, and X-bit Labs have reviewed various NVIDIA GeForce GTX 200 series graphics cards from ASUS, Gigabyte, Inno3D, and Palit.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Benchmark Reviews: Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216SP:
"In summary, the Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216SP video card has proven itself to be a welcomed update into the NVIDIA GeForce product line. Performance in video games allows maximum settings for most modern titles, but also dramatically improves transcoding, rasterization, and graphics ripping. With the power of CUDA technology and the new CUDA runtime for Windows Vista (and soon for Windows 7), intensive computational tasks can be offloaded from the CPU to the GPU making this an outstanding product worthy of graphics-heavy Enterprise computing environments. The GT200 processor was already a remarkable achievement for NVIDIA, and the B1 revision at 55nm along with the revamped PCB layout have earned my highest recommendation; but it's not without some reservations. It's nice that the GTX 200-series offers HDMI video output (via adapter) along with digital audio output through the attached S/PDIF audio cable, but I think that a product of this level should also be looking at native DisplayPort connectivity to fully secure the idea of future-proof hardware. If multimedia transcoding is a selling point, than connecting to the equipment that cutting-edge professionals will be using should be just as important. Although the Palit NE3X262SFT394-PM8026 is a well built product, I can't really recommend the Sonic 216SP version over reference designs because the added cooling doesn't add up to much more than looks. This might not matter in the long run, since it doesn't appear that this product will be found at retailers anytime soon."
Click here to read the full review.
- Guru3D: Inno3D GeForce GTX 265 iChill Accelero:
"So then, you guys know that I'm not easy to impress. Often we can recommend a product, but not easily we tag it with a 'best hardware' label. Well, it's the case today. I am still fairly stunned to see how good the combination of the GeForce GTX 260 SP216 is with the Accelero XTREME GTX cooler.
The tremendous amount of cooling performance is really exciting. I mean the last time I noticed a high-end NVIDIA GPU run at 50 degrees C air-cooled while under full load (FurMark) ... was probably several years ago. The fact that this cooler is doing that without you hearing anything makes it even more impressive. Sure you will need three slots with this cooling solution applied. And that will be its biggest downside. But other then that, there is not even one thing even remotely negative to say about the cooling solution. We absolutely adore it."
Click here to read the full review.
- Legit Reviews: PaLiT GeForce GTX 260 55nm Video Card:
"In closing, PaLiT has produced another competitive product utilizing their Sonic theme. Nvidia's 55nm process along with the hefty heatsink kept thermals in check under load and opened up plenty of overclocking potential above the default overclock. Gamers looking for maximum performance in the 1680x1050 to 1920x1200 resolution range should consider the Palit GTX 260 Sonic 216SP as a viable option if and only if a new BIOS comes out that allows the card to operate like it is supposed to run."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: ASUS GeForce ENGTX295 Graphics Card:
"As far as the ASUS version of the GTX 295 goes, there arent any real surprises here. The added bonuses as far as extra software and the CD wallet go are nice, though not necessary for a lot of people. At around $500 the card isn't cheap and is even more expensive than some of the other GTX 295s on offer. If you can justify the increase in price, though, with the bundle and after sale support ASUS offers it shouldn't be too hard to decide.
The GTX 295 continues to be a very fast card and if you find yourself with deep pockets you're not going to be disappointed with the card. If you have the necessary equipment to let the card really shine, your games are going to be better than ever before. If you don't, however, a GTX 285 could well be a better option."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: GIGABYTE GeForce GTS 250 1GB Graphics Card:
"It's good to see that GIGABYTE is using the same technology thats been implemented into their award winning motherboards. While at first I thought this was going to be more gimmicky than anything else, once we really got down to the testing side of things we can see that there's some real advantages to the UDV technology that GIGABYTE has implemented.
At 154.99 U.S. Dollars from Newegg, the GIGABYTE version of the GTS 250 is one of the more expensive ones available. For around $20 less you could get something that's clocked higher and is going to perform faster overall, but honestly what we see here from GIGABYTE makes this an excellent buy."
Click here to read the full review.
- X-bit Labs: New Life of the Old Architecture: Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 Review:
"As for the specific graphics accelerator we discussed today, Palit GeForce GTS 250 1GB, it seems to be a pretty attractive purchase with good performance, low noise and very efficient cooling solution. It does have a few drawbacks, such as the need for two power connectors, for instance. But the crucial factor that will determine the future of this product is definitely its retail price. If it is comparable with that of Radeon HD 4850, then Palit GeForce GTS 250 1GB may become a very good choice. Otherwise, you might want to wait for the Radeon HD 4870 512MB to start retailing for less than $150."
Click here to read the full review.
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ATI Catalyst 9.3 Performance Analysis
March 25, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
TweakTown and X-bit Labs have posted their performance analysis of the new ATI Catalyst 9.3 drivers.
Let's see what they had to say:
- TweakTown:
"Right from the launch of the Catalyst 9.3 drivers, things werent looking good with many people complaining about issues they had with the driver suite. We had two major problems; for the most part performance was down and the only time we saw performance being up was in Left 4 Dead using the HD 4870 X2 at the lower resolution. This is in line with the promise of performance improvements for CPU limited games.
The other issue we had was that as soon as we installed the driver on Windows XP with the HD 4850, we couldn't run any 3D applications. Loading one would cause our system to simply reboot.
It's clear, though, that by looking around at forums we're hardly the only person having issues with the driver. This will be the first time that we won't be using the new driver on cards that come in and will simply stick to the 9.2s."
Click here to read the full article.
- X-bit Labs:
"We didnt detect any noticeable performance improvement that would evidently exceed the measuring error acceptable for our testing methodology in any of the games except Lost Planet: Colonies. Nevertheless, we have to admit that once again ATI kept their promise: we did see performance growth where they promised we would. Just like during our previous test session last month the biggest performance improvement occurred for dual-processor ATI Radeon HD solutions, while classical single-GPU products benefited much less, especially in high and ultra-high resolutions. In other words, ATI driver developers are evidently focusing all their effort on making the best out of CrossFireX technology. In fact, it is not surprising at all, especially if we recall that the graphics division of Advanced Micro Devices bet big on this particular technology in the fight for title of the highest-performance 3D graphics solutions maker. Unfortunately, we couldnt confirm or deny ATIs claims about improved performance in Folding@Home project because TOC F@H Bench that we use wouldnt work with the new Catalyst driver version. But we are going to get back to this topic later on, so stay tuned.
Summing up, we can state that there is nothing to discourage you from installing the new ATI Catalyst 9.3 driver at this time. It may not deliver too many benefits to the owners of regular gaming platforms based on Windows Vista OS, but it is definitely a more progressive version and the first ATIs unified driver that supports both: the current Windows Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 operating systems. Besides, as usual, the new version fixes a number of serious issues, such as the ones connected with video playback, for instance."
Click here to read the full article.
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Gaming Mouse Reviews - Logitech, Microsoft, SteelSeries
March 25, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven, Hardware Logic, I4U, and Rbmods have reviewed gaming mice from Logitech, Microsoft, and SteelSeries.
Let's see what they had to say:
- DriverHeaven: Logitech G9 Laser Mouse - Revisited and Reviewed:
"The Logitech G9 is an impressive performer when put into action and is incredibly versatile thanks to the number of configuration options at your disposal. Additionally, the two interchangeable grips give you completely different feelings which both have their advantages in different situations. The XL soft rubbery grip is slightly larger and more comfortable for general use while the more streamlined, rough grip enables greater precision in games and the control provided is complemented by the ultra smooth large Teflon feet found on the underside of the mouse. There is certainly a noticeable performance advantage in action with the rougher grip so it is a great inclusion from Logitech."
"Click here to read the full review.
- Hardware Logic: Microsoft Sidewinder X8:
"The Sidewinder X8 looks to capture the gaming peripheral market with awe by improving upon its original SideWinder mouse and tagging on several nice features. We loved the Play 'N Charge concept borrowed from the Xbox 360. This ensures that you'll always have a charged mouse to frag with and shuns away naysayers who are bent on going wired only for full out reliability. With it's class leading 4000dpi, you can be assured that you'll get top-notch performance for your dollar.
Of course, everything has it's faults. The left and right mouse buttons are bit too sensitive, causing us to press things when we didn't mean to. The included interchangeable feet are supposed to be for different surfaces, but no matter what surface we tested it on, we really didn't feel any major difference. And what's up with the Games Explorer button Microsoft? If you're gonna give us a useless button, can we at least change it? Pretty please?"
Click here to read the full review.
- I4U: Microsoft SideWinder X8 Gaming Mouse Reviewþ:
"The Microsoft SideWinder X8 is hands down one of the best gaming mice around with the added bonus that it is wireless. Microsoft's BlueTrack technology works much better in the X8 than in past general use mice I have tried. Gamers longing for a wireless mouse can grab the X8 and never look back to wired mice again. "
Click here to read the full review.
- Rbmods: [link http://www.rbmods.com/content/7251/first-look-at-the-wow-mouse.aspx]Steelseries World of Warcraft Mouse
:
"I have used this mouse for a few days and made sure it fits my gameplay. I have to admit the learning curve is quite steep but overall when you get a hang of the mouse it works very well. I personally have played Wow since early beta and I have raided most of the content in the game pretty hardcore and the last year I have been mainly aiming at PVP so I can say I got quite a bit of experience. It will make it easier for you to bind keys, I have always had the problem to find some keys that suite well for me to bind them on. This mouse made everything easier for me and with the possibility to increase and decrease DPI I could personalize it to my liking.
Some classes need only a few buttons to play but there are classes that use alot of various spell/healing combinations and this is where this mouse comes in handy. I felt that setting everything up is very easy even though I wish there was a system that would pull your current actionbar to the mouse so you could move the spells around. I saw that people will be able to share their gaming profiles soon on Steelseries website which means you can download profiles and use someone elses if you can't set it up yourself. "
[link http://www.rbmods.com/content/7251/first-look-at-the-wow-mouse.aspx]Click here to read the full review.
- Hardware Logic: Microsoft Sidewinder X8:
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OCZ Apex 120GB Solid State Drive Review
March 25, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Canucks have posted a review of the OCZ Apex 120GB solid state drive.
Here's what they had to say:
"All in all the Apex is a good example of the old adage "Jack of All Trades....Master of None". If you don't mind the the price premium the OCZ drive commands on the price you pay per GB, it will be a very good choice for you as it gives slightly elevated performance levels versus much of the competition. For everyone else, we recommend looking at either the Intel X-25M or OCZ Vertex series as they will provide the speed and performance you want; or if you are on a budget you might want to check out the G.SKill Titan. Ultimately, it is that $400+CAD price tag which has us shying away from giving this drive our outright recommendation even though with a price cut, we can see the Apex flying off the shelves."
If you can get past the very minor stuttering issue, the Apex appears to be the best alternative to Intel's mighty X-25M.
Click here to read the full review.
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Lian-Li Launches PC-C33 & PC-C34F Multimedia HTPC Cases
March 24, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Lian-Li have launched two new high-end multimedia home theater PC (HTPC) cases, the PC-C33 and PC-C34F.
Let's see what they had to say:
"Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd has launched the PC-C33 & PC-C34F HTPC chassis. Both have slender profile form factors to blend in with audio and DVD equipment but stand out because of their unique offerings like the 2.4G wireless remote sensor, innovative HDD access and options as well as supremely quiet cooling capabilities. The PC-C33 stands at 425 x 168 x 460mm (W, H, D), while the slightly larger PC-C34F stands at 432mm x 168mm x427mm (W,H,D). These classic chassis have the traditional Lian Li brushed black anodized aluminum appearance, with the PC-C34F having a front mounted lockable HDD cage with a hot swap HDD capability with support for up to 4x 3.5HDDs. While both have space for 4x 3.5HDDs. In addition, there are two ODD bays and support for seven expansion slots.
The PC-C33 and PC-34F will both support a micro-ATX and ATX form factor. Both cases are hand-made with Lian Lis traditional care and attention to detail. The diamond cut lines to create the elegant profile seen on both chassis front panels give the HTPC chassis a sense of style. The solid structure is all aluminum, offering significant cooling functions over standard steel cases, while adding a sleek and superior aspect of elegance. In addition the front mounted I/O ports, include 4x USB 2.0, 1x Firewire 1394, 1x E-SATA, as well as HD+AC97 Audio options.In addition, the acrylic window for the 2.4G wireless remote sensor enhances your HTPC experience.
Lian Li attention to detail is evident throughout with special anti-vibration spring clips to prevent the panels from rattling, while special rubber grommets support the HDDs mounted in their bays. The PC-C33 has 2x80mm exhaust ball-bearing fan@1200RPM, with one 140mm ball-bearing fans @1200RPM drawing air into the chassis from the vent holes on the side of the case. The PC-C34F has a 140mm Fan@900RPM intake on the left hand side of the case , and a 80mm fan@1500RPM exhaust.The copious open vents around the case improve airflow and assist the aluminum chassis in cooling down the warmest components inside."
The PC-C33 looks like a solid model, but the PC-C34F is downright sweet thanks to its front accessible hot swap SATA HDD cage.
Click here to check out the Lian Li PC-C33 product page.
Click here to check out the Lian Li PC-C34F product page.
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Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB HDD Review
March 24, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Futurelooks have posted a review of the largest hard drive on the market, the Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB.
Here's what they had to say:
"The Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB (WD20EADS) SATA hard drive clearly stands alone as one of the largest hard drives to hit the market yet. With four platters of 500GB goodness spinning at a measly 5400RPM, you would think that it wouldnt be able to defend itself against other predators. Thats clearly not the case as it not only proves that the new technology is working, but it has also made a surprising move against a superior adversary in its own family: the Caviar Black 1TB. I almost find it hard to believe.
With our testing out of the way, its quite clear that lower spindle speed doesnt mean lower performance. It can also mean cooler, quieter and of course, much lower power consumption. However, until economies of scale takes effect, the $349 US price tag really makes it a premium product and hard to recommend unless you have money to burn or are one of those die hard Eco Friends that will save gas by going the speed limit."
This is a fantastic drive for use in a file server, NAS, or other external enclosure, but its current price premium is simply too high when compared to standard 1TB models, especially Western Digital's own Green Series WD10EADS.
Click here to read the full review.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 Graphics Card Reviews
March 24, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
HardwareLogic, Legit Reviews, Techgage, and TweakTown have reviewed NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 graphics cards from BFG, EVGA, Galaxy, PNY, and XFX.
Let's see what they had to say:
- HardwareLogic: BFG GeForce GTX 285 OCX Graphics Card:
"This wasn't our first rodeo with Nvidia's GTX 285 GPU and we knew what to expect from the outset, but the question is what does BFG bring to the table? In this case, BFG brings the fastest-clocked GTX 285 yet available, and even though it's not by a wide margin, it was enough to win the majority of our benchmarking tests.
But more important than the extra 1-2FPS the OCX model affords you, we place a bigger emphasis on the BFG brand. Specifically, two key elements. We're talking about the lifetime warranty (register that card within 30 days of purchase, folks), and the 100 calendar day Trade-Up program. Too often enthusiasts get caught up playing the waiting game, delaying a purchase in anticipation of something better, bigger, and faster just around the corner. Having a 3+ month Trade-Up program alleviates that concern and makes it easier to pull the trigger."
Click here to read the full review.
- Legit Reviews: PNY & XFX GeForce GTX 285 Video Card Reviews:
"Both GeForce GTX 285 cards performed flawlessly during testing and consistently beat the GeForce GTX 280 in all benchmarks. Of the two cards today, the PNY offers great value while the XFX offers top-tier stock clocks and a bundled game. Either GeForce GTX 285 would be a wise choice for those individuals looking to game at 1680x1050 to 1920x1200 resolutions with all the eye candy turned all the way up, so decide with your wallets between the bundles and warranties."
Click here to read the full review.
- Techgage: EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSC Edition:
"As we saw throughout all of our graphs, the SSC card proved to be noticeably faster than the stock-clocked GTX 285, on paper. During real gameplay, it would be very difficult to notice a difference, and that's an important fact to consider. I don't discredit "pre-overclocked" cards, because they certainly have their audience, but to me, it makes much more sense to get a stock-clocked card and enjoy the already-fantastic performance, because really, the differences between the stock and overclocked cards is minimal, as seen in our graphs.
Take note also of the fact that this particular card currently retails for about $60 more than the standard version (EVGA's stock-clocked model is selling for $330 after MIR at one e-tailer), so that's quite a price to pay for such a minor increase in performance. At this card's ~$400 price point, you might as well go the extra mile and just pick up a GTX 295 for $500. If that's not an ideal route, then I recommend simply saving your $60 and sticking with a stock-clocked model. If you need to feel like you have the fastest GTX 285 currently available, nothing stops you from overclocking it yourself."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Galaxy GeForce GTX 285 Overclocked Graphics Card:
"While the Galaxy GTS 285 doesn't offer a huge increase in clock speeds, the extra MHz on offer does give us an extra few FPS here and there. There's not a whole lot you can fault with the Galaxy GTX 285; the extra speed on offer gives us a little bump in performance and the overall bundle, while lacking a game, is still pretty good.
The GTX 285 is an all round pretty good card; it currently helps towards giving us the fastest VGA setup possible in the form of a Tri-SLI GTX 285 setup. Its single card performance is also great and it is currently the fastest single GPU graphics card on the market."
Click here to read the full review.
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NZXT Guardian 921/Whisper/Zero 2 Case Reviews
March 24, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Guru3D, HardwareLogic, Overclockers Online, and TestFreaks have reviewed various PC cases from NZXT, namely the Guardian 921, Whisper, and Zero 2.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Guru3D: NZXT Whisper Chassis Review:
"So there you have it. we feel that the Whisper is a very nice chassis, though it has a couple of compromises. At 139 USD it's priced roughly where it should be. Not too expensive, not cheap either. The one thing I expect from a chassis called Whisper, is for it to be really silent .. and it's just not silent enough."
Click here to read the full review.
- HardwareLogic: NZXT Zero 2 Review:
"With the Zero 2, NZXT looks to improve upon it's predecessor while dropping it's price $60. The Zero 2 offers a full size case supporting nearly every single motherboard format, numerous optical drives and hard drives, a commodious interior, and boasts a quad-120mm fan side panel. NZXT managed to improve the design and functionality of the front panel by extending panels, moving I/O connectors to the top, and rearranging LEDs, and with a black paint job, made the Zero 2 ever more sexy and sensuous. We also like the fact NZXT did away with the high gloss paint and replaced it with a flat black, textured paint job that keeps fingerpaints away. "
Click here to read the full review.
- Overclockers Online: NZXT Guardian 921 (Crafted Series) Case Review:
"I really liked working with the NZXT Guardian 921. It has a unique design that will appeal to gamers and enthusiasts alike. Minimalists will not be pleased with the bright LEDs and design elements but everyone will love the tool-less optical drive bays, hard drive mounts, and expansion slots.
The integrated temperature monitoring system is also a great feature that allows you to monitor the temperature in three different areas. The case is no slouch when it comes to cooling either, with its three standard fans.
There are, however, a few points for improvement. The tool-less expansion slot holders are not as secure as I would like. Also, though the case is roomy inside, if the motherboard tray were removable, it would satisfy the gamers and enthusiasts at whom this case is aimed at."
Click here to read the full review.
- TestFreaks: NZXT WHISPER Classic Series PC Case Reviewed:
"The NZXT Whisper PC case is truly one of a kind in terms of quality, and true to its name it is very quiet. The hard drive racks are a very nice touch, theyre easy to access and having nine of them allows for quite a bit of storage.
The cable management system is nice, it allows you to route the wires around and keep things bit neater and out of the way for more improved airflow.
Overall the Whisper is a very well made case with many, many features that anyone will appreciate."
Click here to read the full review.
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CPU Cooler Review Roundup - Cooler Master, Xigmatek, Zalman & More
March 23, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Bigbruin, DriverHeaven, FrostyTech, Overclockers Online, and TweakTown have reviewed various CPU coolers from Cooler Master, Thermaltake, Titan, Xigmatek, and Zalman.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Bigbruin: Cooler Master Hyper N520 CPU Cooler Review:
"At the start of the review I was anxious to see how well the Cooler Master Hyper N520 CPU cooler would perform. The offset 92mm fans on a more compact heatpipe tower seemed like an interesting concept that could bring high end cooling into tighter spaces.
The review got off to a rough start due to a lack of packaging, documentation, and Intel LGA1366 mounting hardware, but all of that was forgotten when it came time to test the Hyper N520. Unfortunately, as installed on an Intel LGA775 system it just couldn't compete in terms of ease of installation, cooling performance, or noise level when compared to a handful of other modern coolers."
Click here to read the full review.
- DriverHeaven: Xigmatek Thors Hammer Review:
"The Xigmatek Thors Hammer is a beast of a cooler and certainly matches the aesthetic appeal with top notch performance figures. Put up against what is possibly one of the strongest air coolers on the market, the Thermalright TRUE Black, it manages to put in a stellar performance and is a product that we would place our full confidence in when it comes to overclocking and overvolting.
Despite a few installation woes with the fins preventing the use of a screwdriver for all four fastenings, it is all worth the time in the end when you finally boot up your system and begin to appreciate the quality of the design. In addition to the multi-layer HDT technology, the rubber anti-vibration plugs used for fan installation make installing fans a breeze, even in tight spots and ensure vibration free operation."
Click here to read the full review.
- FrostyTech: Titan Fenrir TTC-NK85TZ Heatsink Review:
"Given that the Titan TTC-NK85TZ Fenrir is nearly identical to a lot of the exposed heatpipe heatsinks on the market now, it's not surprising that this family of coolers all perform very well on both Intel and AMD synthetic test platforms. The only significant difference between the TTC-NK85TZ Fenrir heatsink and some of the others is a faster fan that moves more air (at nearly 59 dBA). The downside to its excellent performance is a noise level from the supplied 120mm PWM fan which is too high to live with full time. Find the happy medium at a slightly lower fan speed and you'll find the Titan TTC-NK85TZ Fenrir a very economical tower heatsink for Intel 775/1366 Core 2 Duo/Core i7 processors and AMD Phenom II chips that can turn on the performance at a moment's notice. Recommended."
Click here to read the full review.
- Overclockers Online:
"While it has been quite some time since Zalman has released a new high end air cooler, they have shown with the CNPS9900 LED that they have not rested on their earlier success. Its larger size allows for quiet operation and outstanding performance.
The only drawback to the CNPS9900 LED is with installing the heatsink, where its larger size can make for a tight fit when screwing things down. However that is where the disadvantages end for Zalman's latest. Once again Zalman has pushed themselves to the top of the heap with the CNPS9900 LED."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Thermaltake BigTyp 14 Pro CPU Cooler Review:
s="quote">"The BT14 Pro looks really sexy with the black plastic shroud and bright blue LEDs and is a pleasure to not have to listen to roaring in the background. However, I have to say I would honestly take a bit more fan noise for the gain in performance to the overall temperatures. Dont get me wrong here, as most readers should already know, we at TweakTown test beyond where most other places test to. This is based to give an honest perspective on summertime overclocked temps. While you may never reach these temperatures with your processors, this is a good estimate to base off of."
Click here to read the full review.
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AMD Athlon X2 7750 AM2+ Dual-Core Processor Review
March 23, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
iXBT Labs have posted a review of the budget-friendly AMD Athlon X2 7750, an AM2+ dual-core processor based on the Kuma core.
Here's an excerpt:
"As we could expect from a budget product for less than $100, Athlon X2 7750 turned out to be a practical solution. This processor is not much faster in general. But in a number of tests, including popular games and archivers, this processor looks much better than Pentium E5200. On the average, this processor is faster than its predecessor -- Athlon X2 6000+. It has a similar price tag, and it may become even cheaper in time, having pushed the older product out of the market, because it's easier and cheaper to manufacture even now."
This is a very solid offering when it comes to Bang for the Buck, especially since you can now buy it for around $65 USD. It won't necessarily blow you away with its performance, but it is certainly capable enough for a budget gaming system.
Click here to read the full review.
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600W-1200W Power Supply Review Roundup
March 23, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
CPU3D, DriverHeaven, Guru3D, High Tech Reviews, JonnyGURU, and PC Perspective have reviewed 600W to 1200W power supplies from Antec, BFG, Cooler Master, Seasonic, and Thermaltake.
Let's see what they had to say:
- CPU3D: Seasonic M12D 850W Modular PSU:
"I can't fault the Seasonic M12D 850W Modular PSU ... it's a really good power supply. It's stable, reliable and offers a minimum power efficiency of 85% as certified by their 80Plus Silver standard. The only thing I'm concerned about is the price. It's very expensive. But having said that, where on earth are you going to find a power supply of this quality. It uses a silent Sanyo Denki fan, features dual +12V rails @ 40A, comes with a modular cable management system and a massive 5 year warranty. If you got the cash ... this is the PSU you want to go for."
Click here to read the full review.
- DriverHeaven: Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 PSU Review:
"With the Silent Pro M600 Cooler Master have managed to create a very high quality product with stellar all around performance. The strongest aspect of this product is acoustics performance, which can easily compare to that of entirely fanless (and vastly more expensive) products. The anti-vibration silicon pads are a nice addition even though this unit will not be causing any vibrations itself, they can dampen vibrations caused by other components. The modular design, the flexible black cables and the excellent paint job make it a very aesthetically pleasing product."
Click here to read the full review.
- Guru3D: BFG EX-1200 Power Supply Review:
"This PSU is a beast, so for a really proper review, we'd need to have massively capable load testing equipment worth thousands dollars. We do not have that equipment. As such the review can be considered fairly subjective. I however know hardware and recognize quality, and I am confident this is a top notch product.
The closest real-world thing we could do was load up the PSU with really power hungry components and then stress test it in a real-world environment. There's something to be said for this method as well. Having 1200 Watts at your disposal is very extreme though. Heck you might as well go for a 800 Watt PSU if you'd try to replicate our test shown today. And though recently on the web we have seen a lot of discussion regarding the validity of using an 1000+ KW power supply. My thesis never failed me; I simply like to have reserves and not once did I ran into a stability issue or got an overheated PSU just because I know the PSU will never be an issue (for me). It's been long ago since I switched to kilowatt power supplies for our test systems, and this choice has never failed me. "
Click here to read the full review.
- High Tech Reviews: Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W Power Supply Review:
"There is no doubt that the Thermaltake Cable Management Toughtpower 1000watt power supply is an exceptional power supply, it's rail voltages are some of the tightest rail voltages we have ever witnessed in our years of reviewing power supplies.
We also liked the fact that this supply has the ability to handle as may high-end video carts as it does is another huge pus for this device. A lot of people wonder if Thermaltake actually makes their own power supplies or not, after a bit of research we found out the the Thermaltake Toughpower 1000 is made by Channelwell Technology, who also rebrands power supplies for other companies as well."
Click here to read the full review.
- JonnyGURU: Cooler Master UCP 700W Power Supply Review:
"Cooler Master targets the UCP series at those of us who want exceptional performance at uncompromising quality. While voltage regulation and efficiency are indeed up to this challenge, the ripple suppression and the high price conspire to throw water on the flames of my excitement. I find the UCP 700W to be a very good, but not great unit. If they can lower the boom on the 12V ripple, things will improve dramatically for this unit."
Click here to read the full review.
- PC Perspective: Antec TruePower New Series 750W Power Supply Review:
"Antec has combined quality features from their high-end Signature Series with the affordable pricing of the TruePower line with the introduction of the TruePower New series. The TruePower New 750W PSU delivered excellent efficiency with good voltage regulation and clean outputs. The TP-750 is quiet during normal operation and includes a good compliment of both fixed and modular cables/connectors. And lets not forget Antec backs the TruePower New series with their 5-year warranty. Overall, the TP-750 is a very good PSU selling for a reasonable price."
Click here to read the full review.
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AMD Phenom II In-Depth Performance Scaling Analysis
March 23, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
MadShrimps have just posted a terrific article entitled "AMD Phenom II In-Depth Performance Scaling Analysis", in which they test the performance scaling of the CPU speed, HT Link, Northbridge to HT Link, etc.
Here's an excerpt:
"In other words, you will see the biggest performance gain from overclocking the processor frequency, which is actually pretty straight-forward. In contrary to this list, I would suggest a different approach in the actual overclocking attempt: finding limits is much easier if you know the size of the playing field. In more hardware-related terms, it's important to know the limits of the HTT frequency and, preferably, the memory frequency as well. Only when you know the maximum HTT frequency, you are able to squeeze those last few MHz's as the higher the HTT, the lower the multiplier will be. The lower the multiplier, the smaller the steps you'll be able to take when overclocking (using the HTT frequency method)."
If you are at all interested in the Phenom II then you owe it to yourself to check out this article, a must-read piece!
Click here to read the full article.
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G.Skill & Patriot 128-256GB Solid State Drive Reviews
March 23, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Benchmark Reviews, Hardware Canucks, and TweakTown have reviewed 128GB and 256GB solid state drives from G.Skill and Patriot.
Here's what they had to say:
- Benchmark Reviews: G.Skill Titan 128GB SATA SSD FM-25S2S-128GBT1:
"In conclusion, the G.Skill Titan MLC Solid State Drive offers an excellent balance of read and write bandwidth speed and an exceptional response time at a modest price. Second to only one other SSD product on the present market (and tied with it's identical clone), the G.Skill Titan offers phenomenal performance at a reasonable cost. Many would claim that MLC SSDs aren't worth the trouble, but for desktop and notebook users the Titan SSD series is perfectly suited for high-performance tasks. The dual JMF602B SSD controllers may not offer the large cache buffer we would like to see, but the internal JMicron JMB390 RAID-0 controller makes all the difference in this Solid State Drive. If you're looking for a high-capacity performance SSD product, then I recommend the 256GB G.Skill Titan SSD, as it delivers highest-order speed with near-instant response time... and all for an excellent value considering the performance it delivers."
Click here to read the full review.
- Hardware Canucks: G.Skill Titan 256GB SSD Review:
"In the end, this drive is big, fast and powerful; and even more importantly, it really only requires a few easy to implement tweaks to reduce perceived stutters drastically. This combination is more than enough for us to in good faith give it a Dam Innovative Award for its unique take on overcoming the JMicron challenges. We also give it our Dam Good Value award due to the fact that is has over four times the capacity of a single Intel X-25M while retaining much of the more expensive drive's performance. Hopefully, Samsung (or at least G. Skill) will see the light and kick the JM602 (and JMB390) controller to the curb and put a suitably powerful controller in their future lines."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Patriot Warp V3 256GB 2.5-inch Solid State Disk:
"The Warp V3 is starting to show up at all of the major etailers, so you will be able to find the drives. The cost is still riding a wave and it is still on the upside with Newegg listing it at 595.00 USD and that is the lowest cost I was able to find; much lower than the others. Still, 595 is a tough pill to swallow with the TITAN sitting in the back ground at 70 Dollars less for nearly identical performance. Once the prices stabilize, you can pretty much flip a coin."
Click here to read the full review.
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Top 20 3DMark Vantage Movers & Shakers
March 23, 2009 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Welcome back to our weekly look at the top 3DMark Vantage scores submitted to the online result browser (ORB). Things were very quiet this past week, but we did have two new entries under the Performance Preset category to help keep things interesting. How high did they manage climb? Read on to find out:
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Performance Preset Top 20:
18. P32741 Ara's 32741
19. P32708 team Hardy
Best things about a slow week? You don't have to share the spotlight! Congrats on the awesome scores guys! :D
Keep up the great work. And remember, you can keep track of the top scores throughout the week by visiting our Hall of Fame. Until next time!
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In Win Commander 850W Power Supply Reviews
March 20, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Bjorn3D and High Tech Reviews have tested the combat-themed In Win Commander 850W power supply.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Bjorn3D:
"When designing this power supply unit, In Win has taken careful consideration to all the details and in the end provided an extremely well polished product. This 850w model from the Commander line of In Win PSU's provides stable power across all the rails and passed everything I could throw at it.
The overall looks and appearances of the power supply are different than what the other companies have to offer which is what really sets this unit out from the rest of the group. Although it doesn't light up your case with a bright LED fan, the green paint makes it look badass and the performance lives up to that. The modular design is especially cool, although not unique, because I don't have to run all those extra cables to the back of the motherboard making for some neat and tidy cable management. Although your paying a premium price for the cool features and good looks, at $209 from the Egg, I would for sure say it's worth it."
Click here to read the full review.
- High Tech Reviews:
"What is not to like about the In Commander 850 Power Supply that can generate the numbers that this one producted. In our book the if you need a power supply than can handle 850 watts, has a very nice appearance to it and has one of the best warranty available anywhere (3-Years).
The Commander does indeed make your system stand at attention while providing every compoent of your computer very well regulated and stable voltages. If want a good power supply buy another one, if you want a GREAT power supply buy this one."
Click here to read the full review.
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HTPC Case Review Roundup - Antec, Chieftec, Lian-Li & More
March 20, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Bigbruin, Metku, and TechSpot have reviewed Home Theater PC (HTPC) cases from Antec, Chieftec, GlacialTech, Lian-Li, SilverStone, and Thermaltake.
Here's what they had to say:
- Bigbruin: Chieftec HM-01B HTPC Case Review:
"Newegg.com carries the Chieftec HM-01B HTPC case without a power supply for $279.99, and the PSU is available separately for $65.99 more. But, if you want the bundle as provided for review you can save $25.00 for a total cost of $320.98. The case definitely isn't cheap, but it is a very high quality unit that looks good and is built well enough to last for many years.
It definitely ranks up there with some of my favorite cases, not just HTPC cases, and has to take home the "Highly Recommended" award for that. And even though I feel like the "Whisper Quiet" award has been handed out quite often lately, this is another instance where it is well deserved."
Click here to read the full review.
- Metku: Antec Fusion Remote Max HTPC Enclosure Review:
"So then, what's the verdict? The Fusion Remote Max turned out to be a mixed bag, there are so many good things, but then again there are the terrible installation with the cable mess-nightmare and too noisy fans. First of all I really like the outlooks of the case. It isn't easy to fit a full-sized ATX motherboard into a HTPC-case without making it look massive. There are also very clever dust filters that, again, aren't an easy to achieve feature in HTPC-cases.
It's the internal layout that brings the problems. The compartments seem kinda unnecessary really. Most of todays' power supplies take their cooling air with a 120 mm fan on the side, in Remote Max this means from outside the case. This again both makes the dividing wall unnecessary to begin with, and also means that the hard drives in the PSU-compartment don't get any airflow whatsoever. These combined make me wonder why the wall even is there."
Click here to read the full review.
- TechSpot: 5 Beautiful HTPC Cases Reviewed:
"Overall, the two cases that impressed us the most are the Lian-Li PC-C37 and the Silverstone LC13B-E. The Lian-Li PC-C37 is by far the best slim line case, while the Silverstone LC13B-E is the best full size ATX case. Interestingly, neither case is heavy on features, and neither can really be clearly certified as HTPC cases given the lack of a remote control. Although I personally do not like a remote with my HTPC, I do understand that this is an essential item for many users, and this might be a problem for the PC-C37 and LC13B-E. "
Click here to read the full review.
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Sparkle & XFX GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB Reviews
March 20, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
ThinkComputers and Tweaknews have reviewed GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB graphics cards from Sparkle and XFX.
Let's see what they had to say:
- ThinkComputers: Sparkle Calibre P980X+ geForce 9800GTX+ 512MB Video Card Review:
"So what about the Sparkle P980X+? To be honest, when the geForce 9800GTX+ was released, I really didn't think much about it, because the Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 had outperformed the 9800GTX by a considerable amount. I figured that the GTX+ would be merely a warmed over GTX, and I had low expectations of it.
[...]
I really like what Sparkle has done with this card. The cooler is just awesome, in innovation, looks, function, and performance. I have been looking at heatpipes running through bases for a long time, and wondered if it was practical to have a heatpipe actually pivot in the base. Obviously it is ok, because I never saw a load temp over 50C, which is much lower than the temps I have gotten accustomed to."
Click here to read the full review.
- Tweaknews: XFX Geforce 9800 GTX+ Black Edition Video Card w/ Far Cry 2 Review:
"Overall, to say I am impressed with XFX's tweaked version of the 9800GTX+ would be an understatement. It handles all the recent games with relative ease all while under very tough image quality and resolution settings and all for a price of around US$189. Couple in the fact that you get one or even two quality recent games with the package and you have a purchase that will perform right out of the box. You get a good card and you get a game to take advantage of it in one purchase. Sure there are faster cards on the market, but when it comes to bang for the buck, XFX has really packed a lot gaming clout in one easily overclockable card and should should be on any gamer's short list of cards to buy on a lower than average gamer's budget. There is a lot of performance and value for the dollar here."
Click here to read the full review.
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Mouse Review Roundup - NZXT, Razer, SteelSeries
March 20, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven, Hardware Logic, and Viper Lair have reviewed various mice from NZXT, Razer, and SteelSeries.
Here's what they had to say:
- DriverHeaven: Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Mouse Review:
"The Mamba is an excellent performer but at the moment the price is just too steep, reserving this product solely for those with considerable disposable income. The mouse is still technically a winner for Razer though, there is simply no other wireless mouse out there at the moment that can match the specifications. In closing, everything from the presentation of the product to the construction and design is executed with care and passion. It is certainly a head turner and a unique product to own but it has a way to go before the technology finds itself in the hands of most gamers."
Click here to read the full review.
- Hardware Logic: SteelSeries Ikari Iron.Lady Laser Mouse Review:
"SteelSeries developed the Ikari to be a gaming mouse for serious users, and they have achieved that goal. This particular model, the Iron.Lady, is clearly targeted towards the feminine crowd, but not in an overly obnoxious girly way. The pink is bold, but the Ikari is a boldly designed mouse, so it fits nicely.
The comfort and shape are extraordinary; at first glance, we thought we had been given a lefthanded mouse, but found that the shape fits so nicely into our hand. The numbers from performance don't lie either: a DPI that is comparable with all top gaming mice and 40.000 samples per second (which is really just frames per second, but a slightly different way of measuring, just to iron out the technicalities).
The design features meant for gamers are satisfying as well, with the programmable buttons and quick DPI adjuster. The wide mousepad compliments the wide mouse, and the wristband is a silly but cute addition to the whole package. Performance excelled as expected and we never had trouble using this mouse."
Click here to read the full review.
- Viper Lair: NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse Review:
"At the end of the day, if you're a serious gamer, you will want a gaming mouse. The question becomes, how much do you want to spend? The NZXT Avatar retails about $70, which is in line with what these sort of devices cost. If I didn't play video games daily, would I buy it? Probably not. However, as I do play daily, and at a competitive level a couple times a week, this is a relatively small investment in the grand scheme of things. The mouse is fully customizable, ambidextrous and well built. While the NZXT Avatar alone may not make you a better player, it will remove the mouse as a factor in why are not sitting on the top of the leader board."
Click here to read the full review.
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Fourteen-Way 1TB Hard Drive Roundup
March 20, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
X-bit Labs have just tested and reviewed an amazing fourteen different 1TB hard drive models from Hitachi, Samsung, Seagate, and Western Digital.
Here's an excerpt:
"We will do some summarizing now. First of all, we can name the fastest 1-terabyte drive in all our tests. It is the WD RE3 (WD1002FBYS). This is the best buy if you prefer maximum performance. But if you dont like its high price, you can take the WD Caviar Black (WD1001FALS) which is somewhat slower but costs much less. The Hitachi Deskstar E7K1000 (HDE721010SLA330) is third in terms of sheer speed.
Then, we also wanted to see the effect of increased recording density and larger cache on HDDs performance. It is not easy to answer what is better, actually. Taking the three drives from Western Digitals Green Power series, we can see that its better to have both: the WD10EADS with higher-density platters and maximum cache is the fastest of them."
As with 640GB models, Western Digital leads the way when it comes to 1TB hard drives. Although their enterprise-oriented RE3 series is the fastest overall, the Black series does provide much better Bang for the Buck. When it comes to pure silence and energy efficiency, the Green series rules supreme and is the best option for HTPC's and home file servers.
Click here to read the full review.
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Thermolab Baram CPU Cooler Review
March 19, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Legit Reviews and TweakTown have reviewed the new Thermolab Baram CPU Cooler, which supports the LGA775, LGA1366, and AM2/AM2+/AM3 sockets.
Here's what they had to say:
- Legit Reviews:
"The performance of the Baram paired with the NF-P12 fan was good. The NF-P12 fan at 100% is only pushing around 35CFM. With a higher CFM fan you may be able to squeeze another degree or two out of the Baram. Also, for the cooler running Intel dual core CPU the Baram could very well be run as a passive cooler.
Thermolab is still relatively new to the mainstream cooler market. Their products are well built and show promise. Getting them, on the other hand, can be interesting for those in the states. Since Thermolab is relatively new they still do not have a US distributor. I spent a fair amount of time trying to find an etailer that had a Baram cooler in stock so I could see what the cooler was retailing for, but with no luck. With its MSRP of $50 there will be stiff competition with coolers like the Xigmatek HDT-S1283, which can be found for around $30 now."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown:
"The heat-pipe heat dispersion, the pitch of the fins and the fin structure and design all lead to really good performance numbers. This cooler is also a bit shorter than most of the tower style coolers on the market, giving you an extra bit of room inside the smaller cases. The weight of this cooler is a real non-issue as the mounting mechanism is sturdy and secure; the BARAM isnt going anywhere if installed correctly.
The only issue I can bring against the BARAM is the lack of availability. While the cooler has been reviewed by most major sites, by this point I would have expected Google to come up with something. Every time I tried to locate the BARAM, Google shopping shows nothing on the market yet. The only hits I could get were for the reviews themselves. I really hope to see these coolers hit the e-tailers soon, as I think ThermoLab has a winner on their hands with the BARAM."
Click here to read the full review.
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Creative Gigaworks T40 Series II Speakers Review
March 19, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
ITreviewed have posted a review of the brand new Creative Gigaworks T40 Series II speakers, which is obviously the successor to the excellent Gigaworks T40.
Here's what they had to say:
"The T40 Series II are excellent value and sound really impressive. However, serious music listeners or those creating their own music should spend more (about three times in fact) and get a pair of mini-monitors that will offer better clarity, neutrality, and overall balance. The GigaWorks T40 Series IIs also struggle with composure at high volume levels, but you cant complain too much considering the price. Hardly hi-fi or luxurious, the speakers are nonetheless compact, well built, and they sound great for general computer usage and when hooked up to an MP3 player. [8.5]"
This seems like a perfect solution for those who can't have a proper 2.1 speaker system, yet who also don't want to comprise on sound quality.
Click here to read the full review.
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ASUS Rampage II Gene mATX X58 Motherboard Review
March 19, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
CPU3D and ocaholic have reviewed the exciting new ASUS Rampage II Gene, an mATX X58 motherboard that is going head-to-head with the DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8.
Let's see what they had to say:
- CPU3D: Asus Rampage II Gene (X58) Motherboard:
"In my opinion, the Asus Rampage II Gene is probably one of the best micro ATX motherboard I've ever tested. It offers excellent performance, great overclocking ability, it's packed with features, and supports both CrossfireX and SLI. The only downside is price ... but you're an enthusiast with deep pockets, then the Asus Rampage II Gene is one hell of a motherboard that's not to be dismissed."
Click here to read the full review.
- ocaholic: ASUS Rampgae II Gene Review:
"If you are looking for maximum performance on minimum area then the Rampage II Gene will suit perfectly. Stability, memory compatibility as well as the numerous overclocking features are on a very high level.
The layout is just perfect and we couldn't find any issues. Even when you put two huge graphic cards on it there is plenty of space to exchange hardware without any problems. Fortunately it is the same if you want to install a big and recent aircooler, there is plenty of space and you wont run into troubles.
The Rampage II Genes BIOS is intuitive and easy to understand. Futhermore you'll find an onboard X-Fi-soundchip and a whole bundle of useful overclocking or diagnostic tools."
Click here to read the full review.
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The Future of Stereo 3D Part I: Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision
March 18, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Canucks have posted an in-depth look at NVIDIA's innovative new GeForce 3D Vision technology.
Here's an excerpt:
"So where do we go from here and is there even a future for Nvidias GeForce 3D Vision? The short answer is yes, there is a bright future for this technology but only if Nvidia wants there to be. There are no two ways about it; if 3D Vision ever hopes to break out of the niche market it is currently in and make its way into the arms of the unwashed masses, Nvidia MUST continue to support it. Without constant driver updates to support the newest games, it will be forgotten in no time.
On the flip side of the coin, Nvidia has shown every indication that they can take the challenge of integrating a new technology into their lineup without missing a beat. The driver updates have been taking place regularly, their knowledge base is expanding and the number of supported games is increasing with every new revision. They are also aggressively marketing 3D Vision at LAN parties, industry events and even at some brick and mortar stores. It really does seem like Nvidia is hell-bent on getting the ball rolling and that can only be taken as a good thing for early adopters.
It is also extremely important for game developers to be on board as well since without their support, Nvidia will be relegated to using band aid solutions to force stereo 3D in games. Here too Nvidia seems to have the ball rolling quite nicely since their The Way Its Meant To Be Played program has made sure that developers are actively using 3D Vision hardware. The results of this can already be seen with Blizzards release of a patch for their insanely popular World of Warcraft that includes the graphical tweaks necessary for some out-of-screen effects when using 3D Vision. I am sure that there will be additional announcements like Blizzards in the near future so stay tuned."
I have to experience this new tech in action before getting excited about it, but it will be interesting to see if NVIDIA can get a significant number of hardware and software companies to back GeForce 3D Vision.
Click here to read the full review.
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CPU Cooler Review Roundup - CoolIT, Scythe, Zalman & More
March 18, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Benchmark Reviews, High Tech Reviews, ocaholic, Techgage, and Tech Reviews have reviewed CPU coolers from Arctic Cooling, CoolIT, Cooler Master, Scythe, ThermoLab, Thermaltake, and more!
Here's what they had to say:
- Benchmark Reviews: Best CPU Cooler Performance LGA1366 - Q1 2009:
"Since availability is scare for the Megahalems, there are two second choices I can recommend. The Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme has a long history of cooling high-temperature overclocks, and the kit I tested (which was furnished by Intel Corporation for the Core i7 and X58 platform launch) came with a smoother contact surface than the kit I received from Thermalright for the LGA775 platform. Although the Intel-supplied kit had a separate 120mm fan and retaining kit, I don't believe these are included with retail packages. Offering identical cooling performance was the Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384, which is available at NewEgg for $64.99. The CAC-SXHH7-U01 kit comes with the new CrossBow ACK-I7363 mounting system, and has the ability to fit two 120mm fans or either 25mm or 35mm depths. Between the two, the Thor's Hammer offers greater performance under the most intense thermal loads."
Click here to read the full review.
- High Tech Reviews: Thermaltake SpeedQ Heatsink Review:
"I think it is safe to say that the Thermaltake SpinQ did an outstanding job of keeping our Q6600 G0 stepping processor cool. Yes, we realize the temperatures were recorded at stock speed, but that should not be held against the cooler since it does not claim to be an overclocking heatsink.
The Thermaltake SpinQ will not only do a great job of keeping your CPU cool, it will also add a touch of sexiness to your system with soft blue glow given off by the LED fan in the center of the heatsink. So if bling is what you need, look no further than the SpinQ to set square with world."
Click here to read the full review.
- ocaholic: Scythe Mugen 2 tower cooler Review:
"With the Mugen 2 Scythe did a good job. Once more you can find one of Scythe latest coolers in the high-end sector.
Functionality seems to have been more important to Scythes engineers than the coolers looks. But otherwise you can see the high quality manufacturing process when looking at the heatpipes ending with inserted nuts. Also the groundplate which is as smooth as glass shows the coolers quality. The multifunctional backplate is also capable of fitting the 870 gramm heavy cooler perfectly to the mainboard.
If you drive Scythes Slip Stream fan at 12 volts it is subjectively audible. At 6 volts it is subjectively silent. At 12 volts the cooling performance is good to very good and at 6 volts it is still sufficient but with our test setup we were better off using a little bit more current."
click here to read the full review.
- Techgage: Cooler Master V10 CPU Cooler Review:
"When all was said and done, the results did all the talking. Not only was I able to overclock effectively, I was able to push harder than ever before without resorting to more exotic and riskier methods of cooling. Having the ability to keep a Quad-Core processor under control at 4GHz is no easy feat, yet the V10 passed with flying colors. Noise levels were also well within reasonable limits.
At a price tag of $139.99US (Newegg.com), the V10 is within reason for a product with this amount of cooling capacity. Most high-end heat sinks will run you $70 and you still have to factor in high-flow fans which will push the total even higher and still fall short of the cooling power demonstrated here today. Even more exotic and more expensive forms of cooling are hard-pressed to keep up."
Click here to read the full review.
- Tech Reviews: Scythe Kama Angle and Thermal Elixir Scyte-1000:
"The Scythe Kama Angle is a very innovative and impressive product that puts a new spin on the tower format design. The distinctive V-shape is very stylish and certainly a bonus for all the enthusiasts out there looking for something a little different.
The performance too is endearing and fortunately for the Kama angle the price does let it down too much as £30 for a cooler of this quality isnt a vast sum of money.
The only downside is the LGA775 mounting mechanism as in some cases the PCB can bend and the fan clips are a little fiddly to use.
To sum it up, a fine product and a good addition to any rig."
Click here to read the full review.
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GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship 2009
March 18, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
As a follow-up to last year's ground breaking event, Gigabyte have recently announced the GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship 2009, a worldwide series of overclocking competitions culminating with one final event in Taiwan, the heart of computer hardware.
Here's what they had to say:
"GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce the individual country qualifiers of the second annual GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship (GO OC) are underway, with the final competition to be held in Taipei, Taiwan in the landmark Taipei 101 skyscraper on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009, during COMPUTEX 2009.
The GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship again promises to be the industry's largest global overclocking competition with overclockers from 26 countries battling it out on top-notch hardware from GIGABYTE, Intel, NVIDIA, Kingston and ENERMAX. This year, GIGABYTE is hosting worldwide country qualifiers from February to March in countries including Australia, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA & Vietnam.
Winners from the country qualifier events will compete in the regional finals which will be in China, Czech Republic, Thailand and the USA in March and April. The winners of the regional events will then head to Taipei to compete against each other as well as last year's GO OC 2008 Best P45 Overclock and Free Style champions on June 3rd, allowing them to not only compete for title of world-wide overclocking champion, but also to take part in one of the world's largest IT tradeshows, COMPUTEX Taipei.
Although the country qualifiers have just gotten underway, we are pleased to announce that one of the contestants from Sweden, AKA ME4ME, has already set a new world record for maximum FSB of 714MHz using the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P and LN2 to reach a very cool -120°C. As this is just the very beginning of competition, GIGABYTE expects contestants will smash several of the current top world records by the time June rolls around."
So you thought overclocking was just a hobby? Think again. This is getting serious, so if you think you have some skills, show everyone what you can do, and you may just find your way into next year's competition.
Click here to read the full press release.
Click here to check out the official website.
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ASRock AM2+ & ASUS AM3 790GX Motherboard Reviews
March 18, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Benchmark Reviews and CPU3D have reviewed two AMD 790GX-based motherboards, the ASRock AOD790GX/128M (AM2+) and the ASUS M4A78T-E (AM3).
Here's what they had to say:
- Benchmark Reviews: ASRock AOD790GX/128M AM2+ Motherboard:
"So, for a brief moment in history, we have a Perfect Storm here. The economy is at the BOTTOM of the tank, prices are still rising on consumer goods, people still need the essentials (try telling anyone these days that their computer is not an essential part of their life...), and voila, like the mythical Genie, up pop two old favorites: AMD with a brand new set of CPUs that renews their dominance in the value market, and ASRock with the high quality, high performance, inexpensive, system platform they are well known for. In the middle of the raging storm, the AOD790GX/128M motherboard provides a steady platform to build on; offering old and new AMD fans alike the opportunity to create a new PC that is loaded with value instead of dollars."
Click here to read the full review.
- CPU3D: ASUS M4A78T-E (AM3) Motherboard:
"What like about the Asus M4A78T-E, is the wealth of video outputs, which includes HDMI, DVI and D-Sub. The onboard graphics provided via the 790GX chipset is represented in the form of a Radeon HD 3300, and it's plenty enough for any mainstream user. However, if you're a gamer ... then I recommend installing a dedicated PCIe graphics card. The packaging and contents were nicley presented albeit a little sparse, but it does come with all the necessay cables, manuals and drivers on CD.
The motherboard does not feature any heatpipe chipset cooling, as it's not needed ... just a standard heatsink is plenty enough to cool the chipset. The use of solid capcitors and introduction of the new 8+1 phase power design, makes this motherboard a very attractive product. Other features which I also find pretty good is the inclusion of Asus's Express Gate, which allows you to instantly access web applications such as Skype and web broswer via its Linux based interface."
Click here to read the full review.
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Power Supply Review Roundup - Antec, Hiper, Tuniq
March 18, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven, Futurelooks, JonnyGURU, TechwareLabs have reviewed power supplies from Antec, Hiper, and Tuniq, including a GPU power supply by FSP.
Let's see what they had to say:
- DriverHeaven: Hiper S625 PSU Review:
"The Hiper S625 is a fine product overall. It is entirely inaudible, efficient and can output a good deal of power for a cost-effective unit. The build quality is satisfactory and it is an aesthetically pleasing product. People who are looking to buy a silent running product are the best target audience. Most mainstream gamers and enthusiasts should keep it in their shortlist when looking for a good deal on a reliable and efficient PSU, but we are afraid that its current pricing will put it against some very fierce competition.
Summing up the above, the Hiper S625 earns our Shortlist Award."
Click here to read the full review.
- DriverHeaven: Tuniq Potency 650W PSU Review:
"The Tuniq Potency 650W is a fine product overall. It is a stable power supply with excellent acoustic performance. It also is notably cheaper than many of the products sharing a similar power output. We would have a hard time recommending it to hardcore enthusiasts and overclockers who are trying to buy the best possible equipment for their systems, but the majority of mainstream users will be satisfied by the Potency's overall performance and silent operation."
Click here to read the full review.
- Futurelook: ANTEC True Power 750 Watt (TP-750) Power Supply Review:
"There arent many 80-Plus Bronze Certified power supplies to challenge the TP-750. The prices are separated by up to $20.00 depending on the name brand you choose. You have to ask yourself if choosing a name synonymous with extreme system performance is worth paying a little more for. Personally, theres no question especially if your system demands quality power. Its not the flashiest PSU available, but its True Power and earns our recommendation."
Click here to read the full review.
- JonnyGURU: Antec Truepower New 750W Power Supply Review:
"Antec continues their evolution of the Truepower name with a unit that surpasses all previous Truepower incarnations easily. Coming in with performance reminiscent of models significantly more expensive and 80 Plus Bronze levels of efficiency, there's not much to hate about the Truepower New 750W. I think Antec could do with making more of the hardwired cables modular, but other than that, there's no reason you shouldn't buy one of these as soon as they hit the shelves. Signature too expensive? Too many people around you own a Corsair and you want to be different? Truepower Trio just a bit too lackluster for you? You too can have a True New."
Click here to read the full review.
- TechwareLabs: FSP Group BoosterX 5 450W Plus GPU Power Supply:
"FSP Group helps to fill a nice niche market with their power supply. At time of writing, the BoosterX 5 could be found for around $90, which is considerably cheaper than the kilowatt solutions out there that are capable of handling the 3 and 4 GPU setups. This power supply works exceptionally well offloading work from the main power supply for the graphics cards. The front LED adds a nice bit of eye candy to something that will be visible on the front of your case. With 7 different colored LED's, there's bound to be one to match your case. The attractive price tag makes it a nice alternative to buying a new power supply, especially if you're building or upgrading on a budget. With the economy in it's current state, you have to be thrifty whenever possible. For performing exceptionally in the line of duty, we would like to award the FSP Group BoosterX 5 the awesome hardware award."
Enjoy!
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Liquid Nitrogen & Dry Ice CPU Cooling Insulation Guide
March 17, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
If you have always wanted to try your hand at sub-zero cooling but weren't sure how to properly insulate your motherboard, then this brief but worthwile guide by the fine folks over at Legit Reviews should help you get started.
Here's an excerpt:
"Sub-ambient cooling isn't a very common form of cooling for computers and most enthusiasts that do engage in it typically use single-stage phase change systems. The next step up from that would be dry ice and then liquid nitrogen is the typical peak in cooling capability. While testing the Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H under liquid nitrogen I snapped a few shots of my insulation process and the end results.
I will be using the above board for this short guide. It was one of the first boards qualified for Phenom II operation and it has been my main AM2+ board since."
If you are going to try sub-zero cooling make sure to be careful, but obviously have some fun as well. Good luck with your overclocking adventures!
Click here to read the full article.
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Five-Way 640GB Hard Drive Roundup
March 17, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
X-bit Labs have just tested and reviewed five 640GB hard drives from Samsung, Seagate, and Western Digital.
Here's an excerpt:
"Do you want the fastest drive for a home computer? Take a Western Digital Caviar Black. This HDD is quite universal and looks good under server loads. It is actually free from serious downsides. Its high performance is accompanied with rather high power consumption, though. And some users may not like the clacking of its briskly heads.
Do you need the quietest and coolest drive? Consider the Western Digital Caviar Green. Its lower performance (by an average 20%) is made up for by lower power consumption and heat dissipation, and it is far superior to the 7200rpm models in terms of noisiness.
Do you need a drive for server loads but dont want to pay for enterprise series models? The Western Digital Caviar Blue was the fastest in our server tests, outperforming its Black series counterpart even. Overall, it is as universal as the Caviar Black but its performance and power consumption are lower."
When it comes to 640GB hard drives, Western Digital leads the way. I'm partial towards the Blue series for overall Bang for the Buck, but the Black series does have its moments of superior performance, and its hard to argue against the efficiency of the Green series.
Click here to read the full review.
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Evercool & Noctua 80mm & 92mm Fan Reviews
March 17, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Rbmods and Verdis Reviews have just tested 80mm and 92mm fans from Evercool and Noctua.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Rbmods: Evercool RF-8 Rifling 80mm Fan:
"The Evercool Rifling RF-8 80mm case fan is a decent case fan that provides quiet operations and higher airflow than most 80mm fans on the market. It is easy to install and works well. While it doesnt have all the bells and whistles of some of the higher end fans, it is a solid product that deserves consideration for your next build."
Click here to read the full review.
- Verdis Reviews: Noctua NF-R8 Case Fan Review:
"Another superb product from Noctua that follows in the footsteps of the two fans that were reviewed previously: very high cooling potential and low noise emissions.
Theres not really any way to fault the NF-R8 you can talk about the price or the slightly strange colour scheme but when you look at the performance, these factors seem negligible.
Overall, very good again from Noctua and if youre looking for a great 80mm fan, youll do well to find a better one than the NF-R8."
Click here to read the full review.
- Verdis Reviews: Noctua NF-B9 Case Fan Review:
"Once more Noctua have demonstrated their skill as a thermal solutions company and come up trumps. The technology that goes into the NF-B9s construction is very thought out and combines to form a fine product with achieves great cooling and low noise outputs.
Im really struggling for a negative and I suppose the price point is one but Noctua products really do seem to warrant the higher price tag due to the great performance.
So there we have it a great product that is undoubtedly worth a look."
Click here to read the full review.
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AMA Aragon 900 Liquid Cooling System Review
March 17, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Logic have posted a review of the new AMA Aragon 900 liquid cooling system.
Let's see what they had to say:
"We think AMA Precisions Aragon 900 is a sweet looking liquid cooling unit. We were pleased to see that this unit included LGA1366 brackets for the Core i7 enthusiasts. The installation was a breeze. It ran completely leak-free for our leak test and also during testing. The versatile tank makes it easy for removal and addition of coolant to the system.
The Aragon 900 system cooled our Quad core CPU as well as the top air coolers on our test bench. While this is typical of many all-in-one liquid cooling solutions, we expected a bit more chill to come with the price tag. AMA Precision mentions on their site that this unit can support a couple GPUs on the same loop as the CPU, so there may be some room left for awe with this unit.
There are liquid cooling units out there with better and worse options when it comes to price and performance. Ultimately, most top tier air coolers are dominant in the bang-for-buck department. However, the Aragon 900 is no chump when it comes to chilling. It just didn't give us that shock and awe that we wanted to see, matching the aesthetic appeal. Enthusiasts inquiring about all-in-one liquid cooling solution, that like the look of the unit, may decide to put it in their list for consideration."
This is decent enough kit for a novice user, but given its so-so performance you are better off looking elsewhere for a model with better Bang for the Buck.
Click here to read the full review.
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ASUS VW266H 25.5-in LCD Monitor Review
March 17, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
PC Perspective have posted a review of the ASUS VW266H 25.5-in LCD monitor, which sports a 1920x1200 resolution and 2ms response time.
Let's see what they had to say:
"Overall I have to say I was mostly impressed with my time spent on the ASUS VW266H monitor even though it probably wouldn't be competing in the category of highest quality displays. The primary complaint about the monitor is that uses a TN display that cuts down on viewing angles quite a bit in order to achieve higher response times focused on the center of the display. This means that users that are able to stay centered on the ASUS VW266H monitor will indeed have a good experience but if you happen to do a lot of moving around your monitor this might not be the best option.
For standard computing on a desktop, the 1920x1200 resolution provides a good amount of real estate in which to function and the larger panel size of 25.5-in means that you won't have tiny icon and text while running at the display's native settings. I know I have had 24-in and smaller displays that have had 1920x1080/1200 resolutions that working on can be pretty difficult with. And as long as you stay in the general area of the center of the monitor the brightness and contrast ratio of the monitor are superb and make for a great experience."
Frankly, if you are looking for a huge but affordable gaming LCD monitor with very good image and no ghosting, this model should definitely at the top of your list.
Click here to read the full review.
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AMD Phenom II DDR2 vs. DDR3 Performance Analysis
March 17, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
If you are planning on building a Phenom II system but aren't sure whether to go the AM2+/DDR2 or AM3/DDR3 route, TweakTown have posted an article that should definitely interest you.
Here's what they had to say:
"From the looks of our results, AMD K10 is a good leap in performance, but it certainly isnt what is required to take full advantage of DDR3 memory. Looking at the design of K10 vs. Core i7, both processors have an on-chip memory controller, eliminating any FSB needed for memory to processor communication. Both have a very fast link between their CPU and their external Northbridge, allowing other components fast access to the system memory. So in all reality, both setups have the necessary basis to get things going. It is AMDs K10 that isnt quite able to take full advantage of this memory at these early stages; what the future holds is anyones guess.
What is good is AMDs commitment to DDR2 and AM2+. Fearing the same fate for AM2 as 939 received when AM2 first arrived, AM3 processors backwards compatibility with the AM2+ socket and DDR2 memory makes these processors a definite winner for users wanting to upgrade from Athlon 64 X2s and AM2+ boards to the latest processors. AMD has you covered and with DDR3 support you can be assured youre not going to lose out when DDR2 bites the big one."
At the moment the best Bang for the Bang definitely resides in the AM2+/DDR2 camp, but with the dramatic decrease in DDR3 prices, there's no reason not to buy an AM3 setup if you have a little extra money.
Click here to read the full review.
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Triple Channel DDR3 Memory Kit Reviews - Crucial, G.Skill, OCZ & More
March 17, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
CDRinfo, CPU3D, Guru3D, Hardware Logic, and TestFreaks have reviewed triple channel DDR3 memory kits from Crucial, G.Skill, Kingston, OCZ, and Patriot.
Let's see what they had to say:
- CDRinfo: Crucial & OCZ PC3-12800 6GB DDR3 Memory Roundup:
"The Crucial PC3-12800 proved to be a highly overclockable memory kit with very aggressive embedded timings. However, our test motherboard (Asus P6T Deluxe) could not automatically set the timings for the 800MHz, something we did manually. We would also like to see a better pricing for Crucial PC3-12800 DDR 3 kit, which is currently listed at $282 at Crucial's website.
The OCZ PC3-12800 kit comes certified for the Core i7 CPUs and standard specifications for the category. OCZ has paid attention to the design of the black aluminium heatspreads and besides the attractive appearance, they hopefully do their job efficiently. The kit lived up to its promises and delivered DDR3-1600 with CL8 @ 1.66V. The Asus P6T Deluxe worked perfectly and in the modules gave the highest scores in both DDR3-1600/1866 speeds. Although we didn't manage to further overclock the kit, we are very happy with its retail price, which is ~$125 after rebate."
Click here to read the full review.
- CPU3D: Patriot Viper Series DDR3-1600 6GB Kit:
"What I particularly like about these Patriot Viper modules are the unusual looking heatspreaders. It features what Patriot calls ... ACC (Aluminum Copper Composite) technology, which helps keep the modules nice and cool. And to put the icing on the cake ... Patriot made these modules XMP ready, allowing easy setup and installation. No more messing around with BIOS settings ... just select the XMP profile and away you go.
When it comes to overclocking, the Patriot Viper Series DDR3-1600 6Gb Kit didn't disappoint either. I was very pleased with its overclocking ability. During our tests we managed to overclock the Core i7 - 920 from 2.67Ghz to a whopping 4.0Ghz (19x210) all on air-cooling. At this speed, the voltages for the CPU and DRAM had to be increased for extra stability ... but do be careful. "
Click here to read the full review.
- Guru3D: G.Skill 2000 MHZ C9 DDR3 Review:
"This is the second G.Skill memory kit we are reviewing and it's hard to not be impressed. We do face one dilemma though, we find it very hard to justify the extra money you have to pay for high-frequency memory, as in the end the overall performance of the PC will not be much higher. In fact even if you compare 1333 MHz memory towards 2133 MHz as we tested today, you need to synthetically measure the performance difference.
This fact by itself is a testament of how fascinating superior the Core i7 memory controller and it's new approach are. Yet get so much performance and bandwidth at default already that there is no memory bottleneck to begin with, and therefore that makes a premium product like shown today hard to justify in terms of money. On average the difference between a 1333 Mhz DDR3 kit and 2133 MHz like show today will gain you 3-4% in performance, and that's only in certain situations, yet you pay double the price. But that of course is a decision for you to make. If money is no object and you want the fastest of fast .. then surely we agree to that as well."
Click here to read the full review.
- Hardware Logic: Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC3-12800 6GB Memory Kit:
"Crucial's Ballistix Tracers bring the heat in almost every way. They provide looks, performance, and the option to choose from different colors. These Tracers overclocked like animals as they hit 1896MHz at CAS 9 and only 1.65V. Couple the overclocking headroom with the redesigned activity LEDs and you have a truly impressive product. Install a set of these in your system and expect to turn some heads.
A high end product almost always carries a premium price and that's the case here. Taking a look at the tri-channel memory market, 6GB DDR3-1600 kits are currently the sweet spot, combining large capacity, optimal performance, and extraordinary value. Memory prices are falling daily it seems, and you can find most kits around $120 US. Unfortunately, you won't be able to buy the Tracers for the same price you find other 1600MHz kits going for, but at the same time, you'll have to take into consideration the unrivaled features it brings to the table."
Click here to read the full review.
- TestFreaks: Kingston HyperX DDR3 3GB 2GHz Memory Kit KHX16000D3K3/3GX:
"Kingston once again delivers superb performance with their HyperX line of memory. The Kingston KHX16000D3K3/3GX package is one of the fastest DDR3 kits on the market and allows the user to get high end performance from their Core i7 machines. Even neophyte overclockers will get impressive gains using the memorys built in Intel XMP support. If your motherboard features XMP then performance gains are achieved through simple profile adjustments.
Moving to a Core i7 system is not cheap as the motherboard and processor alone will cost $500 or more, adding in the cost of DDR3 memory and the price may be difficult to swallow especially in these economic times. With that being said, if you are going to build a Core i7 rig, then you might as well go with the best memory around. With the ability to run at 2000Mhz at 1.65V, you will easily get performance increases without running any risk to your CPU."
Click here to read the full review.
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ASUS Xonar Essence STX Sound Card Review
March 16, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Futurelooks have posted a review of the ASUS Xonar Essence STX, a very high-end sound card which features a built-in headphone amp.
Here's what they had to say:
"One thing that annoys me most about PC audio is just how noisy and dirty sounding it is, especially with good headphones. The most startling thing about the ASUS Xonar Essence STX Headphone Amp Card was just how dark the background was. There was absolutely no backgound noise and I had to double check to make sure that my levels were set correctly. All I heard was silence from the Essence STX and in the harsh realm of a PC, this is a great achievement in itself.
The other part that blew me away was just how truly enjoyable the audio experience was. Typically, I get products that boast all these great specs (some not cheap), but I always get deflated when I can hardly hear the difference. The Essence STX is not one of these products and it really delivers. I applaud Ives and his team of headphone nuts for stepping up and making what they promised come true. The essence of music is what this card was designed to deliver and it delivered it with strong well driven bass notes that bloomed, warm and detailed mids and crystal highs with all my headphones. They really brought out the best in anything I threw at it."
If have high-quality headphones, and mostly use your PC to listen to music or watch high audio bitrate movies, then this sound card should absolutely be among your next upgrades.
Click here to read the full review.
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Cooler Master V10 Hybrid CPU Cooler Review
March 16, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Legit Reviews and Tweaknews have reviewed the enormous and innovative Cooler Master V10 CPU cooler, which features a hybrid heatpipe and T.E.C design.
Here's what they had to say:
- Legit Reviews:
"In the PC industry and especially in the enthusiast space, knocking off the top dog takes a lot of engineering work. To say that the Cooler Master V10 is the king of air coolers is to forget that it is a hybrid. The V10 works great and cools great, as we have seen thanks to the 70w TEC. The additional cooling provided to the other components can be tough to measure, but using the ever scientific finger test, we could easily feel a difference at the Northbridge of both the Gigabyte and ASUS boards. Memory in each system was also a bit cooler. With this in mind you could say that the V10 is more than just a CPU cooler and helps keep the most critical components cooler than more traditional heat sinks. This also makes it easier for most of us to justify the additional price over another CPU cooler. At the time of this article the V10 has a street price starting at $126.95. At that price it is nearly double the price of the already expensive TRUE."
Click here to read the full review.
- Tweaknews:
"Cooler Master's V10 is impressive in many respects. Size and stature are reassuringly large, but fitment may be an issue for some motherboards and cases. The engineering innovation and design are quite nice, as is the fit and finish. Unfortunately, the high cost and potentially troublesome installation leave something to be desired. Frankly, there are better performing coolers out there that are half the price, easier to install and perform just as well. This is going to be a tough sell for Cooler Master.
The cooling performance is actually quite good, just not commensurate with the $140 price tag. Then there's its size. The V10 won't fit on every motherboard or in every case. Then there's the problem with making connections and swapping memory, not to mention the relatively loud fans. Less than impressive. I was looking forward to using the TEC, but I see no evidence that it affects cooling in the least. As a matter of fact, I would expect better cooling performance from the V10 without the TEC. "
Click here to read the full review.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 Graphics Card Review
March 16, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Legit Reviews, Techgage, and TweakTown have posted reviews of the "new but not really new" NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 graphics card.
Here's what they had to say:
- Legit Reviews: BFG Tech GeForce GTS 250 Graphics Card Review:
"The BFG Tech GeForce GTS 250 1GB performed roughly the same as the original GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB, which makes sense since both cards have the same 'engine' under the hood. The BFG Tech GeForce GTS 250 1GB's larger 1GB frame buffer came into play when the image quality was cranked up or when running at resolutions above 1920x1200. In games like Call of Duty: World at War and FarCry 2 we were able to see a 10-13% performance improvement from the extra frame buffer. The GeForce GTS 250 didn't put a world of hurt on the GeForce GTX 9800+, as many of you would have guessed without reading any of this.
The BFG Tech GeForce GTS 250 really shines when it comes to power consumption and thermals. NVIDIA has taken a ton of negative press in recent weeks about changing the name of the GeForce GTX 9800+ and doing nothing else other than releasing a 'new' graphics card with the G92 core that has been around for over a year now. The GeForce GTS 250 does indeed have the G92 core, but thanks to a die shrink and a 1.5" shorter PCB it has become a very power efficient and coolly running card."
Click here to read the full review.
- Techgage: EVGA GeForce GTS 250 Superclocked:
"The fact is, the 9800 GTX+ is still a great card, and as seen throughout our test results, the only real gain seen from having 1GB worth of memory on board was with higher resolutions. But, that fact is rather moot, because if someone has the desire to game at 2560x1600, they're not likely considering a $150 GPU. At least I'd hope not!
Before we wrap up, let's discuss power and temps. First, the power. EVGA's pre-overclocked GTS 250 idled at a comfortable 169W, and hit a max load of 324W. The 9800 GTX+, by comparison, idled at 195W and hit a max load of 313W. Odd results, as both cards had opposing benefits, but at least with the GTS 250, we're down to one power connector."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Palit GeForce GTS 250 2GB Graphics Card:
"The first thing we have to talk about is the amount of memory. Does the 2GB of memory make a difference? - Not really. What I can say, though; it's not going to affect the card from selling. It doesn't matter what you say, some people think that more memory is better. And while it's not really a bad thing, it is going to hit the hip pocket a bit harder.
We can see across the board performance is consistently up when compared to the Galaxy card, but this is probably due more so to the fact that Palit has taken the time to round up the clocks. While we wouldn't personally recommend the 2GB model of the card, we would highly recommend the Palit GTS 250 on a whole. The 512MB version is going to cost you less and offer almost identical performance."
Click here to read the full review.
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Cooler Master Storm Sniper Mid-Tower Case Review
March 16, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven, Legit Reviews, Overclockers Online, Rbmods, and TestFreaks have posted reviews of the Cooler Master Storm Sniper, an impressive new mid-tower case.
Let's see what they had to say:
- DriverHeaven:
"The CM Storm Sniper is a fantastic addition to Cooler Masters portfolio of creations and is a promising first product for the new CM Storm gaming brand.
It is a perfect system for the target market combining looks, performance, durability and build quality. It looks stealthy, militaristic and the blue fan LEDs really add a great effect to the overall aesthetics. The thermal performance is certainly up to scratch, although a side fan would definitely aid with the GPU temperatures, additionally with the fans on the highest setting they were a little intrusive in regards to volume, albeit nowhere near as painful as the side fan we heard a few weeks ago on the Thermaltake Spedo."
Click here to read the full review.
- Legit Reviews:
"I have very little (if anything) bad to say about the Cooler Master Sniper. This is one very nice case. It has loads of room and is relatively light. It gives the end user the ability to remove unwanted items, add in needed items, and reconfigure fan locations. As open as the case is it is very quiet; on low you dont even know the system is running. I turned it off once on accident by hitting the power button because I had the LEDs off and I thought the system was off. With the case on high it will be noticeable, but I dont see you having to turn up the TV due to it.
Click here to read the full review.
- Overclockers Online:
"After my tour of duty with the CM Storm Sniper case, I've come away with a positive experience overall. From top to bottom the Sniper packs in some useful features such as the built in fan controller and StormGuard peripheral retention system. The Storm shows that Cooler Master is listening to gamers and enthusiasts by including features from past cases that work and giving us new features that work.
It's not an easy task to really find negatives about the Sniper. Neat freaks may find their work cut out for them with the number and length of the wires. While the Sniper may be a little bit on the heavier side thanks to its steel construction, this also makes it quite solid and the integrated handles make moving it a cinch."
Click here to read the full review.
- Rbmods:
"As alot of reviews have already shown this is a great case, I really enjoyed reviewing it and I could really see that they have aimed this case at gamers. You have handles on the case to move it around, fan controller to keep the case stable and cool while gaming, and also alot of plugins at the front of the case to make it easy to plug additional units in. Building a computer with this case was very nice as I did not scratch my hands or have any compatability problems, I can't say it looks bad either so thus far I have not seen any cons. The fans are a tad loud at stock speed but the fan controller will take care of most of the noise which makes the 200mm fans run pretty silent.
The feet on the bottom of the case got rubber pads to make sure you don't damage the case or the space its standing on, this I also see a big pro as most cases just have plastic feet that will scratch the table or floor. Personally I would have liked to see dust filters on the fans since this case has alot of ventilation holes. Overall though I want to give this case our recommended award for a super case for both normal users and also gamers."
Click here to read the full review.
- TestFreaks:
"The CM Storm Sniper PC case is an excellent case for the gamer or anyone for that matter, its very well made, looks good and its got tons of features that everyone can appreciate.
If youre in the market for a great looking and quality case then I can easily recommend you take a look at the Sniper, you wont be disappointed."
Click here to read the full review.
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OCZ 6GB PC3-12800 Platinum DDR3 Memory Kit Review
March 16, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Canucks have posted a review of the OCZ OCZ3P1600LV6GK, a low latency 6GB PC3-12800 7-7-7 triple-channel memory kit.
Here's what they had to say:
"At this point in the review we could throw around a bunch of superlatives, but ultimately this is the recommendation that matters: buy it! While hardcore overclockers should only have their eyes in one place, this memory kit is perfect for everyone else. At a $150 price point and with these specifications, it would foolhardy to not have the OCZ3P1600LV6GK near the top of the list for your Core i7 build.
Since this is a low latency model, we weren't necessarily expecting it to be a tremendous overclocker, but once we loosened the primary timings it really took off. Achieving DDR3-1800+ CL8 at mere 1.55V and DDR3-1900+ CL9 at 1.65V demonstrates this memory kit's solid overclocking capabilities, and really highlights the versatility of the mystery ICs that OCZ have chosen for this kit. Given how well this model performed, we can't wait to get our hands on OCZ's drool-worthy PC3-12800 6-6-6 or PC3-15000 7-7-7 triple-channel models."
Given this memory kit's impressively low price, tight latencies, and solid overclocking capabilities it is easy to recommend for your next or current Core i7 system.
Click here to read the full review.
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Top 20 3DMark Vantage Movers & Shakers
March 16, 2009 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Breaking out the spotlight tonight, we continue our weekly look at the top 3DMark Vantage scores submitted to the online result browser (ORB). Rockin' the charts this week we have nine (!) new entries vying for top spot. Where did they all land? Read on to find out:
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Entry Preset Top 20:
2. E71573 CBGPCS / 2 GTX 295
4. E69642 crotale & Kinc w/ Asus @ CeBIT09 ENGTX285 3-way SLI
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Performance Preset Top 20:
2. P38429 CBGPCS / 2-GTX 295
4. P37253 crotale & Kinc w/ Asus @ CeBIT09 ENGTX285 3-way SLI
5. P36795 Booooon@ASUS Rampage II Extreme GTX295 QuadSLI stock
New to the 3DMark Vantage - High Preset Top 20:
2. H31539 CBGPCS / 2 GTX 295
3. H30363 crotale & Kinc w/ Asus @ CeBIT09 ENGTX285 3-way SLI
9. H23563 Fungi7_SLI
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Extreme Preset Top 20:
2. X22138 crotale & Kinc w/ Asus @ CeBIT09 ENGTX285 3-way SLI
A big congrats to this week's chart climbers. Always awesome to see multiple top 5 scores! :D
Anyways, keep up the great work guys and gals. And remember, you can keep track of the top scores throughout the week by visiting our Hall of Fame. Until next time!
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Intel X58 Motherboard Review Roundup - ASRock, ASUS, MSI & More
March 14, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
bit-tech, Futurelooks, Rbmods, ThinkComputers, and X-bit Labs have reviewed several Intel X58 Express motherboards from ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI.
Let's see what they had to say:
- bit-tech: MSI X58 Pro motherboard Review:
If youre in the market for a budget Core i7 motherboard, the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P is still our favoured product and even the more basic DS4 is still better than the X58 Pro we reckon. Both of which are generally just faster overall and more reliable than the MSI X58 Pro we have here.
One unavoidable problem however is that the PCB which MSI might like to brand as "coffee" but at £160 even though it's a budget X58, there's no getting away from it still being an expensive purchase and on the surface will be a big problem for many people looking for a board to match their newly powder-coated rig. Unless of course, youve either chosen brown or a case without windows.
On the other hand, the £160 asking price means this is not only the cheapest X58 on the market, but the bottom line is that it's a decent board too, so if youre desperate to adopt Core i7 and want to spend as little money as possible then overall the X58 Pro is definitely worthy of consideration."
Click here to read the full review.
- Futurelooks: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R Motherboard Review:
"In terms of processor support, the EX58-UD3R can make near maximum use of your Core i7 series processor by offering some great overclocking potential. The Core i7 965 just doesnt have a lot of extra room to stretch which further gives the hardcore enthusiasts something to think about when selecting a CPU. One could easily use the slower i7s coupled with the EX58-UD3R, overclock to match the 965, and spend that saved money on a better video card.
If theres a major negative about the board given its purpose, it isnt evident in terms of performance. Stability is the main factor when considering a performance based system. All things considered, you should be very pleased choosing the Gigabyte EX58-UD3R Motherboard. Its the best bang for buck X58 Crossfire experience at the entry enthusiast level."
Click here to read the full review.
- Rbmods: ASUS P6T Deluxe Motherboard Review:
"This motherboard is great, both performance wise and for overclocking. The only con I can really find this far is that its quite a bit more expensive than any other board on the market. It was rock stable though and offered alot of cool features when it came to overclocking. I dont know though if this justifys the price difference. Overall I think this board is about 70$ more expensive than the others on the market and if you are not a hardcore overclocker you might want to save that money for a better videocard instead. I have to say though that I do recommend this board overall and if you got the spare cash go for it as you wont get dissapointed any aspect. Overall we will give it our editors choice award for a great overclocker board that still performs very well even at stock speeds."
Click here to read the full review.
- ThinkComputers: ASRock X58 SuperComputer Motherboard Review:
"I found no issues with the X58 SuperComputer. ASRock has done an excellent job with their first mainstream motherboard. The ASRock X58 SuperComputer sells for $295 at my favorite online retailer. Looking at the X58 boards on the market, the price is about right with the PCI-E slot setup and Tesla capability. ThinkComputers.org gives the ASRock X58 SuperComputer Motherboard a 10 out of 10 score and our Editor's Choice Award!"
Click here to read the full review.
- X-bit Labs: ASRock X58 SuperComputer Mainboard Review:
"What do we know ASRock mainboards for in the first place? Unique technical solutions and low price. What will we remember ASRock X58 SuperComputer for? Well, I believe it will be the unusual Powered eSATAII/USB connector and thats about it. In my opinion, they had to give up four PCI Express x16 slots and leave only two of them, because most users will still use only one anyway. Making the layout a little simpler this way could help lower the price of this board. They had to focus on flawless operation in nominal mode and on basic CPU overclocking functionality and only then try to simplify, automate and optimize these processes. What we have at this point is a pretty expensive mainboard with a lot of features, some of which do not work properly or do not work at all.
But nevertheless, despite all the issues we pointed out, I really liked ASRock X58 SuperComputer mainboard. It works, it can even overclock CPUs, it exists, unlike mainboards from Abit, Chaintech or EPoX. It will be really sad if we will be stuck only with Asus and Gigabyte mainboards without any freedom of choice. That is why I sincerely hope that ASRock Company will continue working on the new mainboards, will take into account the issues we pointed out and next time they will make a perfect mainboard that will proudly bear the SuperComputer title."
Click here to read the full review.
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XFX Radeon HD 4870 XXX 1GB Review
March 14, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Elite Bastards have posted a review of the factory overclocked XFX Radeon HD 4870 XXX 1GB graphics card.
Here's what they had to say:
"Of course, as you would expect from an XXX branded XFX offering, the Radeon HD 4870 XXX adds a few extra percentage points to the board's overall gaming performance figures to increase its firepower in more intensive games, a scenario that also makes gaming at 1920x1200 with 8x multi-sampling enabled a possibility in all but the most intensive titles.
As we saw with the Radeon HD 4850 XXX in our early review, XFX are also determined to be fiercely competitive in pricing terms with their AMD-based parts, and if you shop around (which is particularly important after recent price cuts to Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 boards) then there's a good chance that you'll find the Radeon HD 4870 XXX right down there amongst the cheapest parts utilising this SKU on the market - Not bad for a factory overclocked part."
Although a newcomer to the ATI camp, XFX have already made quite the splash. Not only is XFX the only manufacturer with a lifetime warranty, but the price of their custom models are extremely competitive and often cheaper than their reference-clocked competitors.
Click here to read the full review.
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SSD Review Roundup - Intel, OCZ, Patriot & More
March 14, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven, HotHardware, and ocaholic have reviewed 32GB to 120GB solid state drives from Intel, OCZ, Patriot, and Super Talent.
Let's see what they had to say:
- DriverHeaven: SSD Roundup March 09 - Intel, Patriot and Super Talent:
"There is little to fault about the Intel X25-M, it is the most compact of the drives being tested today and is also very light. The performance achieved by this drive is also very good, in everyday tasks such as booting into Windows it is significantly faster than the others being tested today and in intensive use, for example media encoding, it is able to outperform the other models. If there is one minor issue with the X25-M it is the read speed of 70MB/s which is lower than the other drives being tested, a factor which does impact our video capture test... though it could be argued that the X25-E with its 170MB/s write speed is more suited to that task."
Click here to read the full review.
- HotHardware: OCZ Apex Series 120GB SATA II SSD:
"Summarizing the performance of OCZ's Apex Series SSD is rather straight-forward. The OCZ Apex Series SSD trailed the Intel X25-M is every benchmark in regard to Read performance, and generally trailed Intel's offering in write performance as well. In some instances, however, namely ATTO and HD Tach, the OCZ Apex drive came out on top in regard to write performance. In relation to the other OCZ and SuperTalent drives we tested, the OCZ Apex Series SSD was clearly faster than the other drives overall."
Click here to read the full review.
- ocaholic: OCZ Apex 120 GByte MLC SSD Review:
"Fortunately you can't compare the Apex with the Core V2. The revised JMicron controller combined with the internal RAID 0 architecture performs way better. With the Apex you also don't get the annoying stutting you got with the Core V2. As a matter of fact the OCZ Apex is a solid performer and worth considering when upgrading your system.
In our test environment the OCZ Apex wasn't able to reach the claimed 230 MByte/s reading and 160 MByte/s writing speeds. The maximum values were 166 MByte/s reading and 82 MByte/s writing. As we tried optimizing our test environment towards maximum speeds we reached reading values far above 200 MByte/s and writing speed close to 160 MByte. But we have to mention that test like this aren't representative for everyday use."
Click here to read the full review.
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DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8 Motherboard Review
March 14, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Canucks have posted a review of the DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8, an mATX X58 motherboard.
Let's see what they had to say:
"Overclocking memory, despite the lack of timing options, is still very capable taking our Dominator-GT modules to incredible clocks. So good in fact that we choose to use this motherboard instead of the EVGA X58-SLI for the Dominator-GT review. Our CPU overclocks were also as good as on any other motherboard and allowed for some impressive overclocks with basic air cooling and 100% stability with the solid digital PWM. Bios updates seem to be coming at a steady pace from DFI and each one seems to slightly improve on a number of items so that is certainly encouraging for down the road. Overall, we are quite pleased with the DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8 and proudly stamp it with the Hardware Canucks Dam Good award. From overclocking enthusiasts to average users looking to run a solid Core i7 system, the DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8 is definitely a solid choice, and one that will stand out from the crowd."
If you plan on making the move to Core i7 and want an mATX motherboard your choices are currently slim as the ASUS Rampage II GENE is not available yet. If you can get over the awkward colour scheme, then this is a very solid motherboard.
Click here to read the full review.
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Tritton AX Pro Precision Gaming Headset Review
March 12, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Logic have posted a review of the futuristic-looking Tritton AX Pro Precision gaming headset.
Let's see what they had to say:
"The AX Pro is nothing but a success for Tritton. Its outstanding sound quality is simply unbeatable, sounding just amazing in every environment. Tritton appeals to the audiophile with this headset, putting sound quality above everything else. Bass reproduction is absolutely perfect, so you'll have no problems giving up your subwoofer. We could hear every aspect of games without a fault and high quality audio sounded remarkable. We're also pretty sure it made some of us better gamers.
Although it kicked all kinds of ass, the AX Pro presents itself with several flaws. There are just way too many damn cables for this thing, with nearly a minimum of four cables necessary for any configuration. And seriously, two AC adapters? While we liked the padding, the AX Pro loses comfort points by weighing down your head and hurting your neck after a few hours of play. The manual is marginal at best and leaves too much for the user to figure out. You'd have to put sound quality over everything else to be completely in love with the AX Pro."
Although comparatively expensive at $180, this does appear to be a truly top-notch gaming headset, and they are definitely worth considering if you enjoy great sound quality.
Click here to read the full review.
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Nova & NZXT Gaming Mice Reviews
March 12, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Arm3D and PureOverclock have posted reviews of two lesser-known gaming mice, the Nova SliderX 600 and the NZXT Avatar.
Here's what they had to say:
- Arm3D: Nova SliderX 600 Gaming Mouse Review:
"The Slider itself looks very impressive, and defiantly not like most of the mice on the market today. On the one side you can see some flashy buttons along with, well, some flashy lights too! The larger buttons are used like the standard gaming mice buttons, and can be customised to suit your needs through a variety of options. This is done using the provided program which is well laid out and easy to use. The two smaller buttons are used to adjust the scroll speed of the mouse. I found these really useful and they saved a lot of time saving me from having to fiddle with a program like I would have to do with some other mice. The scroll speed is also shown by the 3 LED's in between the buttons. These show the current level that the scroll speed is set on (1.2 or 3), which again, is a really good feature! "
Click here to read the full review.
- PureOverclock: NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse Review:
"The Avatar is NZXT's first foray into the extremely competitve gaming mouse market, traditionally dominated by two or perhaps three companies. A tall order, to be sure for NZXT, but the Avatar was a pleasant surprise, a unheralded gem of a mouse.
The Avatar features a solid selection of buttons, a simple and straightforward setup, elegant and stylish aesthetics in a no-nonsense package, and all at a reasonable price for the gaming market segment. Consumers, and gamers in particular, want a mouse not only to work well, but to work simply. And the Avatar does just that, allowing just about anyone to slip it on for size and just move effortlessly from the get-go."
Click here to read the full review.
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Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB HDD Review
March 12, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
PC Perspective have posted a review of the humoungous Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS, a variable speed 2TB hard drive.
Let's see what they had to say:
"For those who need as much as can possibly be crammed into a 3.5" form factor, the Western Digital WD20EADS Caviar Green is sure to please. While the performance is nowhere near Raptor territory, the sequential transfer rates are admirable given the near 50% drop in spindle speed. An added bonus is the almost eerie silence of the 2TB model. Our drive received many double takes during seek testing, as we truly believed we were benching the wrong device. With huge storage and cool / quiet operation, I see this drive going into many DVR's and media center PC's in the near future. "
This is a great innovation in storage, but I wouldn't currently recommend this product to anyone simply because of huge 3X premium it carries over standard 1TB models.
Click here to read the full review.
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AMD RV790 Architecture: A Shrink or Something Different?
March 12, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
PC Perspective have posted an article in which they discuss the possibilities for AMD's upcoming RV790 architecture.
Here's an excerpt:
"In the future AMD will of course go to 40 nm, but not until it makes sense to do so. If TSMC suddenly improves its power figures for the 40 nm process, then AMD has the ability to do a dumb shrink of the RV790 and reap the benefits. But in terms of getting a product out which could conceivably dethrone the fastest single chip card currently out (the GTX 285), plus increase AMDs visibility in the GPGPU world, then this would be a masterstroke for AMD if they can actually get out a product as I have described above. Not only would they have a 6 month lead on NVIDIA in getting out a new high end card, but they can do it in a more cost effective manner than what NVIDIA is stuck with in the GT200b part (larger die size, more complex PCB with 512 bit memory bus, reliance on GDDR-3). If AMD is able to keep the power and heat envelopes in the same general area as the current RV670, then the dual chip cards could be true performance monsters in their space, both in terms of gaming and high performance computing. 3.4 TFLOPs of single precision and 1.6 TFLOPs of double precision in one card sucking up 250 watts of power is almost mind boggling. Almost. This is of course assuming that AMD can in fact clock this new chip in the 900 MHz range. "
Given their success with the current Radeon HD 4000 series, it will be interesting to finally find out what ATI does to reinvigorate the high-end of their product line.
Click here to read the full article.
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Triple Channel DDR3 Memory Kit Reviews - Corsair, Crucial, G.Skill
March 12, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Benchmark Reviews, CPU3D, and Viper Lair have reviewed triple channel DDR3 memory kits from Corsair, Crucial, and G.Skill.
Here's what they had to say:
- Benchmark Reviews: G.Skill Triple-Channel 1600MHz DDR3 Memory Kit Review:
"I like to begin memory kit conclusions with a summary of performance to help explain my rating for the product. The G.Skill 3GB DDR3 1600MHz memory kit may not seem all that great when you hear so much about dual-channel kits reaching 2000MHz, but triple-channel architecture is a different platform altogether. The CL8 latency for the F3-12800CL8T-3GBHK kit is somewhat high, but the Gigabyte X58 motherboards all have a BIOS that refuses to drop below CL6 anyway. The G.Skill 3GB DDR3 1600MHz memory kit worked very well at CL8, and lower latency was available when the memory multiplier was reduced. In the other direction, overclocking this triple-channel DDR3 kit pushed the clock speed from 1600MHz to 1800 while operating at the default voltage and latency. Overclocking at the already-maxed 1.65V power rating offered an additional 200 MHz, making this G.Skill kit the one you'll want for tweaking past the factory specs."
Click here to read the full review.
- CPU3D: Crucial Ballistix Triple Channel DDR3-1600 3GB Kit:
"The only other thing which might be a concern is the size of these modules. Most Core i7 users would opt for 6Gb kits rather than 3Gb kits. Crucial might find it hard to sell these competitively against other big brands. However having said that, there's nothing to fear ... because Crucial also have these triple channel kits in 6Gb versions in their Ballistix Tracer range. They also come with LEDs and different coloured heat spreaders ... blue, green and red.
We didn't get a price on these Crucial Ballistix triple channel DDR3-1600 3Gb kits at the time of the review, but I would expect it be around the £100. Strangley, they do have the Tracer versions which will cost you approximately £135.00 ($165 - US Crucial Direct) according to Crucial's website. At this price, I think is a little bit pricey for what it's worth ... you pay extra for some fancy LEDs and a different colour heat spreader."
Click here to read the full review.
- Viper Lair: Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D 1600 Dominator Memory Review:
"The Corsair Dominator TR3X6G1600C8D 1600MHz Triple Memory kit consistently outperformed the Kingston HyperX in all of our tests. In 32-Bit Windows, in both cases, only 3GB were at stake and the Corsair memory came out on top, sometimes by a fair margin. At 64-Bit, we cannot stress enough that the more memory you have, the better.
Overclocking for us was something of a mixed bag. We did reach anoverclock of 1866, but just could not keep the system stable to publish anybenchmark results. Hopefully the Asus X58 we have in transit will be better,but right now, the jury is still out. Our results currently are a little shortcompared to other reviews we have seen.
Build quality is excellent, and the modules have a good weight tothem due to the large heatsinks. There wasn't any tri-40mm fans included, butwe do suggest looking into some sort of active cooling, especially if you aregoing to overclock. The modules were quite warm after testing, but not searinghot."
Click here to read the full review.
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Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S Processor Review
March 12, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Legit Reviews have posted a review of the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550S, which is a special energy-efficient 65W model.
Here's what they had to say:
"For those that are building a small system or one with little airflow they need to look towards the Q9550, but get ready to dig a little deeper in your wallet. Intel is basically screening and taking the best parts for the low power 'S-series,' and as a result these processors carry a price premium of $103 over that of a regular 95W TDP Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550, according to the Intel Processor Price List shown above. That puts the cost higher than the Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core Processor as it sells online for $294.99 with free shipping and the Core i7 920 was faster in the benchmarks. It wouldn't make sense to pay this price premium unless you really want to have lower power consumption or have a small form factor system where heat and power are areas of concern."
The Q9550S is a great idea, but given the huge price premium, you may as well buy a standard Q9550 and undervolt it yourself. The results might not be identical, but they surely won't be $100 off.
Click here to read the full review.
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Evolution & XTracPads Mouse Pad Reviews
March 12, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Overclockers Online and Verdis Reviews have reviewed two mouse pads from Evolution and XTracPads.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Overclockers Online: Evolution Gaming Gear MP2 Mouse Pad Review:
"After rigorous testing (AKA weeks of gaming), the MP2 has left a good impression. Using my current mouse, the Creative Fatal1ty 1010, life was good as I effortlessly moved my mouse across the (nearly) frictionless cloth surface. As an avid gamer may be, he or she may want to look for the perfect mouse pad that suits their needs, may it be by texture (silky vs. "rough"), size, or even the surface art. Being that the MP2 offers all of this in a neat package, with the surface being "silky smooth", there should be no disappointment if you decide to purchase this product.
The only bone I have to pick with the mouse pad is that, being cloth, cleaning can be a pain. As well, stains are...stains. Although it's cloth I'm sure it's not washer-safe either and dare not try as it wasn't stated in the specifications."
Click here to read the full review.
- Verdis Reviews : XTracPads Ripper XXL Mouse Pad Review:
"This is the first time, weve witnessed a mouse pad of this scale on Verdis Reviews and I have to say it has been very impressive. The performance for both gaming and general usage is of the highest quality as well as giving great comfort and support to your wrists.
The thing I most like about the Ripper XXL is the ability to determine your own size in which to game by placing your peripherals to suit you.
The down side is of course the size as you cant really transport it very easily and wont fit smaller desks but for users looking for a really top quality mouse pad to sit on their desk, I would definitely recommend XTracPads Ripper XXL."
Click here to read the full review.
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Power Supply Review Roundup - Corsair, Enermax, Tagan & More
March 12, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
JonnyGURU, ocaholic, ThinkComputers, and TweakTown have reviewed power supplies from Corsair, Enermax, Tagan, Topower, and Xigmatek.
Here's what they had to say:
- JonnyGURU: Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050W Power Supply Review:
"With the Revolution 85+ series, Enermax comes in like a lion and goes out like a lion. Not only is the 1050W model possibly the most efficient unit of its size on the market to date, nearly everything else about it is drool worthy from the connector counts to the voltage stability to the ripple suppression to the six cool velcro cable ties they give you. There are a couple of minor nitpick worthy things going on in this unit like the so-so quality soldering, but if I were the competition, I'd be real worried right about now."
Click here to read the full review.
- ocaholic: Xigmatek NRP-HC1001 Power Supply Review:
"With the NRP-HC1001 Xigmatek shows off a very solid power supply for the enthusiasts market. Through the usage of high quality materials and components as well as a good cooling concept Xigmatek succeeds in manufacturing a stabli, efficient and silent power supply. With 83 percent also the efficiency is on a very high level. In our tests we haven't been able to hit the claimed efficiency of 87 percent but this is probably down to the fact that our test setup didn't draw enough power to create an optimal test environment.
The fact that the power supply is wider than the ATX standard states could cause mounting issues in small cases."
Click here to read the full review.
- ThinkComputers: Corsair TX850 850W Power Supply Review:
"Like the tx750, the 3.3V and 12V rails were incredibly stable. The tx850's 3.3V rail had a trip up near the beginning of the test, but that could have been an environment factor or other negligible change.
The 5V rail is a different story, though. Since the review of the tx750 several months ago, I added the third hard drive. There was a small ripple of 0.59% throughout the test. This is nitpicking, though, as a ripple that small is insignificant."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Topower PowerBird 1100 Watt Special Edition Power Supply Review:
"Topower has definitely delivered a very capable power supply. The PowerBird 1100 Watt power supply will service almost any enthusiast system you could imagine. If you have a couple of GTX 295 cards, there may be some caution required with the 20 amp limitation on each of the 12V rails assigned for video support. But, even with 25 amps of load on each these PCI-E rails, the PowerBird delivered without pause.
Our tailored test, 4B, which used the 12V4 to power a third graphics card, illustrated that the power supply is more than capable of delivering the required power. Aside from a limitation of the included cables, the power supply is ready to handle these defined loads. Topower has delivered on everything it promised and more which earns our highest recommendation for the Topower PowerBird 1100 Special Edition."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Tagan SuperRock TG880-U33II 880 Watt Power Supply Review:
"The Tagan has a lot of potential. It has a solid design, good components and high efficiency. The 12V and 5V output regulation is some of the best I have seen. Where it falls down is on 3.3V output regulation.
As a saving qualifier, the 3.3V performance was fine at defined PC loads this power supply is likely to see, but if you are paying for 880 Watts, you want to know it will deliver on output. Well, unfortunately, it appears the Tagan TG880-U33II SuperRock comes up a bit short in that respect."
Click here to read the full review.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 896MB Reviews
March 11, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Guru3D, iXBT Labs, and TweakTown have reviewed NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 896MB graphics cards from Leadtek and Palit.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Guru3D: Palit GeForce GTX 260 SP216 Sonic:
"We like the customizations very much. The cooling solution for example, it isn't necessarily more silent than the reference design cooler; that's roughly equal we think. However thermal management is really good. With the GPU stressed for a while we notice that the temperatures are regulated very well.
The one deficit we spotted was the fact that the boards power states did not kick in. Thus in idle / desktop mode, a GeForce graphics would normally clock down to say 300 MHz on core and memory, to preserve energy. Palit might want to look into that. This being an early review sample is something that likely would not end up in the final product.
So the cooler works great, and remains at normal levels in terms of noise. It cools well, and as such we noticed a really awesome overclock as you have been able to read. That's instantly another 10% performance you can squeeze out of the product."
Click here to read the full review.
- iXBT Labs: GeForce GTX 260 or RADEON HD 4870 1024MB:
"The overhauled GeForce GTX 260 outperforms its rivals noticeably (given the prices are similar). There are some exceptions, of course. Perhaps, performance ratings may change with the release of new drivers. But on the whole we admit that NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 is the best choice for the 300-dollar budget.
As for frequencies, there have already appeared overclocked modifications of both 4870 and GTX 260 cards. So it makes no sense to consider frequencies alone. Besides, don't forget that GeForce cards offer more performance per 1 MHz."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Leadtek WinFast GTX 260 EXTREME+ in SLI:
"What about the Leadtek version; is it Extreme? Well, for the most part it's pretty impressive. The out-of-the-box clocks are nice and the bundle that Leadtek has put together is pretty impressive as well. Slap two of the cards together and you really have a system that's going to fly along.
The GTX 260 is an excellent card and the Leadtek version with its decent overclock and good bundle make it stand out from the crowd. If you find yourself looking for a GTX 260 and want something that packs a bit more punch than the stock clocked model, or if simply find yourself wanting a nice little bundle, keep an eye out for the Leadtek offering."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Palit GeForce GTX 260 Sonic 216SP 55nm Graphics Card:
"The GTX 260 really has had some good development since its release and it's nice to see that Palit has moved with the card. The Sonic version of this 55nm, 216 stream processor GTX 260 is great. Performance is great and the overall design with the choice of cooler is also great; the card really is just, great!
It helps fill a price gap that ATI currently don't have. If you want to spend more than a HD 4870, but not as much as a HD 4870 X2, get a GTX 260. If you want something that packs a bit more punch, though, and you're willing to spend a few extra dollars, get yourself the Palit GTX 260 Sonic SP216."
Click here to read the full review.
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Shure SE530PTH Headphones Review
March 11, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven have posted a review of the high-end Shure SE530PTH in-ear headphones.
Let's see what they had to say:
"Quite simply put, the SE530 are the best sounding IEM under £500, the sound is immensely balanced with only a slightly warm treble being a subjective downside. This however is easily balanced with decent and subtle equaliser settings. The SE530s should dramatically alter how purists look at the IEM category as a whole. Competitors such as the Ultimate Ears which cost twice as much offer nothing extra that I can hear and despite the very high price tag the SE530 are absolutely worth the cost. At time of press, these headphones are available for around the £210 mark from play.com and at that price are without doubt the bargain of the year if you treasure your music experience but still want portability without sacrificing audio quality. The PTH control is a creative option which I adore and only adds £20 to the asking price.
All in all, if you have saved some money for a high quality pair of headphones they you certainly will not go wrong with the Shure SE530, they are built to the highest standards and will redefine music quality on the move with focus on pure and balanced acoustics, just make sure your source material is good enough !"
Shure certainly seems to have created an amazing pair of in-ear headphones, but I'm still skeptical as to whether they have managed to dethrone the exemplary Westone UM3's.
Click here to read the full review.
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Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+ Motherboard Review
March 11, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Legit Reviews have just tested the surprisingly affordable Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+ motherboard, which is based on the AMD 790GX northbridge and the SB750 southbridge.
Here's what they had to say:
"AMD's Phenom II has proven to be quite a remarkable chip. Even though I consider AM2+ to be a stop-gap, Gigabyte has produced a quality board that will let you get a taste of Phenom II. Comparing the GA-MA790GP-DS4H to similarly priced 790GX motherboards, it falls right in with every other board on features, price, and layout.
[...]
If you are looking for an inexpensive yet expandable desktop platform, a Phenom II and a GA-MA790GP-DS4H would be a decent choice. At $139.99 plus shipping the Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4H is hard to pass up. You could also drop in an AM3 CPU if you wanted to re-use any DDR2 you had lying around before making the jump to DDR3. The integrated GPU won't play any heavy games at high resolutions but it is sufficient for running Vista with Aero and decoding 1080p movies. Equipped with a silent heatsink, the GA-MA790GP-DS4H could potentially be a killer HTPC board."
If you are building a new Phenom II AM3 system, but aren't quite ready to make the jump to DDR3, you would be hard-pressed to find another motherboard that offers better features and at a similar price.
Click here to read the full review.
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ASUS VH242H 23.6-inch 1080P LCD Monitor Review
March 11, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Futurelooks and HotHardware have just reviewed the new budget-friendly ASUS VH242H 23.6-inch widescreen LCD monitor, which sports the newly popular 1920x1080 resolution.
Here's what they had to say:
- Futurelooks:
"The quick access buttons on the lower frame of the LCD make it very easy to switch between the three primary video inputs, so you never have to worry about connecting and disconnecting all of your cables. The contrast ratio, brightness, and color purity are not class-leading by any stretch, but theyre far from being the worst of the bunch either. The discerning aficionado may appreciate darker blacks, but most consumers will be very happy with what this clean and simple LCD has to offer.
The ASUS VH242H 24-inch LCD monitor has a very understated and elegant manner about it, but it also comes with a more than adequate feature set. If youre looking for a computer monitor that does the 16:9 thing for gaming and movies, the VH242H is a solid choice."
Click here to read the full review.
- HotHardware:
"Even though the VH242H includes a number of different image-quality presets for various content-type viewing scenarios, we found that most of the time the monitor's default settings were sufficient. That's not to say that tweaking the settings didn't moderately improve the image quality under some circumstances, but that is typically true for most monitors. In our opinion, most of the Splendid preset modes add little value, and the user looking to make appropriate tweaks is better off using the more advanced color temperature, sharpness, and saturation settings. Unfortunately, the sharpness and saturation settings are not user accessible when the display is in Standard Mode--the mode we preferred to use most of the time."
Click here to read the full review.
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eSATA & USB Flash Drive Review Roundup - 2GB to 64GB
March 11, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Legit Reviews, PCSTATS, TestFreaks, and TweakTown have reviewed eSATA and USB flash drives varying in capacity from 2GB to a whopping 64GB.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Legit Reviews: OCZ 2GB Diesel USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review:
"The OCZ 2GB Diesel USB 2.0 Flash drive is a decent little device as long as you aren't looking for blistering fast transfer rates. The Diesel should be fast enough for mainstream use or for those that don't do a whole lot of file transfers. If you only use a USB 2.0 Flash drive to back data up or to move files around when needed the Diesel should be perfect. The OCZ Diesel also has a slick looking appearance and is certainly not bad looking by any means. If you are in the market for a USB 2.0 Flash drive and don't want to spend more than needed be sure to give the OCZ Diesel a closer look. Just remember that the OCZ Diesel USB 2.0 Flash drive series is available in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities."
Click here to read the full review.
- PCSTATS: SuperTalent Godfather Series 16GB USB Drive Review:
"In any event, with a peak data read speed of 29.87MB/s and write speeds of 12.8MB/s, Supertalent's Godfather-series 16GB USB drive (model STP16GGRBK) is an inexpensive way to carry a lot of data.
It's not the fastest USB drive on the market, nor does it offer any kind of encryption, but for day-to-day data transfer it's hard to argue with $35 for 16GB storage."
Click here to read the full review.
- PCSTATS: SuperTalent Luxio 64GB AES-256 Encrypted USB Drive Review:
"Data read speeds peaked at 29.87MB/s and write speeds at 17.07MB/s, both well in line with the manufacturer's listed speed rating of 30MB/s or 200X. As a 64GB USB drive the SuperTalent Luxio is fine; it transfers files quickly to-and-from the host PC and has a solid feel to it. PCSTATS tends to treat USB drives as pretty utilitarian devices around here, so in deference to one's personal opinion on fake wood gain plastic and glossy coatings, I don't think these things are particularly significant yard sticks to measure the Luxio by.
Aside from its 64GB memory capacity and data transfer speeds, the Luxio sells itself with AES-256 encryption. The Luxio's encryption capabilities are not sufficiently robust to provide user confidence in them. We would not store data in the encrypted state on any device that failed to recognize a correct password, particularly under the threat of sudden death (automatic formatting)."
Click here to read the full review.
- TestFreaks: OCZ ATV 32GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review:
"The OCZ ATV 32GB USB drive is admirably well made, it provides excellent protection for your data, and being 32gigs it can carry quite a bit. When compared to the PNY 32gb drive it easily bests it in sheer performance, so if youve got a choice between the two obviously the OCZ wins hands down.
The performance of the OCZ ATV is about average, honestly I expected a bit more from it, but its just the regular version and not the ATV Turbo thats also available from OCZ, so Im sure things would look quite different when using the Turbo version."
Click here to read the full review.
- TestFreaks: OCZ Throttle 16gb eSATA Flash Drive Review:
"The OCZ Throttle eSATA drive is the fastest Ive ever tested while using its eSATA interface, it easily bests every other USB flash drive out there today. Using the USB connection, its not quite the fastest of the bunch but its very close and performs very well.
Yes the Throttle is a great drive, but until powered eSATA ports are standard youll need to carry the USB cable to provide power for the eSATA interface, this can be a hassle when compared to a regular USB drive with no need for an additional cable."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Super Talent Godfather Series USB Flash Drives:
"When it comes to speed, the Godfather drives are right around what we expect to see for drives not designed for extreme transfer rates. Those drives tend to cost quite a bit more, sometimes double than competing products of the same capacity. Our sample 2GB drive comes in at less than 12.99, while the 16GB can be had for 34.99 USD, so you dont have to worry about breaking the bank to own a piece of Godfather history."
Click here to read the full review.
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ECS A780GM-A Ultra Black Series AM2+ Motherboard Review
March 9, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Legit Reviews have posted a review of the ECS A780GM-A Ultra Black Series AM2+ motherboard, which is based on the AMD 780G northbridge and SB750 southbridge.
Here's what they had to say:
"The ECS A780GM-A Ultra is a great addition to the lineup of the Black Series of motherboards from ECS. We were totally impressed by what we saw with the board as we tested. But, I am supposed to write all this kind of stuff in a conclusion, so lets cut to the chase...
Performance on this board was very good considering the limitations of the DDR timings. It seems like we are running in to this more and more with boards. But the lack of tight timings did not hinder the performance really at all as we tested. This board hung with the rest, and even outpaced the others at times.
The layout and setup of the board were just fine. No issues. No problems. This is a good part of the conclusion for me not to have to say much!
The bundle was good, especially considering the price of the board.
Speaking of price, this board is coming in at around $70, which is a really good price for all that you get, and for the performance of the board among its peers."
Although many people continue to view ECS as a strictly budget brand, they do in fact make some fully-featured, high quality models at very attractive prices.
Click here to read the full review.
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Top 20 3DMark Vantage Movers & Shakers
March 9, 2009 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Today we continue our weekly look at the top 3DMark Vantage scores submitted to the online result browser (ORB). Things were pretty quiet this past week, but we did have three new entries to keep things interesting. And while the quantity might not be there, the quality sure is! Read on the find out who did what:
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Performance Preset Top 20:
4. P36737 duck@ASUS Triple SLI
12. P35541 [Shark OC Team] Naka
13. P35349 hipro5 #HOT# (HELLAS Overclocking Team) - ASUS GTX 295 VGAs
Congrats on the awesome scores everyone! Very impressive stuff. :D
Anyways, keep up the great work guys and gals. And remember, you can keep track of the top scores throughout the week by visiting our Hall of Fame. Until next time!
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Galaxy & Sparkle GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB Reviews
March 9, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Bigbruin and Guru3D have reviewed GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB graphics cards from two smaller companies, Galaxy and Sparkle.
Here's what they had to say:
- Bigbruin: Sparkle GeForce 9800 GTX+ Graphics Card Review:
"The bottom line is that the 512MB Sparkle GeForce 9800 GTX+ offers decent low to mid level gaming performance, but it draws way too much power and is about to need a price cut to stay competitive. The strongest selling point is that it stays cool and quiet at all times, which coupled with an integrated HDMI port makes it a good fit for an HTPC. It can handle games just fine when the settings aren't turned up too high, and the multimedia capabilities are more than adequate for any HD playback.
The 512MB Sparkle GeForce 9800 GTX+ earns the Bigbruin.com "Whisper Quiet" award for its low noise operation."
Click here to read the full review.
- Guru3D: Galaxy GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB review:
"So when we sum things up, I feel Galaxy did a good job design wise. Compared to a reference design, it feels moderately the same when looking at temperatures and overclocking. Cooling wise, a thing or two can still be improved as I'd like to see them focus on more silent products during game sessions. Next to that, power management is something they need to look at. Other than that I can only conclude that the GeForce 9800 GTX+ model as tested today is stunning to look at, and from a design point of view, everything you guys as the Guru3D reader base like to see. It's a decent mid-range performer which will get you some good value for your money. "
Click here to read the full review.
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ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution X58 Motherboard Review
March 9, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
HotHardware have posted a review of the ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution, a workstation-oriented but enthusiast-friendly Intel X58 motherboard designed for the new Core i7 processors.
Here's what they had to say:
"Looking at the performance profile of the Asus P6T6 WS Revolution in totality, the product lived up to its high-end design target in every way. In standard desktop and workstation application performance, the board consistently was the fastest of the lot that we tested it against, one of which was a fairly mature offering from MSI. Though admittedly, the performance delta between most all X58 Express-based boards currently is going to be thin and bordering on insignificant. That said, the P6T6 WS Revolution offered exceptional overclocking capabilities and unwavering stability, along with top end performance in our high-end gaming tests with a 3-Way SLI graphics subsystem in play. However, as we showed empirically through our comparison numbers versus the Gigabyte X58-based board that only supports 3-Way SLI in a X16,X8,X8 configuration, the P6T6 WS Revolution's X16,X16,X16 3-Way SLI capability doesn't offer any appreciable upside performance currently."
First the Rampage II Extreme and now the P6T6 WS, ASUS arguably has the two best and most impressive X58 motherboards on the market. The P6T6 WS has the NF200 PCI-E bridge which affords it greater multi-GPU capabilies, while the RIIE has superior overclocking features. The choice between the two really depends on what you intend to do with your system.
Click here to read the full review.
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ATI Radeon HD 4000 Series Review Roundup
March 9, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
A whole slew of hardware sites have reviewed a wide variety of Radeon HD 4000 series graphics cards from ASUS, HIS, PowerColor, and Sapphire.
Without further ado, here are the articles:
- ASE Labs: Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 GDDR4 Review.
- bit-tech: Sapphire's ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB Toxic graphics card.
- Guru3D: Exclusive - Radeon HD 4750 (RV740 - 40nm) Preview.
- Guru3D: HIS Radeon HD 4650 512MB iSilence4.
- ocaholic: ASUS 4870 Matrix Review.
- Tweaknews: Sapphire Radeon HD4850 X2 2Gb Video Card Review.
- TweakTown: PowerColor Radeon HD 4830 Graphics Card.
- Techgage: Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 GDDR4 & HD 4830.
Any way you look at it, AMD has an awesome graphics card lineup, with a solid offering at every possible price point.
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Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package Case Review
March 9, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Canucks have posted a review of the Thermaltake Spedo Advance Package case.
Let's see what they had to say:
"Noise issues aside, the biggest problem with the Spedo Advance is its build quality. To be perfectly honest, we expected a lot better in a $250 case. This case had quite a few parts that simply made it feel cheap. From the plastic door handle, to the hard drive cadies, to the punch-out slot covers, to the ATC components, to the 230mm fansand the list goes on. Other premium case manufacturers have set the bar pretty high in this regard, and Thermaltake will definitely have to improve things if they want to stay competitive in the premium enclosure market. It is either that, or theyll have to greatly reduce the cost of their enclosures. It just seems really unfortunate because the overall structure of the case, and the exterior plastic panels are really quite sturdy. We only wish they continued this level of quality in all aspects of the case.
Overall we think that Thermaltake is on to something good with the Spedo Advance Package, but it really needs to be refined. Were afraid that there are similar performing cases out there that offer better quality and lower noise at the ~$250 price point."
Well there you have it, if you have money to burn on a high-end case this is obviously not where you should spend it. Check out the Cooler Master Storm Sniper instead.
Click here to read the full review.
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Patriot Warp v2 128GB SSD Review
March 6, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Canucks and TechwareLabs have reviewed the Patriot Warp v2 128GB solid state drive.
Here's what they had to say:
- Hardware Canucks:
"As it stands, the drive does need some extensive tweaking done to it and the OS to get the most out of it. However, we feel that the extra work is well worth it and once you have done these tweaks and tricks a few times it actually becomes easy to do. When you are talking about a drive which only costs about (at worst) half as much as the gold standard X25; yet provides more than 50% more room well there is not much else you can call that drive besides Dam Good Value. We here at HWC are proud to give the Patriot Warp v2 this award as it may not be the absolute fastest out there but it will be good enough for most people. Heck, buy 2 of these, stick them on a used Perc 5i (or other RAID controller with built in cache) and you will easily get better performance than you would have if you went the single X-25M route."
Click here to read the full review.
- TechwareLabs :
"The Warp SSD drive from Patriot, a company well known primarily for their memory modules, has been quite successful. Aside from a few minor quirks, Patriot has made one of the fastest hard drives we have EVER reviewed. This drive survived the trip to CES where in addition to our normal barrage of benchmarks, it withstood traveling to and from Las Vegas and being carried around while subjected to an above normal amount of bumping and jostling. Believe us when we say that durability is top notch and that normal hard drives would take a beating with this kind of travel. We have a sick curiosity as to what exactly it would take to make this drive stop functioning. As far as power consumption goes, it does use less than a normal hard drive, but during our testing we found the gain in battery life to be minimal or about 10 minutes at most. The PE128GS25SSDR also won't break the bank, with a street price of approximately $275 at the time of this writing."
Click here to read the full review.
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Razer Carcharias Gaming Headset Review
March 6, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
TweakTown have posted a review of Razer's latest creation, the awkwardly-named Carcharias gaming headset.
Let's see what they had to say:
"Its easy to forget that these cans have a mic-boom attached to them. It folds up so neatly with the headband to keep it out of the way that you just dont even realise it is there.
Putting it to some use in TF2, you can tell that Razer have taken pains to ensure that the filtering and pickup is really tailored to the frequencies associated with speech. Very little background noise, such as computer hum and breathing, is picked up which really helps you to be understood when you are trying to co-ordinate an attack.
The mic boom is bendy at the mid-point, so it can be positioned as required and will swing through a full 180 degrees (should your mouth be under your chin)."
With an $80 price tag this new headset is certainly not cheap, but it looks to be a quality product and it may just be worth the extra $$$ over competing products.
Click here to read the full review.
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OCZ Z-Drive 1000GB SSD Performance Preview
March 6, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
MadShrimps have posted a performance preview of the recently revealed OCZ Z-Drive 1TB solid state drive.
Here's an excerpt:
"OCZ has been on the forefront of the SSD revolution, with their affordable Core (v1/v2) series they have made a name for themselves, and lately with the performance previews of the new Apex SSD which features internal RAID-0 they are aiming to strike a balance between price/performance higher than the competition.
Using RAID-0 with SSD they quickly hit a bottleneck when using a SATA300 interface, with the next SATA interface speed bump still a few months away, they looked into an alternative method to squeeze more performance from a SSD RAID setup. Using a hardware based x8 PCI Express raid controller and 4x250Gb SSDs in RAID-0 they can offer an out of the box 1TB super speedy drive. PCIe 1.x x1 offers 250mb/s throughput, so their x8 card on a first generation PCIe motherboard has a theoretical limit of 2000mb/s, so theres some headroom left!"
Although it will carry a heart attack inducing pricetag, the Z-Drive will undoubtedly be among the fastest storage options that money can buy. Definitely looking forward to seeing what the reviewers have to say.
Click here to read the full article.
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Topower PowerBird 1100W Power Supply Review
March 6, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
TweakTown have posted a review of the Topower PowerBird 1100W Special Edition power supply.
Let's see what they had to say:
"Topower has definitely delivered a very capable power supply. The PowerBird 1100 Watt power supply will service almost any enthusiast system you could imagine. If you have a couple of GTX 295 cards, there may be some caution required with the 20 amp limitation on each of the 12V rails assigned for video support. But, even with 25 amps of load on each these PCI-E rails, the PowerBird delivered without pause.
Our tailored test, 4B, which used the 12V4 to power a third graphics card, illustrated that the power supply is more than capable of delivering the required power. Aside from a limitation of the included cables, the power supply is ready to handle these defined loads. Topower has delivered on everything it promised and more which earns our highest recommendation for the Topower PowerBird 1100 Special Edition."
TweakTown have revamped their methodology and this is a very well done review of an impressive power supply.
Click here to read the full review.
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CeBIT 2009 Coverage
March 6, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
CeBIT 2009 is fully underway in Hanover, and for those interested here is some coverage of the first three days from CPU3D and DriverHeaven.
- CPU3D:
- CPU3D: CeBIT 2009 Coverage - Part I.
- CPU3D: CeBit 2009 Coverage - Part II.
- CPU3D: CeBIT 2009 Coverage - Part III.
- DriverHeaven:
- DriverHeaven: CeBit Day 1.
- DriverHeaven: CeBit Day 2.
- DriverHeaven: CeBit Day 3.
- Arm3D: Mionix Saiph 3200 Gaming Mouse Review:
"Thats pretty much it really. I really do like this mouse, but honestly in comparison, my vote has to go with my current mouse, ROCCAT. For aprox £40, this mouse is on the high side of the budget for most people, and only a mouse is given. No extras such as driver disks, manuals, stickers, nothing extra is given to you for your money. Im not 100% convinced that its worth the high price. But in retrospect I do feel that it is a very well made product and has a great feel to it. A "Winners" feel is what a collegue said. I really do recommend this mouse, if you've got the money, you wont be disappointed."
Click here to read the full review.
- DriverHeaven: Mionix Seiph 3200 Mouse and Alioth 400 Surface Review:
"Despite one or two reservations I have about the mouse concerning the weight and the two side buttons it is a fantastic product which cannot be faulted technically and Im incredibly satisfied with the performance and comfort that it offers, even after hours of participating in intense multiplayer action. In addition to that, the high standard of build quality is apparent in the materials and the general solid feeling of the product. There has clearly been much care taken when designing and engineering the mouse and we always appreciate manufacturers taking the extra step and putting in that little bit of effort to polish the finished product.
To top it all off, the Saiph has built in memory and you can take your settings with you wherever you want. After you have applied your settings in the software your complete configuration is accessible from any machine on simple plug n play. This makes the mouse fully suitable for your weapon of choice at LANs and tournaments."
Click here to read the full review.
- PC Perspective: Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler Review:
"Thermaltakes new SpinQ CPU cooler delivers good cooling performance with minimal noise and it looks great. The fit-n-finish is good and the performance to noise ratio is above average. The cooler is easy to install and features mounts for both Intel and AMD platforms. However overclockers and users interested in maximum performance will likely want to look elsewhere."
Click here to read the full review.
- PureOverclock: Xigmatek S-1283V Dark Knight LGA1366 Review:
"The Xigmatek S-1283V Dark Knight continues in the HDT technology tradition, a design that we've seen is extremely effective for cooling efficiency when used in a tower-style setup. An interesting observation here is that we've also seen that the performance difference between a 3 or 4 heatpipe configuration is virtually non-existent, meaning a slimmer profile can be achieved with just 3 heatpipes without adversely affecting performance. The Xigmatek takes advantage of that, sporting a very slim design that boasts excellent air cooling performance."
Click here to read the full review.
- Rbmods: Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 CPU Cooler Review:
"This is a superb cpu cooler like the previous Noctua coolers we have looked at. What amazes me everytime is that the cooler runs so silent and is still able to perform this well. It ourperforms the competition even though this time we only had a stock cooler to compete with. The price is not to bad either especially since Noctua usually gives out extra brackets for free when some new sockets are released. I can not more than recommend this product due to high quality, super performance and almost silent operation."
Click here to read the full review.
- ThinkComputers: Titan Fenrir TTC-NK85TZ CPU Cooler Review:
"I was pretty impressed with the way the Titan Fenrir performed. It had extremely cool test temperatures; I wasn't expecting it to perform as well as it did. With a multitude of CPU supports and a very secure installation it can provide anyone with an easy selection and comfort that their cooler is secure. I also enjoyed that the hardware provided came in labeled releasable pouches rather than having them all tossed in one bag."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Xigmatek Achilles S1284C CPU Cooler Review:
"While I realize the Achilles is not the flagship model for Xigmatek, it may very well have never been Xigmateks intentions. It just seems a bit odd that Xigmatek opted for form over function with this cooler. With all the fan choices they have on hand, they opt to limit their coolers performance levels with the use of the 61CFM fans. I dont think that the four heat-pipe configuration is enough of a subtlety to offset the use of such a fan.
The overall performance isnt bad by any means, especially as it compares to the rest of the lineup, but by far isnt the best "bang for the buck" cooler on store shelves. With retail pricing in the $40 range, plus the addition of the Crossbow at another $10, this brings it to a $50 cooler. Even within Xigmateks own product line-up I feel your money can be better spent."
Click here to read the full review.
- Viper Lair: Thermaltake V1AX, Socket 1366 Cooler:
"Thermaltake has been known for making quality coolers for some time, the V1AX is no exception to this rule as the product is made well and designed to be pleasing to the eye. With the heat output of Intel's Core i7's under load, we are seeing the limits of what the V1AX can cool. The unit is easy to use, instructions are clear and it performs well enough to be a top choice for stock cooling replacement. If you are going all out for OC champion, you might want to look elsewhere.
As to improvements or updates, I would like to see a little more slack on the Fan control cable, so I could maybe even lead it out the front of my case or at minimum, the rear. I would also like to see a retention mechanism that isn't of the snap in variety; from my travels, you tend to get a better seal, hence performance, when you are able to solidly hold the cooler in place with screws and a retention plate underneath."
Click here to read the full review.
- X-bit Labs: "Infinity Number Two": Scythe Mugen 2 Cooler Review:
"When I get to writing the conclusion to my reviews, I usually start with listing the drawbacks of the reviewed solution and then get to their advantages. But today, I didnt find any drawbacks about the new Scythe Mugen 2 cooler. I could complain that they didnt include an additional pair of retention wire clips for the second fan into the accessories bundle, or that they used cheap and not very efficient SilMORE thermal interface, or that they didnt make grooves in the cooler base However, all the above mentioned things are negligible compared with the remarkable cooling efficiency, low noise during maximum CPU utilization and noiseless operation in regular mode, very low price compared against that of other super-coolers, full compatibility with all existing platforms, and finally popularity of Scythe solutions all over the world. If we try to compare Scythe Mugen 2 against ThermoLab BARAM from all these standpoints, the former leader will lose. However, I suggest that we make the final conclusions after a massive test session on the new Intel Core i7 (LGA 1366) platform that will be completed shortly."
Click here to read the full review.
- X-bit Labs: Thermalright AXP-140: Low-Profile Cooler with High Cooling Efficiency:
"Other than that, Thermalright AXP-140 with a 140 x 140 x 25mm fan is the most efficient top cooler today. It is not just efficient for CPU cooling, it also works well for the cooling of the area and components around the processor socket, which as a rule improves the overclocking results and system stability. Reliable and simple retention for LGA775 platform protecting the PCB from bending is one of the key advantages of this solution. I should also add high efficiency at low fan rotation speed and very decent efficiency increase at fan rotation speeds up to 1500RPM. The former will be very useful for the owners of quiet (almost noiseless) systems, while the latter will come in handy for non-extreme overclockers. To cut the long story short, we found a new ideal tower cooler a few days ago, and now we have finally found a replacement for the former leader Thermalright SI-128 SE."
Click here to read the full review.
- DriverHeaven: MSI GT725 17" Laptop Review:
"To put it simply, the MSI GT725 offers a fantastic all around package combining looks, performance, and outstanding build quality.
With the dual-core 2.53 GHz processor under the hood (which can be overclocked to 2.93 GHz by the touch of a button) the GT725 has plenty of processing power for most modern applications and equally so the HD4850 performs well in the latest and most popular games.
There is only one real drawback with the laptop which is unfortunately the display. By no means is the display terrible, I have seen worse, but I have also experienced better. I was hoping for greater levels of brightness and higher overall clarity. The 1680x1050 resolution is perfectly suited to gaming but I feel that some users may have appreciated having 1920x1200 at their disposal in Windows."
Click here to read the full review.
- Techgage: ASUS N50Vn 15.4" Notebook Review:
"When all said and done, ASUS' notebook costs $75 more, but you do get quite a bit for that nominal fee. Dell's notebook, for example, was using an ATI Radeon HD 3450, whereas this ASUS contains a much faster GeForce 9650M GT. In addition, Dell's notebook included a 1280x800 resolution display, whereas this one uses 1440x900 - another big improvement. For the most part though, both notebooks scale well with price, and the important thing to take away from this is that the N50Vn is priced-right, in relation to the competition.
One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that the N50Vn also includes both a mouse and a notebook bag. ASUS has always done a great job with their carrying bags, and they really add a lot of value to their notebooks. The mouse is a branded Logitech V100, which is strictly a notebook offering. I personally prefer to use a desktop mouse even on a notebook, but if such mice strike your fancy, it should be fine (the caveat is that it lacks thumb buttons)"
Click here to read the full review.
- DriverHeaven: Xigmatek NRP-HC1201 1200W Power Supply Review:
"The Xigmatek NRP-HC1201 is a very good product for those seeking a 1200W+ PSU with a plethora of connectors while not compromising on design at the same time. The end user will enjoy a high quality product with excellent electrical performance. The NRP-HC1201 is a hefty PSU which needs a correspondingly large case and most people might find it to be relatively expensive. It is certainly an excellent choice for enthusiasts who want a very powerful and reliable product, but certainly not an option for enthusiasts on a budget."
Click here to read the full review.
- JonnyGURU: Hiper S625 625W Power Supply Review:
"The Hiper S625 arrived promising exceptional efficiency and decent performance in a package that wouldn't break the bank, and for the most part it did what it came to do. That said, I just couldn't get my sample to meet the 80 Plus Bronze certification numbers, and this combined with only "pretty good" voltage stability is enough to make the poor thing miss recommended status today. The S625 is a decent little unit, but nothing mind melting special."
Click here to read the full review.
- PC Perspective: Enermax Revolution85+ 1050W Power Supply Review:
"Enermax continues to raise the bar with the introduction of their new Revolution85+ power supply units. The Revolution85+ 1,050W exhibited excellent efficiency, very good voltage regulation, with relatively clean DC outputs and quiet operation. And Enermax includes an excellent compliment of both fixed and modular cables/connectors to distribute over 1,000W of power. If you are looking for a top quality PSU in the 1,000+W range, this one will be hard to beat.
The MSRP for the Enermax Revolution85+ 1,050W power supply is $349.00 USD (259.00) but it can be found online for around $300. "
Click here to read the full review.
- Tweaknews: Hiper Type R MKII 680 Watt ATX Power Supply Review:
"Hiper's new TYPE R MKII 680W ATX power supply brings a lot to the table, and it's all good. With excellent performance, quiet operation, and a very innovative feature set, this PSU could easily find a home in all but the most demanding systems. For those enthusiasts wanting more power, Hiper makes an 880-Watt version of this PSU. The MKII also brings the bling with a 135mm chrome fan with blue LED lighting and a stunning black chrome finish. (A blue finish is also available.) I suppose one could argue the necessity of nine extra USB ports on the back of a power supply, but I've never heard anyone complain that they had too many, either. The quality is excellent and the ExTender cables are a really nice touch, giving the user a plethora of configuration options.
Better yet, as of this writing, careful shopping online can get you one of these babies for around $120 US. That's a good value for a power supply with this kind of power and efficiency. Add the 3-year warranty, USB hub, and ExTender cable features into the mix and the deal gets even sweeter. If you're looking for a new power supply, put the new Hiper TypeR MKII on your short list. Mr. Bones and I recommend it highly."
Click here to read the full review.
- DriverHeaven: Gainward GeForce GTS 250 / XFX Radeon HD 4850 XXX Review:
"The GTS 250 was subject to a barrage of negative press in the run up to its launch with a lot of rumours circulating that it was just a re-badged 9800GTX+. Whilst it does share the same core with the older part (and for that matter the 8800GTS) there are quite a few significant changes which improve the card. Firstly there is the reduction in size of the PCB which makes it better suited to small form factor PCs or media systems. There is also a reduced power requirement which allows this card to run off a single PCIe power connector."
Click here to read the full review.
- Guru3D: Palit GeForce GTS 250 2048MB Review:
"So compared to the GeForce 9800 GTX+, the GTS 250 might be, simply put, boring, but it's the price that is the big dealmaker. You can expect a 1024MB version of the GeForce GTS 250 for 150 USD and that is a very nice sweet spot for gaming. By doing so NVIDIA saves you another 50 to 75 USD placing the GTS 250 smack down in the middle of mid-range pricing. The result is a good and great gaming experience, for not a lot of money ... and as such, there's just absolutely nothing wrong with this product."
Click here to read the full review.
- HotHardware: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 Mainstream GPU:
"The GeForce GTS 250 is very similar to the GeForce 9800 GTX+, and as such, the two cards perform almost identically when the new GTS 250's larger 1GB frame buffer doesn't come into play. At higher-resolutions, when additional pixel processing is employed (like in FarCry 2, for example), the GeForce GTS 250's larger frame buffer allows it to measurably outperform the older GeForce 9800 GTX+. In comparison to the Radeon HD 4850, generally speaking, both cards perform at nearly the same level, with a slight edge going to the GeForce GTS 250. "
Click here to read the full review.
- PC Perspective: Palit GeForce GTS 250 1GB Graphics Card Review - More G92b:
"Through all of this, there will be banter from both sides, AMD and NVIDIA, telling anyone that will listen how the other side is simply cutting corners or how there is no innovation. Obviously, both camps have done these types of tricks before: one company releases a new product and/or drops a price, the other side returns the favor to stay competitive. NVIDIA will attempt to argue that the GeForce GTS 250 is something different, but in reality it is nothing more than a renamed price drop offering to the performance gamer. AMD's response of lowering the prices on the HD 4870 and HD 4850 cards is essentially what we saw NVIDIA do when the GeForce GTX 260 cards were released some months back.
Regardless of the politics involved, the GeForce GTS 250 1GB card does do one thing: decrease the price of great gaming GPU solutions from both NVIDIA and AMD for the consumer. Fan boys on either side will surely complain about how the other group is doing it, but it's a win for all of us. You can now essentially buy a graphics card that will play most of today's recent PC titles at resolutions of 1600x1200 and above with top IQ settings for under $150, regardless of which GPU vendor your choose. How's that for a way to help get out of the funk of winter?"
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: Galaxy GeForce GTS 250 1GB Graphics Card:
"The main thing to remember is if you have a 9800 GTX, don't buy a GTS 250; you're just not going to see a performance increase. If you're running off something older, however, and you want a new graphics card around the $200 mark, the GTS 250 / 9800 GTX+ is a great option. The card does represent very good value considering the HD 4870 starts at around $200.
Sure, it does fall back a few times; under Vantage it goes to the back of the pack and Clear Sky shows it struggling, but thats not uncommon with NVIDIA cards under that benchmark. We also see under L4D it does fall back a little as well; but under some of the top games like Far Cry 2, Crysis Warhead and World in Conflict, it pulls out some good wins and even beats out the more expensive HD 4870."
Click here to read the full review.
- DriverHeaven:
"When we reviewed the Twelve Hundred near the end of last year we were very happy with the overall product and are pleased to say that the Nine Hundred Two has inherited many of the good aspects of its older sibling. As with most Antec products the build quality is exceptionally high and the attention to detail throughout deserves special mention.
The no nonsense all black appearance is very desirable and will appeal to a great cross section of enthusiast user. Additionally the chassis has outstanding thermal performance and strong expandability, being able to house six Hard Disk Drives and three 5.25 units.
The Antec Nigh Hundred Two can also accommodate the longest graphics cards such as the Nvidia GTX 280, although anything bigger will be a problem as you will have to restructure your hard drive configuration so they arent in the way."
Click here to read the full review.
- Hardware Secrets:
"In summary, we think this is a terrific product for the user that is looking for an above-the-average mid-tower case. We were really impressed by its quality and options. However, the only negative point about this case for the Average Joe is its price (60% more expensive than the original Nine Hundred, as researched on Newegg.com on the day we published this review; keep in mind that probably Newegg.com dropped the price of the original Nine Hundred to get rid of all remaining units due to the release of this new version). Nevertheless Nine Hundred Two is an outstanding case and we recommend it."
Click here to read the full review.
- Bjorn3D:
"We've ran some really amazing Tri Chanel kits in the last few months, it never ceases to amaze us the blazing speeds that ram can reach with the paltry 1.65v it's given to achieve that blazing speed. We've also seen that a lot of the 1600 MHz kits run at similar speeds. We've only seen one kit that provides the speed we need and the bling we want, that's the Crucial Ballistix Tracers Tri Channel 1600 MHz kit.
Ram normally just kind of sets there and does it's job trying not to look ugly, or tries to project a macho image. The Crucial Ballistix Tracers kit changes that playing field and the LED's add a highlight to an area of the chassis that is normally ignored. It adds so much to the ram area that time and again we've had people comment on it and ask where they can get a set like the Tracers."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown:
"Then there is the performance of the modules; not only do they perform well at their rated 1600MHz DDR, but they continue to run well for another 120MHz DDR after that. Then there is of course the bling; this costs money, too. The same modules without the "blinky lights" as NewEgg put it, come in at 289 U.S. Dollars. Considering they're the same modules bar the lights and heatsink, they're an excellent choice for people wanting something from the Ballistix line who don't want to spend huge dollars.
If you're happy to spend the money and want something that looks great and feels like it's been manufactured extremely well, check out the Tracer Blue kit we have with us today. If you want to save some dollars then have a look at the non Tracer kit that offers the same specifications, but without the LEDs."
Click here to read the full review.
If you want to see all the latest and greatest upcoming products, you definitely want to check out all these coverage reports!
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CoolIT Domino A.L.C Liquid Cooling System Review
March 5, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
EXTREME Overclocking have posted a review of the CoolIT Domino A.L.C (Advanced Liquid Cooling), a self-contained CPU liquid cooling system.
Here's what they had to say:
"The CoolIT Domino A.L.C. definitely exceeded my expectations. Even more shocking is the performance vs. the price tag. With an MSRP of only $79.99, its cheaper than some high end air coolers! Even at its lowest speed it beats out one of the best air coolers on the market. The Coolit Domino A.L.C. may even give you room to overclock your processor further than you could on air. It is without a doubt an exceptional performer at a great price. If you dont have a case window you may lose out on the aesthetics and temperature display, but you still get the performance. With it being socket 1366 & AM2+ compatible it should last for years to come."
The CoolIT Domino A.L.C offers excellent Bang for the Buck, you would certainly be hard-pressed to do better for less than $100. It is perfect for those who want an easy-to-install, self-contained liquid cooling solution.
Click here to read the full review.
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Mionix Saiph 3200 Gaming Mouse Review
March 5, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Arm3D and DriverHeaven have reviewed the Saiph 3200 gaming mouse from newcomer Mionix.
Here's what they had to say:
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CPU Cooler Review Roundup - Noctua, Scythe, Thermaltake & More
March 5, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
If you are looking for a good CPU cooler chances are that you will find it in this following CPU cooler review round, which features models from Noctua, Scythe, Thermalright, Thermaltake, Titan, and Xigmatek.
Here's what they had to say:
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Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P Motherboard Review
March 5, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
CPU3D have posted a review of the impressive Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard, which supports the new AM3 socket.
Here's an excerpt:
"I think Gigabyte have done a pretty good job with their MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard. They've managed to incorporate some of their innovative technologies such as the new Easy Energy Saver, and of course their infamous UltraDurable3, which are found on most of their Intel motherboards. What's more, the new AM3 platform now offer the support for AM3 processors and DDR3 ram. Looking at the benchmark results, you can see that the use of DDR3 ram does improve the overall performance ... but only marginally. It's better than a kick in the teeth. All-in-all, I'm pretty happy with its performance. No real complaints here.
Overclocking the AMD Phenom II X4 - 810 (AM3) processor was only average. I couldn't get the CPU frequency past 240Mhz, and beacuse the multiplier was locked to a maximum of x13 ... I couldn't increase it, but only lower it. Voltages for CPU, NB, HT, SB and DDR3 was increased to achieve stability. In the end I managed to only overclock the 810 from 2.6Ghz to 3.1Ghz (13x240)."
At the moment, this certainly appears to be the best AM3 motherboard on the market both from an aesthetic and features point-of-view.
Click here to read the full review.
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Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 Gaming Headset Review
March 5, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
TechwareLabs have posted a review of the Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 USB gaming headset.
Let's see what they had to say:
"These headphones turned out to be surprisingly solid compared to both expectations and the reference headset - even taking into account the poor implementation of the USB audio standards. The microphone and speakers both featured clean sound, excellent fidelity, and were definitely comfortable enough for extended use. The isolation was not so severe as to put off those who were not expecting any, but was sufficient to mute noise leakage somewhat - it will not be silent, but it takes the edge off. Cyber Snipa has a fairly solid product on their hand, which can be had for about $77 on their e-store. If you want something for first-person gaming, something that sounds better than your entry-level headset, or something to fit a large head, give the Sonar 5.1 a look."
This seems like a very good gaming headset, but many people have complained of issues with getting the microphone to function properly, or having the unit die prematurely, so I would avoid this product for now. The Cyber Snipa Stinger gaming mouse on the other hand is top-notch, so clearly the company can make great products.
Click here to read the full review.
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Kingston HyperX T1 3GB DDR3-2000 Memory Kit Review
March 4, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
ThinkComputers have posted a review of the Kingston HyperX T1 series 3GB DDR3-2000 memory kit, which features an attractive & impressive heatspreader design.
Here's what they had to say:
"The Kingston HyperX DDR3-2000 3GB Triple-channel kit sells for $169.99 at my favorite online retailer, one of two 3gig triple-channel kits, both costing basically the same. Less than a year ago, a dual-channel 2GB kit of HyperX cost over $500! I guess the question is whether the extra cost for DDR3-2000 (or DDR3-1866 for that matter) is worth it if you don't have an i7 Extreme Edition 965, which at this time is the only way you can attain DDR3-2000. That is a question you will have to answer yourself. I consider this a fine memory kit, I really like the HTX heatspreaders, and if the answer to the question is yes, I highly recommend this memory kit. ThinkComputers.org gives the Kingston HyperX T1 Series DDR3-2000 3GB Triple-Channel Memory kit a 9 out of 10 score."
As mentioned in the above paragraph, unless you have a Core i7-965 XE, there is very little reason to buy DDR3-2000 memory. Furthermore, if you do have the money for a 965, there is no reason not to spend a little more for a 6GB memory kit.
Click here to read the full review.
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Ikonik Ra X10 Liquid Case Review
March 4, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Guru3D have posted a review of the Ikonik Ra X10 Liquid case, which features a built-in liquid cooling system, 13 fans, and Ikonik's own SIM (System Intelligent Management).
Here's what they had to say:
"There is so much to like about the product. Let's start off with the chassis design. Taste is a difficult thing, therefore explaining taste and style in a review is always also difficult, somewhat personal and thus subjective. We feel that the design of the chassis is just stunning. It's stylish, not at all screams or shouts, it brings a certain professional flavor into the market. Face it, this is a chassis you would be proud to show your friends.
When it comes to the actual usability and chassis design, there's little to complain about. Most of the chassis is made out of aluminum. It's an excellent heat conductor, very light weight and as far as a chassis goes .. the best material to work with. The top plate however is made out of plastic, a bit of a shame but well .. we can certainly live with it. The inside of the chassis is spacious. There's plenty of room to work with and very importantly, everything is thought through well. Simple things like the removable motherboard tray, the ease of use in installing storage devices, tool less design for the bigger part. Small rubber strips to prevent the PSU and HDDs from resonating and then the wiring job. Everything has been done with great detail."
This is one of hell of a first effort by Ikonik, and you owe it to yourself to check out this article.
Click here to read the full review.
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AMD Phenom II X4 940 Overclocking
March 4, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
iXBT Labs have posted an informative AMD Phenom II X4 940 overclocking article, with various motherboard and the effect overclocking has on gaming performance.
Here is an excerpt:
"Frankly speaking, we had no doubts that the Dragon would demonstrate its competence in modern games, as we had already tested all parts of this platform. What we really like is that new processors show significantly better overclocking results. It does not cancel our standard recommendations how to choose good coolers, power supply units, and motherboards, of course. But Phenom II is apparently easy to please, as far as the hardware infrastructure is concerned. It's stable and it provides significant performance gains in games, especially in those generating notoriously heavy CPU loads. What else can you wish for a CPU you're going to overclock?"
It's hard to argue with the Phenom II's impressive overclocking capabilities and it is even harder to argue with the impressive gains that result in most games.
Click here to read the full article.
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ASUS & MSI Gaming Notebook Reviews
March 4, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven and Techgage have reviewed gaming-oriented notebooks from ASUS and MSI, in both 15.4" and 17" form-factors.
Here's what they had to say:
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Intel X-25M 80GB Solid State Drive Review
March 4, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Canucks have posted a review of the mighty Intel X-25M 80GB solid state drive (SSD).
Let's see what they had to say:
"Honestly, the only real weakness this unit has in today's market is its high price tag. Any way you slice it, the X-25M is not cheap. This is not unexpected as judging from the performance numbers this thing posts, the R&D that went into it must have cost a small fortune. As such, we all have to accept that any new technology is going to cost early adopters an arm and a leg. If you absolutely, positively have to have the fastest drive out there, the X-25M is definitely the one to get for the time being. In all honesty, if all that is stopping you from pulling the trigger on this bad boy is price, we would seriously consider you go back and check the benchmarks again.
[...]
For this and all the little things which we have gone over in this review we here at HWC are Damn Proud to present the X-25M with our most prestigious award the Dam Good Hardware award. Congratulations, Intel for knocking your first try at mainstream SSDs not only out of the park but into the darn parking lot! We expect this drive to be our high water mark for our SSD reviews for foreseeable future."
Aside from Intel's own X25-E, the X25-M is arguably the best solid state drive on the market, but you are definitely paying for that speed. Those looking for a slightly larger drive that also costs a little less may be interested in the OCZ Apex series.
Click here to read the full review.
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Corsair's Enthusiast ATX Case Revealed
March 3, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Legit Reviews have posted a first look at Corsair's upcoming yet-to-be-named enthusiast ATX case.
Here's an excerpt:
"Corsair likes to try out new things and this time around they have developed a new chassis from the ground up that is clearly aimed at computer enthusiasts. Corsair has a prototype of the yet to be named case on display at CeBIT this week and since we couldn't be there they sent us the following pictures of the original prototype that was designed back in December. Corsair informed us that over 25 changes have been made to the chassis, so these pictures aren't 100% accurate and only show a work in progress."
I am definitely liking the conversative design, sleek hot-swap HDD caddies, and cut-out in the motherboard tray. If the build quality is top-notch, this will undoubtedly be a hot seller.
Click here to read the full article.
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Power Supply Review Roundup - Enermax, Hiper, Xigmatek
March 3, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven, JonnyGURU, PC Perspective, and Tweaknews have reviewed 625W to 1200W power supplies from Enermax, Hiper, and Xigmatek.
Heres's what they had to say:
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Cooler Master V10 CPU Cooler Review
March 3, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Hardware Canucks have posted an impressively thorough review of the Cooler Master V10 CPU cooler.
Here's an excerpt:
"When all is said and done this really is the cooler to beat if you want to go for massive overclocks yet dont want to use exotic cooling (like Dry Ice) and you dont want to get your feet wet with water cooling (or WC based hybrids). It is too bad the V10 is autonomous as we really whish we could have fined tuned its TEC so they would kick in a bit sooner. We are sure we had been able to tweak things a bit, Cooler Master's new brainchild would have easily outperformed any HDT air cooler out there at ALL speeds and temperatures. Cooler Master really needs to spend time tweaking its settings more to allow for greater cooling potential across a wider temperature spectrum as right now a HDT costing less than 25% of the V10 beats it on older 775 quad core systems. This should not be possible and this lack of control really makes it ideal for the more inexperienced crowd who will set it and forget it. If you have used other hybrids and/or water based cooling or any non air-based cooling you will quickly wish you could get under the hood and tweak the V10 to properly fit your system. Honestly, it feels a lot like a car with only two gears forward and reverse."
This is a very impressive (if slightly over-the-top) cooling solution and I'm sure it will appeal to those who want the Biggest & Baddest cooler on the block...just make sure that it fits in your case!
Click here to read the full review.
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Vista vs. Windows 7 VGA Performance Analysis
March 3, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
TweakTown have posted a VGA performance analysis comparing Vista against the upcoming Windows 7 operating system.
Here's what they had to say:
"It was extremely surprising to see just how well Windows 7 VGA performance is coming along. With that said, there are still issues. Initially I wanted to test with the GTX 295, but 3DMark06, Far Cry 2 and PT Boats all crashed.
If SLI was disabled on the card, though, there wasn't an issue. It doesn't comes as any real surprise that SLI is showing troubles under Windows 7 as its still showing troubles under Vista at certain times.
Performance is great, though; the increase under Vantage in its Performance preset is interesting and shows some real potential with future driver releases along with RC versions and the retail release of the operating system."
Windows 7 is doing remarkably well considering its BETA status, and new & improved drivers should further improve the performance.
Click here to read the full article.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 Released & Reviewed
March 3, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
NVIDIA have just released their much-discussed GeForce GTS 250 graphics cards, which is effectively a rebranded GeForce 9800 GTX+ with a *blistering* 10MHz faster core clock speed and the possibility of a 1GB configuration.
Let's see what the reviewers had to say:
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Antec Nine Hundred Two ATX Case Review
March 2, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
DriverHeaven and Hardware Secrets have reviewed the new Antec Nine Hundred Two, which is an improved version of the immensely popular Nine Hundred.
Here's what they had to say:
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Crucial Ballistix Tracer 6GB PC3-12800 Memory Kit Review
March 2, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Bjorn3D and TweakTown have posted reviews of the Crucial Ballistix Tracer 6GB PC3-12800 triple-channel memory kit.
Let's see what they had to say:
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OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator Review
March 2, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
TweakTown have posted a review of the one-of-a-kind OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator, a mind-controlled input device.
Here's an excerpt:
"Once you have calibrated your device then you can begin training to use the functions under the practice mode. It is useful to know at this point that the trigger actions that will work best for the NIA are moving your eyes left to right, like you would for a shifty glance, whilst also clenching your jaw tightly.
The practice game makes use of the retro classic, Pong, to train your jaw muscle movement. For the eyes, it is best to use the tweaking tools under the profile wizard to set the trigger boundaries.
The NIA software will then map your responses into key-presses to use in-game. There are several default setups you can choose from and even a couple of downloadable ones from the official website, but you will want to spend some time calibrating and tweaking it to your preferences."
Click here to read the full review.
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Solid State Drive Review Roundup - MTRON, OCZ, Patriot
March 2, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Guru3D, Legit Reviews, and TweakTown have reviewed 32B to 128GB solid state drives (SSDs) from MTRON, OCZ, and Patriot.
Let's see what they had to say:
- Guru3D: Patriot Warp v2 Series 128GB SSD Review:
"Other then price and volume there's very little for me to not recommend a drive such as the Patriot Warp V2 128Gb model SSD. It's gorgeous, very speedy. I can only imagine how their V3 256GB model will perform .. that's a good amount faster as well.
The drive as shown today can be picked up for roughly 300 USD. If you are eBay savvy you'll notice that you can find them even for 250 USD, and while that's still 1.95 USD per gigabyte we can conclude that SSD drives have reached a turning point. It entered the middle segment of the high-end market."
Click here to read the full review.
- Legit Reviews: OCZ Apex Series 120GB SATA II SSD Review:
"If you have been itching to pick up an SSD and have the money to do so, the OCZ Apex SSD is a solid performer, meeting rated specifications with a relatively affordable price tag for an MLC SSD at this capacity. I have no problems recommending this product, especially knowing that OCZ is readily available to respond to any possible questions you may have."
Click here to read the full review.
- TweakTown: MTRON PRO 7500 32GB 2.5-inch SLC Solid State Disk Review:
"At this point the PRO 7500 is still a class leading product worthy of praise, but the benchmarks show just how close the competing products are catching up.
The high cost of the enterprise SLC drives is still high and as such will keep typical users at bay. From my observations the PRO 7500 is best kept in the server room. We would have liked to test in this environment, but global demand has been high for the PRO so our access to three or more drives was cut short. In reality, it is difficult to even justify a single drive review of enterprise drives, but sometimes you must make concessions and just take what you can get."
Click here to read the full review.
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4-Way Multi-GPU Performance Analysis
March 2, 2009 - Patrick "MACMAC" MacMillan
Anandtech have just tested the performance of various 4-way multi-GPUconfigurations from ATI and NVIDIA.
Here's an excerpt:
"So this may come as a surprise to some, but the AMD Radeon HD 4870 1GB Quad CrossFire leads in our benchmarks when focusing on the resolution that matters for this hardware (2560x1600).
While driver issues and a lack of other "stuff" like PhysX and CUDA to do matter with GPUs in situations where hardware doesn't scale, the AMD solution leads the GeForce GTX 295 in more benchmarks (Age of Conan, Left 4 Dead, and Far Cry 2), and ties the NVIDIA solution in one title (Fallout 3). Not shown in our numbers is Race Driver GRID, as we have a continuing issue in FRAPS that gets in the way of recording performance numbers with 4-way NVIDIA solutions. We were able to watch frame rate, however, and it was clear that the NVIDIA hardware didn't reach the performance levels of AMD hardware in GRID."
This article is definitely worth a look, if only out of sheer curiosity!
Click here to read the full review.
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Top 20 3DMark Vantage Movers & Shakers
March 2, 2009 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Welcome back to our weekly look at the top 3DMark Vantage scores submitted to the online result browser (ORB). Shaking things up this week, we have six new entries spanning three of the four categories. How high did they manage to climb? Read on to find out:
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Entry Preset Top 20:
7. E59619 Team Hardy
13. E54522 SeeKer www.refuge-guild.de || Gigabyte X58-UD5 || 6gb ram || i7 920 || 295 Quad Sli
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Performance Preset Top 20:
12. P35407 [Shark OC Team] Naka
14. P33694 hallowen_np1
18. P32283 sylpheed
New to the 3DMark Vantage - Extreme Preset Top 20:
5. X21099 SeeKer www.refuge-guild.de || Gigabyte X58-UD5 6gb ram || i7 920 || 295 Quad Sli
A big congrats to everyone on the awesome scores! Looks like you're putting those GTX 295's to good use. :)
Anyways, keep up the great work guys and gals. And remember, you can keep track of the top scores throughout the week by visiting our Hall of Fame. Until next time!
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- CPU3D: Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler Review:
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