The Akasa Vortexx Neo is a dual-slot cooler that exhausts warm air out of a computer case filling a void in today's graphics cooler market. This all in one, universal cooler is advertised to cool every component on a graphics card from the voltage circuitry to the GPU, and does so with classic dual-slot cooler looks.
The Cooler Master HAF 932 is a great looking case with its industrial and rugged design. It sports two 230 mm fans to cool those parts to the max. Removable hard drive trays and plenty of space for large components, all packed up inside this steel case makes for a perfect combination.
Palit's new Revolution 700 Deluxe is the first graphics card that occupies three slots in your PC. The massive cooling assembly successfully increases overclocking performance, lowers temperature and reduces fan noise. But is that good enough to beat the AMD reference design?
The Xigmatek Battle-Axe VGA Cooler takes the innovations from the company in the CPU cooler area and applies them to a GPU cooler. This means that you will get direct touch heatpipes and massive fans to cool that modern graphic card of yours.
The OCZ Behemoth Regulator is a classic cloth mouse pad with ample size and good feel for the casual gamer. The price of less than 10 US Dollars should make this an interesting buy.
The X500 is the shrunk version of the already awesome Tyr PC-X2000 case by Lian Li. The larger brother already blew our socks off, featuring a unique layout, great design and lots of features. We take a close look at the Tyr PC-X500 in the hopes to find the same great feature set in a more compact enclosure.
Gelid Solutions’ Silent Spirit CPU cooler is a small, lightweight, high performing heatsink for both AMD and Intel CPUs (including Intel Socket LGA1366). Its four heatpipes connect to a pure copper base and an angled block of fins to cool surrounding motherboard components. The cooler is also extremely silent with Gelid's silent 9 2mm PWM fan attached.
G1 is the name of a brand new set of clip-on headphones from Yuin. These headphones feature a special sound signature and are aimed at people on the move craving great sound.
The new Leadtek GeForce GTX 260 Extreme+ comes with an increased shader count of 216 compared to 196 on the regular GTX 260. Leadtek has also overclocked the card for some free extra performance. In our testing the GTX 260 Extreme+ delivers excellent performance per Watt claiming a number one spot in the test group.
Being priced at reasonable $419, the Sapphire HD 4850 X2 is designed to take some market share from NVIDIA's GTX 280. The card features 2 GB of GDDR3 memory and comes with a custom designed cooling solution. Even though you would expect very little overclocking from a dual-GPU card, we saw an amazing 15% performance increase from overclocking without touching any fan settings.
Sapphire's HD 4650 Overclocked comes with a solid overclock out of the box. But during our own overclocking tests we saw an amazing untapped overclocking potential resulting in more than 20% real world performance increase. Even without overclocking this card, that's in the $70 price range, is an excellent deal considering price/performance.
In today's market there are plenty of external hard disk enclosures to choose from, with a variety of colors, styles and features to set them apart. The Vantec NexStar 3i has some inherent qualities that deffinitely sets it apart from the rest. With fast read times and power saving features, read to find out more on how the Vantec NexStar 3i fares against the rest of the pack.
With HTPC's gaining more and more in popularity, various input devices and peripherals for them are becoming a more integral part of the market. With many options to choose from for keyboards, mice and the combination of both, it's hard to come to a conclusion on what suits the HTPC best. Vidabox may have an answer with their Vidabox Premium Wireless Keybaord w/ laser trackball as an all in one solution.
The Scythe Kama Bay Amplifier is made for all of you who want to use a pair of efficient passive speakers along with your PC without having to shell out the big bucks. Priced at only € 50 this amp could easily become an integrated part of your rig offering very solid performance for its price.
The Lian Li PC-A7010 takes many of the features found in the Armorsuite or X2000 and wraps it into a sophisticated, but understatement clean look. Every feature within the case aims for ease of use, reliability and to deliver a quiet computing experience.
The Corsair Dominator Series of 4 GB kits does not only manage to deliver a great overclock but also offers exceptional performance at lower speed settings, making this a kit for almost every scenario. Its attractive price of $125 is a very affordable way to get into the 4 GB club while still being able to run serious overclocks.
Today AMD launches their new HD 4830 Series. The cards come with a reduced shader count of 640 and lower clocks to fit into the $100 to $150 segment. In our testing we saw amazing overclocking of over 30% which should bring the card much closer to more expensive solutions.
PowerColor's new HD 4830 features the same 640 shader pipes as the AMD reference design, but comes with a big dual-slot cooler. Also new is a native HDMI output which supports HDCP and 7.1 channel audio. Thanks to a PowerColor designed PCB the card will retail about $10 cheaper than the reference design from AMD.
The newest addition to the HFI headphone lineup from Ultrasone is called the HFI-680. These new mid to high end cans should effectively fill in the gap between the old Ultrasone lineups 650 and recently launched HFI-780.
AMD's new Radeon HD 4550 comes in a passively cooled version without fan. Such a noiseless experience is crucial in media PC designs where you don't want to be distracted by any fan noise. Also included is a native HDMI and DisplayPort output for connection to your big screen. With a price of around $50 the card even offers some potential for casual gaming.
A-DATA's 4 GB Vitesta Extreme Edition DDR2 memory kit offers great performance at a low price of only $75. The memory can even run CL3 at the specified 800 MHz, with a small voltage increase and scales up to DDR2-1066 at CL5.
The Zaria A20 is a unique chassis. Having features like a kick-start power button, interchangable side window, out of the ordinary fan placement are just some of the highlights. The optional SIM module gives you total access to your fans, their lighting and several thermal sensors within the Zaria A20.
The iStarUSA T-5 SS SAS/SATA Mobile HDD Rack is an affordable, easy to use mobile storage solution designed to make hard drive swapping easy for both the novice end-user and the professional server administrator. No nonsense looks, durable craftmanship, and quiet/smooth operation are some of the inherent qualities of the T-5 SS Mobile HDD rack.
Lian-Li is known for their unique high-quality cases. They are now offering a chassis for the Xbox 360. The black case should finally make your console look good next to that fancy TV of yours. We pack the XB-01 with the consoles guts to see how it fares.
Ultimate Ears just released a completely new earphone dubbed the Super.fi 5. It is aimed at budget conscious earphone users looking for a good sounding, decent looking set of in-ears. The new radical design is a major leap forward compared to the old Ultimate Ears design.
HIS' latest HD 4670 card comes equipped with the VGA Silencer made by Arctic Cooling. It also features an extra 30 MHz core clock. Even though it is factory overclocked we saw another 10% overclocking potential on both core and memory.
The Ninja HS is Vizo's newest addition the their high quality notebook cooler line-up. The unit is made of heavy duty materials, encased in a nearly indestructible paint job and featuring a USB 2.0 hub. The cooling area can also be aligned to cool your notebook where it is needed most.
OCZ's PC2-9200 Flex II modules can be used with both air and watercooling. They are designed for 1150 MHz DDR2 at CL 5 with 2.1V. In our testing we could easily push the modules above DDR2-1200 without an extra voltage increase.
Chieftec's new HM-02B HTPC case has been specifically designed to support regular sized graphics cards and power supplies. Integrated in this very reasonably priced media PC enclosure are a VFD display, card reader and vibration dampening for optical and hard drives, making it one of the best choices on the market we encountered so far.
The Aerocool Hi-Tech 7 Pro features a huge 400 mm fan which is the biggest ever seen on a computer case so far. Also included is a fan controller and thermal monitor up front. We fire the turbine up to see how that monster fan performs.
Lexar's new FireWire 800 CF Card Reader uses the powerful interface to offer unprecedented bandwidth with allows you to optimally use the latest CF card technology. While the traditional USB interface is limited to a maximum of about 30 MB/s, the FireWire interface goes up to 100 MB/s. Clearly a difference if you move a lot of files to and from your CF card.
Razer's newest mouse is an entry level gaming device, stuffed with their awesome sensor technology at a great price point of $39. This makes it an interesting choice if you want go for a Razer mouse for the first time without spending a lot of money.
Lexar is joining the frey of high-performance UDMA Compact Flash cards with their Professional 300x series of cards. We get to take a look at their 8 GB version with a big, pleasant suprise during benching.
Sapphire has engineered their own version of the Radeon HD 4850 with cost and cooling in mind. The card's new unconventional heatsink looks good and keeps the card cool - far below reference design temperatures. The best of all is that the card costs only $169.99 online which makes it the cheapest HD 4850 available today.
Today NVIDIA released their updated GeForce GTX 260 GPUs which come with 24 extra shaders, for a total shader count of 216. Zotac has also overclocked their card beyond the GTX 280 clock speeds which results in a card that is just 1% slower than the regular GTX 280, yet costs over $130 less.
Head-Direct EF1 is the name of a brand new headphone amplifier made by the guys behind Head-Direct. The amplifier is a hybrid design which means that it mixes the best from both tube based amplification and solid state amplification.
The Evercool Transformer 6 is a cooler made to look good and perform well. The included fan controller allows it to remain very quiet for day to day usage but then give added performance and brighter LED lights for the overclocking enthusiast. With a large 120 mm bright blue LED fan, six heat pipes, a stainless steel coating and performance coming close to the newer HDT coolers, the Transformer 6 is certainly one to please!
iStarUSA's xAGE-N99 HDD Docking Station is a simple, easy to use hard drive dock for 2.5" and 3.5" internal hard disks. It utilizes most of the transfer speeds that USB 2.0 has to offer and demonstrates excellent read and write speeds with a great price/performance value. For a company that has been making server and storage products for close to twenty years, iStarUSA certainly does not dissapoint.
Today AMD launches their new cards based on the RV730 graphics processor. The Powercolor PCS HD 4670 we have on our testbench today comes with a dual slot heatsink which offers excellent cooling and low noise. Together with the serious gaming performance of this card, AMD has managed to successfully position their product in the sub-$100 segment.
HIS has just released the IceQ4 version of the AMD Radeon HD 4850. The IceQ4 cooler is a dual-slot solution which ensures low temperatures under both idle and load. Also HIS has overclocked the card which results in a nice performance boost compared to the reference design card.
PQI's newest class 6 SDHC card is aimed at those looking for a cheap and fast storage card. Being a competitively priced class 6 card it is definitely worth considering if you are looking to upgrade your camera or other write intensive devices' memory.
NVIDIA's new GeForce 9400 GT Series is based on the same G96 GPU that is also used on the 9500 GT. The 9400 GT has half the shaders however, which seriously limits the uses of the card in a gaming PC. On the other hand this greatly reduces the heat output which allows a completely passive solution. Point of View differentiates their card by using 1 GB of video memory and bundling a full version of the Wall-E game.
The Mirrorbox is an all-in-one card reader, able to handle every card you throw at it. It has a stylish black housing with compact dimensions and everything to get access to those holiday images on that memory card.
The Chrome 440 GTX is the latest card from S3 Graphics. It features all the main bullet points like DirectX 10.1, PCI-Express 2.0, native HDMI with integrated audio, small form factor and low heat output. But is this enough to compete with the offerings from ATI and NVIDIA?
The Dominatrix is OCZ's newest dive into the gaming mice market. It offers features usually found on much more expensive mice at an entry level price point and comes in a stylish blue and black color. You can store your profiles in the mouse so they are available on any PC, even without the mouse software.
The new "Turbo" Compact Flash card from A-DATA raises the bar from 266x to 350x performance. It also adds Ultra DMA capability and uses SLC flash memory to attain insane speeds never seen before. If you are looking to build a solid-state HDD using CF Technology then this is one of the cards you should definitely consider.
Palit is one of the first AMD board partners to release a custom Radeon HD 4870 version. Their new HD 4870 Sonic Dual Edition comes with a completely revamped cooling assembly that features two fans to keep the card cool. Also included is a DisplayPort connector and a Turbo switch which lets you select the operating frequencies of the card. The mandatory "overclocked out of the box" is included as well.
Power Line adapters utilize the existing cables in your home to establish a network where Wifi is not an option. The Airlive HP-3000E is the company's newest offering of such a system, it promises up to 200 Mbps of bandwidth.
This month's interview is with Tamas Miklos who is the brains behind the popular system information software Everest. He talks about his personal background, first experience with computers and how he came to make Everest.
Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig, Germany is the biggest tradeshow for the Gaming Industry. So it is just normal to see loads of pretty German girls around, showcasing the latest console and gaming products. We took 240 photos of the sweetest girls on site. Full-res images are available in case you want to see your favourite babe every day, as desktop wallpaper.
QPAD|UC is the name of a brand new cloth based mouse pad from QPAD. The mat is available in four different sizes and the shape is similar to that of the hard QPAD mats. It is QPAD's first attempt at making a soft cloth based mat, see how this giant performed in the review.
Travagan's Green is a small headphone and speaker amp. It has an integrated DAC and can be hooked up to your PC via a USB cable. Besides the Green we also received a pair of 2" mini speakers. The set looks stylish, its main objective is to provide you with a good listening experience both with mini speakers and headphones.
Tension Labs EAP03 is the name of a brand new earphone audio processor that can boost your experience in a variety of ways. The EAP03 features a built in microphone and can sample it into the audio feed, providing you with the power to control the level of isolation you want from your earphones.
Sunbeam's Core Contact Freezer is a cost effective CPU cooler for AMD and Intel CPUs. Its four heatpipes make direct contact with the processor for optimum cooling. Also included in the package is a fan controller which allows you to optimize the acoustics to your usage scenario.
Mushkin has also jumped the 4 GB DDR2 memory bandwagon and is offering these kits at tighter than usual latencies. This kit runs at 4-4-4-12 at 2.0 - 2.1V.
Powercolor's latest HD 4850 PCS graphics card is based on the AMD HD 4850 reference design but comes with an improved cooler and slightly increased core clocks. While the overclock makes only a small performance difference, the cooler substantially improves the product. Even under load the PCS 4850 is barely audible which makes it the quietest graphics card ever tested - of all performance classes.
Today AMD released their new HD 4870 X2 graphics cards. They are based on two RV770 GPUs on one PCB. With a total of 1600 shaders and 2 GB GDDR5 memory the card has excellent chances to achieve the goal "fastest graphics card in the world".
Akasa has taken the Mirage-62 case and has updated it using thick aluminum panels, adding air vents which also can be used for water cooling units and a stylish new front door. The mid-tower case features loads of space and some clever design choices to make it big enough for even the largest power supplies and longest graphics cards.
The NZXT Avatar is the first input device from the famous case and power supply manufacturer. It offers up to 2600 DPI, clean symmetric looks and a driver software that can rival what Razer and Logitech offer.
Thecus' N5200 PRO NAS device holds up to five drives internally in any RAID configuration desired for maximum safety. With plenty of features and a modular design, when it comes to both hardware and software, it fits anyone's needs. As the N5200 PRO uses a fast 1.5 GHz CPU it has serious potential to stomp the competition.
Lexar's new entry level 8 GB SDHC card is quite unique. It is both reasonably priced and offers really good performance for a "Class 2" card. Actually the card surpasses the Class 2 requirements in our testing. At around $50 quite a nice achievement.
Sapphire's new HD 4850 Toxic graphics card comes with a preinstalled Zalman VF-900 GPU cooler that greatly reduces the operating temperature of the card. Also the operating frequencies have been bumped quite a bit, with some additional overclocking potential left in the card.
OCZ is offering a full line-up of DDR3 memory. Their Platinum Series was always known for their great price/performance ratio and this Enhanced Bandwidth kit is no different. It offers tighter timings at 1600 MHz than the competition, at a lower price point. So can it give us some serious bang for our buck?
NVIDIA's new GeForce 9800 GTX+ comes with a 55 nm CPU that runs at higher clock speeds, yet consumes less power than the original 65 nm chip. Zotac's Amp! Edition further increases the operating frequencies. Even though the higher clocks make the card faster than the ATI HD 4850, the difference is very small and probably not noticable while gaming.
PureBuds is the name of Amazing Tech Products all new ear bud offering. The ear buds feature a new approach on how to make a good ear bud, unlike most ear buds these have a reverse mounted driver which should have quite an effect on the sound quality.
The Zaward Gyre looks quite interesting with the black shroud. Its unique design shows us that it is a competitor to more "known" heatsinks. Featuring a nice finish with blue LED lights, being very easy to install and having great performance, the Gyre lives up to all of its expectations.
NVIDIA recently launched the GeForce 9500 GT. This low-end card in the GeForce 9 Series is designed to offer acceptable gaming performance for the small wallet. Galaxy has created an overclocked edition which runs at higher clocks and comes with a quiet heatpipe cooling solution. In our testing we saw amazing overclocking potential of over 35% compared to the reference design clocks.
NVIDIA's new GeForce 9800 GT Series is not really new. The performance, specification and GPU are identical to that of the GeForce 8800 GT. Only a few minor features like Purevideo HD and Hybrid Power are present. At least Zotac showed a bit of creativity and added a bright orange PCB and higher clocks out of the box.
The Silverstone Commander ESA Edition enables complete system monitoring functionality through the nTune System Monitor. Instead of going for one of the few ESA enabled cases out there, the CMD01 Commander gives unprecedented flexibility, as you can enable ESA connectivity for any case of your choice.
The AirTV-1000U DVB-T TV Tuner is something you would not expect from a company like AirLive. They are known for their excellent networking products, not TV Tuners. The USB based AirTV-1000U features some interesting features, like recording, EPG and time shifting support.
The CoolIT Systems coolers are certainly a unique way to get into liquid cooling. They come pre-assembled and are maintenance free. We are taking a look at their dual card cooler for two GeForce 8800 GTXs, but CoolIT offers a very similar variant for the GTX 260/280 and for AMD cards as well.
The G.Skill Pi Series goes a completely different route, than other high-end memory today. Instead of pushing the envelope on voltage, it gives you some crazy performance at default or close to default DDR2 voltage.
Lian-Li is pulling out all the stops with the new Tyr case series. On our testbench is the X2000, which is not only the tallest case we have ever tested, but is packed with SATA backplates for six hard drives, three 140 mm fans and a long list of other features, too numerous to mention.
The Lian-Li V1010 is the successor of the very popular V1000. It now incorporates some of the new and unique features, which you will find in the X2000 or X500, at a much lower price point.
The Hiper Osiris is the company's newest offering in the crowded case market. It features numerous improvements over the Anubis, while coming in at a lower price point. The case also comes in black or silver and successfully improves on everything we criticized in our Anubis review.
TekNmotion Pulsar SX is the name of a brand new headset aimed at gamers. The Pulsar SX features a USB sound card, vibration feature, and blue lights. This headset has a lot of unique features and costs a mere $59.99 which is cheap considering the integrated USB sound card.
The Chipchilla from Coolink manages to decrease chipset temperatures while maintaining a low noise level. It is extremely light-weight being constructed of copper and aluminum all for an decent price. Limited availability and some installation issues are all that hold this cooler back.
Cooler Master's new Ultimate Circuit Protection power supply is among the first to receive the prestigious 80plus Silver certificate for an efficiency of above 85%. With 900W of output power this PSU can easily handle every rig that you put it into. During our testing we saw very stable voltages, especially 3.3V and 5V delivered great results.
A-DATA is pushing the performance envelope with their Turbo series of CF cards. The series goes up to 16 GB and aims to give you the best possible performance - if you are willing to pay for it.
The X-Supra is a new mainstream case from Apevia, which features all the usual extras like a handful of colorful fronts, screw-less design and fan controller. On top of that you can go for a huge 250 mm side fan or a windowed variant with a smaller 120 mm fan. The special edition features a solid side panel.
The OrigenAE T12 is a 12" touch screen that will set you back 800$. It is capable of processing up to 1080p resolution - perfect for that home theater. Thanks to the umbilical cord, you not only have a mouse at your fingertips, but also an IR receiver and USB 2.0 hub. Best of all the OrigenAE T12 does not even require an external power source, everything is integrated in the single cable.
Alex Mei has recently been promoted to Executive Vice President of OCZ Technology. In our interview he shares interesting details about how he got into the Industry, also he talks about OCZ's past and planned future. For example DIY notebooks and the Neural Impulse Actuator.
The Rosewill R2 is a dual bay RAID enclosure for two 3.5" SATA HDDs. It supports connectivity via USB or eSATA. With the included software you can create RAID 0, RAID 1 or JBOD arrays for increased performance or data safety. Since eSATA offers the same performance as you would see from an internal drive, the RAID 1 performance is very impressive with over 108 MB/s.
The Arctic Cooling Breeze is a small desktop fan. It is not intended to cool computer components, instead it helps you keep your cool. The Breeze requires no additional power source, but uses USB 2.0 instead.
At this time NVIDIA's new GTX 260 graphics cards are positioned to be quite a bit more expensive than ATI's similar performing HD 4870. However, NVIDIA includes support for CUDA and PhysX. We also saw amazing overclocking potential on our GTX 260 card, even surpassing the $200 more expensive GTX 280.
The new TV Wonder 600 PCIe TV tuner card is the PCI-Express x1 entry level model of the new series. This is also the first time that the TV Wonder series is available in Europe with the PAL standard. It can be used for analog or DVB-T signals and manages MPEG encoding by software. The card is built on a fancy purple PCB, comes with an extremely stylish IR receiver along with a remote and PowerCinema 5.
AXP is now offering the very popular external hard drive docking station for SATA drives. The unit can take a 2.5 or 3.5 inch drives and offers eSATA on top of the usual USB 2.0 connectivity.
AMD's new Radeon HD 4870 is the first graphics card to feature GDDR5 memory. GDDR5 offers twice the memory bandwidth over previous GDDR generations which helps the HD 4870 gain a nice performance advantage over the HD 4850.
Yuin's PK1 earbuds were all the rage when they first hit the market quite a while ago. Since then Yuin has further upped the stakes by introducing the new and improved OK-series earphones. Today we take a look at the PK1s to see if the former earbud champion can still compete in today's market.
There are not many manufacturers offering such massive kits, but Winchip has made some waves before with unique offerings. Their 667 MHz 4x 4 GB kit runs at CL5. Such a large capacity kit is intended for very specific scenarios. We try to showcase some of these.
After AMD's successful launch of the HD 4850 Series, NVIDIA decided to drop the price point of the GeForce 9800 GTX to only $199. At this price the card becomes a very affordable product that offers all the performance you need to play the latest games. An additional plus is the support for PhysX via NVIDIA's CUDA implementation.
The Xigmatek Achilles S1284 heatsink has many improvements over the famous HDT-S1283 cooler. There are now four U-shaped heatpipes, and they are nickel-plated. The fan design is new and unique as well, with its white LEDs that light up the fan's smoke frame and orange blades.
AMD has moved the launch date of the HD 4850 forward, launching it today. The cards are positioned in the $200 range and offer several new features and performance improvements. According to our benchmark results AMD has found a winner with this card that offers excellent price/performance and energy efficiency.
After some confusion, AMD has lifted the NDA for their brand-new Radeon HD 4850 Series today. The RV770 on these boards comes with 800 shaders and boasts 956 million transistors. Together with a new AA architecture the card takes the $200 segment in a storm offering leading performance/dollar and performance/watt.
A-DATA is one of the few companies, which offer 32 GB Compact Flash cards. We take a look at the unit and also give it a go as a hard drive, as it certainly has the size for such a scenario.
Yuin OK3 is the budget version of the new OK-series earphones coming from Yuin. The OK3s have the same design as its two bigger brothers and feature the exact same exterior design. This little Yuin is made for the more budget minded critical listeners with a price of only $89.
Today NVIDIA launches their new GTX 280 graphics cards. Zotac as one of NVIDIA's premier partners has engineered a factory overclocked version of the GTX 280 which offers additional performance. Overall the Zotac GTX 280 Amp Edition is the fastest graphics card on the planet today, but also the most expensive.
NVIDIA's new GTX 280 graphics cards have just been released. Point of View's GeForce GTX 280 is an implementation of the NVIDIA reference design. The GTX 280 offers amazing performance improvements and can even beat the GeForce 9800 GX2. But performance comes at a cost, at $649 you need a fat wallet to be able to afford this card.
QNAP already added nearly every thinkable feature to their NAS firmwares. To make a new series innovation had to be found elsewhere. QNAP decided to double the capacity in their TS-409 Pro and add features to utilize this space. The four disks that the TS-409 Pro houses can therefore be put in any RAID level including 6. Besides adding RAID 5 and 6 support QNAP shows they take their RAID arrays seriously by adding support for online expansion and RAID migration. Combined with the already proven ease of use and list of software features the TS-409 Pro Turbostation promises to be a solid product.
The Silverstone TJ07 has been on the market for quite some time, but still impresses every time you lay eyes on it. This is the reason you will see the case at every show, always filled with the latest and greatest in hardware. That is certainly enough reason for us to take a close look at the TJ07.
This year's Computex was full of pretty asian booth babes fighting for your attention. Just like on previous tradeshows we set a day apart to chase down all the sweet girls for you. In total we have over 150 pictures with full-res images available for your viewing pleasure.
Sapphire HD 3870 X2 Atomic Edition comes with pre-filled, pre-sealed and maintenance free watercooling. This allows Sapphire to ship the card with higher clocks, making the card the fastest HD 3870 X2 on the market today. As you would expect from such a premium product the presentation is outstanding, and so is the price.
Palit's GeForce 9800 GTX follows the specifications of the NVIDIA reference design to the letter. Even then it is one of the fastest cards out there that you can buy, constantly delivering excellent FPS in games. Our sample allowed up to 16% additional overclocking on the GPU for a final clock speed of 784 MHz.
Yuin OK2 is the name of the second best earphone from the Chinese brand Yuin. Unlike their bigger brother these earphones are easy to drive, and are also optimized for use with a normal modern DAP. The OK2s can function both as normal earbuds and as in-ears which makes them quite unique.
The AirView-2000 can stream your Windows desktop or favorite video to the device through any normal 54 MBit wireless network. So there are no cables to tie you down and you may walk around freely with your tablet PC or notebook during a presentation or at school & university.
In our interview with David Makin from Palit Multimedia we learned about recent US activities of the company and how Palit is working on increasing their market share. Also David talks about his personal background and how he made it into the Industry.
Yuin OK1 is the name of Yuin's brand new top-of-line earphone. The OK1s are rather special since they can both function as a pair of regular earbuds or as in-ears. The design is also completely revamped. When driven by a proper amp the sound is lightyears ahead of any other earbud we have previously tested.
The Raidmax Iceberg is a sturdy case designed to suit the gamer who is also conscious of style. Coming stock with three 120 mm blue LED fans and a side panel window in addition to being quite sturdily constructed of aluminum, this case is made to please gamers.
Even though X-Spice is not a very well known brand name, they achieved what nobody else could do: building an extremely quiet power supply that is stable and affordable. We are testing the 530W model today and found that it could easily handle a Quad CrossFireX rig, and produced less fan noise under load than most other power supplies in idle.
The Altair A380 is an affordable slim HTPC case, with a very clean look coupled with a very durable construction. The included power supply is 80 Plus certified and can easily power today's mATX boards with multi core CPUs. Also included is an infrared remote control which is compatible with Windows Vista.
Travagan's Colors is the name of a brand new portable headphone amplifier. It is much smaller than most normal portable amps and only costs $59. The design is quite outlandish since it resembles a dog bone. The question is of course how does this little thing stack up against some of the bigger portable headphone amps.
Gelaskins is a very thin but effective sticker to protect your portable electronics devices from scratches and other light damage, but also adds a nice individual touch to your gadget. We tested the iPhone version of the product.
The Silverstone MS05 is a 2.5" enclosure which comes with an additional drive bay, to insert the unit into your computer. So you can take advantage of the eSATA interface at home, leaving you with the very portable USB 2.0 connectivity on the road.
The A-DATA X-Series is available in DDR2 and DDR3 flavors. Their DDR3 1600 MHz is set at a solid CL7 and comes with graphite colored heatspreaders in a very elaborate package. If 1600 MHz is not enough, you may go for the 1900 MHz version instead.
Sunbeam has come out with a nice tool that solves the mystery of how to handle multiple formats of hard drives. The SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter can use 2.5" and 3.5" SATA and IDE drives and easily converts them to a USB 2.0 interface. Its compact size, flexibility and low price make it a nice addition to a tool bag or work bench.
For nearly five years, Mountains Mods has been wowing the enthusiast community with their series of cube cases. Now Mountain Mods takes that to the next level with the classic U2-UFO design gone "Hyper Modular" with the "Choose Your Own" case. The possibilities are endless. How will you create yours?
The ES-800 from BFG is an 800W power supply that comes with everything an enthusiast might want. It has support for up to four PCI-Express power consumers and features an unorthodox internal layout. In our testing we saw an amazing efficiency of 84.9%.
The Everglide DKTBoard is an incredibly sturdy input device, intended for the hard core gamer. A very compact size, partial aluminum construction and backlight make it perfect for LAN parties.
In our CES 2008 coverage of Lian-Li you saw the awesome Lian Li PC-P80 R AMD Spider Edition case. These cases are just now coming through manufacturing, and TPU is one of the first sites in the world to bring you a detailed look at this new case. It features nearly everything an enthusiast could want, but is it truly the dream of an ADM/ATI fan?
The Hiper Anubis is an incredibly sturdy chassis, which goes the "trusted and true" route. You will not find any fancy layout or interior screw-less system, but thumb screws instead. The beautifully designed front is one good reason to give the Anubis a little plaque with a unique serial number on it.
With the recent purchase of Hyper Sonic OCZ has added another company to their portfolio, further diversifying their product range. Hypersonic's AG2 Notebook, which we have on our testbench today has been engineered to be light weight and portable with less than 1.8 kg. The design also looks stunning with its a high quality, glossy paint.
The Silverstone Treasure TS01B is a very unique 2.5" SATA hard drive enclosure. You may not only use it as a plain USB 2.0 powered unit, but may also set it up to safely encrypt your hard drive as well. The two included RFID tags then act as keys to gain access to your data.
The OCZ ReaperX HPC memory series is the newest variant of the heatpipe cooled memory available from the manufacturer. Its new design improves on the cooling with dual heatpipes and finer fins to keep the parts cool. In our testing we saw excellent performance going all the way to DDR2-736 at 3-3-3-12.
Cooler Master's Real Power M850 power supply is one of the first power supplies that has six 12V rails. This should be enough power for all your SLI or CrossFire needs. Like many other PSUs today, the M850 comes with a high gloss reflective case and a large number of connectors.
A-DATA's S701 & SDHC card Eee PC Edition are themed flash storage parts which go especially nice with the ASUS Eee PC subnotebook. The SDHC card is a Class 6 Device which means it can offer write speeds up to 6 MB/s. Both come at no price premium over the non-EeePC branded variants.
The Cooler Master Centurion 590 is a very affordable entry level case that brings a lot of features from much more expensive enthusiast class enclosures. Its nine 5.25" drive bays offer ultimate expandability, large video cards will also find a comfortable home in it.
The enclosure market is a one tough cookie. From what Tempest offers, NZXT is certainly bringing an advanced feature set to the entry-level crowd or people seeking simple design. If you're on a tight budget, want to save up some money for better performing hardware and don't care about premium features like a removable motherboard tray you should check out this case.
The Akasa Gemini Ergonomic notebook cooler is an all plastic unit with two 70 mm fans. Two USB ports can be found on the rear of the device, one of which is used to power the fans. Akasa has designed the notebook cooler, so that it adds ergonomic benefit to your working environment in form of a palm rest.
Crucial has updated their successful Tracer line-up with the Ballistix Tracer 4 GB Dual Channel kit. Despite stock ratings at 800 MHz with CL4 timings at 2.2V this kit is capable of reaching 1120 MHz stable at CL5 and 2.2V. In addition, the Ballistix Tracer Reds were completely stable at stock speed and timings with only 1.8V, making this a great kit for those with limited voltage options. That said, the entirely red LED accented theme and great performance from these high density 2GB modules is sure to please.
Head-Direct has just released their RE1 earphones which are quite different compared to all the other in-ears on the market today. The special thing about them is that they are based around some very unique performing drivers that scale particularly well. The better your amplifier is, the better their sound, leaving the competition behind in the dust - if you have a good amp.
Mushkin's new XP-800AP power supply offers enough power for even the most demanding rigs. The shiny black paint looks great and the connectors are numerous. One special feature is Rail Fusion which lets the user select if the whole PSU should run with one big rail or in Quad Rail mode.
LiveWires T1 is the name of some new custom earphones that cost about half of its main rivals. They are built exactly to fit your ear with additional customization options like colors. These in-ears use two balanced armatures and play in a completely different league compared to whats usually available in this price segment.
Today we have an interview with one of the key figures in the hardware scene. Franck's CPU-Z and ClockGen applications are legendary and part of every overclocker's toolbox. He explains how he made first contact with computers and what made him write CPU-Z. Also he talks about current projects and his future.
The GlacialTech Igloo 5750 is a price effective alternative to the Intel or AMD stock retail cooler, which is a lot quieter and still offers sufficient cooling performance. Its silver finish and three heatpipes give it a nice look, the dual fan configuration can easily be changed to single for even less noise.
Klipsch Image is the name of a brand new set of high-end earphones. They feature a radical new design and come with an excessive bundle. Besides being extremely good looking they also have a special sound characteristic that appeals to a large crowd.
In a world where case modding is becoming increasingly more popular, Lamptron focuses on giving modders and enthusiasts alike what they are asking for in accessories. The Aluminum Case Handles that we are taking a look at today have style with their custom CNC milled design and smooth elegant finish. The aluminum construction is solid yet very light weight and will certainly please anyone who wants to add portability to their case as well as looks provided that you are willing to spend a little extra money for the quality.
Cellshock has begun offering their high-end DDR3 memory modules with blue heatspreaders. Their new 1866 MHz CL8 is a speed demon in disguise and has plenty of reserves, pushing our P35 board to the limit. It manages CL7 at the advertised rating and should also be able to break the 2 GHz barrier at CL8.
The Mapower KC31CSJ HDD enclosure has almost everything a user could ask for. The sturdy build quality is complimented by a sleek aluminum finish while remaining lightweight. The performance is pleasing especially compared to more expensive enclosures out there. The passively cooled heat dissipation system ensures silent operation while working hard to get that heat away from your important data.
The OVC TC20 earphones are aimed at the more budget conscious in-ear audience. Priced at only $39 they are many times cheaper than most big brand earphones. The only question is how does their sound performance stack up against the more expensive in-ears.
The Rosewill RX82-U is a USB enclosure for SATA hard disk drives featuring two easy-to-swap trays. Running in JBOD mode, each drive gets seen as its own self, so the user will see two drives if two drives are installed. More trays can be purchased and drives can be hot-swapped as needed.
The new Lian-Li Armorsuit PC-P60 is a very elaborate case, which is quite different from the understatement shape of their usual enclosures. Three LED fans are built into the very detailed front door and a top airduct guides air out of the case toward the back. Even though the case retails at $269 it offers a lot of premium features justifying the cost.
Aeneon is entering the DDR3 market with their X-Tune brand. This series is aimed at the gamers and their first offering is set at 1333 MHz with CL8. It comes with very nice looking black heatspreaders and a unique, blue PCB
Today we take a look at EK Water Block's EK Supreme. This CPU waterblock features a universal mounting plate, as well as a clear acrylic top that can be lit up with two 3mm LEDs. Performance is excellent on the EK Supreme, making it truly worthy of the name "Supreme".
VSONIC R02-PRO is the name of a reasonably priced set of earphones. They retail for around $69 which is to be considered cheap by earphone market standards. What is interesting to see is their rather different design and how they stack up against competitors from more established brands.
Diamond's latest HD 3650 card features a huge video memory of 1 GB, but uses only slow DDR2. For media PC systems an extra HDMI output has been added which natively supports HDCP and audio. We run this card through our benchmarks and check whether the extra memory can make a performance difference.
Most HTPC users will find that there are only a limited number of CPU coolers available to use in most HTPC cases because of their smaller size. OrigenAE created the C10 to help fill that void. The C10 has three U-shaped copper heatpipes that come in direct contact with the CPU, and 35 aluminum fins behind a standard size 70mm fan.
Head-Direct RE2 is the name of a completely new entry level pair of earphone. Head-Direct was until recently just a headphone and amplifier reseller, but that has changed with the arrival of the RE2s. their new earphones are among the best when it comes to price/performance, even rivaling some of the twice as expensive competition.
Today NVIDIA launches their new GeForce 9800 GTX cards. Like many products in the GeForce 8 Series they are based on the G92 graphics processor. This is also the reason why there are no real technological innovations on this $299 card.
Airlive is showing a range of very unique network-based products. It ranges from a unit to show all types of multimedia formats on the TV over a wireless network, as well as some very unique all-in-one networking solutions.
Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme is the name of their newest graphics card cooler for GeForce 8800 cards. The Xtreme is also available in a version that supports ATI HD 2900 cards. The cooler uses 107 aluminum fins with three 80 mm PWM controlled fans to blow air over a large amount of fins for maximum heat dissipation.
The VGA Tweaking Utility RivaTuner has changed a lot over the years, and so has its creator. TPU talks with 'Unwinder' about software development and the role he played in starting the softmod community.
The Porsche 911 Turbo wheel is an exact replica of the real wheel and comes with hand stitched leather and wireless technology for unrestricted racing fun. The pedals and choice of gear box round up the exclusive package. The gearbox is available as either 6+1 speed H-pattern gear stick or a sequential version.
For those users out there that are constantly swapping around parts, Thermaltake introduces the BlacX HDD Docking Station. This USB 2.0 device is a variation of a hard drive enclosure that lets the user plug a bare drive into an opening on top, and then eject the drive with a push of a button. The BlacX is so simple and easy to use, anyone with extra drives laying around should think about picking one of these up.
The Cooler Master Cosmos S is the "sport" variant of the original Cosmos chassis. Coolermaster has taken various aspects of the Stacker series and fused them with the original Cosmos case. The door is gone and the plastic top has been redesigned to fit a triple radiator of your choice. The new Cosmos S is also made of Aluminum which makes it much lighter.
J & W is showing off their complete range of new mainboards at the show. You will find the newest AMD based boards as well as some very interesting Intel and NVIDIA units on display.
GeiL is showing off their newest memory products. You will find XMP based DDR3 modules as well as very tight timing DDR2 memory modules at their booth.
The SteelSeries Ikari Optical gaming mouse is aimed at hardcore FPS gamers who want the best possible tracking. The optical version of the Ikari mouse looks just like its laser brother, but without the LCD display that indicates which profile is being used.
EVGA's e-GeForce 9600 GT SSC comes at increased clocks compared to the NVIDIA reference design. Also the cooler has been adjusted slightly to match the company's color theme and design. With a price premium of just $10 over the reference card it can can deliver in both performance per Dollar and performance per Watt.
The HIS Radeon HD 3870 IceQ3 uses the proven HIS IceQ3 cooling solution. It also comes with higher clocks out of the box which are among the highest we have seen so far from all manufacturers. The recent price drops from AMD make this card a solid choice for the sub-$200 segment.
G.Skill is showing off their SATA I and SATA II based SSD offerings as well as some brand new passive and active cooling solutions for their DDR2 and DDR3 memory modules.
Today NVIDIA launches their GeForce 9800 GX2 dual GPU card. It comes with two G92 GPUs and uses a new cooling design where a single cooler sits in the middle and cools both GPUs. We have the card from Zotac on our testbench today which follows the reference design specification. Unlike many other publications all our testing was conducted in Windows XP because we think that's what the majority of users still plays on.
Corsair is showing off their 1000W power supply as well as XMP and EMP2 based memory modules. You will also find their newest 32GB Survivor and Voyager USB flash drives as well as an nForce 790 based PC up and running.
Gainward is showing off their Bliss series of cards. These include the new range of Golden Sample products using the GeForce 8800 GT and 9600 GT. You will also find a GeForce 9800 GX2 at their booth.
Inno3D is showing off a lot of different G92 based graphic cards as well as a few interesting mainboards. The company also produces internal and external TV tuners, which are also on display
Sleek-Audio SA6 is the name of a brand new pair of earphones with customizable performance. The earphones feature both a treble and bass tuning system that allows the user to alter the audio performance according to their needs and preferences. This is not done via electronics as one might expect, but by physically replacing parts of the earphone.
The Lancool brand is created by Lian-Li and combines the flawless, understatement exterior with the sturdy bones of steel. This makes for the name "Metal Boned K7". The case is meant for LAN Parties and offers the same innovations found in the more expensive Lian-Li branded cases.
Sapphire's new HD 3870 Toxic is built on the same Vapor-X cooling technology that the HD 3870 Atomic uses. This means that the card comes with a single slot cooling solution making it a premier choice for Quad CrossFire systems. The accessory package also includes an HDMI cable, PowerDVD and a 3DMark license, not bad for a $40 premium.
Apevia is showing off their present cases in new colors, as well as their newest X-QOII and X-Supra series. You will also find their multi color LED fan Warlock PSUs with up to 1100W at their booth.
Lexar & Crucial do not have a booth at CeBIT, but we got the chance to meet up with them and take a look at some of their products.
Nanya & Elixir are also present at CeBIT, with a small booth, showcasing a few of their memory products. This ranges from JEDEC DDR2 and DDR3 DIMMs over FB-DIMMs to DDR3 SODIMMs.
Even though the GeForce 8800 GT has already been out for a while, it still has the punch to play all the latest games. The VVIKOO 8800 GT Max 1 GB comes with the Zalman VF1000 pre-installed and also features double the video memory. But is there any performance to be gained by going from 512 MB to 1024 MB of memory?
After an exhausting six days at CeBIT 2008 we bring you pictures of the hot booth babes and all other pretty girls that were working there. By popular request we have added ultra high-res versions for all 231 pictures.
EVGA is showing off a lot of different high-end NVIDIA parts. This includes the 790i board and two versions of the GeForce 9800 GX2. Other nice highlights are the foldable EVGA display and external USB graphic card.
Flexi Glow is now called Cyber E Sport. They encompass four product lines. Cyber Snipa, Siren, Gamepwr and Orbita. They are presenting products of all four brands at their booth.
mCubed is well known for its unique HTPC cases which feature large heatsinks on the outside. Their newest products, like the updated HFX micro and a storage box and amplifier for the micro series.
Revoltec is showing off a number of accessories for gamers: mice, gaming surfaces, headphones and notebook coolers.
Cooler Master has their Cosmos S case on display as well as a number of beautiful hand airbrushed cases. Also two new PSU series have been announced, with one being for the enthusiast and the other one for quiet PCs.
AMD's new HD 3650 is basically an improved version of the 2600 XT without any major technological advances other than a smaller die size resulting in cheaper cards. PowerColor's HD 3650 Extreme comes equipped with 512 MB of fast GDDR3 memory and runs at higher clocks than the AMD reference design.
Akasa has a few new cases at their booth and is also displaying new hard drive enclosures for both 3.5 and 2.5 inch drives. Their aftermarket GPU coolers are up and running on Radeon HD 3870s and their latest heatpipe CPU cooler can also be viewed in its final shape.
A-Data is presenting their new Gamer series DDR2 and DDR3 memory as well as new additions to their Nobility and Disney series of flash drives. They are also presenting their newest cooling solutions for their memory.
Mushkin is showing off their memory line-up as well as their newest addition - NVIDIA based graphic cards. You will also find their new 800W power supply up and running.
Thermaltake's V1 CPU heatsink has a classy, elegant design like no other. The all-copper construction and subtle scrolls make this heatsink stand out from the rest. While the V1 is not Thermaltake's flagship cooler, it still performs very well.
Foxconn is showing off various mainboards, as well as the latest and greatest graphic cards. You will find a quad GPU based system up and running and we had the chance to take pictures of the 9800 GX2 up and running.
Albatron is showing off the latest Intel and AMD based mainboards, as well as the newest GeForce 9 based graphic cards. You will also find some very unique entry-level GPUs as well as interesting ITX based mainboards at their booth
CeBIT 2008 will kick off on March 4th this year. This marks the beginning of an exciting week, filled with the newest technology at the world's largest show.
VVIKOO's GeForce 9600 GT Turbo brings many changes over the NVIDIA reference design. You can see one of the first DisplayPort implementations, an HDMI output, two DVIs and optical SPDIF-in. The card also features the Zalman VF-1000 cooler which makes sure the card stays cool at all times. Since the card runs cooler, the card comes overclocked straight from the factory.
When we first reviewed NVIDIA's new GeForce 9600 GT we noticed a discrepancy between the advertised core speed and the frequency reported by the clock generator. After further investigation we can now answer what causes this.
The Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. is a very cool looking case at a very low price point. This means you can expect a flashy exterior with a traditional interior, making it a great budget LAN party case. The case comes features a door with integrated LCD temperature display and is available in a wide range of colors.
On the heels of the successful NH-U12F CPU heatsink, Noctua has released a newer, more compatible version called the NH-U12P. This version has more clearance below the fins, making it easier to install on many motherboards. It comes with the new, ultra-quiet NF-P12 fan and a tube of the new NT-H1 thermal compound.
Biostar's new GeForce 9600 GT follows the specifications of the NVIDIA reference design to the letter. Even the cooler is unchanged. This does not have to be a bad thing. The card should be available earlier than any "special" models and also come without a price premium for overclocking you can do yourself.
The new Classic series from A-DATA keeps the trusted and true design of traditional flash devices. The new C701 is aimed at the budget user, looking for simple and cheap flash storage.
Today NVIDIA announced their new GeForce 9 Series. The first product is the GeForce 9600 GT, based on the new G94 GPU. Zotac's AMP! Edition comes overclocked straight out of the box for a little bit extra performance. This can bring the card very close to the GeForce 8800 GT in performance.
The Zalman NC2000 is a notebook cooler made of a solid aluminum sheet and black plastic bottom. Two fans cool the entire underside of the notebook and can be manually adjusted as well to find the perfect balance between cooling and fan noise.
A-Data continues to innovate the USB Flash Drive segment with new and unique designs. The Sport series features a sturdy metal frame with rubber padding, to make it durable for use during outdoor activities. A-Data's Sport S702 will sure go well on any key chain.
The HIS Radeon HD 3850 IceQ3 comes with a high end dual slot cooler, 512 MB of fast GDDR3 memory and increased clocks at a price tag of $199. This winning combination gets very close in performance to the much more expensive HD 3870 and can even surpass it when overclocked.
The Xigmatek HDT-S1283 is a massive cooler with just as big 8 mm heat pipes. With the heat pipes actually making contact on the CPU this cooler shows us something different in the way of keeping your CPU cool. The cooler is in a line of products from Xigmatek making its way into the rigs around the world.
Today we takes a look at the new Acrylic HTPC case from Sunbeam. Aside from the fact that this case is completely see-through and UV reactive, what really sets this case apart from other HTPC cases is that this case features a total of eight internal 3.5" bays. This feature makes it possible to have multiple terabytes of media storage directly in the HTPC itself.
Even though the EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GS comes with just 96 shaders and 12 ROPs it can easily compete with AMD HD3850 and HD3870. The card offers great price/performance and is very very quiet. With up to 30% overclocking this card is every overclocker's dream being able to surpass the much more expensive 8800 GT when overclocked.
Sunbeam is well known for their four channel Rheobus fan controller. Recently, they decided to create a new version called the Rheobus Extreme which has six channels and can support up to 30 W per channel. Each channel has a clear knob that glows blue, and the brightness changes with the fan speed setting. We take a look at this new fan controller and put it to the test.
The NZXT Rogue is a very unique case. It combines the portability of a cube with the possiblity to install large graphic cards and high performance power supplies. A carrying strap is also included, to make carrying the black or silver cube - featuring either blue or red LEDs - to and from a LAN party as easy as possible.
AMD's Radeon HD 3850 Series has been on the market for a while now. Add-in-Board Partners are constantly looking for ways to seperate themselves from the competition and that's why Sapphire has engineered a Radeon HD 3850 with 1024 MB of GDDR3 memory and faster core clock out of the box. But can a card like this really benefit from 1 GB of video memory?
The HeadRoom Total BitHead portable amplifier and DAC is a great combination of both a USB audio codec and a headphone amplifier that will drive most high end cans on the market today. The HeadRoom Total BitHead sells for only $149.99 which can be considered a steal for such a product.
The PowerColor HD 3870 SCS3 Edition is a completely passively cooled Radeon HD 3870. This makes the card an excellent choice for a quiet Media PC computer. What is really amazing is that the passive card runs up to 25°C cooler than the reference design which uses a fan.
The Razer Lycosa Keyboard is the company's first input device with the flat key type - similar to that of notebooks. Those never tend to be the best for gaming, but Razer has managed to eliminate any shortcomings with a perfect pressure point and rubber coated keys.
The SteelSeries Ikari Laser mouse is the first ever mouse to be designed by legendary mouse pad maker SteelSeries. The mouse features a 3200 DPI laser sensor and boasts a lift-off distance of only 1.8 mm. Coupled with some never before seen features this mouse is clearly a winner.
The Piranha is Razer's newest effort to conquer the budget gaming headset market. It features a noise canceling microphone and a lot of other neat features that add to the value of the product which is sold at a mere $79.99.
With the redesigned MC-TDX CPU waterblock, Danger Den has also released some new chipset blocks based on the same pin design. The new MPC series chipset blocks feature 225 heat-dissipating columns in the typical copper base. We take a look at the MPC-975X chipset block, which is designed to work with the Intel 975X chipset.
A-DATA is known for their unique USB flash devices. The new Nobility N702 is no different. It looks so fancy, that it can be used as a necklace or key chain with its shiny metal casing and tugged away USB connector.
The Logisys Ultra Slim Soft Touch Multimedia Keyboard has much more to offer than just your average keyboard. It has a two-tone matte/glossy black finish to compliment the very slim and compact design. The keystroke is soft and very quiet, while the palm rest ensures maximum comfort. Combine this with a range of internet and multimedia hot keys, and you have a recipe for a great product with a great price.
WayTronX is the company behind the OCZ Hydrojet technology, while OCZ is the company which exclusively produces the coolers.
The HIS Radeon 3870 X2 combines the power of two ATI RV670 GPUs into one to reach for the performance throne in single card processing power. Even tough the implementation has some minor limitations the overall product is certainly interesting and can maybe bring AMD back in the game.
Cool IT Systems is showing off a few new pre-filled and ready to go TEC systems for both the high-end and entry level. You will also find new cooling systems for modern graphic cards and up and running systems.
Razer Destructor is the name of the newest hard gaming surface that uses a new surface technology. The Destructor features the all new "Fractal" surface that should enable you to get the best tracking out of your laser or optical mouse.
Sapphire's new HD 3870 Atomic Edition is a special version of the Radeon HD 3870 with a single slot cooler. This is only possible because Sapphire uses a new cooling technology called Vapor-X cooling that improves cooling performance considerably while keeping noise down. Another plus of this card is that it comes overclocked out of the box with full warranty.
Genius is a very diverse brand and there are a few very interesting offerings on display. These range from input devices to digital fridge magnets. Also you could see a combination of 22" display and touch sensitive graphics tablet.
Lian-Li is presenting their newest case for enthusiasts. The Armorsuit P60 and P80. There is a new HTPC case as well as power supplies at their booth. Another very nice concept is an XBox360 enclosure made from aluminum.
A-DATA has an open booth and are showcasing their new Disney themed products, as well as new SSD products. Besides that you will also find their new DDR3 memory up to 2000 MHz at the booth.
Sapphire has a small suite in which they have some real nice new releases to take a look at for example an AGP based HD3850. This means that even users of the aging AGP platform can enjoy the benefits of DirectX 10 titles on their system.
Lexar has an open booth at the show floor, which also holds the Crucial products. There are new Ballistix Tracer and SSDs as well as Disney themed Lexar memory flash devices.
Mushkin has a suite away from the show floor in the New York, New York casino with a few interesting tidbits and new releases to share with you.
OCZ has a booth at the Bellagio in which you can view their new SSD products and new GameXStream power supply. A new watercooling product is being presented here as well together with the mighty HydroJet cooler.
Xigmatek's new NRP-HC1201 power supply offers 1200W of power with support for up to six VGA power connectors. Juice is delivered over four 12V rails with up to 36A per rail. Of course the usual features like long and fully sleeved cables and 80+ high efficiency are present as well.
These days, computer equipment is more sensitive to power disruptions than ever before. The Sanyo Denki A11H is a true on-line UPS that provides constant power to multiple computer systems, and its design allows it to work well with backup generators. We take a look at a 700W tower-style model and the optional LAN Interface card.
ASUS has a small booth with a few interesting items. There is a dedicated gaming products section and their new mainboards and other gadgets can also be seen.
The Westone UM1 in-ear-monitors are aimed at people wanting good sound quality on the move without having to spend several hundreds of dollars. With a price of $109 they are Westone's contribution to a highly competitive price segment.
Danger Den redesigned the TDX to improve its performance on multiple-core CPUs. This new version, dubbed the MC-TDX, features 240 pins above the CPU core area to help dissipate heat. The rest of the design is classic TDX, with its offset outlet barb, acrylic top and simple mounting hardware.
Diamond has designed their HD 3850 Ruby Edition with additional cooling performance in mind. Their cooler is a custom dual-slot solution which does quite a good job at keeping the card cool. In addition to that the memory has been doubled to 512 MB of GDDR3.
Noctua recently released their new NT-H1 thermal compound. This new thermal interface material is designed to give maximum performance while being simple to use. Best of all, it is ready to use immediately and does not require a "burn-in" time like the other manufacturer's products. With a long storage life, long-term stability on the CPU, being non-conductive and being suitable for compressor cooling, this thermal compound seems to have it all.
With a price of around $300 you can expect quite some performance from the Westone UM2 Earphones. They are designed as in-ear-monitors and feature two high-end drivers aimed at people that are not willing to accept compromise.
The AirLive WL-5460 builds on the features of the smaller WL-5400 and adds a pan & tilt function and built-in microphone to the device, while keeping the video quality the same. The included software also raises the parallel surveilance capability from 4 to 16 cameras.
Xigmatek's new NRP-MC851 power supply offers 850W of power on four 12V rails. The cable management has been optimized in a way that the most often used connectors are fixed to the unit and additional cables are optional.
With the A770M-A ECS recently released their first motherboard based on the AMD RX780 chipset which has full support for AM2+ and the Phenom processors. The ECS A770M-A costs less than $70 making it the cheapest offering on the AM2+ market. Even though the price is low ECS has included features like Gigabit Ethernet, 8 channel audio and eSata connectivity.
The Vizo Milano Multimedia enclosure plays back all your favorite multimedia files stored on the internal hard drive on your TV at up to 1080i resolution. The ease of use and complete cable set make it a very interesting choice for everyone wanting to not only store these files but also have them at their immediate disposal when needed.
The SteelSeries SP mouse mat is the latest hard plastic mat from SteelSeries that builds on the legacy of the S&S mouse pad. The SP features a lot of new innovations such as a macroscopic surface and a solid rubber base. In our testing we were amazed by the glide performance, accuracy and speed of this mousepad which is one of the best gaming surfaces on the market today.
The Sigma Luna has a clean look with a brushed aluminum finish. It is light-weight, yet I still found it surprisingly sturdy. The large side panel window, sleek door design, silver accents, and chrome trim highly compliment the black satin finish. Top this off with an all aluminum chassis and tool-free installation, and you get a combination that is a pleasure to work with and look at.
The Ballistix DDR3 1600 MHz CL8 Kit is Crucial's only enthusiast DDR3 offering at the moment and as such it has been placed right in the middle of the MHz and CL rating spectrum. The memory kit does actually manage speeds of almost 2 GHz and tighter timings at the stock speed of 1600 MHz.
Zalman's new ZM1000-HP power supply has been designed with fan noise in mind. The heatpipe experts from Zalman have stuck two of these inside their PSU and added a slow running 140 mm fan on top of that. This winning combination results in one of the quietest PSUs we ever tested, especially considering it delivers up to 1000W of power via six independant 12V rails.
With the TS-209 Pro QNAP extends their professional NAS series with a dual bay, RAID capable product. It features all the luxuries of the previous model with added redundancy or, if preferred, increased storage space.
Cellshock is a newer brand which offers uncompromising quality. This can already be felt and seen when you take a close look at the massive heatspreaders which use real thermal paste and are secured by hex screws. The 1066 MHz kit features black spreaders, while top top of the line 1150 MHz offering utilizes red ones.
The Vizo Ninja II, lovingly called Sumo because of the large size, is intended for 15" to 17" notebooks. The two cooling fans are powered by a USB port of the portable computer. This cable also features an USB 2.0 port itself, so you will not waste one of these precious connection on your laptop.
V-MODA's Vibe in-ear-monitors are for the style conscious earphone buyer. Their all aluminum body and fashionable woven cable makes them stand out from the crowd. But can they even begin to compete with more performance minded in-ear-monitors.
The Logitech V470 is a slick Bluetooth mouse for notebooks, so you can enjoy your wireless freedom on the road. It utilizes two AA batteries as a power source and can be had in either blue or white. The V470 is intended for notebooks with built-in Bluetooth and also comes with a pouch for easy transportation.
GeIL broke into the market with the Golden Dragon Series in the past and have now "resurrected" the dragon in form of the Black Dragon DDR2 line. The memory features a gorgeous looking PCB with a golden dragon head with bright red LEDs as the eyes. The entry level CL4 variant looks quite promising and performs just as well.
Vizo has taken the Uranus 3.5 inch enclosure and has shrunk it to 2.5. This hard drive case takes a 2.5 inch SATA drive instead, but still keeps all the features of its larger brother, with a smaller price tag.
Today NVIDIA announced their new GeForce 8800 GTS 512 MB which is based on the G92 GPU that has already been used on the GeForce 8800 GT. To our excitement our testing revealed that this $299 card can almost beat the much more expensive GeForce 8800 GTX while generally being quieter and less power hungry.
Crucial's Newegg Lanfest 2K7 Special Edition memory kit is an extreme overclocking kit at its best. With stellar looks and the potential to simply shatter the rated specifications, this kit definitely won't fail to please the overclocking needs of any PC enthusiast and at a great price to boot.
Sapphire's new HD 3870 card is based on AMD's RV670 GPU which is made in a 55 nm process with 666 million transitors and support for DirectX 10.1 and PCI-Express 2.0. This card that is sold for around $249 is intended to be AMD's new offering for an upper midrange card - but can it beat the GeForce 8800 GT?
PowerColor's new HD3850 Xtreme is full of customization compared to the reference design. Instead of two DVI ports it has one DVI and one HDMI port which supports HD video playback with HDCP and digital audio straight off the GPU. In addition to that a custom cooler by Zerotherm ensures that the card stays cool no matter what you throw at it. Another bonus is that the memory size has been doubled to 512 MB of 1.0 ns GDDR3 memory.
AMD's new Radeon HD 3850 has been a major upgrade in both performance and efficiency. GeCube has taken the reference design and increased the clock speeds. They also doubled the available memory to 512 MB GDDR3 and use a two slot cooler on the card. But can this yield enough performance to warranty a $30 price premium? We compare it to 17 other video cards.
Thermaltake has created a new Xaser case, and this time it is a monster. The Xaser VI is a huge "super-tower" case with room for Extended ATX motherboards, seven 5.25" bay devices, seven hard drives and up to ten PCI slots. There is an incredible amount of ventilation with the mesh on the front, top and sides, and there are even some other features that make this an ideal watercooling case.
Sunbeam's Mini Plant is a wolf in sheep's clothing. The PSU comes in an ATX standard sized casing but offers up to 950W of power. With most other manufacturers this means that the PSU fan will be very loud, not with the Mini Plant. Actually the fan is the quietest we ever tested in the 900W+ segment, you can almost not hear it, even under load.
The Kossart h50 is a new headset in the bang-for-the-buck category. It is made by the Swedish based company Kossart and is aimed at gamers looking for an affordable solid performing headset. In our review we were impressed by the excellent build quality which is there to last.
A-DATA has recently released a 16 GB SDHC storage card, which is the biggest capacity available on the market. Their card offers not only plenty of storage, it is also extremely fast. Even though it is specified as Class 6 with 6 MB/s, we saw amazing 18 MB/s read and 10 MB/s write speeds.
Gigabyte recently announced its new G-Power 2 Pro CPU heatsink which adds additional airflow to the CPU Mosfets. This airflow helps to provide additional cooling for those Mosfets, making it easier for the motherboard to provide stable power for hungry CPUs. The G-Power 2 Pro has some nice features, including a very quiet 120mm fan.
The Tuniq Ensemble is Sunbeam's latest high-end PSU offering. It comes in at a whooping 1200 Watts with a large number of connectors included. For all your SLI/CrossFire needs you have two PCI-E 6-pin and two PCI-E 8-pin connectors available. Sunbeam has focused on making this a stable and efficient power supply and did a great job, the efficiency rating during our testing is well above 83%.
The SteelSeries Siberia Neckband headset is the first neckband headset aimed at gamers. Besides being a neckband headset, SteelSeries further added to its capabilities by including an Xbox 360 adapter. Also included is a detachable volume control that sits on the audio cable.
The SuperNova 600W power supply from AXP (in Europe) and Xion (in the US) is designed to be a cost effective solution for people who do not use things like CrossFire and SLI in their system. Another important feature of this modular power supply is that it has a number of LEDs placed in vital spots to give that PSU a really pretty outward appearance.
The Alpha is NZXT's latest entry level case offering. While it does not cost a lot, it has enough space for an 8800 GTX or Ultra. This means that you can save a bit of money on the chassis and spend it on actual hardware, without having to worry about compatibility issues.
The Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio in-ear-monitors are aimed at the ordinary consumer looking for extraordinary sound performance. The Super.fi 3 Studio comes at a more resonable price tag of around $100, which is less than many other in-ear-headphones on the market today.
Thermaltake recently added the Max 4 Active Cooling Enclosure to their lineup. This portable unit works with SATA hard drives and allows them to be used with USB 2.0 ports or faster eSATA connections. To help keep the drive cool, there is an 80 mm by 15 mm blue LED fan on one side and black mesh on the front and rear.
The Razer Lachesis is the first mouse to feature a third generation laser sensor which operates at a maximum of 4000 DPI. The new technology looks good on paper, but how does it perform in real world scenarios. In this review we will put this new technology to the test and see if it lives up to the expectations.
The DH-101 is Thermaltake's latest midsize HTPC offering. It features the well known Soundgraph iMON Graphical VFD and a lot of extra controls. It takes a normal ATX mainboard and has space for up to three hard drives, which leaves you free to choose which components you wish to install.
OCZ's ATV Turbo 4 GB USB stick comes in a flashy yellow color with a rugged rubber shell. It uses Dual Channel Technology to maximize performance - in our testing 35.0 MB/s. To check if it can take the pressure we ran over it with a car and then fried it. Literally, in a frying pan.
The Origen AE S10V is a pure HPTC case. It is compact and features a VFD with an integrated IR receiver for that Vista MCE remote. You will not find custom software or unneeded features inside this case, which makes it such a perfect choice for that big, 1080p TV you have in your living room.
Logitech goes all out with their latest gaming mouse - the G9. While it may look very futuristic, the shape is perfect for right handed gamers. The G9 can be customized in almost every aspect, from weight to size and feel over to all the DPI settings and button assignments. This makes the device the perfect weapon of choice, no matter what type of gamer you are.
ATP's new Tough Drive Mini 2 GB is a USB stick which offers high speed performance and support for Windows Vista Ready Boost. As the name suggests the drive is rugged and waterproof. To verify the manufacturer's claims we tried to break it - with a hammer!
Zerotherm has just announced an new all-copper CPU heatsink based on their classic "butterfly" design: the BTF92 Overclocker Edition. This heatsink features 92 copper fins, eight effective heat pipes and a shiny copper base. Add a 92mm fan with blue LEDs and a fan controller, and the BTF92 is ready to cool all the latest CPUs from both Intel and AMD.
Today Zerotherm launches the new Nirvana NV120 Premium tower style heatsink, which features a copper base and four U-shaped heatpipes with aluminum fins. Over the entire surface of the Nirvana Premium is a dark gray mirror finish like no other heatsink I have seen. Included is a 120mm blue LED fan with a fan controller to dial in the right noise level for any system. With all this style comes great performance, too.
The Zotac GeForce 8800 GT comes equipped with NVIDIA's latest G92 GPU. Unlike the NVIDIA reference design, Zotac's card is running at a higher clock of 660 MHz which gives this card a nice performance boost. With a price point of only $249 and performance that is close to the 8800 GTX, the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT is going to be one of the big sellers this year.
Akasa has just introduced a new CPU cooler called the Revo, which features their new SilentFlux technology. This cooler utilizes a bubble pump to move the heat from the base through a radiator where it can be cooled by a fan. We put the Revo to the test to see how well this new cooling technology performs.
OCZ's new DDR3 1800 memory kit is geared towards early adopters, overclockers and enthusiasts that always want to have the latest and the greatest. We tested the 2 GB kit and were surprised how well balanced overclocking is. You are free to run aggressive CL5 timings at lower clocks or go full out, up to 1850 MHz.
VVIKOO is a new videocard manufacturer based in Paris offering both NVIDIA and ATI cards. One of their first products is the GeForce 8600 GT Turbo, which is an overclocked version of NVIDIA's 8600 GT. The card comes equipped with a quiet Zalman cooler and offers great overclocking potential. In our testing we could increase the clocks by more than 40% over NVIDIA's reference clocks.
The Fanatec Headshot Controller is a mouse and mousepad combination from German manufacturer Fanatec. Usually such a combo is a low quality product, but not in this case. We were surprised by the excellent build quality which is on par, if not better, with big names like Logitech and Microsoft. Also the mousepad has an incredibly smooth surface with almost no friction.
AirLive has a very diverse line-up. Their Skyphone-1000 is a wireless phone to be used with Skype. It makes calling other Skype users or normal numbers just as easy as with every other phone - it will even ring when someone calls you. As connection method a proprietary Bluetooth protocol is used which lets you use the phone without any corded connection.
The Apevia X-QPack 2 is the successor of the original X-QPack. Notable changes include the full size 500W power supply by placing a slightly longer front cover unto the chassis. A 8 cm fan has been added in the front of the case to actively cool your memory. Apevia also added a few more colors and one with a camouflage design.
Sirtec's new RockSolid 1000W PSU is engineered to deliver high quality stable power to your components. Its modular approach lets you start small and attach just the cables you need as your power requirements grow. For a price of only $200 you get a solid PSU that has up to six PCI-Express VGA connectors.
The Gigabyte iSOLO 210 represents the company's newest mid-range product. At a price of just under $100 it comes with a very solid aluminum and steel front, a great design and a screwless installation system. There are round openings for watercooling, as well as plenty of space, even for large graphic cards and power supplies.
Ever find that you never seem to have enough room in your chassis? Then it's time to get a full sized tower. Lian Li has several large towers, and now they have a new one - the PC-A70. Today we'll take a look at the new PC-A70 from Lian Li and see if it's worthy of the Lian Li brand name.
NOX XTREME Moonlight is the name of the newest case from NOX. This case is aimed at gamers looking for a light-weight performance midi-tower. Can a case from a relatively new company even begin to compete with offerings in the same class from established companies?
The ATP Petito 2 GB USB stick features a solid metal shell which helps make the drive a lot more resilient to damage. We tested the pink girlie version which you either love or hate and were impressed by the excellent results it delivered. Both bandwidth and access time were among the top of all USB stick we ever reviewed.
The AirLive Sky-211 is an interesting little device, which transforms your home phone into a VoIP device, with which you can make and receive calls over the Internet using Skype. It is incredibly easy to set up and gives you all the comfort of a traditional phone combined with the benefits of a VoIP call.
GIGABYTE's Odin GT line of power supplies is the world's first PSU series that allows software control and monitoring. From within the GIGABYTE P-Tuner software you can adjust voltage levels, fan speed and get detailed monitoring info about your PSU like power draw. In addition to that we found out that the unit also has a very high efficiency of over 84% and good voltage stability.
The Gigabyte G-Pad Pro is a notebook cooling surface, intended for 15 inchers or smaller. It features a heatsink shape, can be cooled actively if needed with the included fan and propped on the its feet. Transporting it is made easy as well, thanks to two included bags.
The Thermalright HR-03 Plus performance VGA card cooler has been on the market for a while now, but is it still the king of the VGA coolers if you believe some people. In this review we put it up against the newest offering from Zalman and see which is the best cooler for your GeForce 8800 Series card at the moment.
The Cooler Master RC-690 is their newest mainstream case. It combines the benefits of great aircooling, screwless design and compatiblilty with large graphic cards with solid steel construction. All this comes at a very affordable price point. The case can be had with or without a window.
ECS has released the ECS G31T-M as affordable Core 2 Duo motherboard which supports the latest Quad-Core and 1333 FSB CPUs at an affordable price of less than $75. In our testing we saw that performance is on par with much more expensive high-end motherboards. The integrated Intel VGA is also a nice addition because you don't have to buy a video card for your office machine or can use it to play back video in a Media PC.
The UFO Acrylic Cube case from Sunbeam has a lot of unique features for a clear plastic case. The cube design is unlike other clear cases I've seen, and its compact size makes it great for smaller systems or users with space restrictions. There is a large amount of "WOW-factor" that comes with a case like this, and it is sure to turn some heads.
BFG is one of two companies offering the Ageia PhysX card in form of a retail product. The PPU - physics proccesing unit - is an additioal processor to the GPU and CPU. It enables real life physics and interactivity within supporting games. While the first games and a high price tag upon launch did not live up to expectations, the brand new Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and a very affordable 120 USD price tag makes this a great addition nowadays.
3D Mercury is the name of GIGABYTE's first ever case with an integrated water cooling system. The case is aimed at first time water cooling buyers and is extremely easy to setup and maintain. Is this case worth the money or is it just another overpriced attempt to fuse a water cooling system and a chassis?
Akasa's new PowerMax Family of power supplies offers power for demanding gamers and enthusiasts. We test the 1000W version today which has a large number of connectors on extremely long cables in an ATX standard sized case. The unit boasts a high efficiency of over 82% which may even help you save some money on your electricity bill.
After a long wait the Razer Diamondback Mouse is back on the market. The new version is dubbed Diamondback 3G and features Razer's famous 3G infrared sensor for bargain price of $49.99. Other than the sensor there are only a few changes to the design, so can it live up to the expectations?
Thermaltake's new BigWater 760i watercooling kit is an affordable and compact solution to users who are are afraid of the cost or the complexity of a full kit. It is easy to install, so even less experienced people can get their feet wet with watercooling.
The Pro|Click Mobile is Razer's first go at designing a cordless laptop mouse. Being cordless and a laptop mouse seems to be some feat, but has Razer been able to make a good performing mouse that avoids all of the obvious pitfalls associated with cordless laptop mice?
Zalman's new ZM850-HP PSU uses two heatpipes to transfer heat away from the hot components on the PCB to the rear of the unit. The hot air is then exhaust by a slow running 140 mm fan. This design allows Zalman to run their fan much slower than the competition. In the end this results in one of the quietest PSUs we have ever used, especially if you consider the 850W maximum load.
Matrox has made some waves with their recent release of the DualHead2Go Digital GXM module, but the TripleHead2Go Analog has one great feature which the dual display variant lacks: Surround Gaming. We fire up a classic and a brand new game, to show you what you could be gaming on with the TripleHead2Go GXM module.
Spire has just released their new interpretation of a sleek looking hard drive enclosure namely the all new MegaPOD III IDE. With the MegaPOD III Spire wishes to conquer the mid-range enclosure market, but can this enclosure keep up with rest, or has the sleek design prohibited performance?
Biostar is the first manufacturer to put 512 MB of fast GDDR3 memory on a GeForce 8600 GTS card, which usually comes with 256 MB. Since GDDR3 memory is expensive, the card retails for around $50 more than the regular variant. Are 256 MB additional video memory worth the price difference?
When building an HTPC system, one of the main problems is finding a decent keyboard and mouse that won't take up too much room. Often a good keyboard is just a standard full sized desktop keyboard in a wireless version. Then there is the issue of cursor control. A mouse often gets misplaced, and remote control units are awkward at best. VidaBox's new Premium Wireless Keyboard features a built-in optical trackball, and the size is as compact as a laptop keyboard.
Corsair's brand new VX450W power supply comes with a maximum load of 450W. While this may not sound much it is absolutely sufficient to power most of today's systems. The PSU has a very high efficiency of over 83% which allows the fan to run slower because there is not so much excess heat to get rid of. In our fan noise testing this extremely silent unit leads by a large margin over all other PSUs tested so far.
A-DATA is joining the band wagon of 1200 MHz memory with their Extreme Edition memory. Many manufacturers have displayed memory at these speeds at Computex this year. The kits are available in 1 or 2 GB variants and come with the new, cleaner heatspreader. This Extreme Edition memory is the first to manage 1200 MHz at default voltage with no problems at all.
PC Power and Cooling is without doubt one of the best power supply manufacturers out there. Recently they have been bought by OCZ and we are now seeing the first products which are geared for the masses. The Silencer 750W Quad CF comes with an ATI CrossFire certification and boasts four PCI-E power connectors. In our testing we saw excellent regulation qualities and very high efficiency of up to 82%.
The P3 is a large mousepad made from cloth with a soft and very fine surface. The orange logo on the edge looks very nice and the overall feel is great. If you are in the market for an XL pad, this may just be for you. The great price makes this pad a very affordable choice for low-sensitivity gamers who need a large gaming surface.
Before the next generation of GPUs is released, we must deal with NVIDIA's flag-ship card, the 8800 Ultra, and the massive amounts of heat it produces. There are several air cooling options available, but enthusiasts will surely select water cooling. The D-Tek Fuzion GPU block offers versatility, and coupled with the Uni-Sink it should be a great solution for cooling 8800 Ultra and GTX cards. Is it the same in practice as in theory?
The Cooler Master Cosmos is the company's newest high-end offering designed to be a follow up on the highly successful Stacker Series. The case did not only grow in dimension & weight but also offers a long list of new and unique features. You will find seperate hard drive drawers, four fans and foam covered side panels among many other details.
Most users these days know to at least protect their PCs with a surge protector, but in truth, that is not nearly enough. Surge protectors do not protect against blackouts, brownouts or "dirty" power, but an interruptible power supply can. Today we takes a look at the Smart1000LCD UPS from Tripp Lite. It is a 1000VA / 500W unit with a blue backlit LCD display that provides real-time power status.
The Zykon M1 is a very cool looking mouse, featuring red LED lighting and a scroll wheel that can be seen from the bottom of the mouse. It is smaller and lighter than most gaming mice these days, which makes it great for low sensitivity gamers, especially with large cloth mouse pads.
After a long wait the Zalman VF1000 LED VGA cooler has finally arrived. It is a special cooler designed to meet the cooling requirements of today's high-end cards like the GeForce 8800 Series. The additional RHS88 heatsink plate is required for proper cooling of other components on the board like voltage regulation circuitry. This all copper beauty sure does look nice, but can it live up to the expectations?
Tuniq launches a new thermal compound that should be available September 10, 2007. We put it to the test against Arctic Silver 5 and the older TX-1 compound to see how easy it is to work with, how easy it cleans up and how well it performs.
Next month Zaward will be releasing a new CPU heatsink called the Vivo. This new cooler is based on a 92mm fan and uses exposed heatpipes that contact the CPU heatspreader directly. Add to that the Dimple Technology Golf fan and a unique fan shroud, the Vivo's compact size really packs a punch.
As always there are a lot of parties at Games Convention Leipzig. Sony has managed to fill up an entire hall with their consoles and has used the entire area for a massive party after the convention closed for the public. Four DJs and a large crowd made this party one of the best of this year's show.
The Games Convention 2007 had some very interesting hardware product launches. We have scoured the halls, snapped pictures and collected information on all the interesting new releases at the show.
In the quest for silent performance, users are looking toward heatpipes for most of their cooling needs. Today we are looking at the new fanless chipset cooler from Zaward, called the Twin Towers. This chipset cooler has two heatpipes, one of which can rotate around the other to reduce compatibility issues. We put the Twin Towers to the test to see what kind of performance comes with its silence.
After running wild search patterns through the halls of Games Convention Germany we are proud to present you the finest collection of booth babes from Europe's biggest gaming show. You will find 300 high-res photos to get an impression of what you missed.
Zalman's latest ZM-RS6F USB headphones are based on a C-Media USB sound card and a 5.1 capable headset that can do real surround sound. The whole unit has been built to deliver a maximum of comfort while still being rugged and easy to transport. Another plus is that it is quite affordable when compared to other solutions with similar features.
The Akasa Integral PNES is one of the first 2.5 inch external enclosures which can either utilize an IDE or SATA drive. This also results in a USB 2.0 or eSATA connectivity, which makes the P2NES perfect for anybody with na eSATA equipped PC at home or work and a USB 2.0 equipped notebook
Zalman first showed their compact ZM-DS4F headphones at Computex. The headphones are designed in an Apple white and can be folded together for easy transportation. Inside you will find two individual audio drives per ear cup which improves sound quality a lot. Actually, it will be hard to find a better set of headphones in the sub-$30 price range.
Watching video on an iPod is nice, but sometimes it can be difficult. The Myvu Personal Media Viewer allows the user to view video by looking through a set of glasses, putting the display up in front wherever the user looks. Add in a set of noise-reducing earbuds and the Myvu Personal Media Viewer is the perfect iPod accessory for the frequent traveler or a college dorm.
Nowadays a lot of people have a dedicated home server for data storage, downloads or both. The TS-109 Pro is the latest fully featured NAS server by QNAP, it allows you to house everything your home-serving heart requires in a little box without making your energy bill go through the roof. Among the included features are Gigabit Ethernet, BitTorrent Downloader, Apache+PHP+MySQL Server, FTP and more. Since the system is based on Linux it can also be customized to suit more advanced users.
Danger Den is considered to be one of the best companies around when it comes to high performance watercooling hardware. Taking a similar approach used on their previous Tyee waterblock, Danger Den designed a full coverage waterblock for the Radeon HD 2900 Series, the DD-29XT. The waterblock and can cool both the GPU, Memory and Voltage Regulators efficiently and promises dramatic results.
Today, more and more consumers are adding PCs to their home theater systems. With the goal of using it to watch DVDs, listen to music and surf the Internet, these consumers want something that functions well and looks great. The Thermaltake Mozart IP helps bring all those features to the home theater, with the added bonus of an iPod dock that works with or without the PC powered on. Using the included Media Lab display and iMedian software, many functions are at the user's fingertips with an infrared remote control.
The Silverstone Strider 850W is a power supply designed with gamers in mind. It comes with a modularity feature and allows up to eight PCI-Express video card connectors to be used. As fan a 135mm variant is employed, together with the high efficiency of 80%+ it allows the unit to be very quiet, considering the maximum power output of 850W.
The Origen AE S21T with a retail price of about $1000 is the company's flagship HTPC case. Its features like unique layout, incredibly solid construction, modern design, 12.1 inch full HD capable motorized dropdown touch screen and insane price are something you will not find in any other HTPC enclosure. It created a lot of waves as soon as first images surfaced on the Internet and was a big attraction at CeBIT this year.
One of the biggest names around in the consumer computer world has a new case out called the Triton 180. GIGABYTE, well known for their motherboards and graphics cards has a reach on just about every product type out there in the computer market. So today we will see if their cases are as good as their other products.
The Sugo SG02 is a small form factor case for MicroATX motherboards which is based on the SG01 Evolution but brings it to the mainstream segment at a much lower price point. The interior of the SFF case is kept very simple but efficient, which makes installation a breeze, while the very unusual white color variant will certainly stand out on any desk, living room or LAN party and goes great with a silver optical drive or two.
The AirLive WLAN IP Camera is a solid and easy to setup camera, which can be implemented into any existing wired or wireless network infrastructure. The included software allows you to control four devices at the same time, making it the perfect choice for all your surveilance purposes.
The Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W is a massive power supply that can deliver power to any system you could build or dream of. With a total of 99 amps (!) on four 12V rails it easily exceeds any specifications and should be a good choice for a high-performance system with multiple video cards.
The Tuniq 3 is a mid-tower ATX case boasting an aluminum front panel and a CCFL base, along with Sunbeam's 3D Core Fan and a windowed side panel. There are ten total bays to install drives and devices, all of which are tool-less. The PCI slots are tool-less as well, making it easier to swap out hardware. In fact, the Tuniq 3 offers a lot of features for less than $70 USD.
NZXT has updated the Lexa series with a more affordable Blackline versions. The steel cases can be had with either blue or red lighting effects and feature all the bells and whistles of the original Lexa, but with an all black color. Aside from the awesome outside looks the Lexa features a clean interiour which has lots of space, even for the biggest video cards. An LCD display with three sensors completes the package.
Speed-Link's newest offering utilizes a snazy blue and black color theme, packed in a very thin and compact aluminum package. The Illuminated Dark Metal Keyboard takes the existing small profile keyboard line-up of the company and aims to deliver a quiet, comfortable, good looking and sturdy keyboard.
A-DATA has shown off some very unique USB storage devices in various shapes and sizes. The tiny PD17 already impressed, but lacked the overall performance. This is where the PD18 can shine, with much better results in a very small package and twice the storage space - 2GB.
The OvisLink powered AirLive WiFi enclosure may look just like a normal NAS storage device, but it has a lot more to offer than that. The well constructed and easy to use web interface can convert the enclosure to an iTunes server, can handle your FTP, HTTP and even BitTorrent downloads - straight to the internal IDE or SATA hard drive.
Over the years, fans inside computer cases have more than doubled in size. Original case fans were 80mm, but more recent cases are including 140mm or even 250mm fans. The XClio 3060 Plus takes it one giant step further by including a huge 360mm side panel fan. Is bigger really better?
Zotac's new GeForce 8600 GT ZONE Edition is running without any form of active cooling. It also has an audio input which allows you to feed external audio into the HDMI stream which is output via DVI plus an adapter, which is included of course. For a price of $129, or about $10 over a regular 8600 GT you will get several added benefits for very little extra cost.
Not everyone can afford the latest and greatest heatsink on the market. Some users are stuck with the noisy stock coolers that are lacking in performance. What else can the user do? We take a look at a new entry level heatsink from Sunbeam called the Silent Whisper. At just $19.99, the budget-minded consumer might just have a reason to get rid of the stock heatsink.
The new AluBox series from A.C. Ryan covers all types of hard drive enclosures utilizing both IDE and SATA drives, with various connection options. We get to take a look at the AluBox LAN in its IDE flavor, which boasts USB 2.0 and Ethernet connectivity.
Cool Jag's new Falcon 92 Cu CPU cooler comes with wide compatibility for all current sockets. As the name suggests the cooler is made from Copper - a cheaper Aluminum version is available as well. During our testing we came to the conclusion that this extremely quiet cooler has no problems keeping up with the other heatsinks we tested so far.
The Sunbeam Tuniq tower is one of the largest heatsinks around, with a 120mm fan sandwiched between two rows of aluminum fins. The three U-shaped copper heatpipes carry away the heat from the copper base, and the included fan controller allows the user to dial in the fan speed and noise to their liking. The Tuniq Tower goes on the test bench to see what kind of performance this monster can give.
The newest addition to Thermaltake's Soprano line of cases is the Soprano RS 101, an entry-level mid-tower boasting a glossy piano-black finish to the front bezel. With tool-less PCI slots and drive bays, a full sized window with a myriad of fan options and plenty of style, Thermaltake scores a big win for the budget-minded consumer.
DDR3 P35 boards and the new memory standard were a big topic at CeBIT and all major memory manufacturers showed DDR3 up and running at Computex. One of these companies is Winchip with their DDR3 1600 MHz CL8-8-8-15 memory. We take a first look at the new memory to let you know, what it holds in store.
Danger Den has been making water cooling blocks for ages. Now the company has decided to expand its portfolio and has started offering cases. Danger Den offers acrylic cases, with optional UV panels. Today, we take a look at the Torture rack - a case that is supposed to let you stress components to the max, provide adequate cooling for them, and make it easy for you to change over stuff quickly and efficiently.
The Max Orb is Thermaltake's new "flagship" cooler, which consists of six heatpipes, a nickel-plated copper base and lightweight aluminum fins. This new cooler is compatible with many current CPU socket types, including Intel's Socket T (LGA775) and AMD's Sockets AM2, 939 and 754. The Max Orb definitely has a lot of good looks, but what about the performance?
Mushkin is well known for the solid memory kits they make. Today we have the Mushkin XP2-6400 2 GB on our test bench. These modules are specced to run at DDR2-800 at CL4. With a price of $150 for 2 GB this kit is sure not the cheapest, but it comes with Micron D9 memory chips. In our testing we saw very nice voltage scaling up to DDR2-1136 at CL5.
The Icemat 2nd Edition mouse pad utilizes actual glass as surface. Making this material usable for optical and laser mice is certainly no small feat. We take a look at the black pad, but Icemat offers it in many other different colors as well.
Matrox made some waves with their GXM (Graphics eXpansion Modules) when they where first released, starting with the DualHead2Go. This module enabled dual monitor use with a single output. Their newest addition is the DualHead2Go Digital, which uses DVI as output method to allow higher resolutions. We try the device in Windows XP and Mac OS X using two 19 inch DVI based LCD montors.
The Antec MX-1 is part of the new Veris brand and features a very unique design. You get eSATA and USB 2.0 connectiviy inside a solid plastic & aluminum enclosure. It is a bit larger than most enclosures, but features a very effective cooling design to keep the temperature of the installed SATA drive down to a minimum.
Are you looking to get into water cooling, but are not quite sure where to start, or want something a little more than a pre-built cooler? Well we may have a solution for that - The GIGABYTE 3D Galaxy II Water Cooler. Today we will take a look at GIGABYTE's new water kit and put it to the test.
The Antec Sonata III is continuing the line-up with new looks, interior layout and a very solid and highly efficient EarthWatts 500W power supply. All this for a mere $149 USD, so we take a real close look and fill it with some high end hardware to let you know how it holds up.
Winchip is a well known brand in Asia and is now entering the European market with their memory products. The company has a long history in the OEM sector, while the heatspreader of their PC2-9600 memory looks quite unigue. The 2 GB memory kit, which costs $199, can manage an impressive 1240 MHz at CL5-5-5-15 on our testbed.
Super Talent has taken their classic enclosure for USB 2.0 flash memory and stuffed it with a 200x device. This means it should be one of the fastest memory sticks out there with more than 30 MB/s. These benchmark results together with the sturdy aluminum casing make this a rock solid choice.
The AllInOne control panel from Akasa offers, just as the name implies, connectivity of all kinds. You will also get a small LCD display to control two fans and two temperature diodes. The unit itself is of high quality and the clean design should look great inside a case - even the red one.
The absolutely tiny A-DATA PD17 is not only the company's smallest, but lightest offering as well. The modern shape, coupled with the choice of three colors and great construction make for a very unique device. Even though it is so small, performance is very good and the PD17 is ReadyBoost capable as well.
Looking for a tough durable quick transfering memory stick? PQI's new Traveling Disk series might be a good place to start looking. Today we have the pleasure of reviewing a sample of the Traveling Disk series, and we'll see how well it stacks up compared to other drives.
ATI's new Radeon HD 2400 XT comes with the RV610 GPU which is built in 65nm. This means the GPU is cheap to make and consumes very little power. AMD has also added several new power savings features which makes this card one of the least power hungry on the market. For a price of only $79 you will be able to play back HD videos on almost any CPU using an HDMI + HDCP + Audio link with the UVD HD video acceleration hardware.
Powercolor's Radeon HD 2400 Pro uses AMD's new RV610 GPU with 256 MB of DDR2 memory. With its special video acceleration features and low-profile PCB design the card seems to be a good choice for small form factor media PC systems.
The HD 2600 XT is AMD's new midrange flagship card which is based on the RV630 GPU. This is the first time that a midrange card comes equipped with GDDR4 memory - 256 MB in our case. AMD's new card comes with features such as DirectX 10 support and full HD video acceleration by dedicated hardware called UVD. But is this enough to beat NVIDIA's new products?
Trends in waterblock design don't change often. Until recently, it was thought that jet-impingement was the best way to go for achieving the lowest temperature when cooling a processor. Then came along quad-core CPUs, and it became evident that we must look at other ways of cooling these beasts – their core surface is very large, so waterblock designers were forced to return to old-school, large surface area waterblocks. The Apogee GT is one of the first blocks that attempts to offer jet-impingement performance from a block relying on a simple array of copper pins – can it succeed?
Today we take a look at the Ballistix Tracer PC2-6400 2GB kit from Crucial Technology. For those who haven't heard of the Tracer range, these modules feature eye catching blue backlighting and activity LEDs, making this RAM an excellent choice for making your PC really stand out! With most modern games using more and more memory and at the same time needing loads of bandwidth, this memory would be great for high-end gaming systems.
Flash drives are a huge thing these days, and more and more companies are producing them. Today we'll take a look at PQI's new Intelligent Drive, which is the smallest flash drive in the world. Available in 1 GB to 4 GB capacities, it's sure to be a hit in the consumer product sector.
The Spire Pininfarina is a very unique case, designed by the Italian design studio. The 6 mm thick aluminum and steel body make this case really heavy. It is a real back breaker if you plan to carry this one to a LAN party. The unique looks also continue with the butterfly doors, which make for some very simple installation.
The QNAP QBack-25 is an external HDD enclosure for 2.5" HDDs connected via USB. The use of 2.5" drives allows that it is powered by USB only. What makes the unit special is the included backup software which can easily compete with professional solutions. It is very easy to use and has a clean screen layout. Optional 256-bit AES encryption helps you protect your data from prying eyes. With a price of about $35 this unit is also very competitively priced.
The NZXT Hush is the newest case in their line-up. The name is also the main feature of this enclosure, as the interior is covered by noise reducing dampening foam. This includes the bottom, sides, front and top of the case. While the interior layout is not very unique, but the screwless design is a great addition and works well. As we are used to from NZXT the exterior design looks great, especially with the blue LED fan and lighting in the door.
I was extremely pleased with the Andy Samurai Master Cooler. The quality of the construction is excellent, the base is very smooth and flat, and the whole cooler is light in weight. The installation was so incredibly easy, it only required a few quick steps, and nothing had to be removed from the case to install it. On top of that, the performance was great. Although fan noise was not completely silent, it was rather low and, in fact, much lower than the three heatsinks tested against it.
The SteelSeries SX gaming mouse pad is made from highly polished aluminum which gives this pad a completely new type of surface grip. In our testing we come to the conclusion that the pad is extremely accurate and great for fast paced gaming. The only drawback is the high price of almost $60.
The Cyber Snipa Pro Gamer Mouse Matt is a perfectly sized cloth pad. It is surprisingly thin and comes packaged in a clear tube. The image on the pad gears this surface toward FPS gamers. The slighly rough surface may take a bit of getting used to, but actually works quite well. We take three different mice for a spin on the surface. The Cyber Snipa pad is sized perfectly for mid range gamers while still being small enough for high sensitity players and big enough if you use low sensitivity settings.
Zalman had new versions of the HD160 and HD160 XT cases that were using improved display technology. Also on display were new watercooling blocks and several new headphones.
One of the things I like about the Sunbeam 3D Storm case is the mesh front with washable open-cell foam to help keep dust from entering the system. The black mesh and the silver aluminum add a subtle touch of class to the case and give it a lot of style. The 3D Core Fan system adds greater flexibility to the positioning of the fans, as well as supporting up to four 120 mm fans. The Core Fan system works very well to help reduce component temperatures, especially with passively cooled components.
A-DATA is expanding their rugged flash memory line-up with the RB19. It features a thick rubber casing and is not just water resistant, but completely water proof. The green/gray USB stick looks quite nice and does have a very solid impression. We benchmark the flash drive and even drop it in a glass of water, to make sure it can deliver flawlessly after the dive.
Thermaltake has a lot of new products on display. It ranges from brand new Xaser and Armor cases, over R600 and G80 coolers, new and massive CPU cooler to HTPC cases. You will also find some unique accessories and a 2000W ToughPower PSU at their booth at Computex
Silverstone is displaying a large number of new products, ranging from fanless 500W to single & multi rail 1200W power supplies over HTP cases to a new series of budget cases created out of steel & aluminum. Besides that you will find new and uniquw HTPC cases at their booth.
High Power is showing off multiple graphic card power supplies as well as a whole line-up of high efficiency units with up to 1000W under the hood. You will also find the exclusive uint with digital Voltage meter and their value power supplies at their booth.
Walton Chaintech used to offer mainboards, but has moved to produce NVIDIA graphic cards and memory. You will find Aprogee GT DDR2 and DDR3 memory with high-end heatspreaders and NVIDIA graphic cards, which still carry the Chaintech brand. The company offers their own GeForce 8600 GT and GTS design with after market coolers.
HIS shows a Dual 2600 XT card which is based on an ATI design. Other new products were an EMI blocking card that can improve audio quality when used with an external sound card. Also we saw several power supplies from HIS.
ECS had a large number of motherboards on display that come with all the latest in chipset technology. Also an RD790 live demo could be seen. In addition to that ECS shows off their new GeForce 8 lineup - all cards come with HDMI support. Another cool thing to look at were two prototype cases that were submitted to an Intel Design Contest.
The Cooler Master Stacker 832 is the company's biggest, baddest and by far most unique case. It is the third generation Stacker and has not only grown in overall dimensions but also has some very unique features. Screwless drive installation, mainboard tray and very quiet fans make this case perfect for high-end SLI or Crossfire systems.
Kingston has recreated the Taipei 101 by using memory modules and is displaying DDR3 at 1375 MHz. You will also find DDR2 running at 800 MHz and CL3-3-3 at their booth. Kingston also produces various memory cards and USB flash drives, all of which can be viewed at their booth.
Evercool has a small booth in Hall 1. It is packed to the rim with different cooling products. There is a CPU liquid cooling system as big as a normal air cooler and several very unique notebook and component cooling products.
G.Skill has a clear wall with all their different memory modules on display at Computex. We show you all the interesting and very colorful offerings including their high-end DDR2 and DDR3 models. You will also find DDR3 running at 1600 MHz at CL8 at their booth.
Noctua and Coolink are sharing a booth at Computex. The unique brown fans and the large and extremely well performing NF-S12 are present. Cooling is introducing the Silenator CPU Cooler and is displaying their fan line-up as well as their other cooling products.
Patriot is showing off a few very interesting and spacious USB flash devices at their booth. These have a capacity of up to 16 GB. The same goes for their SDHC card present. You will also find DDR3 up and running, for example DDR3 1500 MHz and DDR2 1262.5 MHz in their display case.
You will not find any overclocked DDR2 or DDR3 memory at the Qimonda booth. They have focused on special products like memory embedded on a mainboard or SODIMM to DIMM adapters. DDR memory and the full range of DDR3 memory - including DDR3 SODIMMs can be viewed at their booth
At this year's Computex you could see an incredible number of hot girls that were presenting products or playing games with the crowd. We took over 190 photos of the hottest babes in their short sexy skirts. Full resolution shots are available for your viewing pleasure.
The Killer NIC by Bigfoot Networks is a network card specifically designed for the needs of gamers. It comes with a 400 MHz RISC processor onboard that handles all network processing functions, giving the games more CPU time to use. In addition to that the processor can run small applications like a Firewall or BitTorrent client independently from the host system.
Arctic Cooling is displaying some very unique cooling solutions. There is a new Accelero GPU cooler for today's high end cards like the R600, as well as the new Freezer. Both carry the Xtreme name tag. There are a few mainstream and low profile coolers as well as the first power supply present at the booth with high efficiency rating.
TwinMOS is has a very diverse range of products on display. You may only know the brand due to their computer memory products, but there is more. You will find all types of very interesting flash based memory cards as well as USB sticks at the booth. TwinMOS even manufactures Apple iPod speakers and car GPS units.
Top Power and the japanes case manufacturer Abee are sharing a booth to display their products. Top Power is showing off their external 2000W PSU as well as some very unique and small ATX units. Abee has some amazing all aluminum cases with multi-color paint jobs on display.
Vizo is showing off a wide range of PC accessories, lighting and cooling as well as some very interesting internal and external USB devices. A full range of hard drive enclosures for 2.5 and 3.5 inch hard drives in multiple colors can also be viewed at their booth at Computex.
Team Group is showing off some amazing DDR2 and DDR3 memory using heatpipe cooling. They are also one of the few to have a running quad channel 8 GB DDR2 system at their booth. Besides that you will find a few interesting memory sticks as well as DDR2 1300 MHz and DDR3 at 1333MHz.
Coolermaster is showing off their new Cosmos as well as some other cases at their suite. A 1250W power supply connected to two SLI systems is also on display as well as their new line-up of CPU coolers. On top of that, there are watercooling systems for both NVIDIA and ATI cards being shown.
Leadtek is showing off their overclocked and watercooled GeForce 8800 Ultra at Computex. They even have an SLI kit up and running on a single waterblock. The rest of the GeForce 8 series can also be viewed, with many factory overclocked variants and some very unique cooling solutions.
NZXT has some very unique cases on display in their suite at the Hyatt. The Rouge is the ultimate LAN party case, without the usual space restrictions or thermal problems. You will also find some high quality mainstream enclosures, power supplies and notebook cooling pads in the suite.
DFI is one of the top manufacturers for high-end enthusiast motherboards, so it does not surprise to see new products using all the latest and greatest in chipset technology. We could see new Intel X38 motherboards with both DDR2 and DDR3. Also on display was the new AMD RD790 motherboard for AMD Socket AM2. Soon, DFI will announce a revolutionary feature that improves cooling of the motherboard components.
Zaward has a small booth at Computex, but their CPU coolers are quite out of the ordinary. Some feature direct touch heatpipes, while others use golf fans in combination with heatpipes for silent operation. A pre-filled watercooling kit and passive northbridge heatsink can also be viewed at their booth
Winchip may not be well known in Europe or the Americas, but have made a name for themselves in Asia. They are trying to break into the european market and have some very interesting and well performing memory on display at their Computex booth.
Biostar has been doing incredibly well with their T-Series motherboards. The latest products use all the new Intel chipsets like X38 and G33. On the video cards side the V-Ranger voltage control features have been extended to the GeForce 8600 Series.
Elixir has a fancy yellow booth, showing off various DDR3 1066 or 1333 MHz modules for notebooks and desktops. Their demo system is running the new memory at 1600MHz, while you will also find DDR2 sticks running 1066MHz at default voltage on display.
ASRock had a number of cost-effective Core 2 Duo motherboards on display which all support up to 1333 MHz FSB. Another novelty was the ConRoe 1333-DVI/H R2.0 which comes with a DVI add-on card that has to be installed in a PCI-Express slot and reroutes the Intel Integrated Graphics to a DVI port with HDCP support.
Alutek is showing off a wide range of HTPC cases fit for every budget. Their line-up of such enclosures is quite extensive. The company is also displaying small cases which act as heatsinks, making them perfect for passive home theater PCs.
At Corsair you could see the world's fastest DDR3 memory running at 2000 MHz, that's 1000 MHz real clock. Also several shipping DDR3 products were on display in addition to a static demo of ATI's new RD790 chipset motherboard.
Akasa has brought an all new line-up of VGA coolers to Computex and is also showing off new CPU coolers and brand-new power supplies with 135 mm fans. Even a golden colored, actively cooled notebook cooling pad can be viewed at their booth.
A-DATA is showing off a lot of different and very innovative flash memory devices. You will find tiny memory sticks as well as rugged ones at their booth. All new DDR2 1200 MHz and DDR3 memory is also on display, while their new line-up of digital picture frames is being shown off for the first time.
Scythe is letting visitors take a look at their newest CPU coolers like the Kama Cross or Ninja Mini, as well as a prototype of an immensly large CPU cooler, which utilize 10 heatpipes as well as a very large fan. In other areas, we show you a few very useful products and their Japan exclusive power supplies.
GeIL is showing off three systems, one running DDR3, another DDR2 PC2-9200 CL4-4-4-12 and a third with a whooping 8GB quad channel kit of their new Black Dragon series DDR2. You will also find notebook and Macintosh memory at their booth. A small assortement of USB flash devices rounds up GeIL's offering
Even though MACS is not such a well known brand, their cooling products are very innovative and they are one of the few to implement TECs into all their products. The GPU coolers are even compatible with NVIDIA G80 graphic cards. MACS also sells cases under the Casetek brand. Their newest offering is simply such a unique case, that we could not pass up the chance to snap a few pictures and bring you all the details of the new V. Gemini case.
PQI is a well known memory and flash storage manufacturer. They have a great booth at Computex and are showing off incredibly small and innovative USB storage devices, high performance DDR2 memory as well as DDR3 DIMMs. Their Intelligent Stick Mini and Card Drive have some incredible dimensions and capacities with 4 GB and 32 GB respectively
COMPUTEX Taipei, or Taipei International Information Technology Show is held in Taipei annually since 1981. It is the largest computer expo on the asian continent, with a constant growth every year. We took a quick look at behind the scenes to see a lot of construction work going on, even on the eve before the show.
The Cyber Snipa Intelliscope gaming mouse comes at a price tag of under $25, but includes a lot of functions one would usually only find in mice twice as expensive. These include an on-the-fly DPI switch, programmable buttons and perfect left handed gamer support. The only real shortcoming is the somewhat bloated and buggy software. If you are willing to look past that, the mouse itself will certainly not disappoint.
Zotac's new GeForce 8800 GTX OC Edition comes factory overclocked with clocks of 630 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory. This is a nice increase over the standard NVIDIA clocks, especially if you consider the small $20 premium and that you don't lose your warranty. For users who are not willing to spend a lot of money for a GeForce 8800 Ultra this card seems to be a viable alternative.
While Mushkin is traditionally a high performance memory manufacturer they also have several power supplies in their lineup. Today we take a look at the Mushkin HP-580AP which offers 580W of power output as the name suggests. For a sub $100 price you get sleeved cables, a modular design and Rail Fusion which keeps your system stable, even if you go beyond the rated maximum load.
The Good Work Systems Fragpedal Elite gives your feet control during your favorite game. Our feet are the only part which we still do not use when sitting in front of the computer. The Fragpedal Elite give you four fully customizable buttons to use in any fashíon you would like. The included software with its own programming environment makes this possible. We give the pedals and the software a try, to see if it makes a good addition to your keyboard and mouse.
Synology's latest DS207 NAS device offers enterprise grade backup capabilities with up to 2 TB of storage at an affordable price. Being able to configure RAID 0/1 and automatic backups is great for your data protection. What makes the unit more interesting for home users is that you can download files via BitTorrent without your PC being on or you can setup your own Gigabit file, web and MySQL server in just a few clicks.
Mushkin's XP2-8500 4 GB DDR2 memory is the only kit on the market that can run DDR2-1066 in a 4 GB configuration. While other manufacturers have to use CL6 @ 800 MHz, Mushkin can use CL5 @ 1066, at around 2.30 V. Having 4 GB of system memory may soon be the recommended configuration when running the memory-hungry Windows Vista. The only drawback of this memory is its price: $679.
If you are constantly changing components and playing with new hardware you sure have noticed that using a case is not the right way to do it. For years HighSpeedPC has been offering their easy to use Tech Stations that give you an open bench to work with. The new 'Top Deck' Tech Station removes one of the biggest problems of the original offering by placing the motherboard - just as the name suggests - on the top.
Lian Li continues the expansion of their Classical Series cases, and today we take a look at one of the newest editions - The PC-A12. We'll take a look at the layout and features of this case to see if it's worth its 140 USD price.
The Ideazon Reaper is a very unique mouse with a cool red Ideazon logo, which is sure to attract some attention at dark LAN parties. Due to its shape it is unsuitable for left-handed gamers. Right handed players will find the mouse to be quite comfortable and the software is solid, with a fair amount of customization features. This all makes for a good alround gaming device.
NZXT is well known for producing some very high quality components. The Adamas is constructed of 3 mm thick sheets of aluminum and only utilizes the best in materials and some very innovative engineering. A price tag of just under $200 US Dollars demands this quality as well as high expectations on compatibility and the installation process. We take a close look at every aspect of this case to let you know if it is worth it.
The XTracPads Mad Dotz try to overcome the weakest link between a mouse and the mouse pad - the glide feet. The Mad Dotz greatly reduce the friction between the two parts and make mouse movement a lot easier and increase the speed greatly. At a price of just under four US Dollars, these Dotz perform well for a limited time.
Noctua's NH-U12F CPU cooler is a high-performance heatsink that uses eight heatpipes to get the heat off your processor. The included fan is of the 120 mm variant and is fairly quiet. If you need to reduce the fan noise even more you can use the included Ultra Low Noise Adapter which makes the fan almost inaudible.
AMD's new flagship video card is the Radeon HD 2900 XT which is based on the brand-new R600 GPU. It comes at an amazing $399 price point and offers many unique features. While performance may not be as fast as the GeForce 8800 GTX, its price will definitely make this card a good choice for users who are looking for the best price/performance ratio.
The Verbatim Store'n'Go 1" USB Hard Drive differentiates itself by using - as the name suggests - a hard drive to reach capacities of 12 GB. The 8 GB offering on the test bench today uses a minuscule 1 inch drive packed into a nice white & chrome enclosure. We take a close look and let you know if it has any advantages against solid state, flash based USB memory devices.
Icemat may be known for their mouse pads, but the company also produces some high quality audio products. We take a look at the white Icemat Siberia In:Ear headset today, which does not only look great and is built very well, but does deliver some very respectable audio performance too.
The XTracPads Ripper is the smaller brother of the Ripper XXL. The mouse pad series comes in three different sizes, all with a wide aspect ratio. The thin cloth pad is incredibly soft and comfortable, with the under-padding clinging to the table quite nicely. We give a few mice a hurl on the Ripper to see if the unique aspect ratio is just what a gamer needs.
The Sunbeam Quarterback is a midtower ATX case with tool-less drive bays and PCI slots, Core Fan system, VGA vent and a side window. The front bezel adds a door that makes the case look as muscular as a quarterback, which definitely adds to its style.
The A-DATA MyFlash PD16 is a very solid and spacious USB 2.0 memory device with capacities of up to 16 GB. It features a lifetime warranty and can be used for Vista ReadyBoost. The aluminum/plastic construction makes it a bit heavier than other memory sticks, but also adds to the durability. We take an all around look and benchmark the PD16 to see if it performs as good as it looks.
The only way to get cooler temperatures than with air coolers is to use water cooling. But how do you get cooler than a water cooler without using some form of complicated exotic cooling? The answer is not very easily, until now. CoolIT has come up with a new cooler that utilizes a means of exotic cooling, yet it's designed for ease of use for the average end-user. Today we take a look at this new cooler from CoolIT and see if it really is better than any other cooler out there.
The A.C. Ryan AluBoxTFX is an external hard drive enclosure that allows the user to implement an IDE or SATA hard drive, utilizing the new eSATA connection for SATA drives, as well as USB 2.0 for SATA or IDE drives. And the TFX? That means “Tool Free Experience,” which is A.C. Ryan’s way of saying that the enclosure is completely tool-less in design.
The OCZ Trifecta is a unique SD card, it features connectors for USB, regular SD and microSD at the same time. This makes the card very useful for a variety of PDAs, mobile phones and cameras because you can easily take your data with you. With a price tag of below $30 for the 1 GB version it is not too expensive as well.
Twintech's new GeForce 8600 GTS is based on the NVIDIA reference design using the G84 GPU. It comes with 256 MB of fast GDDR3 memory clocked at 1 GHz, the graphics processor runs at 675 MHz. This is the first DirectX 10 card for the midrange segment with its price tag of around $210.
Ever hear of "the point of diminishing returns", where something gets to the point where you can't improve on what you have unless you come up with a completely new idea? With air coolers, manufacturers are hitting that wall, but recently some companies have devised a new means of heat sink technology. Direct touching heat pipes - Today we take a look at Xigamtek's new cooler using this design.
The Ideazon Fragmat rounds up the company's offerings with a unique mouse pad, which features a hard plastic surface with a thin but soft underlining. It is also available in multiple themes and is big enough for high and mid sensitivity gamers. We give the pad a test run and let you know if it is something for the crowd of all-round gamers.
Zotac is a new player in the NVIDIA video card business and one of their first new cards is the GeForce 8500 GT which is based on NVIDIA's brand-new G86 graphics processor. Unlike the reference design Zotac's card is factory overclocked to a GPU clock of 700 MHz which gives the card a healthy performance boost for a price increase of about $10.
The XTracPads Zoom is incredibly thin and lightweight. In fact it is thinner than the pad's own packaging. The Zoom is meant for speed and the low height should make it quite comfortable. We take a few mice for a spin and let you know if the hard surface stays in place and does the job.
The Moneual LAB MonCaso 932 series carries a price tag of just under $900, but features all the specifications to justify it. A 7" touchscreen LCD placed inside an incredibly solid all aluminum case, a great software and easy installation as well as the included keyboards are what you get for your money. We take a real close look at the case which costs more than most complete systems and let you know if it is worth it.
The XTracPads Pro is a specialty mouse pad. The smooth surface and small size coupled with a great sense of accuracy make it perfect for RPG or real time strategy gamers. We take a close look at each of these attributes and its durability to see if it is the pro choice for these type of games.
It is big and it is cool - It's the iCEAGE from 3RSystem. With a 120 mm fan and new heatpipe technology that has the heatpipes as part of the contact base it sure does look promising. Today we will put the iCEAGE to the test and see if it can live up to its name. We'll take a closer look at the Direct Touch Heatpipe design, and see if it does make a difference or not.
Today NVIDIA announced their latest new graphics processors of the GeForce 8 Series. The new cards are called GeForce 8500 GT, 8600 GT and 8600 GTS. In our preview we examine the differences between the products and how they stack up against the last generation GeForce 7 products.
Sapphire's X1950 Pro Dual is the world's first video card that uses two ATI RV570 GPUs on a single PCB. The board comes with 2x 512 MB of GDDR3 memory for a price of $349. In our testing the card shows that it has to potential to narrow the performance gap to NVIDIA's lineup until R600 is released.
Razer's Pro|Type is their latest keyboard that comes in an iPod like white color with an integrated iPod docking station. The keyboard has two USB connectors to make sure there's always enough power for your keyboard and the iPod. Also included is a line-out so you can play music from your iPod directly on your home audio system.
The Vizo Uranus looks quite different than most other HDD enclosures. The shape clearly dictates the use of the stand and the rounded corners, thick aluminum, blue color and modern label will surely look good on your desk. Vizo includes everything from eSATA bracket to special screws and screw drivers, as well as software to use with the backup function of the Uranus. We benchmark it and take a quick look at the included software, to find out if it has what it takes under that shiny aluminum shell.
The Microsoft Razer Reclusa is the second product to be released from the two companies. While it may look quite out of this world, it's functions are well placed and the Razer software rounds up the package. We take a close look at all the additional keys as well as the program behind the device and let you know if it is a steal for $60, or if we rather want to go back to our normal keyboards.
In the past A-DATA has been making USB sticks with an official Disney license that were themed like the movie Cars, The Incredibles or Mickey. Now they added a flash drive with a Pirates of the Caribbean theme. Pirates of the Caribbean has been the best-selling movie in 2006. In addition to just the flash drive, buyers will get a set of MSN display pictures and wallpapers.
The Saitek GH50 may look quite normal at first glance and even though it is very light, the headset packs quite a punch. As soon as the SRS is turned on, you may never want to go back to using those normal stereo variants. We try the GH50 with games, movies and music after taking a close look and let you know if it really fares as good as it sounds.
The Verbatim Store 'n' Go memory sticks occupy the budget end of the entire Store 'n' Go series. They offer size and quality over performance and features, but have a smaller price tag than the other Store 'n' Go variants. 4GB at $30-35 may not sound bad, so we take a close look the USB stick and see if the savings are worth it.
The Lanbox Lite is geared toward the budget minded user, while still giving you all the benefits of its more expensive Lanbox brethren. With a large price difference of around 30-40 USD and no major differences, besides the front of the case, this is an easy choice for anyone wanting an affordable small form factor case. We try it out and let you know if it is just as good as the bigger, more expensive variant.
The Nuke-Z mouse pads come packaged in a black plastic tube, making it look like it houses some radioactive material. The N-2000 has the same logo printed on it. It is thick and features a smooth surface. The pad is constructed exactly like the Nuke-Z Z8 we had the pleasure of testing, thus only differs in size as it is geared toward the high sensitivity gamer. We take our mice for a spin on the N-2000 and let you know if its performance and proportions result in some great gaming performance.
The Antec Fusion is a fully featured HTPC case that includes a 430W power supply. The case looks more like a A/V receiver than a case. This fact makes it by far the best fitting HTPC we had the pleasure of testing so far. It completely blends in with the big volume knob, VFD and beautiful white LED. But not only the outsides of the case are unique, the inside is divided in compartments for the mainboard, power supply and hard drives. We fill the case with hardware and take a close look at all the features, hoping it delivers more than just beautiful looks at a great price point.
3R System offers a full range of cases and quite a few HTPC variants. The newest such case is the HT-4000, which is a mid tower. This may be quite unusual for high quality HTPC cases, but everything found in such cases can also be found here - including the LCD, card reader and remote control. 3R System has managed to create a great, fully featured, beautiful and rock solid home theater case.
The Nuke-Z mouse pads come packaged in a black plastic tube, making it look like it houses some radioactive material. The Z8 has the same logo printed on it. It it thick and features a smooth surface. The 270g weight and 3.9 mm thickness may not be liked by some and loved by others. We take our mice for a spin on the Z8 and let you know if it makes us glow green with joy.
The Saitek GK200 may look like a normal keyboard, but it is geared toward gamers, who are on a budget and would like a normal sized input device. The gaming keys are a great feature while the Audio and USB 2.0 connector round up for a well balanced gaming keyboard - all for the price of a normal one.
When it comes to cases Lian Li is one of the biggest names around. Today we take a look at the new PC-A16b case from Lian Li. Features like an adjustable HDD rack, thumb screw design, lots of room to work in a mid-tower, it's very well designed. If you're looking for a well made mid-tower with simple looks, or just a case in general; the Lian Li PC-A16 is good place to start.
When it comes to cases, there are a couple of names that really stand out. Lian Li is one of them, and this year at CeBIT they were showing off the best of what they have. From Media Cases and towers, and their accessories, Lian Li had a very nice booth. They had some new cases which were based on existing cases with new face plates, and they were all looking very fine.
Gigabyte has a very large booth, showing off all their different offerings. Even though they also have the current items on display, we will focus mostly on the newcomers and future products like motherboards using the new Intel Bearlake Chipsets.
The Rantopad Mammoth may look somewhat normal at first glance, with its square surface, normal size and black color. This plastic pad is quite different than the traditional variants out there. The bottom features a new anti-skid surface to keep it secure during gaming while the mouse surface is great. The Mammoth is not the biggest pad out there, but it is incredibly thin and offers some mammoth performance.
OCZ's mice are called Equalizer and feature a 2500 DPI laser sensor made by Agilent technology. The mice come in two different sizes, one aimed at gaming and one made for laptop users. One of the special features that the Equalizer has is a Triple-Threat button which should fire three shots in rapid succession, besides that the button should function as a double-click button in standard Windows applications.
Sapphire's new X1950 GT is based on ATI's RV570 GPU. It comes with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory and is cheaper than the Radeon X1900 GT. Of course you can not expect performance wonders from a $140 card, but it is a great way to survive the wait for ATI's next-gen products while being able to play all the latest games.
There are a few other companies, offering very interesting new releases and upcoming products. In this article you will find water cooling for Mushkin memory from Alphacool, some interesting hardware from North Q, DirectX 10 graphic cards from MSI, brand new mATX and DTX cases from Silverstone and prototype enclosures and keyboards from Enermax.
MaxPoint is showing of their entire line-up of A+ cases at CeBIT. They are one of the few firms with a whole slew of new and unique offerings. They have cases with two 25 cm side fans, or a mATX case with a 25 cm fan up top. There are multiple all aluminum cases, as well as multiple HTPC cases. Even their new standard cases look great.
The new Corsair Survivor USB sticks are built to last. They come with a thick aluminum casing that is waterproof to up to 100m. If you are more concerned about your privacy, the Corsair Padlock Flash Drive adds a keypad to the USB stick. The stick will only power up after the right code is entered.
Sapphire had only two new products to show, a motherboard based on AMD's RS690 chipset with HDMI onboard and a massive X1950 Pro Dual. The X1950 Pro Dual comes with two GPUs on one oversized PCB. The GPUs have a total of 1 GB of video memory. It needs two power connectors and is said to be able to compete with the GeForce 8800 GTX.
Xigmatek was present at CeBIT 2007 with some existing products and also some new and very promising products. The highlight of their coolers is the All-in-One liquid VGA cooler called the PI-UN7. They also have some new CPU coolers and some still in the design phase which all look very promising.
The amount of new releases which Thermaltake is displaying at this year's CeBIT is unbelievable. If we were to list them all here, it would take half a page. Just a few of the highlights: limited edition SwordM case, 1500W ToughPower PSU, the Power Express dedicated graphic card power supplies make a comeback and an entire new line-up of HTPC cases is shown off. This is just the tip of the ice berg, click to find out more.
Albatron is showing off the AMD 690G ITX board up and running at their booth. You will also find an Intel P33 based mainboard with two 24 pin power connectors and a full size G35 based ATX board. The company is also letting visitors take a close look at their newest addition - DDR2 memory modules with golden chip heat spreaders.
Sapphire's latest motherboard is based on AMD's RS690 chipset which features integrated VGA and HDMI output onboard. The board is an excellent choice for media PC systems since it is MicroATX and supports audio via HDMI. Performance is almost equal to much more expensive RD580 motherboards, the BIOS also has a load of overclocking options.
ASUS has a huge booth at CeBIT. They are showing off the entire line-up of Notebooks, as well as the brand new Xonar D2 & D2x soundcards. On top of that, you will be able to take a look at the Lamborghini notebook and the first LED back-lit sub-notebook from ASUS. New CPU coolers, fans and computer cases, as well as a 22 inch 2 ms gaming LCD with built in subwoofer round up the mix.
Coolermaster is showing off new models of the Mars series as well as additions to the Hyper CPU cooler line-up. There is a completely new case, design to be completely silent on display. The Elite series receives some reinforcement with four new mid tower cases. There is a six rail 1000W power supply and a few modded cases to take a look at.
Cool IT Systems is showing off their three TEC based liquid cooling systems. These are pre-assembled, pre-filled, maintenance free & high performance liquid cooling systems. This must be the most interesting cooling solution at CeBIT this year. They have teamed up with Silverstone and are showing up a large TEC based cooler which can handle anything you could throw at it.
Origen AE is redefining the type of cases used for HTPC. The company is showing off the flag ship S21T, but not only in silver but black as well. They are even stuffing the cases with hardware and have them up and running. A new prototype of an external touch screen LCD screen can also be tried out. The complete lineup of the S, H and X series can be found at their booth.
We may not have heard a lot about In Win in recent times, but they are back. Their new line-up of cases is incredibly original and available in a variety of colors. In Win even displays two concept mATX cases not yet in production. Gamers also have reason to rejoice - the company has a few new gamer cases: a red one with an immaculate paint job and a B2 bomber case!
Over 80 pictures of pretty CeBIT booth babes. 2800x2500 high-res images are available for your viewing pleasure.
EVGA is one of the few manufacturers showing off a custom GeForce 8800 GTX using an Innovatec water block. They also have a completely water cooled nForce 680i motherboard running with two of these 8800 GTX in SLI on display. They have teamed up with Innovatec to present their newest products.
Hiper is known for their great power supplies and they are presenting their newest 770W and 830W PSUs, which feature USB 2.0 hubs and charging over USB capability. Their high quality slim keyboards as well as incredibly slim HTPC cases are on display. Two beautiful Penthouse models are also at the booth to present the Hiper products in the best way possible.
A-DATA has the most diverse USB memory stick line-up on display at CeBIT. You will find memory sticks from 2 GB to an amazing 16 GB at their booth. They also display various SD cards with very innovative USB adapters as well as SDHC devices. A DDR3 demo unit is actually running the upcoming memory modules to round up their display.
Forsa is a graphic card manufacturer, selling NVIDIA based cards. The offer all the GeForce 8800 series cards as well as the complete GeForce 7 generation. All of the Series 7 cards feature silent cooling and you will not find any with reference coolers at their booth.
3RSystem is showing off a large number of cases, ranging from their top of the line M-Station with seven inch LCD to an incredibly tiny and feature packed R310. They are also showing off their brand new iCE AGE CPU cooler and the huge Poseidon water cooling system, with gold plated CPU block and a dissipation of up to 400W.
Sharkoon has a small but jam packed booth. They have managed to stuff their entire case line-up, including two new full size cases - the S-Dream and Rebel 12, as well as new mid tower cases into it. There is even enough room to display the new wireless media keyboard, the complete line-up of Silent Eagle fans, Rush gaming keyboards and a total of four 5.1 surround sound headsets. All their power supplies up to 700W and accessories can also be viewed up close - including the silver Twin Drive!
Just like at CES, Zalman was showing off their 3D displays which lead to a lot of public interest. Since Zalman decided to no longer work with Fatal1ty, their high-end case line is now called ZMachines, which are also available in metal grey instead of black only. Several new coolers for CPU and GPU have been released that are designed to offer maximum performance while keeping noise down.
OCZ's "Mind Control" has been one of the most debated products of this year's CeBIT. It lets you control your games with just your thoughts and a mouse. You can do actions like walk, jump, shoot or weapon changes. The demonstration has been working exceptionally well, people who tried it said you can learn it in a matter of minutes. Also on display was a very promising self-contained liquid CPU cooler and flash drives that connects to FireWire.
Biostar had a number of new motherboards on display. For example an AMD RS690 board that has HDMI, DVI and VGA all directly on the motherboard. Also you could see running demos of DDR3 on Intel's Bearlake P35 and the Intel G33. As direct competition to the AMD RS690 board the NVIDIA based TF7050-M2 was released.
Soundgraph is showing off their complete line-up of available displays, iMON control devices and remote controls. They also have two cases, from Moneual and Silverstone, which incorporate their newest products: the iMON touch LCD and the Ultra Bay.
You may know Point Of View as they have been producing graphic cards for quite some time now. Their entire line-up features a lot more. The company booth shows off their complete line-up of cases, a slew of accessories like mouse pads, gaming and bluetooth headsets, speakers and digital picture frames. To top things off, Point Of View is displaying factory overclocked cards under the EXO brand.
Zotac may not be a brand everyone has heard of, but they offer a great line-up of graphic cards. The company is showing off the latest GeForce 8800 based graphic cards as well as different, passively cooled GeForce 7 Series cards. On top of that an nForce 570 and nForce 405 mATX board can be found at their booth.
At the Razer booth you could take a good look at their revolutionary speaker system - the Mako. It has been developed together with the engineers of THX to deliver optimum audio performance, without redecorating your whole room. The DSP output is monitored, so you can never overload the system. Also on display was the Razer Pro|Solutions keyboard which is a white styled keyboard with integrated iPod docking station.
Antec is giving the visitors a look at what is to come in the P series. The P180 will be succeeded by the P182 and the P190 comes with two power supplies with Neo-Link for a combined output of 1200W. The new P series has holes for water cooling and fan speed control switches. Besides that, the company is showing a limited edition of the P182, new HTPC & budget cases, as well as a 1000W power supply.
Akasa has expanded their case line-up to include aluminum ITX cases, as well as mATX designer enclosures. There are a few new power supplies, notebook cooling pads for every budget and a very interesting, closed loop, all in one, liquid cooling HSF in two different colors.
Aerocool has their completely new case series, which is produced by Lian-Li on display. These all aluminum enclosures come in multiple colors, feature different LCDs and even have touch sensitive buttons. They also have a new drive bay card reader with flip-up LCD up and running.
It's March again, and the IT world is coming to one place for the biggest computer/IT exhibition show in all of Europe - CeBIT.
The Saitek GM3200 may be bigger than most other gaming mice, but it is so for a reason. The customizable weight system as well as a slew of programmable buttons in two modes and an on-the-fly DPI switch make this one of the most versatile mice out there. The great paint job, bright lighting and backlit Saitek logo make this mouse perfect for modding fans and LAN party gamers.
Razer's new Pro Tones m250 headphones look a bit different than your average headphone. They clip on to your ears, allowing the headset to be larger than the usual ear plugs, while still being quite compact. During testing we found out that these $50 headphones can deliver amazing sound quality, no matter which type of music you listen to.
Saitek's Eclipse II keyboard is the successor of the Eclipse. It features three different backlight colors and some very comfortable keys for stress and pain free gaming. The layout looks a bit futuristic, while keeping the size and weight at the same level as normal keyboards. We light it up and try it out with gaming and every day work and let you know how it fares.
The Razer Pro|Tones m100 is a light-weight in-ear headphone system that is designed to give you the best music listening experience. The headphones are available in black and white, which is a perfect match for an Apple iPod. After testing these $40 headphones we come to the conclusion that they offer excellent comfort and good sound quality.
The Vizo Luxon Advanced HDD enclosure is a very versatile case which gives the user complete choice what type of internal and external connection is used. The rounded corners and nice black, blue or silver exterior make this a great addition to your desktop and the performance of both USB 2.0 and eSATA is good no matter what drive is used.
Based on the award-winning SteelPad S&S, SteelSeries has created a new mouse pad that comes with a completely new surface that is optimized to give the best compromise between low friction and best precision. We tested this $35 mousepad that comes with included Teflon and a carrying bag to see if it is really an improvement.
The Verbatim Store 'n' Go U3 is a Smart Drive with the U3 Launchpad included on the memory stick. The addition of the software and improved performance cost the end user around $10 USD more, when compared to the basic Store 'n' Go 4 GB variant available. We benchmark the Verbatim U3 Smart Drive and let you know if the performance and software are worth the small price premium.
The ASUS M2A-VM is ASUS' first board using the new AMD RS690G chipset. It comes in the small MicroATX form factor and is all passively cooled. This makes the board an ideal candidate for a quiet Media PC system. The integrated VGA with DVI/Analog output has enough power to do video playback and play an occasional game.
AMD's 690 Chipset Series is the first new product since the AMD/ATI merger in October last year. The RS690 is designed to be a low-cost, power efficient Athlon64 chipset which can be used in notebooks and desktop PCs. It features integrated VGA with support for HDMI and DVI - at the same time. With motherboards retailing in the $60 range this chipset has great potential on the budget market.
The Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit is a very unique device and may look like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, but it actually gives you control over games without the use of a traditional keyboard. It puts all functions within reach of your left hand. This makes gaming a lot more comfortable and faster. We tried it with First Person Shooters and Real Time Strategy games to see if the Pro Gamer Command Unit is just as advanced as its futuristic looks.
The I-Rocks IR-9300 Combo is a HDD enclosure with USB 2.0 and Firewire. It features completely passive use and two LEDs on either side of the enclosure. It may be a bit bulky when compared to some from Coolermaster or Akasa but does work well. The USB 2.0 connection is not very fast, but the speedy firewire option makes up for this, while reducing the CPU utilization as well.
