11-30-2010

pcper reviewed the NZXT HALE90-850-M

One of the first things we want to see is how well this PSU can regulate the DC outputs and maintain stable voltages. To simulate real world and maximum loading conditions, the NZXT HALE90 850W PSU was connected to the load testers and supplied with a constant 115 VAC. In this test we are interested in seeing how well a PSU can maintain the various output voltages while operating under different loads. ....More

11-30-2010

techreviewsource reviewed the ASUS Eee PC 1215N

The Asus Eee PC 1215N is a laptop with a 12.1-inch LCD display that has a higher-resolution than most netbooks of this size and a dual-core Intel Atom processor with 2Gigs of memory.

It weighs a bit more than the average netbooks, coming in at app. 3 pounds, but it's still 'portable'. This netbook has a matte finish that's not very reflective, fingerprints can be easily seen on this material. The chassis is mostly black except for a few chrome accents around the touchpad and power button. ....More

11-30-2010

tweaktown reviewed the Dell Vostro V130

On review is an Intel i5 470UM which is a Dual Core 1.33GHz CPU that has a total of four threads because of HyperThreading. There is a single 4GB DDR3 memory module clocked at 800MHz and the internal graphics processor is an Intel Arrandale, which has very basic capabilities and is clocked @166MHz.

Playing Far Cry with all settings at low, the average FPS was app. 11, which is unplayable. You simply will not be able to play games with the Vostro v13/130. ....More

11 3 2010

bigbruin reviewed the ASUS EAH6870-2DI2S-1GD5

With the HD6850 and HD6870, AMD is using a new GPU called Barts, has added new technology to enhance the overall experience, and has made the pricing more competative.

Another significant difference comes in terms of energy efficiency. At idle the EAH6870 drew about the same amount of power as the HD5850 and the HD5870, but under full load the EAH6870 drew about 55 Watts (or 19%) less power. That is a big difference, which might translate to some savings on your electric bill, but will definitely help keep the card cool and quiet. ....More

november 2 2010

hitechlegion reviewed the NZXT Beta EVO

The NZXT Beta EVO is a well constructed case that offers exceptional cooling features for the money. The interior space is quite roomy for the price point and exterior size, even being capable of holding two full size, dual expansion slot graphics cards. ....More

october 29 2010

hardocp reviewed the MSI N480GTX Lightning

The cooler has two 9CM PWM powered fans, which cool a bonded aluminum heat-sink featuring five 8mm heat pipes, embedded into a large, nickel-plated copper base.

For high-budget gamers who need a video card now, this card is a solid choice, on the other hand it's simply not that much better than the ATI Radeon HD 5870 that is even several months older, has more mature drivers, and is nearly as fast as the GeForce GTX 480. It was only slower in Lost Planet 2. ....More

october 26 2010

bjorn3d reviewed the Kingston HyperX H2O 4GB 2133MHz DDR3 CL9 Kit of 2 KHX2133C9AD3W1K2-4GX

Does this memory kit really need a water cooling setup to operate properly? No the reviewers didn't see the reason why water cooling this memory would be necessary besides pushing the memory kit to its limits beyond the stock settings.

This kit is very fast compared to the OCZ memory module in applications that require quick read/write and copy speeds. An application perfectly suited for this memory is Adobe's After Effects CS5, which requires tons of memory and high performance during rendering. While the overclocking potential of the H2O kit was limited by our processor, we do believe that it is possible to squeeze a bit more performance out of these memory modules with an unlocked CPU. ....More

october 25 2010

testfreaks reviewed the Apple MacBook Air 13 inch

The MacBook Air impresses with speed and build. The lightweight of the newest MacBook is remarkable. The addition of preconfigured SSD makes the performance of the MacBook Air feel much faster than any previuous macbook. Of course if you add an SSD to any current Mac then they will have the same speed. While there are definite negative aspects of the MacBook Air for critics to attack overall it adds innovation to the MacBook line with its light weight, instant on and one-month standby features. If you are worried about losing features by going to the Optical driveless MacBook Air, fear not as the newest Apple laptop is up to the task.

Compared to a netbook the MacBook Air is as far from a netbook as possible. Surfing on a Dell Mini 9 could be slow and ponderous, while web pages immediately opened on the MacBook Air. Trying to run any form of video was not always pleasant on the Dell Mini 9 while everything worked on the MacBook Air. ....More

october 25 2010

anandtech reviewed the ASUS K72DR

The X72D seems aimed at basic users who want decent all-around performance and an attractive multimedia machine. It has a Blu-ray reader, a fast hard disk, and a reasonably good display, with the HDMI port it can serve double duty as a media center for home users.

When performance metrics are taken into account: The Phenom II N830 isn't terrible, but at some points it even struggles to catch up with Intel's ultra low-voltage chips. At the same time, it draws substantially more power, a continual problem for AMD for years now. Intel is competing on power, price, and CPU performance, and with Sandy Bridge on the horizon, AMD will have a hard timde to compete. ....More

october 21 2010

insidehw reviewed the Toshiba A665-3DV

This notebook has an excellent finish, pleasant and functional design, remarkable hardware components, 3D capabilities, Windows Media Centre support, 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium and a TV tuner, the attributes list seems endless.

This machine has a larger power adapter than normally is used with laptops, this probably means a lot of raw power. The graphics card is the strongest from the 300 series, with 1 GB of its own standalone memory. ....More

october 20 2010

anandtech reviewed the Zotac ZBOX Blu-ray HD-ID34

The Zotac ZBOX HD-ID34 is an good looking HTPC capable of playing back DVDs and Blu-Ray discs straight from the optical media. It can be wall mounted and connected with a single HDMI cable.

Zotac has released two versions of this box, the HD-ID33BR-U and the HD-ID34BR-U. The units are identical in terms of the system platform and specifications although the HD-ID34BR-U comes with a few extras. ....More

october 8 2010

techspot reviewed the HP Envy 14-1010NR Notebook PC

This laptop is a competent multimedia notebook that is durable and small. The 14.5 inch Radiance LED display is overpriced but the switchable ATI 5650 graphics card, backlit island-style keyboard and Beats Audio are all quality features.

Benchmarks:

3D Mark 2006, 3D Mark Vantage, CPU Arithmetic, CPU Multimedia, Far Cry 2, Sisoft Sandra, Unreal Tournament 3. ....More

october 7 2010

xbitlabs reviewed the Zotac GeForce GTS 450 AMP ZT-40502-10L

This card doesn't have any serious drawbacks, is noiseless and compact. Thanks to factory overclocking it's app. 6 to 14% faster than the reference model.

Compared To:

In the gaming benches the following vieo cards were used : Nvidia GeForce GTS 250, ATI Radeon HD 5830, HD 5770 and HD 5750. ....More

october 7 2010

ultimatehardware reviewed the MSI N450GTS Cyclone 1GD5-OC

This video card is very quiet and has low temperatures. The MSI GeForce GTS 450 is not going to beat the GTX 460, the latter is app. 24% faster, but the GTS 450 is app. 42% cheaper. The GTS 450 gas a great price/performance ratio. ....More

october 7 2010

hexus reviewed the KFA2 GeForce GTX 480 LTD OC PCIe 2

The Arctic Cooling cooling solution unit keeps the GPU core cool and is relatively quiet even after a long time. Benchmark numbers show that it is the fastest single-GPU card the reviewers have tested. The bundle on the other hand is a bit meagre and the hot air circulates in the chassis. ....More

october 7 2010

hothardware reviewed the Patriot Inferno 120GB PI120GS25SSDR

Boot-up your system a lot faster and quieter, a SandForce SF-1222 SSD CPU paired with MLC NAND flash will give you up to 285MB/second read and 275MB/second write speeds.

This solid state disk offers excellent performance overall. It competed favorably with the other SandForce products from Corsair and OCZ in the benches. The Corsair and OCZ drives however had a somewhat better performance than the Patriot drive in a few benchmarks, but the differences were small. The Cost Per GB is somewhat higher than the competition. ....More

october 7 2010

overclockers reviewed the AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition

This processor doesn't overclock better than the X2 555, but the silicon is a little more stable allowing you to have a cheap Phenom II X4 if unlocking the cores is succesful.

Core unlocking : All 4 cores were unlocked and the reviewer was able to run 10 minutes of Prime95 @ 4 GHz. ....More

october 7 2010

xbitlabs reviewed the Acer Ferrari One 200

This netbook is superior to ordinary netbooks with a comfortable keyboard, its luxurious design, increased performance and the option of attaching an external video card. Its high performance is the product of its short battery life and high temperature. It has no optical drive, bluetooth or HDMI connector.

Benchmarks:

3D Mark 2006, Battery Eater, Battery Life, FEAR, Half Life 2: Episode 2, Mobile Mark 2007, PC mark vantage, Resident Evil V, SYSmark 2007, Tom Clancy's HAWX. ....More

october 6 2010

jonnyguru reviewed the Seasonic X-560 SS-560KM Active PFC 560W

This PSU is a successfully designed product. It's efficient, extremely stable and very quiet. This power supply may be the best X series unit the reviewer has tested yet. Voltage readings were very solid. Ripple results were very low and it has a fan that turns off when not needed. ....More

october 6 2010

anandtech reviewed the Toshiba A665-3DV

3D gaming

If you really want a 3D Gaming notebook, the GTX 460M is probably the minimum the reviewer would recommend for a 768p display. If you want full HD in 3D, you'd better plan to get a GTX 480M or higher, or else you'll be turning graphics settings way down to get acceptable performance. ....More

october 6 2010

anandtech reviewed the Apple TV

The new Apple TV doesn't exactly have hardware specs to write home about. It's A4** based and presumably doesn't have any more memory bandwidth than the standard A4 you find in an iPad or iPhone.

AirPlay

The real potential with AirPlay is the ability to stream more than just iOS video content, but your OS X desktop or videos played on your iMac or MacBook Pro, WiDi for OS X. Apple could probably sell more Apple TVs as a Mac streaming adapter if it enabled this sort of functionality. ....More

october 6 2010

tweaktown reviewed the Gigabyte GV-N450OC-1GI NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450

This video card was probably the slowest variation of the GTS 450 models the reviewers have tested to date, but it's also the cheapest. The cooling solution is very good with low temperatures.

Compared To:

Galaxy GTS 450 Super OC, Sapphire HD 5750, Gigabyte HD 5770 Silent Cell and ECS Black GTX 460. ....More

october 6 2010

hardocp reviewed the Galaxy GeForce GTS 450 Super OC

The reviewers experienced generally positive overclocking results, but it was difficult to recommend, because it came to the market too late and offers nothing to win customers over from its primary competition. The out-of-box clock frequencies yield real performance results over a reference card, and it has great overclocking potential.

Compared To:

Nvidia GeForce Reference Card and the galaxy 450 Super OC overclocked. ....More

october 6 2010

alienbabeltech reviewed the Kingston SSD Now V Series 128 GB SNV425-S2-128GB

You get good performance for an affordable price. The drive showed some weird performance characteristics. In the real world testing with AS SSD Benchmark, it became clear that the more expensive Patriot SSD was much faster.

Compared To:

Patriot TorqX M28 256GB SSD ....More

october 6 2010

hitechlegion reviewed the AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition

The performance of this CPU was outstanding all around. Temperatures stayed very low, so there's no need for excessive cooling.

Compared To:

AMD Phenom II X4 965BE, Athlon X2 7850 BE. ....More

october 5 2010

thinkcomputers reviewed the Kiwi U-Powered Extreme Power 2000 mAh Solar & USB Portable charger

Being in the sun of a car for a week charged the battery by only app. 50%, a Nexus One can be loaded on a full charge. It cannot be used as an AC adapter because it comes with only one cable. The solar charging ability of it is probably more useful for the flashlight than charging a phone, but for people who need power occasionally and have nothing else but the sun this is your only option. ....More

october 5 2010

kitguru reviewed the XFX Pro Series 650 watt PSU XPS-650W-SEW

This PSU has a fantastic build quality, but it has not been built to break any performance records. Noise levels are reasonably good and a large fan keeps temperatures low, even when under the highest loads.

Benchmarks:

DC Output Load Regulation, Maximum Load, Cross Load Testing, ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance, C Ripple (mV p-p), Efficiency, Noise Level, Temperature. ....More

october 4 2010

techgage reviewed the Corsair CA-HS1 USB Gaming Headset

Corsair's first entry into the world of audio is very impressive, despite the headset being USB based. What it may lack in form it certainly makes up in function. A fair bit of work must of gone into the drivers as well since the Dolby Headphone effect does add an extra dimension to the sound without compromising too much on audio quality.

The 7.1 Virtual Speaker option is available with all input options from 2 channel stereo to 7.1, although it is best used in conjunction with the 7.1 input mode. This allows you to change the position of both you and the speakers within a virtual environment, shifting focus more to the rear or front, as well as sub-woofer volume control. This can be best noticed with 5.1 music or movies with the appropriate encoding. ....More

october 4 2010

legitreviews reviewed the Apple TV

Apple has finally started shipping their second generation Apple TV this week and we got a pair of them that just arrived from Shenzen China today.

Everything you want to watch streams wirelessly to Apple TV. HD movie and TV show rentals play over the Internet to your widescreen TV, while music and photos stream from your computer. Video looks crisp and clear. ....More

october 4 2010

phoronix reviewed the Sapphire Radeon HD 5450 512MB DDR2 PCIE HDMI

The ATI Radeon HD 5450 has a core memory clock of 650MHz and a memory clock of 800MHz. There are 80 Stream processors, Avivo HD / UVD2, CrossFireX support, OpenGL 4.0 support, OpenCL 1.1 support, and the card has a maximum TDP of just 19 Watts

Conclusion:

Linux gamers cannot expect from the Radeon HD 5450, the OpenGL test results were disappointing. Even those on a tight budget would be much better off buying a more expensive video card.

Compared To:

ATI Radeon HD 4650, ATI Radeon HD 5750, ATI Radeon HD 5770, NVIDIA GeForce GT 220, and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 240. ....More

october 4 2010

hexus reviewed the Kingston 64GB Data Traveler Ultimate 3 USB Flash drive DTU30

Available in 16GB (DTU30/16GB), 32GB (DTU30/32GB) and 64GB (DTU30/64GB) capacities this memory stick has a significant data-transfer boost over USB 2.0 drives, it performs like an eSATA 2.5in hard drive.

Benchmarks:

AS SSD peak sequential read and write speeds, single file read and write speed, mixed file read and write speed. ....More

october 1 2010

ninjalane reviewed the Gigabyte GV-N450-1G GTS 450

This video card is a reference model with an improved cooler and factory overclock. The card has a high overclocking potential, that can increase performance, but will not always translate across all gaming results.

Overclocking:

This card was OCed @ 870MHz (810MHz) for the GF106 GPU core and the GDR5 memory @1000MHz. ....More

        

Archive september 2010