Fusion-io ioDrive - PCIe Solid State Review
TweakTown posted an exclusive Look at Fusion-io ioDrive - PCIe Solid State

Fusion-io calls their card based solid-state storage technology ioMemory. It is a catchy name that goes along with the products name, ioDrive. The ioDrive uses NAND flash memory, just like the solid-state drives we have been reviewing for the last year. The difference is that everything we have looked at so far connects to a SATA port and the ioDrive rides the fast lane, 10GB/s to be exact from a 4-lane PCIe slot. If you think it sounds fast, just hang tight, there is a lot to cover before we get to the benchmarks.

Normally products like the Fusion-io ioDrive are not reviewed on general purpose computing review sites like TweakTown. In 2009 we will start to cover more products in the enterprise market and run them in parallel with our usual content. Behind the scenes the US office has been covering enterprise storage products for many years, but most of this testing has been for private reports and for our own twisted amusement.

Fusion-io ioDrive - PCIe Solid State Review

Windows Vista SP2 beta performance
bit-tech published a look at Windows Vista SP2 beta performance

The best performance increase was in our //Crysis benchmark with a pair of Radeon HD 4870 1GB cards running in CrossFire - Microsoft did promise some graphics performance improvements, but they weren't as unanimous as we were expecting them to be. This was really the only
scenario out of the six that were tested where we saw any kind of performance increase.

Despite mentioning the GIMP image editing test as the application that suffered the most from the new Service Pack beta, it was the OS boot time and //Crysis level load times that concerned us the most. We would have hoped the new Service Pack would improve boot times further and not increase them by between three and five percent.

The promise of increased power efficiency by up to 10 percent is one that will certainly pique the interests of notebook users for sure, while support for Windows Search 4.0 and Bluetooth 2.1 will be beneficial as well. However, these things aren't enough for us to recommend upgrading to the Service Pack 2 beta today on any systems that are mission critical - Microsoft is keen to point out that the Service Pack 2 beta is very much for evaluation purposes only.

With that in mind, a lot of what we've looked at here could change drastically between now and when Windows Vista Service Pack 2 is final and, like Microsoft, we recommend sticking with a fully patched Windows Vista Service Pack 1 installation for the time being. So, unless you are planning to test out some of Vista Service Pack 2's new features, continue on with your SP1 install at least until SP2 reaches Release Candidate or RTM status.

Windows Vista SP2 beta performance



Verbatim Recharge & Go Wireless Mouse Review
OCModShop posted Verbatim Recharge & Go Wireless Mouse Review

How scary are the rodents of the future? Mice that can shoot lasers with advanced precision from a single eye. They have no fear and invade homes by the millions across the country. Around the world, even. And, they are wireless. But weren't mice always wireless? The disease-spreading kind were, but Verbatim's Recharge/Go wireless laser mouse is a picture of the advances we have made toward making wires a thing of the past.

The Recharge comes in a black and green box wrapped around blister packaging. It's a very eye-catching array of colors that grabs you from its perch on the shelf. And why don't more people use matte black with glossy pictures on their boxes? All the big gaming companies do it, why don't the little guys? It would actually cost less in the long run to leave it matte and just put a little bit of gloss on it. Packaging is the seller when it comes to store shelves, people.

Verbatim Recharge & Go Wireless Mouse Review

OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W Review
Bjorn3D takes a look at the OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W

Have you ever been to the local computer store, just browsing the aisles, and you begin to make comparisons based solely on how something looks, how it's packaged, and so on? I know I'm guilty of it. You want to just spend some time looking around so you don't bother checking out the reviews first, and now you're thinking about buying that new power supply or that new motherboard because it seems like even the packaging was well thought out? To some, this may seem silly, but it happens more often than you think. What's this all about you ask? It's about the latest power supply available to us for review, the OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W. It is certainly well packaged, but will it deliver the rock solid voltages that we're looking for?

When the unit arrived at the doorstep, I got really excited. I did not realize until that day that OCZ is not just a single company, but a group of companies. When I got to the door, the box said PC Power & Cooling, which turns out to be part of that group, in big bold letters. For those of you that don't know, they are the premier manufacturers of PC power supplies. They were the first ones to develop a 1kW PSU, for instance. They are also known for being rock solid. This particular power supply is from OCZ, not PC Power & Cooling itself, however, so let's see if it will live up to the lineage and perform as well as its big brother.

OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600W Review

Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods (PC) Review
GamingHeaven posted a review on Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods for the PC

The original Gothic was released in 2001 and quickly became a favourite with RPG fans. In 2006 the quality suffered with Gothic 3, a game which was riddled with design flaws, bugs and logistical issues. This year Indian developer Trine Games have taken over from Piranha Bytes and are releasing Forsaken Gods, a standalone title. Is it any good?

Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods (PC) Review

LaCie 5big Network Review
ITreviewed posted a review on the LaCie 5big Network

LaCie's 5big Network delivers impressive storage capabilities for small networks. Not only can you benefit from huge capacities thanks to the supplied Hitachi SATA drives (7200rpm), but also from a complete backup solution for your data. Compared to traditional four-disk RAID towers, it uses around 25% less energy, and its cooling system is typically 37% quieter, despite the additional disk. The fact that the drive looks really sweet is a big bonus too! If you're looking a storage device to share over a wired network and consider design a very important feature, LaCie's 5big Network would make an ideal addition to any workgroup. Just be prepared to splash out an impressive 258 (0.16 per GB) for the flagship 7.5TB model. The biggest criticism is that backups are neither compressed nor encrypted, and you'll need to consider the security of sensitive files as backup drives can be attached to the device.

LaCie 5big Network Review

Ewoo eFizz Review
DragonSteelMods.com posted a review on the Ewoo eFizz

One of the key features of the eFizz is that it uses the same 2.4 Ghz remote system that is found in the Ewoo HandMusic, thus allowing control of the speaker from anywhere within the home. The speakers system's sound is powered by Cabasse, a renowned European speaker manufacturer, so the eFizz features some truly terrific acoustics. Besides providing some marvelous sound, the eFizz features a stylish appearance with a predominant piano black finish and two black speaker covers.

Ewoo eFizz Review

MSI Radeon HD 4830 512MB OC Video Card Review
Legit Reviews posted MSI Radeon HD 4830 512MB OC Video Card Review

The battle for the high ground in the sub-$125 price market continues to be a tough one. When AMD announced the Radeon HD 4830 graphics card back in October 2008 we found it to be a good deal for a card that retails for under $130. Today, we take a look at what MSI brings to the table with the MSI Radeon HD4830 T2D512 OC. This video card is overclocked from the factory and features both custom cooling and a printed circuit board that might just make it the one to buy.

http://legitreviews.com/article/838/1/]MSI Radeon HD 4830 512MB OC Video Card Review[/url]

Coolermaster HAF 932 Review
XSReviews has reviewed the Coolermaster HAF 932 case

When it comes to cases, Coolermaster aren't exactly known for their subtleties. With chassis like the Stacker range that have dominated the large tower market for years, it's about time they introduced something new; but hopefully just as OTT. Their new range is called the HAF, and I'm looking at the 932 model. It's a pretty monstrous in terms of size and cooling ability. Let's check it out.

Coolermaster HAF 932 Review

Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler Review
Modders-Inc posted a review on the Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler

Today we are going to be taking a look at the NH-C12P. The NH-C12P utilizes Noctua's newest fan design, the NF-P12. This time around Noctua has decided to use a horizontal design rather than the vertical design like the NH-U12F and NH-U12P.

Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler Review

Lian Li PC-A7010 All Aluminum Full Tower ATX Case Review
Futurelooks checked out the Lian Li PC-A7010 All Aluminum Full Tower ATX Case

You can only do so much with a simple box, meant to house the actual operating guts of a PC. That’s where a company like Lian Li comes in. They’re known for producing quality cases, with new and interesting features that are often imitated by other companies en masse. Today, we’ve gotten a hold of their PC-A7010 Full ATX Tower Case for a test.

Lian Li PC-A7010 All Aluminum Full Tower ATX Case Review

Asus EN9800GT Matrix GeForce 9800GT Review
HotHardware.com evaluate the features, overclockability, and performance of the Asus EN9800GT Matrix GeForce 9800GT.

As its name implies, the EN9800GT Matrix is based on NVIDIA's GeForce 9800 GT GPU, but Asus puts their own spin on the card with a slight factory overclock and a unique custom cooler. Head on over to the site and check it out...

Asus EN9800GT Matrix GeForce 9800GT Review

Cooler Master ATCS 840 Case Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the Cooler Master ATCS 840 Case

The new Cooler Master ATCS 840 is an all-aluminum full-tower case supporting two power supplies, coming with four fans (one 230-mm fan on the front panel, two 230-mm fans on the top and one 120-mm fan on the rear), removable motherboard tray, several other features we will talk about and a very conservative looks. Let's take an in-depth look on this latest release by Cooler Master.

Cooler Master ATCS 840 Case Review

NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse Review
Bigbruin.com posted a review on the NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse

This may be NZXT's first foray into gaming mice, but they have produced a solid initial offering. The Avatar seems to mix elements from other popular gaming mice with a bit of NZXT's own innovation to create a recommendable product. The comfort and performance of the mouse are key selling points, but the high level of customization is obviously important, too.

NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse Review

Zombie BBQ Review
OCModShop posted a review on the Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ

Let's face it: shooting zombies are fun. Maybe it's because we all secretly want to go Postal at some point, and can hide behind the moral mask that these humanoids aren't real humans. There's no moral ambiguity: you have to shoot your former colleague in the head or become zombie chow. There are lots of games tap into our guity pleasures; otherwise games like Resident Evil and Left4Dead wouldn't be so popular. Heck, Capcom basically buit their empire on zombie carcasses.

Everyone needs to be ready for the inevitable zombie apocalypse; even little kids. That's why publisher Destineer has released Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ.

Zombie BBQ Review

InWin Commander 750W Power Supply Review
DreamWare Computers posted a review on the InWin Commander 750W Power Supply

InWin is still somewhat of a quiet name around here. The first review we did for them was of their Allure computer case, a case for the ladies decorated in authentic Swarovski crystals with a fine attention to detail all around. Today, we've been given the opportunity to check out a power supply from their latest Commander series. These are marketed as high performance power supplies ranging from 650W up to an outstanding 1200W! The unique military styled box and paint design on the power supply are certain to make it a looker, but will it prove to perform as well as it looks?

InWin Commander 750W Power Supply Review

GIGABYTE GM-M7700 Wireless Laser Laptop Mouse Review
TweakTown posted a review on the GIGABYTE GM-M7700 Wireless Laser Laptop Mouse

At first glance this mouse has some blatant similarities to a bunch of other mice I’ve reviewed before, including OCZ’s Dominatrix. But it’s not surprising that companies have been adopting this shell for a while now, because it’s a form-factor that works well!

Taking a look at the mouse, it’s sporting a dual sided rubber grip so there’s no risk of it slipping out of your sweaty cheeto-covered hands during a late night surfing session. Further to that, a rubberised and notched wheel is used to make it easier to spin around, which is needed as the spring strength in the wheel is tangible.

GIGABYTE GM-M7700 Wireless Laser Laptop Mouse Review

Gigabyte M192 nettablet Review
The Tech Report posted a review on the Gigabyte M192 nettablet

Gigabyte's M192 breaks new ground for netbooks with a high-resolution screen that rotates and folds flat, birthing the first nettablet. Read on to see how netbook hardware fares in a tablet, and whether this convertible form factor makes sense for a budget subnotebook

Gigabyte M192 nettablet Review

Zotac nForce 630i Review
t-break posted a review on the Zotac nForce 630i

With a single eye half closed, we take a look at the Zotac's nForce 630i-ITX. Based on the Mini-ITX form factor with a surface area of just 170mm², this board is really very small and would fit great into an HTPC or mini PC case. Add dual display ports and an HDCP compliant DVI output, it’s already hinting its purpose.

Zotac nForce 630i Review

Sapphire HD 4650 512MB Overclock Edition Review
OCC has published a new review on the Sapphire HD 4650 512MB Overclock Edition

To overclock the Sapphire HD 4650 I chose to use the ATI Catalyst Control Center's Overdrive Utility. I started off raising the GPU clocks 5MHz at a time until the system became unstable and then backed down 1MHz at a time until stability returned. I did the same thing for the memory speeds to achieve optimum results. I was able to push the GPU to 690MHz stable which might not seem very high for an overclock but remember this card is pre-clocked from the factory already so this is about where it is expected to be. The memory maxed out at the rated 1000MHz for the type of Hynix memory used. One thing of note I want to mention is I was able to push the memory beyond 1000MHz using ATI tool however it was not stable and caused artifacting during testing. For my overclocked numbers the final speeds will be 690MHz on the GPU and 1000MHz on the 512MB GDDR3 memory.

Sapphire HD 4650 512MB Overclock Edition Review

Intel i7-920 Nehalem Processor Review
Tweaknews.net posted a review on the Intel i7-920 Nehalem Processor

The performance contained even within this US$300 i7-920 processor is extremely impressive for the money. One would really wonder why they would pay almost $250-$300 more for the i7-940 when this processor is beating even extremely fast quad cores from generations past. Sure some of the more expensive offerings will have their benefits when it comes to video and photo creation and editing, but for the mainstream or even the power user, this processor would be an excellent buy.

Intel i7-920 Nehalem Processor Review