January 2007

"The Eliminator is an excellent liquid cooling system for any type of user, experienced or not. Thanks to the simplified mounting process, manual, and hardware, installation is very simple and easy with the detailed directions and revisions."

The Epox EP-5P945 Pro motherboard PCSTATS tested is a value-oriented alternative for those of you looking to build a machine on a budget. Built on the passively cooled Intel 945P Express and Intel ICH7 chipsets, the EP-5P945 Pro has a basic feature set and a nice collection of expansion options. It's a good no-frills kind of motherboard, and especially well suited for the upcoming Celeron processor which is based on the Core 2 Duo architecture.

"The Thermalright SLK-948U is an oldie but a goodie. This 635 gram chunk of copper is still a relevant heatsink however, resembling something akin to a metallic Toblerone with copper fins. It's this design which keeps the SLK-948U alive and kicking, and as you'll see in a moment more than capable for any K8 processor. The heatsink ships in a very plain cardboard box with a small collection of wire fan clips, spring tensioned screws, more screws, mounting plates and more clips. No instructions are provided, which is rather disappointing."

Sunnyvale, CA—January 30, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced their Vista Value Upgrade series which includes the highly anticipated 4GB (2x2048MB) dual channel kit. The new lineup of memory is optimized for perfect compatibility for those transitioning from Microsoft Windows® XP to Vista™.

OCZ is dedicated to providing memory solutions for the latest industry milestones, and the Vista launch is the ideal platform for OCZ to provide a necessary system component for all Vista advocates. The OCZ Vista Upgrade series was developed to convert a sluggish recently upgraded system into a superior computing experience ensuring the best possible gaming and productivity on Vista systems.

The OCZ Vista Upgrade series will be available in both DDR2-667 and DDR2-800. For gamers shifting to Vista and who prefer the performance of high speed memory, the PC2-6400 Vista Upgrade 2GB kit is the ultimate upgrade from 1GB of RAM. As a Vista up-grader, the PC2-5400 4GB dual channel kit will provide maximum memory bandwidth and deliver the most efficient operation possible.

“With the arrival of Vista consumers will now be able to take advantage of a new level of multimedia, gaming, and productivity when paired with the right hardware,” commented Jacky Huang, VP of Product Management, OCZ Technology. “For the optimal experience, OCZ is excited to release our new Vista Upgrade series of modules which have gone through the strictest testing with the full spectrum of Vista versions to deliver a perfect balance of memory performance and stability across the full range of applications.”

"We have seen that with the right combination of overclocking options and motherboard features that the P965 chipset is a power house. ASUS has already done pretty well with the P5B-E Plus we looked at last time; however, this was just a patch board for the Commando to arrive.

Commando is the third board to come out in the “Republic of Gamers” series of boards, joining the Striker Extreme and the Crosshair boards. Based on the Intel P965 chipset it looks to have the goods, but how does it stack up and is it really worth the high price tag of over $300 USD?"

This year in three overstuffed, stress filled days the Titans of the industry held court on stage in two different cities – Las Vegas, San Francisco. Imagine the dynamics of it all. Members of the media had to decide how to best cover the three who would shape the coming year and possibly the future – Gary Shapiro, CEA; Bill Gates, Microsoft; Steve Jobs, Apple.

"The Thermaltake LANBOX is a sleek, lightweight option for the way we haul computer systems to and from LAN's. The overall weight with installed hardware was less than 25lbs, which is light compared to some cases that weigh that much without anything installed. The small size doesn't mean small components. The LANBOX can handle the high end graphics and CPU's...."

The Zalman ZM600-HP power supply is cooled by a single large 120mm ADDA fan (AD1212MB-A71GL) which is temperature controlled. During testing the ZM600-HP power supply was definitely very quiet would be inaudible when installed into a system. Zalman clearly states on the power supply sticker that there are no user serviceable parts inside the PSU and the fan is soldered to the power supply PCB. There is even a blue LED under the fan to give it a nice back-lit effect when. The fan itself is not illuminated though.

“So many people have an iPod. It is the most popular MP3 player out there. So say you have a ton of music on your iPod and you want to listen to it on your brand new home theatre system. Well you could go out and buy the iPod AV cables, but those are limited by the length of the wire and who wants to have wire stretching across their room. This is where the Logitech Wireless Music System comes in. It enables you to move around without the limitations of wires and listen to your iPod on your home theatre with ease.”

"What has four wheels, high performance and comes with an insanely high attention to detail? The CM Stacker 830 Evolution is Coolermaster's latest high end enclosure which can fit up to nine 120mm fans, has 9 5.25 inch drive bays and full ATX/BTX compatibility.
The equivalent of a high priced exclusive sports car? Let's find out."

The battle between NVIDIA and ATI to have the fastest available card is constantly raging. A few months ATI has the upper hand until NVIDIA releases their next GPU and so on. Right now at the time of writing the speed crown falls in the NVIDIA corner with their 8800-series of GPU's. ATI has to settle for second price with their X1950XTX GPU.

While the X1950XT might no longer be the fastest GPU on the market it still is a fast GPU and with a price that won’t require you to sell your kidneys to be able to afford it (well, maybe one of them). Today we are testing the ASUS X1950XTX Crossfire 512 MB DDR4, the flagship in ASUS ATI-lineup.

"Off the shelf, the Foxconn G9657MA-8KS2H comes with the "-8KS2H" feature set; 8 for 8-channel High Definition 'Azalia' audio, K for dual Gigabit LAN, S for plenty of Serial ATA II hard drive support, 2 for DDR-2 and H because this slab of solder and circuits is RoHS compliant. A closer examination reveals five internal SATAII channels, one external (eSATA) jack for external data storage devices, eight 480Mbps USB2.0 ports. The Foxconn G9657MA-8KS2H motherboard is a prime example of what Foxconn can do."

Home entertainment is a very interesting thing. Enthusiasts are willing to spend large sums of money to get the right gear and a small upgrade to parts like tuners, televisions, and speakers can easily bring them from being reasonably expensive to downright unreachable for most consumers. HTPCs have followed this trend- while there is still a very strong enthusiast community lot of companies are beginning to sell expensive pre-built HTPC solutions that cater to hobbyists who want the best and are accustomed to spending a considerable amount of money on their equipment. This review will be taking a look at a company that most people have not heard of before, Moneual. These guys make a range of computer hardware, most of it aimed at home theater builders, and also sell full systems. The case we will be looking at, the MonCaso 932B, is their flagship HTPC enclosure and it is the same one used on the company's $4995 902T2 system.

"Guest writer Olivier tackles this high end enclosure, building an XBOX 1 game console inside, a small TFT, a truckload of LEDs and custom made PCB to control them all. Read on to find out how he turned a run of the mill Thermaltake Kandalf into an entertainment center."

“The abit NF-M2 nView is a microATX mainboard with the performance and features of a full-sized ATX. This board includes on-board video and is perfect for custom budget implementations.”

"The NZXT Adamas Aluminum Case has quality written all over it. It's great to see another exceptional aluminum case on market, because there are very few to choose from. With a 3mm thick aluminum frame and a 2mm aluminum interior, it can support well over 300lbs. Now that's what I call a sturdy case! This product also has plenty of drive bays, excellent air circulation and looks great. It even has a brilliant front bezel release system and side panels that are a dream to remove. Overall, this is an outstanding product. Watch the video to find out more and check out the bloopers at the end."

Some of today's high-end cases are solving the ever present heat issue by adding a large number of 120mm fans, and that is exactly what the NZXT Zero has done to make sure that no matter what processor you choose to operate inside this case, it will remain nice and cool.

I was a bit caught off guard with the Team Xtreem Dark but with an amazing looking heatspreader, lifetime warranty, impressive overclocking, and a price I can live with, how could I complain? As I have said, some of the D9 based 2GB kits I have tested were not able to match the impressive overclocking of the Team Xtreem Dark 2GB kit that I reviewed here today.

"But let me tell you why the multinational Tier 1s benefit from dual-core processing technology more than their customers. It’s quite simple. They load down their systems with extraneous software that you do not need and only chew up clock cycles. Microsoft has dubbed this bloatware “craplets,” and they’re worried it’s going to ruin Vista’s reception by the public. These craplets of course are revenue streams for the Tier 1s. In fact, with the razor thin margins in this industry, the kickbacks they get may mean the only margin they get! So who’s the real customer at this point? Back to my point"

"At some point or another, everyone found laptop keyboards to be ridiculously small, lacking both a decent mouse and a number pad. Now comes iOne's Scorpius N4 with a full featured number keypad and a mouse. That's right, they combined it into some sort of a num-mouse! This seems like a very cool idea! It saves space and rescues you from the horrors of a small keyboard! Let's see what happens."

Fluid XP+ has long been the leader in the Non-Conductive Coolant market, and is the product of choice for professional Liquid Cooling systems for PC Applications. We have to admit though, we never saw these colors coming... Meet the new Fluid XP+ flavors, Phantom Black and Blood Red! The Phantom Black really is black, just like black ink... and it does look really neat inside a system. The Blood Red is absolutely freaky! If you have a diabolical streak, murderous tendencies, or if your a vampire with a taste for blood, then this is definitely the coolant color for you. These new colors are truly unique and well conceived, Fluid XP+ has just turned to the dark side... and we love it!

“A little while ago we took a look at the Sapphire Radeon X1300 XT video card. It proved to be a great midrange card, especially for the price. Well today we will be talking a look at its bigger brother on the high-end; the Radeon X1900 XT. I was really excited to get the X1900 XT and see what it had to offer. It really changed the way I play games and the feel of those games so let's take a look and see what it can do.”

"The tissue paper is also something not regularly seen in case packaging. After pulling all of that packaging away you can see the front panel and side window are further protected by yet another layer of plastic. The side window is even covered inside and out. Ultra has obviously taken extra steps to make sure this case arrives at your door with the finish in factory pristine condition."

With the advances of DDR2 technology, the higher speeds and lower lantencies are only gaining popularity. It seems that DDR2-800 has become the mainstream speed and higher speed memory modules are coming to the market as we speak. The recent drop in the price of DDR2-800 certainly makes it a great buy if you plan to overclock your system. Since a Core 2 Duo can be overclocked by simply raising the FSB to match the clockspeed of the memory without breaking a sweat. Thus, having that extra clockspeed would certainly come in handy.

Almost all memory manufactures have a DDR2-800 on their product line up. The question still remains, which one will offer the best performance and overclocking result. Well, we have received new entry into the market from Team Group, TXDD2048M800HC4DC-D, which we are going to put it to the the torture test.

"Today Hardware takes a look at a contemporary and innovative enclosure from IN WIN. When we look for the proper case to build our machine, we look at things like (but not limited to) price, performance, eye appeal, and the ability to get the job done. The Alpha 360 microATX chassis is flawlessly designed to be ergonomic and aerodynamic. Its oval shaped design accentuates individual elegance not available in any other chassis. "

The HR-07 is nothing like any memory cooler I have seen, and the double heatpipe design is quite foreign looking to me. The concept of the design makes sense though, and what you have is a heavyweight heatspreader with a heatpipe on either side that draws heat up to a pair of cooling fins that will be situated in the moving air inside a typical system.

Nowadays, flash memory cards are everywhere: in mp3 players, phones, cameras, Nintendo Wiis, etc. With file sizes continuing to grow, the speed and performance of the cards are becoming more important. GoldenMars, makers of a wide range of PC peripherals and memory products, has sent us one of their “Turbo” Secure Digital (SD) flash cards to examine. Read on to find out how much of a boost the turbo gives you.

The Radeon X1950 Pro series is one of the hottest selling video cards at the moment. It is competitively priced and can run all current games without breaking a sweat. Gecube has engineered a special TEC cooled solution for improved overclocking. In our testing we saw amazing clock increases of 20% on both the core and memory for a final clock of 682 MHz / 816 MHz.

"Intel has been able to nail down their high-k + metal gate transistor technology and the next generation dual-core and quad-core processors will have the new transistors. The first processor family to use this new technology will be Penryn, which is the next generation Intel Core 2 processor. Thanks to the high-k + metal gate technology the 45nm part will benefit from clock rate improvements..."

"Well before I could start any testing with this mouse, I had to find a way to lower the sensitivity, as stock it comes so fast I could barley click on the close button on my windows. After installing the drivers I took a look at all the tweaks that I could perform to this mouse. First things first, I lowered the sensitivity from the max (10) down to something that felt closer to my old mouse (4). Now I was ready to go."

"DFI has brought the world of the super insane volt modding overclocker within reach of the average overclocker. Add a spec of good engineering, a touch of awesome voltage options, and a little of DFI's special magic and you have a platform that is killer fast right out of the box! The latest gear from those tweakers at DFI is the LANPartyUT NF590 SLI-M2R/G motherboard, and it's looking like a real gem too. The Socket AM2 motherboard supports single and dual core AMD Athlon64, X2 and FX as well as budget Sempron processors. DFI have based the LanpartyUT NF590 SLI on nVIDIA's extremely competent nForce 590 SLI and MCP55PXE southbridge chipsets."

“Ever since the GUI first started making it's way onto computers the mouse has been an incredibly important piece of equipment for any computer user. With the rise of modern PC gaming and modern graphic design the mouse has moved from a "point and click" device to a device of precision. Many gamers these days want a mouse that is going to not only meet their needs in game but also for their daily PC use. A4 Tech has answered the call of many gamers and has developed the X-750F Laser Mouse with 3X Fire "triple click", and adjustable DPI via the sixth mouse button.”

Up until now, Custom Painted PC gaming systems have always been pre-built. If you wanted a Custom Painted PC – you have one of two choices: buy a pre-built system which might not have all the components you want or build your own and find someone who’s skilled enough to bring your visions to reality.

Cooler Master, known for their innovative products with superior cooling capabilities have teamed up with Smooth Creations known for their custom paint job skills to create a one-of-a-kind product for you. Having won numerous awards, each in their own respective fields, both companies have joined partners to bring you your Ultimate Dream Machine.

CSX provides air-brushed custom-paint jobs with excellent cases along with superior cooling, so that you could build your very own dream machine.

Because the cases are air-brushed, there are no two cases alike, that once unattainable goal is now within reach.

Universal Design

Complete Cooling Solution

Silent Operation at 20 dBA

8 Memory Heat Sinks included

Universal clip design suits for ATI/ nVIDIA cards

"The Nine Hundred is one of Antec’s cases designed specifically for the gamer. Containing a huge 200mm fan on top, and no less than five places to mount 120’s, at least it should run cool…"

Skype is arguably the most popular Web telephony service out there... One common complaint is that the quality of the calls varies widely. There are a number of simple changes that you can make to both your system settings and the settings of your Skype client software to improve the audio quality of your Skype calls.

ECS has done really well since the NForce4 era and proven they can hold their own as a viable, reliable platform. The ECS of old is long since gone as their flagship motherboards stood up some serious beatings and succeeded. Many systems can seem stable and reliable until you really test them under many full load single and multiple operations all at once. In spite of any obstacles, ECS can hold their heads up at the end of the work day knowing they have some current and new products coming out that can .

That doesn't mean that they can sit around waiting for the checks to come in. Just like any other manufacturer they research, test, and design new products to keep up with the ever rapidly growing technology. With their 590-SLI motherboards well taken care of and out the door, NVIDIA arrived with their new 680i chipsets rumored to have greater capabilities and stability. Right on queue, ECS started working on the PN2-SLI2+ 680i Motherboard and sent one our way. And it is with great thanks that we are happy to review their newest 680i motherboard.

"Reviewing motherboards can be a tough job. A simple truth of computing is that very little actually separates comparable products when run at the same speed, and for those not pushing their system to the overclocking limit, choosing the right motherboard comes down to the price as well as what you get for your money. We here at HardwareLogic have always advocated getting the best bang for your buck, and being a site that focuses more on features and value, than pure overclocking performance, we tend to look at things a little differently than most sites."

"The Ultra Grid features an impressive exterior design, implementing a stealth black finish a cool mesh front bezel. The side of the front bezel supports audio input/output jacks as well as two USB ports. The door conceals all but one drive bay, but opening the magnetically latched front door exposes all four 5.25" bays and two 3.5" bay drives that utilize a fully tool-less/screw-less mechanism."

“As enthusiasts, we'd all love to own a killer quad-core powered rig complete with a healthy amount of RAM, super-fast hard drives, and a pair of NVIDIA's flagship GeForce 8800 GTX cards pushing the pixels. The kind coin required to assemble a system like this puts them well out of reach for the majority of us, however, hence the immense popularity of more affordable, mainstream products like the one we're going to talk about today, EVGA's e-GeForce 7950 GT KO.”

ASUS has a brand new entry into the motherboard market with the P5N32-E SLI Plus. Designed to be more robust with 100% solid capacitors, this new nForce 680i SLI entry may just be the one you've been holding out for.

My main interest with memory is the overclocking and how well the memory runs at a range of timings. The T1000UX2G4 showed a distinct ability to run tight timings ridiculously well. The overclocking results at the timings of 3-3-3-8/3-4-3-8 and 4-4-4-8 are the best I have seen, without a doubt. There isn't much else to say except that the Super Talent T1000UX2G4 are sure to continue to turn heads everywhere they go, as they have here today.

"The Wireless DJ Music System uses the 2.4GHz frequency band to wirelessly transmit the audio signal from your PC and the included transmitter, to the base station receiver (which also doubles as the charger to remote control). You can install more than one receiver, in different rooms for example, and then label that room using the Streampoint software. The music system can then stream music to the desired room simply by selecting the zone you want with the remote control. Unfortunately you cannot stream music to different rooms/zones at the same time like you can with the Sonos Music System; you can only listen to one zone at a time. Additional wireless receivers cost a spendy $80 each, nearly 1/3rd of the systems total cost. "

"The Apogee GT is proof that Swiftech always find a way to improve the near perfect. The Diamond Matrix Pin revisions as well as some all around polishing and surface increase performance all over the cooling spectrum. The benchmarks and testing reflect excellent results that exceeded expectations."

"Swiftech included their extremely popular APOGEE CPU water block with the system and they have already installed and leaked tested the complete cooling system. Unless you have a AMD socket M2, all you'll need to do is install the block, connect the two hoses and fill the system. If you have an AMD socket M2 based system, you'll need to switch out the water block's mounting plate. Swiftech covers this in their instructions and the M2 mount plate is also included in the kit."

"The last few months have been rather turbulent in memory land.
Several new modules have been introduced to the market, some of which are quite revolutionary. Of course, OCZ could not fall behind, and has introduced a new top end memory module with a totally new design, and we spent some quality time with it, can it beat our reigning overclocking champ?"

"The AOpen miniPC MP945-VX is built with Intel's very reliable 945GM and ICH7M chipsets (a pair of mobile core logic), and supports the Intel Core Duo Socket 478 mobile processor family. Everything else is based on notebook hardware which is compact, cool running, and quiet. The barebones AOpen miniPC MP945-VX system does not include a processor, memory or hard drive but does come with everything else including a dual layer slot loading DVD burner and wireless LAN."

The Asus P5B-E motherboard may be bland to look at but it's what's inside that counts right? ;-) There's a decent amount of onboard peripherals such as 7.1 channel Intel Azalia audio, IEEE 1394a, Gigabit LAN and an additional Serial ATA II controller. If you feel the need to add devices, the P5B-E has a lot of upgrade possibilities with three 32 bit PCI slots and three PCI Express x1 slots.

"The Sapphire Ultimate X1650PRO is a very stable and solid card to say the least. Although it didn't play F.E.A.R. smoothly at the game's maximum settings, it did play it fine at lower settings. The other games played fairly well, and I feel that this card would work out better in a HTPC setup rather than a gaming rig."

"The NotePal S from Cooler Master is an adjustable aluminum kick-stand for your laptop. It features an attractive perforation at the back, for fresh air to enter your laptop from below cooling it’s CPU, HDD and other heat generating components. Consequently, the laptop stand elevates the LCD portion of the laptop, effectively acting as a monitor riser."

"When Alpha Novatech produce a new heatsink model the company tends to only produce one or two variations to get it right. On the other hand, companies like Thermaltake produce dozens of heatsinks for each new CPU platform, and six months down the road there is always an entirely new collection of thermal solutions to choose from.... Did you ever wonder why it takes a high end heatsink manufacturer a handful of thermal solutions to cover an entire processor series, and other brands dozens and dozens? In this review, Frostytech will be testing out the Alpha Novatech PRE9060M92P heatsink; a large socket 775 solution ideally suited for Intel Pentium D, Core 2 Duo/Quad processors."

"Noctua made quite a splash with their high end NH-U series of CPU heatsink, delivering high performance at low noise levels, this miniature tower version fits on your northbridge and is passively cooled for total silence. Can it keep a hot nForce4 SLI chipset from frying, let's find out."

"The main feature of this keyboard is the customizable illumination. Although it won't really help you when doing your daily work, it does help when gaming in a dark environment such as at a LAN gaming event. The lighting does help surprisingly well in those situations and you won't be hunting for keys you cannot see anymore. ."

"With all that being said, I would feel confident in anyone using the WinTV-PVR-500 MCE who wants to build a HTPC system, or for the user who may have a dual monitor setup and wants to have live TV on the second monitor. The ease of setup and use through MCE also makes getting the WinTV-PVR-500 MCE a plus."

Sunnyvale, CA—January 18, 2007— With the goal of providing their latest proprietary technology to every enthusiast, OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today launched the OCZ PC2-6400 FlexXLC 2x1GB Kit, the mainstream edition of the recently released DDR2-1150 memory part. Intended for the enthusiast looking for the absolute highest performance and value, the new PC2-6400 Flex XLC delivers unprecedented speed, signal integrity, and thermal management, all at a lower price point than the current flagship high-speed binned Flex XLC solution.

“The overwhelming demand for our first Flex XLC modules shows us that this design is exactly what ultimate enthusiasts are looking for,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “To ensure that none of our customers feel left out, we are releasing a more affordable, lower voltage 800 MHz version of our flagship memory product with built-in headroom for those who really want to explore the benefits of overclocking.”

The PC2-6400 Flex XLC CAS 4 modules are optimized for the latest cutting edge platforms and will be available in 2GB (2x1024MB) dual channel kits. As part of OCZ’s line-up of premium memory, the PC2-6400 series is backed by a Lifetime Warranty and industry-leading technical support. Harnessing the performance of high speeds, tight timings, and leading-edge heat dissipation the unparalleled design of the OCZ PC2-6400 Flex XLC is a complete, all-encompassing solution certain to set a new standard for recreational enthusiasts.

Legit Reviews recently looked at the top AMD QuadFX platform running FX-74 processors and was left wondering what a pair of FX-70 processors could do for less money. We got in the 'budget' QuadFX processors and did what any end user would do once they got them - overclock them to the max. We turned these 2.6GHz processors into 3.1GHz beasts, but was it enough for them to catch up to the Intel QX6700?

Many stock coolers may get the job done, but the Vantec Iceberq 6 VGA Cooler may be just the upgrade for enthusiasts who aren't satisfied with just getting the job done. The Iceberq 6 dropped temperatures on the test GPU by about 13%, and as a bonus it dropped the case temperatures by about 10%.

DDR is old, that's what the manufacturers claim and we can really see it on the market also. Review sites review only DDR2 and the manufacturers have finally been able to push down the timings on the ram kits and at the same time done the same with the price. Therefore DDR2 has taken over the memory market, but what should you get then? Today we might have something on your hands that actually looks like a good choice. Crucial sent us their latest 2GB kit named Ballistix which runs at a 5-5-5-15 latency, we are going to look at these and compare them to other 8000 memory out on the market so stay tuned.

"Adamas, Greek for unconquerable or impenetrable. NZXT certainly wasn't kidding when they named the beast. This mid-tower weighs in at a hefty 20 pounds with 2-3mm thick aluminum throughout most of the case! Along with the 300lb capacity, it was also designed with cooling in mind, with its exterior and drive bays being finned, yes that's right, finned. And to top it all off, it stands tall in its all brushed aluminum with not a single flashy LED or annoying light in sight. In all probability, it's another great case from NZXT."

"In isolation, the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ EE is a decent processor. However, simply put, it's time for a much-needed update to AMD's K8 architecture.
We know that it's coming later this year, but in our opinion, it can't happen soon enough. K8 has been great over the years, but AMD just can't get to high enough frequencies to compete with Intel at the moment. If you're looking to build a new system then the choice is quite a clear one; unless you already own a socket AM2 motherboard, Intel's Core 2 Duo processors are a much better choice."

"Far be it for us as a review site to pick favorites, but one thing we can do is point out that Crucial's offerings have performed exceptionally well on our test benches in the past. Today's sample marks the third Ballistix product we've looked at in the past year, and fourth Crucial memory kit overall. Most recently we put their 10th Anniversary DDR2-667 kit under scrutiny and were blown away by the overclocking headroom. In fact, our only real gripe was we felt that it could (and should) have been marketed as a faster kit, so when we received Crucial's Ballistix DDR2-800 with respectable timings (4-4-4-12), we were eager to throw our gauntlet of benchmarks at 'em and see what kind of overclocking performance we could squeeze out of a higher clocked kit."

"mCubed introduced their first product back in 2004, named the T-Balancer XL we tested it and found it to be the most advanced and feature rich fan controller out there; rather than waiting for the competition to catch up, mCubed decided to up the stakes and they've released the T-Balancer bigNG, which aims to improve on the features and capabilities of the XL."

Today we are going to take a look at the Swing case from Thermaltake. This case resembles the look of the Tsunami and Soprano mid tower cases. The Swing has a stylish front panel design which leaves some room for the modders out there. In the time spent writing the review I have already had several ideas that a modder could do to the case to make it their own.

"The first things everyone noticed this year were the game systems built within some of their best looking cases you can find. One thing we've liked about Cooler Master is their willingness to be creative and even modify computer systems. This also makes the display booth look very cool."

"This year at CES, Intel was the top demo processor of choice among the exhibits. Let's face it, everything is Core 2 Duo and soon to be Core 2 Quad Duo. You just can't get past the benchmarks and performance of the latest Intel processors when it comes who's holding the 'title' champion."

The Scythe "ANDY SAMURAI MASTER" 6 Heat Pipe CPU Cooler / Heatsink is one of the most advanced and innovative CPU Coolers ever conceived. The Andy Samurai Master's "Top-Flow" design is incredibly fast and efficient for heat transfer and employs IIFS technology! The Easy-to-Mount VTMS Clips make the Andy Samurai Master practically universal across all modern processor socket designs. The Scythe Andy Samurai Master has been designed with a cutting edge look and with enormous heat swallowing potential. This is one outstanding CPU Cooler and we definitely recommend it!

Lakewood, CA – Monday January 15th, 2007 12:00 AM Pacific Standard Time- Rouchon Industries, Inc. dba Swiftech™ today announced the release of the new Apogee GT water-block. While both water-blocks look exactly alike, the “GT” features an optimized Diamond Pin Matrix structure which the company claims will yield performance improvements ranging from 1°C and up to 3°C at 100W depending on the CPU's, with Intel's latest QX6700 quad core processors benefiting the most from the revised structure. Swiftech also announced that all its water-cooling kits will now be shipped with the Apogee GT version. “While the enhancements represent a natural progression in our Diamond Pin Matrix Technology, the real challenge was in manufacturing. I am glad to report that not only did we improve on the performance of the product, but we were also able to boost our production capacity to an industrial level unmatched in the history of our Company; this will no doubt please our OEM partners and kicks off 2007 with high expectations of success for the year” said Gabriel Rouchon Swiftech's Chairman & CTA.

SHIPPING: Now
MSRP: $55.95

Taipei, Taiwan, January 15, 2007 – GIGABYTE UNITED INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched the highly anticipated GIGABYTE GA-N680SLI-DQ6 high end gaming platform, featuring the advanced NVIDIA nForce® 680i SLI MCP chipset, support for the record-setting Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme Quad Core processors and delivering the uniquely innovative GIGABYTE 6-Quad technologies.

In addition to native 1333 FSB support for the latest Intel Core™ 2 Extreme Quad-Core processors, the GA-N680SLI-DQ6 features the nForce® 680i chipset with support for SLI technology, including two PCI Express x16 connections and support for an additional PCI Express x8 connection, allowing users to add a standalone physics graphics processor for an even greater boost of graphics performance. The GA-N680SLI-DQ6 also supports NVIDIA LinkBoost technology, which automatically increases bandwidth up to 25% when select GeForce graphics cards are detected, delivering enhanced system performance and maximum overclocking ability

“Asus has gone above and beyond the call of duty, and has set a new bar for high-end gaming / enthusiast class motherboards. The Striker Extreme is an excellent product overall, and dare we say is a masterpiece due to how well thought out this design is. Once you work with this board for an extended period of time, you can begin to appreciate the work put in by Asus' R&D team -- these guys know what they're doing and have made a motherboard that proves it.”

Sunnyvale, CA—January 15, 2007—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and power supplies, today announced the launch of the ProXStream power supply series, a new high performance PSU that was first showcased at the recent 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. OCZ engineered the ProXStream to provide ample power to even the most demanding high-end systems. Incorporated in a small and diverse form factor, the ProXStream 1000W core is extremely efficient and very practical, as it can be integrated into just about any chassis.

A first-rate power supply is immensely important to ensure your system runs both effectively and efficiently. The OCZ ProXStream comes complete with quad PCI-Express connectors and sufficient power to operate high performance graphics cards with plenty of power left over to handle the remaining high end components found in today’s most demanding PCs. OCZ continues to push the envelope in controlling ripple noise and producing the cleanest power for high-end systems.

“The ProXStream pioneers OCZ’s new line of ultra-compact extreme power supplies,” commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ Technology. “At 1KW power with 70A distributed over four independent 12Vrails, the OCZ1000 PXS is an uncompromising, performance PSU with a plethora of connectors to deliver the power to every component in the system. The small form factor still allows fitting this powerhouse into even mid-size cases.”

"Today is ASUS’s day in our labs. We have been sent the extremely feature packed ASUS Striker Extreme motherboard based on nVidia’s new nForce 680i chipset for our testing purposes – it falls into the “Republic of Gamers” series of boards from ASUS and it’s the first for the Intel platform. We are today going to see how well it performs and just what you get for the over $400 USD asking price when compared to a regular 680i motherboard and DFI’s impressive RD600."

A while ago, we examined Vizo’s Ninja Notebook Cooler and had mixed opinions about its design and set of features. Vizo has returned to the notebook cooler game with a newer model, the Xena Notebook Cooler, which offers additional features including a bay for a backup hard drive. Will it be enough to propel it to the top? Let’s find out.

"Having mastered every aspect of the memory market and ventured successfully into the water cooling sector, Corsair has turned their attention towards power supplies. That's good news for buyers, because rest assured that anytime you see the Corsair logo, you can bet it's a high quality product backed by both a fantastic warranty and support system."

Abit needs no further introduction. Among overclockers and game enthusiasts it has always been a manufacturer you can trust because performance is high on the wish list. Through the years, Abit has manufactured motherboards that manage to deliver an outstanding overclocking.

"Unlike DDR2, where you can only have 8GB of memory per channel, FB-DIMM allows for up to 192GB of RAM per channel! (That might actually be enough for Vista!) It also allows for more bandwidth per channel too, 40GBs vs. 10GBs for DDR2. However both of those numbers are theoretical...."

"The 2007 CES event was held at both the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands Expo Center at the Venetian as well as some of the surrounding hotels. This means you should bring your most comfortable shoes and plenty of water as there was about 2700 exhibitors this year and over 1.8 million square feet of space used for booths."

Recently, Niko had a chance to review the CoolIT Freezone CPU cooler and was impressed with its performance but not without some reservations. CoolIT sent us another one of the CPU cooler products, the Eliminator CPU cooler, which has a similar design yet is also geared towards “eliminating” noise as well as heat. Will it also eliminate the other CPU competition? We are going to put it through its paces to determine if that is the case.

"A few months back we had looked at the Abit AW9D i975X motherboard, which was one of the first motherboards to come out of the Universal Abit camp. We had found this Intel flagship motherboard to be very competitive and offer a great deal of features even though it was not able to pack the equivalent punch of the legendary IC7-MAX3 or NF7-S v2.0. What we have on the table to look at today is the Abit NF-M2 nView. The NF-M2 nView is an AM2 motherboard that is powered by the NVIDIA GeForce 6150 with nForce 430 that offers both onboard DVI and VGA support along with 7.1 channel HD audio, Abit Silent OTES, and IEEE-1394a Firewire."

“Ever wondered why your cousin ends up with 400 instances of spy ware EVERY-SINGLE-TIME you're called over to fix his mess? Ever gotten a virus and not been able to figure out exactly how you got infected? Does Paypal email you 10 times a week and you don't understand why? The Internet can be a mine-field for the unprepared, but it can be surprisingly simple to stay above the "noise" and "drama" with some simple tips, and something as simple as a change in mindset. With this in mind, we submit to you our Internet Survival Guide.”

More super-coolers are coming out. The recently released Zalman CNPS9700 LED and Scythe Infinity are followed by an all-copper stylish-looking super-efficient CPU cooler from ASUS. It proved absolutely worthy the title. The details in our review!

"With the official release of the NVIDIA G80 based high end video cards in November last year, it is only a matter of months before we see new mid-range mayhem released for every budget minded gamer out there. At the very last moment XFX decided to satisfy gamers with one of the last G70 based video cards, their 7600GT Fatal1ty edition features passive cooling and faster clock speeds at a competitive price. How much faster? We find out."

"The card is pre-overclocked to such an extent that XFX claims that this is the fastest 7600 GT available. Not only that, but it also uses a passive cooling solution, making it completely silent. All this comes with a minimal increase in price (£5-£10) over standard spec cards, which certainly looks like a winning combination."

"Asus has produced a fantastic board in the Asus P5N-E SLI. it is a board that performs as good as anything else out their in our testing, but goes way beyond anything we have seen yet in the area of overclocking. If you are looking for a great enthusiast board, with very little headaches to setup and overclock well, and you do not want to mortgage the house for the 680i series, this board is it..."

What color? What form factor? What style? These are common questions we ask ourselves when looking for the right case. The options are plentiful and growing by the day. Deciding on which case to go with has a lot to do with what you actually plan on doing with the computer. Today we are going to take a look at Ultra's newest case offering the X-Blaster.

" Having written about video and audio technology since—gulp!—1980, let me tell you, there have been some mighty dull years. When I started out, big- screen TVs existed, but were based on analog technology and looked awful. The notion of combining video and audio into a single system was so unusual then that I was actually rebuked by my bosses at Video Magazine for writing a long and prominent new- product item about the very first surround receiver. It was a Kenwood with composite video switching, and no surround decoding, because surround sound hadn’t reached the home front. HDTV and the progeny of Dolby and DTS have remade the world and made it better. Now you can enjoy a huge, detailed picture with sound all around you. And just when you think things couldn’t get any better, they’re about to. Again. Here are a few rash predictions for 2007. "

"OCZ did well in choosing the best Micron D series modules which contribute to the memory's ability in breaking and setting some new records. Coupled with any flagship 965X, 975X, and 680i chipsets, the Flex XLC becomes a very powerful tool."

The Mountain Mods U2-UFO Horizon is the first computer case ever offered by Mountain Mods with a horizontal Motherboard orientation! Based on the award winning Mountain Mods U2-UFO, the Horizon takes computer chassis design to a new level with this revolutionary concept. The Mountain Mods Horizon offers 6x 5.25'' Bays, up to a maximum of 15x Hard Drives, Dual Power Supply Bays, 5 different acrylic panel color choices, 5 window layout choices, and this is just for starters. The horizontal Motherboard orientation makes for the perfect display setup for any advanced Liquid Cooling system. Add in an all modular design with included Vandal Switches and Casters, and you have a Modder's dream case here. This is without a doubt one of the most impressive computer cases we have ever seen!

ASUS launches their most overclockable motherboard yet with exceedingly high top-end frequency claims. In this article, we take the Commando to its limits and come back to tell the tale. If you're planning an overclocking rig, this may be the one board you do not want to pass up on. Details inside.

The Thermaltake LanBox is a portable case, which - as the name implies - is perfect for LAN parties. It features a large, comfortable and very sturdy handle, while keeping the weight down. It may cost more than other SFF cases out there, but certainly shines in every aspect. We let you know if the money is well spent for this case that is made to be the ultimate LAN party case.

Back in late October of 2006, VIZO Technology Corp and their product development team released a product which many would consider past-due: a self-contained liquid cooled CPU heatsink and fan. That's right, an all-in-one CPU cooler which has an integrated water-cooling pump, reservoir, and fan, and manages to consume no more space than the average aftermarket cooler. VIZO even beat all of the others to the market, but since they are a relatively small name in the advertising-fueled industry, their product went nearly unnoticed. Even major web technology tabloids made the mistake of awarding a product released over a month later as the first; but forgetting to inquire upon the facts is not uncommon for web tabloids.

Coolermaster have made themselves known on the case market for their Stackar cases, they do of ocourse make other cases and today we will take a look at one of those. We got a sample of their Itower 930 which is a midi tower case made out of steel, yes you read it right steel, not aluminum as most cases are today. The main problem with a steel casing is the weight, but on the other hand you get rid of that rattling sound from an aluminum case.

"Sennheiser has re-invented the ear bud with their “Twist to Fit” design found in the MX 90VC. Rather than just letting the ear bud rest on the bottom of the ear, the MX 90VC has an extension above the bud piece, topped with a rubber wheel, that wedges the earpiece into the ear. The earpiece is inserted at an angle and twisted while in place, causing the wheel to roll along the upper edge of the inner fold of the ear, wedging the driver into place. "

Not only is the M300 one of the smallest Mini-ITX enclosures with a full height expansion slot, it manages to pack other useful goodies inside as well. Given the size, built in features, and simple good looks, it is easy to recommend for anyone looking for a compact Mini-ITX case with some nice added touches.

"Antec was nice enough to schedule a meeting with Brian and myself at the Bellagio. Many of you reading this may remember that we covered their new lineups for the coming years during our time at CES the last two years.
This year they had their next series of cases (Such as the Sonata III,
P182 and P190) to show us as well as some hard drive enclosures, power supplies (1000 & 850 watts) and their HTPC cases, plus an interesting AV component I’ll talk about at the end of the article."

Taipei, Taiwan, January 2, 2007 - GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and other computing hardware solutions, today announced the launch of a full range of 945 series All-Solid Capacitor motherboards completing a total product line up of All-Solid Capacitor motherboards based on 945 through 965 chipsets. GIGABYTE 965 series All-Solid Capacitor motherboards have received much acclaim over the past two quarters for there high quality and reliability, therefore GIGABYTE has introduced solid capacitors to the 945 series of motherboards that targets the mainstream market. The brand new 945 series All-Solid Capacitor motherboards qualify GIGABYTE as the first motherboard maker to provide a full range of ultra durable motherboards from high-end to mainstream products.

The Scythe ''KAMA-METER'' 5.25'' Bay Multi Function Panel Controller is one of the coolest multi-functional products we have seen in a long time! The stylish ''KAMA-METER'' can control up to 4 fans, monitor up to 4 temperature zones, and has a sound controller and multi-color LCD display all built into this one awesome device. Built in alarm triggering, intelligent memory saving features and a whopping 7 backlit LCD colors to choose from makes this one enticing multi-function controller. Be seduced by the Scythe KAMA-METER!

"With 2006 coming to a close and Christmas just 2 weeks away, what a better way to celebrate the end of busy year by hosting a giant LAN party. After an extended 6 month absence, the TFL aka Toronto Fun League hosted a 2 day event at the CNIB Centre on December 16th-17th, 2006. Like previous TFL events, the theme presented this year was BYOC with the inclusion of professional gaming tournaments ranging from the ever-popular Counter Strike, Counter Strike Source, Warcraft III, Starcraft and 1v1 Unreal. Event participants would have a chance to win up to $50,000 in prizes donated by the event sponsors."

Introducing the new TWIN2X2048-10000C5DF DOMINATOR, rated and tested at a frequency of 1250MHz!