Samsung SyncMaster 2243BW 22″ Widescreen LCD Monitor Review
Tweaknews :: Friday, March 28, 2008
“One of those reputable name brands in today’s market is Samsung and today we will be reviewing one of their new SyncMaster 2243BW 22″ monitors which is boasted to be an affordable thin bezel monitor which will be enjoyed in the home/office as well as in a gamer’s den. Let’s see if that claim is true.”
Radeon vs. RadeonHD Drivers In H1’08
Phoronix :: Friday, March 28, 2008
“For Linux distribution vendors, right now is proving to be an awkward time for them as they decide which ATI driver will ship as the default choice in their spring distribution refresh. The problem used to be whether to ship a binary-only driver in the distribution in order to provide “out of the box” support for all available graphics hardware, but on the ATI/AMD side the software distributors are now facing the challenge of which open-source driver they should call the de facto standard. In this article we are briefly looking at the matter of the xf86-video-ati vs. xf86-video-radeonhd drivers, the highly political issue of AtomBIOS, and what some of the popular Linux distributions are deciding to use this spring.”
Glacialtech Altair 380 Media Center PC Chassis
Techware Labs :: Friday, March 28, 2008
Today we have a quick look at a relatively new player in the chassis market, Glacialtech. On the review bench we have the Altair 380 a Media Center/HTPC focused chassis that is tall on features and extras. Matt explains why the Altair 380 is an ideal choice to fit into your living room and wraps up the review with a few suggestions.
Sapphire HD 3870 Toxic Review
Club OC :: Friday, March 28, 2008
The video card war is still alive and well, but it appears that AMD/ATI have conceded the high-end market to nVidia and instead have focused their efforts on the mid-range market. While some may see this as an omission of defeat, others will see it as a smart business move. More consumers buy the mid-range cards versus the high-end ones. Let’s face it, not all of us can afford a top of the line video card. When it comes to the mid-range card, AMD/ATI has one of the best GPU’s, the 3870. Sapphire has taken the 3870 up a notch by incorporating their custom Vapor-X cooler along with a very nice bundle.
nVidia Chips Comparison Table
Hardware Secrets :: Thursday, March 27, 2008
“If you don’t follow almost daily the video card market it is really complicated to understand the differences between the several different nVidia graphics chips available on the market today. To facilitate knowing and understanding the difference among these chips, we have compiled the following table:”
Why buy an Add-on Sound Card?
Techware Labs :: Thursday, March 27, 2008
With the widespread availability of onboard sound why would a consumer select an add-on sound card to their system? We take a look at the actual difference between onboard and add-on and give you insight as to the technical differences and important features to look at before making this decision.
AMD Releases Production Microcode For All Radeon GPUs
Phoronix :: Thursday, March 27, 2008
“In the next step towards open-source 3D support for the R500 and R600 GPUs (Radeon X1000 and Radeon HD 2000/3000), AMD has just pushed its production microcode into the Mesa/DRM git tree. This is the microcode found in the fglrx driver and it covers the Radeon R100 to R600 product families.”
AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table
Hardware Secrets :: Wednesday, March 26, 2008
“With more and more graphics chips being released every day it became very complicated for the user who does not follow the video card market to know the differences among all ATI graphic chips in the market today. To facilitate knowing and understanding the difference among major ATI chips, we have compiled the following table.”
HIS HD 3870 IceQ3 512 MB
techPowerUp :: Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The HIS Radeon HD 3870 IceQ3 uses the proven HIS IceQ3 cooling solution. It also comes with higher clocks out of the box which are among the highest we have seen so far from all manufacturers. The recent price drops from AMD make this card a solid choice for the sub-$200 segment.
Apollo Radeon HD 3850 512 MB Video Card Review
OCIA :: Wednesday, March 26, 2008
“Today I will be looking at the Apollo Aposonic Radeon HD 3850 512MB. It is a mid-range DX10 card,Crossfire ready, sitting in the notch between the geForce 8600GTS and the 8800GT. Will the HD 3850 make me turn my back on nVidia? Read on and see.”
Bgears b-Envi Cube Case
Techware Labs :: Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Adding to our recent coverage of HTPC and Media Center PC’s is another look at a HTPC focused chassis. The b-Envi from Bgears is a rather interesting case full of features and includes some extras we don’t normally see that make this case both an eye pleaser and much more functional.
XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI and XFX 9800GX2 Review
Gamepyre :: Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The nForce 790i Ultra SLI seems to be an ok update to the nForce 780i chipset, adding true PCI Express Generation 2 capability to NVIDIA motherboards for the first time, DDR3 support and native support for FSB 1600MHz Intel CPUs. From a performance perspective this board disappoints as it only edges the nForce 780i by a small percentage in most of the motherboard tests we tried with it with one or two tests being slower than the 780i motherboard. If you want the fastest most powerful single card graphics platform at the moment it is the 9800GX2. NVIDIA has not approved QuadSLI tests as of yet and it’ll be an interesting comparison to see how it fares against the ATI 3870X2 Quadfire solutions. In any event, read the reviews on the web look at all the data before making a purchasing decision and spend your money wisely as I always say, don’t just take my word for it.
NVIDIAs 9800 GX2 The Week That Was
Tweak Town :: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
“You might think that it sounds exciting to test such a high-end card, but when you’ve done it as much as I have over the past week then you look forward to seeing the back of the model. Since the 15th of March I’ve written five pieces on the GX2 for TweakTown, and another piece for a local magazine.
Not only that, but it’s now taken over my weekly editorial and I’ve still got another two reviews to do on the card over the next few days. Last week I spoke about how content is king, and this week just proves how right I am. The GX2 is hot! – Everyone wants to know about it, but to be completely honest, next to no one’s going to buy it.”
Asus EN8800GT TOP Review
Overclockers Club :: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
“As a factory overclocked card, the expectation was that the increase in core clock and memory speeds would not be that significant. Overclocked cards usually have little performance headroom left to increase the clock speeds to gain additional performance. The final speeds I attained were 60MHz above stock on the GPU core and 44MHz on the memory. Neither were really significant, but high enough to increase the performance of the Asus 8800GT. This allowed the card to perform much better than a stock clocked 8800GT. The performance increase in benchmarks was sometimes not evident in games until the higher resolutions were run.”
An Early Look At Mythbuntu 8.04
Phoronix :: Monday, March 24, 2008
“Last November we had looked at Mythbuntu 7.10 and found it to be an excellent MythTV distribution. With its LiveCD MythTV front-end capabilities and intuitive Mythbuntu Control Center, this distribution is far more than just a re-branded edition of Ubuntu with a couple MythTV packages. Being released in tandem with Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” next month will be Mythbuntu 8.04 and today we are taking an early look at this spring refresh using the recently released beta.”
XFX 8400GS Dual-Screen Graphics Card
Bjorn 3d :: Monday, March 24, 2008
It may come as a surprise to some, but graphics cards aren’t always just about getting the best frames per second. Home theater, fileserver, and other specialized PCs may never see a game but in most cases they still need a video card to operate. And of course that is leaving out the surprisingly large number of PC users that simply do not play videogames (I’ve been told such people do exist).
Asus 9800 GX2 1GB (EN9800GX2)
Overclock 3d :: Monday, March 24, 2008
“The 9800 GX2 card is Nvidia’s new top end baby. With two G92’s in tow, how does it compare to our 3 Way SLI setup? Find out inside…”
AMD Radeon HD 3200 / 780G On Linux
Phoronix :: Monday, March 24, 2008
“Last year AMD introduced the flagship 790 Chipset series as part of their Spider Platform for use with the Phenom processors and Radeon HD 3800 graphics. Until earlier this month when AMD introduced the 780 Series, missing was any chipset with integrated graphics capabilities supporting these first AMD quad-core processors. Now we have AMD’s 780G and 780V Chipsets, which are designed to be the mainstream solutions to the 790FX, but they pack the best integrated graphics processor (IGP) ever created by the combined ATI/AMD engineering talent. Since its launch at the CeBIT trade show, the AMD 780G has received rave reviews for its vehement performance due to its graphics core that’s derived from the AMD RV610. The benchmarks available on launch day were only for Microsoft Windows operating systems, but this morning we have the Radeon HD 3200 Linux results from the AMD 780G. Is this IGP a crown jewel on Linux?”
ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GX2 Graphics Card
Tweak Town :: Monday, March 24, 2008
“It feels weird to have done four articles on the 9800 GX2 without having actually had a look at a single retail card yet. The first retail card to come out of the gates comes in the form of a ZOTACoffering.
With the latest WHQL driver in hand, the 174.53, we’re going to see how the GX2 holds up against the direct competition, the HD 3870 X2 from AMD.”
GMC AVC-S7 Case
Driver Heaven :: Monday, March 24, 2008
GMC is a Korean based company who focus almost entirely on the design and production of HTPC cases. We had a look at several of their products in the past, each of them designed with a different purpose in mind. Today we will take a look at their latest HTPC case, the AVC-S7. The AVC-S7 is an elegant but very short case which is designed to match DVD players and other home theater equipment. Let us see if such a short case can be practical for housing modern home theater systems.
EVGA GeForce 9600 GT SSC 512 MB
techPowerUp :: Friday, March 21, 2008
EVGA’s e-GeForce 9600 GT SSC comes at increased clocks compared to the NVIDIA reference design. Also the cooler has been adjusted slightly to match the company’s color theme and design. With a price premium of just $10 over the reference card it can can deliver in both performance per Dollar and performance per Watt.
Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones Review
Hardware Secrets :: Friday, March 21, 2008
“Wiring is the bane of modern technology. Each new shining piece of equipment brings forth cables and wires that clutter rooms, tables, homes and offices. The 100% wireless future is still a utopia but at least you can try to get rid of a common wire: the headphone cable. There are several wireless headphones on the market and Logitech has just released one that’s not only good for iPod owners but also for any sound system with a stereo minijack. The FreePulse Wireless Headphones use a small 33 ft. range Bluetooth transmitter that makes you say goodbye to one of the many cables that plague modern life. Plus, it also delivers quality sound and a comfortable listening experience.”
Saitek Cyborg 5.1 Headset Review
Overclockers Club :: Friday, March 21, 2008
“The Cyborg 5.1 headset is constructed very well. The unit itself does not feel flimsy at all and I think that’s partly due to the fact that the sliders are made of metal instead of plastic. You’ll find soft padding on top of the headset and felt-like padding on the ear cuffs. The cuffs can turn 90 degrees inwards and they can slightly turn outwards. If you look closely, you can see each speaker inside of the headset. The microphone jack is located on the left ear and isn’t very noticeable.”
ASUS EAH3870 Top Video Card Review
i4u :: Friday, March 21, 2008
“Today we are checking out the ASUS EAH3870 Top video card powered by the ATI HD 3870 GPU. This card is factory overclocked for higher performance right out of the box. I was happy with the performance of the ASUS EAH3870 Top video card. It performs very well for the price and ASUS has a nice bundle that includes Company of Heroes- Opposing Fronts with the card. The factory overclocking of the card is very nice and on the whole the ASUS EAH3870 Top is a good option for ATI fans.”
Soyo Topaz S 24-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor Review
Think Computers :: Friday, March 21, 2008
“LCD monitors are pretty much common in all homes, it is not often you see someone with a CRT monitor anymore. With LCD’s being very common the standard seems to be 19 and 20-inch displays. If you want something larger you can go with 22-inch display, but you are still getting the same resolution so the next step up is a 24-inch display. Soyo who we don’t know for making LCD’s just sent us their newly released Topaz S 24-inch Widescreen LCD monitor. Let’s check it out!”
Samsung SyncMaster 2243BW 22″ Wide Screen LCD
Hot Hardware :: Friday, March 21, 2008
Today at HotHardware we look at one of the latest additions to the 22″ LCD monitor market segment, the Samsung SyncMaster 2243BW Wide Screen LCD. While the Samsung 2243BW may be aimed at business use, its specifications suggest that it should be capable of quite a bit more than just spreadsheets and word documents. With good viewing angles, a decent 5ms response time, good brightness and an excellent 1000:1 static contrast ratio, the 2243BW should be well equipped to handle any multimedia thrown its way. The 2243BW is actually has slightly better specifications than the wildly popular Samsung 226BW, which is one of the most widely and highly recommended 22″ monitors. Head on over to the site and check it out…
ASUS GeForce 9600GT 512MB
Phoronix :: Friday, March 21, 2008
“In late February NVIDIA had introduced the GeForce 9 series with the introduction of the mid-range GeForce 9600GT 512MB graphics card. Earlier this week they then introduced the GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card, which consists of two NVIDIA GPUs bridged together with SLI support. We have been quiet on how the GeForce 9 series performs under Linux, but this morning we are providing our initial GeForce 9600GT results using an ASUS EN9600GT TOP HDMI and comparing its Linux desktop performance to its GeForce 8 sibling and the ATI Radeon HD 3850 and 3870. On Windows the GeForce 9600GT has been able to outperform the Radeon HD 3850/3870, but on Linux an entirely different story is rendered.”
Nvidia Partners Launch Pricey New 9800 GX2 Cards
PC Magazine (Graphics Cards) :: Friday, March 21, 2008
Graphics cards based on the new Nvidia GeForce 9800 GX2 architecture have hit the street – and boy, what a price tag.
Sony DAV-HDX279W
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Friday, March 21, 2008
Preview of the Sony DAV-HDX279W.
How to Buy a Plasma HDTV
PC Magazine (HDTV) :: Friday, March 21, 2008
Before you whip out that credit card, find out how to pick the perfect plasma. Our comprehensive guide takes you through the pro, cons, and myths.
Hitachi P50X901
PC Magazine (HDTV) :: Friday, March 21, 2008
The P50X901’s admirable set of picture controls can’t overcome the fact that it’s an interlaced television with a poor average contrast ratio.
Sharp Aquos LC-32GP3U-R Video Review
PC Magazine (HDTV) :: Friday, March 21, 2008
Robert Heron, PC Magazine’s superstar HDTV specialist, takes a look at Sharp’s newest 1080P superstar.
Zotac GeForce 9800 GX2
techPowerUp :: Thursday, March 20, 2008
Today NVIDIA launches their GeForce 9800 GX2 dual GPU card. It comes with two G92 GPUs and uses a new cooling design where a single cooler sits in the middle and cools both GPUs. We have the card from Zotac on our testbench today which follows the reference design specification. Unlike many other publications all our testing was conducted in Windows XP because we think that’s what the majority of users still plays on.
ASUS GeForce 9800 GX2
t-break :: Thursday, March 20, 2008
After introducing the 9000 series with a mid-range graphics card, nVidia gives us a taste of its power with their first high-end 9000 series graphics card. Like AMD\’s 3870X2, the GeForce 9800 GX2 is a dual GPU solution with 1GB frame buffer divided equally amongst the two GPUs. Unlike AMD, nVidia already has some experience with their dual GPU based graphics card- the old 7950GX2 which was certainly a breakthrough product and much liked at our labs. Lets find out what the new GeForce 9800 GX2 brings to the table.
Zotac 9800GX2
Technic 3d :: Thursday, March 20, 2008
“The new Zotac NVIDIA GeForce 9800GX2 arrived Technic3D. The Dual Graphic Card from NVIDIA better than the AMD HD 3870X2? Technic3D will see that on Windows Vista in the following Review.”
XFX 9800 GX2 Review
Neoseeker :: Thursday, March 20, 2008
“The XFX 9800 GX2 isn’t for everyone — but for the small amount of people that this card is for, well, they are some very lucky gamers. This video card truly is a monster, and if you put down the coin to capture this creature, it’ll serve you well. You can expect to run any possible game you have at the absolute maximum settings possible without any hiccups. In fact, one of the biggest ‘problems’ of having this card would be that right now, there really isn’t all that much out there that’ll make use of all this power — except for Crysis, anyways.”
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 Dual-GPU Version Preview
MVK Tech :: Thursday, March 20, 2008
“Not so long ago we saw the 3-Way SLI technology being introduced by NVIDIA which gotten limited to the high-end GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra graphics cards. And today we see that NVIDIA is coming back with a technology that they have used already previously, though with a quite limited success in the end. This time around the basics are no different, unless better support is promised with the drivers. With the rumors ongoing now for several weeks, we finally got our hands on the new GeForce 9800 GX2, the highly anticipated dual-GPU card to go up against the just recently released Radeon HD 3870 X2 card from AMD, their main competitor on the graphics market.”
Logitech Z Cinema Surround Sound Speaker Review
Overclockers Club :: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
“The Logitech Z Cinema Surround Sound speaker system is one of greatness. Not only do they look great, but they are also able to live up the their looks by providing clean bass hits and crisp high notes. They sounded great in all the different aspects of computer sound; they are able to suck you right into a movie and bring you right in the thick of battle in games. All music sounds great on these speakers, whether it be country music with the subtle guitar strokes and clean vocals or some rap music with the deep bass hits.”
Sanus MD103-G1 LCD Monitor VESA Mount
Club Overclocker :: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
With the rush of High Definition (HD) flat panel television sales, folks are aware of the ability to hang their television on the wall with what is known as a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) mount. The VESA system is the accepted term which came from the Flat Display Mounting Interface (FDMI) standard. It simply defines the standards, as set by the Video Electronics Standards Association, regarding flat panel mounts and bases. Today we have a look at one such device from Sanus, the MD103-G1.
NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) v3.9 Released…
MVK Tech :: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
“MVKTech has just released a new version of NVIDIA BIOS Editor (NiBiTor) software. NiBiTor is the original and defenitive BIOS tweaker that supports the latest NVIDIA graphics cards. NiBiTor allows graphics card enthusiasts to have full control over advanced features and functionality found on firmware on supporting cards. This to gain some extra performance, enable hidden features and extra stability on the NVIDIA graphics cards.”
Razer Mako 2.1 Review
XS Reviews :: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
“For all the things Razer are known for, one thing that’s always present in their products is style. While they’ve had some big hits, and some unfortunate misses over the past couple of years, it’s always there. Unsurprisingly then, their latest release, developed with THX, is not devoid of flare either. The Razer Mako is it’s name, and though it might be an impressive looking setup, how does it sound? Well, I’m about to find out.”
XFX 9800 GX2 Video Card Review
i4u :: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
“Today we are checking out the latest NVIDIA based video card, and it is one seriously high-end performer. The new 9800 GX2 uses a pair of 9800 GPUs and delivers record breaking performance. This is usually the point where I say that I couldn’t run Crysis at over medium settings. Today for the first time ever I was able to run Crysis at 1920 x 1200, all settings on high and with 2xAA at smooth and playable frame rates. I used Fraps to record frame rate data from the initial beach insertion until the battle with the first enemies.”
GeForce 9800 GX2 in Quad SLI Tested
Tweak Town :: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
“I’ve never before found myself in the position where I’ve been this rushed off my feet to get an article online. This afternoon I was e-mailed the Quad SLI Vista Driver! – At the same time, a second 9800 GX2 rocked up in my hot little hands. It was clear what I needed to do.
We found ourselves in the IBP bunker sitting in front of a 4GHz Water-cooled system with an SLI capable motherboard and an 8GB Pen Drive in hand with the 174.53 Quad SLI Driver installed.
You want results? We’ve got ‘em!”
Logitech G51 Speakers Review
Digital Trends :: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
“With a street price at under $200, the Logitech G51 speaker system is an incredible bargain.”
In-Depth LCD Buying Guide – What Monitor Should I Buy?
Madshrimps :: Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Before the LCD displays arrived, the choice of a monitor has been fairly easy. With CRTs you had screen size, refresh rates and price and you could be fairly sure that you did not have to worry about anything more. With LCDs, it is a different matter and this guide aims at helping you understand what the marketing gibberish means and what you really need to look for.
Sleek-Audio SA6 Earphones
techPowerUp :: Monday, March 17, 2008
Sleek-Audio SA6 is the name of a brand new pair of earphones with customizable performance. The earphones feature both a treble and bass tuning system that allows the user to alter the audio performance according to their needs and preferences. This is not done via electronics as one might expect, but by physically replacing parts of the earphone.
GeForce 9800 GX2 Overclocked and Tested
Tweak Town :: Monday, March 17, 2008
“When a new high-end graphics card comes out you like to think that a CPU with four cores clocked at 3GHz is going to do the job pretty well. Though, like most high-end cards, when we start to increase the CPU clock further, we can begin to see some really good gains in performance.
So we’ve done exactly that today, we’ve moved our trusty Intel quad-core Q6600 processor up to 3.75GHz but at the same time we thought that we may as well see what we can do with the clocks on the GeForce 9800 GX2. The increases clock speeds will be what most consumers can achieve without spending a truck load of cash on extreme cooling. CPU is cooled using Corsair water cooling and the GX2 uses its stock standard air cooling.”
Logitech Harmony ONE Advanced Universal Remote Control Review
Futurelooks :: Monday, March 17, 2008
When I had a chance to review the Logitech 676 Harmony Remote back in 2005, I was totally impressed with the experience. It changed things in the Universal Remote Control world because it was easy to use, easy to setup, and most importantly, it had a very high approval factor with all the non-techies in the household. Most importantly, you can do it yourself without the help of an CEDIA Certified Engineer. Now that we’re in 2008, Logitech continues to be successful with their line of Harmony Remotes. Their latest remote, the Logitech Harmony ONE Advanced Universal Remote Control continues the tradition of easy to use and easy to setup for the modern home theatre.
GeForce 9800 GX2 with ForceWare 174.51
Tweak Town :: Monday, March 17, 2008
“We said we would test the GX2 again once we obtained some updated drivers, and that’s exactly what we’re about to do right now. From a hotmail account this morning, we received the 174.51 drivers. The difference between these drivers and the last batch of 174 drivers we tried is that these ones actually installed!
Word is that the new drivers fix the profile issues that were present in the 173.67 release. While some people say SLI just wasn’t working in the first driver we tested, the issues seem more related to profiles.”
AutumnWave OnAir GT (USB HDTV Tuner) Review
Madshrimps :: Monday, March 17, 2008
“HDTV broadcast becomes more accessible in many cities AutumnWave is bringing to the notebook/laptop users an easy way to capture the high quality must watch sports or your favorite TV programs on-the-go.”
The PCMag.com Dream Home: Kitchen
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Monday, March 17, 2008
Turn your kitchen into your home’s tech hub. We’ll show you the gear your family needs to stay wired for less (or more).
Getting NVIDIA ForceWare 174 To Work With GeForce 8 Cards
Tech ARP :: Thursday, March 13, 2008
“At this moment, we cannot be certain if the DirectX 10 problem is merely limited to our testbed but a far more widespread problem. But coupled with the fact that this driver sucks as far as GeForce 8 cards go, there’s no real reason for you to hack it to run with your GeForce 8 series graphics card.”
MSI GeForce N9600GT OC Graphics Card
Tweak Town :: Thursday, March 13, 2008
“The latest company to come to the 9600GT parade is MSI, and like most other cards we’ve looked at they’ve decided to move away from the stock cooler and use their own design. They also figure if they’re going to do that, they may as well bump up the speed of the card and see what it’s capable of.
I feel like we’ve looked at so many 9600GT cards in such a short period of time that there isn’t all that much to say here. The 9600GT has quickly become a popular little offering thanks to its performance not being like that of normal x600GT offerings from NVIDIA in the past.”
Zalman ZM-RS6F USB 5.1 Surround Headphones/Headset Review
Tweaknews :: Thursday, March 13, 2008
“Despite a couple minor shortcomings, the ZM-RS6F remains a decent contender for those in the market for a set of surround sound headphones. The USB connector and sound card allow for a convenient setup especially for laptop gaming. The surround sound quality is good and after gaming with these, it will be difficult to go back to a pair of standard headphones.”
Diamond Viper ATI Radeon HD 3870 512MB Video Card
Benchmark Reviews :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Benchmark Reviews recently reviewed the ZOTAC 8800GT ZT-88TES2P-FSP, NVIDIA’s very impressive answer to the HD3800 series. Though the NVIDIA beat ATI/AMD to market, the 8800GT release is a direct result of ATI/AMD’s HD 3800 series. Today we’ll be looking at one card responsible for the exceptional mid-range offering we are enjoying, the Diamond VIPER 3870PE4512 – ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 PCIE 2.0 512MB GDDR4 Video Card; ATI/AMD’s mid-range card that curiously happens to be their top performing single GPU card.
Logitech Z Cinema Speaker System Review
Techgage :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Logitech unveiled their Z Cinema speaker system at this year’s CES, to plenty of fanfare. The system blends a refined two-way satellite design with a robust, powerful subwoofer. We take the latest high performance Z-series PC speaker system for a spin, and find lots of cause for excitement.
Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator Review
Hardware Logic :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
“Most of us wouldn’t think of letting a piranha anywhere near our noggin, but this isn’t the first time Razer’s gone against conventional wisdom. In fact, Razer owes its very existence to this type of thinking. Once considered a niche market, Razer gambled on the future of competitive gaming and arguably helped take the little known segment and cast it into the mainstream limelight. It started with a line of ultra sensitive mice, and today Razer’s product line runs the gamut from gaming keyboards to a growing line of audio solutions.
Today we’re focusing on the latter with Razer’s new Piranha Gaming Communicator, or in layman’s terms, headset with microphone. Hoping to strike a balance between comfort and all-around performance, does Razer’s Piranha pack enough bite, or is this one fish we’re better off throwing back?”
AMD HD3870 X2 Crossfire
Tbreak :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
A little over three weeks back, AMD unleashed their HD3870 X2 graphics card which put AMD back on top for the fastest graphics card. Although the card featured a Crossfire connector bridge, drivers were not available to take advantage of this feature. AMD has now released their 8.3 Catalyst drivers that allow you to run two HD3870 X2 graphics cards in Crossfire mode allowing you to harness the power of four GPUs.
WinFast Leadtek PxDTV2300H
Bjorn 3d :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The ways we can watch TV have increased over the years. In the beginning we were forced to sit by the TV and watch one of the few analogue channels that were broadcasted through the airwaves. Today however we have a lot more options. Not only can we still watch TV on our TV-sets, though now in various digital form, but we also can watch TV on our computers, either through the internet or through a TV-card in our computer.
To be able to watch TV on or through a computer we of course need a TV-card and Leadtek were kind enough to send over one of their premium TV-cards, the WinFast Leadtek PxDTV2300H. In addition to the support for analogue broadcasts this card also supports the DVB-T standard for digital Terrestial broadcasts.
NVIDIA Geforce 8400GS Overclocking Guide
Madshrimps :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
“Few months back we had a peak at the GeForce 8400GS and we saw how performance wise this card is not that bad of a choice considering its price. Even with that narrow 64-bit bus we could greatly improve the performance of our test samples, but we do feel that there is quite some left in those cards, could we double our frame rates with more volts supplied?.”
The PCMag.com Dream Home
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Whether you’re on a tight budget or can spend like a Rockefeller, here’s how to create the techie house of your dreams from the ground up.
Intel Graphics: 10X Improvement By 2010?
PC Magazine (Graphics Cards) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Michael Miller checks in from Intel’s financial analyst meeting on Wednesday, where Intel executives talked about planned graphics improvements.
Sonic Impact i-F3
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Memory Trumps Power?
PC Magazine (Graphics Cards) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Upgrading your graphics card for Windows Vista?
A New Era for Gaming
PC Magazine (Graphics Cards) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Is gaming being “dumbed down”? Talk at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) centered on the development of less graphics-intensive casual games.
EU, U.S. Vow Crackdown on Counterfeit Computers
PC Magazine (Graphics Cards) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
EU and U.S. senior officials said on Friday they would crack down on counterfeiting of computer components after they seized over 360,000 fake items in just two weeks in a joint operation at the end of last year.
Sony Unveils Ungodly Number of Audio Accessories
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sony on Tuesday announced a slew of new music players and accessories, including headphones, speakers, Bluetooth receivers, and audio recorders.
JBL Spyro
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
When a 2.1 speaker system costs $130 and doesn’t offer much in the way of extra features, the assumption is that the sound will be very good or possibly even excellent.
The PCMag.com Dream Home
PC Magazine (HDTV) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Whether you’re on a tight budget or can spend like a Rockefeller, here’s how to create the techie house of your dreams from the ground up.
Harman/Kardon SoundSticks II
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
These speakers look a little like two tentacles and a jellyfish.
Sony’s Blu-ray Line Gets Bigger, Not Cheaper
PC Magazine (HDTV) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sony showed off its late-2008 product line, including HDTV displays, cameras, headphones, music players, and still-expensive Blu-ray players.
10 Weirdest iPod Accessories
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Yes, Apple iPods are cool. The same cannot be said for these accessories, including a music headband and hymn book case.
Source: Pioneer to Halt Plasma Production
PC Magazine (HDTV) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Pioneer is finalizing plans to stop all production of plasma display panels in a bid to turn around its loss-making flat TV operations, an industry source briefed on the plan said on Tuesday.
Sweet PC Sound
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Treat your desktop to an upgraded audio experience with these speaker sets.
Nvidia May Suck Physics Chip into Graphics Card
PC Magazine (Graphics Cards) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
It sounds like Nvidia is not going to require users to buy an Ageia card after all. In fact, it may be that the physics coprocessor is going the way of the VGA chip.
The PCMag.com Dream Home: Living Room
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Build a high-def haven to soak up your favorite movies and series, whether you need to pinch a few pennies or can shoot for the stars.
The PCMag.com Dream Home: Home Office
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
No matter your cost limitations—or total lack thereof—a fully functional home office setup is well within reach.
Nvidia Widens Lead in Graphics Cards; Prices Fall
PC Magazine (Graphics Cards) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Nvidia widened its lead in the PC graphics card market in the fourth quarter, during a period when unit shipments jumped significantly but prices favored consumers.
Vestalife Ladybug
PC Magazine (Speakers) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
When it comes to sound quality, this cute and compact bug ain’t bad.
What You Need to Know About Digital Television
PC Magazine (HDTV) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The cutoff date for analog broadcast television is a year away. Here’s how it will affect you, whether you get your TV signal from cable, a satellite dish, or an antenna.
The PCMag.com Dream Home: Living Room
PC Magazine (HDTV) :: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Build a high-def haven to soak up your favorite movies and series, whether you need to pinch a few pennies or can shoot for the stars.
XFX 8400GS 256MB Video Card Review
Gamepyre :: Sunday, March 09, 2008
All around for what it is XFX has made a great card here, perfect for the media center computer. Some of the best features being the ability to put it in a low profile case, an S-video out, dual monitor support and it’s nice and quiet. This card is a great choice for those who want HDTV output for their computers as well, but don’t want to shell out a ton of cash. Though not a gaming card, I give this card a Silver Medal for being a solid product in every aspect, and delivering all that is promised of it.
Samsung SC-HMX10A High Definition Camcorder Review
Futurelooks :: Saturday, March 08, 2008
The SC-HMX10A (not to be confused with their lower end, non-HD, but similar looking, MX10) is Samsung’s latest incarnation of their HD flash based camcorder product. This HD Camcorder features the same 720p recording, 4 GB’s of onboard flash, and HDMI, but adds a touchscreen LCD, and a spiffy remote control among other little things. It’s also about a grand cheaper than its predecessor at only $799 MSRP. Let’s check it out!
Radeon HD 3870 X2 in Crossfire X Tested
Tweak Town :: Saturday, March 08, 2008
“The driver is out that does it all. Crossfire X; we’ve wanted it, we’ve asked for it, we’ve (finally) got it. Crossfire X is the next generation of Crossfire technology for Radeon based graphics cards.
With a pair of HD 3870 X2 cards in hand it’s time to check out what Crossfire X is capable of. For comparisons sake we’ve also included a single HD 3870 and a single HD 3870 X2.”
mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb Review
Dragonsteel Mods :: Saturday, March 08, 2008
” Accessories for the iPod come in all shapes and sizes. Today I will be looking at the uniquely shaped mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb. This speaker is designed to work with any iPod ranging from the first generation to current iPod models. Besides acting as a set of speakers, the Stereo Orb can function as a charging/syncing dock and includes a stereo mini jack which allows the ability to hook up other devices such as other MP3 and CD players. Plus with the 10 key remote, you can control basic functions on your mStation. ”
Sapphire HD 3850 Ultimate Edition Review
Overclockers Club :: Saturday, March 08, 2008
“To overclock this card, I used the Catalyst Control Center. I was able to push this card from the stock core clock of 670MHz to 715MHz. The memory was overclocked from the stock 830MHz to 945MHz. Not a bad overclock at all if you ask me. This was especially surprising considering that this card has no fan on it. Also, the card was idling at 21C while overclocked! That’s just amazing!”
Powercolor HD 3650 Xtreme 512 MB
techPowerUp :: Saturday, March 08, 2008
AMD’s new HD 3650 is basically an improved version of the 2600 XT without any major technological advances other than a smaller die size resulting in cheaper cards. PowerColor’s HD 3650 Extreme comes equipped with 512 MB of fast GDDR3 memory and runs at higher clocks than the AMD reference design.
ECS GeForce 9600GT Accelero 512MB
Tweak Town :: Saturday, March 08, 2008
“As the 9600GT cards continue to roll on in, we see lots of variants trying to stand out from the pack. The latest card to rock up in the labs is an offering from ECS that carries with it an Accelero S2 made by Artic Cooling.
We’ve compared the ECS 9600GT against the Galaxy 9600GT which is slightly lower on the core and a fair bit lower on the shader clock. The Galaxy memory clock does come in a little higher though.”
NVIDIA Quadro Performance: Windows vs. Linux vs. Solaris
Phoronix :: Friday, March 07, 2008
“Earlier this week we previewed the Quadro FX1700, which is one of NVIDIA’s mid-range workstation graphics cards that is based upon the G84GL core that in turn is derived from the consumer-class GeForce 8600 series. This PCI Express graphics card offers 512MB of video memory with two dual-link DVI connections and support for OpenGL 2.1 while maintaining a maximum power consumption of just 42 Watts. As we mentioned in the preview article, we would be looking at this graphics card’s performance not only under Linux but also testing this workstation solution in both Microsoft Windows and Sun’s Solaris. In this article today, we are doing just that as we test the NVIDIA Quadro FX1700 512MB with each of these operating systems and their respective binary display drivers.”
GMC Noblesse AVC S-7 Home Theatre PC/ Media Center PC Review
Techware Labs :: Friday, March 07, 2008
“With all of the recent events surround the HTPC and Media Center PC’s we felt it time to take a look at another Media PC enclosure. The Noblesse S-7 from GMC is a good looking slim enclosure that integrates a VFD and slim DVD combo drive as well as a remote. We fill out this system and test it under Vista and XP and bring you our experience and results.”
The Blu-Ray Decision
Techware Labs :: Friday, March 07, 2008
“Now that the war for high definition is over you may be looking into obtaining a Blu-Ray drive. You should be aware of the issues that still surround this new technology and how it could impact you in the future. Read our editorial to find out what you need to know and why the Playstation 3 may be you best choice.”
Princeton VL2018W 20.1-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor Review
Think Computers :: Thursday, March 06, 2008
“Not everyone needs a top of the line LCD monitor with a 2ms response time and all of the connections imaginable. Some people just want an LCD monitor to replace their huge CRT monitor. It is much easier moving around a few thin LCD monitors than a big CRT. Today we are taking a look at the VL2018W from Princeton. The 20.1-inch LCD features a 1680 x 1050 resolution and 8ms response time. You can get it from Geeks.com for a very decent price of $179.99. Let’s take a look…”
DisplayLink USB-to-DVI Graphics Adapter Review
Futurelooks :: Thursday, March 06, 2008
At the end of the day, I only have one major opinion about this product: I like it! The DisplayLink USB-to-DVI adapter, which you can find under a number of different brands, is incredibly easy to use and provides for a very convenient way to expand your desktop workspace. It works particularly well with notebooks, because laptops typically do not come with more than one video output. If you look at many laptops with integrated graphics, the only available output is VGA and this can be terribly frustrating when the monitor you want is DVI only.
GIGABYTE GeForce 8800GT TurboForce
Tweak Town :: Wednesday, March 05, 2008
“GIGABYTE graphics cards seem to be few and far between these days because they like to do things a bit differently. We’re all for standing out from the pack, and the latest card from GIGABYTE to jump into that category would be the TurboForce Edition of the 8800GT.
The Zalman cooler that they use isn’t anything new, we’ve seen it used on the HD 3870 that GIGABYTE released a few months back. With that said though, it really is a tried and tested cooler that seems to be extremely efficient. The copper in the middle of the cooler helps move the heat and the aluminum fins help the heat dissipate quickly.”
Gigabyte GV-NX88T512HP GeForce 8800 GT
Hot Hardware :: Wednesday, March 05, 2008
The Gigabyte GV-NX88T512HP features a nice factory overclock, the ability to increase the GPU voltage via Gigabyte’s Gamer HUD software, and it uses high quality electrical components. In addition to the aforementioned items, the GV-NX88T512HP also features a custom Zalman cooler and a PCB that is shorter than NVIDIA’s reference design. Head on over to the site and check it out…
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT/GTS Roundup
Digit Life :: Wednesday, March 05, 2008
“Since 8800 GTS 512MB has the same number of shader processors as 8800 GTX, but operates at higher frequencies, its performance may come close to that of 8800 Ultra. So, it will be very interesting to examine these new products. Some of them have very original design and coolers.”
VVIKOO GeForce 9600 GT Turbo
techPowerUp :: Wednesday, March 05, 2008
VVIKOO’s GeForce 9600 GT Turbo brings many changes over the NVIDIA reference design. You can see one of the first DisplayPort implementations, an HDMI output, two DVIs and optical SPDIF-in. The card also features the Zalman VF-1000 cooler which makes sure the card stays cool at all times. Since the card runs cooler, the card comes overclocked straight from the factory.
Palit Geforce 8800GT Super+ 1GB Videocard Review
PC Stats :: Tuesday, March 04, 2008
“Palit have taken a slightly different approach with this GeForce 8800GT-class videocard. Rather than pre-overclock the GPU and memory, it’s added an extra 512MB of onboard videocard memory, bumping the total to 1GB GDDR3. The Palit 8800GT Super+ 1GB ships with its GPU running at 600 MHz and memory clocked at 900 MHz. The shader runs at the stock 1500MHz speed. For the gamers looking for a little DirectX10 action in Windows Vista, the Palit 8800GT Super+ 1GB supports SM4.0, 16x antialiasing, 128-bit HDR, nVidia quantum effects physics processing, PureVideo HD, OpenGL 2 and all the other eye candy you’d expect.”
ATI HD 3470 Review
Overclockers Club :: Tuesday, March 04, 2008
“I used ATI’s Overdrive included in the Catalyst Control Center to overclock this card. I was extremely surprised at how much I was able to squeeze out of this little card. I was able to get the core clock from 800MHz to 890MHz and the memory clock from 950MHz to 1040MHz. The fan didn’t make any more noise than it already was at stock so I was happy about that. This card couldn’t have been easier to overclock and to be able to get that that much out of the card was impressive to say the least.”
NVIDIA Quadro FX1700 512MB
Phoronix :: Tuesday, March 04, 2008
“Workstation GPUs are not our main focus at Phoronix, but with the increasing use of Linux on workstation systems, we will be starting to look at professional graphics products this month and likely more of them in the future. We are beginning this expedition by looking at the Quadro FX1700, which is one of NVIDIA’s mid-range workstation graphics cards. This Quadro graphics card boasts 512MB of video memory, support for CUDA, and OpenGL 2.1 support. According to NVIDIA’s product literature, the Quadro FX1700 is engineered to deliver exceptional performance, quality, and price for professionals.”
OnAir USB HDTV-GT Receiver & DVR for PC Review
Virtual Hideout :: Tuesday, March 04, 2008
“And what about right now in the present – how many times have you gone either to work or out for the evening, only to remember later on that you forgot to set your DVR to record your fave TV program? Or maybe you’re one of those people who refuses to miss their show, so you arrange your schedule so you don’t have leave the house when it’s on. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to go out and still see your program… when it’s actually on, AND in HDTV, with no worries about the impending “Dooms Day”? Then you’ll be relieved to know that OnAir Solution and AutumnWave have just the device you’ve been looking for to solve these problems: the OnAir USB HDTV-GT, a HDTV receiver and personal video recorder.”
Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide
Tech ARP :: Sunday, March 02, 2008
Covering 337 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.
EVGA e-GeForce 9600GT SSC Edition Review
Gamepyre :: Sunday, March 02, 2008
NVIDIA’s new 9600GT card is targeted at the $199 and below price point and EVGA says this card should come in at $200-220. At this level of performance and pricing, the 9600GT competes against ATI’s HD3850 card and almost competes against the 8800GT as that card is available online for $240 from Newegg. The 9600GT outperforms the HD3850 card from Diamond and the HD3870 card from ATI, making it an interesting choice but does not outperform the 8800GT in most cases. It has been over a year and a half since NVIDIA has launched a high-end video card in the form of the 8800GTX, with rumors of a 9800GX2 card coming hopefully it will bring high performance back into the mainstream for a good price. For now, the 9600GT is a great replacement for the 8600GT offering higher performance and a similar price point but not a great replacement for the 8800GT which is within striking range at this price point.
Palit 9600GT Sonic 512MB Geforce 9600GT Videocard Review
PC Stats :: Saturday, March 01, 2008
“Enter a new GPU contender from Palit Microsystems – the 9600GT Sonic 512 videocard. This nVIDIA ‘G94’ GeForce 9600GT-class videocard comes conveniently pre-overclocked from the factory floor with 512MB of GDDR3 memory. The Palit 9600GT Sonic videocard is tweaked to run with 700 MHz core, 2000 MHz memory and 1750MHz shader clock. This is up from the nVidia default settings of 625 MHz core / 1800 MHz memory / 1600MHz shader for the new Geforce 9600GT GPU.”
Galaxy 9600 GT 512MB OC Video Card Review
Madshrimps :: Saturday, March 01, 2008
“Galaxy is launching a very different 9600 GT, featuring a custom board design, dual slot cooler, two BIOS and windows flash tool, it is geared toward the enthusiasts out there. This sample comes factory overclocked we compare its performance to a reference 9600 GT video card, as well as a 8800 GT, 8800 GTS and AMD’s pride: HD3870. Read on to find out of this product is the best mainstream card out there!”
Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GT ZL 512MB
Tweak Town :: Saturday, March 01, 2008
“The 9600GT is taking much of the spot light at the moment, but the 8800GT continues to be faster than the 9600GT and only slightly more expensive. It’s one of the best valued cards on the market at the moment, and you can see why stock was constantly sold out during the launch period.
Leadtek have mixed it up a bit with the release of their 8800GT 512MB, and today we’re getting around to checking it out. The particular model uses an aftermarket cooler by Zalman, but before we get into that let’s check out what Leadtek have done with the package.”
Becoming a Master of the Digital Media Universe
Futurelooks :: Saturday, March 01, 2008
Canada and specifically, Vancouver, British Columbia, has become the epicentre of video game and digital media development. With a video game juggernaut, Electronics Arts, calling Vancouver home and a large production queue of Science Fiction television and movie projects (Stargate and Battlestar Galactica Anyone?), this is the place to be if you want to be in the thick of things. Unfortunately, the demand for people skilled in this area of expertise has grown exponentially, making it difficult to attract and retain the right talent. To plug the brain drain, the Canadian government partnered with the gaming industry to create Canada’s first Master’s Degree in Digital Media at the Great Northern Way Campus (GNWC).