Reviews 51924 Published by

Here a roundup of todays hardware reviews:

- LSI MegaRAID 9280-24i4e RAID Controller w/ 24 Crucial RealSSD C300s Review
- HP Pavilion P6710F Review
- CM Storm Strike Force SF-19 Laptop Cooler Review
- Stop The Theft: Protecting Your Wireless Network
- Titan HATI Cooler Review
- Patriot Viper Xtreme Division 2 DDR3-1866 8GB Dual Channel Memory Kit Review
- Gunnar Optiks Shredder Digital Eyewear Review
- Crucial Ballistix 4GB DDR3-2133 Review
- TITAN Hati CPU Cooler Review
- ASUS GTX 570 Review
- Zalman ZM-NSP100 Portable Notebook Speaker Review
- ASUS GeForce GTX 580 DirectCU II vs Gainward GeForce GTX 580 Phantom3
- In Win Dragon Rider Case Review
- Air Cooler Roundup - Arctic Cooling vs. Thermaltake
- Lian Li PC-A04 Review
- Canon Pixma MG5220 All-in-One Printer Review
- Akasa Essential Power 300 W Power Supply Review
- NZXT Bunker USB Locking Device Review



LSI MegaRAID 9280-24i4e RAID Controller w/ 24 Crucial RealSSD C300s Review
TweakTown takes a look at the LSI MegaRAID 9280-24i4e RAID Controller w/ 24 Crucial RealSSD C300s

We've used the LSI 9260-8i for the past year to test multiple drive RAID arrays. The choice was pretty clear after testing the 9260-8i against several other hardware RAID controllers since it offered such a well designed software interface and blazing fast performance. The real standout feature, though, was the software interface used to build and manage arrays.

Today we are taking a look at the LSI MegaRAID 9280-24i4e, the flagship model in the MegaRAID lineup. The 9280 Series uses the same MegaRAID Storage Manager Software that we feel is the best in the industry and also shares all of the cutting edge features, like SSD Guard. The 9280-24i4e does have a big advantage over our daily use MegaRAID controller and that is its ability to run 24 internal SATA / SAS ports and an additional 4 external ports at the same time. This is done without port multipliers and all SATA / SAS connections go back to the MegaRAID 9280-24i4e.
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HP Pavilion P6710F Review
TechReviewSource.com posted a review on the HP Pavilion P6710F

Though in many ways identical to its predecessor, the Pavilion p6610f, the introduces two significant changes that help keep this model relevant for 2011. First, HP has bumped up the capacity of its hard drive a full third, from 750GB to 1TB. Perhaps even more significantly, it also costs less—whereas the previous machine cost about $530, you can get one of these for only about $480.
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CM Storm Strike Force SF-19 Laptop Cooler Review
KitGuru posted a review on the CM Storm Strike Force SF-19 Laptop Cooler

Kitguru readers have great taste in hardware, of that there is no question. Many of you will already have a high performance laptop, probably for gaming duties. Those of you who have tried to use a high performance machine on their lap will generally agree that it can get really uncomfortable.

The CM Storm Strike Force SF-19 Laptop cooler is built to handle the hottest, most powerful systems on the market, right up to 19 inch in size. With a dual fan cooling system and full support for USB 3.0 with a dedicated hub system, is this the ultimate performance laptop cooler? The Guru of Kit will reveal all.
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Stop The Theft: Protecting Your Wireless Network
InsideHW.com has posted article about Wireless network protection

The expansion of wireless networks seems to be unstoppable, for both the desire to eliminate cables and the increase in portability of devices with WiFi capabilities, primarily notebooks. Wireless internet is now generally available in offices, parks, cafés etc., and more and more home users are opting for setting up a personal wireless network themselves as well, in order to simplify internet access to various devices in their environment. However, in parallel with the increase in the number of available wireless networks, there’s also been another trend in development - the problem of internet “thievery”, i.e. neighbours that access your unprotected (or poorly protected) wireless network. In the best case scenario, you’ll experience throughput problems and poor internet performance, but it doesn’t always end there - you may even expose your shared folders and all the files contained within. Luckily, protection against the aforementioned unwanted intrusions isn’t a complicated feat to achieve, and we’ll develop on the most effective ways to do that…
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Titan HATI Cooler Review
Hardwareoverclock.com has just posted another heatsink review.

TITAN introduces the Hati, a member of its FENRIR cooler family known for their powerful heat conductivity. Hati is equipped with a 12cm low-noise fan with high air volume. Its unique heat sink design allows users to mount one or two fans according to their preferences. So we have tested the cooler with 2 Fans on our Core i7 875K system
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Patriot Viper Xtreme Division 2 DDR3-1866 8GB Dual Channel Memory Kit Review
ThinkComputers.org posted a review on the Patriot Viper Xtreme Division 2 DDR3-1866 8GB Dual Channel Memory Kit

A little while ago we took a look at Patriot’s Viper Xtreme triple channel memory that is designed for Intel X58 systems. Today we are checking out the Viper Xtreme Division 2 Edition memory which is designed for Intel’s 2nd generation “Sandy Bridge” Core processors. This memory has been rigorously tested and validated on the Intel 6 Series platform to achieve maximum performance and stability. The Division 2 memory has all of the same features as the original Viper Xtreme memory like the 6 gram copper core and aircraft-grade aluminum heatspreaders. Today we will be putting the 8GB DDR3-1866 kit to the test.
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Gunnar Optiks Shredder Digital Eyewear Review
Benchmark Reviews posted a review on the Gunnar Optiks Shredder Digital Eyewear

Many of us take our eyes for granted nearly every day, as we spend countless hours in front of a computer monitor until the strain sends us home at night. Some people spend an entire day in front of the screen, only to go home and continue on a new display. The average person now spends more time working on computers than anything else, including sleep. This is where digital eyewear comes into action, helping to relieve the strain associated with extended periods behind a monitor. In this article, Benchmark Reviews inspects the Gunnar Catalyst Shredder performance glasses, which use i-AMP Lens Technology.
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Crucial Ballistix 4GB DDR3-2133 Review
PureOverclock has published a review of the Crucial Ballistix 4GB DDR3-2133 memory modules

Crucial has another innovation: new Ballistix modules with thermal monitoring. Yes, for the curious or obsessive out there, you can now monitor the temperatures on your memory sticks. Let's take a closer look at these Crucial Ballistix DDR3-2133 modules and see what they can do. And as an added bonus, we've got Crucial's new active cooling memory fan to look at as well.
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TITAN Hati CPU Cooler Review
Neoseeker posted a review on the TITAN Hati CPU Cooler

The Titan Hati is tower heatsink that's smaller than its predecessor, but potentially packs equal punch especially if you decide to slap an additional fan onto it. It's Sandy Bridge ready too, which could increase its value to prospective system builders. Hit our review of the Hati to see how it stacks against competitors in a similar price range.
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ASUS GTX 570 Review
OCC has published a review on the ASUS GTX 570

The ASUS GTX 570 is a factory overclocked card, so I had high hopes for the clock speeds that this one would reach. NVIDIA's reference GTX 570 was able to reach clock speeds of 785MHz. Seeing as the ASUS GTX 570 was clocked just 43MHz below this, I knew it was going to surpass the reference overclock. In the end, we were able to up the core clock to an impressive 933MHz. Unfortunately we weren't able to get as large of an increase out of the memory clocks. We were however, able to up the memory speeds to 1092MHz. Last but not least, the shader clocks. The factory overclock put the ASUS GTX 570's shader clock at 1484MHz. We of course wanted to see a large increase in clock speeds, and that's just what we got. We were able to increase the shader clock speeds to 1866MHz.
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Zalman ZM-NSP100 Portable Notebook Speaker Review
Hi Tech Legion posted a review on the Zalman ZM-NSP100 Portable Notebook Speaker

The Zalman ZM-NSP100 Clip On Notebook Speakers are designed to give your notebook a big boost in volume, clarity and sound field. The Zalman ZM-NSP100 speakers are not fixed mounted in a notebook, so positioning can be correct for you to get the most from your audio. Featuring 6 watts RMS total and two 30mm drivers, the ZM-NSP100 speakers can fill a room with sound, but are still small enough to be easily portable. With Plug and Play through a single USB 2.0 connection, set up and installation is a snap. The Zalman ZM-NSP100 speakers are available in black/silver and white/green to match your style.
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ASUS GeForce GTX 580 DirectCU II vs Gainward GeForce GTX 580 Phantom3
HardwareHeaven.com posted a comparison review between ASUS GeForce GTX 580 DirectCU II and Gainward GeForce GTX 580 Phantom3

Over the past couple of weeks, while the GTX 560 Ti was being released, a number of manufacturers released enhanced GTX 580s which were designed to offer desirable alternatives to the reference model. Some have enhanced coolers or redesigned PCB's. Others use higher quality components and have factory overclocks to appeal to enthusiasts. Today on our test bench we have two of the most impressive looking models to compare, Gainward's 3GB GTX 580 Phantom3 and the massive Asus GTX 580 DirectCU 2. We will be comparing these cards to the reference 580 and an overclocked 6970 to find out how good they actually are. Tests will include real world gaming, 3DMark 11, media playback, and GPU computing. Then, for the first time on Hardware Heaven, all gaming tests will include stereoscopic 3D testing.
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In Win Dragon Rider Case Review
Hardware Secrets posted In Win Dragon Rider Case Review

In Win strikes again with a new full-tower case, the Dragon Rider. Let’s see if it is a good pick.

The Dragon Rider is the latest full-tower case from In Win. Its left-side panel is identical to the one used on the Ironclad and on the Maelstrom –two full-tower cases from In Win –, but the Dragon Rider brings several new features. Let's take a look at them!
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Air Cooler Roundup - Arctic Cooling vs. Thermaltake
Metku.net took a closer look at the latest Air Coolers at the market.

To see what's new on the market of CPU-coolers, we got three different air coolers for a small roundup - Thermaltake FrioOCK, Thermaltake Jing and Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme Rev.2.
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Lian Li PC-A04 Review
techPowerUp posted a review on the Lian Li PC-A04

Lian Li has taken the small form factor of the PC-A05N and has changed the interior in favor of mATX compatibility and added space to store up to 7 hard drives within the chassis. With a price tag of just under 100 Euros we take a really close look if it is as innovative as the A05N back in the day or if it is nothing but good looks.
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Canon Pixma MG5220 All-in-One Printer Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the Canon Pixma MG5220 All-in-One Printer

Today when you are looking for an all-in-one printer, there are a myriad of choices. Not only are there many printer manufacturers, but each manufacturer has a plentitude of different models. To be a top contender, an all-in-one must do everything well and have some features to grab the purchasers attention. The Canon Pixma MG5220 is an all-in-one printer, scanner, and copier with a wide range of features. We took a look to see how well it does at both performing everyday functions and at differentiate itself from the crowd.
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Akasa Essential Power 300 W Power Supply Review
Hardware Secrets posted a review on the Akasa Essential Power 300 W Power Supply

Although it is an entry-level power supply, the Akasa Essential Power 300 W (AK-PD030FG) comes with active PFC circuit, automatic voltage selection, and 80 Plus standard certification. Funny enough, this unit isn't listed at Akasa's website.
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NZXT Bunker USB Locking Device Review
TweakTown posted a review on the NZXT Bunker USB Locking Device

Since NZXT has made just about every case style imaginable, they, like many other companies, are doing quite well with case accessories. They have already offered the Sleeved LED kits, and I seem to see them in quite a few case mods these days. Whether under the motherboard or around the open side of the chassis as case lighting, they have been a great success. There was also the IU01 USB Expansion device that offers connections for up to three more USB connections from the front panel, but also added a pair of USB 2.0 connections on the end. The idea was to add a power line to dedicate more power to drive all the devices we tend to hook up to our computers these days.

Speaking of USB connectivity, that brings me to the product we are taking a closer look at today; the Bunker from NZXT. This device not only will add four USB 2.0 connections to the front of any chassis via the use of a 5.25" bay of your choice, it also adds security built right in. NZXT offers a 20 Key system to vary the keys that ship in the box. So even if the guy next to you at a LAN has a Bunker, he only has a one in twenty chance of a matching key. The thick plastic and metal construction makes this device strong, yet light and easy to use.
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