Here an overview of today's reviews: Asus Bravo 220 review, Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Advanced Server, ECS P55H-A Motherboard Review, MSI Big Bang XPOWER Intel X58 Motherboard Review, Jays Q-Jays Earphones Review, ASRock 890FX Deluxe3 Motherboard Review, PNY GeForce GTX 470 Review, Gigabyte X58A-UD7 Motherboard Review, Speck AftPack Notebook Backpack Review, OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SSD Review, Mionix Naos 5000 USB Gaming Laser Mouse Review, Micca MPlay Digital Media Player Review, Prolimatech Armageddon CPU Cooler Review, Where have all the good touchpads gone?, AeroCool V12XT Fan Controller Review, Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand Review, Asus G51J Core i7-720QM GTX 260M Notebook Review, SteelSeries WoW and AION Limited Edition Mouse Pads Review, Xigmatek HDT SD964W Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review, PowerColor PCS+ 5850 Review, and Inno3D GeForce GTX 480 iChill Black Series review (liquid cooling)



Asus Bravo 220 review – media card Review
KitGuru.net has posted a review on the Asus Bravo 220 Media Card

I recently had a discussion with Asus and they offered to send me their media center Bravo 220 card to tinker with. Checking the specifications, I thought the card was interesting, it was totally silent (fanless), consumed 21% less power than competiting Geforce 220 models and came bundled with a media software suite specifically designed for Windows.

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REVIEW: Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Advanced Server
Business Computing World published a review of the Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Advanced Server

Small to medium sized businesses are the most likely customers for the Acronis product which matches what the competition has to offer while being easier to manage than most. Smaller companies will also like the fact that it's a very complete product, able to take advantage of existing hardware and cope with most software setups with few optional extras required. For larger enterprises the advantages over other products are less clear cut. The Acronis product does support tape but the emphasis is very much on the use of disk technologies which would make switching from another backup application difficult. That said, it is a very scalable solution with a lot to offer large enterprise customers, particularly those using virtualisation to consolidate data centre resources.

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ECS P55H-A Motherboard Review
iXBT Labs posted a review on the ECS P55H-A Motherboard

We probably shouldn't expect much from ECS P55H-A. On the other hand, who cares about manufacturer profitability and ambitions while it produces quality, adequately priced solutions with decent features. Inexpensive models are the bulk of sales after all. Let's see whether ECS P55H-A is attractive enough.

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MSI Big Bang XPOWER Intel X58 Motherboard Review
Legit Reviews posted a review on the MSI Big Bang XPOWER Intel X58 Motherboard

If you are looking for a board that will support a crazy amount of graphics cards, the latest Intel processors, and can supply the necessary power for some extreme overclocking the MSI Big Bang XPower may be the board for you! Read on to find out how this motherboard that comes out next week performs when we put it to the test!

The MSI Big Bang XPower will support up to six single slot graphics cards for some hefty multi-monitor use. It also supports the latest Quad-SLI and CrossFireX technology from NVIDIA and ATI. If you are looking to do some extreme overclocking with the new Intel Core I7 980X you will need a board that can supply enough power. Under Extreme overclocking conditions the I7 980X can draw around 480 Watts, which is too much for a single 8pin cpu connector to supply. The MSI Big Bang XPower was designed for such a circumstance! The keen folks over at MSI added a second 8pin CPU connector to the Big Bang XPower! There should be no issues with power when pushing the latest processors to the maximum frequencies. They also decided to add a 6pin PCI-e which will aid when overclocking the graphics cards!

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Jays Q-Jays Earphones Review
Rbmods posted a review on the Jays Q-Jays Earphones

Todays review will be about their new Q-jays that have some awesome features for example its small size, and superb fit due to a high end silicone sleeve. Lets have a closer look at what type of performance and fit when can expect from these earphones.

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ASRock 890FX Deluxe3 Motherboard Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the ASRock 890FX Deluxe3 Motherboard

AMD 890FX is the new high-end chipset for AMD processors and ASRock 890FX Deluxe3 is a mainstream motherboard based on this new chipset, bringing nice features like three PCI Express x16 slots, eight SATA-600 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, solid capacitors, core unlocking utility and more. Check it out. This new high-end chipset is a two-chip solution. The main feature of the north bridge chip is the presence of 42 PCI Express x1 lanes – almost the double the amount present on AMD 890GX chipset (22 lanes) – which allows a very high-end configuration for the expansion slots as we will explain on the next page. The south bridge chip used is SB850, the same one used on AMD 890GX chipset. The main feature of this chip is the native support for six SATA-600 (a.k.a. SATA 6G) ports, so the motherboard doesn't need an external chip to support this feature, and certainly AMD 890FX and 890GX will help the new SATA standard to become mainstream.

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PNY GeForce GTX 470 Review
HotHardware.com posted a review on the PNY GeForce GTX 470

When NVIDIA launched the first wave of GF100-based graphics cards in late march, the initial GeForce GTX 400 series line-up consisted of only two cards, the flagship GeForce GTX 480 (reviewed here) and its somewhat less powerful counterpart, the GeForce GTX 470. Since then, NVIDIA has augmented the GeForce GTX 400 series line-up with the more affordable GeForce GTX 465 as well, which we took a look at here.

Unfortunately, at launch, we did not have access to a GeForce GTX 470 and couldn't provide our normal performance analysis. But good things come to those to who wait though. And since the initial launch we have gotten our hands on a full retail-ready GeForce GTX 470 by way of long time player in the PC space PNY. NVIDIA has also released a brand new set of drivers, i.e. Release 256, that unlocks additional performance from their latest GPU.

On the pages ahead, we'll evaluate the PNY GeForce GTX 470 using NVIDIA's latest drivers to see just how much performance the GTX 470 has to offer gamers today...

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Gigabyte X58A-UD7 Motherboard Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the Gigabyte X58A-UD7 Motherboard

Gigabyte X58A-UD7 is a socket 1366 motherboard based on Intel X58 chipset and ICH10R south bridge, bringing all features enthusiasts are looking for: four PCI Express x16 slots, two SATA-600 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, Japanese solid capacitors, and more.

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Speck AftPack Notebook Backpack Review
ThinkComputers.org posted a review on the Speck AftPack Notebook Backpack

We have already looked at 2 bags from Speck, the CorePack Fly and the PortPack. Today we will be looking at a 3rd bag from them, the AftPack. While the CorePack Fly was a messenger bag and the PortPack was a shoulder bag the AftPack is a backpack. Backpacks are great for people who want to protect their laptop, but also need to the room to carry large text books and other larger items. Read on as we check out the AftPack from Speck.

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OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SSD Review
OCC has published a review on the OCZ Vertex 2 120GB SSD

Real world speed is what I look for in a drive. For the read speeds, being in the 200's, who is really going to notice a slight difference between one drive or another? But if you switch hands and one drive is writing at 80MB/s and another is writing twice as fast, you are going to see real world results as your saves will happen more quickly, your programs will be more responsive and overall, your system will feel snappier.

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Mionix Naos 5000 USB Gaming Laser Mouse Review
Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the Mionix Naos 5000 USB Gaming Laser Mouse

Gamers want the best system they can get their hands on. This means a blazing fast CPU, dual video cards, and good ram. However, all this is potentially useless if you pair this system with an unreliable mouse. Mionix aims to prevent this problem by unleashing the latest addition to their lineup of gaming peripherals: the Naos 5000. Boasting up to 5040 dpi, switchable profiles and a unique weight tuning system, the Mionix Naos 5000 stands above all else. As a newcomer to the computer peripheral scene, Mionix, a small company based in Sweden, may not be a name familiar to gamers. However, this doesn't stop them from providing a wide range of solid gaming accessories. In this article, Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the Mionix Naos 5000. Keep reading to find out if this mouse really is light-years ahead of the game.

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Micca MPlay Digital Media Player Review
Hi Tech Legion posted a review on the Micca MPlay Digital Media Player

The Micca MPlay Digital Media Player provides a low cost solution to these issues. Pricing the Micca Mplay at under $30, Micca makes it feasible to hook one up to every TV you own or simply the one you want it at most. Taking both USB and SD, it plays many of the popular video formats at up to 720p as well as playing music and displaying images.

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Prolimatech Armageddon CPU Cooler Review
Hardware Canucks posted a review of the new Prolimatech Armageddon CPU Cooler

After releasing their now infamous Megahalems heatsink, Prolimatech followed up with the Mega Shadow which was basically a Megahalems finished in a stunning black anodized finish. They have now released a brand new heatsink called the Armageddon which is designed from the ground up to take advantage of low speed 140mm fans. Can Prolimatech capitalize on the lessons learned after the success of their first product?

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Where have all the good touchpads gone?
The Tech Report posted an article on touchpads

In his latest blog post, TR's Cyril Kowaliski laments the poor quality of touchpads on modern laptops. Once a fan of the IBM TrackPoint, Cyril was seduced by the huge glass touchpads of Apple's aluminum MacBooks, and he wonders why PC makers have chosen to emulate the outside appearance of those machines but not their ergonomics.

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AeroCool V12XT Fan Controller Review
PureOverclock posted a review of the AeroCool V12XT Fan Controller

As our machines have become more high-powered, it's increasingly important to monitor your PC health, and specifically the temperatures. The ability to monitor those temperatures and control the fans in your case is a huge benefit and peace of mind. Today we're looking at the AeroCool V12XT, a touch-sensitive fan controller which looks great and offers versatility to suit your needs.

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Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand Review
OCIA.net has posted their review of the Cooler Master NotePal ErgoStand

Most of us spend quite a bit of time picking out just the right chassis, case fans and coolers for our desktops but notebooks are often left out of the cooling game. There are, however, a few products out there that try to address this. One such product from Cooler Master is the NotePal ErgoStand that we have for review today. We have seen several different versions of notebook coolers, most opting to be a bit more portable than the ErgoStand which can be described as a more stationary stand. The ErgoStand comes with a fan speed control and a 4-port USB hub built into the stand.

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Asus G51J Core i7-720QM GTX 260M Notebook Review
Madshrimps posted Asus G51J Core i7-720QM GTX 260M Notebook Review

Notebooks, we see them everyday. At home, at your work, on the bus,... you name it. These portable PCs are considered common now. Notebooks have gone a long way, not solely being designed anymore for the businessman. Asus is targeting the multimedia/gaming enthusiast with this G51J 3D version. Not being an avid fan of gaming portables, I might be in for a nice surprise. Without spilling any more words, let us have a look at this Asus 3D Notebook creation.

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SteelSeries WoW and AION Limited Edition Mouse Pads Review
Madshrimps posted SteelSeries WoW and AION Limited Edition Mouse Pads Review

SteelSeries sell besides gaming peripherals mouse pads which are made from good quality materials, they don't slide off the table when gaming intensively and have incredibly detailed game art on them. In this review I will take a closer look at the World Of Warcraft March of the Scourge and AION Asmodian mouse pads.

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Xigmatek HDT SD964W Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review
Tweaknews posted a review on the Xigmatek HDT SD964W Heatpipe CPU Cooler

While the HDT SD964W cooler from Xigmatek isn't the best performing tower cooler I've seen, it does have a niche that many enthusiasts may want to explore. It didn't perform well on the overclocked Q6600 in the test mule, but it should be more than adequate for dual and tri-core processors in the 65W range with moderate voltage increases.

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PowerColor PCS+ 5850 Review
Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: PowerColor PCS+ 5850 Review

We're delighted to see PowerColor back in the OC3D labs. How does their PCS+ 5850 stand up?

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Inno3D GeForce GTX 480 iChill Black Series review (liquid cooling)
The Guru of 3D posted a review on the Inno3D GeForce GTX 480 iChill Black Serie

We test and review the Inno3D GeForce GTX 480 iChill Black Series. This GeForce GTX 480 graphics card is liquid cooled. With a liquid cooled loop you can bring down temperatures towards roughly 50 Degrees (under full load), that's roughly 40 degrees less than the reference cooler offers. Obviously you'll need a proper water-cooling setup to add this card to but yeah, today we'll review the i-ChiLL GeForce GTX 480 Black Series equipped with a liquid cooling block. In the package we'll spot a full cover water-block that is responsible for cooling down the GPU, Voltage Regulators, I/O chip, memory modules, and other critical components.

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