Gigabyte's GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard
bit-tech published a review of Gigabyte's GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard

We've had a far better experience with this board than we have had with the DS3R - it feels more stable, more reliable, it looks better and for £100 it's good value too. It's not the most feature rich P45 on the market - it's missing dual LAN and CrossFire - but not everyone wants those, and there are lots of different P45s on the market to cater for every possible whim. It still has a very useful eight SATA, great audio, a superb BIOS and plenty of PCI and PCI-Express for expansion - all these are genuinely useful additions and not marketing gimmicks or "nice idea, probably won't ever use" like Asus' Express Gate.

Does the extra ounce of copper make that much of a difference? It's very difficult to say - simple BIOS evolution, the redesigned layout or simply updated hardware could afford the improvements on their own, so it's hard to quantify the difference. At worst though, it's a marketing gimmick that Gigabyte loves to throw onto its "Ultra Durable" branding and it doesn't seem to cost any more.

The very good quad core overclock that does notably better than the DS3R, but dual core overclocking still matches and can't break that 500MHz barrier others clearly have done. If you're after a cheap, extreme overclocking board, check elsewhere, but for most of us this board should achieve an acceptable, stable overclock with any Core 2 CPU.

Since the DS3R now retails for almost an identical price to this and it was between the two - we'd get the UD3R every time: it's better cooled, better performing in our benchmarks and lower power. It doesn't achieve excellence but we'd certainly recommend it for those needing a solid P45 purchase.

Gigabyte's GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard

Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Mouse Review
HardwareLogic posted Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Mouse Review

Logitech spouts out peripherals year after year and never ceases to impress us with their creative innovations. Their new MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse is no exception. With its advanced technology and a striking appearance, Logitech continues its success in the high-end mouse market. But is shelling out the money for a flashy upgrade worth it?

Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Mouse Review



Cyber Snipa PC Game Pad 2 Review
Overclockers Online has posted a new review on the Cyber Snipa PC Game Pad 2

If you are a hardcore gamer and you like first-person shooters, the Cyber Snipa Game Pad 2 is something you should consider. It is a great improvement over the keyboard in terms of both form and function - it is more compact and the buttons are organized to be exactly where you expect them.

Cyber Snipa PC Game Pad 2 Review

ASUS Rampage II Extreme X58 Motherboard Review
TweakTown posted a review on the ASUS Rampage II Extreme X58 Motherboard

So far we have tested GIGABYTE’s EX58-UD5 in our Core i7 CPU review and we have just recently given the P6T Deluxe the tick of approval as well, but ASUS isn’t stropping there. P6T is actually aimed at the mainstream and enthusiast sector, where today’s contender is aimed more so at the extreme and hardcore users. Running under the name of the Republic of Gamers series, the Rampage II is ASUS’ second Core i7 model to hit the market.

Rampage II Extreme is the latest in the ROG series, something that ASUS really puts a lot of pride into. And with all that effort and R&D comes a price tag to match. However, if you’re one who can afford a Core i7 along with dual GPUs then you’re not going to care or skimp on the board.

ASUS Rampage II Extreme X58 Motherboard Review

Eagle iNeo I-NA303USUE 3.5"/5.25" SATA to USB/eSATA docking station Review
DragonSteelMods posted a review on the Eagle iNeo I-NA303USUE 3.5"/5.25" SATA to USB/eSATA docking station with enclosure

Today for review I've got another portable hard drive enclosure, but this on is a bit different, it features a dock that fits into your 5.25" bay. You insert the enclosure into the dock, transfer your data, then just pop the enclosure back out and away you go. It's a nice idea that I find very useful and convenient.

Eagle iNeo I-NA303USUE 3.5"/5.25" SATA to USB/eSATA docking station Review

GTX 260 V Radeon 4870 (drivers revisited)
DriverHeaven takes another look at the GeForce GTX 260 and Radeon HD 4870 1Gb

Unless someone wants to spend considerable money there are really only two options for gaming enthusiasts, two cards which provide performance high enough to play the latest games at high detail without requiring a bank loan, the GeForce GTX 260 and Radeon HD 4870 1Gb. The question is, which is the fastest now that many driver revisions have passed since release?

GTX 260 V Radeon 4870 (drivers revisited)

The HP Mini 1000 - 2nd Generation
Hardware Zone posted a review on the 2nd generation HP Mini 1000

The second-generation of HP's Mini-note netbook has finally arrived at our labs and we got the chance to give this baby a whirl. Plenty of changes abound for those who lusted after the first, and plenty of love for those still waiting on choosing a netbook. We find out more.

The HP Mini 1000 - 2nd Generation

Sleek-Audio Custom Earphones
techPowerUp posted a review on the Sleek-Audio Custom Earphones

Sleek-Audio's much anticipated Custom earphones are put to the test, pitted against the usual suspects in the in-ear arena. These new Custom in-ears can be customized in any thinkable way, right from the frequency response, to the color and artwork on the shell.

Sleek-Audio Custom Earphones

Antec Signature 650 Power Supply Review
Hardware Secrets posted Antec Signature 650 Power Supply Review

The new Signature Series from Antec is a premium power supply line, which means that products from this series (so far 650 W and 850 W models were launched) have tighter specs. For example, voltage regulation is set at 3% instead of 5% (7% instead of 10% for the -12 V output). Between the lines the manufacturer says this line has a very high efficiency, although on the specs table they list efficiency as "80% minimum". Signature 650, also known as SG-650, features a half modular cabling system and only one 80-mm fan, which the manufacturer says is quieter than other 80-mm solutions. Let's see what is really inside this power supply and why it is so much more expensive than other units.

Antec Signature 650 Power Supply Review

Top Holiday Games of 2008 Graphics Shootout
nV News has completed their Top Holiday Games of 2008 Graphics Shootout article, which pits the PowerColor Radeon HD 4870 1GB against the EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked

From the low to high-end, ATI and NVIDIA offer consumer-based GPUs that fit the needs of gamers that range from casual to enthusiast. ATI markets their consumer-based GPUs under the Radeon brand name while NVIDIA uses GeForce. Although nV News is an NVIDIA fan site and primarily reviews NVIDIA-based graphics cards, we occasionally test graphics cards from ATI and their add-in partners.

Top Holiday Games of 2008 Graphics Shootout

Far Cry 2 Hardware Performance Review
Hardware Canucks posted Far Cry 2 Hardware Performance Review

While the video card contest is rather trivial, the CPU battleground points out clear strengths and weaknesses. For the most part, multi-core support in the game provides a competitive edge for quad core and tri core processors. Ram as well shows excellent results and showcases one of benefits of opting to go with the DirectX10 API. Kudos to the Ubisoft Montreal team for creating a game that not only appeals to a larger number of gamers, but can also be played by most all of them without hardware limitations.

Far Cry 2 Hardware Performance Review

IN WIN Na eSATA & USB 2.0 HDD Enclosure Touch of the East Review
TweakTown posted a review on the IN WIN Na eSATA & USB 2.0 HDD Enclosure – Touch of the East

IN WIN is quite well known throughout the world for producing a large range of good quality computer cases and power supplies, but now the Taiwanese company is branching out and trying its hand at some new products. Its retail brand, called IN WIN Style, has released its first hard disk drive enclosure, simply called “Na” – it is pronounced “Nar” in English.

In Chinese, the word “Na” means to contain something; rather fitting you might agree for a hard drive enclosure. Instead of just producing a plain Jane type enclosure like the hundreds out there already on the market, the folks over at IN WIN went out and designed a very tasteful product with plenty of Eastern culture blended into it – and a lot of style!

IN WIN Na eSATA & USB 2.0 HDD Enclosure Touch of the East Review

AMD Phenom II, Dragon Platform, and Stream Technology
OCC has published a new article on the AMD Phenom II, Dragon Platform, and Stream Technology

Dragon, you say. What is that? Dragon is the name of the new platform AMD is coming out with to succeed the Spider platform. Dragon takes the new technology coming out with the new processors and ties it into a platform designed to work in unity for maximum efficiency and power. The Dragon platform, from what we know thus far, is comprised of the soon to come AMD Phenom II processors, AMD 790GX based motherboards, and the well known ATI HD Radeon 4800 series graphics cards. With the release of the new platform, you can truly harness the power of the next gen processors for efficient power management and raw computing power. According to AMD, expect to see the Dragon platform in the first quarter of 2009 following the release of the Phenom II CPUs.

AMD Phenom II, Dragon Platform, and Stream Technology