Reviews 51923 Published by

HotHardware.com posted a review on the Lenovo IdeaPad Y560D 3D Laptop. Other new reviews:

- SandForce SF-2000 Series SSD Controllers Detailed
- Sparkle Gold Class 850W PSU Review
- NZXT Premium Sleeved Power Supply Cable Review
- Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Gaming Keyboard Review
- ARTISAN KAI.g3 HIEN Gaming Mouse Pad Review
- Sapphire HD5770 Flex CrossfireX (3 screens) Review
- Gunnar Optiks Digital Performance Eyewear Video Review
- Synology Diskstation DS210+ NAS Review
- Xigmatek Utgard Case Review
- G.Skill FLARE PC3-16000 Memory Review
- FireStone Preamp and Big Joe IV mono-block review (Audio)
- Zalman VF3000 Series VGA Coolers Rounded-Up for nVIDIA and ATI GPUs
- G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1600 CL9 8GB Review
- Logitech G930 Wireless Headset Review
- Arctic Accelero XTREME Plus GPU Cooler Review
- Zotac ZBox (HD-ID11) Mini PC Review
- Kingston HyperX H2O 6GB DDR3-2000 Review
- Sentey Arvina GS-6400R Case Review
- Lenovo Z560 Core i3 15-in Notebook Review
- ACRyan PlayOn!DVR HD Review



Lenovo IdeaPad Y560D 3D Laptop Review
HotHardware.com posted a review on the Lenovo IdeaPad Y560D 3D Laptop

Lenovo's IdeaPad Y560D is an interesting system that initially caught our eye thanks to its 3D-capable display. 3D films and TVs have been declared hot ticket capabilities by the film industry and TV manufacturers, but this is the first 3D-capable notebook we've had in house. The Y560D isn't the only 3D laptop on the market, but it's priced with more of an eye towards mainstream consumers; most 3D notebooks to date have been aimed at the high-end/enthusiast market. At $1399 on sale the 560D isn't cheap, but it's a more affordable than most of the competition...
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SandForce SF-2000 Series SSD Controllers Detailed
Legit Reviews posted some details on the SandForce SF-2000 Series SSD Controllers

SandForce is making some news today by announcing the availability of the SF-2000 Family of SSD controllers. This new SSD controller features a SATA III 6Gbps host interface, DuraClass Technology, 60,000 sustained random read/write IOPS (Input-output Operations Per Second) and sustained sequential read/write performance of 500 Megabytes per second. Yes, you are reading that right! This new controller will be able to max out the Serial ATA Revision 3.0 bus at 500MB/s read/write!

The key changes in the SF-2000 series controller is most obviously the updated SATA III 6Gb/s interface, which helps push performance up to 60,000 IOPS for 4K Random Read and Write data transfers. It also pushed the sequential Read and Write performance numbers up to 500MB/s and SandForce confirms they have hit those numbers in their test lab just this week with their first production run silicon that they just recently got in from overseas. SandForce will have three model numbers in the SF-2000 series; the SF-2600, SF-2500 and the SF-2300...
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Sparkle Gold Class 850W PSU Review
TechwareLabs reviews the Sparkle Gold Class 850W PSU

Sparkle is mainly known for their video cards, and as we have seen, they tend to deliver. Power supplies might seem to be an odd place to branch off into at first, but it makes sense given that the graphics card is becoming one of the largest single power draws in a modern gaming system. Today, we'll be taking a look at a power supply that aims to be as far away from substandard as possible: Sparkle's Gold Class SCC-850AF. Let's see if that sparkle comes from the luster of the finish, or the fizzling sparks of dying circuitry.
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NZXT Premium Sleeved Power Supply Cable Review
Legit Reviews posted a review on the NZXT Premium Sleeved Power Supply Cable

Sometimes the inside of your case is so ugly that it just needs a makeover. Why try to look through a tangle of knotted wires when you can hook yourself up with some of NZXT's new Premium Cables? Then, everyone can take a look at the inside of your "killer" case and see nothing but sexy individually sleeved cables!

So what exactly are the NZXT Premium cables for? They are for the computer user who is very particular about the way the interior of their computer looks. Let's say, for instance, that you don't have a power supply that has all of its wires sleeved by the manufacturer and you don't want the inside of your case to look like a plate of red, yellow and black pasta. All you need to do is hide the red, yellow, and black wires somewhere in the case and attach the NZXT Premium cables to the ends that you would normally connect to your devices and connect the other end of the premium Cables to your devices. That way the colored wires are out of sight and the Black, Red, or White sleeved wires of the Premium Cable is all you see now...
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Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Gaming Keyboard Review
BURNED iN posted a review on the Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Gaming Keyboard Review

A little history lesson is in order for you young fellas who think of Microsoft has little more than a software juggernaut. In truth, the rowdy bunch from Redmond have been kicking out hardware products for nearly three decades, starting with the formation of "Microsoft Hardware" back in 1982. In the 1990s, Microsoft began catering to gamers with the introduction of the original Sidewinder Game Pad, and the Sidewinder brand would be used to market a series of gamepads, joysticks, driving wheels, and even a voice chat device before the Sidewinder name was retired in 2003.

Four years later, Microsoft revived the Sidewinder brand, first with a Sidewinder Mouse and then with the Sidewinder X6 in 2008. Fast forward to today and the X6 remains Microsoft's flagship keyboard for gamers. With a boatload of macros, backlit keys, a detachable numpad, and several other features, the X6 continues to win accolades and draw gamers looking for a serious plank. But two years (going on three) is an eternity in tech land. Is the X6 still worth consideration? Give us your mouse clicks, and we'll give you the answer.
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ARTISAN KAI.g3 HIEN Gaming Mouse Pad Review
DragonSteelMods posted a review on the ARTISAN KAI.g3 HIEN Gaming Mouse Pad

Today for review I've got something direct from Japan, a mouse pad, or to be more specific a gaming mouse pad. The name is something I couldn't tell you how to pronounce, but I don't think I need to know that to use it and neither do you right? I work using a computer for a living and I've found that a good mouse pad is something you must have, and yes there is a difference between inexpensive and expensive pads. I've got to say I'm impressed by this pad, I like it and will continue to use it for some time. Read on...
ARTISAN KAI.g3 HIEN Gaming Mouse Pad Review

Sapphire HD5770 Flex CrossfireX (3 screens) Review
KitGuru posted Sapphire HD5770 Flex CrossfireX (3 screens) Review

If the emails we have been receiving for the last month have been anything to go by, the enthusiast gaming audience is warming to the thought of low cost multiple monitor configurations. We recently reviewed the mouth watering XFX HD5970 Black Edition Limited 4GB in CrossfireX, but as many people have pointed out, this is merely a toy for the rich.

A few months ago we looked at the Sapphire HD5770 Flex Edition which brought affordable multi monitor computing to the masses. On a gaming level, it goes without saying that at 5760×1080 a single HD5770 struggled with specific engines, but we were pleasantly surprised at the decent performance for the modest £170 asking price.
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Gunnar Optiks Digital Performance Eyewear Video Review
Futurelooks checks out some specialized eyewear for your computing needs

Gunnar Optiks is a company that creates something called digital performance eyewear. In a nutshell they are specialty glasses that incorporate a number of innovations that make your eyes much more comfortable when spending a lot of time in front of the computer. In addition to that, they also enhance the picture by incorporating a mild prescription that magnifies your screen slightly and the special coating brings out the vibrancy and richness of colors. That's something that appeals to not only the Futurelooks crew, but computer users all around the world.
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Synology Diskstation DS210+ NAS Review
Kitguru posted Synology Diskstation DS210+ NAS Review

The Synology NAS series this year has proven to be very impressive with capable, fast, versatile systems available at every price point. We recently reviewed the high end DS1010+ and DX510 expansion unit and felt it was one of the best configurations available for the business audience.

Today we are going to look at one of their NAS units aimed at the more mainstream audience, the DS210+. This product is available for around £300 in the UK in a basic, no drive configuration. You can also buy the DS210+ with drives preinstalled, or you can easily fit your own to save some money.
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Xigmatek Utgard Case Review
Kitguru posted Xigmatek Utgard Case Review

2010 has been a fantastic year for quality chassis design and today we are going to have our first look at a chassis from Xigmatek, a company better known for their coolers and power supplies.
Following with traditional Xigmatek marketing concepts, the Utgard is a product clearly paying homage to Tolkien fantasy roots. The case is a hybrid SECC and steel mesh design allowing for a maximum of 9 fans to be connected.
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G.Skill FLARE PC3-16000 Memory Review
Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: G.Skill FLARE PC3-16000 Memory Review

Interested in some of the fastest Socket AM3 memory that money can buy? Read on...
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FireStone Preamp and Big Joe IV mono-block review (Audio)
The Guru of 3D posted FireStone Preamp and Big Joe IV mono-block (audio) review

Hailing from Taiwan, the Firestone audio company is starting to gain a lot of ground in the audio community. Looking through their current sonic line up we see audio components that seem to truly be designed for the desktop audio enthusiast offering big sound in a small footprint.

The word in the audio community is these guys dont play when it comes to audio. Their component are built tough and above all else built to sound great. Today, in the Guru3D Audio Lab we have two new products we can review. First we have the Mass Preamp and the Big Joe IV Class D Mono Blocks.

We are excited to have a listen to these new components so lets get to the good stuff shall we?
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Zalman VF3000 Series VGA Coolers Rounded-Up for nVIDIA and ATI GPUs
Futurelooks checks out premium cooling for that toasty AMD or nVIDIA GPU .

The current generation of video cards from ATI and especially nVidia have been some of the hottest in recent history. Recent GPUs like the GTX200, GTX400, and HD5800 graphics processors heat up between 80 to 95C while used in regular gaming. In their defense, the GPUs wouldn't be such a hot topic if the reference coolers were better designed. This has lead to a big demand for better VGA cooling solutions. Zalman, who has established themselves as the connoisseurs of cool, has recently launched the VF3000A, VF3000F, and VF3000N VGA coolers. With a small tool kit and one of these coolers, your video card can go from nuclear to icy cold in no time.
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G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1600 CL9 8GB Review
OCC has published a review on the G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1600 CL9 8GB

The memory kind of surprised me a little bit. I wasn't expecting these 1600 MHz 4 Gb sticks to go over 1800 MHz, much less almost reach 2000 MHz! Keeping the memory at its rated 9-9-9-24 timings but upping the VDIMM from 1.5v to 1.65v we topped out at 1968 MHz. Pretty impressive for 4 Gb sticks of DDR3-1600 memory and especially considering this is CAS 9 rated memory. This memory also did pretty good at tightening up the timings while at the stock speed. It managed 7-7-7-24 at the rated speed of 1600 MHz.
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Logitech G930 Wireless Headset Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the Logitech G930 Wireless Headset

Anyone wanting the best experience at home for movies knows that a home theater is a must. The Logitech G930 Wireless Gaming Headset combines all of that audio experience into a classy wireless headset, allowing you to enjoy full surround sound anywhere without being restricted by cables. On paper the Logitech G930 seems to be capable of redefining PC entertainment. Benchmark Reviews will be testing this headset to see what level of audio utopia the G930 can achieve.
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Arctic Accelero XTREME Plus GPU Cooler Review
Hi Tech Legion posted Arctic Accelero XTREME Plus GPU Cooler Review

One of AC's top of the line products is the Arctic Accelero XTREME Plus. The Accelero XTREME Plus is a multi-compatible, high performance GPU cooler. A key feature is the Accelero XTREME Plus' ability to cool up to 250 Watts, quietly. This is done with three 92mm PWM fans with low noise impellers and a gigantic heatsink that sports 5 copper heatpipes and 84 fins. The Accelero XTREME Plus can fit just about every high end GPU from both NVIDIA and AMD currently on the market, with the right accessory kit.
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Zotac ZBox (HD-ID11) Mini PC Review
HardwareHeaven.com posted a review on the Zotac ZBox (HD-ID11) Mini PC

Today we have one of the ZBOX systems on our test bench and have run it through a selection of real world tests including HD playback, GPU computing and media encoding to find out whether it can meet the needs of consumers looking for an all purpose mini-system.
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Kingston HyperX H2O 6GB DDR3-2000 Review
PureOverclock has published our latest review of the Kingston HyperX H2O 6GB DDR3-2000 memory modules

The HyperX H2O series is designed for those who crave top speeds and performance, but they come with a twist; the H2O, as the name implies, is also designed for liquid cooling applications. Featuring very sleek liquid-cooled heatspreaders, they appear to have strong heat dissipation which can then lead to higher overclocks.
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Sentey Arvina GS-6400R Case Review
Hardware Secrets posted Sentey Arvina GS-6400R Case Review

Sentey is a newcomer to the case and power supply market, and today we are going to check the quality of one of their flagship products, the Arvina GS-6400R mid-tower case, which comes with lots of features.[/quote6
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Lenovo Z560 Core i3 15-in Notebook Review
PC Perspective posted a review on the Lenovo Z560 Core i3 15-in Notebook

This is a fairly basic laptop, but it also appears well equipped for multimedia duty. The review unit specifications are representative of the most basic Z560, which costs $699. There is a lot of competition in this segment from other solid laptops like the Sony EB series, the Samsung R580, the Toshiba E205 and others. Let’s see how the Z560 stacks up.
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ACRyan PlayOn!DVR HD Review
XSReviews posted ACRyan PlayOn!DVR HD Review

While we're mainly a PC hardware review team here at XSR, we like to check our any gadgets or gizmos that hook up to them, or perform functions similar to them. Products like AC Ryan's media players fit very neatly into this category, so to complete our tri-fecta of AC Ryan PlayON!HD reviews, today we're taking a peek at their DVR version, which packs everything the others do as well as a built in TV tuner and support for on the fly programme recording.
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