Intel G45 & G43 Chipset Details
Tech ARP :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Both the G45 and G43 chipsets are very similar. Both have integrated Intel graphics circuitry that support DirectX 10 and qualify for the Windows Vista Premium logo program. In fact, you can think of the G43 as a slightly crippled version of the G45.”
Intel Skulltrail Platform
Driver Heaven :: Monday, February 18, 2008
Skulltrail. Even the name sounds mean. If you haven’t heard the codename before now then we have a treat in store for you today. Skulltrail is a high end desktop PC platform based on Xeon class workstation processors. How does Dual Cpu, 8 Cores, four graphics card slots, dual 1600mhz front side buses with a total of 25.6 GB/s of bandwidth grab you?
Great, now that I have your attention, let me preface the testing. Driver Heaven missed the NDA launch a while ago. Not because we were being lazy, but we decided to spend considerable time with the system and explore some avenues no one else has touched upon yet, such as installing a full set of four modules to get Quad memory bandwidth and testing it with both high end Crossfire and SLI components, we also worked with Intel and received a newer BIOS for testing, but more on that later.
If this isn’t enough we then decided to overclock the hell out of it with watercooling to give you guys the best and most thorough review we can. If you are lucky enough to have the money to afford a system like this when it is released then you will definitely want to know how it performs under every situation, both with real world testing and with synthetic benchmarks. Turn the page to find out what Skulltrail is all about.
OCZ ProXStream 1000 W Power Supply Review
Hardware Secrets :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“With systems with multiple video cards requiring more power everyday, 1,000 W power supplies are becoming very common. OCZ has released a new 1,000 W product in the market, ProXStream 1000 W, targeted to power-hungry consumers that are willing to put three or four high-end video cards (this unit has four six-pin VGA power connectors) and several hard disk drives inside their systems. What is really different about this power supply compared to other 1,000-watt units around is it uses a small form factor, being at the same size of any standard ATX power supply, due to its interesting internal design using two printed circuit boards stacked. We completely disassembled this new unit from OCZ to see how it looks like inside and what design and components were used, plus we put it on our load tester to see whether it can deliver its rate 1,000 W or not.”
Technic3D/Hiper TypeM 630W Mk II
Technic 3d :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The Hiper TypeM 630W Mk II (HPU-4M630-PE) PSU arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review from Technic3D the PSU with a efficient from over 85% , 4x independent 12V rails, 20 db(A) and a good price?”
Antec NeoPower 550 Power Supply
Hardware Secrets :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“NeoPower is a high efficiency power supply series from Antec, being sold in the past as “HE” (High Efficiency). According to Antec, power supplies from this series have an efficiency of up to 85% (compare to less than 70% on regular power supplies), meaning less power loss – an 85% efficiency means that 85% of the power pulled from the power grid will be converted in power on the power supply outputs and only 15% will be wasted. This translates into less consumption from the power grid (as less power needs to be pulled in order to generate the same amount of power on its outputs), meaning lower electricity bills. Power supplies from this series – currently available on 380 W, 430 W, 500 W, 550 W and 650 W versions –feature a modular cabling system and a standard 80-mm fan on their rear side. We took an in-depth look on the 550 W model and tested to see if it could really deliver its rated 550 W or not.”
Intel Core 2 Performance Comparison Guide
Tech ARP :: Monday, February 18, 2008
Specifications are all well and great, but can you really tell how much faster is one processor from another? Both Intel and AMD are trying to do just that with their model numbering scheme. But with over 30 SKUs, the Intel Core 2 family of processors has become a confusing bunch of numbers.
We begin a performance comparison project for the Intel Core 2 family of processors where we test and compare the Intel Core 2 processors’ performance in five different benchmarks. It will show you exactly where a higher clock speed would be more advantageous and where the number of processing cores is far more important, as well as situations where the processor itself won’t really matter much.
In this revision, we have added both Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 and QX6800 quad-core processors into the mix. Let’s check out how they performed.
Apple MacBook Air Review
TechReviewSource :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Apple’s latest innovation, the MacBook Air, has been getting a lot of media attention over the past few weeks, so TechReviewSource.com’s editors have decided to take a look at the MacBook Air to see what it is all about and whether or not it is worth your money. They take look at everything from the design to the apparent lack of external ports in their full review.”
Thermaltake BlacX USB Hard Drive Docking Station Review
OCIA :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Thermaltake took note of this and created a product that really stood out at the show, a hard drive docking station known as the BlacX. The idea behind this product is so simple and yet, so ingenious that I am shocked that nobody else has thought of it yet. Simply put, the BlacX is a USB 2.0 hot-swappable 2.5″ and 3.5″ SATA docking station that accepts all hard drives up to 1TB in size.”
Auras SMF-660 TwinW Intel Heatsink Review
Frosty Tech :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The Auras SMF-660 heatsink is a compact Intel heatsink that weighs just over 400 grams, stands 108mm tall, and hides its lone fan quietly away. If you’ve been faced with the problem of an ill-fitting processor heatsink for a compact PC chassis, take comfort that sub-150mm tall CPU coolers do indeed exist. Auras ship the SMF-660 heatsink with a 92mm PWM fan that scales in speed from 1200-2100RPM with compatible motherboards.”
HeadRoom Total BitHead Portable Amp&DAC
techPowerUp :: Monday, February 18, 2008
The HeadRoom Total BitHead portable amplifier and DAC is a great combination of both a USB audio codec and a headphone amplifier that will drive most high end cans on the market today. The HeadRoom Total BitHead sells for only $149.99 which can be considered a steal for such a product.
Intel Skulltrail Platform Review
Gamepyre :: Monday, February 18, 2008
Overall the Skulltrail as a platform is one that is on a road all its own as no one at this timeframe has a platform that crosses so many different barriers in one system package. Price may be a daunting factor to some, but you have to figure into the equation how many systems you are not buying when you get a Skulltrail. This entire platform will only appeal to those who really work from home and want an all in one solution to both their business and personal computing needs. Personally I can’t wait to see what happens as the drivers and BIOS mature as then I am sure we will see some even better results performance wise from the Skulltrail.
Patriot Viper 2x1GB DDR3 PC3-15000 Review
Hardware Canucks :: Monday, February 18, 2008
This kit of Viper Extreme memory from Patriot is rated at an industry leading DDR3-1866 or 933MHz at timings of 8-8-8-24 with only 1.9v. When we first heard of the possibility of these specifications we thought it sounded like Patriot may have gone a little far with their expectations but the memory is available and here today for us to look at. With such high rated operating frequency, this memory doesn’t leave anything back and it should be pretty interesting to see how these modules shake down.
Aeneon XTUNE DDR3-1333 2GB Memory Review
Hardware Logic :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“While almost every enthusiast who has tinkered with memory knows the name Infineon, few know Infineon’s memory division, Qimonda (the #3 DRAM maker in the world), or Qimonda’s OEM branch Aeneon (although, again, those familiar with memory ICs, might recognize the name from some pretty good enthusiast kits). Aeneon memory has, until recently, made their mark primarily as a supplier of OEM parts for notebooks and desktops.”
Gigabyte MA790FX-DS5
Technic 3d :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The Gigabyte MA790FX-DS5 Mainboard arrived Technic3D. The Mainboard from the AMD Spider Platform with 790FX Chipset, see you in the the following Review with a AMD Phenom under Linux and X2 in Windows XP.”
VIZO Ninja II Notebook Cooling Stand Review
Futurelooks :: Monday, February 18, 2008
As you may already know, keeping your notebook computer cool has several key benefits, including the extended longevity and the improved performance of the components housed within. As laptops have continued to increase in popularity in recent years, so have the options for keeping our notebooks nice and cool. In terms of cooling performance, active solutions — those that include fans — typically outperform passive solutions. I’ve reviewed several cooling pads in the past and I’ve found that the Ninja II notebook cooler from VIZO implements a series of features that are lacking in other solutions.
Ultra X2 750W Extreme Edition ATX Power Supply Review
Virtual Hideout :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“You may notice in the test graph that the PF rating is rather low or high, depending on how you look at it. The .82% is above the normal reading that is given from Ultra, and will be what the average user will see due to the fact that I’m only pulling roughly 350W. My system setup didn’t even dent the capabilities of the Ultra X2 750W Extreme Edition, but users with a higher demand for the wattage will see a much more efficient reading overall. You may also notice that I don’t have any voltage readings of the rails fluctuating; well, any minor fluctuating is normal whether at idle or at full load.”
Thermaltake BlacX USB Hard Drive Docking Station Review
Think COmputers :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“When you think of Thermaltake you think cases and power supplies, not hard drive enclosures. While they do make hard drive enclosures they are not known for that, but they soon might be with the BlacX. The BlacX is not really a hard drive enclosure, it is more of a docking station. Unlike other hard drive docking stations we have seen the BlacX has a totally different design and since it is made by Thermaltake we know it won’t be like the cheap docking stations we have seen. Let’s check it out…”
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V Power Supply
Hardware Secrets :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Silencer 610 EPS12V is a 610 W power supply from PC Power & Cooling using the traditional PC power supply design with a single 80-mm fan on its rear side. Besides its Spartan looks this unit features active PFC, two video card power connectors for SLI and CrossFire, EPS12V connector and is labeled at 40º C, so the manufacturer guarantees that you will truly get 610 W of power. In fact, this unit came with a testing report generated by a Chroma 8000 machine (probably the most high-end power supply load tester available today), showing that not only this unit can deliver its 610 W but it can peak up to 680 W. We completely disassembled this power supply to take an in-depth look on its design and components and also tested it by ourselves to see if it can truly deliver 610 W of power.”
ASUS P5K Deluxe/WiFi-AP
Motherboard Review :: Monday, February 18, 2008
Intel has done an excellent job with their P35 chipset and it supports virtually every feature on the market with the exception of 1600MHz FSB CPUs and PCI Express 2.0 bandwidth, both of which are new to the market with the X38 chipset from Intel. The P5K Deluxe Wi-Fi AP Edition board is an excellent example of the P35 chipset with enough features to suit the enthusiast and enough expansion room to grow for even the hardest core enthusiast.
Tuniq Tower 120 Ultra Silent CPU Cooler Review
RB Mods :: Monday, February 18, 2008
One thing that is common with most CPU coolers that use air cooling is that they typically include a fan. We’ve seen all kinds of fan mounts- either horizontal or vertical, and on all sides of the cooler. But what about sticking the fan in the middle of the cooler? Tuniq, makers of a wide variety of computer products, has produced a new cooler, the Tuniq Tower 120 CPU cooler, that does just that. Will this unique design result in cooler performance? Let’s find out in this review.
‘Compact’ Multislot Card Reader / Writer
Dragonsteel Mods :: Monday, February 18, 2008
” I’ve checked out quite a few card readers in my time, but never one quite like this. Companies are always trying to make gadgets blend in more with our everyday objects, but I think this is the first ‘girly’ type product I’ve reviewed. Sure it’s a gadget, it’s a card reader and writer after all but they’ve taken that and basically stuck it into a cosmetic case so it would look right at home in a womans purse. I’m guessing this is an attempt to attract female consumers, but since I’m a guy I can only tell you the ‘manly’ stuff about it, like its read/writes speeds etc… So continue on to check out this most interesting product…”
MSI K9A2 Platinum Motherboard, AMD 790FX Chipset (Socket AM2+)
ICBT :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“There are three chipsets in this family, which differ only in the number of graphics ports (and PCI-E lanes) and consequently in supported CrossFire modes. All these chipsets support Hyper-Transport 3.0 (backward-compatible with Hyper-Transport 1.0). Maximum bus clock rate has grown from 1000 MHz to 2600 MHz. Thus, its throughput has grown from 6.4 GB/s to 20.8 GB/s.”
Safe Mode in Windows Vista For Crash Recovery
PC Stats :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The first step to recovering a crashed computer is Windows Vista’s Safe Mode. Knowing this will allow you to deal with bad software drivers, determine if it’s a hardware or software error, and fight off virus attacks. Safe Mode is like a second chance to save your PC from certain doom! This PCSTATS Guide is designed to provide the average computer user with the tools to repair his or her Vista operating system and access files in an emergency, using almost nothing but Windows Vista’s own inbuilt tools and utilities. All of this is done through the most useful of all these tools, the Windows Safe Mode option.”
Asus Triton 75 Heatsink Review
Frosty Tech :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The fangs at each corner of the Triton 75 bring a smile to our intrepid engineers’ face; pointy strips of aluminum dangle like a canines teeth over each Intel retention clip and lie in wait for unsuspecting fingers! Should we really expect anything different from the Asus Triton 75 heatsink though? With errant design elements that hamper the user experience and do nothing to improve thermal performance, the Asus Triton 75 is an example of what not to do. On top of that, the Triton 75 fails as a heatsink for processors with a 150W power rating. And yet, the Triton 75 is not a complete write off…”
Sunbeamtech Tuniq 3 Mid Tower ATX Case Review
Big Bruin :: Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunbeamtech is a manufacturer of computer components that has been around for a while, and they have sent a large number of items to Bigbruin.com for review over the years. They are also the parent company of a line of higher performance components that they have decided to brand under a different name… Tuniq. This review will be focused on a chassis from Sunbeamtech’s Tuniq series, the Tuniq 3 Mid Tower ATX case.
Eight power supply units encounter The Beast
Tech Report :: Monday, February 18, 2008
There was a time when the power supply was the most neglected component inside the PC. The PSU was an afterthought for most, usually a generic unit that came bundled with a case. And there it would sit, often not-so-quietly, entrusted with the important task of supplying power to other components that were usually chosen with far more consideration and deliberation. Over time, the odds that a generic PSU’s voltage lines would start sagging were pretty good. If you were lucky, this would only cause system instability. However, in more serious cases, other system components could be damaged.
Thankfully, the enthusiast community has taken power supply units more seriously as it has matured. We know there’s much more to the equation than simply a wattage rating; we’re looking for consistent DC voltages, minimal AC ripple content, high efficiency, low noise levels, and effective cooling—and those are just the basics.
Manufacturers have picked up on enthusiast, er, enthusiasm for quality power supply units, promising to deliver cleaner and quieter power more efficiently as wattage ratings scale skyward. Some have even developed unique features, including monitoring and control software, adjustable voltage lines, integrated USB hubs, and modular cabling solutions in attempts to differentiate their products in an increasingly crowded market.
To help make sense of the wide selection of power supply units available, we’ve rounded up eight contenders between 700 and 1000 watts from Antec, Corsair, Gigabyte, Hiper, PC Power & Cooling, Super Talent, Tagan, and Ultra. Keep reading to see how they compare in the real world and when pushed to their limits by our beastly test rig.
