Asus Xonar D2 & U1 Sound Station Review
Bjorn3D takes a look at the Asus Xonar D2 & U1 Sound Station.

The ability to hear is the ability to experience the world around us in a manner that none of our other senses can give us. Sound is what lets us know when an unseen object is nearby or far away. Sound is what tells us when someone is angry or upset. It conveys emotion and helps us develop a sense of space. Sound lets us know when we are in a cavernous hall or a cramped room. Without sound the world around us becomes empty. For years when it came to producing sound on a computer there was one company above all, Creative Technology. With their supremacy over the sound card market it would be an uphill battle for any company to offer a competing product. Then Vista came along and changed the rules. Now with a even playing field manufactures have started to offer their own brand of sound card. And thus I present to you a sound card from a company known for high quality product, the Xonar D2 and Xonar U1 Sound Station. Two products for two very different purposes.

Asus Xonar D2 & U1 Sound Station Review

Razer Pro type Keyboard with iPod dock Review
TechwareLabs has published a review of the Razer Pro type Keyboard with iPod dock.

The Razer Pro Type keyboard is an ultra slick, backlit, and thin profile keyboard that comes with about every feature you could possibly need and an iPod dock as well. We hooked this beauty up to our rig and took her for a test drive. read our review to find out why we liked the razer interface so much.

Razer Pro type Keyboard with iPod dock Review



Hands on with Intel's X48 chipset
bit-tech published a preview of Intel's X48 chipset

It's not like 1,600MHz FSB CPUs will be saved for X48 either, since Asus has already added support on its X38 boards. If Asus can manage this, we have no doubt that everyone else will follow suit too, which in turn kills any potential hardware leverage the X48 might have had.

On the overclocking front, Asus has shown me that it has achieved 568MHz FSB with an E6550 on air with a moderate voltage increase, however the team behind that must have a gem of a CPU because I can only get our QX9770 processor to match the results we got with our P5E3 Deluxe, which topped out around 500MHz FSB.

If you've already bought an X38 then don't stress about X48 - you're already there, just keep your BIOS up to date. However what worries me is that since X38 is hardly the performance demon what we expected it to be over P35 - where does this leave Intel's mid-to-high end chipset business?

Hands on with Intel's X48 chipset

Thermalright Inferno FX-14 CPU Cooler Review
PC Perspective posted a review on the Thermalright Inferno FX-14 CPU Cooler

The new Thermalright IFX-14 is a large tower style CPU cooler that incorporates a secondary, backside cooler for enhanced performance. The IFX-14 primary heatsink is designed to use one or more 140mm fans (or 120mm) of your choice with several different mounting options. It features a pure copper base, four large heatpipes, and two huge aluminum fin arrays, which sit on top of the CPU like most other tower style coolers. The IFX-14 main cooler provides approximately twice the heat dissipation surface area as Thermalright's popular Ultra-120, the current reigning champ among CPU air-coolers.

Thermalright Inferno FX-14 CPU Cooler Review

Asus Xonar U1 USB Audio Station Review
Hardware Canucks has posted a review of the brand new Asus Xonar U1 USB Audio Station.

To put this conclusion in a nutshell, I have to say that I am extremely impressed with this little external soundcard. This approach has been tried before but with the Xonar U1, Asus has finally got the external sound card formula down to a science. Not only is this unit extremely compact and stylish, but it also comes at a very fair price of under $90 USD. For the price, it represents an amazing value for the quality of sound it can output.

Asus Xonar U1 USB Audio Station Review

Canon IXUS 860 IS Review
TrustedReviews have looked at the Canon IXUS 860 IS

Canon leads the digital camera market, and the IXUS 860 IS shows why. It is fast, looks great and is a pleasure to use. You'd be hard pushed to find a better pocket compact camera this Christmas.

Canon IXUS 860 IS Review

Razer Lachesis 4000dpi Gaming Mouse Review
I4U NEWS reviews the Razer Lachesis 4000dpi Gaming Mouse.

This is the latest gaming mouse from Razer and offers the highest levels of sensitivity to be had for PC gaming. The buttons on the left side of the mouse fall exactly where my thumb typically rests when I game. Normally when that happens they end up being clicked accidentally. However, the buttons on the Lachesis require more than an accidental touch to activate them. You have to want to use those buttons, which is a good thing.

Razer Lachesis 4000dpi Gaming Mouse Review

Noctua NF-P12 Review
XSReviews has reviewed the Noctua NF-P12 Fan

The last time I was privileged enough to get my mitts on some Noctua branded fans, I had to make up a new word to describe how quiet they were.

Continuing this fashion of ultra quiet fans, Noctua have released the awkwardly named NF-P12 fan which builds on the success of the previous blade spinners we've seen, and adds some more fins and interesting notches.

Hopefully I'll have to rack my brains for a new word for this brown and peach number...

Noctua NF-P12 Review

Ultra m998 Review
OCC has published a new review of the Ultra m998

The Ultra company has come up with a great idea that helps with the management of the power wires inside of the case. This idea is called the Ultra Power Bar that is located on the motherboard tray. The Ultra Power bar is a patented idea (Patent Number 7,133,293) by Ultra that allows the user to plug in two 4-pin power connectors and two 8-pin power connectors from the power supply, and gives you the option to have a total of four 4-pin and two 8-pin power ports at the other end. Ultra has packaged a bunch of power cables that can be plugged into one of the 4-pin or 8-pin power outputs on the Power Bar.

Ultra m998 Review

Kossart h50 Headset Review
techPowerUp posted a review on the Kossart h50 Headset

The Kossart h50 is a new headset in the bang-for-the-buck category. It is made by the Swedish based company Kossart and is aimed at gamers looking for an affordable solid performing headset. In our review we were impressed by the excellent build quality which is there to last.

Kossart h50 Headset Review

HIS HD 3870 512MB GDDR4 Video Card Review
3D Game Man posted a review on the HIS HD 3870 512MB GDDR4 Video Card

The new line of Radeon HD 3800 series video cards are currently available in two models; the 3870 and 3850. These are next-gen products but the 3870 has faster memory and core speeds and comes with 512MB of GDDR4 memory as opposed to 256MB of GDDR3 memory on the 3850 model. The core speed on this product is 775MHz and the 512MBs of GDDR4 256 bit memory is 2.25GHz DDR. It comes with 320 stream processing units for vertex, pixel and geometry data, 16 texture units, 16 raster operators, the pixel fill rate is approx. 12400 MPixels/sec and the memory bandwidth is 72GB/s. Watch the video to find out more and check out the bloopers at the end.

HIS HD 3870 512MB GDDR4 Video Card Review

Thermaltake Matrix VX Mid Tower PC Case Review
DragonSteelMods.com posted Thermaltake Matrix VX Mid Tower PC Case Review

Stiff as a board, light as a feather, stiff as a board, light as a feather..." Ever play that game when you were a kid? I didn't, but I've always wanted too... Anyway today I've got a PC case where its motto is similar to that: 'Light as a Feather, Solid as a Rock' and it's very true. When I got the Thermaltake Matrix VX from the UPS guy I wasn't sure there was anything in the box, this case is the lightest case I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing. The fact that it's light doesn't mean it's not sturdy, it really is, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and construction of this PC case.

Thermaltake Matrix VX Mid Tower PC Case Review

Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 Webcam Review
ThinkComputers.org posted Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 Webcam Review

When you are looking for webcams there are only a few choices with Logitech leading the way. Now there are other brands like Microsoft and Creative making webcams, but they usually lack the features and quality of Logitech webcams. Today we will be taking a look at the QuickCam Pro 9000, which features Carl Zeiss optics, RightLight 2 technology, a 2-megapixel sensor, and of course Logitech's QuickCam software. Let's check out the Pro 9000 and see if it is the perfect holiday gift for someone special.

Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 Webcam Review

Actiontec MegaPlug AV 200 Mbps Powerline Ethernet Adapter Review
HotHardware.com posted a review on the Actiontec MegaPlug AV 200 Mbps Powerline Ethernet Adapter

You've all felt the pain a WiFi network can bring, with fading signal strength through walls or over even moderately long distances inside your home or office. The only other option, short of snaking CAT5 cables inside walls and around your home or office is Powerline Networking.

Initially, Powerline Networking technology was spotty at best in terms of its performance and reliability. Though it's not new, only recently have products entered the market which have the potential to meet or even exceed 100 Mbps wired Ethernet. One such product is the Actiontec MegaPlug AV 200 Mbps Ethernet Adapter. Rated for peak throughput of up to 200Mbps, we look the current state of Powerline Networking to task with Actiontec's new kit. You might be pleasantly surprised with our results.

Actiontec MegaPlug AV 200 Mbps Powerline Ethernet Adapter Review

Antec NeoPower 650 Review
OCC has published a new review of the Antec NeoPower 650

Getting the power supply freed from the packaging shows a gun metal grey powder coated finish on the case, with black sleeved main lines. The finish is done well, and even after a few screwdriver bites while removing the cover, there were no scratches to be seen in the powder coat finish. This is a big plus of powder coating over painting. The inlet side of the power supply is completely vented to promote airflow. Along the bottom of the power supply front are the 5 plugs for the component cables. All cabling is justified to the right to enable better cable routing against the back side of your case. Around back is the 80mm low speed ADDA fan that varies speed in response to load and temp conditions. The specification sticker graces the left side of the power supply showing the max current on each of the rails. Antec uses three +12V lines rated at 19A each to balance the current draw.

Antec NeoPower 650 Review

OCZ PC2-6400 Titanium CL3 Dual Channel Memory Review
OCIA.net takes a look at the OCZ PC2-6400 Titanium CL3 Dual Channel Memory in their latest review.

OCZ's Titanium modules fall somewhere between the Platinum line and their high-end Reaper series. Although these aren't the PC2-8000 Alpha VX2 model, which stands at the top of the Titanium lineup, they bear the latest CL3 tag. Yes, that's right, they're rated for an ultra-low CAS3 at PC2-6400 speeds.

OCZ PC2-6400 Titanium CL3 Dual Channel Memory Review

Antec True Power Quattro 1000 PSU Review
Xtremecomputing posted Antec True Power Quattro 1000 PSU review

Today I shall be looking at a new product from possibly one of the better-known manufacturers of pc hardware. The manufacturer is Antec and the product in question is their range topping power supply the True Power Quattro 1000. Which delivers a full kilowatt of power.

Antec True Power Quattro 1000 PSU Review

Synology Cube Station CS407 4-Bay SATA Gigabit NAS Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the Synology Cube Station CS407 4-Bay SATA Gigabit NAS

Time is money in the SMB and Corporate Enterprise sector, and anything that can cost less while saving time is sure to be a popular commodity. The Synology Cube Station CS407 4-Bay SATA Gigabit NAS is a gigabit network appliace which offers more features and functionality than most Windows Server 2003 R2 domain controllers... for less than the price of the Server Operating System! Benchmark Reviews gives this Network Attached Storage server a full host of tests as we uncover the value inside.

Synology Cube Station CS407 4-Bay SATA Gigabit NAS Review

Patriot PC2-6400LLK 4GB Memory Kit Review
Virtual-Hideout posted a review on the Patriot PC2-6400LLK 4GB Memory Kit

One thing that can always make a computer operate like a new machine is memory. If you've ever used your system with the bare minimum amounts of memory or just enough to get the job done, then you've held your system back and probably noticed lots of lag. Plenty of system memory means your machine will perform much smoother with little or no lag. This is especially true with today's Windows XP Pro or Vista running these huge new games like Crysis and Call of Duty 4. The larger the data amount, the quicker the access and read times seem due to the extra memory.

Patriot PC2-6400LLK 4GB Memory Kit Review

Pinnacle PCTV HD Ultimate Stick Review
The TechZone has posted a review of the Pinnacle PCTV HD Ultimate Stick.

Back in August, we had a look at the Pinnacle USB HDTV Tuner and while the concept was a decent one, the execution was quite poor and left me quite unsatisfied with my notebook-powered HDTV-watching experience. Pinnacle has followed up on that lesser product with a new model called the Pinnacle HD Ultimate Stick. This USB TV tuner improves on its predecessors in
several ways, but is it enough to warrant a recommendation? Read on and find out.

Pinnacle PCTV HD Ultimate Stick Review

ASUS Xonar U1 USB Audio Station Review
Techgage posted a review of ASUS' latest audio card.

Own a notebook and not impressed with the onboard sound solution? Would you like the ability to be a bit more "hands on" with your audio? Do you want something that's different than what everyone else has? ASUS might just have the answer for you.

ASUS Xonar U1 USB Audio Station Review

Apple MacBook Pro 17in Review
TrustedReviews have looked at the Apple MacBook Pro 17in.

The 17in MacBook Pro is really a fantastic machine for creatives and anyone else looking for a high-powered, high-style laptop with a large screen. Sure, it does cost a little more than your average Windows laptop - around £2,100 for this configuration with the extra RAM from Crucial, compared to more like £1,600 for something similar from Rock. But aside from the obvious visual appeal, this kind of hardware specification demands an OS to match up, and OSX does the job far better than Vista.

Apple MacBook Pro 17in Review

X-Spice Croon 750watt Power Supply Review
Tweaknews.net posted a review on the X-Spice Croon 750watt Power Supply

This is the first product I have reviewed from X Spice and I must say that it has made me look forward to receiving further product samples from them. The Croon BF 700 is solidly built and performs well.

X-Spice Croon 750watt Power Supply Review

Leadtek PX8600 GT SLI Review
Bjorn3D takes a look at the Leadtek PX8600 GT SLI

It's been a while since the mid-range G84 hit the market. To be frank, after testing this card I had my doubts of its hierarchy in the community. Regardless the class, these cards along with entry level ones are the actual dough makers (do not confuse it with kitchen dough). High-end and enthusiast products are just a loose change, however they play a very important role in the market. Prestige and respect among (pardon the term) fanciers.

We don't always review uber-performing graphic cards here at Bjorn3D. Neither do we review many entry-level cards. Mid-range SKUs are fascinating because they shape all kinds of trends for the graphics market, plus they won't cost you an arm and a leg. Okay, enough of the philosophy.

Leadtek has got quite a few PX8600 models for you to chose from. The one I have on my bench today is located on the bottom of the food chain -- SLI setup to be precise. It's the entry-level WinFast PX8600 GT TDH board featuring blistering fast GDDR2 memory. A nice way to diversify your SKUs isn't it? Now let's get off Leadtek's back and check out what these two can do for us when it comes to gaming.

Leadtek PX8600 GT SLI Review