XFX Geforce 9800 GTX+ Black Edition Video Card w/ Far Cry 2 Review
Tweaknews posted a review on the XFX Geforce 9800 GTX+ Black Edition Video Card w/ Far Cry 2

Overall, to say I am impressed with XFX's tweaked version of the 9800GTX+ would be an understatement. It handles all the recent games with relative ease all while under very tough image quality and resolution settings and all for a price of around US$189. Couple in the fact that you get one or even two quality recent games with the package and you have a purchase that will perform right out of the box.

XFX Geforce 9800 GTX+ Black Edition Video Card w/ Far Cry 2 Review

AMD Phenom II DDR2 vs. DDR3 Performance
TweakTown posted a review on the memory performance of AMD Phenom II

AM3 based processors from AMD are designed with two integrated memory controllers; a 128bit wide DDR2 memory controller and a 128bit wide DDR3 memory controller. This is made possible thanks to DDR2 and DDR3 having the same mount of pins as DDR2 modules, just differently spaced. AMD has designed AM3 processors to be able to slot into AM2+ boards to run with their DDR2 memory controllers. However, you can also place the CPU into an AM3 based board to take full advantage of the DDR3 memory controller.

Now, this is a time of transition. AMD wants to get the AM3 based Phenom II’s out there and current AM2+ boards have already been given support for it. But what about users who don’t want to spend a fortune? - Jetway has come to the party with its AM2/AM3 combo board supporting both DDR2 and DDR3 memory slots onboard. Today we will see just how much difference there is in performance between using DDR2 and DDR3 memory thanks to this very board.

AMD Phenom II DDR2 vs. DDR3 Performance



MSI's X58 Pro motherboard Review
Bit-Tech published a review of MSI's X58 Pro motherboard

If you're in the market for a budget Core i7 motherboard, the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P is still our favoured product and even the more basic DS4 is still better than the X58 Pro we reckon. Both of which are generally just faster overall and more reliable than the MSI X58 Pro we have here.

One unavoidable problem however is that the PCB which MSI might like to brand as "coffee" but at £160 even though it's a budget X58, there's no getting away from it still being an expensive purchase and on the surface will be a big problem for many people looking for a board to match their newly powder-coated rig. Unless of course, you've either chosen brown or a case without windows.

On the other hand, the £160 asking price means this is not only the cheapest X58 on the market, but the bottom line is that it's a decent board too, so if you're desperate to adopt Core i7 and want to spend as little money as possible then overall the X58 Pro is definitely worthy of consideration. It has a solid set of basic features, but remember those chipsets need some extra airflow to keep everything cool and stable. The X58 Pro still offers a considerable overclock for a Core i7 920, though if our review sample is anything to go by, then don't expect to be joining the 4GHz club any time soon.

MSI's X58 Pro motherboard Review

In-Win Commander 850W Power Supply Review
Bjorn3D takes a look at the In-Win Commander 850W Power Supply

The power supply is sometimes misunderstood as one of the main components that every computer requires to run. When shopping for power supplies, sometimes we don't understand exactly how important it actually is and tend to not give it some serious thought and even sometimes grab the least powerful/costly unit that we see. This is a very bad idea because the power supply regulates and protects all your other components, and when getting the cheaper units, they tend to die and most times they don't go out alone.

In-Win Commander 850W Power Supply Review

XFX Radeon HD 4870 XXX 1GB video card review
Elite Bastards takes a look at the XFX Radeon HD 4870 XXX 1GB video card

We've already mentioned that XFX have stuck steadfastly with AMD's reference cooling solution for this board, but that aside we see clock speed increases similar to those previously noted on the Radeon HD 4850 XXX - In this particular case, the board's RV770 GPU gets a 25MHz speed boost up to 775MHz, while the 1GB of GDDR5 memory on the board gets a 50MHz increase to give it a final clock of 950MHz.

XFX Radeon HD 4870 XXX 1GB video card review

SSD Roundup March 09
DriverHeaven posted a SSD Roundup

Today we have three SSD's on our test bench from Intel, Patriot and Super Talent. Each has a different capacity and cost but all will be placed through a selection of synthetic and real world tests to establish which drive is ideal for consumers first leap into the SSD market.

SSD Roundup March 09

Super Talent Luxio 64GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review
Legit Reviews posted a review on the Super Talent Luxio 64GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive

Super Talent has released one of the largest capacity USB flash drives available with their new Luxio 64GB drives. Does high capacity mean low performance? We've given it a test drive to find out for those thinking of investing in a high-capacity portable storage device.

Super Talent Luxio 64GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review

OCZ Apex Series 120GB SSD Review
HotHardware.com posted a review on the OCZ Apex Series 120GB SSD

The solid state drive, or SSD, market is incredibly hot at the moment, with a constant influx of new products that seem to leapfrog previous offerings at every turn. No one has been able to overtake Intel's X25 series of SSDs in terms of overall performance just yet, but the SSDs available from many other companies today are clearly superior to the previous generation.

The latest offering to land on the HotHardware test bench is the OCZ Apex Series SATA II SSD. Like OCZ's previous solid state drives, the Apex series fits in a standard 2.5" form factor, but changes to some components and the internal configuration of the drive make the Apex series much more appealing. Come on by the site and check it out...

OCZ Apex Series 120GB SSD Review

Speedlink Medusa NX Review
XSReviews has reviewed the Speedlink Medusa NX headset

Speedlink are well known for making some top notch headsets, with their previous range of Medusas making real waves in the review community. Now though it's time for a refresh, a re-release if you will. The Medusa is back, this time termed the NX and while it's still got a really long cable and 5.1 surround sound, can it stand up to the previous generation's top notch performance?

Speedlink Medusa NX Review

SilverStone RV01 Raven Case Review
Ninjalane has posted their review of a case from Silverstone called the Raven

The SilverStone RV01 Raven is a very different kind of case, not just for SilverStone but for any other case out there. One of the biggest changes is moving from an all aluminum construction to a Steel and Plastic combination. The black plastic molding creates a very unique look that resembles the rigid and hard lines found on the Stealth Bomber.

SilverStone RV01 Raven Case Review

Antec Nine Hundred Two (902) Review
Vortez Hardware takes a look at the Antec Nine Hundred Two (902) case

Antec has clearly seen the success of the Twelve Hundred case and converted some of the brilliant features into this new revision of the much sort after Nine Hundred case. The Nine Hundred Two is indeed a step in the right direction, its nice to know that Antec have taken onboard the critism's and feedback, addressing some of the key issues the original case had.

It does a brilliant job of keeping the system cool; the airflow system is truly magnificent and should not be underestimated at all, It has one of the best airflow systems I've actually come across. Couple this with the satisfying array of features and we have a fantastic gaming case. What I like especially about this case is that it is so functional, you can control each fan, you can install up to nine HDD's, install more fans, and it looks and feels impressive.

Antec Nine Hundred Two (902) Review

Which Internet Browser is Fastest for Windows?
Legit Reviews ran a benchmark on 11 browsers to see which one is the fastest for Windows

Using a resolution of 1920x1200 and with no other applications open, we fired up the brand new Peacemaker benchmark to see which was the fastest browser. After the dust settled Apple's Safari 4.0 beta was clearly in the lead and was found to be over six times faster than the slowest browser, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7.0. It should be pointed out that SeaMonkey 2.0 Alpha 3 did very well and offers significant improvements over SeaMonkey 1.1.14. Firefox 3.1 beta 3 was just released this afternoon and it offers better performance than the previous beta...

Which Internet Browser is Fastest for Windows?

Cooler Master Storm Sniper Review
InsideHW.com has reviewed Cooler Master Storm Sniper case

Obviously Cooler Master decided to have product for every user category that exists, when it comes to computer chassis. If you take a look at last few reviews of Cooler Master chassis, you will see that each chassis is suited for different user group. This time we got a chassis that is attended for gamers and all of you out there that feel like one. Cooler Master Storm Sniper is representative of new CM brand: Storm. This series is intended for gamers. This user group has very specific demands when it comes to their choice of hardware.

Cooler Master Storm Sniper Review

DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8 LGA1366 Motherboard Review
Hardware Canucks posted a review of the new DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8 LGA1366 motherboard.

Today we look at the crest of the LanParty mountain, and the UT series top dog. The DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8 is based on the Intel X58 chipset and supports all the features that has made the Intel X58 one of the most diverse and powerful chipsets to date. Features like Quad CrossFireX and 3-way SLI operation, six triple-channel memory DIMM slots, and dual gigabit LAN connections are all present on the UT X58-T3eH8. Of course, being the DFI flagship on the Core i7 ocean, DFI has pulled out all the stops in the cooling and BIOS departments.

DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8 LGA1366 Motherboard Review

Super Talent Luxio 64GB High-Capacity Luxury USB Drive Review
OCC has published a new review on the Super Talent Luxio 64GB High-Capacity Luxury USB Drive

The Super Talent Luxio looks very professional. Its wood finish combined with the metal band creates the luxurious style wanted. Also, who can complain about a 64GB capacity? There is room for a lot of stuff in there! A nice addition is that the user can partition that 64GB into two smaller partitions of the desired size. One can then be locked with a password using the SecureLock application. Data is encrypted using a dedicated chip inside the thumb drive for maximum protection, which is far more secure than software encryption. Moreover, it has good transfer speeds. They are not as good as The Godfather USB flash drive from the same manufacturer, but in general they are great. Also, with the Luxio is provided a black genuine leather carrying case which can be attached to a belt or anything else.

Super Talent Luxio 64GB High-Capacity Luxury USB Drive Review

ASUS VW266H 25.5-in Monitor Review - Going large on a budget
PC Perspective posted a review on the ASUS VW266H 25.5-in Monitor

The ASUS line of LCD monitors continues to impress us with their lineup of features, performance and low price. The new VW266H display is a 25.5-in offering with a 1920x1200 resolution that includes HDMI, component, DVI and VGA inputs with support for coaxial digital audio output or you can use the integrated 2-channel speakers. All of this at an incredible price as well!

ASUS VW266H 25.5-in Monitor Review - Going large on a budget

ThermalTake Element S Case Review
Ninjalane has posted their review of the new case from ThermalTake called the Element S

The Element S from ThermalTake is a very clean and elegant case that pushes the limits of case design by refining what needs to be in a case to begin with. The outer skin is a smooth form plastic that helps to reaffirm the smooth style and clean lines.

ThermalTake Element S Case Review