We all want more for less. That's why enthusiasts overclock, and that's why we build HTPCs. The PlayStation 3 game console has sold millions of units because of its ability to delivery realistic video game performance, but Sony has sold more units because of the PS3's Blu-ray Disc player capability than any other factor. Bringing personal computer technology into the home theater environment has just come one step closer, thanks to the NVIDIA ION platform. The synergistic effect of an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and the dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom process have delivered true high-definition performance beyond any HTPC before it. The Zotac IONITX-A-U packages the Atom N330 CPU and 9400M GPU on a Mini-ITX DDR2 motherboard. Benchmark Reviews discovers how nice it is to have native HDMI connectivity from the HTPC into the HDTV in this article.

With multiple core CPUs, multi-GPU video graphics sub-systems and hotter than hot mainboard north and southbridge chipsets it becomes necessary for most gaming computers to have more and more fans. With the fans comes noise. Of course there's water cooling, but not everyone is capable or even brave enough to give that a try. So what do you do? Well one option is to use a fan speed controller. There are many fan controllers available but today Benchmark Reviews will look specifically at the NZXT SEN-001LX Sentry LX aluminum digital dual-bay fan controller.

Benchmark Reviews recently called on the Antec ISK300-65 Mini-ITX HTPC computer case to complete our NVIDIA ION Home Theater PC project. The lightweight mITX case offers a 65W power supply and room for a slim optical drive and 2.5" SSD or HDD. The Antec ISK300 fits two 80mm fans along the side, which help exhaust heated air out of the enclosure. Enthusiast can stand the ISK300 case upright, allowing this HTPC enclosure to fit nicely beside other entertainment center electronics.

If you have a lot of spare hard drives laying around that you want to see if they work and what they contain, but dont want to take the effort to install them in your desktop, Sunbeamtech has a solution for you. This device is also a perfect fit for an IT person to use as a data recovery tool. The device I am referring to is the SATA and IDE to USB Adapter. Benchmark Reviews is pleased to give you a closer look at this device, and just what we can expect from a tool like this. It boasts USB 2.0 high-speed tranfer rates, and the ability to access files on drives both 2.5" and 3.5" in size. So, if you are an IT professional, or just someone who has a lot of spare drives laying around that you want to see what is on them, check out this product from Sunbeamtech, and the review from Benchmark Reviews.

If you've ever visited Benchmark Reviews in the past, you've probably noticed that we've tested a large collection of NAS products. At the same time, you might have noticed how many of these products aren't really geared towards home users needing just the basics. That's where the QNAP TS-119 comes in handy. Designed to hold a single SATA drive (HDD or SSD), the TS-119 can deliver all the great features of larger more expensive NAS products. The latest Enterprise-level NAS servers feature iSCSI expansion, RAID redundancy, and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, and surprisingly the TS-119 does these things too, but without the expensive price tag. How can a single-drive NAS offer RAID you ask? In this article Benchmark Reviews takes the QNAP TS-119 through a tough set of performance tests while we outline the Turbo NAS functions and features.

Frequently, we find that new technological breakthroughs make old hardware that was just fine seem quaint. Be it a race toward higher clock speeds, faster front side buses, multiple cores, etc, computers become disused and replaced. Green attitudes have dissuaded people from tossing out components that are, for all intents and purposes, quite harmful to the environment. Moreover, current operating systems are becoming more power hungry let alone the software that runs on them. What's interesting about these computers is that in many cases they're perfectly useable. Here at Benchmark Reviews, we'll provide our list of uses for recycled computers.

Samsung makes the DRAM modules found in nearly all popular SSD products today, with Elpida and Qimonda also adding their name to cache buffer parts. JMicron, Indilinx, and Samsung engineer many of the most well-known SSDs on the market, with OEM companies adding their own branding, custom-tuned firmware, and warranty. The OCZ Summit SATA-II MLC SSD is another such OEM product, built from the PB22-J model that Samsung decided not to ODM and sell themselves. Equipped with the Samsung S3C29RBB01 SSD controller and a 128MB cache buffer, OCZ intends to keep their crown as the King of SSD product offerings with the Summit OCZSSD2-1SUM120G.