TechARP posted a new revision of their Desktop CPU Comparison Guide. Other new articles:

- Geil Ultra 2000MHZ Review
- Zotac Blu-ray HD-ID34 Nettop / HTPC Review
- The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Cooler Review
- NZXT HALE90 750W Power Supply Review
- SimpliSafe Security System Review
- CiragoTV Platinum CMC3000 Multimedia Player Review
- Kingston HyperX H2O PC3 16000 3x2GB Cas 9 Review
- OCZ Ibis High Speed Data Link (HSDL) 240GB SSD Review
- PNY GeForce GTS 450 1GB XLR8 Review
- ASUS and Gigabyte X58 Motherboard Roundup
- Psyko 5.1 Gaming Headset Review
- OCZ IBIS HSDL Solid State Drive Preview
- 2500MHz Patriot Viper-II Sector-5 Memory Kit Review
- Zalman VF3000F VGA Cooler for NVIDIA GF100 Series GPU Review
- USB Portable Media Player w/Card Reader
- Antec LanBoy Air Case Review
- Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750 W Power Supply Review
- Asus M4A88TD-V Evo/USB3 Motherboard Review
- Logitech Gaming Keyboard G510 Review
- Biostar TA870+ Motherboard Review
- Zalman ZM-NC3000U Ultra Quiet Notebook Cooler Review
- ROCCAT Pyra Wireless USB Gaming Mouse (and Sota Surface) Review
- Sage ACT! 2011 Review
- NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 - The Super-Affordable Fermi



Desktop CPU Comparison Guide Rev. 9.0
TechARP posted a new revision of their Desktop CPU Comparison Guide

There are so many CPU models that it has become quite impossible to keep up with the different models or even remember their specifications.

Therefore, we decided to compile this guide to provide an easy reference for those who are interested in comparing the specifications of the various desktop CPUs in the market, as well as those already obsolescent or obsolete.

Currently covering 766 desktop CPUs, this comprehensive comparison will allow you to easily compare up to 18 different specifications for each and every CPU.

Here's the latest update in Revision 9.0 :

- Added the AMD Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition quad-core processor.
- Added the AMD Phenom II X4 965 and 955 quad-core processors.
- Added the AMD Phenom II X3 740 Black Edition triple-core processor.
- Added the AMD Athlon II X3 450 triple-core processor.
- Added the AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition dual-core processor.
- Added the AMD Athlon II X2 270u, 265, 250e, 220 and 210e dual-core processors.
- Added the AMD Athlon II 160u single-core processor.
- Added the AMD Sempron 145 single-core processor.
- Added the Turbo Core speeds of the AMD Phenom II X6 (Thuban) series of processors.
- Added the Transistor Count, Die Size and Maximum Temperature specifications for numerous AMD Phenom II and AMD Athlon II processors.
- Updated the specifications of the AMD Phenom II X2 545 dual-core processor.
- Updated the specifications of the AMD Athlon II X3 440 triple-core processor.
- Updated the specifications of the AMD Athlon II X2 260u, 255, 250, 245, 240e and 215 dual-core processors.

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Geil Ultra 2000MHZ Review
XSReviews has written a review of the Geil Ultra 2000MHZ DDR3

There is a large market for memory modules. Ranging from standard value ones to high speed, low latency overclocking modules for extreme benchmarkers looking to break world records. Today I've gotten my hands on some overclocker oriented RAM, the GeIL Ultra Plus DDR3-2000 CL9. This kit should offer speeds that aren't achievable by normal motherboards on stock settings. Let's see if GeIL can live up their promise for decent overclocking memory.

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Zotac Blu-ray HD-ID34 Nettop / HTPC Review
HotHardware.com posted a review on the Zotac Blu-ray HD-ID34 Nettop / HTPC

Zotac recently launched a couple of revamped ZBox nettops, that feature a new, sleeker design and integrated Blu-Ray drive, the ZBox HD-ID33 and HD-ID34. The only difference between the two models is the included / not included RAM and hard drive; the ID33 is better suited to DIYers who may already have a spare 2.5" HDD and SO-DIMM laying around, while the ID34 ships with a 250GB 5400RPM drive and 2GB of RAM. There's also NVIDIA's next generation Ion (Ion 2) inside, which means that 1080p playback and some light-duty gaming should theoretically be no problem...

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The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Cooler Review
Hi Tech Legion posted a review on the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Cooler

Standing only 114mm with fan, the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 is a low profile cooler that does not sacrifice cooling capabilities to fit into a smaller space. The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 comes with all of the components you would expect to see in a larger tower cooler, including six heat pipes running through a nickel plated copper base, a near silent high cfm 140mm fan, and a large aluminum fin array. The sturdy fin array is assembled with side joints and actually joins the base to add even more stability to the structure. Included hardware allows the NH-C12P to be used with any current AMD or Intel socket including the latest Core i7 and AM3 processors.

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NZXT HALE90 750W Power Supply Review
ThinkComputers.org posted a review on the NZXT HALE90 750W Power Supply

It has been quite a while since we have seen a power supply from NZXT. Well they really have stepped things up with their latest line of power supplies called the HALE90 Series. Each of these power supplies features an 80PLUS Gold certification meaning they will run at least 87% efficient between 20% and 100% load and 90% efficient at 50% load. These power supplies also features a single +12V rail design, a 140mm fan, modular cables, and much more. Today we will be looking at the 750W version, which retails for $159.99.

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SimpliSafe Security System Review
DIY-Guides posted a review on the SimpliSafe Security System

Today for review I’ve got a great product to help protect you and yours from a company called SimpliSafe. It’s an alarm system yes, but it’s unique in that it doesn’t use phone lines but cellular signals, so someone can’t cut the line when it tries to call for help. The system is made to be portable and you own it, you don’t rent it like you do with some other security companies. One of the best features about this system is the price, actually two prices. You’ll pay for the system, it’s relatively inexpensive and you own it forever, but if you want police dispatch you’ll need to pay as monthly fee as well that’s only $14.99. That price is well below what other companies charge on a monthly basis. SimpliSiafe sent me over what they call their Apartment Security System, but it of course can be used for your home as well, so let’s get into this already…

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CiragoTV Platinum CMC3000 Multimedia Player Review
TestFreaks posted a review on the CiragoTV Platinum CMC3000 Multimedia Player

On TestFreaks we’ve reviewed a few different Cirago media players and they’ve been fairly decent products. Today I’ve got their latest one called the CiragoTV Platinum CMC3000 which is the culmination of their work on media centers basically. It combines the best of the others they’ve produced into one excellent product. The interface has been redesigned and it’s much easier to use allowing for a media player that anyone can understand and utilize to it’s fullest. It has features like the ability to record, play from USB devices or even memory cards and there’s even a built-in torrent client.

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Kingston HyperX H2O PC3 16000 3x2GB Cas 9 Review
OCC has published a review on the Kingston HyperX H2O PC3 16000 3x2GB Cas 9

This set of modules is rated to run at latencies of 9-10-9-27 at 2000MHz right out of the box. Not the best latencies, but most of the modules you can find on line for a reasonable price come with a cas latency of 9. Any lower and the cost for the modules goes up exponentially, it seems. Although the latencies are a little loose, they allowed the modules to reach almost 2200MHz with some QPI and vdimm voltage tweaking.

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OCZ Ibis High Speed Data Link (HSDL) 240GB SSD Review
PC Perspective posted a review on the OCZ Ibis High Speed Data Link (HSDL) 240GB SSD

Today we take a look at OCZ's newest offering in next generation Solid State Storage technology, coupled with a completely new take on storage interface technology. When USB3.0 and even SATA 6Gb/sec are not fast enough, just invent something new!

This extension passes via the HSDL cable to the device - in this case the OCZ Ibis we are looking at today. Previous RAID enabled SSD's had to pass through RAID chips via SATA, while the Ibis is able to contain a bona-fide PCIe RAID solution. This is significant as solutions for the former always hit a brick wall on ultimate IOPS performance, as they do not support passing on Comamnd Queueing - vital to high IO's in a RAID configuration. Another point of interest is that the above configuration is the simplest possible with HSDL, as it's meant to scale much further.

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PNY GeForce GTS 450 1GB XLR8 Review
Hardware Canucks posted a review of the new PNY GeForce GTS 450 1GB XLR8 video card

As NVIDIA delves deeper and deeper into their GeForce 400-series lineup, the price points for the cards are ever so slowly decreasing. The GTS 450 is supposed to hit a cost of about $130 while bringing good all-round performance to the table. In this review we take a look at PNY's XLR8 Edition, a card that comes packed with extras along with a 5 year warranty.

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ASUS and Gigabyte X58 Motherboard Roundup
Neoseeker posted an ASUS and Gigabyte X58 Motherboard Roundup

It's a showdown of the high performance, high priced Intel X58 motherboards here at Neoseeker. Under the spotlight in our latest roundup review is the ASUS P6X58D Premium, ASUS Rampage III Formula, and the Gigabyte X58A-UD3R socket 1366 motherboards, all packed with connectivity and performance features designed to help enthusiasts squeeze the most out of Intel X58-based systems. See how they stack up against one other by hitting the link below!

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Psyko 5.1 Gaming Headset Review
PureOverclock has published a review of the Psyko 5.1 Gaming Headset

Today brings a horse of a different colour that promises to change the game, so to speak, where surround sound is concerned: the Psyko Audio Labs 5.1 gaming headset. Boasting technology that some may say is just this side of audio voodoo, the Psyko headset makes bold claims that it creates 3D sound the same way a room system does. Frankly, I am a skeptic, and I'll admit that right now. I don't really buy into the 5.1 headset voodoo, and I have to admit that I am very attached to my Beyer Dynamic cans for gaming. So, l am going to put this Psyko headset to the test against my 770's and see if this 5.1 headset stuff is shaman or schwing.

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OCZ IBIS HSDL Solid State Drive Preview
HotHardware.com posted a preview on the OCZ IBIS HSDL Solid State Drive

As we've noted more than once here before, as NAND Flash technologies evolve, SATA will go the way of the dino. It's not going to happen overnight but like its old, spinning hard drive counterpart, the writing is on the wall. The market needs new higher speed interfaces with lower overhead and more direct attachment to native system interfaces. OCZ has been trying its hand at developing PCI Express-based SSDs in an effort to address this requirement. They've been rolling out all new products like their Revo Drive that we looked at recently and the new device we'll be looking at here today.

The new OCZ IBIS SSD utilizes a proprietary serial interface that the company has coined "HSDL" for High Speed Data Link and it offers up to 20Gb/sec peak bandwidth over an industry standard SAS connector, which is over three times that of next gen 6Gbps SATA technology. Journey on for all the details and a performance profile of a prototype we've been testing here in the lab...

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2500MHz Patriot Viper-II Sector-5 Memory Kit Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the 2500MHz Patriot Viper-II Sector-5 Memory Kit

As if 2133MHz were not enough for a high-performance kit, there are some brands pushing the limits to the max in the memory section. Just about 6 months ago, some brands released 2200MHz kits, followed by 2400MHz and finally 2500MHz kits specially targeted at high-end enthusiasts and overclockers. The kit we are reviewing today is one of the fastest kits available in the market, and the fastest kit ever tested at Benchmark Reviews. The Patriot Viper II 'Sector 5' Edition is a 2500MHz 4GB kit, running with high binned ICs, and according to Patriot's homepage, this kit works with LGA 1156 Core i7 CPUs and possibly nothing else at the moment of writing this revision. Join Benchmark Reviews in a trip to discover how far we can push this kit, and analyze system's performance with extremely high frequencies.

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Zalman VF3000F VGA Cooler for NVIDIA GF100 Series GPU Review
Hi Tech Legion posted a review on the Zalman VF3000F VGA Cooler for NVIDIA GF100 Series GPU

The Zalman VF3000F is a VGA heatsink specifically made for Nvidia's GF100 series GPUs and comes in two models: One for GTX 480 and one for GTX 470/465 GPUs. The same effective five 6mm heatpipe into aluminum fin design from the VF3000N is also used in the VF3000F, as well as twin 92mm fans, which provide a quiet, active cooling solution. The Zalman VF3000F aims to provide a significant thermal improvement over stock Nvidia cooling, so you can fold 24-7 and play the latest games without worrying about your video card's health.

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USB Portable Media Player w/Card Reader
Bona Fide Reviews posted a review on the USB Portable Media Player w/Card Reader

Today for review I’ve got another product from our friends at Geeks.com. It’s a portable media player that can use either SD cards or USB storage devices like flash drives or hard drives. It’s generic or no-name basically and it’s very inexpensive coming in at about $25, but it works, and I guess that’s what counts right?

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Antec LanBoy Air Case Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the Antec LanBoy Air Case

The LanBoy Air is without a doubt one of the most unique case we've ever seen, being completely meshed to improve air flow and highly customizable. This is not the first time Antec is trying to improve airflow: two years ago they released a completely open case, the Skeleton. On the Skeleton, however, as you computer components are completely exposed, you may damage your components by accident. Is the LanBoy Air the solution all hard-core enthusiasts were looking for? Let's see. The LanBoy Air is currently available in two colors, blue or yellow. We reviewed the blue version.

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Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750 W Power Supply Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750 W Power Supply

The new Toughpower Grand power supply series from Thermaltake has 80 Plus Gold certification, modular cabling system, and single +12 V rail. So far only two models have been released, 650 W and 750 W. Let's see if the 750 W model is a good buy.

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Asus M4A88TD-V Evo/USB3 Motherboard Review
Rbmods posted a review on the Asus M4A88TD-V Evo/USB3 Motherboard

Motherboard review time today again for us here at Rbmods. We are going to try out Asus' latest M4A88TD-V Evo/USB3 motherboard which is one of their latest AM3 motherboards. All of this will be done with the fairly new AMD 1090T Cpu so stick around to see what we can squeeze out of the board.

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Logitech Gaming Keyboard G510 Review
HardwareHeaven.com posted a review on the Logitech Gaming Keyboard G510

Next up in our coverage of Logitech's new range of components is the G510, a gaming keyboard which would look nice next to the G700 on any gamer's desk. The G510 is the successor to models such as the G15 or the G110 and is aimed squarely at the gamer that needs everything at their fingertips.

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Biostar TA870+ Motherboard Review
iXBT Labs posted a review on the Biostar TA870+ Motherboard

Biostar TA870+ is a decent mid-end model that offers complete chipset features, including some undocumented. On the upside, the motherboard controls CPU fan well, has eSATA and optical and coaxial S/PDIF Out ports, can withstand moderate CPU overclocking. On the downside, its analog audio output quality is relatively low. Besides, the IDE channel is provided by an auxillary controller, not the chipset.

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Zalman ZM-NC3000U Ultra Quiet Notebook Cooler Review
Bigbruin.com has published a review on the Zalman ZM-NC3000U Ultra Quiet Notebook Cooler

The Zalman ZM-NC3000U is a very nice accessory. Adding additional cooling is always a good thing, but when you throw in the added ergonomic benefit, it becomes much more appealing. The ability to use the cooler without any additional power source is a big bonus, as well as supporting everything from a 9" netbook all the way up to a 17" desktop replacement.

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ROCCAT Pyra Wireless USB Gaming Mouse (and Sota Surface) Review
Kitguru posted a review on the ROCCAT Pyra Wireless USB Gaming Mouse (and Sota Surface)

These days it seems every manufacturer is trying to get into the gaming peripheral market including the likes of Thermaltake and Corsair. But there are some brands, like ROCCAT and SteelSeries that have much more experience in the sector and have been producing gaming peripherals for a number of years now. Today we are going to look at ROCCAT’s latest gaming mouse, the Pyra, which can either be used via USB or wireless. It’s sized and specced for gamers on the move so we look forward to how it performs. ROCCAT have also sent us a Sota gaming surface to test with the Pyra.

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Sage ACT! 2011 Review
Business Computing World published a review of Sage ACT! 2011

ACT! 2011 has to be at the top the shopping list when looking for a small business CRM solution. Alternatives are available, but few can match its ease of use, particularly now that Outlook integration has been improved. Some cloud-based CRM services come close, but if a hosted solution is what you crave then Sage has that angle covered too, with its Web-based Sage CRM offering.

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NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 - The Super-Affordable Fermi
Techgage.com takes a look at NVIDIA's latest Fermi-based GPU, the GeForce GTS 450.

Been itching to buy a piece of NVIDIA's Fermi architecture, but were looking for a total sweet spot? At $130, the GeForce GTS 450 might be it. In all of our tests, it competed nicely with AMD's Radeon HD 5750, but most impressive might be the card's scaling ability in SLI, which can be summed up in one word... awesome.

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