XIGMATEK HDT-SD964 CPU Cooler Review
TweakTown posted a review on the XIGMATEK HDT-SD964 CPU Cooler

With a trio of heatpipe direct touch CPU cooler reviews under our belts, I can definitively say that the tech is quickly catching on and spreading like wildfire. I am standing strong behind my statement from the last review of a H.D.T. cooler that I think this is the direction most CPU heatsinks will go in the future; much like the way nearly all CPU coolers use heatpipes nowadays.

Today we are going to take a look at the HDT-SD964 from XIGMATEK. Unlike all of the Heatpipe Direct Touch (H.D.T.) coolers we have looked at thus far, this cooler does not use a 120mm fan. The HDT-SD964 uses a 92mm fan and is a little shorter than the others. This will allow the cooler to be placed in smaller enclosures like 4U server chassis’ and equal sized media center cases.

XIGMATEK HDT-SD964 CPU Cooler Review

Akasa Omega system chassis Review
Bit-Tech published a review of the Akasa Omega system chassis

The Akasa Omega has been a pleasure to work with from start to finish, and I feel it is without a shadow of a doubt, the single easiest case to build a system into currently available. The brilliant motherboard tray design makes such a huge difference when building your system, and for those who frequently tinker inside their machines it's of enormous advantage. The build quality throughout the Omega is equally excellent, and is a breath of fresh air after so many recent cases we've reviewed have struggled to just get panels to line up properly.

However, there are some short falls, and one of them is the poor stock thermal performance. The Omega's out of the box cooling configuration is only one or two degrees better than the Mirage, and way off of other cases we've recently looked at like the Lian Li Tyr X2000. However, the stock cooling is extraordinarily quiet and as we've seen, four 120mm fans and a fanbus can happily resolve this issue, leaving you with an excellent case with high performance cooling and low noise levels.

Value is one area where the Akasa Omega does struggle a little though, especially in justifying itself over its painfully similar siblings - the Akasa Eclipse-62 and the Mirage-62. The former can still be found for around £90 and the latter for a few pennies under £100.

In comparison the Omega, with it's precut 120mm fan mounts and aluminium door sell for around £125, although while it's true you're getting less aluminium, you have to consider the time and effort it would take to cut the four 120mm fan mounts yourself, so we can see the justification for the higher cost. In comparison to other cases on the market, we feel you'd struggle to find such an adaptable and more importantly quiet aluminium case for similar money, and in this instance the Omega really is in a league of its own.

While Akasa might not have changed a great deal between the Mirage and the Omega, there wasn't a great deal that actually needed changing. With the inclusion of extra mounts for fans or water cooling radiators, Akasa has ticked almost every box for whatever setup you might want to fit into your system, and while it might not have a pre-cut case window (although they are available separately), the Omega simply oozes class and quality. In fact, it really only slips up on its stock cooling performance.

It's not showy, flashy or brash - it just gets on with the job of being your case. Simply put, the Akasa Omega is a fantastic case, and comes very highly recommended.

Akasa Omega system chassis Review



ECS GeForce 9600 GT Graphics Card Review
TweakTown posted a review on the ECS GeForce 9600 GT Graphics Card

I’ve seen more 9600 GT cards than I would like to honestly admit. The bottom line is, though, that the card does offer some excellent value for money and if you don’t have the budget to buy new high-end cards like the HD 4870 or GTX 280 and GTX 260, the 9600 GT still remains a very good option.

Today we’re going to take the time to check out the latest 9600 GT incarnation from ECS and see what it has to offer over the competition. In a time where bundles and overclocks separate brands, we see if the latest version from ECS can stand out.

ECS GeForce 9600 GT Graphics Card Review

PQI Turbo 4GB DDR3-1600 kit - Immortality Edition
TechwareLabs has published a review on the PQI Turbo 4GB DDR3-1600 kit - Immortality Edition

Continuing our DDR3 performance testing week we install a 4GB kit of PQI DDR3 Immortality Edition into our test rig. Is the PQI kit truely immortal surviving our overclock and how well does it perform? Follow our DDR3 lineup week and be sure to check out our previous two reviews as well as our upcoming coverage all this week.

PQI Turbo 4GB DDR3-1600 kit - Immortality Edition

Xirex 4mm Thick Water Block Tested for Geforce 8800 GT
Madshrimps tested the Xirex 4mm Thick Water Block for Geforce 8800 GT

NVIDIA had quite a success with their 8800 video card series; especially their 8800 GT based on the G92 core made its way into many PC configurations. Sadly the single slot reference cooler was not very quiet under load and high temperatures prevent any overclocking fun. Xirex launched their Stealth Full Cover water block which aims to bring excellent performance even with low noise water cooling configurations, let's put it to the test!

Xirex 4mm Thick Water Block Tested for Geforce 8800 GT

Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-14400 Memory Kit with Intel XMP
Legit Reviews posted a review on the Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-14400 Memory Kit with Intel XMP

The Kingston HyperX KHX14400D3K2/2GX memory kit is a very nice kit of 1800MHz memory as you can see from the benchmarking results. The Micron ICs that are used on the module can easily reach 2GHz with CL8 timings and are also able to reach tight CL7 timings at 1800MHz with a slight voltage boost. Enthusiasts are looking for modules that allow them to adjust timings and overclock, which is exactly what these HyperX modules have been designed to do...

Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-14400 Memory Kit with Intel XMP

Sapphire HD 4850 Review
XSReviews has reviewed the Sapphire HD 4850 Graphics Card

For the last year and a half, ATI have been the underdog when it came to top end performance, with nVidia truly ruling the roost with it's high power GTX cards dominating anything ATI could throw at them. However, now ATI are fighting back with their latest 4 series cards which promise to match the new 2 series from nVidia on performance, while beating them on price. Today I have a 4850 from the kind folks at Sapphire to try out. Let's see how it stacks up.

Sapphire HD 4850 Review

OCZ Rally2 Turbo 4GB Flash Drive Review
Techconnect Magazine posted a review of OCZ's 4GB Rally2 Turbo flash drive

Looking at the drive tested today its quite impressive realizing how much one word - Turbo - can make a difference. While it kept the basic design of the Rally2 intact, OCZ has went all-out with the skin/metal casing deep enhancements and made the Turbo drive a lot more attractive by giving it a substantial boost in transfer speed.

OCZ Rally2 Turbo 4GB Flash Drive Review

Lian Li V1010b Review
DriverHeaven posted a review on the Lian Li V1010b

Lian-Li's reputation in the world of computer enthusiasts is legendary and their products are considered to be some of the best quality cases available. Today we will take a look at one of their larger ATX midi tower cases the V1010B. The V1010B is a very spacious midi tower case which can easily be mistaken for a full tower and it is loaded with features ... the end result is something quite special indeed.

Lian Li V1010b Review

ECS P45T-A Intel P45 Chipset Motherboard Review
PCPer posted a review on the ECS P45T-A Intel P45 Chipset Motherboard

Today we will be looking at ECS's P45 powerhouse, The ECS Black Series P45T-A. The board arrives in a fantasy themed box, and features a nice slick black PCB. The "Black Series" is the ECS moniker that is supposed to stand for ECS's new focus on an enthusiast product line. ECS has long been a OEM powerhouse, but they have often failed to crack the DIY enthusiast level market. Does this board succeed? Read on to find out.

ECS P45T-A Intel P45 Chipset Motherboard Review

Powercolor PCS HD 4850 512 MB Review
techPowerUp posted a review on the Powercolor PCS HD 4850 512 MB

Powercolor's latest HD 4850 PCS graphics card is based on the AMD HD 4850 reference design but comes with an improved cooler and slightly increased core clocks. While the overclock makes only a small performance difference, the cooler substantially improves the product. Even under load the PCS 4850 is barely audible which makes it the quietest graphics card ever tested - of all performance classes.

Powercolor PCS HD 4850 512 MB Review

Zalman CNPS9300-AT CPU Cooler Review
Virtual-Hideout posted a review on the Zalman CNPS9300-AT CPU Cooler

It IS a great sink in terms of quality, and usability. Anyone can install it, and almost anyone would appreciate it's appearance, yet it's performance and cost are found to be lacking. If you could find this heatsink on sale it would turn out to be a great buy, but otherwise... I'm not sure exactly what would motivate users to purchase it, other than an unusual fondness for Zalman, and a wee case.

Zalman CNPS9300-AT CPU Cooler Review

ASUS Crosshair II Formula Review
InsideHW.com has posted review for ASUS Crosshair II Formula motherboard

Engineers from ASUS took into account every little detail while designing Crosshair II Formula motherboard and by taking a closer look at layout it is obvious that they didn't economize with components integrated into this motherboard. This had big impact on final price tag for this motherboard but all this doesn't guarantee that configuration based on this motherboard will work flawlessly and be able to satisfy needs of every overclocker out there.

ASUS Crosshair II Formula Review

Super Talent ProjectX 2GB DDR3-1800 kit Review
TechwareLabs has published a review on the Super Talent ProjectX 2GB DDR3-1800 kit

Hot on the heels of the previous DDR3 kit we slam in the Super Talent ProjectX kit rated at a blazing 1800MHz. Does this kit stand up to our other test kits so far or have we discovered a new meaning for the X?

Super Talent ProjectX 2GB DDR3-1800 kit Review

Audio-Technica ATH-CK7 Canal Headphones Review
TheTechLounge takes a look at the Audio-Technica ATH-CK7 Canal Headphones

So, are they truly studio-quality? Eh, if you had a studio you wouldn't put up with the sweepingly uneven amplification. You can compensate for it, and get some very impressive sound from these ATH-CK7s--rolls off the tongue, don't it?--but then they're going to be tied to whatever device you've got them plugged into. I can't use these with both my media player and my PC, because once I switch from my PC speakers, I have to reset my equalizer. And they would be a total waste if my media player didn't have a multi-band, customizable equalizer. There's no preset in the world that can correct for these babies.

Audio-Technica ATH-CK7 Canal Headphones Review

PowerColor HD 4870 Review
Bjorn3D takes a look at the PowerColor HD 4870.

A few weeks ago the world was greeted to a sight many people only read about. The sight I am referring to is the dead coming back to life. No I'm not talking about the next Robert Rodriguez joint. I am talking about the rebirth of ATI and their return to the forefront of PC gaming. In an event that took the world, and NVIDIA, by surprise ATI unleashed their HD 4800 series of cards upon us. With performance levels far surpassing the previous generation and coming in at a price reserved for lesser cards, is it any wonder ATI was able to return to their former glory overnight?

Today's review comes in the form of the HD 4870 from PowerColor. Armed with 800 stream processors and ridiculously fast DDR5 memory, the PowerColor HD 4870 is ready to take the battle to NVIDIA.

PowerColor HD 4870 Review

NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller Review
OCC has published a new review on the NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller

Compared to its predecessor the Sentry 1, the LX can control three more fans and gather two more temperature readings. It's a good thing, because nowadays, cases tend to have more and more fans. The fact that it occupies two drive bays instead of one allows for a bigger screen to display all of the information at the same time. So you don't need to push any buttons to see the information you want, something that you needed to do with the Sentry 1.

NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller Review

Cooler Master Passive Hyper Z600 CPU Cooler Review
XtremeComputing posted a review on the Cooler Master Passive Hyper Z600 CPU Cooler

Today we are looking at their mammoth Hyper Z600, a Passive capable CPU cooler that weighs over a kilogram(!) and towers over 6” high. While my motherboard sweats nervously in a corner, at the thought of supporting this giant cooler, let’s take a look at the product packaging.

Cooler Master Passive Hyper Z600 CPU Cooler Review

ECS Black Series P45T-A Review
Techgage posted a new review of ECS' latest Black Series' edition board, the P45T-A.

Need to build a new rig on the cheap? Need modest Crossfire support, and a decent feature-set? The ECS P45T-A might be worthy of your consideration, as it packs in a good amount of functionality, solid performance, a cool color scheme and of course, a good price tag, of around $110.

ECS Black Series P45T-A Review

Kobalt Comanche SLI gaming notebook Review
bit-tech published a review of Kobalt's Comanche SLI gaming notebook

All in all, the Kobalt Comanche SLI gaming notebook is like pretty much every other gaming notebook on the market for the most part. It has the usual draw backs of being big and heavy, with a poor battery life, but the perks of being ostensibly portable, compact and undeniably good looking.

Going within, the hardware is unfailingly impressive. There's an intimidating SLI set-up that can handle the latest games at high resolutions and there's so much hard drive space that you could probably put all the porn in the world and still have some wiggle room left over.

There are issues, as always. The machine doesn't massively outperform the competition despite the technical spec that's longer than my arm and the amount of heat that comes rippling out of the chassis is likely to leave you seeing mirages unless you have a glass of water inadvisably close by.

Still, as an extension of your e-peen and as a unit in itself Kobalt's Comanche SLI holds up nicely, with some lovely extras and enough hardware to last it into the next decade without hitting any barriers. Hopefully.

Kobalt Comanche SLI gaming notebook Review