Thermaltake Toughpower 850 Watt ESA Power Supply Review
Bjorn3D takes a look at the Thermaltake Toughpower 850 Watt ESA Power Supply

With the introduction of Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA), enthusiasts have been offered a chance to marry hardware and software like never before. Currently, on Nvidia based chipset motherboards, you can connect various components to the motherboard and through the Nvidia System Monitor the connected devices can be monitored through an easy to use customizable 3D interface.

Thermaltake has been a leader in producing innovative hardware over the years. ESA hardware is no exception to that innovation. Partnering with Nvidia to create a symbiotic relationship between hardware and software where devices like the chassis, the water cooling kit, and the PSU all report to the Nvidia System Monitor and can be monitored and controlled from there, freeing the end user from unreliable 3rd party software for many of the commonly monitored hardware components and providing a level of monitoring and control we've never seen available before.

Starting with the Thermaltake Toughpower 850 ESA Power supply, we'll be bringing you a series of reviews based on ESA architecture to see how far this emerging technology has evolved. We'll be reviewing the Toughpower 850 ESA power supply, Thermaltake Armor ESA Chassis, and the Thermaltake Bigwater 850I water cooling kit (ESA compatible). We'll be hooking it all together on an EVGA 790i Nvidia based SLI motherboard which will be running some OCZ DDR3 2000 Nvidia Edition SLI compatible RAM and a couple of sweet GTX-260's running in SLI.

Welcome to the revolution, the Enthusiast System Architecture revolution.

Thermaltake Toughpower 850 Watt ESA Power Supply Review

Diamond ATI Radeon HD 4870 1024MB GDDR5 Video Card 4870PE51G Review
TestFreaks.com posted a review on the Diamond ATI Radeon HD 4870 1024MB GDDR5 Video Card 4870PE51G

Up on the review block today I've got a Radeon HD video card from Diamond, this card includes 1gig of ram to be able to easily play the latest games in all of their glory, but can it? I've put it up against Crysis and Crysis Warhead in my testing, running at several resolutions to give you an idea of the performance of this great card. So continue on to see the results,

Diamond ATI Radeon HD 4870 1024MB GDDR5 Video Card 4870PE51G Review



Antec Veris Multimedia Station Premier
TechwareLabs has published a review of the Antec Veris Multimedia Station Premier

Looking to turn your PC into a Home Theater PC? Check out the Antec Veris Multimedia Station Premier. Using two 5.25 drive bays, this unit can easily turn that regular PC into a full fledge HTPC. With a remote and easy to use software, can this simple add on solve all your HTPC needs?

Antec Veris Multimedia Station Premier

PowerColor HD 4870 Review
TechwareLabs has published a review of the PowerColor HD 4870 Video Card

Is your old video card just not cutting it anymore? Do you go to LAN parties or simply try to play single player games and lock up or find your game experience could be better? Its time to introduce to you, the Power Color HD 4870. Sure you have heard that this is an amazing card, but how amazing is it? Hang on for the ride as we find out what this card is capable of.

PowerColor HD 4870 Review

OCZ Reaper HPC PC3-10666 Review
PureOverclock posted a review on the OCZ Reaper HPC PC3-10666

Today we'll be looking at a pair of OCZ Reaper DDR3 modules, which are priced very attractively and sport some very slick spreaders. Good looks, good price..but what about performance? In our world, performance should speak for itself, so today we'll found out if these sticks will brings shouts or silence.

OCZ Reaper HPC PC3-10666 Review

ATI RADEON HD 4670 512MB Graphics Card Review
Digit-Life has posted a review on the ATI RADEON HD 4670 512MB Graphics Card

Today we'll examine new Low-End solutions from AMD, which can provide acceptable performance in most games for a relatively small price. All these solutions and GPUs are based on the RV7xx architecture, also a foundation for the popular RADEON HD 4800 series. For now, in the practical part of this review we'll focus on the fastest RV730-based card.

ATI RADEON HD 4670 512MB Graphics Card Review

NZXT KHAOS Gaming Case Review
DriverHeaven posted a review on the NZXT KHAOS Gaming Case

NZXT are an American company primarily known for their unique looking cases geared towards the gaming market. NZXT is a corporation formed by gamers, for gamers, and with the NZXT Khaos we're looking at today they've really made an attempt to mark their place in the high end of the market. We've reviewed quite a few of their cases in the past, but this is the first one to really foray into this territory. It is a fantastic looking case constructed from high quality materials, but with a hefty price tag of and no extras such as a PSU, the NZXT has a lot to prove.

NZXT KHAOS Gaming Case Review

ECS GeForce 9800 GTX+ Hydra SLI Video Card Kit Review
Legit Reviews takes a look at the ECS GeForce 9800 GTX+ Hydra SLI Video Card Kit

The ECS GeForce 9800 GTX+ Hyrda SLI kit is a very innovative product that brings together SLI and water cooling very nicely. The bundle comes complete with everything you need to get started and that is very important for a kit of this size. Coming with the full version of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 video game is a nice touch as it is a $20-$30 game and not too many graphics cards come with games any longer. Installation was so simple the directions didn't even need to be used, so this kit will get you into water cooled graphics cards setup with SLI in minutes...

ECS GeForce 9800 GTX+ Hydra SLI Video Card Kit Review

Sony PRS-505 E-book Reader Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the Sony PRS-505 E-book Reader

Digital music and portable digital music players have changed the landscape of the entire music industry. While digital books and portable digital book readers have been around for awhile, they haven't made a big impression on the book industry. Yet, these portable reading devices are getting better and better. We looked at the Sony Reader PRS-505 to see if the ideas and design of a big player like Sony can make an impact on the world of reading.

Sony PRS-505 E-book Reader Review

Monster Beats Headphones by Dr. Dre Reviewed
TheTechLounge posted a review on the Monster Beats Headphones by Dr. Dre

As you can probably guess from the rather interesting name, Monster teamed up with Dr. Dre to get some celebrity name recognition for this new offering. I'm not so sure Dr. Dre would be the first person to pop into mind when thinking of audiophile priced headphones, but he is in the recording industry and should be instantly recognizable to anyone slightly familiar with the Rap/Hip-Hop scene nonetheless. Let's get past the names involved here, though, and see if the Beats are truly worthy of your hard-earned cash.

Monster Beats Headphones by Dr. Dre Reviewed

Lenovo Thinkpad W700 Mobile Workstation Evaluation
HotHardware.com posted a review on the Lenovo Thinkpad W700 Mobile Workstation

Against the backdrop of rumors swirling around the net that Apple will announce a new Macbook Pro tomorrow, amongst a smattering of other notebooks, we have a thorough and detailed look at Lenovo's counter-strike assault in the mobile workstation arena.

The Lenovo ThinkPad W700 is targeted as a graphics professional's dream machine and even includes and integrated Wacom tablet and Digitizer pen. Powered with a Core 2 Duo T9600 processor (quad-core options available), up to 8GB of system memory, dual 160GB hard drives in RAID 0, a ThinkPad MaxBright 17" LCD screen and NVIDIA's QuadroFX 3700M professional graphics under the hood, you know this machine means business.

If you think you need the upcoming Macbook Pro, you might want to look at what Lenovo is shipping today with the ThinkPad W700. Here at HotHardware, we were thoroughly impressed.

Lenovo Thinkpad W700 Mobile Workstation Evaluation

Moneual Moncaso972 Case Review
Hardware Secrets posted Moneual Moncaso972 Case Review

South Korea has the reputation for manufacturing the best coolers and cases. Looking at Moncase972 we can see why. This HTPC (Home Theater PC) case target to media PCs (i.e. computers to be hooked to your home theater system for playing movies and songs) from Moneual provides an outstanding quality using thick aluminum parts (not thin panels like more inexpensive products) and the looks of a home theater device, with a 7" LCD display with touch screen capability, remote control and a big volume knob, plus several other features. Let's take an in-depth look on this case, which is definitely the Ferrari of the HTPC cases.

Moneual Moncaso972 Case Review

Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro Review
Hardware Pacers has posted a review on the Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro

Logitech has been developing and manufacturing computer peripherals since 1981; starting with computer mice, Logitech has expanded and has become one of the markets leaders in peripherals. One of Logitech's newest innovations is the Cordless Desktop Wave Pro. Designed for comfort and functionality, the Wave Pro forms to the hands without the need to adjust typing style. The wave shape contour of the keyboard naturally fits the curvature of the hands, while the mouse is ergonomically fitted to the hand as well. The MX-1100 mouse (included) sells for $79.99 on its own and has adjustable (up to 1600 dpi) dpi resolution. Logitech has stated that the keyboard battery lasts up to 3 years (not tested by hardware-pacers) making this the longest lasting battery for a keyboard that the Hardware Pacers staff has seen.

Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro Review

Sunbeam Rheobus Extreme Review
DreamWare Computers takes a look on the Sunbeam Rheobus Extreme

The very first Rheobus I ever bought, way back when I first started getting into computer modding, was a Sunbeam one that was simply called; "Rheobus". This rheobus is still made by the company today, over 6 years later, as a very straightforward and simple 4-channel unit. Of course Sunbeam has made many new rheobus products in that line since then, one of which is the new Rheobus Extreme that we're taking a look at today.

Sunbeam Rheobus Extreme Review

Thermaltake V9 Gaming Case Review
Tweaknews.net posted a review on the Thermaltake V9 Gaming Case

Well, Thermaltake's V9 gaming case is a mixed bag. The aesthetics Iike a lot, and the cooling performance should support even the most emanding gaming hardware. The fans move a lot of air and are quiet enough to satisfy the vast majority of gaming enthusiasts. There are, however, some issues with the V9 that prospective buyers should be aware of. Personally, I think fit and finish is a very important aspect of a chassis review. As I mentioned earlier, I really like the finish; the fit, not so much.

Thermaltake V9 Gaming Case Review

MSI N9800GT Review
OCC has published a new review on the MSI N9800GT

I was able to push the MSI N9800GT to its limits and then some it seemed. Even though it comes from the factory overclocked doesn't mean you cant squeeze a little more out of it, and by a little more, I mean a lot more. With results almost reaching that of Gigabyte's 9800GT, this was very impressive indeed. This could be due in part to MSI's attention to use high quality parts since the card came from the factory with a decent overclock. I was very pleased with these results, even if it did make the card run hotter. But the addition of the heatpipe cooling solution keeps the temperatures in check. With increases of 100+ MHz on the GPU core and memory and an almost 300MHz increase in the shader core the MSI 9800GT has got some serious performance potential.

MSI N9800GT Review

Wenger Swiss Gear IBEX Computer Backpack Review
DragonSteelMods.com posted a review on the Wenger Swiss Gear IBEX Computer Backpack

The Ibex features a reinforced ergonomic handle, a casebase stabilizer platform, shock absorbing straps, air flow back padding and a quick access phone pocket. In addition, Wenger offers a limited lifetime warranty.

Wenger Swiss Gear IBEX Computer Backpack Review

Asus Eee 1000H Review
OCC has published a new review on the Asus Eee 1000H

Battery Life: This is one of the most, if not the most, important factor to consider when shopping for a portable computer. For this test, I enabled every single onboard device, set the brightness to its maximum and disabled all the power saving options. It was left idling at the desktop for the whole time with the wireless connection used as a bridge so there was constant traffic going through the network adaptors. Using Windows XP, Asus' Eee 1000H managed to stay awake for over four hours, four hours and twenty five minutes to be exact. Turning to Ubuntu, things don't shine as much. The open source alternative can only manage three hours and forty-six minutes. It's still pretty good and longer than an average laptop, but it clearly is inferior to Windows in that category. Of course, battery life will vary depending upon your usage, but that four hour figure can easily be extended by quite a margin once you disable some peripherals, especially WiFi and Bluetooth. Another efficient way to improve your uptime is to leave power saving features on like they will be in a normal usage pattern and decrease screen brightness.

Asus Eee 1000H Review

Western Digital Scorpio Black 320GB 2.5" 7200 RPM Hard Disk Review
TweakTown posted a review on the Western Digital Scorpio Black 320GB 2.5" 7200 RPM Hard Disk

Solid State Drives (SSDs) continue to dominate the headlines and press releases, but for many users any leap to solid state is nothing more than a leap back. With most notebooks coming standard with 80 to 250GB drives, it is difficult for many to consider a 32 or 64GB SSD that costs anywhere from 100 to 800 USD. For most users capacity is still king and this is one area where solid state just doesn’t hold data.

Western Digital has taken their Scorpio line in two directions, Scorpio Blue, a 5400 RPM drive and Scorpio Black, a desktop replacement 7200 RPM drive. The Scorpio Black has a feature set that rivals many of today’s desktop drives and has the capacity to go with it.

Western Digital Scorpio Black 320GB 2.5" 7200 RPM Hard Disk Review

Antec Signature Series SG-850 850 Watt Power Supply Review
TechAddicts posted a review on the Antec Signature Series SG-850 850 Watt Power Supply

This power supply would be perfect for anyone looking to build a quad core system with multiple video cards. It also is SLi Certified for up to two GeForce GTX280 GPU's! At around $200, this power supply is a bit pricey for a 850 Watt power supply, but the premium quality and performance makes up for all of it. Overall, this is a truly one of a kind power supply and should be purchased by anyone looking for extreme efficiency, amazing output performance and one of the best power supplies on the market.

Antec Signature Series SG-850 850 Watt Power Supply Review

Palit GeForce 9800 GT Super+ 1GB Video Card Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the Palit GeForce 9800 GT Super+ 1GB Video Card

It's a great time for those in the market for a new video card, in just a few short months we've seen the debuts of over half a dozen different boards. At the high-end, high-priced segment Benchmark Reviews has showcased such great offerings from NVIDIA as the GTX 280 and ATI/AMD's HD 4870x2, while at the other end of the spectrum the mainstream budget cards releases are almost too plentiful and mediocre to mention. This brings us to today's review of the mid-range Palit GeForce 9800 GT Super+ 1GB video card NE/9800TXT302 from NVIDIA. In the recent clamor of releases NVIDIA has quietly slipped in the 9800 GT, seemingly from nowhere and without much publicity.

Palit GeForce 9800 GT Super+ 1GB Video Card Review

Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler Review
OCIA.net has posted their review of the Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler

One of the perks of my job is getting to look at some of the coolest new computer and consumer electronics, often times before they are even released to the public. Back in January at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, we got a sneak peek at Cooler Master's upcoming product line. There were several new and exciting products on display, from cases and power supplies to new CPU and GPU cooling solutions. Today we will be taking a look at one of the CPU coolers we saw on display, known simply as the V8..

Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler Review

Cyberlink PowerDirector 7 Ultra Review
Elite Bastards posted a review on Cyberlink PowerDirector 7 Ultra

No video editing application would be complete without a timeline, and this makes up the third part of PowerDirector's editing interface. This shows all of the various media that has been added to a video, allowing you to easily drag and drop items into place to reorder them or place them on a particular part of that timeline. You can also lock any aspect of the timeline to prevent it being accidentally altered, and zoom in and out of the timeline to suit what you're trying to achieve.

If you're a bit flummoxed as to how all this works but still want to end up with a professional looking video, Cyberlink have added a couple of tools here to help - The Magic Movie Wizard, a wizard interface designed to take you through adding video clips and transitions, while Magic Music will create background audio to match the final length of your video from its library of existing tracks. If you're a beginner, then the ability to create a video in a handful of mouse clicks may prove to be pretty tempting.

Cyberlink PowerDirector 7 Ultra Review

Evercool Transformer 6 Heatsink Review
FrostyTech posted a review on the Evercool Transformer 6 Heatsink

Evercool has built the Transformer 6 out of three individual aluminum
cooling fin segments, toped by a glistening silver 120mm fan mounted on vibration absorbing rubber posts. The arrangement of the six heatpipes is fairly unique, but more on that in a moment.

Evercool Transformer 6 Heatsink Review