Reviews 52192 Published by

Here a roundup of today's reviews:

- MSI Fusion Platform System Prototype
- Lenovo IdeaPad U260 12.5" Laptop Review
- ASUS Maximus IV Extreme Review
- Radeon HD 6950 1GB vs GeForce GTX 560 Ti review
- ASUS P8P67 EVO Motherboard Review
- Areca ARC-1880ix-24 PCI-E x8 SATA/SAS RAID Controller w/ 24 Crucial RealSSD C300s
- ASUS Xonar Xense Audio Card & Headphones Review
- Sapphire Pure Black X58 Review
- AMD Radeon HD 6950 1GB Review
- Gigabyte GA-X58-USB3 Review
- Corsair Force 90GB SSD Single & RAID Review
- MSI N560GTX-Ti GeForce Video Card Review
- Lian Li PC-V2120A Full Tower PC Case Review
- Synology DiskStation DS1511+ Review
- Western Digital Scorpio Black 500GB 2.5'' HDD Review



MSI Fusion Platform System Prototype
Kitguru takes a look at the MSI Fusion Platform System Prototype

AMD released the Fusion APU at CES several weeks ago, their first release which combines a CPU (central processing unit) and a GPU (graphics processing unit) on the same chip. While the mobile space is going to be one of the primary focus points for this new technology, today we are looking at a full HTPC system prototype from MSI – a build which will be hopefully adopted by system builders across the globe.
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Lenovo IdeaPad U260 12.5" Laptop Review
TechSpot posted Lenovo IdeaPad U260 12.5" Laptop Review

Mobile computing is one of the most dynamic segments of consumer electronics in recent history. From the netbook craze from a few years ago, to smartphones and of course, the tablet computer. And while all of these extensions of mobile computing are exciting, the trusty laptop is still the most well-rounded option. Classified as a Lifestyle product, Lenovo's IdeaPad U260 aims to be your "thin, light, stylish travel companion".

Our IdeaPad U260 came equipped with Intel's ULV Core i5-470UM operating at 1.33 GHz with 3MB of L2 cache, Intel HD Graphics, 4GB of PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM, a Hitachi 320GB 5400 RPM hard drive, integrated Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 1000, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, a 4-cell Li-Polymer battery and a 12.5" HD AntiGlare 1366 x 768 display.

Right away we can see that the U260 is a very sleek and sexy system, complete with a leather wrist rest and chiclet-style keys. Total system weight is 3.04 pounds, thanks in large part to the one-piece magnesium-aluminum cover. Thickness is measured at only 18mm.
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ASUS Maximus IV Extreme Review
ocaholic posted a review on the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme

With the Maximus IV Extreme, ASUS shows its first Intel P67 motherboard which was designed with overclockers and PC-Gamers in mind. Therefore this product come with a lot of features and goodies and it's almost screaming to be overclocked.
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Radeon HD 6950 1GB vs GeForce GTX 560 Ti review
The Guru of 3D compared the Radeon HD 6950 1GB and GeForce GTX 560 Ti video cards

When the GeForce GTX 560 Ti was released shortly ago, one things was clear - the price versus performance ratio would be great. Especially with the extensive factory overclocked models in mind these cards perform really well. So a couple of weeks ago AMD decided to sort of 'mbush' NVIDIA, by releasing a 1 GB version of the Radeon HD 6950, a product with the very same features and specifications as it's big brother the 2 GB version has yet priced way below we all expected it to be.
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ASUS P8P67 EVO Motherboard Review
OCIA.net has posted their review of the ASUS P8P67 EVO Motherboard

In the short time since Intel released Sandy Bridge earlier this month, we have seen multiple new boards supporting all-new features from several different manufacturers. ASUS were among the first to launch with Intel, offering several different P67 / H67 motherboards to cover every segment of the market. Today we will be taking a look at the P8P67 EVO, one of nine new P67 Express motherboards from the Taiwan industry giant.
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Areca ARC-1880ix-24 PCI-E x8 SATA/SAS RAID Controller w/ 24 Crucial RealSSD C300s
TweakTown posted a review on the Areca ARC-1880ix-24 PCI-E x8 SATA/SAS RAID Controller w/ 24 Crucial RealSSD C300s

Areca Technology Corporation started life in 1999 and was formed by a team of storage product engineers in Taipei, Taiwan. The core of Areca is their dedicated research and development team that is responsible for Areca's success in the storage industry. Around five years ago Areca's hard work and dedication propelled the company into a leading role in the storage controller market. The first to catch on were enthusiast power users who learned that Areca products at the time were outperforming those from industry power players LSI and Adaptec. It took at least two product cycles for these companies to catch back up to the data transfer levels being offered by Areca's products.

Today we are looking at Areca's latest flagship offering from the new ARC-1880 Series product line. The ARC-1880ix-24 is the most advanced controller in the lineup and offers both internal and external connectivity. The controller also uses a user upgradable cache module (1GB standard, up to 4GB optional) that allows for high speed RAID redundancy without penalty.
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ASUS Xonar Xense Audio Card & Headphones Review
Neoseeker posted a review on the ASUS Xonar Xense Audio Card & Headphones

We're back with a look at another ASUS audio solution for gaming enthusiasts, the Xonar Xense. This card comes bundled with a Sennheiser headset optimized for use with the set, so hit the link to see if it's the all-in-one solution a budding audiophile could be looking for.
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Sapphire Pure Black X58 Review
PureOverclock has published a review of the Sapphire Pure Black X58 motherboard.

The Sapphire Pure Black X58 is the company's first foray into the premium Intel motherboard market, and this board sports gorgeous styling, strong features, and impressive performance. But it's in for a very tough fight against some established companies and products. Can the Pure Black X58 measure up?
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AMD Radeon HD 6950 1GB Review
Techgage posted a look at AMD's Radeon HD 6950 1GB

AMD last week released a 1GB variant of its popular Radeon HD 6950 graphics card, and to see how the performance would be throttled with the GDDR cut, we benchmarked both versions with the latest Catalyst 11.1 driver. Does the 1GB card and its $20 savings prove too hard to ignore, or should the 2GB still be the one to scoop up?
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Gigabyte GA-X58-USB3 Review
OCC has published a review on the Gigabyte GA-X58-USB3

The X58-USB3 does also support multi-GPU configurations by either ATI or NVIDIA. This provides not only the ability to be more powerful but also gives the diversity of being able to use which ever brand you may prefer or have on hand. When it came down to overclocking, the motherboard didn't really give me any problems getting up to 3.8GHz with the i7 920; however, that clock speed seems to be the maximum that my chip can reach as it is a C0 stepping.
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Corsair Force 90GB SSD Single & RAID Review
Hardware Canucks posted a review of the new Corsair Force 90GB SSD

Corsair has long been a fixture in the PC market and they have continued that tradition with a complete lineup of solid state drives. While the Nova series is geared towards entry level buyers, the Force-branded drives have been bred from the ground up for performance. In this review, we take a look at the Force 90GB, a drive which tries to strike a delicate balance between price, performance and capacity.
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MSI N560GTX-Ti GeForce Video Card Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the MSI N560GTX-Ti GeForce Video Card

History always repeats itself, and NVIDIA is hoping for a repeat performance with their new GTX 560 Ti video card. With performance per mm2 and per watt numbers that put the first Fermi chips to shame, the GTX 460 deserves all the success it has enjoyed. Now, they've applied the same tweaks to the GF104 GPU that brought the high-end Fermi cards back from the dead, and we have the new GF114 in place to do battle in the upper mid-market. MSI is also repeating the same steps they used with the GTX 460 to capture the interest of graphics overclocking enthusiasts. Their Twin Frozr II design offered a massive upgrade in performance compared to the stock cooling scheme, and it helped achieve a world record of 1.0 GHz on air cooling for the GTX 460. Fast forward six months and MSI has launched an upgraded GTX 560 Ti video card at the same time that the reference design is hitting the market. The MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC model offers up a modest 7% factory overclock, but I'm guessing there's more where that came from. Benchmark Reviews takes full advantage of MSI's hardware upgrade, as we explore the full potential of NVIDIA's latest midrange marvel on our test bed.
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Lian Li PC-V2120A Full Tower PC Case Review
PC Perspective posted a review on the Lian Li PC-V2120A Full Tower PC Case

Lian Li is a legend in the PC enclosure industry because of their creative designs, quality construction, and overall uniqueness. There are slim pickings right now for users looking for a case that supports HPTX motherboards too. Lian Li met the needs of consumers head on and created the PC-V2120 to give power users a sleek and silent solution to house the best hardware components on the planet.

Lian Li has also set the bar high and the PC-V2120 truly takes that standard even higher as they taken on one of the enthusiast communities biggest requests -- to have a case that supports HPTX motherboards (and specifically the EVGA Classified SR-2). I also commend Lian Li for not budging on their stance for putting form and function before flashy and cheap design techniques. While fancy blue LEDs and large windows may appeal to the masses, true enthusiasts understand how optimal airflow management techniques should be configured as well as the importance of a silent case.
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Synology DiskStation DS1511+ Review
KitGuru posted a review on the Synology DiskStation DS1511+

KitGuru has reviewed many NAS systems in the last year and we have covered most of the previous range from Synology. Today we are looking at the new flagship product aimed at the small and medium sized business market. With support for up to 15 drives via additional Synology DX510 units and class leading read and write performance this looks on paper to be an outstanding addition to their range …. but can it deliver?
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Western Digital Scorpio Black 500GB 2.5'' HDD Review
Madshrimps posted a review on the Western Digital Scorpio Black 500GB 2.5'' HDD

The 500GB Scorpio Black 2.5'' HDD from Western Digital maintains the performance lead ahead of many similar drives on the market with the same capacity. Being available on the market for about 55 Euros, it goes head to head with the Hitachi 7K500-500 model, outperforming it in some cases.
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