OCZ Vertex 2 Pro 100GB SSD Review
TechSpot posted a review on the OCZ Vertex 2 Pro 100GB SSD

While we don't expect solid-state drives to become mainstream just yet, they are by all means moving quickly in that direction. Current generation SSDs deliver more value than ever before, plus they have the speed advantage, features, and adequate capacity to become viable alternatives to standard disk drives to most users.

OCZ's first SandForce-based SSD will be the Vertex 2 Pro which is set for release this March. The Vertex 2 Pro uses the SF-1500 controller with MLC memory and is intended to provide enterprise-level reliability and performance. Therefore, the Vertex 2 Pro is not going to be an affordable SSD as its primary focus will be on performance.

The more popular choice is likely going to be the Vertex 2 that will use the SF-1200 controller. This version should deliver similar performance to the Vertex 2 Pro with the exception of random writes, which is said to be lower. Still we are keen to see how the SandForce SF-1500 controller performs as we test OCZ's upcoming flagship SSD.

OCZ Vertex 2 Pro 100GB SSD Review

ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 PCI Sound Card Review
Vortez.co.uk posted a review on the ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 PCI Sound Card

For a long time, Creative dominated the hardware sound market and the launch of the X-Fi series of cards placed them firmly at the top of the game with features such as EAX 5.0, X-RAM and other 3D sound emulation software. Gamers looking for a more immersive experience had only one choice and that was Creative. However with the introduction of Windows Vista and growing frustration towards Creative on the basis of their lack of support, a gap opened up in the market which was immediately filled by the ASUS Xonar. Vista saw DirectSound being deprecated so as to introduce a re-written audio stack based on Universal Audio Architecture. As a result, creative's main advantage EAX 5.0 was effectively gone on older DirectSound based game since there was no longer direct communication from DirectSound to the hardware.

ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 PCI Sound Card Review



P55 vs X58 Memory Performance Analysis w/ OCZ Platinum Series
TweakTown posted their P55 vs X58 Memory Performance Analysis w/ OCZ Platinum Series

With so many samples passing through my front door over the year, we quite often end up with some surprises; be it a company sending it without letting us know, or it taking a bit longer to arrive than we expected and we forget about it. For whatever reason, we ended up with a couple of kits of PC3-12800 memory from OCZ.

In wondering what we could do with the two kits and how we could work them both into a single article, I thought it was time to see how the old Tri-Chan vs. Dual-Chan debate is going on with our X58 GIGABYTE board and P55 ASRock one.

P55 vs X58 Memory Performance Analysis w/ OCZ Platinum Series

PNY VERTO GeForce GT 240 Video Card Review
Legit Reviews posted a review on the PNY VERTO GeForce GT 240 Video Card

The PNY VERTO GeForce GT 240 supports Direct X 10.1, DirectCompute, native HDMI 1.3a and has a built-in HDMI audio processor. Not bad features for a single slot PCI Express graphics card that costs just $89 after rebate. We test the PNY VERTO GeForce GT 240 on several games and then dive deeper and look at power consumption, temperatures, overclocking and some F@H performance numbers!

PNY VERTO GeForce GT 240 Video Card Review

Three AMD 785G Motherboards Compared and Overclocked
Madshrimps compared three AMD 785G Motherboards

In this overclocking test three AMD 785G Chipset based motherboards are put through a series of tests in combination with a Phenom II X2 545,DFI LANPARTY BI 785G-M35, GIGABYTE GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H and BIOSTAR TA785G3 HD are used to overclock and unlock the X2 to X4 at 3.75Ghz

Three AMD 785G Motherboards Compared and Overclocked

ASUS ATI Radeon EAH5850 G 2 DIS Review
ocaholic posted a review on the ASUS ATI Radeon EAH5850 G 2 DIS

With the EAH5850 G 2 DIS ASUS presents their entry card into the 5850-series. The GPU is being manufactured using 40 nanometer process technology. On 334 squaremillimeters there are 2.15 billion transistors which is twice the amount of circuits you found on the predecessor GPU. Furthermore the EAH5850 is based on the reference design and comes with a DualSlot cooler with copper baseplate and heatpipes.

ASUS ATI Radeon EAH5850 G 2 DIS Review

EVGA H55 Motherboard Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the EVGA H55 Motherboard

Motherboards based on the new H55, H57 and Q57 chipsets are targeted to the new Core i3 and Core i5 processors with integrated video, and EVGA has so far released two different models based on H55, simply named H55 (the most complete model, USD 170 MRSP) and H55V (entry-level model, USD 100 MRSP). By the way, wouldn't be nice if all motherboard manufacturers used simple product names? Let's take a look on the most complete model, H55 (a.k.a. 123-CD-E635-KR – we knew our happiness wouldn't last forever).

EVGA H55 Motherboard Review

Intel Core i5 661 Clarkdale 32nm Processor Reviewed
Futurelooks checked out the Intel Core i5 661 Clarkdale 32nm Processor

With the new year, comes new things. The newest of Intel's crop comes to us in the form of the Core i5 and i3 Processors dubbed Clarkdale. And while it's built a little different, it doesn't mean you're due for disappointment. It was designed with a specific purpose. Allow us to break it way down so you don't have to.

Intel Core i5 661 Clarkdale 32nm Processor Reviewed

Mionix Keid 20 Gaming Headset Review
TestFreaks posted a review on the Mionix Keid 20 Gaming Headset

In the last week I've taken a look at regular headphones and earbuds, so today I have a gaming headset to round things off a bit. Mionix is a company based out of Sweden actually, and they're trying to get into the market on this side of the ocean so they're not very well known here. They do however make some pretty good products, I've got a couple of their mice and like them quite a bit, using one right now actually. They've recently released a gaming headset called the Keid 20 and that's what I've got of review for you today. The Keid 20 is a very comfortable headset that's nicely made and designed with decent audio but it does have one flaw, so read on to learn more

Mionix Keid 20 Gaming Headset Review

A-Data T907 Jack Skellington 8GB Flash Drive Review
techPowerUp posted a review on the A-Data T907 Jack Skellington 8GB Flash Drive

A-DATA continues their Disney licensed series with the T907 Jack Skellington flash drive. Inspired by the movie 'Tim Burton’s The Night before Christmas', we take a close look at Jack to see if he brings joy or quiver to our hearts.

A-Data T907 Jack Skellington 8GB Flash Drive Review

NZXT Hades Case Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the NZXT Hades Case

NZXT has just released a new mid-tower case, Hades, featuring a three-channel digital thermometer and lots of fans. Let’s see if this product is a good buy.

NZXT Hades Case Review

AMD Phenom II X4 910e 2.6 GHz Quad-Core 65W Processor Review
PC Stats posted a review on the AMD Phenom II X4 910e 2.6 GHz Quad-Core 65W Processor

AMD seeks to shift that tide with the introduction of the energy efficient AMD Phenom II X4 910e processor for socket AM3. This 2.6GHz quad core chip has as all the Phenom II features that you expect: 2.6GHz quad-core design based on the "Deneb" microarchitecture, 6MB of shared L3 cache and 512KB of L2 cache per core, and a 4GHz HyperTransport 3.0 processor-to-system bus.

AMD Phenom II X4 910e 2.6 GHz Quad-Core 65W Processor Review

Glacialtech Igloo 5610 Plus Silent Heatsink Review
FrostyTech posted a review on the Glacialtech Igloo 5610 Plus Silent Heatsink

The Igloo 5610 Plus Silent ships with two 92mm fans, each spinning at
1200RPM but arranged in a push-pull fashion. A pre-applied patch of shinetsu thermal compound on the base of the heatsink means it's ready to be used out of the box. Given the relatively compact height of the Igloo 5610 Plus Silent, it should fit into most compact PC cases easily enough.

Glacialtech Igloo 5610 Plus Silent Heatsink Review

Vantec NexStar Universal Storage Adapter Review
ThinkComputers.org posted a review on the Vantec NexStar Universal Storage Adapter

Have you ever had an old IDE drive sitting around that you needed something off of, but you have seem to have lost the IDE cable? Well have no worries! The Vantec NexStar Universal Adapter will allow you to connect not only 3.5 IDE devices but 2.5 and 5.25 devices as well. This adapter also supports SATA devices and includes a 66-1-in card reader. Surely this device has enough to support your storage needs, read on further to find out more about it.

Vantec NexStar Universal Storage Adapter Review

Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB Review
Techgage.com posted a review of Seagate's Barracuda XT hard drive

SATA 3.0 may have been available to consumers for the past couple of months, but the number of hard drive options out there are ultra-slim... just one. That drive is Seagate's Barracuda XT. The question we're looking to answer here is whether or not the $100 premium for SATA 3.0 is worth it, at least on a mechanical offering.

Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB Review

Ultra X4 600W Power Supply Review
OCC has published a review on the Ultra X4 600W Power Supply

The Ultra X4 600W power supply performed well in some areas, but performed poorly in others. The DC voltage load regulation is on a par with many high end power supplies but the noise/ripple levels are in excess of the limits laid down by the ATX12V V2.2 specification which makes this power supply hard to recommend to the overclocking community. The failure to meet its claimed 80 Plus certification following the OCC testing methodology, excessive noise/ripple on the main DC rails, and lack of technical information make this power supply more suitable for the mainstream market.

Ultra X4 600W Power Supply Review

Kingston HyperX 12GB DDR3-1600 Review
PureOverclock has published a review of the Kingston HyperX 12GB DDR3-1600 memory.

Today we are looking at 12GB of Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600 on the bench in a 6 x 2GB configuration. That's a whole lot of RAM, no doubt. Typically such setups are built for stability, as experiencing a crash during the middle of a 5-hour rendering session is unacceptable. Fair enough. But what about overclocking, why not push those 12GB? Why not, indeed.

Kingston HyperX 12GB DDR3-1600 Review

G-Cube IB-990T Crystal Beats Earbud Headphones Review
Tweaknews posted a review on the G-Cube IB-990T Crystal Beats Earbud Headphones

It's not often that one can boast about their set of ear buds sporting Swarovski crystals, so that alone make the Crystal Beats line worth checking out. The design is unique and feminine, so ladies, I wouldn't worry about your husband or boyfriend trying to swipe them from you. It's not all about looks though – sound quality is also excellent.

G-Cube IB-990T Crystal Beats Earbud Headphones Review

ASRock ION 330HT with Blu-Ray Review
HardwareHeaven.com posted a review on the ASRock ION 330HT with Blu-Ray

Today HardwareHeaven has one of the latest ION models released on their test bench, the ASRock ION 330HT-BD is one of the highest specification ION/ATOM systems HardwareHeaven have seen to date.

ASRock ION 330HT with Blu-Ray Review

Quick Take: Zune 4.2 PC Software
Paul Thurrott posted a quick review on the Zune 4.2 software

This week, Microsoft surprised its Zune customers with an upgrade to the Zune PC software, bumping the version up to 4.2. Why was this surprising? Well, Microsoft did provided a heads-up about a system outage earlier in the week, but it wasn't supposed to be accompanied by an update of any kind. And when that update did arrive, it quite obvious included some interesting new functionality, though Microsoft refuses to even comment on it for some reason. And finally, there are clues in the installer files for Zune 4.2 that Microsoft is about to start supporting some mysterious new hardware devices that might or might not be the fabled Zune Phones.

Given the speculation around this release, I thought I'd take a closer look. But since Microsoft isn't talking, it's like that I'll have to update this article over time as more Zune 4.2 features become known. Here's what I know so far.

Quick Take: Zune 4.2 PC Software