Here the first reviews roundup of today with 19 new articles, including NZXT HALE82-850-M 850 W Review, Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Review, and CryoPC Alto HTPC Review



NZXT HALE82-850-M 850 W Review
techPowerUp posted a review on the NZXT HALE82-850-M 850 W

Till now NZXT had only one PSU series, HALE90, which included only Gold efficiency PSUs. However since Gold efficiency leads to higher prices, NZXT decided to release a new line of PSUs with lower efficiency and more affordable prices, targeting a wider range of users. The name of the new series is HALE82 and all of its members are 80 PLUS Bronze certified and feature a semi modular cabling design.

Read more

Ineo I-NA309D Pro USB 3.0 to SATA Dual Bay RAID Enclosure Review
Bigbruin.com has published a review on the Ineo I-NA309D Pro USB 3.0 to SATA Dual Bay RAID Enclosure

I ran a couple of runs of Crystal Disk Mark on a 300GB Raptor, and the Ineo Technology I-NA309 D Pro Super Speed USB 3.0 enclosure on the fast setting was roughly 10 Mbps faster on the read and write than the Raptor. I was blown away by this, and I am now going to use this drive enclosure and the two drives as my main storage for all of my games and music.

Read more

SilverStone SST-EC03B USB 3.0 PCI Express Card Review
Legit Reviews posted a review on the SilverStone SST-EC03B USB 3.0 PCI Express Card

The SilverStone EC03 is an internal expansion card that uses a single lane PCI Express slot on the motherboard to provide SuperSpeed USB 3.0 functionality. Its single USB 3.0 internal connector offers output for dual front port USB 3.0 support. Is this a good solution to update your aging PC so it can support USB 3.0 devices? Read on to see what this inexpensive solution is and how it performs in our test system.

It goes without saying that PC technology moves at a furious pace; woe to the enthusiast who languidly sits around without an upgrade path planned out. The USB 3.0 specification is one of a host of new technologies that enthusiasts cannot afford not to invest in; its sheer performance over USB 2.0 is unquestioned. Unfortunately, for enthusiasts with old(er) systems, upgrading to the world of USB 3.0 can be an expensive proposition... until SilverStone introduced its new SST-EC03B USB 3.0 PCI Express card...[/quote6
Read more

NZXT Tempest 410 Mid Tower Chassis Review
TestFreaks posted a review on the NZXT Tempest 410 Mid Tower Chassis

The PC case or chassis is a misunderstood thing really. Many people are happy with that beige box sitting under their desk, but not me, and not a lot of people out there either. Luckily for us there are companies like NZXT who come up with great designs for cases for those of use that don’t like the beige box. Today for review I’ve got one of the newest cases from NZXT called the Tempest 410 and it’s aimed at the gamer or enthusiast with a sleek look and lots of airflow. The case has plenty of room for many hard drives, large video cards, big CPU coolers and space for those that might want to do a little liquid cooling as well. I like the Tempest 410 a lot, but it’s not perfect, but it’s close. Read on…

Read more

Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 Z68 Motherboard Review
eTeknix.com posted a review on the Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 Z68 Motherboard

The crown for best motherboard manufacturer has never been one that's set and has always been thrown between the likes of Asus, Gigabyte and MSI. Every so often, one of the key vendors releasing something a little bit special and that's exactly what we saw with the Asus Rampage series of boards, the MSI Big Bang Marshall and now Gigabyte with the G1 series of boards.

An odd move was that Gigabyte released the G1 sniper for the dying X58 chipset, which at the time was being superseded by the P67 platform. Other manufacturers did exactly the same though, in a bid of rivalry between the big players and for a brief stint, the X58 chipset and its overpriced components became alive once again.

Shortly after this, Intel released the much improved, Z68 chipset which combined the overclocking functionality seen on a P67 board and the onboard VGA that the H67 platform incorporated. With this, we saw an influx of boards being released that looked very similar and only had slight variations when it came to the features. This involved extra multi-GPU support, two added SATA III ports, but underneath, was virtually identical.

To give things a bit of a shake-up, Gigabyte decided to release their G1 sniper loose at the Z68 platform and came up with the G1.Sniper 2, which from the off looks simply amazing and gives some very unique features that other boards simply don't have in terms of audio and Gigabit LAN connectivity. Eagerly been waiting to get our hands on this, we're keen to see if it does break the mould and offer something more, or if it's just another board, similar to the rest, but with some added lights and some funky colours.

Read more

Tt eSPORTS Isurus In-Ear Gaming Headset Review
HardwareHeaven.com posted a review on the Tt eSPORTS Isurus In-Ear Gaming Headset

Today we'll be taking a look at the Isurus In-Ear gaming headset, a product that offers a very different option from the usual over ear gaming headsets. Let's see if Isurus stands up to the high quality we have come to expect from Tt eSports.

Read more

Droid Bionic by Motorola Review
HotHardware.com posted a review on the Droid Bionic by Motorola

The Droid Bionic by Motorola made one of its first public appearances at CES in January. Months have passed, and though there were rumors of a summer release, the phone didn't become available through Verizon Wireless until fall. The Droid Bionic is the first smartphone from Verizon Wireless to offer 4G LTE connectivity paired with a dual-core 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. This smartphone is currently the thinnest 4G LTE smartphone from Verizon Wireless at 10.99mm as well, though other phones in the pipeline
will steal this title soon.

With its dual-core processor, plenty of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, a preinstalled 16 GB microSD card, and a 4.3-inch qHD screen, this smartphone certainly has the specifications of a high-end device that's sure to please. But was it worth the wait?

Read more

Corsair TX550M Power Supply Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the Corsair TX550M Power Supply

Corsair recently released the third version of their popular TX power supply series, dubbed "M" for "Modular." However, it is really important to understand that this new version isn't simply a TX or TX V2 power supply with a modular cabling system added; the internal design is completely different. The TX M series has 550 W, 650 W, 750 W, and 850 W models, all with 80 Plus Bronze certification. (The TX V2 series doesn't have a 550 W version, and Corsair still offers a 950 W model under the first TX series.) We've already reviewed the 750 W version of the TX M series; now it is time to review the entry-level, 550 W model.

Read more

Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Review
Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Review

Gigabyte are out to show that you don't have to spend a lot of money to obtain a great motherboard. Does the Z68AP-D3 succeed?

Read more

Logitech Performance MX Mouse Review
eTeknix.com posted Logitech Performance MX Mouse Review

Logitech have always held a soft spot in my heart and being honest I'm a bit of a Logitech whore when it comes down to it. They in my opinion make some of the greatest peripherals on the market, hence why my desk is rocking a Logitech keyboard, mouse, set of headphones and the amazing and inspiring Z5500 speakers.

Whilst my MX1000 has served the last 5 years with greatness, it's not going to last forever and with new technologies being invested into products such as mice, I knew that it was time to upgrade. The next logical step for me, really seemed to be the Performance MX. It simply does everything the MX1000 does, but better and with more style.

After seeing many of my colleagues using this exact mouse, I already knew what to expect as I delved into it.

Read more

MSI 990FXA-GD80 AM3+ Motherboard Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the MSI 990FXA-GD80 AM3+ Motherboard

AMD's 900 series chipsets preceded the introduction of their Bulldozer processors by several months. While this chipsets offers no additional functionality to non-Bulldozer CPUs, manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon anyway, perhaps because Bulldozer was expected a little sooner than it was actually released, and MSI was one of the first. Benchmark Reviews takes a look at how MSI's 990FX-GD80 motherboard works, and we even use a Bulldozer CPU.

Read more

NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 with Lightboost Technology
Hi Tech Legion takes a look at NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 with Lightboost Technology

NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 has promise in providing a more advanced 3D ecosystem than its predecessor. NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 introduces second generation active shutter lenses which synchronize with both the IR emitter and monitor allowing more light into the lens providing a clearer image, as well improved peripheral and outward vision. The lenses of the glasses have been widened by 20% and have been redesigned to block out more external light. Another upgrade to 3D Vision 2 would be the third generation monitor which is now LED backlit and includes lightboost technology. Lightboost enhances the visual display increasing visibility allowing 3D images to appear crisper, brighter and more realistic. When combined as a package the consumer will have increased visual acuity which in turn will enhance their 3D experience whether it be looking a pictures, watching a movie or gaming.

Read more

Cooler Master Storm Trooper Review
PureOverclock has published a review of the Cooler Master Storm Trooper full tower case

Today we are looking at the latest edition to the Cooler Master Storm series of products, a new chassis. The name? Star Wars fans will no doubt have fun with this one: it's the Cooler Master Storm Trooper. Loaded with features one would expect in a full tower oriented to gamers, the styling of the Trooper is also a point of discusson that may be a love-hate thing to many. Beyond that, Cooler Master hasn't cut any corners on goodies that we like to see in chassis, so let's jump in to the review and see what we're working with.

Read more

The Effect of GPU Memory on Surround & Stereo 3D Performance
Hardware Canucks posted an article entitled The Effect of GPU Memory on Surround & Stereo 3D Performance.

While many modern games don't allow high end graphics cards to really stretch their legs, multi monitor configurations and stereoscopic 3D tend to push even bleeding edge GPUs to their breaking point. Many have argued that a higher amount of memory bandwidth could unlock additional performance in these situations and we're about to put this claim to the test. In this article, we take a look at GTX 580 and GTX 570 cards with custom memory configurations to see if they can provide higher framerates in some of the most demanding setups available.

Read more

Cadence 4-Bit Binary Watch
TestFreaks posted a review on the Cadence 4-Bit Binary Watch

A watch, I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed one, but I have one for review today from a company called Cadence. This watch isn’t just your normal kind though, it’s a sneaky, geeky one. Yes I said sneaky, geeky there. This watch is called the 4-Bit binary and it was designed by a gentleman called John Flear for our enjoyment. What makes this watch special is the numbers, or actually lack of numbers, instead they are replaced with, you guessed it, 4-bit binary code. Anyway, let’s just jump right into this…

Read more

CryoPC Alto HTPC Review
XSReviews has a new review of the CryoPC Alto HTPC.

Media PCs and media centres are becoming more and more common, especially with people losing a little faith in their stalwart desktop system. Today I'm looking at a rig from Cryo PC that looks to bridge the gap between traditional desktop and media centre, offering decent performance in a lounge setting, with some media features thrown in for good measure. I give you the Alto.

Because testing a system can take quite a while, this review is being split into two parts. This first one will focus on raw performance and synthetic testing, while Part 2 will be more gaming and subjective in nature.

Read more

Silverstone Precision PS06 Review
techPowerUp posted a review on the Silverstone Precision PS06

Stuffed with some cool features, like the hot-swap bay in the front, or the Air Penetrator fan in the top, the Precision PS06 offers many aspects while staying under that oh so important 100 USD barrier. We take the spacey looking chassis for a spin and test the usability of its long list of features.

Read more

Foxconn A75M Review
Vortez posted Foxconn A75M Review

Foxconn are a brand familiar to many, offering stable and affordable motherboards in the mainstream while supporting their 'Quantum' brand with high quality components and features. Back in April we looked at the P67 Rattler, now we are taking a look at their A75M mATX motherboard for AMD's A-Series APUs. Offering Native SATA 3.0 6Gb/s and USB 3.0 connectivity and HDMI 1.4a to support 3D Blu-Ray, this motherboard is targetting a mainstream audience that have no need for fancy buttons or features that decorate most higher end motherboards.

Read more

48 AMD Motherboard Reviews
ocinside.de published 48 AMD Motherboard Reviews

In order to keep the overview before purchasing an AMD motherboard, a new comparison chart of all so far on ocinside.de tested Socket AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, 939 and 754 motherboards is now online.
This overview is a summary of all results and also contains the most important overclocking options like e.g. multiplier, Vcore, etc.

Read more