Daily Reviews Summary 06/01/10 #2

It’s not often that a computer interface remains relevant over the course of a full decade, but that is exactly what USB 2.0 has accomplished since its release in April 2000. Over the past few years however, our media-dominated culture has experienced incredible growth and file sizes have increased exponentially and the aging interface simply can’t keep up in a number of tasks.

Other interfaces have challenged USB 2.0 over the years but none have been successful in dethroning it. It appears the only true successor to USB 2.0 is a revision of itself aptly called USB 3.0, dubbed “SuperSpeed.” USB 3.0 supports theoretical transfer rates of up to 5 Gbit/s.

A majority of current USB 3.0 devices are all external hard drive enclosures which is what we'll be looking at today in the form of StarTech’s 3.5” SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure. If your motherboard doesn’t support USB 3.0, which is likely the case unless your computer is relatively new, StarTech also offers the 2-Port PCI Express USB 3.0 Card which utilizes a spare PCI Express slot.

Regular overclocker are we? Well having the motherboard on a box really doesnt cut it anymore. Dimastech have updated their legendary Bench Table, take a look inside to see what we thing.

SSD’s are finally getting a firm grip within the market, helped in part by dropping prices and increasing capacities. If you have been holding off on upgrading then perhaps today we can change your mind. We would go so far as to say that from our experience, adding an SSD as a boot drive to a system is one of the best upgrades you could make.

Earlier this year, we attended the Asus 2010 CES Event in Las Vegas. While there, we caught a glimpse of several upcoming notebooks the hardware giant had in store. One of the most anticipated products we saw was in the Republic of Gamers line up. Dubbed the G73JH, it possessed a list of impressive specifications and an aggressive, stealth fighter design that spoke directly to enthusiasts. Well, this powerhouse of a notebook made it to our lab and we had a chance to put it through our own testing. Come on by and check it out...

TechwareLabs takes a look at MSI's latest offering, the 890GXM-G65. Gearing towards both the HTPC and portable gaming market, does this board have what it takes to satisfy both groups or is it spreading itself too thin? Find out if this motherboard should be in your next build.

Today we are reviewing the Thermaltake V3 Mid-Tower computer case. Boasting a bottom-placed PSU design, built in filter, and multiple 120mm fan mounts, this case promises performance air cooling in a slick black case. Does this case deliver? We go hands-on to find out.

Analog technology is going the way of the Dodo, eight track and Betamax; slowly drifting to technologic extinction. But what about us folks that still have precious memories tied to analog media? Elgato the company renowned for their TV software, TV tuners and capture devices has released the Elgato Video Capture. It is a USB based device that allows the capture of analog signals via the included cable connections.