Even though the OCZ PC2-8800 Gold are designed "for gamers" they still offer features that you would usually see only on high-end overclockers' memory. Being able to run at a default of 1100 MHz DDR2 is very impressive, even though it requires around 2.4V to do that. In our testing we could get this $450 memory kit to DDR2-726 at CL3 and DDR2-1178 at CL6. This shows that this kit has something for everybody, no matter if you overclock just a little, or need insane FSB speeds.
Sharkoon has an extensive line-up of external enclosures for all types of drives. The Sharkoon Swift-Case 3.5" Combo is made of shiny, brushed aluminum and gives the user the choice between USB 2.0 and Firewire. The case is incredibly solid and looks quite nice. We take a look if the installation and performance keeps us smiling with joy or frowning in frustration.
We take a look at Sharkoon's latest gaming mouse pad, which is only 1.4 mm high and can be rolled up to make transportation to LAN parties easier. The mat has a cloth top and uses foam at the bottom to make sure it's not slipping around on the table. At the end of the day the Sharkoon 1337 gaming mat which costs only $10 does not disappoint.
Serious gaming needs a serious mouse - The Logitech MX518 is sure to fulfil that requirement. At 1600 DPI and armed with eight buttons, it's sure to please even the most hardcore of gamers. Using Logitech's precision MX optical technology, the MX518 didn't miss a beat when it came to gaming, it took everything we threw at it with ease.
The Zalman HD135 Media PC case was designed to be low-profile, yet you can install full-height video card(s) in it without the need for a riser card. It is also possible to use a standard sized power supply and a regular optical drive. Space for storage is also plenty, you can stuff up to 6 HDDs in this case which is just 135mm high. The HD135 is made from all aluminum and is available in black and silver for a price of $299.
Thermaltake's Aqua RX R-1 is a waterblock for memory modules. Overclocking the memory, in most cases, is unavoidable when you want to reach a higher CPU speed. Sometimes, the memory might limit your CPU overclock, and that's when you start thinking about cooling your memory, to achieve even higher clocks. Watercooling memory is still in its infancy, but products capable of cooling the memory well are slowly making their way to the market.
If we could describe the XLCIO A380 which is identical to the A+Case Twin Engine with one word it would be: monstrous. Not because of looks, as it looks incredibly sleek. The case sports two huge 25 cm fans which light up and are a definitely a huge attraction at LAN parties. Big fans don't have to be loud - the included fan controllers allow you to fine tune the fan speed and noise as needed. Even at maximum speed the fan noise of this $110 case is barely audible.
The be Quiet Straightpower 700W is a high-quality power supply for power hungry gamers and overclockers. It sports features like two PCI-Express power connectors and an 8-pin CPU power connector. A temperature controlled fan helps keep the system noise level at a minimum. During testing we found out that this PSU's inside is identical to an OCZ PSU.
The Thermaltake Mozart TX case has a unique 7" drive bay which was designed for installation of this LCD screen. The LCD panel is hidden inside the case until activated, then it slides out driven by a motor. An additional feature is the integrated touchscreen which lets you use your PC just by pointing with a little pointing device on the screen. Even though its native resolution is not something that is common in the PC world, the display's great scaler can still achieve excellent video quality and well readable fonts.
QPAD is known to produce some of the best cloth based hybrid mats on the market. Their older QPAD LowSense mouse mat has been a great success because it offered excellent control and precision to gamers. Today we are reviewing the latest evolution of QPAD's cloth based hybrid mats, the QPAD|CT. It is a hybrid mat which basically means that it is a cloth mat with polymer coating. The special surface makes it more rugged and allows even less gliding resistance.
With the Katana Cu Scythe has delivered a very solid all copper cooler that has excellent cooling performance. It uses a 92mm fan with an integrated fan speed controller. When the fan speed is turned all the way down the noise is reduced to an inaudible 30% of full speed, yet temperatures under load are only increased by 3°C.
The Ultra Grid case does not only sport a great paint job, but includes two 12cm fans, a 500W power supply, a great door with magnetic locks and a fancy "Ultra" air duct. It even has space for 11 drives. We take a close look at the case & the included V-Series 500W power supply to figure out if the case has everything we look for when we pay a penny short of $150 or if it leaves a hurtful void in our wallet, wishing we have gotten more.
Watercooling a CPU or a graphics card is nothing out of the ordinary these days. With the arrival of Core 2 Duo, people have started to put emphasis on cooling their chipset too, in order to achieve higher overclocks. As if Thermaltake was expecting this, they released a new chipset block, the Aqua Brazing W3, designed to cool almost any chipset on today’s market.
SteelPad has been producing high quality mouse mats for years. Only recently they started to make cloth mats. Today we have on our testbench the SteelPad QcK Heavy which is the biggest mat in the lineup with a surface of 450 mm x 400 mm. Additionally the thickness has been increased to 6mm for a better experience on uneven surfaces.
The Thermalright Ultra 90 is a solid performing air cooler with six heatpipes to keep your CPU temperature down. Its unique design allows you to use your own 92mm fan for fine tuning of heat vs. fan noise. A competitive price of 25 USD makes this cooler even more attractive, and if you need more cooling power you can just get the 120mm Ultra 120.
The Ideazon MERC Gaming Keyboard is the one thing the gamer can use, but may have never thought of. Many of us buy expensive mice, large and specially made mouse pads but continue playing on ordinary keyboards. The MERC gaming keyboard changes all that and gives gamers the one thing they actually use the most - a butterfly. We take a look at the keyboard and its software, to see if it really makes our gaming lives easier and more efficient.
Have you ever dreamed of a device that lets you connect all kinds of IDE and SATA devices via your USB port? This is what the Kama Connect does. You can connect all EIDE and SATA drives, 5.25 and 3.5", CD/DVD-ROM and HDD to it. It is even possible to connect SATA and IDE devices at the same time and use them both. With a price of only $29 this is one of the most useful USB devices ever.
At this year's Games Convention in Leipzig every company wanted to please your eyes with their hot girls. We spent almost a whole day collecting photos of the nicest booth babes. In total this makes almost 100 pictures - with full-size 8 MegaPixel versions to show you all the important details.
The ATI Radeon X1950 XTX is a refresh of the X1900 series and is the first video card to use GDDR4 memory. Another major change is the new cooling system which was designed to reduce noise while keeping temperatures down. ATI's new flagship card is clocked at 600 MHz GPU and crazy 1000 MHz effective memory clock. Read our review to find out how this card performs.
OCZ is well known for their great overclocking memory. But they also had a PSU product a long time ago. Now the power supply line of products gets a refresh with new products. The first of them is the OCZ GameXStream 700W which is designed with gamers in mind. It is SLI Ready and certified by ATI for use with Crossfire.
The Thermaltake Mozart TX is one of the biggest PC cases ever made. It has so much space that you can put two systems into it. You have five drive bays and seven 3.5" bays, a total of ten fans can be installed into this case which seems like a great candidate to be fit with water cooling. We test the silver, all aluminum version of this $300 monster case.
Watercooling is becoming very popular these days due to several reasons. With water you can cool just about anything in your PC. People usually start with watercooling their CPU, then move on to GPU, through chipset watercooling and may end at memory or MOSFET cooling. On our testbed today is the Thermaltake W2 waterblock. If you are in search of silence, and need a GPU waterblock, then read on!
The Ultra Aluminus case may look like your standard Chieftec case, but do not be fooled by first impressions. It is much different under the hood (or side panel for that matter) and has a lot to offer. The perfect paint job just rounds up the entire case which can hold up to 12 drives, has a removable motherboard tray and space for two 12 cm fans. If you are looking for something unique, check out this case.
Cooler Master enters the external hard drive enclosure market with their X-Craft series. Just like their cases, the X-Craft is very sturdy and once again does not disappoint. Everything from the tool-free design down to the extra USB/Firewire connectors and great looks make it a joy to use. The performance for both Firewire and USB is just as expected and the backup software, albeit very simple, gets the job done.
The GeForce 7950GX2 is NVIDIA's current high-end offering. While this card is based on the GeForce 7900GX2 used in Quad SLI systems, the 7950GX2 is just as long as a 7900GTX and currently meant to be used as a single card, replacing the 7900GTX. It offers a great performance boost while currently costing just about as much as the 7900GTX at launch. We run it through the benchmarks, to see what the card will deliver.
