Here the first reviews roundup with 12 new articles, including Antec Solo-II Computer Case Review, ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 (Intel Z68) Motherboard Review, and Three External USB And eSATA Blu-ray Burners Tested



ASUS P6X58E-Pro X58 Motherboard Review
OCIA.net has posted their review of the ASUS P6X58E-Pro X58 Motherboard

The P6X58-E Pro is ASUS next iteration of their popular Intel X58 based motherboard. This board supports the Core i7 LGA1366 CPU (up to 6 cores) with DDR3 memory up to 48GB. 3-way SLI/Quad GPU CrossfireX is available and ASUS was kind enough to include both the 2-way and 3-way bridges. The board is currently being sold for about $250 which puts it on par with most performance X58-based motherboards from other manufacturers. As a current happy owner of the previous version of this board, the P6X58-D, I am quite excited to see what improvements ASUS has made to this already very solid performance-based platform.

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Antec Kuhler H2O 920 Liquid CPU Cooler Review
Hi Tech Legion posted a review on the Antec Kuhler H2O 920 Liquid CPU Cooler

The Antec Kuhler H2O 920 Liquid CPU Cooler takes the best of both worlds and puts them together into one extreme enthusiast cooling solution. The Antec Kuhler H2O 920 starts with the basic self contained CPU cooler and then maximizes everything about it. Using a copper cold plate to absorb heat and pass it onto a glycol based cooling solution, the Antec Kuhler 920 has excellent base components. Smooth liquid tubes make for easy, kink free installation and pass the cooling liquid to and from the radiator. Engulfing the radiator are two high flow 120mm PWM controlled fans that pass masses of cold air over the radiator. Fan controls can be tweaked by the included C Chill software, allowing you to match cooling/noise to your liking and needs, and customizable presets allow for changes with just a single click. To add a little style to the inside of your case, the pump features a glowing Antec LED logo, which is completely customizable over the full spectrum of colors, to match any interior.

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Video Perspective: Antec SOLO II Chassis Review
PC Perspective posted a review on the Antec SOLO II Chassis

Antec is one of the most storied brands when it comes to enthusiast class components like cases and power supplies. Unfortunately, the whims of the gamer change on a breeze as most will swap between company allegiances whenever the performance or features dictate. Antec has fallen into this trap over the last few years as many in the community moved on from the likes of the ever-present P180 to newer and more innovative designs from other companies. Having realized this internally and making moves to take care of that slide, Antec is going to start producing some modern cases with improved specifications.

First up on the list is the SOLO II, part of the Antec Sonata line of "Quiet Computing" products. The original SOLO was released in early 2006 and since then much has changed in the world of chassis for gamers and those more interested in noise reduction. Antec is hoping that the SOLO II will actually address a large portion of BOTH crowds with its small footprint, many noise-deleting features and several enthusiast-class nods included.

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Antec Solo-II Computer Case Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the Antec Solo-II Computer Case

Stark, quiet and commanding; like a monolith, the Solo II has an immaculate appearance which belies its sophistication. By listening and responding to the demands of their customers, Antec has perpetuated the viability of the popular Sonta series of quiet computing cases. They've realized that the quiet computing segment contains gamers and system builders with needs beyond pure aesthetics. With a few system tweaks and upgrades (can you say large video cards?) Antec has targeted the intersection between elegance and functionality. At Benchmark Reviews we appreciate when our collective voice reaches the manufacturers. In this article we'll see exactly what Antec "heard" and whether or not they listen as well as their competitors.

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ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 (Intel Z68) Motherboard Review
TweakTown posted a review on the ASRock Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 (Intel Z68) Motherboard

Just yesterday we had a look at the ASRock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 and it did a good job of impressing us. Priced under the Z68 Extreme7 Gen3, we'll be today looking at the Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 to see what it can offer us.

The Fatal1ty lines of boards have done a good job in the past impressing us with some good performance at a good price point. The question is, can the Fatal1ty Z68 Professional Gen3 do the same? Before we find out how the performance of the board goes, the first thing we need to do is get stuck into the package to see just what ASRock are offering.

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Powercolor LCS HD 6990 4GB Review
OCC has published a review on the Powercolor LCS HD 6990 4GB

I was glad to see that the additional cooling was worth another 50+MHz over the reference cooling solution for a maximum speed of 1002MHz on the pair of Cayman XT cores. To run this number, it took a voltage bump up to 1250mv. Usually that brings on another challenge with increased heat, but the EK full-cover block assuages those fears. In all, I was able to squeeze a 122MHz bump (+14%) over the 880MHz clock speeds on the cores and a 238MHz bump (just over 18%) on the GDDR5 memory. The increased clock speeds definitely help with increasing FPS in games. The biggest upside for me, besides the higher clock speeds, is that the horrendous fan noise is gone at the upper edges of the clock speed range. This lack of fan noise was great, but it allowed me to hear the chokes in the power circuit screaming like stuck pigs when I put the screws to it. The PowerColor HD 6990 LCS is built with a reference card as the base, so this really is not a huge surprise. All in all, the reason for a liquid-cooled card pays off here with tangible increases in clock speed and therefore performance.

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Futurelooks’ Back to School Guide To Being a Successful PC Gamer and Student
Futurelooks posted their back to school guide

With back to school in full swing this week, I thought it would be a good idea to address a concern of many Freshmen which is often overlooked by parents and college advisers. This is the large sum of money freshmen college students often find not only burning a hole in their pockets, but being encouraged to spend it. For many teenage PC enthusiast it is the first time their hobby is unrestricted and/or well funded. As someone with years of college experience and no degree, let me share some advice about maintaining your GPA while saving the universe from the Reapers and Zombies.

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Tritton AX120 Gaming Headset Review
HardwareHeaven.com posted a review on the Tritton AX120 Gaming Headset

The AX120 is Tritton's entry level model for gaming audio and features support for the Xbox 360, iPhone and PC. Let's see if the AX120 lives up to the high standards we've come to expect from Tritton and other companies under the Mad Catz banner.

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Thermaltake Armor A30 Case Review
Neoseeker posted a review on the Thermaltake Armor A30 Case

Thermaltake's unique Armor A30 case is designed to be a great LAN party companion. That's right, Armor comes in small factor now, but can it deliver the series quality in such a small package? Hit our latest Thermaltake case review to find out!

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SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth Speaker Review
MissingRemote posted a review on the SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth Speaker

Many of us have home theater setups in a particular room in our homes fully configured and ready to integrate with all our content and devices. But what about when you want to take that entertainment to another room, outside or even to someone else’s house? That’s where the SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth Speaker comes into play as it is a fully portable and powerful speaker setup designed to let you wirelessly send audio from a variety of devices to it. With an MSRP of $149 the Disco is positioned right where other portable audio solutions are placed but with the added benefit of being connected without power or wires to your audio player.

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Three External USB And eSATA Blu-ray Burners Tested
Tom's Hardware posted a review on three external USB and eSATA blu-ray burners

There's a pleasant surprise in store for anyone who hasn't paid much attention to Blu-ray media for a while (probably a result of being turned off by it in the past). The price you'll pay per disc is as low as $1.25 right now.

The performance of the external Blu-ray drives we're testing today might be equally surprising to anyone already accustomed to 4x burners. At one-eighth the media price and up to three times the speed, it’s high time to reconsider our options.

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Antec Solo II Review: Sonata Evolved
Anandtech posted a review on the Antec Solo II case

When we reviewed Antec's Sonata IV recently, we found it left a lot to be desired. Antec had updated their Sonata design, but barely, and the enclosure as a whole felt grossly behind the times. Apparently some of Antec's engineers agreed, because we have the brand new Solo II in house now and there's clearly been some serious retooling. But is the Solo II enough of a step forward, or does it still have some growing up to do?

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