SSD Roundup June 2009
DriverHeaven.net posted their SSD Roundup for June 2009

Today we have a selection of these drives for review featuring models with various new controllers from Indilinx and Samsung as well as Intel's award winning X25-M. Just to make things a little more interesting there is even a model which features a customised version of the old JMicron 602 controller.

SSD Roundup June 2009

Kingston 4GB DataTraveler 101 USB Flash Drive Review
Legit Reviews posted a review on the Kingston 4GB DataTraveler 101 USB Flash Drive

Kingston’s family of DataTraveler USB Flash drives are among the most recognized around the world and are always being updated. Read on to check out the DataTraveler 101, a stylish cap-less swivel design USB 2.0 drive that is available in a variety of colors (cyan, pink and yellow) and in capacities of up to 16GB.

Kingston 4GB DataTraveler 101 USB Flash Drive Review



Noctua NH-U12P Special Edition SE1366 Heatsink Review
Hi Tech Legion posted a review on the Noctua NH-U12P Special Edition SE1366 Heatsink

When doing your research for the best air cooling solution you will also need to think of what you'll be using your system for. Will you be using it as a work station, for gaming or are you going to overclock the CPU to increase performance? All these factors directly affect how much heat your CPU will generate and each will require a different amount of cooling. As a rule of thumb (or at least my own) a good heatsink should not exceed more than a 13 to 15 C increase between idle and load stock and when the CPU is overclocked, a minimum of 20 C. Anything under that increase I would consider highly efficient.The Noctua NH-U12P Special Edition SE1366 is a heatsink and fan combination designed for Intel Core I7 Processors. The NH-U12P by Noctua is designed in Austria and comes with two 120 mm fans one for intake and the other for output. The NH-U12P is designed with a copper base and heat-pipes (6) and has aluminum cooling fins. The Noctua NH-U12-P Special Edition SE 1366 also comes with a 6 year warranty.

Noctua NH-U12P Special Edition SE1366 Heatsink Review

BenQ GP1 reviewed
ITReviewed posted a review on the BenQ GP1

BenQ's GP1 is a joy to use. It is compact and light, and setting it up takes only a few seconds using either the on-board controls or the supplied remote control. Designed for the home - the GP1's brightness levels just aren't good enough for presenting in the daytime - the projector displays a crisp image that contradicts its compact dimensions. It even comes with its own carrying case and a 2GB USB flash drive. And with a 20,000-hour rated lamp life it's easier on the pocket compared to a regular projector. At 60W power consumption, the same amount of power in a well-lit room, the projector is also easy on your electricity bill. If you're after a tiny projector that's well equipped and performs suitably without breaking the bank, the GP1 is a good choice.

BenQ GP1 reviewed

Zotac GeForce GTX 295 Review
Vortez Hardware posted a review on the Zotac GeForce GTX 295 video card

Zotac recently provided their flagship single cored GPU the GTX 285 AMP! Edition. I was very impressed with it but for those that want/need more there is another alternative. Zotac have sent us the top of NVidia's GPU range... the GTX 295. This is a dual core and dual PCB monster in a single form factor almost identical in size to the GTX 285.

Zotac GeForce GTX 295 Review

MSI X-Slim X340 ultraportable notebook
The Tech Report posted a review on the MSI X-Slim X340 ultraportable notebook

The X-Slim X340 is a shiny, black, and thin, with a nifty new Intel Core 2 Solo processor and a modern chipset. One or two steps up from a netbook, it may just be the ultimate in stylish ultraportability--for well under a grand.

MSI X-Slim X340 ultraportable notebook

Altec Lansing VS2421 Compact Speaker System Review
Rbmods posted a review on the Altec Lansing VS2421 Compact Speaker System

Altec Lansing, a division of Plantronics Inc., has a new set of compact computer speakers made to conserve desk space and still pack an audio punch. Tailored toward the budget crowd, this setup features two small footprint satellite speakers and an oblong subwoofer meant to use as little space as possible underneath your desk. Can this set of speakers really help save space and still sound great? Keep reading to find out how they stack up to the competition.

Altec Lansing VS2421 Compact Speaker System Review

Intel Core i7 920 Processor Review
PCShopTalk posted a review on the Intel Core i7 920 Processor

Running the Q6600 at 3.6GHz and at 1.6V did generate temperatures as high as 64.3C even with Water Cooling (Cooler Master Aquagate Max). Unfortunately, this was the only setting that the Q6600 would like. The Q9400, on the other hand, only reached 51.7C under full load while it was overclocked at 3.84Ghz at 1.4125V. While the voltages on the Q9400 are lower than the Q6600, the Q6600 hit 53.5C under stock speed and stock voltages (1.3V). The Core i7 920 however reached a temperature of 66.25C under full load when it was overclocked to 3.8GHz.

Intel Core i7 920 Processor Review

Solidata K5-64 SLC Indilinx Solid State Drive Review
TweakTown posted a review on the Solidata K5-64 SLC Indilinx Solid State Drive

It is a little known fact that the Indilinx Barefoot controllers that we have been raving about for the last two months are capable of using Single Level Cell (SLC) flash memory. In the past we tested several SLC drives and were amazed at how fast the drives were compared to their MLC counterparts. Just as amazing were the prices associated with the SLC drives.

you follow along with solid state drives then you know that the big call to fame for the Indilinx Barefoot has been its low cost, at least lower than the Intel controller. So what happens when we take the Barefoot and pair it with fast SLC memory ? Well, that is what we are here to find out.

Solidata K5-64 SLC Indilinx Solid State Drive Review

ASUS Maximus II Gene mATX Motherboard Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the ASUS Maximus II Gene mATX Motherboard

ASUS has some tough shoes to fill. Fortunately, they're familiar shoes; their own, in fact. A long string of high performance motherboards that got adopted simultaneously by the enthusiast and gaming sets, led ASUS to create a specialty brand segment they call "Republic of Gamers". The ROG Creed goes like this: "The Republic of Gamers is committed to delivering the most innovative and best performing PC solutions to enhance the gaming experience of power users." That's a tall order, especially in the competitive PC component market where today's news is already old news. One of the newest members of this Republic is the Maximus II GENE, part of a new group of small form factor components that give nothing away in performance to their larger brethren. Benchmark Reviews is pleased to review this latest offering, based on the Intel P45 and ICH10R, and we put it through the wringer against a well known full ATX-size reference board.

The new ASUS Maximus II Gene motherboard goes by the tagline: Mini Size, Max Mobility. You have to take these marketing lines with a grain of salt, because taken at face value, you might expect a mini-ITX board. Instead we have a micro-ATX (uATX) board that squeezes almost every last feature from its feature-rich ROG brother into the slightly smaller format. A more accurate description might be: Micro Size, Max Performance. Let's dive in and take a look at what ASUS calls: A new band of ROG heroes, the GENE squad.

ASUS Maximus II Gene mATX Motherboard Review

NZXT Cryo S Review
OCC has published a new review on the NZXT Cryo S

The NZXT Cryo S notebook cooler is a very well made laptop cooler that does its primary function well, while also providing several secondary benefits - such as the USB hub on the back, and the added benefit of having a keyboard that is tilted as to improve ergonomics. While the cooler didn't pack as large of a punch as its bigger brother, the Cryo LX, it is also quite a bit smaller, and perfectly fits my 15" MacBook Pro. This isn't really a cooler that you would take on a trip with you as it is rather large and bulky, but this is a problem that most people won't be affected by. As seen below, I have given the Cryo S our gold medal, which is one away from our highest award. This is due to the fact that on some laptops, especially Macs, the power provided by the USB ports cannot match the power drawn by the fans, meaning that the only option is to plug the cooler directly into the wall. Other than that one issue, this is an excellent cooler that will have a place on my desk for a while.

NZXT Cryo S Review

GOG.com - Breathing New Life into Old Games
Techgage.com takes a look at a service that makes old PC games new again, called GOG.com (Good Old Games)

Are you a classic PC gamer looking for a new place to pick up some games? Enter GOG.com. This service currently offers well over 100 titles spanning nearly twenty years, and all are offered at reasonable prices. To make the deal even sweeter, in addition to included perks for each game, there's absolutely no DRM to be found across any title.

GOG.com - Breathing New Life into Old Games