Asus P5Q-EM Intel G45 Express Motherboard Review
PC Stats posted an Asus P5Q-EM Intel G45 Express Motherboard Review

Asus' P5Q-EM motherboard combines an extensive feature set matched up with Intel's popular integrated graphics G45 Express chipset. The spec sheet for the Asus P5Q-EM certainly reads like an enthusiast motherboard, but with the added benefit an Intel GMA X4500HD graphics processor at its core. In addition to its basic screen display capabilities, the GMA X4500HD graphics component promises support for high definition video playback, and full 1080p Blu-ray decoding without any hitches or slowdowns.

Asus P5Q-EM Intel G45 Express Motherboard Review

Noctua NH-U12P tower cooler Review
ocaholic.ch posted Noctua NH-U12P tower cooler Review

With the NH-U12B we have the NH-U9Bs bigger borther in our test lab. This one promises even more performance at a lower noise level. So what could you possibly want more?

Noctua NH-U12P tower cooler Review



USB Flash Drive Comparison part 2 - FAT32 vs NTFS vs ExFAT
TestFreaks posted part 2 of their USB Flash Drive Comparison

Ok, a little while back I ran a somewhat large USB Flash Drive Comparison with 21 drives compared, today I got part two of that comparison. I've taken the 8gig and 4 gig drives, nine in total, and formatted them FAT32, NTFS and ExFAT and ran all of the tests over again for a comparison of how the file systems work on the drives.

USB Flash Drive Comparison part 2 - FAT32 vs NTFS vs ExFAT

G.Skill TITAN 256GB 2.5-inch MLC Solid State Disk Review
TweakTown posted a review on the G.Skill TITAN 256GB 2.5-inch MLC Solid State Disk

The SSD market is on fire, burning faster than even the most optimistic analysts could have predicted. G.Skill has played a large role in the solid state transition with their above average products at below average costs. Not only that, but we are really starting to see SSDs become user friendly as far as capacity goes. Last year we were talking about 32GB SSDs and how the speed was very impressive, but the capacity left room for doubt. Here we are a year later and we are already seeing close to a 10x increase in capacity for drives costing the same as the 32GB drives last year.

In G.Skill’s latest SSD, capacity will have to just be a footnote in the overall scheme of things. The real story sits with the technology and what the company was able to do with JMicron’s somewhat problematic controller. In essence, G.Skill was able to use two JMicron controllers with two separate banks of memory that work in tandem to reduce or eliminate the issues associated with writing multiple small files to the drive. I have seen the term RAID used a few times in other reviews and while the concept seems similar, it is not the case.

G.Skill TITAN 256GB 2.5-inch MLC Solid State Disk Review

First Look: SilverStone's Raven RV01 case
bit-tech published a first look at the SilverStone Raven RV01 chassis

The odd thing about the Raven is that it doesn't even show off its innovation very well. The side window is modest, and not positioned well to show off your 'crazy', vertically aligned expansion cards. Given that this is an interesting and key innovation of the case, it's rather odd that the window doesn't make more of a big deal of the vertical card arrangement.

The problem could be that the case isn't long enough, but it could do with being a bit longer anyway to allow better cable routing. And it's not as if this isn't a big, iconic, good-looking case -- we won't begrudge it taking up a little more desk space. We'll have to wait to see just how cool the unusual orientation of the expansion cards keeps hot PC hardware, but we welcome your thoughts from this initial look on the comments below.

First Look: SilverStone's Raven RV01 case

G.Skill TITAN 256GB 2.5-inch MLC Solid State Disk Review
TweakTown posted a review on the G.Skill TITAN 256GB 2.5-inch MLC Solid State Disk

The SSD market is on fire, burning faster than even the most optimistic analysts could have predicted. G.Skill has played a large role in the solid state transition with their above average products at below average costs. Not only that, but we are really starting to see SSDs become user friendly as far as capacity goes. Last year we were talking about 32GB SSDs and how the speed was very impressive, but the capacity left room for doubt. Here we are a year later and we are already seeing close to a 10x increase in capacity for drives costing the same as the 32GB drives last year.

In G.Skill’s latest SSD, capacity will have to just be a footnote in the overall scheme of things. The real story sits with the technology and what the company was able to do with JMicron’s somewhat problematic controller. In essence, G.Skill was able to use two JMicron controllers with two separate banks of memory that work in tandem to reduce or eliminate the issues associated with writing multiple small files to the drive. I have seen the term RAID used a few times in other reviews and while the concept seems similar, it is not the case.

G.Skill TITAN 256GB 2.5-inch MLC Solid State Disk Review

WD 2TB Caviar Green Monster Drive Preview
HotHardware.com posted a preview on the WD 2TB Caviar Green Monster Drive

Today Western Digital is announcing their WD20WEADS drive, otherwise known as the WD Caviar Green 2.0TB. With 32MB of onboard cache and special power management algorithms that make use of that cache to balance spindle speed and transfer rates, the WD Caviar Green 2TB claims a top rung spot on the density-per-square-inch and power-efficiency ladder.

We've had an engineering sample here in house for a few days and have done some preliminary testing on it.

WD 2TB Caviar Green Monster Drive Preview

Dell Inspiron Mini 12 Review
ITreviewed posted a review on the Dell Inspiron Mini 12

Available in black only, the Mini 12 is more than capable of handling the basic computing tasks it was designed for. However, thanks to Intel's wretched graphics chipset and poor driver support, the video playback - both streaming Internet video and files stored on the hard drive - brings the machine to a crippling halt. To add insult to injury, the Mini 12 boats an operating time of under 3 hours from the 3-cell 2200AHr battery, which is pathetic. There is the option of using a 6-cell battery to extend this to a more respectable duration, but this will add to the weight and cost. What with a pitiable battery life and lack of integrated 3G, Dell has failed to encapsulate what a netbook is all about.

Dell Inspiron Mini 12 Review

ECS A780GM-A Ultra Review
t-break posted a review on the ECS A780GM-A Ultra motherboard

Only recently AMD launched the Phenom II X4 processor that scored pretty well with us. So we decided to test it with the order of the day, the ECS A780GM-A Ultra motherboard. It has great all-in-one features like 160w CPU support and on board video processor based on the ATI HD3200 that supports Hybrid CrossFire.

ECS A780GM-A Ultra Review

ATI Catalyst Driver Release 8.12 Hotfix HD4850X2 Test
Bigbruin.com tested the performance of the ATI Catalyst Driver Release 8.12 Hotfix for HD4850X2

ATI has recently released a hotfix to their Catalyst Driver version 8.12 intended to improve DirectX10 performance in multi-core CPU systems and to resolve BSOD issues using dual ATI Radeon HD 4850 in CrossFireX configurations. With a HD4850x2 in hand, I had to see if the 10-25% performance increase in some applications was indeed possible.

ATI Catalyst Driver Release 8.12 Hotfix HD4850X2 Test

nVidia GeForce GTX 285 Review
ITreviewed posted a review on the nVidia GeForce GTX 285 video card

In our tests the GTX 285 is certainly faster than the GTX 280 it replaces, and even trumps ATI's fastest single-chip offering the Radeon HD 4870 for pure speed - if not on price. But fast as it may be, when compared to a higher performing Radeon HD 4870 X2 that can be had for just 295, it's hard to recommend. Having said that, where multi-GPU scaling is done well, the Radeon HD 4870 X2 easily leaves the GTX 285 far behind. But when a game doesn't utilise multiple GPUs effectively, the gap between the two is very close. If you're dead set on nVidia, you may as well go the whole hog and get a GTX 295 budget and PSU permitting of course! The GTX 285 may be the fastest single-chip card in nVidia's current line-up, but until the California-based company gets more competitive on its pricing, ATI beats it in the performance/value stakes. If you're already running a GTX 280, upgrading to a GTX 285 is pretty much pointless.

nVidia GeForce GTX 285 Review

Kingston HyperX 2GHz DDR3 3GB Triple-Channel Memory Kit Review
EXTREME Overclocking has just posted a review on the Kingston HyperX 2GHz DDR3 3GB Triple-Channel Memory Kit.

With a cost around $200 - $250 USD the Kingston HX16000D3K3/3GX memory certainly doesn't come cheap. However, an extra edge in performance is what every diehard PC Enthusiast wants, and these modules unquestionably deliver. These Kingston memory modules are the fastest speed currently available on the market.

Kingston HyperX 2GHz DDR3 3GB Triple-Channel Memory Kit Review

Thermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 750W Power Supply Review
Modders-Inc posted a review on the Thermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 750W Power Supply

Today we look at Thermaltakes Toughpower Cable Management 750W PSU. The Toughpower 750w is a modular power supply with simple clean look. It is SLI ready with a large 14cm fan keeping it cool and rated for 80% plus efficiency. Read on as we take this power supply and find out if it has what it takes to power your system.

Thermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 750W Power Supply Review

ASUS G71V Review
InsideHW.com has reviewed ASUS G71V notebook

Republic of Gamers (ROG) badge, that can be found on cover of this notebook, is known from graphics cards and motherboards and it emphasizes gaming character of this notebook. Besides its obvious gaming pedigree ASUS G71 actually belongs to desktop replacement notebook category. Even if you never encountered ROG badge in your life, after first glimpse at this notebook it will become obvious that it is intended for gaming population. Large number of openings, colorful blinking diodes and lights combined with, usual for this kind of products, red-black color theme makes this notebook very noticeable.

ASUS G71V Review

Sapphire HD 4670 512MB GDDR4 Review
Hi Tech Legion has released a new article on the Sapphire HD 4670 512MB GDDR4 video card

The Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 512MB GDDR4 will alleviate your worries. The HD 4670 512MB GDDR4 by Sapphire gives you both options and performance with very little admission. The Sapphire HD 4670 GDDR4 is the newest and fastest to the 4600 series in the Sapphire family and is already tuned to perfection. The HD 4670 512MD GDDR4 comes with a wealth of connections options and software to help you get off on the right foot with that new computer.

Sapphire HD 4670 512MB GDDR4 Review

Cowon S9 Review
TechReviewSource.com posted a review on the Cowon S9 MP3 player

The Cowon S9 (16GB) is the first touch-screen MP3 player of the new year and it stacks up against the Apple iPod Touch quite nicely. It offers some excellent features, including great audio quality, an OLED touch-screen, lightweight design, and a great user interface.

Cowon S9 Review

OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W Review
OCC has published a new review on the OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W PSU

The requirements of 80 Plus certification are greater than or equal to 80% efficiency and 0.9 power factor or better at 20%, 50% and 100% load for all rated AC input voltages. The OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W didn't quite meet the requirements of its claimed 80 Plus certification with an efficiency of 77% at full load on 110VAC. The results at all other stages are satisfactory and an efficiency of 84% at 230VAC is very good. These results are very typical with a peak efficiency at approximately 50% of rated full load, excellent power factors at 110VAC and excellent efficiency at 230VAC. The power supply gets an overall pass at all stages, because it meets the requirements of the ATX12V V2.2 specification for ATX power supplies.

OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W Review

Patriot Viper DDR3-2000 Review
PureOverclock published a review on the Patriot Viper 4GB DDR3-2000 memory kit

Today we're looking at Patriot's big green flagship monsters.codename Viper series. Tapping into the realm of extreme gear, Patriot has high performance memory modules that are rated at 2000MHz, virtually the fastest memory speeds to date. What's interesting about these modules, however, is that these Patriot sticks sport some "Nvidia Green" theming and are specifically designed for the 790i Ultra Nvidia chipset (though they are certainly compatible with other motherboards).

Patriot Viper DDR3-2000 Review

EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSC Edition Videocard Review
HardwareLogic posted a review on the EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSC Edition Videocard

Today we look at one of Nvidia's newest GPUs, the GeForce GTX 285. EVGA ups the ante over Nvidia's reference design by increasing the core, memory, and stream processor clockspeeds, resulting in the GeForce GTX 285 SSC Edition. But how does it all compare to Nvidia's previous videocards, and the current king of the hill, ATI's HD 4870 X2?

EVGA GeForce GTX 285 SSC Edition Videocard Review

BFG GeForce GTX 285 OCX Review
The Guru of 3D posted a review on the BFG GeForce GTX 285 OCX

We'll look at BFG finest GeForce GTX 285 offering. See, just like many of NVIDIA's board partners BFG offers the product in several flavors. The offer their regular OC edition, yet also OC+, OC2 and OCX editions. They've got quite a range. We'll explain the difference over the next few pages. But it sums up to these exquisite clock frequencies:

Core Clock: 702MHz (vs. 648MHz standard)
Shader Clock: 1584MHz (vs. 1476MHz standard)
Memory Data Rate: 2664MHz (vs. 2484MHz standard)

Let us have a peek of what's under the hood of the BFG GeForce GTX 285 OCX, and then make it alls sweaty with all the hottest games.

BFG GeForce GTX 285 OCX Review