Here a roundup of today's reviews and articles, including CrossFire Versus SLI Scaling: Does AMD's FX Actually Favor GeForce?, Samsung SM843 Enterprise SSD Review (240GB), Sony VAIO Tap 20 Hybrid Tablet PC Review, Hardware Accelerated BitLocker Encryption: Microsoft Windows 8 eDrive Investigated with Crucial M500, and, Creative Sound Blaster ZxR PCIe Sound Card Review



CrossFire Versus SLI Scaling: Does AMD's FX Actually Favor GeForce? @ Tom's Hardware

We've heard it said before that AMD's GPUs are more platform-dependent than Nvidia's. So, what happens when you drop a Radeon and a GeForce into an FX-8350-based system? Does AMD's CPU get in the way of its GPU running as well as it possibly could?

Read more: CrossFire Versus SLI Scaling: Does AMD's FX Actually Favor GeForce? @ Tom's Hardware

ASRock VisionX HTOC 321B Ivy Bridge mini-PC @ techPowerUp

Updated to the latest Ivy Bridge mobile hardware, the ASRock VisionX HTOC is a high-power HTPC option that is ready to knock the socks off its competitors. Packed with a powerful AMD Radeon GPU and a Blu-Ray drive, the ASRock VisionX HTOC isn't only pretty to look at, it also puts on a good show!

Read more: ASRock VisionX HTOC 321B Ivy Bridge mini-PC @ techPowerUp

CyberPower PR1500ELCDRTXL2U Professional Rackmount Series UPS Review @ Nikktech

I can't really speak for all of you out there since i haven't really spent that much time in other countries to have a valid opinion but where i live electricity is not very stable and so the first thing i always say whenever people ask me about what PSU (power supply unit) they should choose is to get a UPS first (uninterruptible power supply) to ensure that nothing ends up getting fried in their systems (especially if we are talking about expensive configurations). Granted many power supply units feature electrical protections that can successfully shield your systems from such unpleasant events but personally i think it's far better to be safe than sorry so as we speak i have all my test rigs plugged into 4 UPS units (two 1000VA and two 1500VA). However much like everything else UPS devices also differ according to build quality and different levels of protection offered so in the market we one can find consumer oriented ones aimed for house use, advanced ones for the more demanding office use and finally professional ones designed mostly to withstand the demands of enterprise environments where you simply can't afford not having the best there is. CyberPower is amongst the leading UPS manufacturers and today we will be taking a look at their latest professional Rackmount series UPS unit the 1500VA/1125W PR1500ELCDRTXL2U.

Read more: CyberPower PR1500ELCDRTXL2U Professional Rackmount Series UPS Review @ Nikktech

Samsung SM843 Enterprise SSD Review (240GB) - Great Read Performance With a Great Price @ SSD Review

In September of 2012, The SSD Review ventured to Seoul, South Korea for the public unveiling of the Samsung 840 Pro at the 2012 Samsung SSD Global Summit. What caught us by surprise during our stay was not the grandeur of the event, or the otherworldly performance of the 840 Pro, it was that Samsung seemingly came out of nowhere with a world-class product. Where had they been hiding all these years as Intel, Micron, OCZ and the rest of the industry were making headlines? Apparently in plain sight…

You may all know that Samsung is the largest NAND vendor in the world and has been since 2002, but did you know they were also the largest SSD vendor between 2006 and 2011 and will probably retain that crown for 2012? The reason for this lack of exposure comes down to how Samsung’s Memory division conducted business over the past decade. They were less concerned about the general consumer and more focused on large OEM opportunities. That generic SSD that came with your laptop in 2009? It was probably a Samsung.

Read more: Samsung SM843 Enterprise SSD Review (240GB) - Great Read Performance With a Great Price @ SSD Review

Sony VAIO Tap 20 Hybrid Tablet PC Review @ Legit Reviews

The desire to have a touch-screen computer has greatly increased in recent months thanks to how accustomed we have become to smartphones and the launch of Windows 8. One of the new devices that has come out since Windows 8 was released and has managed to catch our attention is the Sony VAIO Tap 20. The VAIO Tap 20 looks like a typical All-In-One (AIO) PC, but it is really a hybrid mobile device that acts like a desktop and a tablet!

The Sony VAIO Tap 20 is a very interesting Hybrid PC that runs Windows 8 with 10 finger touch capabilities. The internal battery is rated to last 2 hours 45 minutes, which actually isn't bad for a device like this. Having the ability to unplug the PC and move it around the home is actually rather nice and really makes the PC experience group friendly. The Sony VAIO Tap 20 can be used in tablet mode with it lying on the table and you can play touch games on it versus a friend or share photos and videos with a group...

Read more: Sony VAIO Tap 20 Hybrid Tablet PC Review @ Legit Reviews

Corsair Builder Series Modular CX600M PSU Review @ KitGuru

If you have a very limited budget but need a reliable power supply for a new system build then you may feel you are walking into a serious minefield of choices. Thankfully there is no need anymore to just blindly accept a cheap no name oriental power supply. Corsair have had great success with their affordable system builder range of supplies and today we look at their latest modular unit.

Read more: Corsair Builder Series Modular CX600M PSU Review @ KitGuru

Hardware Accelerated BitLocker Encryption: Microsoft Windows 8 eDrive Investigated with Crucial M500 @ Anandtech

Most modern SSDs come with some form of hardware encryption. On these drives with hardware encryption, it’s usually permanently turned on - all data written to the NAND is typically stored in encrypted form. This stems from the fact that all writes to NAND had to be scrambled to begin with (writing long repeated strings of data to NAND can cause problems for data retention). The earliest implementations weren’t sophisticated enough to be considered real encryption, but these days it’s not uncommon to see hardware AES-128/256 support.

Read more: Hardware Accelerated BitLocker Encryption: Microsoft Windows 8 eDrive Investigated with Crucial M500 @ Anandtech

Dell XPS 10 Review @ Techradar

Either spotting a gap in the market or just out of loyalty to its best buddy Microsoft, Dell has released its own Windows RT slate. Aimed at business users, the 10.1-inch Dell XPS 10 is another transformer-style laptop-tablet hybrid, shipping with an attachable keyboard that turns it into a laptop for working on the move.The Dell XPS 10 falls into a crowded market, with a host of devices aiming to please similar needs. The Asus VivoTab, Samsung Ativ Tab and of course the Microsoft Surface RT are all offering the same USP, and there are other hybrids such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 too. While there's no shortage of big players in the market, Dell's late arrival doesn't mean it's too far behind; no RT device has gained any traction to date. The XPS 10 fits perfectly into Dell's line up of high end machines, joining its XPS 12, XPS 13 and XPS 15 siblings. It looks like an XPS, with a soft black finish and a rubberised texture, and the same rounded chiclet keys adorning the base station. The XPS range is certainly high quality, and each component of the 10-inch RT tablet follows this design ethos to a tee.

Read more: Dell XPS 10 Review @ Techradar

Gelid Black Edition Review @ Techradar

Another month, another humongous CPU cooler. Gelid's Black Edition is certainly impressive in stature, but thankfully for something this size it's more than matched by the build quality. To give you an idea of how big this tower cooler is, it comes with two 120mm cooling fans and will support another? you know, if for some reason two just aren't adequate. It weighs almost a kilo too, so it needs exceptional build quality and a decent mounting solution.

Read more: Gelid Black Edition Review @ Techradar

Cooler Master CM Storm Scout 2 Advanced review @ Guru3D

It is time for yet another Cooler Master review as they recently introduced a new computer chassis, it is the CM Storm Scout 2 and then in specific the Ghost White edition. The chassis was designed for computer and gaming enthusiasts. The desktop system case has been designed to provide the end-user with both great looks and usability in the form of a highly featured gaming chassis. The Scout 2 is made for gamers and in specific, it is a LAN gamer chassis as it comes with a carry around handle. The Scout 2 offers refinements which includes the improved steel reinforced carrying handles, bolted to the core structure.

Also the front console connections have been upgraded with USB 3.0 while offering protection from adverse travel conditions with hidden sliding cover. Support for current high-end hardware is greatly increased by a removable HDD cage that supports VGAs like the NVIDIA GTX 690/Titan and AMD HD 7970/7990, making the Scout 2 ready for all niche hardware.

Read more: Cooler Master CM Storm Scout 2 Advanced review @ Guru3D

Creative Sound Blaster ZxR PCIe Sound Card Review @ Custom PC Review

Back in 2011, Creative unveiled the Recon 3D series of soundcards based off their (at the time) new Sound Core 3D chipset, which were decent soundcards for gaming and general audio, but didn’t include any real audio processing hardware (DACs, ADCs, etc.) other than the Sound Core 3D chipset itself. While the Sound Core 3D chipset is definitely impressive especially with its audio processing ability and lower power consumption, the problem with this is that with proper headphones and speakers, the sound quality on the Recon 3D series soundcards couldn’t match older Sound Blaster X-Fi soundcards such as the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium, X-Fi Titanium HD, and even the older Audigy 2 cards, which sported superior audio hardware when compared to the Recon 3D series. This unfortunately led many audio enthusiasts and audiophiles to dismiss the Recon 3D series, which allowed other vendors such as ASUS for example to capture a large portion of the dedicated soundcard market previously dominated by Creative.

Late last year, only a year after the introduction of the Recon 3D series of soundcards, Creative unveiled the new Sound Blaster Z series of soundcards. Unlike the Sound Blaster Recon 3D series of soundcards, the Sound Blaster Z series soundcards carried real audio hardware such as dedicated Op-Amps, ADCs, and DACs, which greatly improved sound quality in addition to the Sound Core 3D audio processing chip – something that that Sound Blaster Recon 3D failed to do.

Read more: Creative Sound Blaster ZxR PCIe Sound Card Review @ Custom PC Review

ROCCAT Isku FX Gaming Keyboard Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Recently ROCCAT updated one of their keyboards, the Isku, branding the new model Isku FX. We liked the original Isku model though we had some small changes which we would have liked to have seen in order to make the keyboard really stand out. So today we'll take a look at the Isku FX and see what changes have been made and whether ROCCAT have addressed any of the points we raised in our original review of the Isku.

Read more: ROCCAT Isku FX Gaming Keyboard Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Cougar Spike Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

The Spike from Cougar is a mini tower case supporting only microATX motherboards. Targeted to gamers who like to carry their PCs to LAN parties, it comes with the insanely low price tag of USD 40, although you can find it for as low as USD 35. Let's see if it is worthwhile buying this bargain.

Read more: Cougar Spike Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

In Win Rocker Mat Aluminum Mousepad Review @ ThinkComputers.org

When you think of a mouse pad you think about the old floppy foam ones or even the textured plastic ones that were big in the early 2000s. With those you have to worry about getting it dirty or spilling your drink all over it. Well worry no more my friends! This mousepad is washable, water resistant and scratch resistant because it is made from aluminum. Thats right, ALUMINUM! It is the first that I have ever seen and might just be the first one to hit the market.

Read more: In Win Rocker Mat Aluminum Mousepad Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Press Release Roundup with Kaeyi Dream (10th April 2013) @ HardwareHeaven.com

A weekly show covering the Press Releases we think YOU want to know about. This week we talk about Guardians of Middle-earth, Tekken Card Tournament, LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval's Journey, CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 2 Uprising DLC and more.

Read more: Press Release Roundup with Kaeyi Dream (10th April 2013) @ HardwareHeaven.com