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2 Minutes for Ubuntu Eye Candy
Tuesday June 30 @ 08:52:01 GMT +02:00 
Bunftu posted a brief guide about configuring Compiz under Ubuntu Linux

When taking a look at "CompizConfig Settings Manager" in Ubuntu it can be a little overwhelming when considering all the possible combinations available to us. Often when you set up a couple effects, it seems that you rarely ever see them, or they have to be self induced. Even when we place an effect on a common task we quickly become bored with the same effect happening time and time again.

After taking a closer look at the "Animations" panel located inside "CompizConfig Settings Manager". I took a close look at the “Window Match” string and compiled my own string to include as many “Window Match” keywords as possible.

2 Minutes for Ubuntu Eye Candy
 
Mainstream Graphics Card Roundup
Tuesday June 30 @ 08:49:36 GMT +02:00 
Tom's Hardware Guide posted a Mainstream Graphics Card Roundup

When it comes to graphics cards, the upper crust of the mid-range is perhaps your best bet for snagging great performance at a reasonable price. In order to deliver the goods without breaking the bank, vendors usually equip their cards with enhanced cooling solutions or a bit of extra graphics RAM.

If you're only comparing 3D performance, the difference between these mid-range cards and those you'd find at the very top of our latest graphics charts is less than what you might think. While the GeForce GTX 285 may be the fastest single-GPU card around, a GeForce GTX 260 or a Radeon HD 4870 doesn't lag behind by much. If you can live with that relatively minor difference, you stand to save between $100 to $150 or more.

Mainstream Graphics Card Roundup

 
Windows 7 Upgrade deal maxes out at 25 PCs
Tuesday June 30 @ 08:34:00 GMT +02:00 
Mary-Jo Foley posted a news story that the Windows 7 upgrade offer for Windows Vista PCs is only valid for the first 25 machines.

Via the program, users who purchase new PCs with Windows Vista preloaded from participating PC makers and retailers, as of June 26, will get coupons entitling them to a free copy of Windows 7 some time on or after October 22. The fine print: As InformationWeek noted, the Upgrade Option program maxes out at 25 upgrade coupons per customer.

Windows 7 Upgrade deal maxes out at 25 PCs
 
Asus Crosshair III Formula motherboard Review
Tuesday June 30 @ 08:26:05 GMT +02:00 
TechSpot posted a review on the Asus Crosshair III Formula motherboard

A quote from the article:

Roughly a year ago we reviewed the Asus Crosshair II Formula, based on the Nvidia nForce 780a SLI chipset. This board provided those who were brave enough to pick up a Phenom processor with a stable platform that sported a number of impressive features such as Triple-SLI. At the time we said the Crosshair II Formula was a well designed motherboard that was let down by a power hungry chipset and sub-par processors.

But AMD managed to turn things around when they released the Phenom II X4 with models clocked at 2.8GHz and 3.0GHz. And now with the Phenom II X4 955 in their arsenal, AMD is finally starting to look like they mean business.

Now after much anticipation AMD has a processor that really deserves a quality high-end motherboard. The new Crosshair III Formula dumps the Nvidia chipset for the popular AMD 790FX and as a result drops SLI support for CrossFireX. This latest Asus motherboard comes stocked with just about everything in traditional ROG (Republic Of Gamers) fashion.

Asus Crosshair III Formula motherboard Review
 
 
Why You Should Buy a Netbook
Tuesday June 30 @ 08:18:28 GMT +02:00 

Futurelooks gives you some good reasons for getting a netbook

It seems that netbooks are the hottest things since sliced bread. At the same time, you might remember my article a while back that explained why netbooks are already obsolete. In the interest of fairness and balance, I thought it would only be fitting to give the flip side of that argument, discussing the reasons why a netbook should be an integral part of your digital lifestyle.

Why You Should Buy a Netbook

 
ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell Netbook Review
Tuesday June 30 @ 08:07:19 GMT +02:00 

Techgage.com posted a review of ASUS' recently-launched Eee PC, the 1008HA Seashell

A quote from the article:

With an incredible number of netbooks available on the market, how does one compete? With ASUS and their 1008HA (Seashell), the simple answer is to make not a faster notebook, but a feature-rich netbook with a better design. The 1008HA delivers on both counts, with the best netbook design we've seen to date and other bonuses on the software front.

ASUS Eee PC 1008HA Seashell Netbook Review

 
 
 
Microsoft Security Essentials (Codename Morro) Review
Tuesday June 23 @ 08:52:01 GMT +02:00 
TechReviewSource.com posted a review on Microsoft Security Essentials

A quote from the article:

Microsoft is set to release the beta version of the successor to its anti-virus & malware program Windows Live OneCare, named Microsoft Security Essentials, on Tuesday, June 23rd in a limited release. Code named Morro, it includes a new interface, some new features, and a price tag of free. Microsoft says it expects to release the final version by the end of 2009 and it hopes that everyone will make use of it to provide basic worldwide protection from viruses and malware.

Microsoft Security Essentials (Codename Morro) Review
 
ASUS Xonar DS PCI sound card review
Tuesday June 23 @ 08:49:36 GMT +02:00 
Elite Bastards posted a review on the ASUS Xonar DS PCI sound card
A quote from the article:

Compared to the larger PCBs, complete with EMI shield, that we're used to seeing from ASUS' Xonar parts, the Xonar DS is certainly diminutive, doubtless taking some hints from the small form factor of Auzentech's X-Fi Forte which proved that audio quality needn't be compromised by using a small physical PCB. Also of note here is that the OPAMPs used by the Xonar DS can be replaced by the user if you're looking for even higher quality analogue audio output.

ASUS Xonar DS PCI sound card review
 
How to Run Linux in a Virtual Desktop
Tuesday June 23 @ 08:34:00 GMT +02:00 
Bjorn3D posted an article about how to run Linux in a virtual desktop

Virtual PC has been around for some time now, with the latest version being Virtual PC 2007. While the term virtual machine thrown around a bit, it's important to make the distinction: Virtual PC creates a virtual machine on your computer, but Virtual PC is the software created by Microsoft to perform that task. Some will be surprised to hear that Virtual PC is free, the full download is available from Microsoft's website.

How to Run Linux in a Virtual Desktop

 
Seagate FreeAgent Theater Review
Tuesday June 23 @ 08:26:05 GMT +02:00 
The TechZone has posted a review of the Seagate FreeAgent Theater

A quote from the article:

At its core, that's the idea behind the Seagage FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player Solution. By their own branding, this device will let you bring all your stuff to your home theater.

Seagate FreeAgent Theater Review
 
 
Sapphire HD 4850 Toxic Review
Tuesday June 23 @ 08:18:28 GMT +02:00 

Neoseekers takes a look at the Sapphire HD 4850 Toxic video card
A quote from the article:

Instead of the fancy VaporX cooling solution we saw on the Toxic 4870, you'll receive a ball bearing cooler from Zalman. It uses only 512MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 2200MHz and has a slightly overclocked core (675MHz). The Toxic 4850 is nothing more than a normal 4850, but for many consumers, that is more then enough power.

Sapphire HD 4850 Toxic Review

 
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 CPU Review
Tuesday June 23 @ 08:07:19 GMT +02:00 

HotHardware.com posted a review on the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 CPU
A quote from the article:

It was not too long ago that the web was buzzing with dual-core versus quad-core debates. Sides were taken and lines were drawn. At that time, one of the main arguments against quad-core processors was their high asking price. But as time passed and manufacturing refinements were made, costs steadily decreased and quad-cores found their way into the more mainstream market segments. And before you knew it, a price war was imminent.

Intel and AMD have been going at one another for years. With AMD unable to compete well at the ultra high-end of the market, however, their focus shifted towards the mainstream market segments. As always, Intel responded and their most recent salvo comes in the form the affordable Core 2 Quad Q8400 processor. Since the Q9400, a 2.66GHz Yorkfield quad-core, was already on the market, why did Intel feel the need to release another, affordable quad-core model? One reason could be to increase yield and utilize dies that would otherwise be discarded. Another reason would be to position another product at the same price point as AMD's. Whatever the case may be, competition is always good for the consumer as it usually drives prices lower and provides more options to choose from. With that in mind, let's take a look at the Intel Core 2 Quad 8400 to see if it's worthy of consideration for your next build...

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 CPU Review

 
 
GMABooster 2.0a
Tuesday June 16 @ 08:52:01 GMT +02:00 
The world's first and only perfomance boost solution for Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator series.

Dear visitor, You are one click away from downloading a GMABooster, the world's first and only perfomance boost solution for Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator series (currently supported chipsets: Intel® 945GM/GME/GMS/GSE and 943/940GML/GU Express featuring GMA 950).

Offering up to an astonishing 2.4x of extra processing power for Your computer's integrated graphics engine, the GMABooster is a must-have tool for every user interested in advanced 3D gaming, truly flawless Windows® Vista and Mac® OS X experience, smoother operation of Google® Earth, improved video playback, and perfomance gain in a variety of professional applications!

One might ask: 2.4x boost without adjusting the voltage (right, Your hardware will not be exposed in any way!), how is it possible?
Please read here to find out.

Why wait? Try GMABooster Yourself and experience the 2.2x extra MTriangles/sec in Multitexturing test and 1.8x extra FPS in Pixel Shader test (Source: FutureMark® 3DMark® '06). Try it Yourself and experience a solid boost of vital minimum FPS in the demanding games and a truly flawless Aero Glass experience in Windows® Vista!

GMABooster is a free ("donateware") program, available for Windows®, Mac® OS and Linux®. You can endlessly use it without charge: just download a new weekly build once the previous weekly build has expired. However, if You like GMABooster and use it often, You are welcome to make a voluntary donation. In appreciation for donors' generosity, every donor will be supplied with a Personal Serial Number and will be able to register his/her copy of GMABooster. The gift is, a given Number, once entered, permanently disables the expiration date check!


Download
 
Corsair HX850 850W PSU Review
Tuesday June 16 @ 08:49:36 GMT +02:00 
JonnyGURU.com posted a review on the Corsair HX850 850W PSU

A quote from the article:

It seems an eternity since the last time Corsair released a modular power supply in their high performance HX line of units, and there has been a good deal of speculation around the net on when Corsair was going to finally release something in the 750W-850W range to better compete with the likes of the Seasonic M12D and Antec Signature units at that level.

Well, the waiting is over because Corsair is releasing two new units at 750W and 850W to fill the void. Today, I'm looking at the larger of the two units in the HX850.

Corsair HX850 850W PSU Review
 
G.Skill Falcon 128GB SSD Review
Tuesday June 16 @ 08:34:00 GMT +02:00 
Hardware Canucks posted a review of the new G.Skill Falcon 128GB SSD

A quote from the article:

While SSDs may be a dime a dozen, there are very few drives out there that could be counted as a viable alternative to the ages-old hard disk drive. Stutter issues as well as general performance pitfalls have kept these expensive products to niche markets instead of making serious inroads as people's OS drives. G.Skill's Falcon series promises to rectify all that. But can it?

G.Skill Falcon 128GB SSD Review
 
80-way Thermal Interface Material Performance Test
Tuesday June 16 @ 08:26:05 GMT +02:00 
Benchmark Reviews posted 80-way Thermal Interface Material Performance Test

Prior to our 33-Way Thermal Compound Comparison article published back in March 2008, there had not been another project of its size available online. So when Benchmark Reviews revealed our test results, it was a surprise to find that many overclockers had been ill-informed by marketing hype and misleading enthusiast opinions. Benchmark Reviews later published several other complimentary articles for performance hardware enthusiasts, offering an instructional guide on Thermal Paste Application Methods and testing for the Best CPU Cooler Performance. As the author to both of those articles, I have discovered that the most critical factors pertaining to thermal cooling performance seems to be overlooked. In this massive follow-up article, which was built from entirely new project data taking over one year of research to publish, our collection of test material has grown to include every product we could acquire from the marketplace. Benchmark Reviews has received advice of industry experts, manufacturers, and elite overclockers to bring you this comprehensive 80-Way Thermal Interface Material cooling performance comparison benchmark test.

80-way Thermal Interface Material Performance Test

 
 
MSI 285GTX Superpipe Review
Tuesday June 16 @ 08:18:28 GMT +02:00 

Bjorn3D takes a look at the MSI 285GTX Superpipe.

A quote from the article:

I myself look at what that manufacturer uses for a heatsink on their video card. Yes, getting extra software, having an overclocked video card are all niceties but what's the point in getting a video card when you might need to spend an extra 30-50 dollars on top of your video card for a good GPU cooler that will make sure the video card stays cool at all times. Not to mention the possibilities of 'WHAT IF' that GPU cooler does not properly work, or gets installed wrong, what then?

MSI has been one of the top manufacturers that uses an aftermarket cooler for thier video cards. The 285GTX Superpipe is no exception to MSI's continuation of quality, not to mention their ability to think outside the box when it concerns thier products.

MSI 285GTX Superpipe Review

 
MSI: Dual CoreCenter 2.0.5.9
Tuesday June 16 @ 08:07:19 GMT +02:00 

MSI hardware monitor, overclock, fan control tool & voltage control.

Support list :

MB:
MS-7173(v2.2),MS-7176(v3.0),MS-7226(v1.0,v2.0),MS-7235(v2.1),MS-7236 v2.5,MS-7238,MS-7241(v1.1),MS-7246(v2.2),MS-7250(v1.0),MS-7253(v1.1),MS-7255(v1.2,v2.0),MS-7267(v3.0,v4.0),MS-7280,MS-7309(v1.2),MS-7317 v1.0,MS-7320 v1.0,MS-7325,MS-7331v1.0,MS-7337,MS-7338,MS-7345,MS-7346,MS-7349 v1.0,MS-7350,MS-7356 v1.0,MS-7357,MS-7358 v1.0,MS-7359 v1.0,MS-7360,MS-7362,MS-7364,MS-7365,MS-7382,MS-7383(v1.0,v2.0) MS-7387 v0A,MS-7392

VGA:(full function support model)
ati: V044
nvidia: V046,V060,V069
v1.0.2.5 start to support all nVidia/ATI AGP/PCI-E VGA Card

OS : Windows XP32,Vista32/64 (not support XP64)

Download

 
 
Microsoft Office 2010 Consumer Technical Preview (CTP) Review
Tuesday, May
19 @ 08:41:59 GMT +02:00 
TechReviewSource posted a review on the Microsoft Office 2010 Consumer Technical Preview

A quote from the article:

Microsoft recently announced the consumer technical preview (CTP) of Microsoft Office 2010, which was shown to attendees of Microsoft's TechNet conference. TechReviewSource.com has reviewed the CTP before its scheduled release date (July 2009) and check it out. Microsoft has changed around a few things, especially when it comes to the "ribbon" menu integration across all programs in the suite and a few other features with regards to productivity.

Microsoft Office 2010 Consumer Technical Preview (CTP) Review
 
 
ATI Catalyst 9.5 Vista Driver Analysis
Tuesday, May
19 @ 08:41:59 GMT +02:00 
TweakTown posted ATI Catalyst 9.5 Vista Driver Analysis

This is a bit of an interesting release. Another website late last week leaked the Catalyst 9.5 drivers out; these didn't seem to be a beta, though, for the plain fact that they seemed to be WHQL certified. It's also not that uncommon for WHQL drivers to show up a few days before they are seen on the Game.AMD website.

With the drivers not showing on the Game.AMD website yet we don't have any release notes on what to expect from the latest driver release. So with that said, we'll be winging it a bit and just taking everything as it comes. So let's not delay any longer and check out the testbed then we’ll get stuck into the performance side of things to see what exactly is on offer from the Catalyst 9.5s.

ATI Catalyst 9.5 Vista Driver Analysis
 
 
Ubuntu 64-bit More Competitive Against Mac OS X
Tuesday, May
19 @ 08:39:54 GMT +02:00 
Phoronix compared Ubuntu 64-bit against Mac OS X


Last week we published Ubuntu 9.04 vs. Mac OS X 10.5.6 benchmarks where we compared the performance of these two popular operating systems on a Mac Mini. With the OS X kernel currently being 32-bit but with support for 64-bit applications, we had used the 32-bit version of Ubuntu 9.04. In a majority of the Leopard operating system from Apple outperformed Canonical's Jaunty Jackalope, but today we are adding in the results from an Ubuntu 64-bit installation. As you can see from the results, the x86_64 version of Ubuntu Linux is more competitive against Mac OS X 10.5.6.

Ubuntu 64-bit More Competitive Against Mac OS X
 
 
OCZ Z-Drive Sneak Peek - 4 SSDs, One PCIe Card
Tuesday, May
19 @ 08:28:37 GMT +02:00 
HotHardware posted a preview on the OCZ Z-Drive


It's not all that often that we post something up in the news just for the drool factor alone. However, we'd go so far as to say that this little slab of circuitry classifies as a proverbial technological "hey-now!" .

That said, we will offer one very large caveat that what you're about to see is a VERY early stage design prototype of OCZ's upcoming Z-Drive SSD RAID PCI Express card. In other words, drool for now but you can't and won't ever be able to buy this little gem as you see it here. However, the product's base design approach will remain largely unchanged when it hits the market (soon we hope).

Alright then, commence the salivation process...

OCZ Z-Drive Sneak Peek - 4 SSDs, One PCIe Card
 
QPAD CT KODE5 DOTA Limited Edition Review
Tuesday, May
19 @ 08:21:19 GMT +02:00 
Vortez Hardware posted a review on the QPAD CT KODE5 DOTA Limited Edition


A quote from the article:

QPAD remain a respected brand in the world of gaming, providing some of the finest gaming surfaces available to gamers. We have had the pleasure in the past of reviewing some of these gaming pads and have been impressed with the quality and standard QPAD set. Today we have the delight of reviewing the QPAD CT KODE5 DOTA Limited Edition.

QPAD CT KODE5 DOTA Limited Edition Review
 
ASUS W90 18.4" Notebook - A True Desktop Replacement
Tuesday, May
19 @ 08:15:35 GMT +02:00 
Techgage.com posted a review on the ASUS W90 18.4" Notebook

Looking for a modest notebook? Turn around and walk away! ASUS has sent us their W90 "Republic of Gamers" notebook, which although they don't call it as such, is a perfect desktop replacement. It offers incredible gaming ability (with an X2 ATI card), a Quad-Core processor, a massive display (18.4") and a whole lot more.

ASUS W90 18.4" Notebook - A True Desktop Replacement
 
Asus M3A78-T Motherboard AM3 Reverse Compatibility Review
Tuesday, May
19 @ 08:01:21 GMT +02:00 
Hi Tech Legion posted a review on the Asus M3A78-T Motherboard AM3 Reverse Compatibility

A quote from the article:

The Asus M3A78-T motherboard packs into its board many useful features for just about any mainstream user. The Asus M3A78-T accommodates AMD AM2/AM2+ socket CPUs with reverse compatibility. The Asus M3A78-T features the AMD 790GX chipset with integrated graphics, support for CrossFireX technology, and DDR2 memory support. The Asus M3A78-T has a very user friendly layout with all the features expected of modern motherboards, with upgradability on a budget in mind.

Asus M3A78-T Motherboard AM3 Reverse Compatibility Review
 
 
ATI Radeon HD 4890 vs. Nvidia GeForce GTX 275
Tuesday, May
12 @ 08:41:59 GMT +02:00 
TechSpot compared the ATI Radeon HD 4890 against Nvidia GeForce GTX 275

Starting with the Radeon HD 4890, this new card is in essence an overclocked Radeon HD 4870 with far greater overclocking abilities. ATI has fine-tuned the RV790 XT core allowing for incredible core frequencies. The GeForce GTX 275 is also a derivative from an existing product, borrowing its GPU from the GeForce GTX 295, which is a dual-GPU graphics card. The GTX 275 uses a 55nm GPU featuring the same amount of SPUs and TAUs as the more powerful GeForce GTX 285, while only as many ROPs as the GeForce GTX 260.

Today we will put both cards to the test and find out which is faster in a wide range of games using the latest drivers. We will also be looking at their maximum overclocked performance to help you decide which is the best value option for enthusiasts and PC gamers alike.

ATI Radeon HD 4890 vs. Nvidia GeForce GTX 275
 
 
HTC Touch Diamond2 Review
Tuesday, May
12 @ 08:39:54 GMT +02:00 
IT Pro published a review of the HTC Touch Diamond2

A quote from the article:

There's no denying that the HTC Touch Diamond was a revolution for HTC. It brought the business-based Windows Mobile phone to the masses, which meant that for many, it was no longer necessary to carry both separate
business and personal device.

However, the one rather big problem with the HTC Touch Diamond was that despite HTCs Touch Flo 3D, the 'quirky' Windows Mobile interface was still too much in evidence, not as well hidden under a shell as it needed to be and this made it quite a task to use seamlessly. The screen was sometimes unresponsive and you often needed to use the stylus for scrolling, emailing or texting. Even dialling was hard without one.

Thankfully though the HTC Touch Diamond2, is a device that irons out almost every single crease in the HTC Touch Diamond's brow.

HTC Touch Diamond2 Review
 
 
ATI RADEON HD 4890 Crossfire Video Card Setup
Tuesday, May
12 @ 08:28:37 GMT +02:00 
PCShopTalk posted a review on the ATI RADEON HD 4890 Crossfire Video Card

In the ATI Overdrive menu, we can see that we can select the GPU to configure from the drop-down menu, and, depending on the card, we can set the GPU clocks, the Memory clocks and we can also set the fan speed for each card, independently. In this menu we can also see the Current values of the GPU/Memory clocks, which usually show when no 3D application is on the 2D clocks, which are in this case 240/975. On the right side, there can be seen the temperature for each GPU, the activity percent and the fan speed percent.

ATI RADEON HD 4890 Crossfire Video Card Setup
 
ASUS Rampage II GENE Review
Tuesday, May
12 @ 08:21:19 GMT +02:00 
InsideHW.com has reviewed ASUS Rampage II GENE motherboard


A quote from the article:

After Rampage II Extreme motherboard ASUS engineers couldn't sit still and they surprised us with another top-quality motherboard but in many senses completely different from its predecessor. Since high-class users and overclockers were "covered" by Extreme edition this time ASUS created something very different: motherboard in microATX format. Before this motherboard, microATX format was reserved for motherboards with very limited features that were used as base for brand configurations. ASUS with Rampage II GENE is changing this perception of microATX format.

ASUS Rampage II GENE Review
 
Remembering Apogee & 3D Realms
Tuesday, May
12 @ 08:15:35 GMT +02:00 
Techgage.com take a look at the history and accomplishments of Apogee Software (3D Realms)


The news of 3D Realms demise hit the Internet like a ton of bricks last week, and to say it's disappointing would be a major understatement. As a developer that's been around for over 20 years, they have a lot to boast about today. Read on as we take a stroll down memory lane, and see just what it was that made Apogee so innovative and unique.

Remembering Apogee & 3D Realms
 
Test Updates Coming for the Windows 7 RC
Tuesday, May
12 @ 08:01:21 GMT +02:00 
Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc reports that Microsoft will release up to ten test updates to PCs running the Windows 7 RC in order to verify our ability to deliver and manage updating of Windows 7 in certain real-life scenarios.

These updates do not deliver any new features or fixes. This is the second set of test updates we’ve released to test the updating mechanism for Windows 7 - the first set were released on February 24.

Test Updates Coming for the Windows 7 RC
 
 
ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution X58 Motherboard Review
Tuesday, May
05 @ 08:41:59 GMT +02:00 
TweakTown posted a review on the ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution X58 Motherboard

A quote from the article:

When X58 was first announced there were rumours about its graphics card support. Would it get SLI approval from NVIDIA and would it still support Crossfire? - Originally NVIDIA specified that X58 would need to use an nForce 200 PCIe bridge chip to run SLI, but a lot of pressure was put on NVIDIA from all of the motherboard companies and SLI support was granted to X58 through a native setup allowing two or three cards. However, Intel’s 3-way SLI still requires a 16/8/8 setup; not the fastest out there, but still good enough. NVIDIA still recommended its nForce 200 chipset for best performance SLI.

To this end ASUS has finally produced its first X58 board paired with the nForce 200 chip. This has given ASUS the ability to provide the board three PCI Express x16 slots as well as three extra x16 slots in a variety of modes, which we will explain later.

ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution X58 Motherboard Review
 
 
CPU Cooler Roundup - 23 Heatsinks for Intel/AMD Compared
Tuesday, May
05 @ 08:39:54 GMT +02:00 
Madshrimps posted a CPU Cooler Roundup


After 200 Hours of testing we are proud to present our first CPU Cooler Roundup of 2009, featuring a 23 different products compared to the best out there; make use of our dynamic chart generator to compare up to 72 Intel/AMD heatsinks.

CPU Cooler Roundup - 23 Heatsinks for Intel/AMD Compared
 
 
Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 Review
Tuesday, May
05 @ 08:28:37 GMT +02:00 
Hi Tech Legion posted a review on the Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5

A quote from the article:

The Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 is a great start for upgrading from that old card. The Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 by Sapphire is based on 40nm process technology. The HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 is very energy efficient, thanks to the new 40nm technology. The Radeon HD 4770 supports DirectX 10.1 for better performance during lighting and rendering in gameplay. The HD 4770 512MB is able to process physics in games, which your old card may not be able to, and the HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 can support HDMI output, with 7.1 digital surround sound, for an intense movie and gaming experience.

Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 Review
 
Sapphire HD 4890 Atomic Edition Review
Tuesday, May
05 @ 08:21:19 GMT +02:00 
OCC has published a new review on the Sapphire HD 4890 Atomic Edition


A quote from the article:

The Sapphire HD 4890 Atomic Edition is a ready to be a prime time player. In the single GPU field, the GTX 285 has been the undisputed king of the mountain, and usually carries the title of the fastest single GPU card on the market. It now has competition in this category, as the HD 4890 Atomic puts a serious dent in the performance gap between ATI and Nvidia. So much so that when pushed, the Atomic HD 4890 even pulled ahead of the factory overclocked GTX 285 in more than a couple tests. Not quite there, but getting much closer. What makes this card appealing to me is the fact that Sapphire has once again gone out and produced a video card using their own PCB, with improved voltage regulation, added their own Vapor-X cooling, and delivered a factory overclocked video card that serves notice that ATI will not allow Nvidia to rest on its laurels. Usually you wait months for a card like this to appear, but Sapphire wasted no time bringing this one to market.

Sapphire HD 4890 Atomic Edition Review
 
Kingston 80GB SSDNow M Series Drive Review
Tuesday, May
05 @ 08:15:35 GMT +02:00 
Legit Reviews posted Kingston 80GB SSDNow M Series Drive


A quote from the article:

Kingston's line of SSDNow solid-state drives (SSD) rounds out its suite of enterprise products. The SSDNow M Series uses Intel solid-state drives, which are said to be the best-performing drives on the market. Read on to see how the Kingston SNM125-S2/80GB does against seven other 2.5" drives!

Kingston 80GB SSDNow M Series Drive Review
 
Samsung YP-P3JCB MP3 Player Review
Tuesday, May
05 @ 08:01:21 GMT +02:00 
Computer & Consumer Electronics has posted a new review on the Samsung YP-P3 MP3 Player

A quote from the article:

The Samsung P3 is a very good player, and makes a great addition for any avid music listener. The design is very stylish, and the improved interface is very intuitive and works like a charm. The haptic feedback adds a lot of value to the player, and the glass touch screen is very accurate. The ability to just drag and drop your music into the player is also a plus, and the Bluetooth connectivity with headsets and mobile phones makes room for a lot of options.

Samsung YP-P3JCB MP3 Player Review
 
 
Mozilla Firefox 3 3.0.10
Tuesday, April
28 @ 08:41:59 GMT +02:00 
A free, open-source web browser featuring tabbed browsing, popup blocking and more.

Mozilla Firefox project (formerly Firebird, which was formerly Phoenix) is a redesign of Mozilla's browser component, written using the XUL user interface language and designed to be cross-platform.

Mozilla Firefox is a small, fast and very easy to use browser that offers many advantages over other web browsers, such as the ability to block pop-up windows and the tabbed browsing.

FireTune for Mozilla Firefox was developed for an easy and fast optimization of your browsing experience with Firefox.

Download
 
 
Windows Vista SP 2 Nearing Release
Tuesday, April
28 @ 08:39:54 GMT +02:00 
ActiveWin reports that a Windows Vista SP2 Prerequisites update is coming via Windows Update on April 28, 2009


A "Windows Vista SP2 Prerequisites" update is coming via Windows Update on April 28, 2009. Showing that Service Pack 2 is expected early next month.

Update for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista (KB955430)

Locale: All
Deployment: Important/Automatic Updates, WSUS, and Catalog
Classification: High Priority, Non-Security
Target platforms: Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista
Approximate file sizes:
Windows Server 2008 for IA-64 update: ~ 14268KB
Windows Server 2008/Windows Vista update: ~ 4287KB
Windows Server 2008 x64/Windows Vista x64 update: ~ 10148KB

Windows Vista SP 2 Nearing Release
 
 
Windows 7 FAQ
Tuesday, April
28 @ 08:28:37 GMT +02:00 
Paul Thurrott updated his Windows 7 FAQ for the release candidate


With Windows Vista finally behind us, it's time to turn our attention to the next Windows client release, Windows 7. (Microsoft had used other code-names, like "Vienna" and "Windows Seven," to describe this product in the past. Clearly, what's needed is a central location for accurate information about Windows 7, from a source you can trust. This is it.

Windows 7 FAQ
 
Crossfire vs SLI Performance Comparison Review
Tuesday, April
28 @ 08:21:19 GMT +02:00 
OCC has published a new review on a Crossfire vs SLI Performance Comparison


A quote from the article:

When you look at the scaling in performance you get from going to a quad GPU setup, it is not going to be anywhere near 100% in most cases. There were a few instances where the scaling on the HD 4850x2 and HD 4870x2 scaled closed to 100% - which was a real surprise. This was the exception, and not the rule. In turn, there were games where there was no scaling whatsoever with cards in CrossFireX, while the SLI combo scaled well. That's something that could be a driver fix, to enable better CrossFire support in games. To use all this video horsepower, you will need a monitor that runs no less than a 1920x1200 resolution, as anything else means you are just throwing money away. The ideal solution is to go with that 30+ inch monitor you have been lusting over to take advantage of the firepower. Currently, Nvidia and its SLI technology is the performance winner here, on this system, with the drivers and video cards tested. The numbers are the numbers, and this is what they show. ATI has great price points, but they just can't deliver overpowering performance for that price. On the other hand, Nvidia delivers the performance but at a steeper price. The old adage "you have to pay to play" comes to mind here.

Crossfire vs SLI Performance Comparison Review
 
Gigabyte P55 Core i5 motherboard spotted
Tuesday, April
28 @ 08:15:35 GMT +02:00 
PC Perspective send words that the first Gigabyte P55 Core i5 motherboard has been spotted

At a recent Gigabyte Overclocking event in the LA area, PC Perspective editor Steve Grever caught sight of an upcoming Gigabyte motherboard based on the P55 chipset for the upcoming Intel Core i5 processors; the same we recently discussed delays about.

Gigabyte P55 Core i5 motherboard spotted
 
HP's Pavilion dv2 ultraportable notebook
Tuesday, April
28 @ 08:01:21 GMT +02:00 
The Tech Report posted a review on HP's Pavilion dv2 ultraportable notebook


HP aims to put netbooks on notice with a new Pavilion dv2 ultraportable whose svelte 12" body is packed with a 1280x800 display, Athlon 64 CPU, discrete Radeon GPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive—all for $750. Let's see how it measures up in the real world.

HP's Pavilion dv2 ultraportable notebook
 
 
 
Game Booster 1.0 Final
Tuesday, April
21 @ 08:41:59 GMT +02:00 
Freeware designed to help optimize your PC for smoother, more responsive game play. From the author of Advanced System Care and Iobit Smart Defrag. A Majorgeeks premiere!

Designed to help optimize your PC for smoother, more responsive game play in the latest PC games with the touch of a button, Game Booster helps achieve the performance edge previously only available to highly technical enthusiasts. It works by temporarily shutting down background processes, cleaning RAM, and intensifying processor performance. That means you can keep all the features of Microsoft® Windows Vista® and XP® ready for when you need them, but turn them off when you are ready to get down to serious business – gaming. Game Booster makes it simpler to enjoy the latest games and take your experience to a new level. All systems go!
 

Download

 
 
Silverstone Raven RV01 Chassis Review
Tuesday, April
21 @ 08:39:54 GMT +02:00 
Driverheaven takes a look at the Silverstone Raven RV01 Chassis

A quote from the article:

Today we are going to be looking at the SilverStone Raven, a case which completely changes the way in which manufacturers usually go about designing their interiors by positioning the motherboard at a 90 degree angle, which in turn allows the physics of nature to take their course in a beneficial manner with the stack effect.

Silverstone Raven RV01 Chassis Review
 
 
Saitek Cyborg Review
Tuesday, April
21 @ 08:28:37 GMT +02:00 
PureOverclock posted a review on the Saitek Cyborg

A quote from the article:

Today we take a look at a new rodent that promises innovation, functionality, and an affordable price to boot: the Saitek Cyborg gaming mouse. The Cyborg certainly looks different, and it does have some very unique features, but how does it work and feel when chasing down the little noobies in a busy CS:S or CoD:WaW server? Let's take a closer look and find out.

Saitek Cyborg Review
 
Caustic Graphics Ray Tracing Acceleration Technology Review
Tuesday, April
21 @ 08:21:19 GMT +02:00 
PC Perspective posted a review on Caustic Graphics Ray Tracing Acceleration Technology

A quote from the article:

Caustic Graphics is formally announcing availability of the CausticOne ray tracing accelerator card today and we are finally allowed to unveiling the technology we learned about at GDC last month. If you think the ray tracing and rasterization debate was interesting before, wait until you see what this new player has to say.

Caustic Graphics Ray Tracing Acceleration Technology Review
 
Seagate Momentus 2.5 inch 500 GB Hard Drive Review
Tuesday, April
21 @ 08:15:35 GMT +02:00 
Bjorn3D takes a look at the Seagate Momentus 2.5 inch 500 GB Hard Drive.


A quote from the article:

We recently got a new laptop in the lab because our Athlon 64 3200 (single core) HP laptop was getting long in the tooth and we decided to go with a dual core laptop from Toshiba. We decided to go with a low to mid-range system because it's primary use is writing reviews and the opportunity to upgrade presents itself to us a lot more often than the ordinary end user. When we got the new Toshiba with the Core 2 Duo T5800 2 GHz CPU and 4 GB of ram with a copy of Vista 64 we thought it was running a little slow for the specifications.

We did some checking and it turns out they shipped the laptop with a 1.5 GB/s Sata 1 5200 RPM drive. The system itself wasn't dragging but the hard drive was starving it with a slow data transfer rate. So when Seagate contacted us about testing the Momentus 7200 RPM 500 GB drive it was a match made in heaven. It gives us a chance to rip the offending drive out of the Toshiba and run a drive worthy of a Bjorn3D laptop. We won't take a hammer to the 5200 RPM drive, but we will stick it in a USB external enclosure and let it live out it's life in an environment befitting it's pathetic speed. After experiencing the Seagate Momentus we feel fully justified in calling the old drive pathetic. Stick around and see how bad the pathetic 5200 RPM drive got it's butt kicked.

Seagate Momentus 2.5 inch 500 GB Hard Drive Review
 
Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Gaming Keyboard and Sidewinder X8 Wireless Gaming Mouse
Tuesday, April
21 @ 08:01:21 GMT +02:00 
Hardware Pacers has posted a review on the Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Gaming Keyboard and Sidewinder X8 Wireless Gaming Mouse


The Microsoft Sidewinder series gaming mice and keyboards are top of the line gaming products that are excellent additions to any gamer's computer system. The Sidewinder X6 gaming keyboard is packed full of assignable keys that can be programmed with many different options or Macros. The Sidewinder X8 Wireless Gaming mouse has 7 programmable buttons and the ability to select from 3 different dpi settings (up to 4000 dpi) at the touch of a button. The performance of the X8 mouse coupled with the features of the X6 gaming keyboard make a heavenly match for the gaming enthusiast.

Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Gaming Keyboard and Sidewinder X8 Wireless Gaming Mouse
 
 
Vista Codec Package 5.1.9 Final
Tuesday, April
07 @ 08:41:59 GMT +02:00 
Compiles the best codecs from all the big name codec packs.

Codecs have been a problem for most users at one time or another. This is because there has never been an 'out of the box' working solution that the average computer user could install and just have everything work properly from the beginning. There are several decent codec package solutions out there, but none of them did everything I wanted. I was always in need of a tweak, adjustment, or even a re-installation just to get the codecs I needed/wanted and most of the time, the file still didn't play properly. I've never claimed to be a media guru. My media experience prior to creating these packages was to doubleclick a file I downloaded and hope that it played. So with the help of the MSFN community, I decided to package up the bare minimum of codecs required by most computer users and share them with the rest of the world.

The installer will automatically remove most other popular codec releases from your computer before installing this concise yet comprehensive package. You won't need to make any adjustments or tweaks to enjoy your media content immediately. Windows Media Player and Vista's Media Center will instantly recognize all your files as playable.

It does not contain a media player and it does not associate filetypes. With this package installed you will be able to use any media player, limited only by the players' capabilities, to play all movies and video clips. Streaming video is supported in several formats in all popular web browsers. Users of VCP have the ability to choose what is installed and where to install it using the public redistributable. After installation you can select to remove specific portions without removing the entire package. You can also re-add the removed items at any time.
 
Download
 
 
Gainward GeForce GTX 275 Graphics Card Review
Tuesday, April
07 @ 08:39:54 GMT +02:00 
TweakTown posted a review on the Gainward GeForce GTX 275 Graphics Card


A quote from the article:

I've had HD 4890 samples coming in for a few weeks now. With that said, I chose not to test the card straight away, because as we draw closer to NDA we see new drivers come out. What ended up happening, however, is that we saw the NDA change for these cards a few times. The HD 4890 was originally set to release two days before the GTX 275; ATI then put the pedal down some more and it was released almost a week early.

In response to this, NVIDIA pulled their NDA forward to the day after the HD 4890’s new launch. While this was all happening, HD 4890 samples were in hand but GTX 275 ones hadn't shipped yet; not just for me, but most writers around the world. Three days before the NDA was up on the GTX 275, three companies confirmed that NVIDIA made a last minute change to the memory clock and decided to drop it, hence the delay for samples. Apart from a few reference cards, this was going to be a paper launch, which was something that we had not become accustomed to seeing.

Gainward GeForce GTX 275 Graphics Card Review
 
 
Western Digital VelociRaptor 10k RPM 2.5'' SATA Review
Tuesday, April
07 @ 08:28:37 GMT +02:00 
ocaholic.ch posted a review on the Western Digital VelociRaptor 10k rpm 2.5'' SATA


A quote from the article:

With the Veloci Raptor 300 GByte Western Digital presents its latest flagship regarding the Raptor series. Again the only 2.5'' measuring Veloci Raptor rotates with 10'000 rpm, has 16 MByte of supporting cache and a claimed access time of 5.5 milliseconds.

Western Digital VelociRaptor 10k rpm 2.5'' SATA Review
 
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 Review
Tuesday, April
07 @ 08:21:19 GMT +02:00 
Bjorn3D posted a review on the Seagate Barracuda 7200.12


A quote from the article:

As the platter density increases, hard drives are able to pack more data per disk and, as a result, the time for data retrieval is shorter due to less time that is needed to find the bits of data. Not only that, hard drives are able to perform faster. The larger areal density also allows hard drive manufactures to exceed the storage capacity of 1TB and now we are seeing HD manufactures breaking into 1.5TB and even 2TB. Seagate’s latest Barracuda 7200.12 is the company’s first hard drive that comes with 500 GB platter density.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 Review
 
Asus Eee PC 1000HE 10-Inch Netbook Review
Tuesday, April
07 @ 08:15:35 GMT +02:00 
Futurelooks checks out the latest ASUS Eee PC 1000HE 10-Inch Netbook


A quote from the article:

While I certainly have reason to believe that netbooks are already obsolete, it is good to see that the market isn’t getting too stagnant. The manufacturers are constantly upping the ante, granting us access to new features and better performance. One of the more recent examples of this is the Asus Eee PC 1000HE, a netbook that improves on the existing Eee PC line in just about every way.

Asus Eee PC 1000HE 10-Inch Netbook Review
 
Intel Xeon W5580 Cpus & S5520SC Motherboard Review
Tuesday, April
07 @ 08:01:21 GMT +02:00 
Driverheaven posted a review on the Intel Xeon W5580 Cpus & S5520SC Motherboard


A quote from the article:

Today we look at Intel's new highest specification W5580 processors running on the new S5520SC motherboard. Just how smoking fast is this platform and are we about to break a bunch of records in our testing today?

Intel Xeon W5580 Cpus & S5520SC Motherboard Review
 
 
Windows 7 reaches Build 7070
Tuesday March 31 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
Neowin reports that Windows 7 has reached Build 7070 now

I just came back from Microsoft, since my Dad works there. He works for in the SQL server division and here are some screenshots I took about the new build 7070.I don't know if there is anything new to this build, but they installed it yesterday, so it probably will be leaked soon. They said it was a major update; maybe not to the user interface but more to the Kernel.

Windows 7 reaches Build 7070
 
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400S Review
Tuesday March 31 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
InsideHW.com has reviewed Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400S


A quote from the article:

If you thought that nothing interesting is going to happen on Socket 775 scene after Core i7 was promoted, we can only tell you that you have made a wrong assumption. Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad CPUs are still very fast and, to be quite honest, enough for most today tasks. Intel decided to continue with optimizations of Core 2 Quad models and results are presented in form of model Q9400s that we got in our test lab. Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400s is direct descendant of C2Q Q9400 model. Probably you have noticed that only difference is in letter "s" at the end of marking. That suffix means that this is CPU with lower power consumption or smaller TDP (Thermal Design Power).

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400S Review
 
Windows Anytime Upgrade For Windows 7 Revealed
Tuesday March 31 @ 08:46:09 GMT +02:00 
Tech ARP posted an inside look at Windows Anytime Upgrade and see how it works


One of the new features in Windows 7 is Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU). It will provide end users with a quick and easy upgrade process to "more premium" versions of Windows 7. All you have to do is purchase an upgrade key to unlock the additional features.

In this article, we are going to take an inside look at Windows Anytime Upgrade and see how it works, step by step. We even have actual screenshots of the process so you can see for yourselves just how easy it is. Remember, you read it here first!

Windows Anytime Upgrade For Windows 7 Revealed
 
Logitech G19 Keyboard for Gaming
Tuesday March 31 @ 08:34:19 GMT +02:00 
Hardware Logic posted a review on the Logitech G19 Keyboard for Gaming

We hate to kill the suspense right from the get-go, but simply put, the best just got better. Logitech's G19 keyboard ditches its old digs for a revamped look, offers a much improved LCD display with a few new tricks up its sleeve, boasts twice as many programmable G-keys, and meshes with any gamer's setup with adjustable color backlighting. It also costs twice as much as it's older G15 sibling. Let's take a closer look.

Logitech G19 Keyboard for Gaming
 
Chumby Chumby Review
Tuesday March 31 @ 08:22:05 GMT +02:00 
Hardware Pacers has posted a review on the Chumby Chumby

A quote from the article:

The Chumby is an amazing little device that acts as an alarm clock, weather channel, game system, and much much more. This interactive multimedia device is a great way to showcase pictures, stay up-to-date with your social network, watch TV, get weather updates, get last minute sports scores, receive e-mail alerts, and have fun in an always online internet format. A user can choose from hundreds of widgets to customize the Chumby to interact in any desired fashion. With virtually unlimited options and easy to customize style and design, the Chumby is a super cool device that will allow you to do just about anything.

Chumby Chumby Review
 
 
MSI 790GX-G65 AM3 Motherboard Review
Tuesday March 31 @ 08:15:28 GMT +02:00 

OCC has published a new review on the MSI 790GX-G65 AM3 Motherboard


A quote from the article:

Well, when it comes down to the wire, apples to apples, the DDR3 memory support does give the AM3 processors a bit of a lead. In just about every test there was an increase when using a 790GX based board with DDR3 memory support over DDR2 memory support. If you are in the market for a new system, then I highly suggest going the AM3 route. However, in my opinion, if you are already running a strong DDR2 based AMD system, then the cost does not justify the minimal increases that you will currently get. All of that aside the MSI 790GX-G65 is a rock solid board with great features that will make any enthusiast smile. The overclocking on this board was very easy and has been one of the stablest I have seen with minimal tweaking. The added ability to overclock using hardware dip switches will allow even a novice the added joy of pushing their hardware beyond the limits.

MSI 790GX-G65 AM3 Motherboard Review

 
 
 
GMABooster 1.3c
Tuesday,
March 24 @ 08:41:59 GMT +02:00 
This tool works wonders with performance of Intel Graphics Media Accelerators.

This freeware tool works wonders with performance (gaming and video playback) on Windows systems with the "Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator series video adapters (currently supported chipsets: Intel® 945GM/GME/GMS/GSE and 943/940GML/GU Express featuring GMA 950)."

Supported operating systems: Windows® XP 32 bit (all editions*), Windows® Vista 32 bit (all editions), Windows® 7 beta 32 bit.
*Prerequisite for Windows XP operation: Microsoft® .NET Framework version 2.0 or higher.

Supported chipsets: Intel® 945GM/GME/GMS/GSE and 943/940GML/GU Express featuring GMA 950.
Supported devices: Dell Mini 9, Asus® EEE PC family, MSI® Wind family, netbooks/nettops by Acer®, Dell®, HP®, LG®, Samsung®, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Apple Mac Mini, and more. (Not every device may be supported; please check Your specific device's technical specs for a compatible chipset).


Download
 
 
Unleashing NVIDIAs GTX 295 Graphics Card
Tuesday,
March 24 @ 08:39:54 GMT +02:00 
Tweaktown posted three ways to remove the bottleneck on NVIDIA’s GTX 295 Graphics Card

CPU limitation is something that we always talk about when it comes to high-end graphics cards. When we say this, we mean that the CPU is holding back the frames that the graphics card is capable of putting out. The less intensive the game, or the lower resolution you play at; this increases the chances of hitting that bottle neck.

There are ultimately three ways to remove the bottleneck on a high-end graphics card. First, increase the settings in the game; things like turning on AA and AF help. The problem is that this might put you at an unplayable FPS level.

Unleashing NVIDIAs GTX 295 Graphics Card
 
 
ASUS Rampage 2 Extreme Motherboard Review
Tuesday,
March 24 @ 08:28:37 GMT +02:00 
Legit Reviews posted a review on the ASUS Rampage 2 Extreme Motherboard
A quote from the article:

The Asus Rampage II Extreme X58 LGA 1366 motherboard was deisgned to be the ultimate gaming/overclocking platform for the Intel Core i7 processor series. Based on the Intel X58 chipset, the Asus Rampage II Extreme supports Intel's new QuickPath Interconnect, 12GB of DDR3 triple-channel memory, and multiple graphics cards!

ASUS Rampage 2 Extreme Motherboard Review
 
Apple discontinues iPhone Bluetooth Headset
Tuesday,
March 24 @ 08:21:19 GMT +02:00 
Apple this weekend appears to have discontinued its iPhone Bluetooth Headset, a possible sign that the company could be planning to introduce an updated model alongside new iPhones a bit later this year.

Apple discontinues iPhone Bluetooth Headset
 
Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe Review
Tuesday,
March 24 @ 08:15:35 GMT +02:00 
Phoronix posted a review on the Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe running under Linux


A quote from the article:

While a relatively simple device, web-cameras are still an area on Linux that can be problematic when it comes to compatibility and the device functioning properly. The level of Linux support for USB web-cameras has improved quite a bit in recent years, and for many devices it is now a plug-and-play experience, but that is not the case for all devices. In this article we are taking a brief look at the Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe. The QuickCam Communicate Deluxe has a 1.3 mega-pixel sensor with the capabilities to capture video up to a resolution of 1280 x 1024 at 30 frames per second.

Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe Review
 
Antec TruePower New Series 750W Power Supply Review
Tuesday,
March 24 @ 08:01:21 GMT +02:00 
PC Perspective posted a review on the Antec TruePower New Series 750W Power Supply


A quote from the article:

Antec has combined quality features from their high-end Signature Series with the affordable pricing of the original TruePower line. Overall, the TruePower New TP-750 proved to be a very good PSU.

Antec TruePower New Series 750W Power Supply Review
 
 
Windows 7: RDP changes improve remote desktop performance
Tuesday March 17 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
Neowin posted a news story that the Remote Desktop Client in Windows 7 is equipped with new features and enhancements via Remote Desktop Protocol 7 (RDP).


Below are the features introduced in Windows 7 Remote Desktop Client
Windows 7 Aero support
Direct 2D & Direct 3D 10.1 application support
True multi-monitor support
RDP Core Performance Improvements
Multimedia enhancements
Media Foundation support
DirectShow support
Low Latency audio playback support
Bi-directional audio support

I fired up the Remote Desktop Client in the latest Windows 7 build 7057 and tested few things. Remote desktop connection experience is very much improved compared to its previous versions and I also found the session to be incredibly responsive even while playing HD videos. Below are few screenshots.

Windows 7: RDP changes improve remote desktop performance

 
Windows 7 to officially support logon UI background customization
Tuesday March 17 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
Within Windows reports that the latest build of Windows 7 support logon UI background customization

As you probably know, Windows 7 build 7057, a build recently leaked to the public, sports a new (yet ugly) login UI background. Delivering on the “more customizable” promise, Windows 7 now supports the ability to load images into the background of the login screen without the use of third-party software or manual hacks.

Although this functionality was designed for OEMs in mind, it is pretty easy to turn on and off using regedit and some images lying around your hard drive.

Windows 7 to officially support logon UI background customization
 
File-System Benchmarks On The Intel X25-E SSD
Tuesday March 17 @ 08:46:09 GMT +02:00 
Phoronix takes a look at the performance of the Intel X25-E SSD using the ReiserFS, JFS, XFS, EXT3, and EXT4 file-systems


Late last month we looked at the Intel X25-E Extreme SSD on Linux. We ran this high-performance solid-state drive within a System76 Serval Notebook and compared its performance to a Seagate Momentus 7200.2 SATA HDD. During that testing we were just using the default EXT3 file-system, but now we have taken the Intel X25-E SSD for another spin as we looked at its performance when using the ReiserFS, JFS, XFS, EXT3, and EXT4 file-systems.

File-System Benchmarks On The Intel X25-E SSD
 
Scythe Mugen 2 tower cooler Review
Tuesday March 17 @ 08:34:19 GMT +02:00 
ocaholic.ch posted a review on the Scythe Mugen 2 tower cooler

A quote from the article:

With the Mugen 2 Scythe presents its latest high-end air cooler. Therefore the 870 gramms heavy coloss comes with 5 heatpipes and a backplate to assure a thorough mounting.

Scythe Mugen 2 tower cooler Review
 
SpyBot-Search & Destroy Tools Beta 1.6.3.51 Beta
Tuesday March 17 @ 08:22:05 GMT +02:00 
Beta test the next version of Spybot.

Editors note: This is a beta, not a final release. If your not comfortable using betas, please download the latest stable version here.

Download
 
 
AMD Phenom II In-Depth Performance Scaling Analysis
Tuesday March 17 @ 08:15:28 GMT +02:00 

Madshrimps posted an AMD Phenom II In-Depth Performance Scaling Analysis

We previously tested the effects of overclocking different aspects of an AMD Phenom 1 powered system, today we delve into Phenom II performance scaling, from raw CPU speed, HT Link, Northbridge to HT Link and more. If you want to get the most out of your Phenom II system, this is a must read!

AMD Phenom II In-Depth Performance Scaling Analysis

 
 
 
CrossFire vs. SLI
Tuesday March 10 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
InsideHW.com has compared performances of single graphics cards vs. CrossFire/SLI systems

On every presentation of new GPU generation that we attended in past few years, systems with more than one graphics card were presented as ultimate performance setup. Problem with those configurations was their price in a real world environment. Even now there are more users that have only one graphics card in their rig but the times has changed and now even low-budget users can have Crossfire of SLI system thanks to price drops. First of all, motherboards that support Crossfire or SLI are not too expensive anymore as they were a year ago. Secondly, graphics cards have become also cheaper so users now face a dilemma: if they already have a graphics card from mid or high-range class with motherboard that supports CrossFire/SLI, is it better to sell that one and buy new one, or to buy same graphics card and make CrossFire/SLI system?.

CrossFire vs. SLI
 
ASUS Xonar Essence STX PCI Express sound card review
Tuesday March 10 @ 08:46:09 GMT +02:00 
Elite Bastards posted a review on the ASUS Xonar Essence STX PCI Express sound card


A quote from the article:

From left to right, we find that the Essence STX carries analogue outputs for left and right speakers via RCA outputs (with an RCA to 3.5mm jack adapter provided with the board) - If you're using analogue speakers, that means you'll only be able to produce two-channel audio from the Essence STX. Moving on, we then find the card's headphone output and line-in jacks, both of which use 6.3mm jacks (with one gold-plated 6.3mm-3.5mm adapter provided as part of the STX's bundle), and an SPDIF output with support for both coaxial and TOSlink connectivity, and allowing for multi-channel audio via Dolby Digital encoding.

ASUS Xonar Essence STX PCI Express sound card review
 
Evercool RF-8 Rifling 80mm Fan Review
Tuesday March 10 @ 08:34:19 GMT +02:00 
Rbmods posted a review on the Evercool RF-8 Rifling 80mm Fan

A quote from the article:

Case fans come in a wide variety of sizes, with the most popular ones being 80mm and 120mm. But is there any way to squeeze more fan blade area in a standard size fan? Evercool, makers of a wide range of fans, has produced a new product, the Evercool Rifling RF-8 80mm Case fan, that provides 92mm fan blades in an 80mm housing. Will this design provide the best of both worlds? Read on to find out more.

Evercool RF-8 Rifling 80mm Fan Review
 
AMD Phenom II 720 X3 Black Edition Processor Review
Tuesday March 10 @ 08:22:05 GMT +02:00 
OCIA.net has posted their review of the AMD Phenom II 720 X3 Black Edition Processor


A quote from the article:

With the launch of Deneb, AMD has finally moved to the 45nm process and are breaking in a new socket interface at the same time. The main difference with AM3 is the introduction of DDR3 support. But rather than require a forklift upgrade, AMD has incorporated both DDR2 and DDR3 memory controllers into the AM3 chips. One of the first of these chips debuted last month with the tri core X3 BE 720, running at 2.8Ghz. But with only three cores, is the 720 even a viable upgrade for someone with a first generation Phenom quad or is it just a hamstrung slug of silicon?

AMD Phenom II 720 X3 Black Edition Processor Review
 
 
Dooble 0.06 Beta
Tuesday March 10 @ 08:15:28 GMT +02:00 

Web Browser that provides solid performance, stability, and cross-platform functionality.

Dooble is a Secure and Open Source Web Browser currently in beta development that provides solid performance, stability, and cross-platform functionality.

One of the project's most important goals is to safeguard the privacy of its users.
The Dooble installer allows you to install Dooble, a group of integrated privacy features (browser, search engine, secure e-mail client, and secure messenger). The installer also provides a means of installing the Dooble browser component.

Changelog:
- Filter for Searches in the Webpage
- Elaborated Enter Buttons and Pulldown Menus
- Dooble Search with better functionality inside the Browser
- More Icons!

Download

 
 
 
Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide Rev. 16.4
Tuesday March 03 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
Tech ARP updated their Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide

A quote from the article:

Covering 374 desktop graphics cards, this comprehensive comparison allows you to easily compare 18 different specifications for each and every card. If you need to find out about the specification of any card, just come over and check out our Desktop Graphics Comparison Guide.

We hope it will prove to be a useful reference. We will keep this guide updated regularly so do check back for the latest updates.

Here are the latest updates in Revision 16.4 :-

- Added the Pixel Fill Rate specification for Trident and Intel graphics cards in the guide.

Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide Rev. 16.4
 
XFX GTX285 and GTX295 Review
Tuesday March 03 @ 08:46:09 GMT +02:00 
InsideHW.com has reviewed XFX GTX285 and GTX295 graphics cards

A quote from the article:

In its last financial reports nVIDIA has acknowledged losses that are consequence of global economic crisis and relatively low sale rates. Main culprit for second reason is, of course, ATi that performed better in this period and proved itself as best AMD investment so far. nVIDIA's first answer to ATi's success was GTX260+ model. This had limited effects and now it is time to take drastic measures. Final result are two graphics cards: GeForce GTX295 and GTX285. First one is nVIDIA's way to show everybody that they have "best" (fastest) product and second one is result of "face lifting" of older model. Both graphics cards are signed by XFX.

XFX GTX285 and GTX295 Review
 
ASUS BC-06B1ST Blu-Ray Disc Optical Combo Drive Review
Tuesday March 03 @ 08:34:19 GMT +02:00 
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the ASUS BC-06B1ST Blu-Ray Disc Optical Combo Drive

A quote from the article:

It wasn't more than a few months ago that Benchmark Reviews tested the ASUS BC-1205PT Blu-ray Drive, which was proven to be a future-proof asset with the format war recently ended in favor of BD media. But sometimes technology isn't adopted quite as fast as we might think, because in the age of Blu-ray there are people out there who still haven't made the transition into a DVD-burner. Unlike CDs and DVDs, Blu-ray Disc isn't in every household, and since music and movies seem to work perfectly well on the older platforms there might not be any real need for such a premium storage device.

In this article, we do away with the benchmark tests and take a subjective look at the ASUS BC-06B1ST Blu-ray disc optical combo drive. After all, there aren't really very many BD-burners on the market to begin with for there to be a worth-while comparison. Sure, we could create a few dual-layer DVD coasters to see how fast that happens, but in the end it doesn't concentrate on the primary features a SATA Blu-ray burner can offer. Benchmark Reviews tests the functionality and explores the feature set offered by the ASUS BC-06B1ST Blu-ray combo drive.

ASUS BC-06B1ST Blu-Ray Disc Optical Combo Drive Review
 
Crucial Ballistix Tracers 6GB Kit (BL3KIT25664TB1608) Review
Tuesday March 03 @ 08:22:05 GMT +02:00 
Bjorn3D takes a look at some Crucial Ballistix Tracers 6GB Kit (BL3KIT25664TB1608)


A quote from the article:

We've been eagerly awaiting the release of Crucial Ballistix Tracers for the Core i7 platform. While there are lots of kits out there there's only one kit that takes the bling factor beyond the normal high tech heat spreader. That's right if you want the ultimate in bling clipped into your ram slots there's only one vendor that can bring you Tri Channel DDR3 for the Core i7 platform that feature color keyed LED's in Blue, Red and Green.

Crucial has had LED lighted ram for quite some time now, but this time they've gone above and beyond, previous Tracers used multi Colored LED's, the newest offering from Crucial features single colored lights so you can color coordinate with other lighting in your system. While we didn't have any problem with multi-colored lights in the previous generation of Ballistix Tracers we do appreciate the ability to have the color of choice to compliment the lighting you've chosen for that gaming shrine. Unfortunately the bling factor isn't the only concern when it comes to ram so we're afraid we'll have to put the Ballistix Tracers through our full suite of memory tests to see if the performance is as sweet as the bling, and let us tell you the bling is sweet.

Crucial Ballistix Tracers 6GB Kit (BL3KIT25664TB1608) Review
 
 
How to Install Vista on the ASUS P6T Deluxe with SAS RAID
Tuesday March 03 @ 08:15:28 GMT +02:00 

Legit Reviews published a guide about installing Vista on the ASUS P6T Deluxe with SAS RAID


Today's hard drive market is starting to grow towards enterprise level hardware, which is SAS. SAS, or Serial Attached SCSI, is the server grade storage medium of choice these days. Some desktop motherboards like the ASUS P6T Deluxe offer support for up to a pair of SAS drives, so read on as we show you how to setup a pair in RAID and install Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit.

How to Install Vista on the ASUS P6T Deluxe with SAS RAID

 
 
 
First GeForce GTS 240 Card Exposed
Tuesday February 24 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
VR-Zone posted first details on the GeForce GTS 240

We have already told you quite a bit of details about GeForce GTS 240 which is slated for April release. It is basically 55nm G92 based 9800 GT GPU on a new P361 PCB and internally Nvidia calls it D10P2. Now we will provide you a glimpse on the schematic diagram of the GTS 240 card. The differences are mainly on the power design department.

First GeForce GTS 240 Card Exposed
 
ASUS P5Q3 LGA775 Intel P45 ATX Motherboard Review
Tuesday February 24 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the ASUS P5Q3 LGA775 Intel P45 ATX Motherboard

A quote from the article:

Launched last summer by Intel, the P45 chipset has quickly grown in popularity, replacing the aging P35 chipset. Intended for a mid to upper mainstream consumer base, the P45 chipset boasts some impressive features, such as: full DDR2/DDR3 support, 20 PCI Express 2.0 lanes, ATI Crossfire support, and a 65nm manufacturing process. By now manufacturers have had ample time to design and refine their P45 based motherboards and today Benchmark Reviews takes a look at ASUS' mainstream P45 DDR3 motherboard: the P5Q3. As a twist on our usual motherboard reviews, this article will also shed some light on the growing DDR2 vs DDR3 debate with some hard numbers in the benchmark sections.

ASUS P5Q3 LGA775 Intel P45 ATX Motherboard Review
 
Sapphire's ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB Toxic graphics card Review
Tuesday February 24 @ 08:46:09 GMT +02:00 
Bit-Tech published a review of Sapphire's ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB Toxic graphics card


A quote from the article:

Up until this morning though, we'd have agreed with that because the Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB was selling for over £220 - it's hard to justify what amounts to a five percent performance improvement and a fancy cooler when the reference one isn't exactly disappointing. But with the price being realigned to just under £195, we think it's worth taking the punt if you've decided that the Radeon HD 4870 1GB is the right choice for you.

What makes the choice difficult is that the Radeon HD 4870 1GB and GeForce GTX 260-216 are incredibly well matched not only on price, but also on performance across the board. Right now, the favour seems to have tipped AMD's way, but it could quite easily flip the other way when you consider that of the five benchmarks the Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB Toxic won against the GeForce GTX 260-216, two of them were by less than five percent. What's more, it's quite conceivable that some of the newer titles that we'll be adding to our suite soon could go either way - neither the Radeon HD 4870 1GB nor GeForce GTX 260-216 are a bad choice at this price point, frankly.

Sapphire's ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB Toxic graphics card Review
 
XFX Radeon HD 4870 512MB XXX Review
Tuesday February 24 @ 08:34:19 GMT +02:00 
InsideHW.com has reviewed XFX Radeon HD 4870 512MB XXX



A quote from the article:

The trend of expanding product's portfolio among manufacturers of graphics cards doesn't abate, and this situation resulted in many new products based on ATI GPUs on the market. Nvidia's so far exclusive partners are beginning to reject this kind of "monogamy". For some of those partners this decision was quite expected from the very beginning but XFX came out as a true surprise because of their reputation of being Nvidia's "hard core" partner. Even though we had to wait little bit more than it was officially announced, the first XFX Radeon was finally introduced.

XFX Radeon HD 4870 512MB XXX Review
 
Early Look: Asus Eee PC T91
Tuesday February 24 @ 08:22:05 GMT +02:00 
Bit-Tech published an early hands-on look at the Asus Eee PC T91



Pricing is one final topic that we haven¡¯t covered yet ¨C that¡¯s because nothing has been confirmed yet. Sadly, the exchange rate fluctuations we¡¯re seeing at the moment mean that all Asus can give us is a ballpark range for the device. The company is expecting the Eee PC T91 to sell for somewhere between the Eee PC 1000HE at around ?360 and the Eee PC S101, which is currently available for about ?420.

That¡¯s quite a lot for an 8.9-inch netbook, but when you factor in some of the features Asus has integrated into this model ¨C such as the touch screen, the DVB-T TV tuner, 3G data card and GPS functionality ¨C it looks like it might be quite good value. Aside from the price, there are several more unknowns, including the quality of the keyboard, touch screen software and whether or not the touch pad problems we encountered are limited to this pre-production sample.

Ultimately, the quality of Asus¡¯ touch screen software is going to determine the fate of this device because, without great software, you¡¯re paying for a feature that might be useful on occasion, but is likely to be a hindrance more often than not. Having not spent time using the software yet, it's impossible to gauge the fate of the T91 ¨C keyboard and touch pad issues aside though, the device's build quality is a notch above most other Eee PCs and not too far from the S101. And given the amount of time between now and the expected end of April availability date, we expect the issues we encountered to be resolved. If touch is your thing, this might be worth a look.

Early Look: Asus Eee PC T91
 
 
ATI Tray Tools 1.6.9.1382 Beta
Tuesday February 24 @ 08:15:28 GMT +02:00 

Easy right-click access to all of your ATI video card's crucial settings.


ATI Tray Tools is a free utility that runs in the system tray and provides easy right-click access to all of your ATI video card's crucial settings. You can change anisotropic filtering + antialiasing levels in Direct3D and OpenGL, adjust image quality, turn on/off special driver features, or simply just fool around with clock settings (core and memory speeds). It uses minimal system resources and isn't intrusive.

Download

 
 
 
Antec Nine Hundred Two Review
Tuesday February 17 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
OCC has published a new review on the Antec Nine Hundred Two

A quote from the article:

While the Nine Hundred Two may not have a screw less design, a secret drawer, or any other new intuitive perks, it does a damn good job at keeping your hardware very cool. They may need to think about coming out with a line of computer case scarfs and wooly mittens. In most cases, the Nine Hundred Two would perform just as well as Thermaltake's full tower Xaser VI and in some cases, better. Turning up all the fan speeds only decreased temps by another 2-3 degrees C. Antec claims that this is the best Gaming case available, and they aren't too far off. In fact, the only real downsides to this case is the Lack of USB ports and the difficulty of installing HDD's. I would personally recommend this case to any gamer/enthusiast. It looks cool and it will keep your rig cool.

Antec Nine Hundred Two Review
 
Rivatuner 2.23 released
Tuesday February 17 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
Rivatuner 2.23 has been released

Rivatuner has been updated towards version 2.23 This release has a number of updates and fixes. But please do check out the changelist.

RivaTuner is a complete powerful tweaking environment, providing you everything you may need to tune NVIDIA GPU based display adapters. The widest driver-level Direct3D / OpenGL and system tuning options, flexible profiling system allowing to make custom settings on per-application basis, both driver-level and low-level hardware access modes, unique diagnostic and real-time hardware monitoring features and exclusive power user oriented tools like built-in registry editor and patch script engine.

For novice users, we have a guide to help you through Rivatuner and setup fan speeds and overclocks on your graphics card. This guide will hopefully help you understand how to use the features that Rivatuner provides.

Rivatuner 2.23 released
 
AMD Phenom II 810 & 720 BE Processor Dry Ice Overclocking
Tuesday February 17 @ 08:46:09 GMT +02:00 
Legit Reviews overclocked the AMD Phenom II 810 & 720 BE Processors


AMD has done a great job at getting the word out that Phenom II is a new and improved processor, but how do these new Phenom II processors overclock with extreme cooling? AMD showed us that the temperature bug is long gone by running a AMD Phenom II X4 processor at 1.95V and at below -190C, but what can we pull off on our own test bench? This weekend we purchased ten pounds of dry ice along with some Acetone to see what we could get a pair of Phenom II socket AM3 processors could do on the ASUS M4A79T Deluxe motherboard.

AMD Phenom II 810 & 720 BE Processor Dry Ice Overclocking
 
OCZ 6GB Triple-Channel 1333 MHz DDR3 Memory Kit Review
Tuesday February 17 @ 08:34:19 GMT +02:00 
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the OCZ 6GB Triple-Channel 1333 MHz DDR3 Memory Kit


A quote from the article:

System memory is one of the most over-looked hardware components in computer systems, and with applications demanding greater memory overhead it is best to use as much memory as allowed. But not all memory is made the same; and even memory of the same speed can have different consumer targets. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the performance of an entry-level triple-channel product for the Intel Core i7 platform. The OCZ 6GB 1333 MHz DDR3 memory kit OCZ3P1333LV6GK will be compared against several other products and benchmarked for bandwidth and gaming performance. Are the higher speeds worth the money, or can this memory kit overclock to their level?

OCZ 6GB Triple-Channel 1333 MHz DDR3 Memory Kit Review
 
OCZ Summit Series 250GB SSD Preview - New Samsung MLC
Tuesday February 17 @ 08:22:05 GMT +02:00 
PC Perspective posted a preview on the OCZ Summit Series 250GB SSD


A quote from the article:

The OCZ Summit line of solid state drives uses a new controller from Samsungs well as 64MB of cache to speed up performance, in particular write speeds. Does this new 250GB SSD have what it takes to compete against the Intel X25-M?

OCZ Summit Series 250GB SSD Preview - New Samsung MLC
 
 
Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones Review
Tuesday February 17 @ 08:15:28 GMT +02:00 

Hardware Canucks posted a review of the new Beats by Dr.Dre headphones

A quote from the article:

With Dr. Dre prepared to lend his expertise, Monster also enlisted the assistance and experience of Jimmy Iovine who is currently the Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. With Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine onboard, Monster set out to design a new set of studio headphones. Naturally, these industry luminaries didn't want just any new headphones, they wanted a product that would allow the user to experience the full sonic spectrum any audio source had to offer. After three years of research and development, what this dream team proudly unveiled is the Beats by Dr. Dre.

Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones Review

 
 
 
AMD Phenom II X3 - 720 Review
Tuesday February 10 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
Hardware-TEST.dk/ Hwt.dk posted a review on the AMD Phenom II X3 - 720 2.8GHz

A quote from the article:

We compare the Phenom II performance with the Core i7-920, Core2Duo, Athlon64 X2 clock-by-clock and look on where do you buy the best "value for money".

AMD Phenom II X3 - 720 Review
 
AMD Socket AM3 Arrives The Real Phenom II Detailed
Tuesday February 10 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
TweakTown posted an article on AMD Socket AM3


Okay, why are we here again? – Well, AMD has once again released a new CPU, but this is using the same name as previous yet still fairly new CPU. Confusing? - I know; it is to me as well. One month ago to the day, AMD released what it likes to call the Phenom II processor. While it is an update upon the original Phenom architecture, it still uses the same AM2+ board architecture. For that reason it may be prudent to call it a Phenom II, but what does this mean for a new CPU that supports a whole new processor socket? – Well, that’s where things now get dicey.

To start things off on our AM3 processor, AMD has revolutionized the latest addition to the Phenom II family. All of the 800 series and 700 series CPU’s have a dual mode memory controller. That is, it has a DDR2 and DDR3 memory controller onboard. This is the first CPU to incorporate two memory controllers on one CPU die.

AMD Socket AM3 Arrives The Real Phenom II Detailed
 
Q9400S & Q8200S: Intel's 65W Quad-Cores
Tuesday February 10 @ 08:46:09 GMT +02:00 
Techgage.com posted a review of Intel's Q8200S and Q9400S 65W Quad-Cores



The benefits of a low-TDP processor are obvious, but a usual downside is also obvious: low clock speeds. Intel's changing that thinking with their Core 2 Quad "S" series, which includes the Q9550S, Q9400S and also the Q8200S. Compared to their non-"S" variants, they draw less power and run cooler, all while retaining the performance they've become known for.

Q9400S & Q8200S: Intel's 65W Quad-Cores
 
AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition and X4 810 Processors Review
Tuesday February 10 @ 08:34:19 GMT +02:00 
HotHardware.com posted a review on the AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition and X4 810 Processors


A quote from the article:

Last month, AMD launched the Phenom II X4 processor line-up, and with it ushered in the first desktop processors built using the company's 45nm process node. While the first two Phenom II processors to arrive, the 3.0GHz X4 940 and 2.8GHz 920, were clearly superior to previous Phenoms in terms of performance and power efficiency, and they remain the two most powerful processors in AMD's product stack today, they did not exploit all of the capabilities offered by their newly tweaked, and redesigned cores.

You see, the AMD Phenom II X4 940 and X4 920 were designed for the socket AM2+ platform, and as such, they supported only DDR2 memory. The latest additions to the Phenom II line-up, the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition and X4 810, however, are designed for the AM3 platform. That means these new chips can work not only in existing AM2+ motherboards with DDR2 memory, but in new AM3-based motherboard with DDR3 memory as well. The flexibility of these new socket AM3 based Phenom II processors should appeal to existing AMD system owners who may be thinking about a CPU upgrade, or potential new AMD-based system buyers who want the freedom to choose from a wide array of motherboards and memory type at multiple price points.

We've taken the new triple-core Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition and quad-core X4 810 for a spin through the lab using both socket AM2+ and socket AM3 based motherboard platforms, to give you all an idea as to how each configuration performs. Read on for the full scoop...

AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition and X4 810 Processors Review
 
AMD Phenom II X4 810: DDR3 vs. DDR2
Tuesday February 10 @ 08:22:05 GMT +02:00 
InsideHW.com has compared performances of AMD Phenom II X4 810 with DDR3 and DDR2 memory


Newest K10 core was from start designed to support DDR3 memory standard, but from unknown reasons (to us) AMD decided to disable that support for 65nm revisions of this CPU. Even first Deneb 45nm cores had disabled support for DDR3 memory. Deneb cores that have DDR3 support are the same C2 revision that initially appeared on Socket AM2/AM2+. Same mistake with transition to new memory standard AMD didn't want to repeat so new AM3 CPUs are backwards compatible with AM2/AM2+ motherboards. If you have old AM2 motherboard that supports Phenom CPUs, new Phenom X4 810, X3 720 or any other AM3 CPUs can be plugged in and everything will work flawlessly with "good old" DDR2 memory that you already have.

AMD Phenom II X4 810: DDR3 vs. DDR2
 
 
Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720 Black Edition Review
Tuesday February 10 @ 08:15:28 GMT +02:00 
LostCircuits posted a review on the Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720 Black Edition


A quote from the article:

The Phenom X3 II 720 is being sold as Black Edition, meaning that the multiplier is completely unlocked, in short, an invitation for overclocking. In fact, as it turned out, I have never seen a CPU that easy to overclock out of the box without doing anything beyond moving a few sliders on AMD's OverDrive utiliy. Set the core voltage to 1.45V, the NB to 1.325 V with a 1.235 V value for the HT interface and push the multiplier all the way to 20 x. Twenty seconds later, CPUZ showed that we were running at 4.0 GHz. 4.1 GHz caused some problems. Either setting was done with standard air cooling and at room temperature. Granted, there were a few stability problems even at 4.0 GHz but at 3.8 GHz, the X3 720 was purring along no matter what we threw at it to get 372 fps average in F.E.A.R. and 170 fps average in Crysis. Without any hiccup.

Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720 Black Edition Review
 
 
AMD Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720BE review (AM3)
Tuesday February 10 @ 08:04:19 GMT +02:00 
The Guru of 3D posted a review on the AMD Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720BE processors

A quote from the article:

It's time for AMD to release their latest Socket AM3 processors. In total five new processors are being launched today and Guru3D will look at the outstanding 2,8 GHz clocked Phenom II X3 720 BE processor priced at just 145 USD, the second processor we'll test is again very affordable, the Phenom II X4 810 processor (2,6 GHz) which launches at a really nice 175 USD.

Both processors arm your PC with some pretty good bang for your hard earned money. We'll dive in deep, into the architecture, the features .. but obviously most the performance. Have a peek at AMD's latest AM3 processor (which work on Socket AM2+ 790 motherboard as well!). Things certainly are looking up for AMD.

AMD Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720BE review (AM3)
 
 
BIOSTAR TPower X58 Review
Tuesday February 03 @ 08:47:50 GMT +02:00 
InsideHW.com has reviewed BIOSTAR TPower X58 motherboard


A quote from the article:

BIOSTAR motherboards are known for their price/performance ratio thanks to which BIOSTAR motherboards won InsideHW Best Buy Award few times. This result BIOSTAR achieved by using second best chipset, that can be found on the market at the moment (P965, P35, P45), on their motherboards instead of using the best and the priciest (X965, X35, X45). This time BIOSTAR applied different approach and they built new motherboard on eXtreme chipset. Of course we are talking about advanced X58 chipset. How well did BIOSTAR rise to the challenge you can find out if you continue reading our review.

BIOSTAR TPower X58 Review
 
Chieftec AEGIS Full Tower Review
Tuesday February 03 @ 08:46:09 GMT +02:00 
OCC has published a new review on the Chieftec AEGIS Full Tower


A quote from the article:

Pretty much all cases out there have at least one up side to them; they hold all your components. Luckily, the Chieftec AEGIS does that well. While it does add several additional perks, like the ability to easily swap hard drives and expansion cards with the screwless design, or the ability to hold CDs or DVDs on the front of the chassis behind one of the swing-open doors, it is definitely not a case I would mark as an enthusiast case, at least not as delivered. The lack of pre-installed fans and the lack of several features seen on other cases, such as bottom-mounted PSU slots or removable motherboard trays, really leaves this case in the workstation or entry-level market. Another market this case might fit into, however, is the extreme modding market.

Chieftec AEGIS Full Tower Review

 
Memtest86 3.5
Tuesday February 03 @ 08:34:19 GMT +02:00 
Stand alone memory test for x86 architecture computers.

Memtest86 software is designed to be a stand alone memory test for x86 architecture computers. BIOS based memory tests are a quick, cursory check and often miss many of the failures that are detected by Memtest86.

Memtest86 is released under the terms of the Gnu Public License (GPL). Other than the provisions of the GNU pubic licence (GPL) there are no restrictions for use, private or commercial.

Windows Installation:
For windows installation begin by downloading either the Pre-Compiled Windows package to build a boot-able floppy disk or an ISO (zip version) to create a boot-able CD-ROM. After the file is downloaded an extract must be done to uncompress the file(s). To extract right click on the downloaded file and select the "Extract All" option. The extract option will let you choose where the files will be extracted to. To build a bootable floppy go the the folder where the files were extracted and click on the Install icon. The floppy disk will appear to be unformatted by Windows after the install is complete.

To build a boot-able CD-ROM use your CD burning software to create an image from the un-zipped ISO file.

Note: Since Memtest86 is a standalone program it does not require any operating system support for execution. It can be used with any PC regardless of what operating system, if any, is installed. The test image may be loaded from a floppy disk or may be loaded via LILO on Linux systems. Any Unix, Windows or DOS system may be used to create a boot floppy or bootable CD-ROM.

Download
 
MSI X58 Eclipse SLI Core i7 Motherboard Review
Tuesday February 03 @ 08:22:05 GMT +02:00 
TweakTown posted a review on the MSI X58 Eclipse SLI Core i7 Motherboard


A quote from the article:

Core i7 is Intel’s first CPU to finally integrate a memory controller directly into the CPU and because of this a whole new socket and motherboard architecture needed to be designed. All previous Intel chipsets were now useless to run the brand new CPU since it now has an external FSB but communicates with the chipset through a whole new interface called Quick Path Interconnect (or QPI). Because of this Intel has released its X58 chipset aimed at the top end of the spectrum.

We have already seen both GIGABYTE and ASUS put their offerings on the table; today we have yet another high-end board from a very highly regarded company, MSI. On the chopping blocks today is the MSI X58 Eclipse SLI. This board promises to have it all and then some. But as expected, a board of this calibre certainly comes at a price. You can currently purchase it from Newegg at 349.99 USD. But is it worth every penny? Let’s take a look and see.

MSI X58 Eclipse SLI Core i7 Motherboard Review
 
 
Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 Video Card Review
Tuesday February 03 @ 08:15:28 GMT +02:00 
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 Video Card


A quote from the article:

So you want to be a rock star huh? Well just like the Stones say, you can't always get what you want. Some of us realize we are just normal people and must settle for our daily mundane tasks. The same holds true for computer graphics cards, or does it? Today Benchmark Reviews will look at a mainstream card with a bit of an identity problem. The Sapphire Radeon HD4670 GDDR4 graphics card. This little guy thinks it's a rock star! Maybe it thinks that "6" in it's name is an "8"? It does have 512mb of GDDR4 RAM. Well, I'm positive this card is no HD4870 but that hasn't stopped this little fella from rockin'! Let's see if this HD4670 has what it takes to be a real star.

Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 Video Card Review
 
 
Raidsonic's Icy Box IB-NAS4220-B network storage device
Tuesday February 03 @ 08:04:19 GMT +02:00 
bit-tech published a review of Raidsonic's Icy Box IB-NAS4220-B network storage device


For SOHO or personal and family use, the Icy Box IB-NAS4220-B is pretty nippy and plentiful for the majority of people who are after just a plain two disk NAS. With 2TB hard disks just released, having a potential of 4TB at your disposal should be enough for all but the most prolific porn data collectors. It's a bit noisy, so in a particularly quiet room you'll certainly notice it is on, but it's no better or worse than the alternatives and it still looks great, works great and for the price we'd certainly opt to get one.

Raidsonic's Icy Box IB-NAS4220-B network storage device
 
 
 


 
 

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