DDR3 RAM: System Memory Technology Explained
Benchmark Reviews :: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
These are uncertain financial times we live in today, and the rise and fall of our economy has had direct affect on consumer spending. It has already been one full year now that DDR3 has been patiently waiting for the enthusiast community to give it proper consideration, yet it’s success is still undermined by misconceptions and high price. Benchmark Reviews has been testing DDR3 more actively than anyone, which is why over fifteen different kits fill our System Memory section of reviews. Sadly, it might take an article like this to open the eyes of my fellow hardware enthusiast and overclocker, because it seems like DDR3 is the technology nobody wants bad enough to learn about. Pity, because overclocking is what it’s all about.
NZXT Tempest Mid-tower case Review
Metku Mods :: Monday, May 12, 2008
“NZXT, the US-based manufacturer has come up with a new case model – Tempest – which they advertise to be the new airflow king. Cooling seems to work but the build quality leaves a lot to be desired…”
AMD K10 Architecture Review
Inside HW :: Monday, May 12, 2008
…” A few months ago, the American company Advanced Micro Devices – AMD, as the second biggest manufacturer in the processor market, launched the new K10 microarchitecture onto the market, in the form of a server solution codenamed Barcelona. Barcelona is the new Opteron which brings many novelties in the fields of virtualization, multi-socket scaling, as well as many improvements in multithread software synchronization. As far as desktop computers are concerned, the K10 architecture also brings along an entirely new platform, which should unify all vital system components under a single brand – Spider.”…
Lian Li Armorsuit PC-P80R Spider Edition
techPowerUp :: Monday, May 12, 2008
In our CES 2008 coverage of Lian-Li you saw the awesome Lian Li PC-P80 R AMD Spider Edition case. These cases are just now coming through manufacturing, and TPU is one of the first sites in the world to bring you a detailed look at this new case. It features nearly everything an enthusiast could want, but is it truly the dream of an ADM/ATI fan?
Noctua NH-U9B CPU Cooler Review
RB Mods :: Monday, May 12, 2008
Noctua, makers of some of the best case fans on the market, has branched out into the CPU cooler market, which is a move that makes sense since they already dominate the high-end fan market. They sent us one of their new CPU coolers, the Noctua NH-U9B, to test out. Will this be a natural expansion of their product line or will we find growing pains? Read on to find out.
MSI X48C Platinum
t-break :: Monday, May 12, 2008
Upgrading your rig is never an easy task- especially when you have to replace the motherboard. Generally speaking, when you upgrade your motherboard, chances are that you’re also looking at a new CPU and sometimes RAM. With their X48 chipset based motherboard, MSI tries to make things a little easy by providing DDR2 as well as DDR3 support which can certainly reduce the size of dent to you account.
NZXT Cryo LX Notebook Cooler Review
Think Computers :: Monday, May 12, 2008
“Laptops are really becoming popular, especially when it comes to desktop replacements. Many laptops now are just as powerful as desktop computers if not more powerful. A lot of people now prefer laptops over desktop because they can easily take the laptop with them and they take up less space on their desk. One thing about laptops is they easily overheat, especially gaming laptops. That is where notebook coolers come in. Today we will be looking at the Cryo LX notebook cooler from NZXT, which looks like a pretty extreme notebook cooler.”
Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock Review
OCIA :: Monday, May 12, 2008
“The problem with all earlier forms of removable media is capacity. Even a 16 or 32 gig flash drive can be a little small for some uses, and they are pretty expensive. Think about it, you can pick up a 500 gig HDD for the price of a 16 gig thumb drive, or a 750 gig for the price of a 32 gig thumb drive. For that matter, you could get a RaptorX for the price of the 32 gig flash drive. Today, we will be taking a look at the Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock, an external solution for simple swapping of hard drives.”
Mushkin Ascent XP3 16000 2 x 1 GB Review
Overclockers Club :: Monday, May 12, 2008
Razer/THX Mako 2.1-Channel Speaker System
Techgage :: Monday, May 12, 2008
Razer is well-known for producing high-quality peripherals, but audio can be an entirely different bag. Our concerns over their new found venture can be set aside though, as the tag team effort between them and THX helped build an amazing 2.1 system that’s actually worth its $400 price tag.
Western Digital 1 TB Caviar GP Serial ATA Hard Drive Review
Tech ARP :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
“The Western Digital 1 TB Caviar GP delivers a terabyte of storage capacity with low power consumption at a relatively low cost. If large, affordable storage capacity in a single drive is what you are looking for, then this is the drive you are looking for.”
Aeneon XTUNE DIMM DDR3 PC-12800 memory kit
Hardware Overclock :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
Hardwareoverclock Austria has posted a new review. Last week they has take a look at the Aeneon XTUNE DIMM DDR3 PC-12800 memory kit, Speed Grade DDR3-1600 CL9 at 1.5V (9-9-9-27). This 1600 MHz kit is optimal for all overclocking systems with 400 FSB and more.
SilverStone Decathlon DA700 Power Supply Review
OCIA :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
“SilverStone is a company that needs no introduction. Although they have only been in business since 2003, in that time they have produced some great case designs. In the tradition of the Zeus and Olympia power supplies, with their single, large +12v rail, SilverStone now introduces the next generation of power supply built especially for enthusiasts, the Decathlon.”
Nvidia 780a Chipset Preview
Overclock 3d :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
“Nvidia’s latest chipset release for AMD is feature packed and ready to roll. We take a look at what’s new and if it can live up to the hype.”
Hiper Anubis
techPowerUp :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Hiper Anubis is an incredibly sturdy chassis, which goes the “trusted and true” route. You will not find any fancy layout or interior screw-less system, but thumb screws instead. The beautifully designed front is one good reason to give the Anubis a little plaque with a unique serial number on it.
Actinic Software Business v9.0
Bios Magazine :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
“Actinic is comprehensive. It’s certainly ready to use out of the box, unlike many enterprise products, and offers lots of room for customisation as your online store grows. The only downsides are that it’s overwhelming for sole traders and you will likely need the help of a designer and Web developer (some HTML code can get complicated). If you’re a one-man outfit looking to make your first steps into e-commerce quickly and easily, Actinic probably isn’t the right choice, even though there is the cut-down Actinic Catalog (£379 ex. VAT). You should also consider that custom development allows a lot more flexibility in setup and design – such as integrating a store into your existing Web site, creating a look and feel that is markedly different from your competitors, offering extensive reporting, or working in tandem with online auctions – but costs can run into thousands of pounds.”
Coolermaster Aquagate Mini R80 Watercooling CPU Heatsink Review
Frosty Tech :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
“The Coolermaster Aquagate Mini R80 is a self contained watercooling system designed for a broad range of Intel and AMD processors. Unlike a lot of CPU watercooling systems which can be complicated to install, fill, bleed and monitor, the Aquagate comes pre-plumbed and pre-filled with an ethylene glycol based coolant. The system is guaranteed for two years operation without need for refill, so to get started all you need to do is mount the CPU block and attach the heat exchanger to the side of the computer case.”
Abit IX38 QuadGT Socket 775 Motherboard
3dgameman :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
“The Abit Abit IX38 QuadGT Socket 775 Motherboard is based on the Intel X38 Express / ICH9R Chipset and supports the latest 45nm Intel Dual and Quad Core processors. It accepts up to 8GBs of Dual channel DDR2 1066/800/667/533 Un-buffered Non-ECC memory. Has six SATA 3Gigabit/s connectors capable of RAID 0, 1, 5 & 10The board comes with 6 fan headers. This board also uses Solid State Capacitors and has five phase digital Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). This improves performance, increase stability and reduces power consumption. Watch the video to find out more.”
FSP 500 Watt Blue Storm II Power Supply Review
Hardware Logic :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
“FSP has been around for more than a decade. In that time, they have built themselves up as one of the largest power conversion product purveyors in the world. Among their power products are personal computer power supplies. We recently reviewed their 700 watt FX Epsilon. Today we have a smaller FSP unit from a different line; the FSP Blue Storm II 500 watt PSU.”
GFXChilla Graphics Card Cooler
PCFRAGS :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
Our friends over at Coolink were nice enough to provide us with one of their recent offerings to look at today; the GFXChilla Graphics Card after market cooling solution. Coolink is a brand of the Kolink International Corporation founded in 1996 and at the time primarily in the Asian market. In 2005 it made it’s foray into the European market and is now a well known brand there. Now Coolink is spearheading it’s move into the American market with it’s GFXChilla with it’s value minded GPU cooling solution.
SilverStone Kublai Series KL03 Case Review
Madshrimps :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
A Silverstone case with LED lightening in none rectangular front panel? The Kublai series is Silverstone’s entry in the Gaming/Enthusiast ATX case market. Build with less expensive materials it aims to find a balance between price, looks and features. We take a look at the KL03 model in this review to see how it stacks up to the competition.
Arctic Cooling Silentium T3
Driver Heaven :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
“Arctic Cooling is probably most well known for CPU and VGA coolers but a few years ago they started branching out into cases. The concept behind AC’s case range has always been silent but effective cooling and this philosophy also extends to the PSU’s that are bundled with each chassis. Today we are reviewing one of the newest additions to the Silentium range, the T3.”
GIGABYTE X48T-DQ6
Bjorn 3d :: Sunday, May 11, 2008
Today we are going to take a look at GIGABYTE’s high end motherboard, the X48T-DQ6. GIGABYTE makes two versions of this board utilizing Intel’s X48 chipset. The X48 which is a DDR2 variant and the X48T which is the DDR3 version that we will be covering today. The X48 brings minimal changes to the chipset when compared to the X38 and the only tangible difference should be more overclocking headroom. In recent years GIGABYTE has truly reinvented itself as a leader in innovation. In today’s world the name of the game, or color to be more specific, is green. We have green cars, green homes and now you can add motherboards to the growing list of items going green. GIGABYTE has made a concerted effort to produce motherboards that use the least amount of energy possible without sacrificing performance. A task not easily accomplished. To this end they have dubbed this innovation DES or Dynamic Energy Saver. A system which can adjust voltage, power phases and clocks speeds of the board and CPU to ensure as little energy as possile is wasted while providing as much power as needed. Is it possible to have a power efficient system without losing performance? Let’s find out.
Patriot Viper DDR3-1866 2GB Memory Kit
Tweak Town :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
“Patriot has been one of the newer companies to come on board at TweakTown to supply us with their high performance memory for testing, and so far we have been pretty impressed with their line of high performance memory. Once again they have come on board to send us their new series of DDR3 modules. Today we have Patriot’s Viper Fin DDR3 2GB dual channel memory kit.
The sticker on one side of each memory module contains info on the modules. The kit we received was rated for speeds of 1866MHz or 933MHz core speed with timings of 8-8-8-24 at a maximum voltage of 1.9v. The modules are all RoHS which means they are manufactured with lead free solder.”
Scythe Zipang 139MM CPU Cooler Review
OCC :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
“Fortunately, the heat sink blew away most of my doubts about the product. The Zipang is shockingly well built and extremely solid. It feels like serious quality, not at all flimsy like many others in this price range. Again, the shear size of the fan speaks for itself; attached resolutely with fan clips. I ran my hand across the the six heat pipes, which connect to the main cooling fins, in not only one section, but two sections, distributed on the bottom and throughout the center (UPHC as dubbed by Scythe). In addition, the Zipang includes a thick sub-heatsink, attached to the main cooling plate directly. This reminds me of the famed, but obsolete Thermal Right XP-120, except on some serious steroids.”
Kingston HyperX KHX14400D3K2/2GN DDR3-1800 Review
i4u :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
“Today we are checking out a 2GB DDR3 RAM kit from Kingston’s HyperX line. This RAM is a great lower cost kit that performs well and has overclocking headroom.
When all the testing was finished the Kingston HyperX KHX14400D3K2/2GN kit performed well. It has some headroom left for overclocking and performs well at the programmed SPD settings. The RAM is also a bit cheaper than some other brands of enthusiast DDR3 on the market.”
Enermax PRO82+ 525 W Power Supply Review
Hardware Secrets :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
“Enermax has recently released two high-efficiency power supply series, MODU82+ and PRO82+. The name implies that products from these two series have efficiency of at least 82%, but Enermax says they actually have efficiency of at least 84%. Both use the same internal project, with MODU82+ models using a modular cabling system. Today we are going to take an in-depth look on the 525 W model from the PRO82+ series (also known as EPR525AWT) and see if it can really deliver its labeled power and efficiency. Read on.”
IN-WIN B2 Stealth Bomber Mid-Tower Case Review
Hardware Canucks :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
Prior to arriving on our doorstep, IN-WIN’s B2 Stealth Bomber Mid-Tower case was already facing the unenviable task of overcoming several pre-conceptions on what we could expect from this case. In the past, our experience with IN-WIN cases has been positive, but impressions of their product line had them pegged as relatively conservative when it came to both styling and price. Add to this a street price at around $50 more than we’d ever expected to see an IN-WIN case listed for and you can imagine the B2 had some heavy lifting to do in order to win us over.
Coolermaster LED Silent Fan Review
XS Reviews :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
“There’s been a lot of hype in the computer industry about ‘silent fans’ and fortunately, at last, some are actually starting to earn this title. Today I’ll be taking a look at the Cooler Master LED Silent Fan – another fan bearing the title of “silent”. Will it be good enough to earn the “Silent” mantra?”
Lian Li Armorsuit Series
Tweak PC :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
The Armorsuit Serie is the ultimative tower-series from Lian Li. It’s breath-taking – even for the enthusiasts.
CoolIT Systems PURE CPU Cooler
Tweak Town :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
“Companies like CoolIT Systems played a large role in turning water cooling into a mainstream practice by making it available on a large scale, even getting their products in the hands of big box builders like Alienware.
Today we are going to look at CoolIT’s latest water-cooled processor heatsink, the PURE. CoolIT calls their cooling systems “Fluid Heat Exchangers” and have been building their FHEs for a couple of years now.”
Xen.Core Carboon Fan
Technic 3d :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
“The Xen.Core Carboon Fan with 80,92 and 120mm arrived Technic3D. The Fan with Non-acoustic bearing and the Blade design is balanced for low noise performance. See you in the following Review the Sixpack for the Summer?”
“In The Beginning…” – My First Computer
PC Mech :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
“The Tandy 1000, introduced in 1984, was manufactured to compete directly with the IBM PC. The one I had came standard 128Kb of RAM, one double density 5.25″ floppy disk drive and a 16 color RGB monitor. As add-ons, dad had the foresight to also purchase a matching dot-matrix printer and a Tandy joystick.”
Coverage from GIGABYTE P45 Spring Break and Plug-Fest 2008
Tweak Town :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
This morning we are gathered with worldwide media at the Gigabyte headquarters in Taiwan for their Spring Break event and Plug-Fest 2008. It’s an event which allows media to get an early look at Gigabyte’s upcoming Intel P45 Express based motherboards.
