XSReviews has reviewed the SteelPad QcK Heavy

Like most manufactures, SteelPad don't always release brand new products, only build on past success. The QcK heavy is no difference; it's the same slick surface found on the QcK which received a 9/10 back in 2006, but has extra thickness for LAN party enthusiasts.

SteelPad QcK Heavy Review

BTX Form Factor Info posted Windows Vista Top 10 Tips and Tricks

Get the top 10 tips for Microsoft Windows Vista you need to accomplish your favorite things and be more productive right away. Here you can find how to change power button default action, hide desktop icon text, enable Aurora the hidden BootScreen, fix for COM Surrogate error and many more cool tips and tricks.

Windows Vista Top 10 Tips and Tricks



techPowerUp posted a review on the Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit

The Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit is a very unique device and may look like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, but it actually gives you control over games without the use of a traditional keyboard. It puts all functions within reach of your left hand. This makes gaming a lot more comfortable and faster. We tried it with First Person Shooters and Real Time Strategy games to see if the Pro Gamer Command Unit is just as advanced as its futuristic looks.

Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit Review

FrostyTech posted a Rosewill RCX-Z2-EX Heatsink Review

The Rosewill RCX-Z2-EX is pegged as a low noise heatsink, and with its PWM fan able to scale between 800-2400RPM this is quite an asset. The RCX-Z2-EX is assembled by rather standard means; aluminum fins, four copper heatpipes and a copper base, all of which have been dark nickel plated. A 92mm fan in a surprisingly open frame spins at the center of it all. The open frame design reduces turbulance and allows exhaust airflow to cool adjacent components on the motherboard.

Rosewill RCX-Z2-EX Heatsink Review

Techgage posted a review of Auzentechs X-Meridian 7.1 sound card, based on C-Medias 8788 Oxygen chipset

Looking for a new high end sound card that isn't a cookie cutter "me too" card? Want one that offers great sound with no compromises? Is gaming not very high on your list? Then you might take a look at the Auzentech X-Meridian.

Auzentech X-Meridian 7.1 Review

XYZ Computing has a new article out on the Samsung NV10 Digital Camera

The NV10 is a high-end camera is Samsung's NV line. The NV's are what I would call Samsung's "tech luxury" product, upper tier models that are highly stylized but also focus on performance. The NV10 is a 10.1 megapixel point-and-shoot with 3x optical zoom that was once the flagship of the NV line but has been topped by the NV11 (which is almost the same, but has 5x optical zoom, a larger 2.7" LCD, and some other minor improvements). The NV10 is a basically a pocketable, yet high performance, point-and-shoot with a very attractive exterior. It is not cheap, but the current sub-$300 price tag is not something people looking for an ultra light 10.1 megapixel camera should be bothered by. At 96.5 x 60 x 18.5 mm (3.8 x 2.3 x 0.7 in) and 148.7g (0.327 pounds) with the battery installed the camera is built for portability, but my expectations for its performance were high as well.

Samsung NV10 Digital Camera Review

techPowerUp posted an AMD 690 Chipset Series Preview

AMD's 690 Chipset Series is the first new product since the AMD/ATI merger in October last year. The RS690 is designed to be a low-cost, power efficient Athlon64 chipset which can be used in notebooks and desktop PCs. It features integrated VGA with support for HDMI and DVI - at the same time. With motherboards retailing in the $60 range this chipset has great potential on the budget market.

AMD 690 Chipset Series Preview

HotHardware.com taken a preview look at AMD's new 690 series chipset with integrated Radeon X1200 graphics

It has been a long time since we saw a chipset released under the AMD name and the 690 series appears to be a solid offering in the IGP market. However, it does appear that AMD is still playing catch-up with NVIDIA, as the nForce 430/61xx series has been out for quite a while and NVIDIA is poised to release their MCP68 in the not too distant future. With the promise of an integrated GeForce 7 class graphics engine in three variations, in addition to adding integrated DVI/HDMI support, the MCP68 should end up being a more apples to apples comparison to the 690G in the end. We should also consider that NVIDIA's future MCP72 may include DirectX 10 ready graphics. Though, as the saying goes, you can't compare unreleased products to a product that is here today.

Regardless what the future holds, the AMD 690 series stacks up well compared to what is currently available on the market. However, with new offerings on the horizon from NVIDIA, we hope AMD is already looking ahead to the next evolution from the 690 series to maintain and grow in the IGP space.

AMD 690G/V Series Chipset Preview and Performance Evaluation

Neoseeker has publised a review of Asus' EAX X1950 PRO card

The RV570 GPU shown above is used in the EAX X1950 Pro and is essentially a remastering of the RV520 from back in the day. The "Pro" is different from X1950 XT and XTX variants in a couple ways. First, the die is fabricated using a 80nm process which would explain its minimal cooling design, and secondly the GPU uses less texture units and pixel shaders then the higher end cards. Where the XT and XTX use 16:48:8 (Texture Units:Pixel Shaders:Vertex Shaders), the EAX X1950 Pro has 12:36:8.

Asus EAX X1950PRO Review

Pro-Clockers posted a review on the OCZ Equalizer Laser Gaming Mouse

But if you thought that they were keeping it to cooling and video cards and the numerous memory modules they produce you are quite wrong. During the last CES, they announced that they will be giving us even more. And one of those promised products is the OCZ Equalizer. The Equalizer is a gaming mouse that is aimed at taking down the likes of Razer and Logitech. The Equalizer boasts some pretty interesting features that many a gamer would find useful. Will you? Lets check it out.

OCZ Equalizer Laser Gaming Mouse Review

Bit-Tech posted a review on the Intel D975XBX2

Intel's D975XBX2 is an up-rated version of the D975XBX board and now comes with more enthusiast friendly features. We found out if the ageing 975X chipset still constitutes a worthwhile investment.

Intel D975XBX2 Review

HEXUS.net posted a review on the EQS AMD 690G motherboard

AMD's launched a new AM2 chipset that carries native HDMI support and an IGP with Avivo technology. EQS's AMD 690G board is a retail example at under 50 quid.

EQS AMD 690G Motherboard Review

Hardware Secrets posted a new article: What’s New on Windows Vista For Hardware Enthusiasts

Windows Vista brings a lot of new features. Instead of describing all new features brought by this new operating system – like new programs that now come with the OS –, we will describe only those that are related to PC hardware.

What’s New on Windows Vista For Hardware Enthusiasts