Antec Signature SG650 650 Watt Power Supply Review
TechAddicts posted a review on the Antec Signature SG650 650 Watt Power Supply

Antec has been offering power supplies for quite a long time now. Their power supplies are synonymous with value and performance, with their Basiq, NeoPower, TruePower Trio and Quattro series. The Signature series breaks away from this and offers up a power supply like no other. Antec's Signature series of power supplies are of the highest quality, featuring true wattage ratings along with top of the line components, such as Japanese branded capacitors and cooling fan. These power supplies also offer modular power cables, SLi Certification, 80Plus Bronze certification and a test report, certified with a signature. Truly unique. Previously, we have reviewed the SG850, the 850 Watt model from the Signature Series. Now, we are going to take a look at its younger sibling, the SG650, a 650 Watt model.

Antec Signature SG650 650 Watt Power Supply Review

Scythe's Fenris Wolf chassis Review
Bit-Tech published a review of Scythe's Fenris Wolf chassis

Despite its silent performance though, we're still far from convinced by the Fenris Wolf, with the easily dented and deformed panelling our primary concern. Scythe seems to have totally omitted reinforcing any of the case's panelling with the usual methods and it's clear that this isn't a case that's going to stand up to much wear and tear or even multiple fittings without showing some very obvious signs of degradation. It's a shame really as the black anodised aluminium Scythe has used feels and looks great -- it's just not strong enough without being reinforced in some way.

The Fenris Wolf isn't the easiest case to put together either, with the rubber grommet mounted hard drive rack particularly frustrating to build and the mount into the chassis. On more than one failed attempt at mounting the test system hard drive came close to being hurled across the room in frustration -- it's just a million miles away from the easy drive mounting trays used in Cooler Master or Antec chassis and while we appreciate the excellent vibration reduction it can offer, we're not sure it's worth the bother. Again, it's a shame as Scythe has gotten the basics right with the roomy interior and easy PSU mounting, it's just spoiled by the irritating hard drive mounting.

The final nail in the coffin here though is the price. Launching next month at almost £135 we feel the Fenris Wolf is, simply put, comically expensive. The Hiper Osiris, a case that's based on the exact same core chassis and which possesses far superior aluminium alloy build quality is available for just over £80 -- that's a whopping saving of almost £55, more than enough to replace the Osiris' three (admittedly noisy) 120mm fans with ultra low noise models and have enough left over to buy a new game or two.

There's also the option of the Akasa Omega for £120, a case that's comparable to the Fenris Wolf on thermal performance and excellent noise levels, but that's both fantastically easy to work with and very solid indeed, with superb build quality.

While the Scythe Fenris Wolf is launched as a silent case to the Osiris' high performance, there's just no way that two ultra low noise fans, a vibration dampening hard drive mount and some foam strips stuck on the side panels are worth the sort of price premium Scythe is demanding here, especially with the notable build quality and hard drive mounting problems we've encountered.

It's a real surprise to be honest, especially as the core chassis upon which the Fenris Wolf has been built has been at the heart of two high quality cases. Sadly though, that's not the case this time out and the Fenris Wolf, while at first seeming to have a lot of potential, just carries too many flaws to be really worthy of your consideration.

Scythe's Fenris Wolf chassis Review



XFX GTX-285 XXX Review
Bjorn3D takes a look at the XFX GTX-285 XXX video card

There has seldom been a time in GPU history that has been more exciting. New more powerful GPU's are popping up all over the place. Last year we saw the introduction of the 4870, 4870x2, GTX-260, GTX-260 216, GTX-280, and this year already we've seen the GTX-295 and now the XFX GTX-285 XXX. That's more excitement than we've seen in a long time. Combine that with the Core i7 introduction and toss one of those puppies on a good board with the Intel Core i7 965 Extreme and you've got heart pumping graphics madness.

It's hard to get past the excitement of a new GPU hitting the door. Especially one that just released and boasts better performance than it's brother the GTX-280. The GTX-280 found its way into our hearts and in a short time became a legend in its own right. We expect no less from its younger sibling the XFX GTX-285 XXX.

XFX GTX-285 XXX Review

SilverStone Noble Breeze NB01 Notebook Cooler SST-NB01B Review
TestFreaks posted a review on the SilverStone Noble Breeze NB01 Notebook Cooler SST-NB01B

Today for review I've got the SilverStone Noble Breeze NB01 Notebook Cooler, and like all products from SilverStone it's very well made, and it's aesthetically pleasing as well. Besides those fine attributes, the Noble Breeze actually works at keeping your laptop cool, and it's virtually silent while it works.

SilverStone Noble Breeze NB01 Notebook Cooler SST-NB01B Review

Tomb Raider Underworld Review
ocaholic.ch posted a review on Tomb Raider Underworld

Lara is back! Again in sexy outfits she got a lot of work to do to unravel a new mystery. This time you can find her Greek mythology and you have to get Thors - the god of thunder - hammer. On the way to get there you'll face many questions and answers as well as further information about Laras parents.

Tomb Raider Underworld Review

Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2G GDDR3 Review
HotHardware.com posted a review on the Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2G GDDR3 video card

When AMD launched the Radeon HD 4870 X2 a few months back, the company hinted at the impending release of another, more affordable, dual-GPU powered card aptly named the Radeon HD 4850 X2. Like the more powerful 4870 X2, the 4850 X2 would sport a pair of RV770 GPUs on a single PCB, but on the 4850 X2 they would be clocked somewhat lower and would be linked to more affordable GDDR3 memory.

At the time, AMD planned to release the card at a slightly lower price point than the competing GeForce GTX 280, but it took quite a while for the Radeon HD 4850 X2 to finally materialize. When it did arrive, in the form of the Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2G GDDR3 we'll be showing you here, the 3D graphics landscape had changed somewhat. Come on by the site and check it out...

Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2G GDDR3 Review

XFX 9800GT 512MB Review
XSReviews has reviewed the XFX 9800GT 512MB video card

Considering how long it took XSR to get it's first high end graphics card review, it's interesting that they are now one of our most oft-reviewed pieces of hardware. Not to be the exception to the rule is our recently acquired 9800GT from XFX. The smaller brother of the more well known GTX branding, the GT saw excellent sales during the 8 series for it's high end performance, with lower end price tag. Let's see if increasing the initial number by 1 makes much of a difference.

XFX 9800GT 512MB Review

Nvidia BFG 285 and 295 indepth analysis
Driverheaven posted an analysis on the Nvidia BFG 285 and 295 video cards

During CES 2009 Nvidia launched the latest cards in their GeForce range, the GTX 285 and 295. The 285 is essentially a refresh of the existing GTX 280 with a reduction in the core size and reduced power requirements. The GTX 295 is their latest dual GPU design, the first card since the 9800 GX2 to support Quad SLI. Rather than rush out a half assed review to meet Nvidia's tight timescales for this launch, we opted to delay our article and ensure it was as informative as we

Nvidia BFG 285 and 295 indepth analysis

Windows 7 on a Mac Mini
CNET News' Ina Fried tries out Microsoft's latest OS on an older Intel Mac.

Finding myself with some free time on Tuesday, I decided to try and see whether and how Windows 7 would install using Boot Camp on a Mac. I must say, I get a little sick pleasure turning a Mac into a Windows machine, knowing that it has to make both Microsoft and Apple's skin crawl to see their progeny used in such a way. Plus, Macs do tend to make for pretty zippy (if pricey) Windows machines.

Windows 7 on a Mac Mini

Enermax Liberty ECO 500 W Power Supply Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the Enermax Liberty ECO 500 W Power Supply

The new Liberty ECO series from Enermax comes to replace their popular Liberty DXX series, featuring a modular cabling system, 120-mm fan, active PFC and labeled at 40º C – i.e., the manufacturer guarantees that the unit can deliver its labeled power at this temperature. The main problem with the Liberty DXX series was efficiency, which dropped below 80% if you pulled more than 60% the unit's maximum load. Since we had already reviewed Liberty DXX 500 W it will be really interesting to review Liberty ECO 500 W to see how this new version compares to the old version. Is Liberty ECO 500 W a good product or has the same efficiency issue as Liberty DXX 500 W? Can it really deliver 500 W? Check it out

Enermax Liberty ECO 500 W Power Supply Review

Lenovo ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive Review
ITreviewed posted a review on the Lenovo ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive

Lenovo's ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive offers an excellent combination of simple-to-use design and advanced levels of security. Sadly it's only available with a USB 2.0 connection and a maximum capacity of 320GB, but if your priority is protecting your important documents on the move, it's a good choice. Sure you can use software encryption systems such as Vista's Bitlocker, or third-party products such as Deslock, but these generally require a correspondingly high level of configuration. Lenovo's ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive on the other hand requires no special drivers or software to work with either Windows XP or Vista. Highly recommended if your pockets are deep, you're cool with USB 2.0 only, and you don't mind the boring corporate design.

Lenovo ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive Review

Nexus Value 430 Eco Friendly Power Supply Review
DreamWare Computers posted a review on the Nexus Value 430 Eco Friendly Power Supply

The eco-friendly push is probably one of the biggest trends to hit product marketing lately. With studies showing depletion of important natural resources and environmental damage starting to spread, the need for a greener tomorrow becomes very important. The whole 80PLUS certification trend has caught on with a lot of aftermarket power supply manufacturers to ensure that their products are wasting as little electrical power as possible. However, some are doing much more than that to further help the cause. That's where Nexus steps in with their new Value 430 power supply. Not only is it an 80%+ efficiency power supply, but it's also designed from the ground up to be a product that is as eco-friendly as possible. Time to see what this is all about!

Nexus Value 430 Eco Friendly Power Supply Review

Sapphire Ultimate HD4670 Passively Cooled Graphics Card Review
Metku takes a closer look at Sapphire's passively cooled Ultimate HD4670 Graphics Card.

Now that the HD4670 cards have been on the market for a while, we are starting to see some non-reference models of these also. The card in question today, is Sapphire's Ultimate HD4670 card which is completely passively cooled.

Sapphire Ultimate HD4670 Passively Cooled Graphics Card Review

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) Review
ITreviewed posted a review on Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1

IE8 delivers significant security improvements over its predecessors and is more robust and faster than IE8 beta 2. But given the extent to which cybercrime relies on social engineering, users of IE8, like other modern browsers, would be well advised to remain cautious in the sites that they visit and the information that they disclose online. It's only a matter of time before someone figures out a way around IE8's new defences. The new version brings enhancements in private browsing, accessibility, overall reliability and speed. RC1 reaches a significant development milestone towards a browser that can compete on closer footing with Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera in terms of features. However, Web standards support (especially CSS 3) and performance is still far behind the competition. Maybe it's time for Microsoft to give up and let Internet Explorer make way for the generation of browsers.

> Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) Review

ATP Earthdrive Review
Maximum CPU has posted its review of ATP's Earthdrive

The ATP Earth Drive is a green option in the realm of previously environmentally harmful computer accessories. It wasn't too long ago that nearly every component of computers was fulled with toxins that could potentially hurt the planet if not disposed of properly. This USB flash drive compensates for these with a biodegradable PLA (a kind of plastic that can be made from corn) plastic casing, and a very small form factor. The components of the flash media are completely encapsulated, like one of the coin-sized flash drives or a micro SD card, so the flash drive is water and dust-proof, and it is resistant to some physical trauma. ATP also donates a portion of all EarthDrive sales to American Forests, which plants trees.

ATP Earthdrive Review

CSX CSXO-CEC-800-4GB-KIT Review
Overclockers Online posted a review on the CSX CSXO-CEC-800-4GB-KIT

When I started this review I'll admit I wasn't familiar with CSX's memory, but I will say I have come away with a very positive outlook. While typically PC6400 kits don't get a whole lot of fan fare, CSX's CEC line delivers on their goal of overclocking with a budget kit. If what CSX has to offer in their budget line is any indication, I can understand why their Diablo line has made some noise in the enthusiast market in other countries.

CSX CSXO-CEC-800-4GB-KIT Review

Gelid Silent Spirit Review
PureOverclock published a review on the Gelid Silent Spirit

Powerhouse CPU coolers may be all the rage these days in the quest for performance supremacy, but there is a distinct need and interest in the market for smaller and more compact coolers that can still get the job done effectively and inexpensively. And that is part of the key distinction here, as quality products that are affordable are a rather rare breed. On the test bench today is the Gelid Silent Spirit, a smaller CPU cooler that comes from two industry veterans that have launched their own company and new lineup.

Gelid Silent Spirit Review

G.Skill 3x2GB PC3-12800 Triple Channel DDR3 Kit Review
Hardware Canucks has posted a review of the G.Skill 3x2GB PC3-12800 Triple Channel DDR3 Kit.

The G.Skill F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ is a 6GB (3 x 2GB) PC3-12800 memory kit featuring relatively mild 9-9-9-24 timings with a low recommend voltage of just 1.5-1.6 volts. This particularly model can be considered a mid-range offering in G.Skill's current triple-channel DDR3 product line, which is currently topped by a blistering PC3-16000 7-8-7-20 model that will be available shortly.

G.Skill 3x2GB PC3-12800 Triple Channel DDR3 Kit Review

Cooler Master Silent Pro M 600W Modular ATX Power Suppply Review
Tweaknews posted Cooler Master Silent Pro M 600W Modular ATX Power Suppply Review

I'm very impressed with Cooler Master's Silent Pro M600W. Here's a quiet, compact, high-quality PSU with flat modular cabling, high efficiency and a five-year warranty from an established company. Cooler Master also includes silicone vibration gaskets and black mounting screws.

Cooler Master Silent Pro M 600W Modular ATX Power Suppply Review

Lian Li's TYR PC-X500 Enclosure
The Tech Report posted a review on Lian Li's TYR PC-X500 Enclosure

Lian Li normally sticks to the fundamentals, but its new TYR series offers not only partitioned cooling zones, but also a novel drive bay arrangement. So what happens when the original aluminum masters try something completely new? Read on to find out.

Lian Li's TYR PC-X500 Enclosure

Silverstone Fortress Review
OCC has published a new review on the Silverstone Fortress

The FT01 Fortress from SilverStone was an awesome case in terms of silence, great looks, and good cooling. The add-on modules round out the case, and help it stand out beyond the competition. I personally suggest having a hot swappable CP05 module per hard drive, as it makes installation, maintenance, and routing the cables much easier. There are no sharp edges in the case, and all of the fans are safely behind fan grills- except when the hard drive bay is removed. The 5.25" drives tool free feature is also very nice and sturdy.

Silverstone Fortress Review

OCZ Apex 120GB SSD OCZSSD2-1APX120G Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the OCZ Apex 120GB SSD OCZSSD2-1APX120G

OCZ may not have created the Solid State Drive, but they've done more to bring SSD technology mainstream than any other company in the industry. Once SSDs could outperform their HDD counterpart, it was all about price and capacity. The OCZ Core Series helped to offer affordable Solid State Drive technology to the masses, but capacity and stuttering became new issues. Using a pair of JMicron JMF602B SSD controllers to organize two banks of Samsung K9HCG08U1M DRAM modules into a JMB390 controller, the new OCZ Apex Series SSD offers an impressive capacity with internal RAID-0 performance to subdue stuttering. Benchmark Reviews tests the performance of the OCZSSD2-1APX120G against over two dozen other products in this article.

OCZ Apex 120GB SSD OCZSSD2-1APX120G Review