Benchmark Reviews Syndication: performance computer hardware tests, overclocking and cooling how-to guides, and technology news for enthusiasts. http://benchmarkreviews.com Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:18:26 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://benchmarkreviews.com/images/M_images/round_rss.png http://benchmarkreviews.com Benchmark Reviews Syndication: performance computer hardware tests, overclocking and cooling how-to guides, and technology news for enthusiasts. http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=460&Itemid=72 NVIDIA and ATI dominate the market for gaming-oriented video cards. But neither company sells video cards directly to the consumer; rather, they produce reference designs that are manufactured by a number of partners . Most partners simply produce the reference design and slap an identifying sticker on the card's cooler; although some might replace the reference design cooler with a quieter or more powerful solution, with few exceptions there's little to distinguish one partner's version of a specific card from another partner's version of the same card. EVGA breaks out of this rut with their EVGA GTX 275 CO-OP PhysX Edition, model 012-P3-1178-TR, which combines NVIDIA GTS250 and GTX275 GPUs on the same card, and Benchmark Reviews takes it around the block to see what it's got. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:28:37 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=455&Itemid=72 Just when I thought they had finished cutting halves, ATI has taken the 40nm Cypress architecture to a new low. Low power, that is. In a brand new design, unlike anything they have released with this architecture, ATI is going after the Home Theater PC market with their heat sinks blazing. OK, I exaggerate; the Radeon HD5450 video card actually runs pretty cool, which is the point, really. It's silent, too, with a large and lovely red heatsink sitting atop the tiny GPU, sans fan. Follow along with Benchmark Reviews as we investigate an early sample of ATI's new standard bearer for low-power HTPC applications. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:33:04 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=452&Itemid=61 AZZA have taken a few steps away from what is considered conventional with the Solano 1000R (model: CSAZ-1000R) and gave it an extreme bright red interior. The AZZA Solano also boasts maximum thermal management with fans installed everywhere to keep your high end hardware cool. In sum, a total of two 230mm fans, two 140mm fans and one 120mm fan work in harmony to provide you maximum airflow. This full tower case supports E-ATX, ATX, and Micro ATX motherboards and the thumb screw design allows for easy installation of seven PCI expansion cards. A plethora of drive bays, including up to ten 5.25 and eight 3.5 bays, allow you to grow your system over time. All the bays have a thumb screw design for easy assembly as well. Are you looking for a new case? Join Benchmark Reviews as we examine the Solano 1000R ATX full-tower ATX case. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:51:51 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=454&Itemid=60 Solid State Drive technology has helped transform computers into high-performance machines. Adding to the mania, 6.0-Gbps SATA-III bandwidth has cleared any bottlenecks that may have previously limited SSD speeds. Based on the Marvell 88SS9174-BJP2 SSD processor, the 256GB Crucial RealSSD-C300 becomes the industry's first SATA-6G consumer Solid State Drive. Likewise, the C300 is also the first SSD to use ONFI 2.1 synchronous NAND flash. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the MTFDDAC256MAG model rated for 355 MBps read speeds using the HighPoint Rocket 620LF host controller. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:30:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=439&Itemid=38 Very recently Benchmark Reviews published the Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade and Installation (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=399 Itemid=38) guide, which helps erase the mistakes made by Windows Vista and introduces computer enthusiasts to the newly introduced O/S. Microsoft has enjoyed a successful launch for their Windows 7 Operating System, also referred to at Win7 or W7, and PCs have been made more productive and secure as a result. But like all good things that we receive, it's in our nature to protect and keep them. The best way to accomplish this is with a solid backup, and luckily Windows 7 offers a built-in Backup and Restore tool for creating System Images. By creating a backup file users can preserve their data, but with a System Image recovering the source disk can be helpful when replacing the drive with another. In this article, Benchmark Reviews guides users on the best practices for protecting and Recovering Windows 7 with System Image Restore Disks. Articles - Featured Guides Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=451&Itemid=61 Following the success of the original Tempest mid-tower computer case, NZXT tinkered around with its designs and came up with the NZXT Tempest Evo. The two cases share many of the same assets, and are both priced at $119.99. The Tempest Evo features an array of upgrades, including a unified paint job and better cable management. With a total of six 120mm intake/exhaust fans, the NZXT Tempest Evo mid-tower case promises excellent airflow. Benchmark Reviews takes a detailed inspection of the NZXT Tempest Evo mid-tower computer case, model TEVO-001BK, to see how much of an evolution it is and how close it comes to perfection. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:15:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=435&Itemid=60 Hopefully one day soon Solid State Drives will be standard equipment for new computer systems, but first SSDs must become available as an optional upgrade item for build-it-yourself orders. Plextor/LiteOn hopes to bring this service to tier-one OEMs, and computers from Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Sony could soon offer lightning-fast SSD performance. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the LiteOn 32GB 'Strong-Page' SSD, model LA-32M1S, built on the Marvell 88SS8014-BHP2 Da-Vinci controller. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:15:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=420&Itemid=72 NVIDIA and AMD build such great products that it's not always easy for their partners to improve upon the initial design. A perfect example is the ATI Radeon HD 5850, which has earned accolades from consumers and critics alike. While the original ATI design worked well, there's always room for improvement. Offering a robust PCS+ (Professional Cooling System Plus) feature that adds better thermal management over the Cypress GPU, the PowerColor Radeon HD5850 is designed with overclocker enthusiasts in mind. Delivered with a factory overclock, Benchmark Reviews tests the HD5850 PCS+ AX5850-1GBD5-PPDHG model against the original reference ATI design, and a large collection of competing graphics cards. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:33:14 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=448&Itemid=62 ProlimaTech holds the crown for best CPU cooler here at Benchmark Reviews with the Megahalems (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=316 Itemid=62). They have also surprised a lot of review websites with their PK1 thermal compound. All of these things are a massive feat for a company that was founded just 2 years ago. It comes as no surprise that ProlimaTech have now ventured into another field within the PC enthusiast market: VGA cooling. Introducing the MK-13 VGA cooler, ProlimaTech's first entry into what is a steadily growing market, Weighing in at 555g it's no baby, and has six heatpipes to transfer heat to the uniquely designed heatsink fins. The ProlimaTech MK-13 comes with nearly universal compatibility and future proofing for video cards. Many consider Thermalright to hold the crown here, but I get the feeling that ProlimaTech won't settle for second best. Join me as Benchmark Reviews examines and tests the ProlimaTech MK-13. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cooling Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=445&Itemid=60 Solid State Drive technology is developed for two groups of users: large-scale Enterprise environments and individual end-users. Kingston Technology has been in the business of satisfying enthusiasts and gamers for many years, and their SSDNow series of NAND-flash storage products has been the affordable solution for system upgrades. In this article, Benchmark Reviews introduces the second-generation Kingston SSDNowV+ Solid State Drive series. Based on the high-performance Toshiba T6UG1XBG (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=393 Itemid=60) processor, the Kingston SSDNowV+ SNV325-S2 delivers native TRIM support with a maximum rated read speed of 230MBps and write-to bandwidth peaking at 180MBps. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:23:38 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=393&Itemid=60 Just over two years ago there were only five companies involved in Solid State Drive technology, and as of January 2010 there are nearly 140 names in the business. In this article Benchmark Reviews inspects the Toshiba T6UG1XBG Solid State Drive controller, which is used in the third-generation Kingston SSDNow V+ SNV325. The Toshiba T6UG1XBG SSD controller is a 43nm part with native TRIM support, and offers a maximum rated read speed of 230MBps and write-to performance peaking at 180MBps. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:30:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=446&Itemid=46 The International Consumer Electronics Show offers a vast and overwhelming panoply of products, with exhibitors ranging from tiny, two-man booths from unknown Taiwanese companies to 4+ acre spreads from Microsoft and Intel. In addition to CES exhibits in the Las Vegas Convention Center, vendors have invitation-only hospitality suites set up in various hotels around the Strip. With over 2,700 exhibitors from more than 140 countries, you're not going to see everything even if you spend every waking moment traipsing the show floor. What follows is a list of things which caught my eye, or that I thought were technically cool; it's in no way comprehensive, or even very organized, but should give you some idea of what the show was like. News - Featured Website News Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=444&Itemid=60 The SandForce SF1500 SSD processor is an Enterprise-class Solid State Drive technology that powers products such as the OCZ Vertex-2 Pro. With a potential top-speed of 260 MBps read and write bandwidth, the SandForce SF1500-based SSD series will push SATA-II to the limit. In this article Benchmark Reviews investigates the technology behind the SandForce SF1500 SSD processor, and tests bandwidth speed and IOPS performance. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=443&Itemid=73 Webcams are rapidly becoming a very popular item. In fact, webcams were one of the most popular electronic items purchased for the 2009 holiday season. Microsoft has long been a competitor when it comes to webcams and with the release of the Microsoft LifeCam Cinema 720p HD Webcam H5D-00001 they may have placed themselves on top of the market. With Skype, Windows Live Messenger, and even Google Video Chat becoming communications tools that are an easy and fun way to stay in contact with our friends and families, people are beginning to expect more from their webcams. The blurry, choppy video that doesn't match up with the audio is a thing of the past. Now Microsoft is introducing HD Video to the mix, offering high definition resolutions up to 720p with their new LifeCam Cinema. In this article Benchmark Reviews takes a detailed look at the Microsoft LifeCam Cinema in order to bring you the latest information on the newest webcam technologies. Reviews - Featured Reviews: WebCams Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=440&Itemid=63 NVIDIA's latest GPU is codenamed GF100, and is the first graphics processor based on the Fermi architecture. In this article, Benchmark Reviews explains the technical architecture behind NVIDIA's GF100 graphics processor and offers an insight into upcoming Fermi-based GeForce video cards. For those who are not familiar, NVIDIA's GF100 GPU is their first graphics processor to support DirectX-11 hardware features such as tessellation and DirectCompute, while also adding heavy particle and turbulence effects. The GF100 GPU is also the successor to the GT200 graphics processor, which launched in the GeForce GTX 280 (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=179 Itemid=72) video card. NVIDIA has since redefined their focus, and GF100 proves a dedication towards next generation gaming effects such as raytracing, order-independent transparency, and fluid simulations. Rest assured, the new GF100 GPU is more powerful than the GT200 could ever be, and early results indicate a Fermi-based video card delivers far more than twice the gaming performance over a GeForce GTX-280. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Processors Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=449&Itemid=61 LanCool's line of Dragon Lord computer cases offer two great advantages over many competitors. The first is the amount of customization they provide in choosing a stock model. Rather than simply providing one high end case and one low end case they provide options for several intermediate levels. The second advantage offered by LanCool is their tool-less designs. Many tool-less designs of the past have suffered from compatibility or usability problems. LanCool uses a fresh approach to alleviate the problems of the past while still providing the option to fall back on conventional installation. Benchmark Reviews recently reviewed the PC-K56W which offers snap-in hard drive assemblies. We now bring you the PC-K58W which extends the tool-less design, offers more space, more features, and more room to upgrade. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:06:26 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=441&Itemid=72 Oops, I did it again. Not me, but ATI. They've gone and cut their latest 40nm GPU in half again, given it a new name, and released a brand new video card that smacks the competition around. Just four months after the release of their first 5xxx series video card (and two million unit sales later...), ATI is releasing the sixth iteration of DX11-capable hardware. The new card uses the exact same architecture as the HD58xx and HD57xx series; ATI basically cut the Juniper chip to get hardware specs somewhere below the HD5750. How far below is what we need to find out and Benchmark Reviews is pleased to offer you the results of our extensive testing. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=437&Itemid=60 After the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show concluded, Benchmark Reviews was fortunate enough to test a few Solid State Drive samples built from the Marvell 88SS8014-BHP2 Da-Vinci SATA controller chip. Introduced with the and LA-64M1S MLC SSDs, the Marvell 88SS8014 chip is the latest addition to Solid State Drive control processors. Designed to offer quick transactions in traditional SSD fashion, this Marvell controller also packs plenty of features for the entry-level value segment. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Thu, 14 Jan 2010 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=438&Itemid=67 There is no shortage of DDR3 memory in the marketplace these days, and it's priced lower than DDR2 in many cases. As always though, the choices to be made when selecting RAM for a system can be confusing. There are a lot of kits currently available that are optimized for Intel i5 and i7 systems, and now OCZ has released two new low voltage kits that are designed to complement the AMD Black Edition series of CPUs. Both sets of DIMMs are specified at 1600 MHz; one at CL7 timings, and the other at CL8. They are both rated to run these speeds at 1.65v. In this article Benchmark Reviews will examine how a dual-channel kit of CL8 modules, optimized for an AMD 790FX platform, performs at a variety of speeds and timings. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Memory Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:21:55 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=431&Itemid=61 Cooler Master is a brand name that constantly strives to offer the enthusiast community fresh new products with a proven track record. Although the original CM-690 was launched back in August 2007, that chassis still remains a popular choice for do-it-yourself computer system builders even today. Skip to 2010, and Cooler Master launches the CM690-II Advanced mid-tower case to compliment the CM-series enthusiast product line. The new RC-692-KKN2 model improves upon the original design with an updated look, and adds a new list of features fitting of the modern technology landscape. In this article, Benchmark Reviews inspects the Cooler Master CM690-II Advanced Edition performance enclosure and determines just how much has really changed in this sequel. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=436&Itemid=62 AMD Phenom II Black Edition CPU's have been a popular choice for enthusiasts and budget-conscious overclockers lately, and Benchmark Reviews decided it was time to focus on AMD in one of our Best CPU Cooler Performance series. In this preview article, Benchmark Reviews tests several CPU coolers on the AM3 socket for the AMD Phenom-II platform. An overclocked AMD Phenom II X4 965 (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=335 Itemid=63) Black Edition processor was used (original 140W version), and given a heart-warming 1.55 volts to the vCore so it could reach 4000MHz (4GHz) stable. The heat produced at 1.55V caused at least one product to earn high marks in our tests, while another fell so far below respectible performance that it pains us to expose it. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cooling Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:37:42 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=434&Itemid=72 As enthusiasts, we're always interested in the latest monster video cards: the expensive, high-end products that blast through benchmarks and play all your games with buttery-smooth frame rates at the highest resolutions with all the settings maxed out- and sucking a not inconsiderable amount of electricity while doing so! But these products represent only a tiny fraction of the number of video cards sold; the low-to-mid-end cards comprise the bulk of the market. Besides, a GTX285 or Radeon 5870 isn't the ideal solution for every situation: considerations from a limited budget to building a small, quiet system come into play. NVIDIA has been filling out the low-middle end of their video card product line lately, and in this article Benchmark Reviews tests the GIGABYTE GV-N240D5-512I video card equipped with with NVIDIA's new GeForce GT240 GPU and 512M of GDDR5 memory. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:30:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=424&Itemid=66 MSI has taken their portable Wind-series netbook computer system and combined it with the functionality of a full-featured desktop computer system to create a stylish and compact NVIDIA ION-based Wind-Top AE2220-25SUS computer system that fits in the same space as a 21.5-inch widescreen monitor. The small footprint doesn't just shelter a 1080p HDTV LCD display, it also incorporates touch-screen functionality along with an integrated HD web cam and high-fidelity 5.1-channel SRS Premium Sound. Blu-ray Discs can be played back from the MSI Wind Top AE2220, and a digital tuner is also built-in for receiving over-the-air HD broadcasts allowing the DVR functionality within Microsoft Windows 7. Ideal for every workspace conceivable, the dual-core 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor handles compute tasks and 4GB of DDR2 system memory ensure there's no delay in program responsiveness, while a 500GB hard drive offers high-capacity storage space for saved data and recorded audio or video multimedia. Both 802.11b/g/n WiFi and 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet give users the flexibility to connect the MSI AE2220 to a LAN or wireless network. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tested the MSI Wind Top AE2220 1080p All-In-One PC. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Laptop Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=433&Itemid=61 Computer cases with enough features and cooling to please any gamer are rapidly dropping in price. Manufacturers are noticing the demand for affordable gaming rigs and reacting accordingly. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the LanCool PC-K56W-B Mid-Tower Computer Case. It is part of the recent LanCool Dragon Lord series that helps bring economic relief to gamers searching for the best case for the best price. LanCool is the gaming division of Lian Li, a very well known name in the computer case industry. Benchmark Reviews is here to pit the PC-K56W against other recent additions to the performance-case-at-a-low-price arena. Recently, we brought you articles about NZXT's line of such cases. Will LanCool be able to keep up with features such as their tool-free design? Follow along as we find out. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:20:01 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=419&Itemid=38 Let's think the first words coming to our minds when reading: Adobe Flash Player. Youtube, Hulu, vimeo, HD videos might be some of them. If you don´t understand or relate this words you probably live under a rock or have been out of the game, and by game I mean technology world, for a long time. In our AVIVO Purevideo DXVA HD Acceleration Guide we show you how to use your GPU to playback and enhance many kinds of video formats, normally used on DVDs and Blu-Rays, but not limited to them. The benefit is clear. As long as you can use your graphics card to playback your videos instead of using the CPU, you are doing things easier for your machine, thus consuming less energy and freeing your CPU to do other stuff at the same time. This was the original idea of the DXVA technology. But what happens to the rest of the content we normally watch at the web? Flash is one of the biggest and more used formats today. Youtube being ranked 4th (by traffic stats) is knocking hard at our doors asking for some attention. Some other sites like Hulu (USA) or vimeo have enormous quantities of traffic also, and it wouldn´t be a problem if they weren´t constantly evolving and offering better quality services. For example, Youtube just went up to 1080p support the last month. But I fear 1080p isn´t an easy task for a mid-low CPU, it is? The answer to all this is very simple: DXVA for Adobe Flash Player, and that's what we are testing today in our Adobe Flash GPU Acceleration Guide at Benchmark Reviews. Articles - Featured Guides Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:43:25 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=396&Itemid=65 The company name Razer is practically synonymous with PC-gaming peripherals. Their wide selection of gaming keyboards, mice, and other accessories make them a top choice when shopping for the best gaming gear. The Razer Imperator is the latest release, and the RZ01-0035 model offers gamers an ergonomic mouse with highly-sensitive 5600 dpi laser. Razer compromises nothing when it comes to comfort, looks, and features. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Razer Imperator USB-2.0 5600-DPI Laser Gaming Mouse RZ01-0035. Boasting such features as adjustable thumb buttons, on-board (Razer Synapse) flash memory, and many other features, this mouse has the potential to pack a serious punch. Learn if the Imperator can live up to the Razer name; and the Benchmark Reviews standard of quality. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:31:43 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=414&Itemid=69 Computer hardware always evolves, and in the interest of making lives more productive technology continues to advance. Gigabyte has recently launched their P55-A series of motherboards on the Intel P55-Express chipset, which incorporate a new 3-3-3 theme of features: Super-Speed USB 3.0 and 3x the USB power output, as well as SATA-3.0 for 6Gbps bandwidth. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6 and inspects the new SATA-6G functionality in-depth. Performance will be measured between the Intel Core i7-860 fitted to the LGA1156 socket on the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6 motherboard and the Core i7-920 equipped GA-EX58-UD4P. Testing a Core i7-860 against an i7-920 might not seem fair, and it's a little biased to compare P55 against X58, but the final outcome might just surprise you. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Motherboards Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=430&Itemid=46 Benchmark Reviews tested the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Gaming Kit (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=276 Itemid=58) when it originally launched back in January, 2009. Comprising a set of battery-powered LCD shutter glasses, the infrared emitter to drive them, and special 120Hz refresh-rate monitors, it enabled high-quality 3D gaming with hundreds of games, as long as you had a sufficiently powerful NVIDIA video card. In 2010, NVIDIA is planning to extend their 3D Vision technology into still photos, the web experience, gaming laptops, and upcoming 3D televisions. Benchmark Reviews recently attended an NVIDIA one-on-one briefing on these new technologies, which will be formally announced at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. News - Featured Website News Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=425&Itemid=72 XFX knows that gamers want unmatched performance from their hardware, which is why they now supply ATI Radeon desktop graphics as well as NVIDIA GeForce products. There's no better time for AMD-designed video cards than now, as the Radeon 5800-series has climbed to the top of gamers' most-wanted list. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the XFX Radeon HD5850 HD-585A-ZNFC video card against a large cross-section of modern graphics accelerators and explore the visual quality Microsoft Windows 7 will deliver with DirectX 11. Armed with 1440 shader cores, the 40nm Cypress GPU HD5850 is positioned to offer an excellent value for the upper mid-range and hits the sweet-spot for DX11 gamers. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:16:56 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=429&Itemid=67 If you're in the market for some DDR3 memory these days, you will see a lot of sets being advertised as Optimized for use in Intel i5 and i7 systems . There's a lot of confusion in the marketplace about whether these products are suitable for use in other applications. The truth is that most all of them can be used in any system that uses DDR3 memory, as long as the BIOS on the motherboard can supply the correct voltage, usually around 1.6V for most sets. In this article Benchmark Reviews will examine how a dual-channel kit of 1600MHz CL7 RIPJAWS modules from premier maker G.Skill performs on an AMD 790FX platform. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Memory Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:47:33 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=428&Itemid=68 Desktop PCs have come to a point where your digital experience will be limited to the capability of your monitor. With high end Core 2 Duo CPUs and decent HD capable video cards priced around $100, there is no reason to be viewing the digital world on low resolution screens. If you are, then it is time to step up and upgrade to an HD Monitor. The question is: is the Samsung SyncMaster P2350 ToC 1080p monitor a worthy upgrade? Benchmark Review takes a look at this 23-inch LCD Widescreen monitor and see if it's a good buy. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Monitor/HDTV Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=427&Itemid=61 What is the purpose of a computer case? The unimaginative might reply that it's to support and protect the components that comprise your computer. But just as the base purpose of a car- to transport people and goods- is frequently a secondary consideration to style and power, so to are there other reasons to select a particular computer case: to look cool and to impress your friends! Functionality doesn't hurt, of course, but there are many examples of cases where function takes a distinctly secondary seat to style. Cooler Master's HAF 932 case has successfully melded the two, and now they've introduced an AMD commemorative version, the Cooler Master HAF 932 AMD Edition AM-932-RWN1-GP full tower computer case. Does it work as well as its forebear? Benchmark Reviews examines the case and builds a system in to let you know. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:07:04 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=417&Itemid=38 Benchmark Reviews offers our finest choices for the 2009 Editor's Choice Award in this article, and the selection process has not been easy. To choose one consumer electronics product as the best-of-the-best when the vast majority of products tested at Benchmark Reviews are already at the top of their game demands the highest quality. Even though this past year has been filled with global crisis and economic meltdown, 2009 has still brought consumers some of the best products ever made. The consumer electronics and performance computer hardware markets have introduced excellent products throughout 2009, and only the best deserve our Editor's Choice Award recognition. Articles - Featured Guides Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=422&Itemid=72 As enthusiasts, we're always interested in the latest monster video cards: the expensive, high-end products that blast through benchmarks and play all your games with buttery-smooth frame rates at the highest resolutions with all the settings maxed out- and sucking a not inconsiderable amount of electricity while doing so! But these products represent only a tiny fraction of the number of video cards sold; the low-to-mid-end cards comprise the bulk of the market. Besides, a GTX285 or Radeon 5870 isn't the ideal solution for every situation: considerations from a limited budget to building a small, quiet system come into play. NVIDIA has been filling out the low-middle end of their video card product line lately, and in this article Benchmark Reviews tests the ASUS ENGT240/DI/1GD3/A video card equipped with with NVIDIA's new GeForce GT240 GPU and 1GB of GDDR3 memory. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=421&Itemid=60 Mobile storage of music, videos, pictures, files, and pretty much anything else you can think of is rapidly becoming more and more popular. Even the recent release of Windows 7 has seen unheard of amounts of people wanting to install the operating system using external storage devices such as flash drives rather than a DVD. Many workstations in offices don't include any sort of optical or other removable media devices other than USB drives. Seagate has always been a name well associated with storage and their most recent external hard drive series is another push forward helping people with all kinds of storage needs. Benchmark Reviews is taking a look at the Seagate FreeAgent Go 640 GB USB 2.0 External Drive, which is loaded with features, and even software, to make your life easier. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=423&Itemid=72 As enthusiasts, we're always interested in the latest monster video cards: the expensive, high-end products that blast through benchmarks and play all your games with buttery-smooth frame rates at the highest resolutions with all the settings maxed out- and sucking a not inconsiderable amount of electricity while doing so! But these products represent only a tiny fraction of the number of video cards sold; the low-to-mid-end cards comprise the bulk of the market. Besides, a GTX285 or Radeon 5870 isn't the ideal solution for every situation: considerations from a limited budget to building a small, quiet system come into play. NVIDIA has been filling out the low-middle end of their video card product line lately, and in this article Benchmark Reviews tests the ASUS ENGT240/DI/512MD5/A video card equipped with with NVIDIA's new GeForce GT240 GPU and 512M of GDDR5 memory. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=415&Itemid=66 Learning from the past has allowed Cooler Master to improve upon an already successful design. The NotePal X2 is a next generation cooler modeled after the NotePal X1. Like the X1 this new model (R9-NBC-4WAK-GP) uses a unique body shape and a large central fan as the heart of its design. In addition to looking stylish the 'X' shape of the cooler actually contributes to cooling performance. In this review Benchmark Reviews analyzes the performance of the NotePal X2 as well as the role played the unique body composition. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Laptop Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:45:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=413&Itemid=38 When the Seagate Barracuda XT (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=390 Itemid=60) was revealed as the World's first-ever third generation SATA 6GBps hard drive, expectations for performance were raised to match the new bandwidth limit. While this drive offered tremendous storage capacity paired to good performance, the transfer speeds were nowhere near the second generation SATA-3 Gb/s limit. This is where Benchmark Reviews turns to our vast collection of Solid State Drive (index.php?option=com_content task=blogcategory id=3 Itemid=60) storage products, some of which eclipse the SATA-II range. However, our history of SSD performance tests on the Intel ICH10 Southbridge would prove to be very different than our results on the new Marvell 88SE9123 or 88SE9128 SATA-III chips. In this article, Benchmark Reviews compares Marvell SATA-6G SSD performance against tests on the Intel ICH10 chipset. Articles - Featured Guides Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:24:56 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=390&Itemid=60 Somewhere between the speed of Solid State Drive technology and the reliability of value-priced Hard Disk storage is the Seagate Barracuda XT. The industry's first SATA 6GBps HDD features 2TB of data storage capacity, and is also the first product to receive compliance with the third generation SATA controller interface. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Seagate Barracuda XT hard drive against a cross section of competing storage products using the ASUS P7P55D Premium (Marvell 88SE9123) and Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6 (Marvell 88SE9128) motherboards, comparing the model ST32000641AS hard disk on the both SATA-6G controllers as well as Intel's P55/ICH10 SATA-3G chipset. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=412&Itemid=62 Too much attention is paid to the CPU when we discuss aftermarket coolers, maybe because removing the VGA cooler can void the warranty on some graphics cards, or maybe because we take for granted the cooler placed on video cards by the vendor. Unfortunately the truth is that most stock VGA coolers don't perform very well. So now we need a solution - The Xigmatek BiFrost VD1065 - Xigmatek's first 5-piece 6mm Heatpipe Direct Touch VGA cooler product. It occupies two expansion slots, but at the same time gives extreme performance. Ximatek adds two powerful 100mm Fans to accomplish the Perfect Product , and plate it with black nickel and utilise two transparent fans so as to become one of the spotlights in your PC-System. With the marketing speak out of the way, we'll move on to what it takes to make or break this product - real world testing. We all know H.D.T. works well for multi-core processors with heat spreaders, join Benchmark Reviews as we test the Xigmatek Bifrost and see what it can do for your exposed GPU die. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cooling Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:10:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=411&Itemid=61 NZXT is on a roll. Their line of sub-$100 computer cases brings features to this market segment we haven't seen before, including fully finished interiors, rolled metal edges, and cable management, just to name a few things. The NZXT Lexa S Mid-Tower computer case is one of the more recent offerings in their Crafted Series line of cases. Festooned with a sleek black front door with integral LED lighting and fan controllers, this case would look great on your desk. But as a starting point for a new system build, how does LEXS-001BK model stack up? Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=410&Itemid=66 Given the performance and efficiency of large fan coolers we should anticipate seeing more products adopt this design. One such product is the Thermaltake Massive23 CS gaming laptop cooler (manufacturer model CLN0008). The Massive23 CS builds around one large central fan to provide all cooling needs. But good cooling requires more than just a big fan. Benchmark Reviews has tested similar products and unveiled some of those factors. In this review we can see some of those factors at play by testing the performance of the CLN0008. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Laptop Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:37:29 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=407&Itemid=38 HTPCs and HD content are growing more and more around the GPU industry. ATI and NVIDIA have been working on technologies to playback and enhance this video content for many years. NVIDIA started working on their Purevideo technology and added the Purevideo HD some time ago. ATI on the other hand, has their own AVIVO technology and as it was obvious, they name their latest technology AVIVO HD. Now, while these technologies have been marketed too much, I´ve noticed that the big consumers majority doesn´t even know how to use them. The real problem is that neither NVIDIA nor ATI have done enough to help people use their technology. They can bombard you with so many pictures, images and text but neither of these things will offer a simple guide on how to use the software tools in the real world. Here at Benchmark Reviews, we will teach you how to use your GPU to playback and enhance HD video content, and we´re not limited to DVD or Blu-ray content, because we´ll also address *.mkv files so that you can enjoy your stored multimedia. There is so much content available for download from Internet which can be reproduced without using your CPU, that it makes good sense to enhance the image quality whenever possible. Please, have a read at our AVIVO-HD PureVideo-HD DXVA GPU Acceleration Guide and enjoy the Full High Definition experience as it was meant to be! Articles - Featured Guides Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:30:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=365&Itemid=67 In testing the Lynnfield platform, we've have had to stick to fairly moderate memory speeds to ensure uniformity with the other Benchmark Reviews test platforms. Even at these speeds, though, Lynnfield has already proven an excellent performer in terms of memory bandwidth. In this review, we'll push our system even further with the help of a 2000MHz DDR3 kit from Patriot. As part the of the Viper II Sector 5 Series, the PVV34G2000LLKB kit we're testing was designed specifically for the P55 platform and should provide some insight into how Lynnfield handles high performance memory. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Memory Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:54:56 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=408&Itemid=72 This article is all about answering one question: how well does the Radeon HD 5770 scale in CrossFireX performance tests. Benchmark Reviews has already investigated and published two reviews for video cards based on the HD5770 Juniper chip; an engineering sample from ATI (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=383 Itemid=72) and a production card from XFX (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=394 Itemid=72). They both acquitted themselves quite well, and we included some CrossFireX test results in the XFX review, using two cards strapped together on an Intel P45 platform. This time we take a look at how 1, 2, and 3 cards work together on our new Windows 7 test suite, with an AMD 790FX motherboard. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:29:12 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=409&Itemid=61 Whether you just need a computer for surfing the web or if you are on a quest to construct the ultimate gaming machine, it all begins with the case. NZXT has recently released a mid-tower case for all arenas: the Gamma. This extraordinarily light case is packed with features normally seen only in high-end (and high-priced) gaming cases, and it brings it all to the table for only $49.99 (http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-2339666-10446076?url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061). Benchmark Reviews will take you on a full-spectrum tour of the GAMA-001BK ATX case. NZXT has set a high standard for itself in the performance computing market. Will this case meet that standard with its beyond belief bargain price point? Follow me inside to find out. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:48:41 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=406&Itemid=61 I am a case snob. The cases I like are brushed aluminum, have removable motherboard trays, neatly rolled edges, finished interiors, cable management, and so forth. They have SATA backplanes and mounts for triple-120 radiators. A certain degree of style doesn't hurt, either. Of course cases like this are expensive, but since I have to look at them all day, I figure they're worth it. In this article, Benchmark Reviews inspects the NZXT M59 Mid-Tower computer case, which at a suggested retail price of $59.99 for the M59-001BK model it is hardly in the milieu I'm become accustomed to. Will the design flair that was evident in NZXT's $400 Khaos gaming case be in evidence here? Let's see. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:45:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=389&Itemid=70 Benchmark Reviews has monitored the network storage industry for several years now, and the same three features have always held the highest demand: speed, data redundancy, and simple operation. QNAP has earned the title of NAS pioneer, not by being the first to have a network attached storage (NAS) device on the market, but by being the first to consistently offer fast Gigabit Ethernet speeds with failover, RAID hard drive functionality, and a diverse feature-rich user interface. In this article, Benchmark Reviews test the QNAP TS-419P Turbo NAS based on the Marvell 6281 'Kirkwood' processor. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Network Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:30:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=418&Itemid=66 Convection is when moving air transfers heat to or from a surface. This is the method used by most laptop coolers to keep your CPU, GPU and other critical components from overheating. There are three major factors to effective cooling (or heating), namely temperature difference, surface area, and air flow. Any differences in these factors will lead to differences in performance, even for the same cooler. The Benchmark Reviews team tries hard to provide you with fair and repeatable testing. The Antec Notebook Cooler 200 uses all three factors to achieve effective cooling with minimal power. Our tests show which of those factors makes the biggest difference. We also consider ergonomics, looks and quality. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Laptop Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=403&Itemid=72 ATI now dominates the graphics industry with their DirectX 11 Radeon HD 5000-series video cards, which allows them to enjoy current-generation gaming on Windows 7 and Vista. The ATI Radeon HD 5870 (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=373 Itemid=72) has already beat the worn and weathered GeForce GTX 285, just as the Radeon HD 5850 (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=381 Itemid=72) and HD5770 (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=383 Itemid=72) do at their respective price points. By combining two Cypress XT GPUs together on one PCB, the ATI Radeon HD 5970 video card will now compete against the very best NVIDIA can offer: the GeForce GTX 295. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the 'unlocked' Hemlock GPU against the top graphics products available and demonstrates just how much ground AMD has gained in a few short months. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=405&Itemid=59 Stereo headsets are becoming an essential part of any modern PC and, like keyboard and mice before them, they are finally going wireless. The freedom that a wireless headset provides will appeal to anyone, but with so many 2.4GHz wireless devices in every home, can a wireless headset really match the performance, clarity and comfort of its wired counterparts? Benchmark Reviews examines an impressive entry, the Logitech ClearChat PC Wireless Headset 981-000068, and finds out. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Audio Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:05:43 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=401&Itemid=58 Benchmark Reviews has put a plethora of storage enclosures and systems through their paces and all of the predecessors fell neatly into readily recognizable categories. The StarTech SATADOCK22UE is a horse of a slightly different color offering features that bridge the existing product categories it's neither a case nor storage array, but has the capacity to allow access to single data drives as well as two drives independently or as a RAID array. It's a niche product with stealth appeal for main stream users who think outside the box. The SataDock product line comes in 4 flavors: single drive USB only desktop bay (SATADOCKU2E), single drive USB eSATA desktop bay (SATADOCKU2), 5.25 Bay Dual Drive eSATA (SATADOCK525) and the top of the line dual drive, dual eSATA desktop dock SATADOCK22UE which we will be reviewing. While no doubt the intended audience for the SataDock product line is mainly corporate or professional PC repair and maintenance organizations, this small wonder has the potential to simplify the lives of a much broader audience if they can related to it's less obvious uses. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Accessories Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=400&Itemid=61 Xigmatek - A name that needs no introduction, But the first things that come to mind are CPU coolers, Right? A relatively young company, founded in 2005, Xigmatek has made some great quality coolers, 2 of which featured and performed very well in the Q2 best CPU cooler performance review here at Benchmark Reviews, Today's review focuses on the Xigmatek Midgard CPC-T55DB-U02 Computer Case, Big on features and while not an overly expensive case it is still closer to the top end of what I would call a Budget case. Tool free design, Midgard-W was designed by gaming and cooling thinking within tool-free hard drives and add-on card installation, easy installation CPU cooler back plate window, four pipe holes for water cooling system and seven cooling fan space at most. This case is certainly beautiful to look at, but looks are for the vain, Features and quality are essential to the success of a product. Will you be using this case in your next build? Come and take a closer look to see if this is the case ticks all the boxes for You. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=392&Itemid=60 For years, Kingston has sold system memory upgrade kits to help boost personal computer performance. Installing RAM is a simple process, and it usually helped speed up an old PC. Yet, because the processor and memory both operate at level much faster than the average hard disk, the real bottleneck is the primary drive. Solid State Drives are the ideal upgrade for hard drives, and the difference an SSD makes is far noticeable than any memory upgrade. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the performance and speed for the ideal SSD starter kit: Kingston's SSDNow V 40GB Boot Drive SSD SNV125-S2/40GB. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=399&Itemid=38 Many gamers swear by the proven stability that is Windows XP, but there's a new player on the market: Windows 7. While Windows XP is heralded by some as the best OS to ever come from Microsoft, Vista is the Windows ME of the 21st Century. Enter Windows 7. Built on the proven NT platform and in many ways appearing much like Vista, that's where the similarities end. Today, Benchmark Reviews will take a look at some of the different methods of installation, and hopefully clear up some of the confusion many of you may be having. I think some people will be surprised by how easy it can be, plus we will show you how to possibly bypass having to reinstall Windows XP or Vista during an upgrade. Articles - Featured Guides Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=398&Itemid=61 Déjà vu is a funny thing. At first you're not sure it's real; then you're absolutely convinced; finally, it fades and you're not sure anymore. The CM Storm Sniper, first shown to the public when Cooler Master launched the CM Storm brand in 2008, started out life with a full Black Ops paint job. Black on the outside, black on the inside and the first gaming case to feature three massive 200mm cooling fans, it was an instant hit. Somehow, the production version ended up without the black interior, but it was still a rousing success when Benchmark Reviews looked at it in January of this year. Its ten months later, coming up on the holiday season, and what better (and easier) way to kick it up a notch than to bring back the black: The CM Storm Sniper Black Edition SGC-6000-KKN1-GP. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=397&Itemid=59 It doesn't require a music-prodigy to appreciate good music on a nice set of speakers. But how can the average Joe distinguish a nice set of speakers from manufactured junk? Does the presence of a subwoofer, multiple speakers or a list of features guarantee a set will be high quality? Or can you be assured good performance by sticking to name-brands? At Benchmark Reviews we reviewed the Eagle Arion ET-AR504LR-BK 2.1 Soundstage Speakers using some objective, repeatable tests. These tests helped screen the important factors from the insignificant. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Audio Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:48:34 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=384&Itemid=63 In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the newly re-vamped AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE desktop processor. For all intent and purpose, the AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition processor has not changed. The model number is now HDZ965FBK4DGM, and the total TDP is down from 140W to 125W. The X4 965 CPU still honors the AM3 socket, and uses a 45nm process to construct the 258mm2 die. GlobalFoundries FAB1 has added C1E implementation on the hardware level, and DDR3 is now supported at 1333MHz for 'Heavy' loads. Ultimately though, the 3.4GHz is still the same overclocking beast it always has been, and performance is relatively unchanged. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Processors Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=395&Itemid=72 AMD has retaken the crown for superior graphical power with their ATI Radeon HD 5870 video card, and consumers have confirmed that this is the hottest graphics accelerator of the moment. Armed with 1600 shader cores, the 40nm Cypress GPU claims to push video game frame rates well-beyond what NVIDIA offers from their GeForce GTX 285 counterpart. While the list of DirectX 11 video games has just started to grow, with one of the first being a free Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) named BattleForge. Perhaps ATI has created the perfect storm for their Radeon HD 5800-series by offering a price-competitive graphics card with several free games included or available. While NVIDIA toils away with CUDA and PhysX, ATI is busy delivering the next generation of hardware for the gaming community to enjoy. Sapphire factory overclocks the Cypress GPU and adds their own custom cooling solution, named Vapor-X. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X video card 100281VXSR against a cross-section of modern graphics accelerators. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=394&Itemid=72 OK, we're through playing nice with these new ATI 5xxx video cards. The corporate logo for XFX says: play hard. , so Benchmark reviews is going to take that motto to heart and show what this cards can really do. Almost every single competing card runs at higher than reference clock rates, and they all come that way from the factory. Every single card I compared the HD5770 to, when we reviewed the reference design from ATI, was factory overclocked. That's just the way it is with video cards built on mature GPU technology. Well, every ATI 5xxx card can easily be overclocked using the standard driver package from ATI, Catalyst Control Center, since it includes ATI Overdrive. So let's do it, let's compare apples to apples, and as a bonus, I'll throw in some CrossfireX results, too. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:39:09 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=375&Itemid=60 Until SSDs can safely prove that they're a reliable long-term media for Enterprise storage, the Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface owns the market share for server storage. Until Seagate launches their Solid State Drive counterpart, the 600GB Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS Hard Drive ST3600057SS delivers safe and affordable high-capacity storage to data servers and Enterprise environments. The 4Gb/s FC or 6-Gb/s SAS 2.0 interface allows the perpendicular storage technology to deliver 15,000 RPM data bandwidth for an industry-leading 1.6-million-hour MTBF. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS hard drive against a wide variety of storage solutions. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:37:31 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=391&Itemid=58 It's a common scenario for many of us these days: multiple computers, but no desk space for multiple monitors, keyboards, and mice. You might have a work machine and a play machine; or a home media server you access and control over the network, but it would really be nice if you had a monitor and keyboard sometimes, or maybe you just thought it would be fun to try one of those $200 nettop computers to see if it had any actual application. The solution is a KVM (keyboard/video/mouse) switch, and Benchmark Reviews looks at the Belkin Flip F1DG102D two-port DVI-USB KVWM switch to see how well it would work for you. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Accessories Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:00:22 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=385&Itemid=72 The launch of Radeon HD57xx Juniper-GPU series cards is going very smoothly. ATI learned some hard lessons when they launched the HD4850 a couple years back. All the partners seem to have their cards ready for distribution this time, and there's no price gouging, due to the stable supply. This is doubly important for the HD57xx, since they're in the middle of the pack, performance-wise, and there are lots of competitors. XFX is one of the premium retail partners in the video card industry, although they're a relative newcomer to the ATI camp, and they've supplied Benchmark Reviews a model HD-575X-ZNF7 Radeon HD5750 to review. We recently looked at an early engineering sample of the HD5770, now we have the opportunity to take a look at a production version of the lower priced companion card, the XFX Radeon HD5750. We already know it's not going to challenge the HD5770, but can it beat out its real competition at the lower price point? Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:53:59 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=388&Itemid=69 As we move into the holiday season, many are looking to Intel's new Lynnfield Desktop Platform for an upgrade or new build. Not surprising, there's plenty of good hardware on the market to choose from. In this article, Benchmark Reviews looks at the P7P55D EVO motherboard from ASUS. As part of their P55 lineup, the ASUS P7P55D EVO provides full support the for the new Lynnfield platform, along with several unique features. We'll explore these features in detail and find out how the EVO stacks up against other mainstream platforms. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Motherboards Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=386&Itemid=58 Cell phone laws are rapidly becoming more and more restrictive. At the time of this writing, 36 states have some sort of cell phone restriction while using a motor vehicle. This up from 24 states just a year ago. The hands-free revolution is well under way. Some people even wear a bluetooth headset practically from the time they wake up in the morning. For those of us less fashionable than they are, handsfree kits are more our style. We are constantly looking for the best in quality, versatility, and function for our inevitable daily phone use. Enter the BlueAnt Supertooth 3 Handsfree Kit. Released last year, this device was an upgraded version of their hit Supertooth Light kit. Benchmark Reviews has tested the Supertooth 3 extensively over the past few weeks to see if it can meet the needs of the cell phone users, both casual and talkative. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Accessories Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:31:44 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=381&Itemid=72 Microsoft Windows 7 will deliver DirectX 11 visual quality like never seen before, and ATI has endowed gamers with an unparalleled graphics solution in the Radeon HD 5870 (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=373 Itemid=72). While the Radeon 5800-series is a monumental feat for AMD over the unprepared competition, not everyone can fit the absolute best video card available into their budget. Armed with 1440 shader cores, the 40nm Cypress GPU HD5850 is positioned to offer an excellent value for the upper mid-range and hits the sweet-spot for DirectX 11 gamers. In this article, Benchmark Reviews compares the Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 video card, model 21162-00-50R, against a cross-section of modern graphics accelerators. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=373&Itemid=72 AMD has leap-frogged NVIDIA by launching the DirectX 11 compatible Radeon HD 5870 video card. Armed with 1600 shader cores, the 40nm Cypress GPU claims to push video game frame rates well-beyond what NVIDIA offers from their GeForce GTX 285 counterpart. While the list of DirectX 11 video games has just started to grow, with one of the first being a free Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) named Battle Forge. Perhaps ATI has created the perfect storm for their Radeon HD 5800-series by offering a price-competitive graphics card with several free games included or available. While NVIDIA toils away with CUDA and PhysX, ATI is busy delivering the next generation of hardware for the gaming community to enjoy. In this article, Benchmark Reviews compares the Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 video card, model 21161-00-50R, against a cross-section of modern graphics accelerators. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=383&Itemid=72 Coming right on the heels of the HD5800 series launch, ATI brings us another batch of cards based on class-leading 40nm GPUs and GDDR5 memory. The new cards, Radeon HD5770 and HD5750, use the same architecture as the new HD5800 series, but ATI basically cut the Cypress chip in half to create a brand new video card with hardware specs somewhere between an HD4870 and an HD4890. If you're thinking that's not a bad place to be, but want to see some proof of how the HD5770 performs, Benchmark Reviews is pleased to offer you the results of our extensive testing. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:00:01 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=382&Itemid=58 It's a common scenario for many of us these days: multiple computers, but no desk space for multiple monitors, keyboards, and mice. You might have a work machine and a play machine; or a home media server you access and control over the network, but it would really be nice if you had a monitor and keyboard sometimes, or maybe you just thought it would be fun to try one of those $200 nettop computers to see if it had any actual application. The solution is a KVM (keyboard/video/mouse) switch, and Benchmark Reviews looks at the Belkin SOHO F1DD104L four-port DVI-USB KVM switch to see how well it would work for you. This is a high-end switch with lots of extra features, so let's get started! Reviews - Featured Reviews: Accessories Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=371&Itemid=62 Overclockers and performance enthusiasts both share the same desire to cool their processor with the best possible hardware solution, but they each have different needs. The Benchmark Reviews test lab is rife with cooling products, ranging from silent low-profile to full-size tower coolers. The purpose of this series is to measure products for the best cooling performance in both stock and overclocked forms. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests a new collection of LGA1366 coolers using the Intel Core i7-920 (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=254 Itemid=63) processor overclocked to 3.8 GHz @ 1.4V, allowing only the very best CPU coolers to endure our tests and reveal the most desirable heatsink for your computer system. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cooling Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=380&Itemid=61 More and more consumers these days seem to have some sort of home theater set up in which they incorporate a computer. Many people use a PC in their living room to watch slideshows of their photos, browse the web on their large HDTV displays, or use their pc as a fully functional Home Theater PC for movies, games, music, and etc. Along with this growing trend, the concept of using a HTPC style case for your living room computer is becoming more popular. People don't want some big ugly tower sitting in the middle of their living room, but would rather have a stylish looking case that can match the decor of their other home theater components, and offer many additional features useful to HTPC setups. Benchmark Reviews has the pleasure of checking out one of the HTPC cases offered by nMedia. This stylish and functional desktop ATX-style case boasts many features one would find useful in a HTPC setting such as a front LCD readout and front ports for things such as USB, Media Cards, Audio, eSATA, and Firewire, all in an attractive package that can easily match your other theater components. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:31:56 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=379&Itemid=70 A Wireless router offers flexibility in that you can share your high speed broadband with a mixture of wired and wireless connectivity or just pure wireless connectivity without the need of the main computer being switched on. For a lot of people in the consumer market the different wireless specifications may not mean a lot (or anything) and some companies take advantage of this and continue selling G spec routers, but with broadband speed on the rise and also wireless integration into a lot more applications such as Gaming consoles, Media streamers, Handheld gaming, Mobile phones and Laptops / Notebooks / Netbooks it makes sense to ensure your wireless also stays up to speed with wireless N. As wireless networking has proliferated homes and offices around the world, and network vendors keep releasing with new devices on a regular basis, you now have so many options that it's hard to make a choice. The truth of the matter is, regardless of how many things a wireless router or access point can do, the two most important things about them are their speed and their range. Today Benchmark Reviews focuses on Buffalo Technology and their AirStation WZR2-G300N Wireless-N Nfiniti Router which has 2 modes, Wireless router or Access point. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Network Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:38:23 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=378&Itemid=59 As we spend more time communicating through electronic means it's not surprising to see an increase of gadgets designed to improve the experience. When it comes to audio, most of the attention in consumer devices gets spent on the listening experience. 5.1 surround sound has become a standard, but what average user even has the capability to record in stereo? Yet the quantity of audio content produced by average users should not be ignored. Online videos, music, conferencing, chatting and gaming are on the rise. Cyber Acoustics is one company that has recognized a need for improved audio quality produced by the average user. The Cyber Acoustics AC-401 Circumaural Speech Recognition Stereo Headset uses 'Direct Noise Canceling Technology' to reduce background noise so you can be heard loud and clear. Here at Benchmark Reviews we bring out the scale to see how this headset weighs-in. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Audio Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=377&Itemid=38 The proliferation of multimedia audio and video formats, including Blu-Ray, and an increasing array of TV and web based services have made the home theatre personal computer (HTPC) a powerful convergence device. With the imminent release of Microsoft's Windows 7 Operating System, Benchmark Reviews explores the evolution of the Windows HTPC Platform. We will also examine the efforts of a global community of users and premium developers, who have used Microsoft's product to showcase their skills and highlight their passion to make the PC a core component of the home entertainment setup. Articles - Featured Guides Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=374&Itemid=60 OCZ has earned the pole position in the race for Solid State Drive consumer supremacy. Most of the OCZ SSD product line is sold at retail to enthusiast end-users, but the EX-series offers SLC construction and delivers premier performance to the Enterprise sector and an affordable price. Corporate environments offer vast potential for SSD technology by offering drive performance faster than SAS-based storage, and dramatically reducing heat output. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the 60GB OCZ Agility EX SSD OCZSSD2-1AGTEX60G, and Indilinx-based SLC Solid State Drive. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=376&Itemid=65 There are a lot of keyboards out there. Some keyboards are wireless; others offer lighting effects, programmable displays, and drivers that remap the keyboards to configurations optimized for specific applications and games. But if you're a serious typist - a professional who thinks that a keyboard's primary duty is to enable fast and accurate typing, and not to glow prettily or adjust your speaker volume or display the number of missiles left in your launcher, then you might be interested in a professional mechanical keyboard. Benchmark Reviews looks at a wide selection of available high quality keyboards to see which might be the best for you. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=370&Itemid=60 Enthusiasts are no stranger to RAID arrays. While server administrators depend on the redundancy of RAID-1 and other safe multi-drive configurations, performance enthusiasts are willing to risk it all for the promise of twice the normal performance from a striped RAID-0 array. To enjoy the added speed there must be two identical drives to which the data can split and write to each drive in stripes. Solid State Drive products already come at a premium over their hard drive counterparts, and most enthusiasts save up for just one SSD to help launch their computer system into hyper-speed. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests two 64GB Samsung-based Corsair P64 CMFSSD-64GBG2D MLC Solid State Drives configured in a RAID-0 array for top performance. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=360&Itemid=69 For computer enthusiasts, the last Intel milestone was the Core i7 processor launch that paralleled the X58-Express motherboard chipset launch back in November of 2008. Ten months later and well into September of 2009, Intel has returned with the P55-Express chipset for mainstream users who pair it with the new LGA1156 socket. On the outside little more than the processor socket and memory configuration has changed, replacing dual-channel for triple. PCI-Express now offers only one 16x lane instead of two, while the number of SATA and USB ports continues to give more expansion room than the average user might need. The consumer might not know what to expect when choosing between the two products, other than one is mainstream (P55) and the other is for extreme enthusiasts (X58). In this article, Benchmark Reviews directly compares the Intel Core i7-860 equipped Gigabyte GA-P55-UD6 motherboard against the GA-EX58-UD4P with Intel Core i7-920. Testing a Core i7-860 against an i7-920 might not seem fair, and it's a little biased to compare P55 against X58, but the final outcome might just surprise you. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Motherboards Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=355&Itemid=61 PC gaming has never been an inexpensive proposition. The cost of processing power, for both CPU and GPU, may have gone down in cost per GigaFLOP, but the price tag to play the latest, coolest, PC game has stayed relatively constant. Fortunately, for those on a budget, things are looking up lately. One reason is that reasonably priced and even budget priced gaming cases are now available. Antec has just come to the rescue with their new Two Hundred model mid-tower gaming case. Benchmark Reviews has already shown you Antec's high end offerings, now take a look at what you might have to give up by going the budget route for your gaming rig chassis, and surprisingly what you might gain. The Two Hundred has some new features that could convince you to spend less rather than more on your next gaming case. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:00:28 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=368&Itemid=46 Benchmark Reviews has demonstrated a voracious appetite for high-speed storage technologies over the past few years, primarily fueled by our research and testing with Solid State Drive (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=367 Itemid=60) products. In this article Benchmark Reviews Executive Editor Olin Coles submitted several industry-specific questions directly to storage expert David Szabados, the Senior PR Manager responsible for enterprise storage, security, and future emerging storage technologies at Seagate Technology. David took time out of his busy schedule in the middle of the Seagate Barracuda XT 6Gbps SATA-III HDD (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=369 Itemid=46) product launch to directly answer many of the questions we asked. Benchmark Reviews asked Seagate questions that cover everything from increasing spindle speeds and Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording to offering SSD products, which all help shape this technology interview into an extremely rare opportunity for our readers to learn of upcoming and developmental product plans directly from the manufacturer. News - Featured Website News Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=369&Itemid=46 On 21 September 2009 Seagate Technology will be the first and only manufacturer to offer a SATA-III 6Gbps hard drive product with the large 64MB cache buffer as the 2TB Barracuda XT ST32000641AS is unveiled. Both combined improvements to burst rate and sustained bandwidth will mark a substantial improvement to the design of Hard Disk Drive (HDD) storage products, and the new technology is expected to give Solid State Drive (SSD) components some serious competition. The Seagate Barracuda XT series is designed for performance enthusiasts such as gamers, as well as small server systems. Additional enthusiast tools, such as the free Seagate SeaTools software, allow users to custom-define firmware parameters to enable performance features such as 'Short Stroke' and noise reduction. In this preview article, Benchmark Reviews reveals some of the improvements introduced with the Seagate Barracuda XT 6Gbps SATA-III ST32000641AS hard drive. News - Featured Website News Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=364&Itemid=69 Benchmark Reviews had the opportunity to review and launch two new Lynnfield processors from Intel: the Core i5-750 and the Core i7-870. While these were the stars of the launch, it wouldn't be a complete platform without the motherboard. Released in parallel with the two processors, is the Intel P55 Express Chipset. In this review, we'll examine the new chipset in detail and take a closer look at Intel's flagship DP55KG Extreme Series Motherboard. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Motherboards Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=366&Itemid=65 If you have ever looked into buying a powerful gaming or performance computer case, you have heard of Cooler Master. They are a household name in the power computing world. Now they are making a name for themselves with a new division focused on gaming. CM Storm has built up a lot of hype over their new mouse, the CM Storm Sentinel Advance Laser Gaming Mouse. It rocks the gaming mouse arena with a twin Doppler laser and up to 5600 dpi. Benchmark Reviews is bringing you the latest information about the CM Storm Sentinel Advance SGM-6000-KLLW1-GP. A lot of gaming mice have been hitting the market recently, and CM Storm is looking to pull into the forefront with a completely customizable eight button laser mouse. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=372&Itemid=73 The LifeCam VX-5500 sits near the top of Microsoft's web cam offerings yet the E4C-00001 kit checks in at a very reasonable price point. It has some great features including noise cancelling, echo cancelling, 1.3MP HD picture quality, and auto-adjustment for low light conditions -all in a compact package clearly directed toward the mobile user. Benchmark Reviews took a look at the VX-5000 a few months ago, now we'll check out the VX-5500 and see if it performs as well as this mobile warrior hopes. Reviews - Featured Reviews: WebCams Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=363&Itemid=66 Desktop computers are making a resurgence, and have exploited the compact nature of newer technology to provide the best of both worlds. Netbooks are the popular item for travelers, but they don't get the job done for full time workers and students. Notebooks are nice, and meet halfway, but have their own limits too. Behold the nettop. It's a compact desktop computer with a notebook profile. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the MSI Wind Top AE2010-02SUS All-In-One touch screen desktop computer against an Intel Atom-equipped ASUS Eee PC netbook, Core 2 Duo notebook, and NVIDIA ION desktop system. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Laptop Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=325&Itemid=61 In this article, Benchmark Reviews will examine the Norco RPC-4020 4U rack mount server case. This case supports twenty data drives, plus a separate OS drive, and slim floppy and optical drives. With the density of hard drives available today that means you can stuff 42 Terabytes worth of data into a case roughly the size of a full-tower desktop case. If you're looking for a high density storage case, you'll be doing yourself a disservice not to check out this case. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:01:33 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=362&Itemid=63 When it launched last year, the Core i7 platform redefined Intel's high-end processor segment. Unfortunately, the platform was also accompanied by high-end prices. As such, it has seen only a minimal share of the desktop market. However, Intel has released a new platform that it claims will bring the performance of Nehalem to mainstream price points. Referred to as Lynnfield, the new platform shares its core microarchitecture with the i7-900 series, but introduces a completely new chipset and socket design. This means that not only will we see new processors, but new motherboards as well. Benchmark Reviews has been testing several of these new items and will be covering the launch in detail over the next few days. In this article, we examine the Intel Core i7-870 Quad Core Processor model BX80605I7870. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Processors Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=361&Itemid=63 When it launched last year, the Core i7 platform redefined Intel's high-end processor segment. Unfortunately, the platform was also accompanied by high-end prices and, as such, has seen only a minimal share of the desktop market. Today, however, Intel is releasing a new platform that it claims will bring the performance of Nehalem to mainstream price points. Referred to as Lynnfield, the new platform shares its core microarchitecture with the i7-900 series, but introduces a completely new chipset and socket design. This means that not only will we see new processors, but new motherboards as well. Benchmark Reviews has been testing several of these new items and will be covering the launch in detail over the next few days. In this article, we examine the Intel Core i5-750 Quad Core Processor model BX80605I5750. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Processors Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=367&Itemid=60 The competition among Solid State Drive manufacturers is reminiscent of the video card wars between AMD and NVIDIA a few years ago. The invention of new controller technology has slowed somewhat, while each company races to combine high-speed NAND with custom firmware tweaks to produce the fastest SSD speeds possible. The Indilinx Barefoot controller has exploited a dominant hold over the consumer SSD market during the past several months, and 'overclocked' Solid State Drive products are beginning to replace 'new' product designs. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the fastest MLC SSD we've discovered to-date: the 256GB eXtreme-edition Corsair X256 CMFSSD-256D1. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=357&Itemid=72 It's OK to arrive fashionably late to a party, as long as you have something to add. ASUS has been offering their MATRIX branded video cards to the public well after the initial buzz has died down, for each GPU launch. The 9800GT and 4870 MATRIXcards were released in 2008, followed by the GTX260 MATRIX in early 2009. ASUS now releases the GTX285 MATRIX featuring the fastest single GPU available, supplied by NVIDIA. Benchmark Reviews looked at the ASUS ENGTX285 TOP back in January, which drew heavily from the NVIDIA reference design. Let's take a closer look at how they've stretched the limits on their latest offering, which is anything BUT a standard design. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=352&Itemid=58 If you have ever tried to share vacation pictures or videos with friends and family then you know the 4 square inch screen on your digital camera just will not do the job. Don't like the idea of huddling around you computer or laptop to share these precious moments? Then the Warpia Wireless USB Display Adapter kit is the perfect solution. The folks at Warpia provide everything needed to view PC content wirelessly on TV's, monitors or projectors from distances up to 30 feet. Utilizing a VGA or HDMI cable to connect your TV, monitor or projector to the Video Adapter you will be enjoying 720p HD video in a few short minutes. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the wireless graphics performance of the Warpia Wireless USB Display Adapter SWP100. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Accessories Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=328&Itemid=60 Early on in their debut, Solid State Drives were planned as included equipment on new computers coming from tier one manufacturers such as Dell, HP, and Apple. In one way or another they made good on their word, but the inflated price for these premium options made SSDs a distant reality. This situation created the perfect condition for a enthusiastic upgrade market. Not surprisingly, manufacturers went after the individual consumer after losing traction with mass system builders, and upgrade kits became the obvious solution for many enthusiasts. Kingston is well known for manufacturing their own memory products, but when it came to the new SSD technology they turned to proven sources such as Samsung. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Kingston SSDNow V+ Series 64GB SATA-II MLC SSD SNV225-S2/64GB. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=350&Itemid=65 The mouse has become the standard method of navigating graphical user interfaces, but it leaves something to be desired when you want more free-form control of your cursor. The pen tablet provides the the control that a regular mouse lacks. The Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet is meant to be an introductory foray into the world of pen tablets, featuring a 5.8 x 3.7 active area, 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, battery-less pen and mouse, 4 function buttons and a scroll pad. In this article Benchmark Reviews will test how well the Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet CTE450K holds up in Photoshop Elements. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=387&Itemid=60 Benchmark Reviews recently reviewed the SilverStone SUGO SST-SG06B Case, and supplied with that product was the SST-SOD01 kit. As was mentioned in that review, the case supports only slim optical drives. The SST-SOD01 slim drive kit we received is actually the Panasonic UJ-875A Slim Optical Drive manufactured for SilverStone. Since many of you will undoubtedly be looking to purchase the SUGO SG06 case or another small form factor case, you will need a slim optical drive. Benchmark Reviews offers for your consideration the Panasonic UJ-875A 8X DVD +/- RW Slot Loading Slim Optical Drive with SATA interface and DVD-Burner capabilities. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:45:50 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=356&Itemid=71 The purpose is simple: offer a universal notebook adapter with widespread compatability with nearly all notebook computers in use today. It's the sort of product that fits in nicely on store shelves at your local electronics store or computer repair shop. The Cooler Master SNA 95, which stands for Slim Notebook Adapter and totals 95W of nominal output power, includes everything needed inside one small kit. The RP-095-D19A-A1 model comes with eight different charger tips to ensure compatability with the majority of popular laptop systems, and a 1A USB port to rapid-charge connected devices. Benchmark Reviews details the features and functionality behind the Cooler Master SNA 95 universal slim notebook adapter. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Power Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:30:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=346&Itemid=65 The Arctosa Gaming Keyboard is one of Razer's entry-level enthusiast peripherals to help gamers get into the world of high-end keyboards. It is a keyboard with many of the advanced features that you expect on a gaming keyboard, but with a price that wont break the bank. With such features as fully programmable macro keys and anti-ghosting technology, just to name a few. Benchmark Reviews is here to test this keyboard and its many features to discover whether it lives up to the Razer name, or if it is just another regular old keyboard with some fancy logos and shiny buttons on it. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Input Devices Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:11:49 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=349&Itemid=58 Benchmark Reviews has the pleasure of testing NZXT's newest fan control: the Sentry 2 Touchscreen Fan Controller. A step up from the Sentry 1 and a worthy stable mate for the Sentry LX (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=340 Itemid=58). The Sentry 2 is a different approach to the same problem. A more elegant solution to a problem that has plagued computer enthusiasts since their earliest days; fan noise. With it's touchscreen controls it's a definite step in the right direction above and beyond it's predecessor the Sentry 1, the Sentry 2 is simplicity itself. Taking up only half the space of the Sentry LX you might think the NZXT Sentry 2 has only half the features or capabilities but you'd be wrong. Gone are the buttons bells and whistles but what's left is the best of the LX with a touchscreen to make those core features even better and easier to use with some added benefits as well. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Accessories Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:17:54 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336&Itemid=61 Boasting sound-dampening foam, anti-vibration HDD mounts, and two silent-running 800RPM 120mm fans, the Sileo 500 is an interesting break from Cooler Master's usual chassis design. A long-time manufacturer of high-end gaming cases, it appears Cooler Master is now adding silent computing to their arsenal. Benchmark Review will take a closer look at the RC-500-KKR3-GP model and finds out if the Sileo 500 worthy of the name and your money. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=353&Itemid=61 Smaller, quieter, greener. These are the new key words of the industry. Computer components are reducing their size and their footprint. The next wave of computer enthusiasts isn't looking for that full tower monster case with LED lighting. They want sleek and slim, lean and trim. Benchmark Reviews takes a look today at the SilverStone SUGO SST-SG06B mini-ITX case. When you read mini-ITX, I know what you're thinking. Another HTPC case, nice and small, but useless for any type of CPU or GPU intensive activity. And that's where SilverStone breaks the trend. The case comes stock with a 300W power supply and enough room for a 9 long video card. Could this be the answer to those of us yearning for a PC that meets our computing needs as well as our space and aesthetic needs? Follow along as we delve deeper to find out. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cases Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:30:37 +0100 http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=351&Itemid=60 Until 2009, Solid State Drive (SSD) popularity was only growing in the elite enthusiast circles. Then along comes the Indilinx Barefoot chip, which quickly became the backbone SSD controller for over a dozen different products. Crucial, being The Memory Experts that they are, have returned to the market with their second SSD product. By most accounts, this isn't par for the course when you consider how often the competition reveals a new product line. Equipped with the test-proven Indilinx Barefoot controller and 64MB of DRAM buffer, Crucial is insured that the M225-series will deliver outstanding performance. Benchmark Reviews tests the bandwidth speed and IOPS performance for the Crucial M225 128GB SATA-II SSD CT128M225 against a large contingent of desktop storage products in this article. Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0100