Legit Reviews posted a review on the ECS GeForce GTS 450 1GB Black Edition Video Card. Other new articles:

- LIAN LI EX-10Q USB 3.0 External 2.5 HDD Review
- NZXT Phantom Full-Tower Case Review
- Lenovo ThinkPad X100e Notebook Review
- Arctic Cooling Arctic Sound P531 USB Headset Review
- Samsung Epic 4G Android Smartphone Review
- In-Depth Guide to Installing SageTV V7
- Corsair A50 CPU Cooler Review
- Some Initial (and mostly unsubstantiated) Thoughts on AMDs upcoming HD 6800 Cards
- Intel Chipset Codenames Cross-Reference Table
- Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7 AM3 Motherboard Review
- XION Predator AXP 970 Review
- Patriot Inferno 120GGB SSD Review
- ASUS ENGT430 1GB DDR3 Video Card Review
- ASRock Vision 3D Mini PC Review
- G.Skill Phoenix Pro 40GB Solid State Drive Review
- When does security inhibit productivity?
- Colorful iGame GTX 460 1 GB Review
- Patriot Xporter Rage 32GB USB Flash drive Review



ECS GeForce GTS 450 1GB Black Edition Video Card Review
Legit Reviews posted a review on the ECS GeForce GTS 450 1GB Black Edition Video Card

The ECS Black GeForce GTS 450 1GB PCI Express 2.0 video card comes with 192 CUDA cores that are factory overclocked to 850MHz on the core clock, which is a nice boot from the 783MHz used on the NVIDIA reference design. ECS didn't stop there though as they added a dual fan Arctic Cooling GPU cooling solution to make sure they card operates quietly and to ensure a long service life. Read on to see how it performs against four other NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 video cards!

The ECS GeForce GTS 450 Black Series 1GB video card is a very impressive graphics card since it uses the Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo Pro heatsink. The Accelero Twin Turbo Pro GPU cooler retails for $50 itself, so it to get it pre-installed on the ECS GeForce GTS 450 is a nice touch. This cooler features two 92mm PWM fans and 4-heatpipe that connect to cooling 35 fins achieve up to 120 Watts cooling capacity. The GeForce GTS 450 has a TDP rating of 106 Watts, so this cooler can easily handle an overclocked card like this and the temperature testing results show that. The ECS GeForce GTS 450 Black series card was the quietest of the bunch...

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LIAN LI EX-10Q USB 3.0 External 2.5 HDD Review
TechwareLabs reviews the LIAN LI EX-10Q USB 3.0 External 2.5 Hard Drive

The portable 2.5” drive has been around for a several years now and since USB 3.0 has become main stream peripheral manufacturers are already offering 2.5" portables in a USB 3.0 flavor. One manufacturer in particular is Lian Li who has always engineered some of the highest quality all aluminum computer cases and enclosures which have been second to none in the market place. We have one of Lian Li’s 2.5” HDD External Enclosures that is USB 3.0 compatible, let’s take a close look at the new EX-10Q 2.5”.

LIAN LI EX-10Q USB 3.0 External 2.5 HDD Review

NZXT Phantom Full-Tower Case Review
BURNED iN posted a review on the NZXT Phantom Full-Tower Case

We reviewed our first NZXT case back in June. At the time, we liked the Tempest EVO the folks at NZXT sent our way, and their Hades case also recieved high marks as a value case that really brought on the heat. However, with all those mid-range offerings, NZXT's high end lineup has rather stagnated. Aside from their ancient Zero full-tower case (the specs still claim 8800 compatibility), they have their also-aging Khaos ultra high-end full-tower case. However, that case costs a full $300. Apparently, NZXT also saw the gap in their lineup and moved to release a product to fill that space. That product is their highly anticipated Phantom full-tower case. As NZXT says it, "designed with sleek, pristine contours, the Phantom radiates personality and quality." So how does this shiny new case stack up to the hype NZXT has stirred up? Time to find out.

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Lenovo ThinkPad X100e Notebook Review
TechSpot posted a review on the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e Notebook

For mobile computer users that want a small and lightweight system, there are usually only two options: an underpowered netbook or a pricey ultraportable. Netbooks offer great battery life and portability but are usually limited to light tasks like word processing, checking e-mail, chatting online and watching standard definition video content. Meanwhile, ultraportables are pricier, but are small enough for daily travel and pack more power than netbooks.

Intel's Dual Core Atom N550 is just now starting to hit the market but early reports are only showing a 20% or so increase in performance over single core Atom chips. Fortunately for consumers, other options are available, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e that we will be taking a look at today. Lenovo describes the X100e as something between a netbook and an ultraportable. They claim it "has the portability and price of a netbook with the power of an ultraportable."

The company currently offers three different base models for the X100e: an introductory version priced at $449, a $509 Enhanced edition, and the Elite model which starts at $529 with an upgraded processor and hard drive. We are using the latter for our review, configured with a few extras that bring the price up to $605. Specs include a 1.6GHz AMD Turion Neo X2 dual-core L625 CPU, ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, 2GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory (single stick), a 250GB 5400 RPM Fujitsu hard drive, integrated WiFi, a 6-cell
Li-Ion battery, and an 11.6" 1366 x 768 display. The first thing you'll notice about the X100e is its classic ThinkPad look; as despite its netbook size, this is still a ThinkPad at heart.

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Arctic Cooling Arctic Sound P531 USB Headset Review
Bigbruin.com has published a review on the Arctic Cooling Arctic Sound P531 USB Headset

The sound quality from games using the Arctic Cooling Arctic Sound P531 USB headset was an improvement over the stereo headsets I was using before. The bass was more pronounced, but didn't rise to the level one would expect from traditional 5.1 speakers. Also, there were sounds from all around, but I was unable to tell where they were coming from other than left or right.[/quote6
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Samsung Epic 4G Android Smartphone Review
HotHardware.com posted a review on the Samsung Epic 4G Android Smartphone

The most popular and powerful Android phones currently available are quite possibly members of the Samsung Galaxy S line. Powered by Samsung's very own 1GHz Cortex A8-based Hummingbird processor and featuring a four-inch Super-AMOLED (active matrix organic light-emitting diode) capacitive touchscreen with a 480x800 resolution, it's no wonder that Samsung has already sold over 5 million Galaxy S-branded phones. The latest member of the Galaxy S family is the Samsung Epic 4G Android Smartphone, which adds two unique features that the other Galaxy S handsets lack: a slide-out keyboard and 4G capabilities. We take a detailed look at the Samsung Epic 4G here...

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In-Depth Guide to Installing SageTV V7
MissingRemote has released a new in-depth guide to Installing SageTV V7

If you are new to SageTV getting it installed and everything like ISO playback and HD audio/video playback working can be bit of a challenge; so when I needed to do a V7 install a few days ago I decided to document the process to hopefully make it easier for everyone to get the server up and running. Please note that this guide should be considered a living document.

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Corsair A50 CPU Cooler Review
Hardware Secrets tested the Corsair A50, a tower-shaped CPU air cooler, with three U-shape heatpipes and a 120 mm fan

Corsair is a well-known memory and power supply manufacturer, but today we are testing an air cooler from them, the A50, which has a tower heatsink with three heatpipes and a 120 mm fan. Check it out!

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Some Initial (and mostly unsubstantiated) Thoughts on AMDs upcoming HD 6800 Cards
PC Perspective posted some initial thoughts on AMDs upcoming HD 6800 Cards

One of our PC Perspective editors, Josh Walrath, is taking a stab at all the recent Radeon HD 6800-series rumors. The past several weeks have seen quite a few leaks about the HD 6870 and HD 6850 cards, and they look to be interesting beasts. These products are part of the “Northern Islands” family, and the first iteration we will see are the “Barts” brothers. These will comprise the Barts XT (HD 6870) and the Barts Pro (HD 6850).

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Intel Chipset Codenames Cross-Reference Table
Hardware Secrets posted quick reference tables listing all codenames used by Intel chipsets and the corresponding commercial product name.

Even for us that work daily in the high-tech industry it is hard to keep track of all codenames Intel uses for their chipsets and then trying to remember what commercial name Intel gave to each one of them. For the average user it is really complicated trying to understand exactly what product an article or review posted on an enthusiast-oriented media is talking about, especially when they are using the codename instead of the final product name. In order to help everybody out there (including ourselves), we decided to compile a series of quick cross-reference tables containing all the codenames Intel use for their chipsets and the actual product name. Enjoy.

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Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7 AM3 Motherboard Review
Hardware Canucks posted a review of the Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7 AM3 Motherboard

With AMD’s release of the Phenom II X6 processors, the popularity of their products has slowly been on the rise. Motherboard makers have been taking advantage of this newfound popularity by releasing a wide range of products which cater to the needs of everyone from enthusiasts to entry level users. Gigabyte has attacked the high end market with their Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7, a feature rich board that should cause many to sit up and take notice.

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XION Predator AXP 970 Review
PureOverclock has published a review on the XION Predator AXP 970 mid-tower case

XION has released their latest Predator Gaming Series mid-tower case, the AXP970, bringing some new features such as the Hot-Swap enabled front loading trays for easy hard drive installation and removal. The new base will accommodate video cards up to 350mm in length, such as the HD5970. XION has added several enticing features here as well, and it comes with a very attractive price tag of $80. Let's examine this new chassis from XION and see just what it can bring to consumers.

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Patriot Inferno 120GGB SSD Review
OCC has published a review on the Patriot Inferno 120GGB SSD

At the 4k level it seems to just blow past the other drives, but when you look at the scores as a whole it was slower then the Callisto series from Mushkin and would run great on one benchmark and not another. I tried several different methods to try and fix the issues including secure erasing, zero filling the drive, and even trying different allocation sizes during the format and the results were always the same. The write scores were what suffered the most. They were nowhere near the maximum and lacked when pitted head-to-head against the Callisto.

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ASUS ENGT430 1GB DDR3 Video Card Review
Modders-Inc.com has a new review on the ASUS ENGT430 1GB DDR3 Video Card

During this review we will be looking at one of the most popular markets there might be for graphic cards and that is the Digital Media PC's market. This is a very competitive market and ASUS is taking on all challengers with their version of the NVIDIA 430 series card, the ENGT430.

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ASRock Vision 3D Mini PC Review
HardwareHeaven.com posted a review on the ASRock Vision 3D Mini PC

Today ASRock are back with their latest mini-PC, the Vision 3D. Based on Intel's H55 chipset and NVIDIA's Fermi based GT425M graphics this model gives consumers a simple way to add a Blu-Ray 3D based HTPC to their home cinema. Today we put that system through a selection of real world tests including Blu-Ray 3D playback, media encoding and gaming to establish if this system offers more than just 3D capability.

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G.Skill Phoenix Pro 40GB Solid State Drive Review
ThinkComputers.org posted a review on the G.Skill Phoenix Pro 40GB Solid State Drive

Solid State drives are still quite expensive for most people, especially at higher capacities. The price most manufactures are shooting for is $100. This is really had to do especially with SandForce drives. Today we will be taking a look at a 40GB drive from G.Skill, which is really close to that price-point at $119.99 at my favorite online retailer. This drive is designed to get solid state drives in the hands of consumers and to also offer great performance. The 40GB size is still more than enough room for a boot drive and is the perfect size for a netbook! Let’s take a look and see just how much performance you are getting for that low price!

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When does security inhibit productivity?
Computing on Demand has posted a new article, 'When does security inhibit productivity?'

The current security craze is affecting more than our daily computing.  The implementation of various security measures has gone beyond standard security measures and has entered the obscene.  Where do we draw the line between taking precautions and stifling productivity.  IT concerns are valid, immeasurable, and undeniable... however, so is productivity.

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Colorful iGame GTX 460 1 GB Review
techPowerUp posted a review on the Colorful iGame GTX 460 1 GB

Colorful's iGame GTX 460 uses a massive triple slot cooler with two fans to keep the card cool. It also offers overclocker-friendly features like a Turbo button or voltage measurement points. Out of the box the card runs at clocks of 820 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory making it one of the faster GTX 460 variants out there.

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Patriot Xporter Rage 32GB USB Flash drive Review
Rbmods posted a review on the Patriot Xporter Rage 32GB USB Flash drive

Today we will take a look at Patriot's new 32GB USB flash drive called Patriot Rage. Rage is high performance drive with capacity up to 256GB. Let's take a closer look how it performs in our tests.

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