NVIDIA's new G80 GPU is the first to implement DirectX 10 support and Shader Model 4.0. Palit is one of NVIDIA's board partners who is selling the GeForce 8800 GTX. The card comes with 768 MB of video memory and can will run whatever you throw at it at highest resolutions with maximized settings. We test the card against the ATI Radeon X1950 XTX, X1900 Crossfire and the Geforce 7900 GTX.
The Scythe Kama-Thermo is a very simple, blue backlit temperature LCD display with a connected diode. The cheap price tag makes it very appealing to most case modders. It is quite small, but has large enough digits and a very good contrast so that the temperatures can be read from further away. The Kama-Thermo combines simplicity and functionality to form a great little device.
The SteelSound 5H v2 is a headset designed with gamers in mind. SteelSeries' first headset was called the SteelSound 5H, today we test the second version. The new version features even better padding than the old one, to make it more comfortable. Besides that the internal connections were reworked for increased durability, which was a problem with the old version.
If you are looking for a cheap video card that will keep you running until Windows Vista and DirectX 10 are out you may want to look at the Sapphire X1650 Pro. The card will run most games on high details at 1024x768 without taking a sweat. It comes equipped with fast GDDR3 memory and the fan is temperature controlled to keep the noise levels down.
OCZ's Roadster is a tiny little USB stick that uses an ingenious folding concept. With only 3 cm in length and 0.5 cm in height, this is probably the smallest USB key on the market. Its 1 GB of storage should be plenty for all your data transportation needs. With a price of around $25 for the 1 GB version it is also very affordable.
The OCZ EvoStream 600W is a powerful PSU that comes with modular connectors to help you reduce the cable mess in your case. On top of that you get four independent 12V rails that can supply all the power your video cards may ever need. In our testing on a Crossfire system the 12V line was exceptionally stable, making this unit a great choice for overclockers.
Passive cooling without fans is the holy grail of cooling because it does not add annoying fan noise to your system. While this is almost impossible using air cooling, Thermaltake has engineered an external watercooling solution that can keep a modern CPU cool without any fans. Thermaltake's Orchestra is very easy to install, even for novices, and comes with everything included to get you up and running.
Wicked Lasers is very well known in the enthusiast laser community for making high-quality products that perform well. We test the 125 mW Fusion laser which emits a high-powered green beam that is visible for several miles without losing much of intensity. Also we test protective goggles which are designed to make sure you don't hurt your precious eyes when playing with lasers.
Some people would love to get into a water cooled setup, but aren't quite sure where to start, or don't really want to get into anything too complex. Thermaltake has a solution for this - The Silent Water II. Coming pre-built and ready to go, it's just a matter of mounting this cooler to reap the benefits of watercooling without the hassle of setting up pipes, leak testing, and the other aspects of building a water cooled system.
Func Industries manufactures gaming surfaces by gamers for gamers. Their product range includes a pad for everybody from low sensitivity, to ultra-large surface area. In this review we will be testing three pads: the Func surface1030, the 1030 Archetype and the F30.R. Also on the testbench we have the Func Antifriction Liquid which is supposed to reduce the gliding resistance of your gaming surface even more.
The Ultron Speecision is a 2in1 mouse pad, sporting a rough precision side and a fine speed side. The build quality of the pad is incredibly solid, due to the aluminum used. Since there is no cloth in use, the pad is resistant to any spilled liquids. We take our mice for a spin on both surfaces and test how each side fares.
The Thermaltake TMG AT2 is a cooler for ATI's Radeon X1800, X1900 and X1950 Series. It uses a combination of copper and aluminum to optimize the cooling. We compared the cooler to the Arctic Cooling Accelero X2 and the Zalman FC-ZV9 Fatal1ty. The temperature results were among the best of the tested coolers. Not only performance is great, but the installation is also very easy to perform, in just a couple of minutes.
Today NVIDIA released their highly anticipated GeForce 8800 Series based on their all-new G80 GPU. The first two cards will be the GeForce 8800 GTS and 8800 GTX. We take you through the changes in the GPU design and what's new and great on these cards.
The Akasa Integral P2 LAN is just one of many hard drive enclosures from Akasa. It looks quite sleek and solid, holds the hard drive well and comes with everything needed. Setting up the drive may not be as easy as other variants, but the software is bug free and easy to use. You can even use up to eight of these units to build a RAID setup.
The Ultron G1-Clawpad has an interesting look to it. As soon as you see it, you will notice what it is for: having all the needed keys for a game within reach of the left hand. It does not only look good, but feels great as well. The buttons are responsive and comfortable. Gaming with the G1-Clawpad is very nice once the hand has gotten used to its new weapon of choice.
Abit has a long history of producing top notch motherboards for overclockers and enthusiasts. Their new AW9D-MAX is designed for Intel's Core 2 platform using the i975X chipset. On the feature list there is everybody you could find useful: Dual Gigabit Ethernet, 8x SATA-II, Firewire and two PCI-Express x16 slots for your video cards. To make your life easier this board includes abit's proprietary UGuru technology. We test the board thoroughly to see if it can live up to the hype, especially when it comes to overclocking.
Art.Lebedev Optimus Mini Three is a very innovative little keyboard product. While the large price tag will make it appealing only to a limited number of customers, the price reflects a designer product. It offers a lot of functionality, but nothing you couldn't do without. The Optimus Mini Three is the ultimate gadget for the computer enthusiast, so the price will not be as important as the fun factor of the device.
The new ATI Radeon X1300 XT is based on the RV530 GPU core which is used on the X1600 series. That alone should bring quite a nice performance boost. On top of that Sapphire has added GDDR3 memory and a healthy clock increase. There is no need to run an overclocking software on your system, the increased clocks are stored in the BIOS. In our testing we saw a huge performance difference to the X1300 and almost no difference to the X1600 series.
The Akasa Mirage 62 can simply be described as the Hummer of PC cases - wide, big, black. The front looks sweet, but the interior looks even sweeter. Black interior and a mirror finish mainboard tray just ask for a window panel to be used. This case delivers everything you may need, from total access to your parts to all the space you could ever need - even for QuadSLI and 1kW power supply. So if you can afford the $150 price tag, this case is for you.
ATI's new X1900 XT 256 MB is designed to fit into the price range that is bound by the X1900 GT on the lower end and the X1900 XT 512 MB on the upper end. In order to bring the card's price down ATI chose to reduce the total memory size from 512 MB to 256 MB. Also a bit slower memory is used. We test how big the performance difference to the more expensive X1900 XTX with 512 MB is.
ATI's Radeon X1650 was introduced with the X1950 XTX and the X1300 XT. Just what is this card? As the name suggests, it is a little step up from the X1600 XT. With the same amount of pipelines, and slightly higher clocks, is there anything to look forward to with the X1650 Pro? No doubt, this card at least runs cooler - insured by a smaller manufacturing process. Does it bring balanced performance at a fair price? How does it fair compared to the X1300 XT? Most importantly, is it worth buying?
The Scythe Infinity is a huge high-performance CPU cooler using five heatpipes. The cooler comes with Scythe's ingenious mounting system which makes installation a breeze. Scythe has included mounting kits for the Sockets 939, AM2, 478 and 775. This means that this cooler is a future proof investment for users who are considering a Conroe S775 upgrade in the near future.
The Thermaltake Power Express 250W is a video card power supply specifically designed for the needs of current high-end video cards. When you have an older PSU you may not be able to run Crossfire or SLI because the PSU can not supply enough power for the video cards to run stable. When installed, the Power Express will supply 12V to your video card(s), taking a lot of strain off your main power supply.
