Reviews 51951 Published by

techPowerUp posted a review on the Zotac GeForce 8800 GTX OC Edition

Zotac's new GeForce 8800 GTX OC Edition comes factory overclocked with clocks of 630 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory. This is a nice increase over the standard NVIDIA clocks, especially if you consider the small $20 premium and that you don't lose your warranty. For users who are not willing to spend a lot of money for a GeForce 8800 Ultra this card seems to be a viable alternative.
Zotac GeForce 8800 GTX OC Edition Review

Hardware Secrets posted OCZ Equalizer Laser Gaming Mouse Review

The dog may be man’s best friend, but a mouse is a gamer’s best pal. The market is flooded with mice that promise high resolutions and dead-on precision in the digital battlegrounds. Every company offers something extra to attract a potential buyer, be it the adjustable weight cartridge from Logitech’s G5 line, or the “triple threat button” from OCZ Equalizer Laser Gaming Mouse, that allows the user to shoot a virtual weapon three times faster then normal. We tested the latter and its impressive range of sensitivity – from 400dpi to 2500 dpi – that can turn any lousy shot into a digital marksman.
OCZ Equalizer Laser Gaming Mouse Review



Modders-Inc takes a look at the VIZO Sleet VGA Cooler

Keeping your video card cool is always a must in any gamers rig. With the growing trend of the mid range video cards it seems most are coming with relatively small coolers that leave a consumer only wanting more when it comes to cooling potential. So today we are going to check out one of VIZO's Sleet VGA coolers.
VIZO Sleet VGA Cooler Review

Hardware Canucks posted a review on the HighSpeed PC Large Original Tech Station

Targeted at the frequent hardware swapper, today we'll be looking at the E-ATX version of Highspeed PC's Original Tech Station Computer Case. The Tech Station allows hardware changes to be made to a system safely and efficiently. The Tech Station is not meant as much to be a computer case as it is meant to be a work bench for troubleshooting hardware, or for hardcore benchmarking. The model we have today, the original Tech Station is aimed more at professional users who will have a permanent motherboard, video card, and CPU, but want to be able to change out the power supply, hard drives, or other components that are connected by a cable to the motherboard.
HighSpeed PC Large Original Tech Station Review

Hardware Secrets posted MSI Overclocked GeForce 8600 GT Review

GeForce 8600 GT is a mid-range video card in the new GeForce 8 family from nVidia. Usually this kind of model is the one that provides the best cost/benefit ratio for the average user. Is this true for this new release? This is something we will check in our review. Also this model from MSI, NX8600GT-T2D256E OC, comes factory-overclocked, meaning that it will achieve a performance higher than the standard GeForce 8600 GT. Check it out.
MSI Overclocked GeForce 8600 GT Review

ASE Labs takes a look at the Arctic Cooling Arctic Fan 9

It is hard to review a product such as a fan. Generally, if you plug it in, and it works, then the fan deserves a recommendation. On the contrary, today I will be reviewing the Arctic Cooling Arctic Fan 9, Arctic Coolings new PWM based 90mm fan. For the test, I will be replacing the stock fan on my CPU cooler with it, and seeing what the differences in temperature and noise pollution look like.
Arctic Cooling Arctic Fan 9 Review

XSReviews has reviewed the Zalman VF-900

Zalman manufacture some of the worlds best loved coolers for the hardware enthusiasts. From graphics card chillers to CPU heatsink and fan combos, they do it all. Today I have their VF-900 GPU cooler to test, I wonder how it will do...
Zalman VF-900 Review

XSReviews has reviewed the Antec P190 case

At Channel Expo I had the privilege of being stabbed with a case panel by their rep showing me their new P190 case. Building on the success of the P180 range, this case now has 2 140mm fans, 2 120mm fans and an Antec Big Boy 200mm fan slapped on the side. If the box is anything to go by, this case is big...
Antec P190 Review

Tech ARP has posted their PC Buying Guide

Setting up a new PC is always challenging. What processor should you buy? What motherboard? What about the graphics card? Which should you go for? Who should you trust to give you advice?

If this can be challenging to even seasoned PC hardware enthusiasts, it can be quite impossible for a newbie. So, Empire23 is now working on a large guide on how to select components for your PC. The first part deals with processors, the brains of our PCs.
PC Buying Guide

HotHardware.com evaluate the features and acoustic performance of Abit's iDome speakers and AirPace Music wireless access point.

The iDome satellites turned out to be rather impressive, but the subwoofer was another story altogether. The AirPace Music unit, however, has some very interesting features and abilities of its own. Head on over to the site and check them out.
Abit iDome and AirPace Music

The Guru of 3D posted a review on the Jetway 966PDAG-PB mainboard

Go buy yourself an nForce 680i SLI mainboard, and you are out 250 EUR/USD rather quickly. But what if you don't want or can't spend that kind of money? What if you are a regular user with the need for a nice graphics card, a nice processor and good memory? What if you don't need SLI, dual GigE Ethernet, diagnostic LEDs or the need for an uber-overclock? Now, what if you just want a really fast mainboard without all the nifty features?

Look no further, I found the perfect mainboard for you and guess what? It's not 250$, not 150$, not even 100$. Nope, you can pick it up for 70-79 bucks and still get the same performance as that 680i mainboard. Hey all, and welcome to a mainboard review from the guys at Jetway. A while ago they released the 966PDAG -PB Jetway INTEL G965 + ICH8 based mainboard that comes with a good feature set, and really offers good performance.
Jetway 966PDAG-PB mainboard Review

R&B Mods posted a review on the Asus EN8600GTS Video Card

When you’re trying to build a high-performing and quiet operating computer, finding components that offer both solid performance with little added sound are little gems in the rough. While most people If you don't have the money to buy the latest videocard then you might want to consider going for something else that costs less but still can perform good.

We got a sample from Asus in the mail and inside the box we found a Asus EN8600GTS card, this is a middle class card that you can catch at 200$ on the market these days. We will compare it vs a 8800GTS and vs an older ATI card to really see what type of performance we can get out of this card.
Asus EN8600GTS Video Card Review

Bjorn3D checked out the Antec MX-1 Active Cooled HDD Enclosure

If you have seen one enclosure then you have probably seen them all, right? Is there anything that can make the Antec MX-1 stand above the multitude of external hard drive enclosures that litter store shelves and online merchants like blades of grass on a prairie? To fast forward to the conclusion the short answer is, yes. Unless price is the numero uno consideration the Antec MX-1 should be at the top of anyone’s shortlist. Read on to find out just what makes this enclosure so special!
Antec MX-1 Active Cooled HDD Enclosure Review

Fast Silicon posted a review on the SuperTalent Solid State Drive

Coupled with its rugged shock resistance and wide operating temperature range, this would clearly be the storage device of choice in very rugged mobile, retail, medical, avionic, or military applications. Though theoretically inferior in performance to even the average hard drive, in day to day use we do not see many people "noticing" that this is a NAND flash device. In the very near future (within the next quarter) we'll be seeing NAND flash devices with read and write speeds equal to or better than the Hitachi 7K250 drive we used (close to 70MB/sec read/45Mb/sec write) and massively higher I/O per second capabilities. As the technology improves and prices begin to trickle down to real world levels we see devices like the Supertalent SSD16GB25M being likely candidates to reside in many portable computing devices.
SuperTalent Solid State Drive Review

I4U NEWS reviews the Data Robotics Drobo Storage Robot DRO4DU10

To use Drobo all you need to do is plug the unit in, add your drives and Drobo does everything else for you. Drobo will format your drives automatically and the drives can be different makes, models and capacities.
Data Robotics Drobo Storage Robot DRO4DU10 Review

BlueTomorrow.com posted an article on Bluetooth Headsets

Bluetooth headsets offer a convenient wireless connection to a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone or computer. This hands-free capability
allows users to access their cell phone to answer or make calls while leaving their hands free for driving. It also allows a user to walk freely about their office while dictating to a voice-activated word processing program in their PC. The freedom permitted by Bluetooth technology makes for a safer, more productive world, while still maintaining the pace we?ve become accustomed to.
Bluetooth Headsets

InsideHW.com posted Nvidia Mainstream DX10 VGA Roundup

One month after release of new Nvidia G84 / G86 cards, we decided to make a roundup and see performance difference between entry and mid-level cards with full DirectX 10 support. Some of our findings might surprise you.
Nvidia Mainstream DX10 VGA Roundup

TheTechLounge posted an article on ATI HD 2900 XT Vista Performance

Hardware like video cards, especially high-end video cards, often fall under the purview of the Enthusiast. An enthusiast is a computing hobbyist with a kind of hardware pioneer's mindset. Never quite satisfied with where he or she is, enthusiasts tweak and modify, often risking and sometimes obliterating good hardware in attempts to find its limits. But there's often one territory that enthusiasts avoid: new operating systems. This makes sense when you think of an operating system as the set of tools used to trailblaze hardware. How would you go digging when your shovel has a hole through it? ATI's current flagship, the HD 2900 XT, runs about the same as NVIDIAs 8800GTS 640MB on computers using Windows XP. But that's patently irrelevant for Vista users. Here are the numbers from a side-to-side comparison: the pioneers of operating systems read on.
ATI HD 2900 XT Vista Performance

Overclockers Online has posted a new review on the Apevia X-QPack2

As good as the case may be, it's not 100% perfect. There's still the little QA/QC issue identified with the window that nags in the back of my mind. If you went with the windowless model, then you're home free. Aspects like the removable motherboard tray, carrying case and multiple storage capabilities make it a wonderful little case that should be on your list to consider for mATX machines.
Apevia X-QPack2 Review

MadBoxPC posted an AMD 690 Chipset Round up in Spanish

AMD 690 Series Chipset is the first chipset with integrated HDMI and DVI outputs. We tested 3 motherboards form different builders (ECS, MSI and Foxconn) as usual, we tested them under default settings and also we tried to overclock them.
Read more (Spanish)
Read more (with translator)

Techgage posted a review of Logitech's X-240 speaker set

When Logitechs X-540 5.1 speaker system came out, it set new standards of performance for the $99 price category. With their new X-240 2.1-channel system, Logitech once again aims to surpass the status quo. With its integrated stand for portable music players and its intelligent electronics, can Logitech manage the same feat again with the X-240?
Logitech X-240 2.1 Music Center Speakers Review

OCC has published a new review of the Patriot PEF4G200USB Xporter XT High Speed USB Flash Drive

I imagine most of us have used a "sneakernet" at one time or another, right? What, you don't know what a "sneakernet" is? Let me explain then. Assuming you have more than one PC in your place of residence, let's say you have a 4MB game patch to add to the PC in the other room without internet access or network access. By coping that file to a disk and carrying it to the other PC you have just created a "sneakernet"! Get it? Sneakers? Now, with this being a 4MB file, it won't fit on a floppy disk. Who uses those these days anyway? Your other choices are to burn it to a CD, or copy it to a flash drive. A flash drive, or thumb drive as some refer to it, is a small device the plugs directly into your type-A USB connection on your computer. It consists of a printed circuit board and NAND-type memory. They are small, light-weight and are powered by the USB port they are plugged into. They come in a variety of sizes. The first one I ever bought was only 128MB, while the one being reviewed here is a whopping 4GB!
Patriot PEF4G200USB Xporter XT High Speed USB Flash Drive Review

BIOS Magazine posted Apple Airport Extreme Review

Apple's AirPort Extreme is an extremely simple wireless networking solution delivering better the performance (Apple says five times) and twice the range of the previous AirPort Extreme. Based on Draft-N, the AirPort Extreme extends a wireless network to even more areas in a home or office and makes streaming digital content and transferring large files faster and easier.
Apple Airport Extreme Review

Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the CyberPower CP1350AVRLCD 1350VA 810W UPS

The CyberPower Systems CP1350AVRLCD UPS, designed for mid to high-end computer systems, features dynamic line conditioning and an Intelligent LCD diagnostic display. Real-time system vitals can be viewed from this display and the unit can be conveniently mounted in a workstation cabinet or directly on the desktop. The CP1350AVRLCD also guards against surges/spikes, and offers battery backup in the event of brownouts or total power loss. Benchmark Reviews tests to see just how long the 1350 compares to the competition.
CyberPower CP1350AVRLCD 1350VA 810W UPS Review

The TechZone has posted a review of the Okidata C6100DN LED Printer.

Print speed was outstanding. Time to first print was extremely fast
also. A 30 page mixed graphics and text document printed in just over 1 minute and 20 seconds. The print quality of this document was fantastic. The colors were rich and deep. The text was dark and crisp.
Okidata C6100DN LED Printer Review

Elite Bastards posted Noctua NC-U6 chipset cooler review

The first thing to strike you upon setting your eyes on the NC-U6 is its sheer height. As motherboard chipset coolers go, the only adjective suitable to describe it is 'tall', with the NC-U6 standing at 85 millimetres, with a width of 70 millimetres.

The base of the NC-U6 is a copper one, which sports two U-shaped heat pipes to draw heat up and away from the motherboard chipset, where it is then dissipated by the twenty-nine aluminium fans which make up the main body of the cooler, giving it a surface area of over 500 square centimetres to remove heat quickly. Everything aboard to NC-U6 is soldered rather than glued together, which should allow for optimal heat transfer away from the chipset. As you can probably see from the image above, the base of the cooler doesn't have a mirror finish, but it is smooth to the touch and thus should be relatively efficient and removing heat from the motherboard chipset.
Noctua NC-U6 chipset cooler Review

TrustedReviews have looked at the Acer Aspire 5920

Designed under commission by BMW Designworks, the new Aspire range utilises a ‘Gemstone’ design focus that has generated a distinctive and unique look. On the outside one can genuinely see that 'Gemstone' idea in the shape and finish. Though the notebook is obviously rectangular in shape, the subtle use of curves gives it a pleasant oval shaped quality, and the shiny pearlescent black finishes off the look beautifully. Importantly, this gives the 5920 a real sense of quality before you've even opened it up and started using it.
Acer Aspire 5920 Review

TrustedReviews have looked at the Gateway GT5074b

Inside, we find a system built around an Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 processor (which shares 4MB of internal cache between the two cores) supported by 2GB of main memory on a 1066MB front side bus. There's a 320GB SATA hard drive for all your storage needs (even if you regularly record TV programmes to it) and a 256MB nVidia GeForce 7500 LE graphics adapter, which runs cool enough not to need its own fan. In fact this machine runs commendably coolly and hence very quietly.
Gateway GT5074b Review

Howtoforge published a guide about setting up a session-aware loadbalancer using mod_proxy_balancer

mod_proxy_balancer is an Apache module that lets you create a loadbalancer. This loadbalancer retrieves requested pages from two or more backend webservers and delivers them to the user's computer. An important feature of mod_proxy_balancer is that it keeps track of sessions so that a single user always deals with the same backend webserver.
Apache: Creating A Session-Aware Loadbalancer Using mod_proxy_balancer