July
14, 2005
Gigabyte GA-8N-SLI
Royal Motherboard Review at motherboards.org
Author: Benjamin
Sun
"NVIDIA
is now not only dominating the AMD chipset market, they are beginning
to take over the Intel market as well.The nForce 4 for Intel is
a solid reliable chipset and GIGABYTE does a great job with the
GA-8N-SLI, it offers a great bundle and lots of enthusiasts features."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Gigaram Mach
1000 PC3700 1GB Dual Channel Kit
Author: Stephen
Jimenez
"With
everyone using Samsung TCCD, Gigaram follows and pairs it with
a non Brainpower PCB. Does it overclock as well as the
excellent BP/TCCD combo? You'll be a little surprised."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
XFX GeForce
6800 Ultra 512MB Video Card
Author: Tarinder
"You
need to evaluate what you require in a graphics card. On the one
hand, XFX's GeForce 6800 Ultra 512MB makes a compelling case as
a cheap, relatively-speaking, workstation-class card, capable
of running exotic displays. On the other though, and this affects
the majority of potential buyers who tend to be gamers, you'd
be better off opting for a single GeForce 7800 GTX or a couple
of GeForce 6800 GTs in SLI formation. £470, then, will be
either a snip or prohibitively expensive, depending upon your
intended need."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
CATALYST 5.7
Well after
the record breaking downloads of CATALYST 5.6, ATI is happy to
announce the availability of CATALYST 5.7. For your quick reference
I have attached some of the highlights of the Windows XP/2000
driver. For more details on other components of CATALYST please
refer to the release notes available in the driver download section
of our website. The
quick link to the download is here
Performance, performance, performance:
Enhancements to our driver's internal memory management bring
significant benefits to 64MB and 128MB framebuffer configurations
in Catalyst™ 5.7.
The resulting
performance gains are most apparent in high resolution, everything
on modes, when running applications that use a significant amount
of graphics memory.
Examples
include:
5-15% gains
in 3DMark05 on some products
20-60% gain in Far Cry Regulator across multiple settings
25-60% gains in Half-Life 2 at 1600x1200 4xAA 8xAF
40-60% gains in UT2004 at 1600x1200 6xAA 16xAF
50-100% improvement in Comanche4 at 1600x1200 6xAA 16xAF
50-200% gains in certain ShaderMark tests at high resolution
Feature
Fun:
Catalyst™ Control Center Un-install Option
1080p Display Support Option
Bug
Squashing:
Many fixes including some for games such as Flight Sim, Trackmania,
and Warcraft III. Grab the release notes for more info.
July
13, 2005
XFX 7800GTX
SLI Video Card Review at motherboards.org
Author: Benjamin
Sun
"The
new PCIe 7800GTX from XFX is a superb combination of performance
and package contents. In SLI mode these cards have no peer. As
a single card solution, 1280X1024 resolutions are handled easily
with all the features turned to maximum, so games look, and play
amazing."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Dell slides
in with NVIDIA
Author: Steve
"Ever
since the launch of SLi we have known that Dell has wanted to
get 'in' on the action - but it was clear why they hadn't, NVIDIA
only did AMD chipsets. However, since then we have seen the introduction
of Intel P4 support on nForce4. All of the building blocks are
now in place.
We suspect
we will see the launch of a SLi based nForce4 chipset orientated
solution from Dell with Dual 7800GTX's, finally their XPS Desktop
range looks a lot more appealing."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
PDP Systems
Patriot PC3200 XBLK
Author: Brook
Moore
"PDP
Systems with its introduction of Patriot Memory +XBLK line takes
dead aim at the DDR enthusiasts. They bring to market tight timings
and flexible VDimm requirements to allow you to stretch the usability
of a PC3200 Module to that of a PC4200 Module. A well done introduction
into the market space, giving us yet another vendor for serious
consideration when choosing our memory."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
ATI All-In-Wonder
Radeon X800 XL for PCI Express Feature Preview
Author: Rys
"The
change to the Microtune 2121 does the ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon
X800 XL for PCI Express a lot of favours in Europe, technically,
with a knock-on effect of increased feature set. The 400MHz X800
XL and AIW features, on PCI Express, should make it a massive
seller in the UK and Europe when it appears later in the summer."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Albatron K8SLI
Author: Chris
Tom
"Albatron
has put out a unique nForce 4 SLI board that those looking for
a lower cost solution. While overclockers may want to steer clear
with only an average feature set those looking to mod, or just
wanting some more case real estate for watercooling can take advantage
of the smaller depth. You won't find a board packed with extras,
or high end hardware, or extra SATA ports. The bottom line is
that the Albatron K8SLI is an interesting implementation of the
nForce 4 SLI with a low cost, and small footprint that makes it
stand out."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Wacom Intuos3
6x8 Graphic Tablet
Author: Norman
Tan
"Wacom
is widely acknowledged as the top player when it comes to graphic
tablets. In fact, you could argue that they are the ONLY choice
when looking at high-end professional gear.
When that
happens, companies often get a bit lazy, resting assured that
people will buy their products regardless of whether it *could*
be better. Thankfully, Wacom is not one of those companies.
In our review of the Intuos3, we will be comparing it to their
first-gen Intuos tablet. You can even check out some stunning
hand-drawn art by the author at the end of the review!"
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Corsair XMS
PC3200XL 1GB Kit Contest - One Week Left
"InsaneTek
would like to give you a friendly reminder that there is only
one week left in our Cosrsair XMS PC3200XL memory
contest. If you're in need of some great stuff, it's time you
entered the contest for a chance to win a free 1GB kit! Hurry
in
before time runs out!"
Get
the full details here
Also
in the news
Tuniq Tower
120 Cooler
Author: Björn
Endre
"Does
anyone actually remember back in the days when you could run a
CPU without any cooling? If I recall correctly, the first 486SX
PC I bought, an IBM PS1, did not have a fan on the CPU. I'm not
even sure it had a heatsink although it probably had. For each
new generation of CPU, the heat generated has gone up and the
need for cooling has increased."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Thermaltake
Golden Orb II
Author: John
Chen
"After
a long disappearance, it's back. Thermaltake reincarnates the
Orb family with the Golden Orb II. The original Golden Orb was
great for Socket 370, but can this one continue the original fame?"
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
PowerColor
RADEON X800 XL 512MB
Author: Tarinder
"What
do you want from a £290 video card today? Is it performance,
performance, and yet more performance in present games, or is
it a deal of futureproofing at the expense of, you've guessed
it, performance. PowerColor's X800 XL 512MB pricing treads dangerously
on X850-class water, which is a great deal faster in almost every
conceivable gaming scenario."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Thermaltake
Big Typhoon
Author: Hubert
Wong
"It's
been a long time since an air cooler has impressed us, and the
Thermaltake Big Typhoon delivers in a big (no pun intended) way.
We've seen massive coolers before, but in the past, not even the
biggest coolers were able to power past the Koolance EXOS. While
the EXOS still has the advantage at its highest speeds, the noise
levels are much louder than the Big Typhoon which is near silent."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Chaintech VNF4
Ultra Zenith VE
Author: Chris
Tom
"Chaintech
VNF4 Ultra Zenith VE nForce 4 Ultra based motherboard. This board
is a budget model available for as low as $81.
If a low cost
nForce 4 Ultra board is what you are looking for then the Chaintech
VNF4 Ultra Zenith VE is going to be hard to beat. At $81 it gets
you the nForce 4 features we love, along with some decent overclocking
options. It also gets you in the door with dual core support,
and we like the black understated PCB look. For a budget box pairing
the Chaintech VNF4 Ultra Zenith VE with the 3000+ Venice core
gets you in the door for just $227."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Athlon 64 X2
4800+ Pushed To Nearly 3.3GHz
Author: Chris
Tom
"We have
been overclocking again, and this time we push the Athlon 64 X2
4800+ to nearly 3.3GHz besting our previous mark of 3GHz. Our
initial results to be followed by a full barrage of benchmarks
is here."
Read
the full article
Also
in the news
ULTRA Dragon
Glossy Series ATX Case
Author: Trevor
Flynn
"Today
we're reviewing a case that doesn't have a single great 'feature'
to introduce. It doesn't have a nifty front face, or even dancing
LEDs.
No, the Dragon
Glossy cases from ULTRA are more about offering a reliable old-school
case, at a reasonable price. And with a paint job as slick as
you'll ever see."
Read
the full review
July
11, 2005
PowerColor
X800 XL 512MB
Author: Rafal
Zak
"Is bigger
always better? Well it's fairly hard to answer this question with
one sentence, but delving into the problem might give us some
clues and ideas. I'm sure a lot of you've been waiting for a video
card that will finally sport half-a-gig of RAM. Some will ask,
do we really need 512MB's of memory on a video card? We sure will,
maybe not this year, but it will definitely boost performance
in applications that use very high resolution textures with additional
FSAA turned on. I don't want to rant on this topic as it's not
the right place and time, let's just see what we can squeeze out
of this beast.
Okay, so what
if I told you that in addition to 512MB's of RAM, our PowerColor
X800 XL is passively (sort of) cooled? If you don't know what
I mean, check out our PowerColor Bravo X700 review to see what
I'm talking about. The XL version comes with a similar system,
but greatly improved. The SCS2 (Silent Cooling Solution 2) is
what keeps the PowerColor X800 XL cool and quiet.
For those
not in the know Tul Corporation is a Tier-1 provider of ATI-based
graphic cards. The company is also a leader in providing motherboards
and barebone systems. So what about PowerColor?"
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Biostar NF4UL-A9
Review, FX55 overclocked to FX65 speeds
Author: Chris
Tom
"We have
posted a review of the Biostar NF4UL-A9 nForce 4 Ultra motherboard.
What makes this board unique is the AGP slot in addition to a
16X PCI-E slot.
Read
the full review
Our last review
of a Biostar board was when we tested their nForce 3 250GB offering,
the K8NHA Grand. Today we are evaluating their latest board as
they upgrade to Socket 939 and to PCI Express with the nForce
4 Ultra based NF4UL-A9. Unique to this board is the XGP port which
is an AGP port that can be used instead of the PCI Express graphics
port. First before we get into details about the board, and about
the XGP port, we look at the specs for the board.
Also if you
missed it we have posted our full report including benchmarks
of our overclocking of the Athlon 64 FX55 to 3.6GHz.
AMD quietly
updated the FX55 to a San Diego core a couple of months ago. With
this core an improved 90nm process, SSE3, and tweaks to the memory
controller were added. We quickly tested the overclocking ability
of this new FX with high end air. We were able to reach 3.1GHz,
but had to fall back to 3GHz for benchmarking. Now we add another
tool to our overclocking arsenal as we utilize the Prometia Mach
II phase change cooler to bring the CPU down to negative 40 degrees
Celcius. Our goal is to push the CPU to new heights, and get the
highest clock benchmarks we can."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
SunbeamTech
LED Keyboard and Mouse
Author: Patrick
Ng
"Sunbeam
continues to pump out accessories to add flavor to your personal
computing. This time they show us a flashy LED
keyboard and LED mouse."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Seasonic S12
500W
Author: Randy
Torio
"Seasonic
doesn't need great reputation to help them stand out in the power
supply market. Their products are top notch and
provide excellent performance. The S12 500W is more than proof
to show what they're capable of."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
OCZ Technology
EL DDR PC-3200 Gold Edition Dual Channel
Author: Tarinder
"There's
never been a better time to buy system RAM than right now. £130
buys you a 1GB DDR1 dual-channel pack that gives superlative performance
when paired up with a S939 CPU, preferably a fast one. The performance
advantage over regular memory, usually specified with 2.5-3-3-7
timings, can be close to 10%, so investing in some high-quality
RAM makes decent sense."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Athlon 64 FX55
San Diego Core Prometia Mach II Overclocking
Author: Chris
Tom
"AMD
quietly updated the FX55 to a San Diego core a couple of months
ago. With this core an improved 90nm process, SSE3, and tweaks
to the memory controller were added. We quickly tested the overclocking
ability of this new FX with high end air. We were able to reach
3.1GHz, but had to fall back to 3GHz for benchmarking. Now we
add another tool to our overclocking arsenal as we utilize the
Prometia Mach II phase change cooler to bring the CPU down to
negative 40 degrees Celcius. Our goal is to push the CPU to new
heights, and get the highest clock benchmarks we can."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
ATI TV Wonder
Elite
Author: Nathan
Glentworth
"The
TV Wonder Elite encompasses everything an everyday consumer would
need in a computer based TV solution. It is packed full of useful
media viewing and recording options, has complete hardware based
encoding and decoding, comes with its own RF remote control, is
extremely simple to install and setup and is a good value for
the money."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Albatron K8SLI
Author: W1zzard
"The
Albatron K8SLI is a budget oriented Socket939 motherboard based
on NVIDIA's nForce4 SLI chipset. While it has been designed with
cost in mind, performance has not been left out. Innovative features
like second BIOS on an external add-in card and automatic SLI
switch make this board easy to use. Overclocking possibilites
are good as well, we managed to reach a maximum FSB of 390 MHz."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
ASUS Extreme
N6800GT
Author: Joel
Weirauch
"While
there were a couple of tests that the X800XL clearly dominated,
the 6800 GT performed very well in every test. As stated above,
the image quality is superb, with no problems noticed at all.
There is also the benefit of having shader 3.0 available, which
ATI does not currently have."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Gigabyte 3D
Aurora Case
Author: Ryan
Kerschner
"Lately,
it seems like I have been changing my computer cases almost as
often as I have been changing my oil. In two years, I have already
reviewed four cases, and this is now my fifth. Don't take that
the wrong way though, as I love getting in a new case to critique.
Gigabyte, well known for their motherboards and videocards, has
just started to offer PC enclosures and their first endeavor into
this realm is the 3D Aurora. Crafted of aluminum and featuring
some great case cooling, the 3D Aurora is exactly what you would
expect to see from a reputable company such as Gigabyte. Read
on to see all of the details."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Silex COMBO
Mini Finger Print Reader
Author: Trevor
Flynn
"Today
we're looking at one of those USB devices you might not have thought
existed in the mainstream retail market; a fingerprint reader
security device.
The COMBO
Mini from Silex allows you to secure data on any number of PC's.
Because it is so small, it is ideal for those who have to admin
more than a few systems.
Of course,
like any peripheral device, it is only as good as its software.
Join us, as we thoroughly examine an interesting product, that
might be just what you never knew you needed!"
Read
the full review
July
6, 2005
Gigabyte AirCruiser
G Desktop Router
Author: Norman
Tan
"If you're
short on desktop space, and need a wireless router, there aren't
a lot of things you can do. You could put it on your desk, at
the expense of having power cords and ethernet cables hanging
all over the place.
If this doesn't
sound tolerable to you, Gigabyte has the perfect solution: The
AirCruiser GN-BC01 is a WiFi 802.11g router that comes in the
form of a PCI card. It connects to any PCI slot, though it only
uses it to draw power. This allows you to turn any desktop into
a fully functional WiFi G router, that will even work when the
system is powered off."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
SunbeamTech
Chromatic Windmill
Author: Patrick
Ng
"Sunbeam
is back with another computer accessory to add to your collection.
The new Chromatic Windmill provides both fan
controls and temperature sensors."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Corsair XMS
PC3200XL 1GB Kit Contest
"Corsair
is providing us great support by not only sending us samples for
reviews but also sponsoring this latest contest. Up for grabs
is the Corsair XMS PC3200XL 1GB Kit. The contest will run for
2 weeks and will end on July 20th, 2005. If you're in
need of some good memory, be sure to hurry up and join!."
Get
the full details here
Also
in the news
Asus P5ND2-SLI
Deluxe Motherboard Review at motherboards.org
Author: Benjamin
Sun
"Asus
has done another excellent job with their P5ND2-SLI Deluxe motherboard.
Performance, features, and stability all exceed the norm for motherboards
based in this pricing category (955X). This board has so many
features, in fact, that it scored above the 40 point category
in the features scoring we use."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Sempron 3100+
Palermo Core
Author: Chris
Tom
"Today
AMD officially launches the 64 bit Sempron. We look at the 3100+
based on the Palermo core running at 1.8GHz with 256kb of L2 cache.
We were able to easily overclock the Palermo core to almost 2.4GHz
with mid range air cooling, and no bumps from the default voltage."
Read
the full review
July
5, 2005
ATI Crossfire
Sneak Peak with DFI
Author: Rys
"Using
Supertiling, the default mode for Crossfire under Direct3D, shows
that 6800 Ultra SLI is faster. However that's just in 3DMark05,
not a modern game title, and that's using a beta driver that might
not be there in terms of the performance that ATI have today,
internally. It'll be interesting to see where performance is when
Crossfire is launched using an official driver, along with NVIDIA
hardware running any new driver that NVIDIA may or may not have
planned for their hardware."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Nissan Technology
DV-100B DVD Player
Author: Matt
Davey
"With
the tumbling prices in this market segment, the one thing that
made it stand out - the card reader - was ultimately not executed
well enough to make the DV-100B a huge success. On the other hand,
the DiVX playback and other capabilities of this player mean that
it’s a recommended overall package that can be found well
below RRP already."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
GeIL ONE PC4800
1GB Dual Channel Kit
Author: John
Chen
"GeIL
is the first to market their overclocking memory at CAS 1.5. The
interesting part is that it features Samsung TCCD IC's. Is it
a marketing gimmick? It certainly grabbed your attention right?"
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Tagan TG480-U22
480W PSU
Author: Scott
Harness
"The
Tagan TG480-U22 is a power supply that should be added to your
very short list. It isn't a monster power house, it has no flashing
lights and fans on all sides, and it doesn't have modular cabling.
It does support multiple form factors including ATX12V for Dual
12v Rails (switchable), is very very quiet, tidy, an excellent
performer and won't break the bank."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
SilverStone
Nitrogon NT02
Author: John
Chen
"SilverStone's
second attempt at CPU cooling is going on the right track with
style and design. The performance still needs
a little help though, especially with the fan running on silent
mode."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Thermaltake
Water Level Indicator and Water Temperature Indicator
Author: Stephen
Jimenez
"Thermaltake
is quickly expanding their watercooling accessories with a water
level indicator (reservoir) and a water
temperature indicator. The temperature indicator seems to be a
good investment."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
OCZ EL PC3200
Titanium
Author: W1zzard
"OCZ
is known as a memory manufacturer who produces high-end enthusiast
memory. The recently released Titanium Line is more focused on
stability of operation, than for overclockers. It features OCZ's
Lifetime PowerSwap Warranty which is a unique feature to the Titanium
Series. If your memory breaks at any time, you call up OCZ and
they will send out a replacement via Fedex on the same day. Once
you got your system up and running you ship the defective memory
back to them within two weeks."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
OCZ Titanium
PC3200 1GB Dual Channel Kit
Author: John
Chen
"OCZ
has memory that's not made for overclocking?! For the first time,
OCZ designed memory modules that are dedicated to
servers and high end mission critical systems."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Scan Cool Chameleon
- A First Look
Author: Rys
"Getting
a sneak peak at a new, unreleased SKU in the midst of production
completion, especially one like the Chameleon where it's more
than just performance that defines it, is a rare privilege. The
chance to see something take shape and not only that, but to offer
suggestions and opinions that might even shape the final product
Scan bring to market, was a treat. I hope you can appreciate the
work that goes into production of products like that."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
ATI All in
Wonder X800XT AGP Multimedia Video Card
Author: Nathan
Glentworth
"Dollar
for dollar, you still just can't beat the value and features compressed
into this one computer peripheral. It's a TV, it's a top notch
gaming card, it's an FM Radio, it's a personal video recorder,
well, I guess it is pretty darn well everything. You buy it, you
install it and instantly your drab and boring computer has an
amazing amount of potential and power needed to turn it into an
excellent gamer or a home theater system."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Transcend JetFlash
110 1GB USB 2.0 Drive
Author: Shane
Unrein
"If USB
drives weren't so popular, companies wouldn't keep releasing bigger
and bigger ones. I am glad they keep getting bigger and more popular.
In addition to growing in capacity, USB flash drives are becoming
more and more affordable. You can easily get a 1GB drive for less
than $70. I remember just a while back when they were triple that.
Today, drives
larger than 1GB are quite common. Some companies even have 4GB
drives! For most people though, 1GB is more than enough for carrying
around school or work documents. A couple of current trends in
the USB drive market are making the drives physically smaller
and making them easier to use (mostly by coming up with alternatives
to the caps you see on most flash drives). Many people must have
lost their drive caps in order for several companies to have developed
solutions to this problem. One such company is Transcend, which
released its JetFlash 110 series recently."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Intel Pentium
Extreme Edition 840
Author: Hubert
Wong
"In
a multithreaded environment, the CPU demonstrated some excellent
performance, besting the 3.73 Extreme Edition which has a 266FSB
and over 500MHz clock speed advantage. Image and video editing
are really the 840's forté as we've seen results that are
truly amazing. We didn't publish the results, but DVD Shrink was
remarkably quicker with the Extreme Edition 840, taking half the
time the 3.73 XE did to shrink Revolutions, and this was during
our multitasking tests."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
AMD FX57 Versus
Intel 670 CPU Review at motherboards.org
Author: Doc
Overclock
"In
what is perhaps one of the last releases of single-core CPUs,
both AMD and Intel have a high-end solution that offers better
performance than any CPU previously released. The AMD FX-57 and
the Intel 670 go head to head in a battle of the CPU giants. High
performance though comes with a high price tag."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Exclusive ABIT
Fatal1ty X800 XL 512MB Details
Author: Team-HEXUS.net
"This
document makes claims regarding the benefits of the ABIT Fatal1ty
X800 XL 512MB's unique copper VPU cooler, its 'vGuru XTurbo mode'
which in conjunction with an external switch seems to allow dynamic
changes to its BIOS Clock settings and on the fly voltage increases
(!) plus statements as to the performance increases through overclocking."
Read
the full review
Also
in the news
Ultra Products
MegaMod Competition
Author: Team-HEXUS.net
"The
1st prize winner gets a Mini Wizard Tower Case, an X Connect PSU
along with a bunch of other modding accessories including CCFLs
and fans. If you come in 2nd or 3rd you too will get an X Connect
PSU along with some other modding goodies.
To enter,
the first thing you'll need to do is make sure you're registered
on our forums. Then, we want you to get modding your PC. Start
a thread in the Project Logs section of HEXUS.modhouse and create
a log of your modding project from start to finish. We want to
see what you do, why you did it and how.
You can do
just about anything you want in the mod, but what we want to see
is effort. The winners will be the modders who have put the most
effort into their projects."
Get
the full details here
