PCI-E x1 Graphics Performance with Galaxy GeForce 7300GT
Tweaktown :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
“There are three key reasons why a PCI-E x1 graphics card can work and we’ll show you why. Today we are checking out a GeForce 7300GT that utilizes DDR-3 memory and PCI-E x1 slot. We’re going to have a look at what environments this could work in before we have a closer look at the card itself.
While we’re at it though, we will also have a look at it from a performance perspective in a low-end graphics card environment – is PCI-E x16 nothing more the marketing mumbo jumbo like AGP 8x vs. 4x (1056MB/s vs. 2112MB/s respectively) back in the day or is there actually a performance difference? Considering there is a total of 500MB/s of bandwidth (Single Data Lane – Both Directions) available on x1 slots compared to that of the huge 8000MB/s of bandwidth compared to x16 slots, it will be interesting.”
Pertelian X2040 LCD Review
XS Reviews :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
“ForeSight Systems LLC… ever heard of them? Nor me, but today I have their Pertelian X2040 LCD display designed for the lazy end user who doesn’t want to do through the modding process of using, say, a Matrix Orbital. Hopefully their display will improve on others in the market.”
X.Org 7.2: ATI Open v. Closed Drivers
Phoronix :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
“Last October we had compared the performance of the open-source R300 display driver against the closed-source fglrx driver for ATI Radeon graphics cards. In that comparison a Mobility Radeon X300 was used with X.Org 7.1, but we have decided to take another look at this driver comparison under X.Org 7.2. In this last comparison, the fglrx binary blob had greatly outperformed the open-source driver. While the fglrx driver remains faster, has the performance delta between these two drivers decreased?”
AMD/ATI Catalyst Control Centre Improvements
Overclock 3d :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
AMD have announced some major improvements to the Catalyst Control Center to coincide with Windows Vista. In this article we take a look at what’s on the cards for the near future.
nMedia HTPC 200BA Enclosure Review
Virtual Hideout :: Monday, February 05, 2007
“We are a little over a month past Christmas, and I know some of us received some really good computer hardware. So what does that mean for the other hardware that was replaced, but is still good? It means it’s HTPC computer building time!”
BFG Geforce 8800 GTS
Hardware Overclock Austria :: Monday, February 05, 2007
Hardwareoverclock Austria has reviewed BFG’s Geforce 8800 GTS. We have tested them in a comparison to a 7950GX2 and 8800 GTX.
Foxconn 7950 GT OC 512MB Video Card 
The Tech Lounge :: Monday, February 05, 2007
“What company first comes to mind when you think about NVIDIA video cards? Chances are you’re thinking of either BFG, XFX, or EVGA. In today’s review we’ll be taking a look at an overclocked 7950 GT from an enormous company whom, ironically, you may not be that familiar with, Foxconn. Chances are you own something Foxconn had a part in making. They produce Apple’s iPod and Mac Mini, Intel-branded motherboards, components for Dell, Hewlett Packard, and more… The reason Foxconn may not come to mind as a graphics card vendor is that they didn’t enter the market until March of last year. We’ll compare their overclocked 7950 GT with a standard Leadtek 7950 GT along with 6 other cards.”
Antec Fusion HTPC Case
3dgameman :: Saturday, February 03, 2007
“There’s no mistaking that the Antec Fusion Case has a very sleek design. It fits a micro ATX motherboard, has two 120mm fans, two hard drive bays and one external 5.25″ drive bay. They also include a Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) and an Active PFC, efficient 430W power supply. It even uses a three chamber thermal design that facilitates cooling and will result in lower case temperatures than a traditional desktop case. This design also means it will be quieter. Watch the video to find out more and check out the bloopers at the end.”
SteelSound 4H Gaming Headset Review 
Think Computers :: Friday, February 02, 2007
“Here at ThinkComputers we have already taken a look at the SteelSound 3H and 5H headsets. The 3H being on the low-end side and the 5H being on the high-end. Today we will be taking a look at the 4H, which is the mid-range headset in the series. SteelSound has always made good headsets so let’s see how the 4H measures up.”
Slim Devices Squeezebox Review
Techgage :: Friday, February 02, 2007
Wireless is now, so why not include your music within the realm of this amazing technology? That’s what Slim Devices is out to do with their Squeezebox. Not only can it wirelessly deliver music to anywhere in your home, it’s also finely tuned with the Rhapsody music service for the ability to listen to even more music. It can even handle lossless audio formats!
First look at Biostar and ATi’s RS690G
PC Stats :: Friday, February 02, 2007
The AMD 690 chipset series will include variants incorporating integrated graphics processors (IGP) based on the former ATI’s Radeon graphics technology, and is designed to be paired with the ATI-developed SB600 south bridge, said the sources. At least two IGP versions are planned which promise to offer higher visual performance than current IGP solutions, noted the sources. Additionally, the higher-end variant, the AMD 690G, will offer extra support for features including DVI, HDMI, and HDCP, added the motherboard makers.
C-Media Oxygen HD sound cards from Auzentech and Sondigo
The Tech Report :: Friday, February 02, 2007
CREATIVE HAS ALL BUT OWNED the market for PC audio cards since it introduced the original Sound Blaster way back when. That dominance has only grown over the years, in part because Creative has made some very good sound cards, but also because the company has managed to swallow up some of its competitors and outmuscle others. Now, though, Creative is starting to see some real competition. C-Media’s new Oxygen HD audio chip is finding its way into numerous sound cards from relative upstarts, and enthusiasts have taken notice.
Otherwise known as the CMI8788, the Oxygen HD supports resolutions and sampling rates up to 32 bits and 192kHz across eight channels. More importantly, the Oxygen HD’s feature set includes the ability to encode Dolby Digital Live and DTS, allowing it to produce multi-channel digital output via a single S/PDIF connection rather than a mess of analog cables—a capability not even Creative’s vaunted X-Fi can match.
Of the handful of manufacturers building sound cards with the Oxygen HD, Auzentech and Sondigo have the most divergent approaches. Sondigo’s Inferno is a basic implementation of the Oxygen HD that takes full advantage of the chip’s capabilities but doesn’t really push the envelope on features and extras. Auzentech’s X-Meridian is a little more exotic, with a focus on output quality and flexibility that goes so far as to allow users to swap out onboard chips. Keep reading to find out which of these implementations we prefer and whether either can challenge the X-Fi’s mix of features, performance, and sound quality.
Logitech Z-10 PC Speaker System Review
Digital Trends :: Friday, February 02, 2007
“The Z-10 speakers ooze quality, and at the price you’ll be paying for two speakers ($150 at review time), they better. The first thing we noticed was that the box was as heavy as many 2.1 speaker setups, a good sign that we’ll be getting quality electronics and probably good bass. The packaging is premium quality, and the all-gloss surfaces come with a plastic peel-off protective cover so they stay smudge free. Besides the speakers themselves, you get a USB cord, male/male stereo cord, and software CD. The power cord is permanently fixed to the right speaker, which also houses the stereo port and media control buttons. ”
HIS Radeon X1650XT and X1950PRO – Quiet Gaming
Tweak Town :: Friday, February 02, 2007
“We have with us a pair of cards from HIS, one the Radeon 1650XT and the other a Radeon 1950PRO. We will see what these particular cards from HIS have to offer us along with what card is best for you. If you’re on an LCD monitor that only supports a resolution as high as 1280 x 1024, is it worth the extra money to move to the X1950PRO? We’ll discuss this and more.
Normally we see a lot of IceQ type graphics cards from HIS but this time around while we do have an IceQ edition in the shape of the Radeon X1950PRO we also got the chance to check out the new iSilenceII cooling design on the Radeon X1650XT.”
Gainward Bliss 8800GTS 640MB Golden Sample – Overclocked!
Tweak Town :: Friday, February 02, 2007
“nVidia’s GeForce 8800GTS just got a little bit better thanks to Gainward with their Golden Sample graphics card. We understand that overclocking isn’t a hard task but that’s us. Overclocking isn’t for everybody and if it was companies like Gainward and BFG wouldn’t have much joy selling pre-overclocked cards. It’s nice to know that for a few extra dollars you can open the box, place it in your system, and be slightly faster than your mate down the road with a standard GeForce 8800GTS.
The biggest problem that we have really has nothing to do with the card. The package really should have had a little something extra and video cables are really a pretty standard item these days, not choosing to include them was like XFX not choosing to include the PCI Express power adapter in their 8800GTS. While a lot of people might have them, there is still going to be a portion of people who don’t. They should always be included.”
Four GeForce 8800 GTS and GTX compared 
hartware.net :: Friday, February 02, 2007
Hartware.net has reviewed and compared four GeForce 8800 graphics cards from ASUS and Foxconn. Where are the differences? Well, at least one is an overclocked model, the Foxconn 8800 GTS.
Dell 2407 24inch TFT Monitor
Driver Heaven :: Friday, February 02, 2007
24inch monitors are gaining popularity within the enthusiast gaming community so with that in mind we take a look at Dell’s 2407 screen, the follow up to the 2405 which we also reviewed last year. A competitively priced screen with a wide array of inputs. But does it offer high image quality as well?
A Quick Look at Audio Formats
Big Bruin :: Friday, February 02, 2007
Outside of the government and the military, the computer world uses the most acronyms. This is especially true for the names of audio formats. There are dozens of formats, each with its own reason for being and with its own strengths and weaknesses. But what do all of those names mean? And how do you deal with an audio file that you’re not familiar with?
