Reviews 51924 Published by

Here part 1 of this weekends reviews roundup with the following 30 articles:

- IN WIN DragonRider Review
- AMD Phenom II X4 975 BE 3.60 GHz CPU Review
- Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler Review
- Bejeweled 3 Review
- HDPLEX H10.ODD Fanless Chassis Review
- Cooler Master CM Storm Spawn Mouse Review
- Corsair HS1 Gaming Headset Review
- CM Storm Spawn Review
- CM Storm Spawn Gaming Mouse Review
- Corsair SP2500 2.1 Speaker System Review
- Patriot Box Office Media Player Firmware Update Guide
- AMD Phenom II X4 840 3.20 GHz Review
- Patriot PBO Core Box Office Media Player Review
- CES 2011: GIGABYTE's G1 Killer Motherboards
- Silverstone Raven 2 Evolution (RV02-E) ATX Case Review
- Sony KDL-55NX810 Review
- Quick Review: OHKI 42-inch Full HD 120Hz LED TV
- Gigabyte P67A-UD4 Review
- GeIL EVOTWO, Patriot Sector 5: Ever Cheaper and Ever Faster DDR3
- Enermax LuxuRay Review
- Arctic Cooling P321 Headset Review
- Antec High Current Gamer 900W Power Supply Review
- Samsung PN58C7000 Review
- Zalman ZM1000-HP Plus 1000W Power Supply Review
- Corsair Force Series F90 Solid State Drive Review
- MSI P67A-GD65 Socket 1155 Motherboard Review
- AMD Interview with Matt Davis
- ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Review
- CoolIT Vantage Watercooler Review
- Prolimatech Super Mega heatsink Review



IN WIN DragonRider Review
ocaholic posted a review on the IN WIN DragonRider case

With the Dragon Rider, In Win shows a new big tower case which is big enough to suit even for E-ATX motherboards. Furthermore it should also be able to convince with a very good build quality.
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AMD Phenom II X4 975 BE 3.60 GHz CPU Review
techPowerUp takes a look at the AMD Phenom II X4 975 BE 3.60 GHz CPU

AMD starts the new year with yet another fastest clocked processor introduced to the retail market. Clocked at 3.60 GHz, and with fair pricing, Phenom II X4 975 BE is reinforcing AMD's line of defense against oncoming Sandy Bridge models and needs to maintain AMD's strong presence in th emainstream market, at least until the Bulldozer architecture is ready.
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Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler Review
TweakTown posted a review on the Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler

Noctua strikes again and delivers the newest concept in their cooling line-up. With all the CPU coolers I have received over the years I gained a lot of respect for the Noctua name and simply, I love the "professional" or "heavy-duty" feel of the Noctua coolers. Even the smaller 90mm fan driven coolers have the feel of a superior cooler before you even strap it on to see (and not hear) the results they produce.

This new cooler is a takeoff of the NH-C12 SE14 with a bit, well, a lot of the NH-D14 incorporated in the design. Taking the idea of the NH-C12 SE14, Noctua is offering a proper 140mm fan driven version this time, rather than adapting a fan to a smaller cooler. This isn't just a simple enlarging of the old cooler either; Noctua rethought the concept, and at first glance it looks like half of a NH-D14 that has been bent to a horizontal arrangement, or it allows the fans to blow down on the motherboard. Taking things a step further, Noctua offers this cooler the benefit of two NF-P14 fans included to keep temperatures at bay.
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Bejeweled 3 Review
KitGuru gaming posted a review on Bejeweled 3 for the PC

My first review for KitGuru is for a strategy game that many hardcore gamers will never admit to playing. Bejeweled has been one of the crowning achievements for PopCap games, selling millions of copies and addicting people of all ages to their console or handheld device.
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HDPLEX H10.ODD Fanless Chassis Review
MissingRemote.com takes a look at the HDPLEX H10.ODD Fanless Chassis

The H10.ODD is a microATX fanless HTPC-centric chassis brought to use by HDPLEX Inc. If the name HDPLEX (no relation to OSX Media Center Plex) sounds familiar, it should. We helped spread the word a little over a year ago HD Plex Announces Fanless, Heatpipe-cooled All-Aluminum HTPC Enclosures. I was curious then and jumped at the opportunity to review one of the first H10.ODD made available.
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Cooler Master CM Storm Spawn Mouse Review
KitGuru posted a review on the Cooler Master CM Storm Spawn Mouse

Over the past couple of years the gaming peripherals market has been flooded with new products, both from new and existing manufacturers. Cooler Master’s CM Storm brand is a relitavely new player in the market, competing with the longer-established brands such as SteelSeries and Razer.
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Corsair HS1 Gaming Headset Review
PureOverclock has published a review of the Corsair HS1 Gaming Headset.

Corsair is continuing their foray into the component market, and this time it's the audio arena with a new gaming headset, the HS1. This set of cans brings convenience and versatility to consumers, as the HS1 is USB-based with some advanced audio features included. The HS1 looks sleek, is lightweight, versatile, and reasonably priced at about $100 for a premium headset. But what about performance? Let's find out.
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Patriot Box Office Media Player Firmware Update Guide
Legit Reviews posted Patriot Box Office Media Player Firmware Update Guide

The latest Patriot firmware is supposed to take a step forward by giving the user a better looking interface as well as providing a bit more functionality when streaming media from the internet. We wanted to take a look at the upgrade process for those who had this player already and see just how well the unit performs after the upgrade.

Right now, you can get the Patriot Box Office for under $80, and for a player that can play almost every format without a hiccup, it is well worth it if you are shopping for a set-top box. The newest firmware P61-R2 brings a totally new interface to the Box Office. The GUI features something called the “IMS” (Internet Media Service) that contains applications for video streaming, RSS news updates, audio/radio streaming directly from the internet...
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CM Storm Spawn Review
Vortez posted a review on the CM Storm Spawn

Just a week into 2011 and we have a brand new release from Cooler Master's CM Storm. Last year we were graced with the Inferno gaming mouse and during fall 2009 the Sentinel gaming mouse both of these gaming grade mice impressed us here at Vortez and scooped up our coveted awards. But this time we have a new kid on the block, namely the CM Storm Spawn. Designed specifically for gaming professionals that prefer the claw grip, the Spawn, on paper is an interesting peripheral. The Spawn comes loaded with a 3500 DPI optical sensor that also includes on-the-fly DPI adjustment, manageable buttons, macro assignment and Japanese Omron micro-switches to further prolong life-span - all in an eye-catching red anodized finish that will certainly draw in eyes.
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CM Storm Spawn Gaming Mouse Review
HardwareHeaven.com posted CM Storm Spawn Gaming Mouse Review

It's another day of launches at CES and today we'll be taking a looking at a new gaming mouse from CM Storm, the Spawn. CM Storm is the eSports arm of Cooler Master and in recent years has impressed us with their products, such as the CM Storm Inferno gaming mouse we reviewed last August.
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Corsair SP2500 2.1 Speaker System Review
HardwareHeaven.com posted Corsair SP2500 2.1 Speaker System Review

Since the release of the HS1 we have seen Corsair return to their roots with the release of a new DDR3 brand, Vengeance, while working away in the background on a selection of audio products. The first of those new audio products launches today in the form of the SP2500, a 2.1 desktop speaker system. Read on to find out if Corsair has managed to translate their success in the headset market to a desktop speaker set.
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AMD Phenom II X4 840 3.20 GHz Review
techPowerUp posted a review on the AMD Phenom II X4 840 3.20 GHz processor

The return of Phenom II X4 800 marks AMD's yet another push to secure its dominance in the budget market, and its first representative, the Phenom II X4 840 has all of the features to continue the legacy of legendary Athlon II X4 620 - the first $100 quad processor. Clocked at high 3.20 GHz, and priced at $102, Phenom II X4 840 is going to compete nicely in this segment.
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Patriot PBO Core Box Office Media Player Review
OCIA.net has posted their review of the Patriot PBO Core Box Office Media Player

For many computer enthusiasts, dedicating a machine just for HTPC isn't a big deal but not everyone wants to spend extra money or hassle setting up a purpose-built computer. This is where media players come in. The Patriot PBO Box Office is a multimedia playback device that interfaces between your television and any digital media you may have stored, such as on an external USB drive or networked computer. It supports full HD video up to 1080p, Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound, UPnP streaming, IMS and custom RMS feeds and a whole slew of popular video, picture and music file types. In other words, there's not much that the PBO can't play.
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CES 2011: GIGABYTE's G1 Killer Motherboards
Hardware Canucks posted first details of GIGABYTE's G1 Killer motherboards

Finally, after months of anticipation, GIGABYTE has revealed its first ever gaming focused motherboard lineup; the G1-Killer series. We have the low-down about this new effort by Gigabyte to appeal to the enthusiast masses.
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Silverstone Raven 2 Evolution (RV02-E) ATX Case Review
TechSpot posted a review on the Silverstone Raven 2 Evolution (RV02-E) ATX Case

Released in late 2008, the original Silverstone Raven RV01 quickly caught my attention because of its strange orientation that pointed the motherboard upward at a 90-degree angle, so the "rear" I/O panel was placed on top of the enclosure instead of behind.

Indeed, the RV01 was quite unique but it didn't execute the design as well as it could have, among the most common complaints: PSU placement and massive size. Silverstone was thus forced to be more creative with their next-generation Raven.

The Raven 2 Evolution has a more efficient design, it is 24% skinner and 18% shorter than the RV01. The smaller dimensions have also allowed Silverstone to shed 17% of the overall weight. The new changes make for a very interesting computer case that maintains the unorthodox orientation, let's dive in for a closer look...
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Sony KDL-55NX810 Review
TechReviewSource.com posted a review on the Sony KDL-55NX810

The Sony KDL-55NX810 is a 55-inch LED 3D TV that has some really great features and backs it up with some solid performance too. Built-in Wi-Fi and Internet video capabilities all come without requiring you to shell out too much because Sony makes this TV well worth the money.
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Quick Review: OHKI 42-inch Full HD 120Hz LED TV
TweakTown posted a review on the OHKI 42-inch Full HD 120Hz LED TV

You can be forgiven if you haven't heard of the name OHKI before, with the company only just appearing recently. We're here today to tell you whether or not this is a company you should be keeping an eye out for. With an online only structure to the business, the idea is that they're able to cut out any middleman and in turn offer you the best deal possible. Currently the company is only selling one product and that's the 42" LED TV we're looking at today.

Inside the package you're not going to find any surprises. We've got the TV itself where the power cable is connected to it. Along with that we've got a remote, manual and stand. Like most LED based TVs, the box is quite thin as the stand isn't connected. Fortunately the install is pretty easy and being an LCD TV you can just turn it over and screw in half a dozen screws to attach the stand.
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Gigabyte P67A-UD4 Review
PureOverclock posted a review on the Gigabyte P67A-UD4 motherboard

Today we're looking at a new motherboard from Gigabyte for the Sandy Bridge processors: the P67A-UD4. Gigabyte has typically been known for providing a range of motherboards to consumers to suit just about any budget, and at $200 the P67A-UD4 which is geared towards consumers on a modest budget.
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GeIL EVOTWO, Patriot Sector 5: Ever Cheaper and Ever Faster DDR3
InsideHW.com has compared GeIL EVOTWO, Patriot Sector 5 and Kingston HyperX DDR3 memory

After last month’s test of top-notch Kingston HyperX modules declared to 2333 and 2400 MHz, respectively, we’ve received similar Geil and Patriot modules for testing. Both are dual-channel kits of 2x2 GB, best compatible with Intel Core i5 and i7 CPUs, at a voltage of 1.65 V. Specifications for both tested kits are largely the same. Geil is declared to DDR3-2200 CL9-10-9-28, while Patriot has declared their modules as DDR3-2250 CL9-9-9-27. It’s clear that for RAM modules with clocks this high, it’s best to have an appropriate motherboard that has a high memory multiplier (preferably 12x), since the RAM memory clock is the result of BCLK and memory multiplier…
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Enermax LuxuRay Review
PureOverclock posted a review of the Enermax LuxuRay mid-tower case

The Enermax LuxuRay PC case is the latest offering in their lineip of cases for value-conscious users. However, affordable and practical do not always go hand-in-hand, but for Enermax this synergy is usually blended and what comes out is usually quite good. This chassis looks good with its features and design, and a promise to not be hard on the wallet. Let's take a closer look at the Enermax LuxuRay and see how it fares.
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Arctic Cooling P321 Headset Review
Rbmods posted a review on the Arctic Cooling P321 Headset

Artctic Cooling is mostly known for their cooling products and during 2010 they've expanded to other markets such as; audio. Todays review will be on one of their latest audio products. We are going to take a look at the P321 headset, with a retail price of around 45$, the question is what type of quality we can really expect from this headset?
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Antec High Current Gamer 900W Power Supply Review
KitGuru posted Antec High Current Gamer 900W Power Supply Review

Last month we reviewed Antec’s new 80 Plus Gold Certified ‘High Current Pro 850W‘ power supply, and we were impressed. Today we are looking at the 900W model in their ‘High Current Gamer’ range. As this series is 80 Plus Bronze Certified, it is a little more affordable, with the 900w unit retailing for only £100 inc vat.
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Samsung PN58C7000 Review
TechReviewSource.com posted a review on the Samsung PN58C7000 HDTV

The Samsung PN58C7000 is a 58-inch 3D plasma HDTV with excellent picture quality, both 2D and 3D, and it allows you to tweak the image settings to your heart's desire. There's also Internet connectivity with lots of applications to enhance your experience. However Samsung decided to leave out something that most others include: a pair of 3D glasses.
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Zalman ZM1000-HP Plus 1000W Power Supply Review
TweakTown posted a review on the Zalman ZM1000-HP Plus 1000W Power Supply

Zalman quickly made a name for themselves in the quiet PC sector years ago and have been somewhat of a pioneer in quiet and efficient cooling. Shortly after grabbing a firm hold of the heatsink and fan market, Zalman went on to produce quiet power supplies and have been quite successful in doing so. Those who seek a quiet yet high powered PC will be interested in the unit on the test bench today, as it offers lots of power with little noise.

The Zalman ZM1000-HP Plus is a quad 12V rail 1000W power supply. It offers up enough power and connectors to run up to three GPU's and some heavy overclocking. Zalman has incorporated their quiet cooling knowledge inside the ZM1000-HP Plus with a large 140mm fan and dual heat pipes inside to increase cooling and reduce noise when under load.
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Corsair Force Series F90 Solid State Drive Review
TweakTown posted a review on the Corsair Force Series F90 Solid State Drive

A few months ago we told you about solid state drive manufacturers playing with the number of channels and flash modules on SandForce SF-1200 controllers to achieve new capacity variations. The first round of products with the new configurations were 40GB drives. Corsair has a new configuration that increases the capacity to 90GB and also retains the high IOPS programming that keeps transactions rates high.

More importantly for users shopping by budget, the new Corsair F90 ducks under the 200 USD barrier. This is an important place to have a product since the 40GB model is too small for most users, even those looking for a high speed SSD on a budget, and the 100GB drive is still over 200 USD. I'll let you decide your budget, but getting a large amount of premium SandForce storage for less than 200 Dollars looks like a sweet spot to me.
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MSI P67A-GD65 Socket 1155 Motherboard Review
OCIA.net has posted their review of the MSI P67A-GD65 Socket 1155 Motherboard

The P67A-GD65 is one of nine new MSI boards supporting Sandy Bridge. Breaking it down further, the GD65 is the flagship board in the "performance" segment alongside the GD55, both of which are ATX form factor. The Performance segment is bested only by the gaming class which features the P67A-GD80 and the insanely ridiculous Big Bang Marshall that features a whopping eight PCIe x16 slots!
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AMD Interview with Matt Davis
HardwareHeaven.com posted an interview with Matt Davis from AMD

Today we have published an interview with AMD's Matt Davis. Matt works in Product Marketing for Desktop Solutions and provides us with some detailed and hugely interesting opinions on AMD's current and future products.
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ASUS P8P67 Deluxe Review
ocaholic posted a review on the ASUS P8P67 Deluxe motherboard

The ASUS P8P67 Deluxe is a very well equipped motherboard based on Intels P67 chipset featuring everything you might want. For example there is USB3.0, SATA3, a digital VRM, EFI BIOS ... Therefore we're very curious about how this thing does in our tests
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CoolIT Vantage Watercooler Review
XSReviews has posted a review of the CoolIT Vantage watercooler.

Quote "SSDs are now becoming far more common place in our gaming and work machines. The price tag might still be too high for many, but everyone can see the rediculous performance gains that can be made by moving to this flash based storage medium over traditional disks. Which group you fall in to though is neither here nor there, as whether you plan to buy it or not, today I'm reviewing a SSD from Kingston; their V100 +. Let's check it out.
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Prolimatech Super Mega heatsink Review
Hardwareoverclock.com has posted another cooler review on the Prolimatech Super Mega heatsink

Last week we have taken a look at the Prolimatech Super Mega heatsink. As fan we have used two Zaward Golf II Fan 140mm PWM ZG2-140A. Is this combination good enough for a top position?
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