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Wed Reviews

Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:46:28 AM #50532 Perm Link

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»Wed Reviews

»Corsair XMS2 DHX 4GB PC2-6400 @ ASE Labs

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It has been almost five years since I reviewed a Corsair product. In that time, ASE Labs and the industry have evolved. Five years ago it was DDR that was the memory of choice and DDR2 wasn't even on enthusiast's tongues. Fast forward to 2008 and we've got DDR3 just coming on the market. DDR2 is still alive and is the king of value right now. Corsair's 4GB XMS2 PC2-6400 kit is the subject for review.

»Crucial Ballistix Tracer 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 @ ASE Labs

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Remember that the Tracer series from Crucial is very mature. I even reviewed the original set of black modules last year. These new red modules mark a trend in computing that Crucial is good to follow. The fact of the matter is that people like personalization. I'm guilty of that myself. I know that these modules are hardly better than the normal Ballistix breed, but the fact that it is red and has lights adds something of value to people. Red is my favorite color and I would naturally gravitate to these in a computer I would build.

»Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-14400 DDR3-1800 @ ASE Labs

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Even though my previous reviews on Kingston Technology products were about their flash division, Kingston still is very much an enthusiast RAM company. Their HyperX series now comes in DDR3 at very high speeds. While DDR3 is still very new, Kingston offers a kit that runs at a scathing PC3-14400 which is 1800MHz DDR. The KHX14400D3K2 is on the bench for review.

»Kingston SD/2GB-U @ ASE Labs

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Kingston Technology produces all kinds of memory including RAM for a computer to flash memory. Kingston is pushing harder and harder into the consumer flash market. Kingston sent over their high speed SD flash memory for review and the SD2/2GB-U is really fast.

<a href="http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1358/asus_radeon_hd_3870_x2_graphics_card/index.html">ASUS Radeon HD 3870 X2 Graphics Card</a>

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We like the HD 3870 X2; generally speaking it gets good gains at high resolutions in most applications we test. The single PCB design is leaps and bounds ahead of the original dual GPU offering from NVIDIA under the 7900 naming scheme. We've seen pictures of the HD 3870 X2 from ASUS before, but now it's our chance to get down and dirty with it to see if it's worth spending the extra money the ASUS cards generally carry with them. The ASUS bundles on a whole are pretty good and give you everything you would expect out of a high-end card. You do pay a premium for ASUS cards which give you little extras like the CD Wallet and a more recent game.

<a href="http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1244">Accelero Xtreme 2900 VGA Cooler @ Bjorn3D</a>

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One positive result with the release of new graphics cards from AMD and NVIDIA is that older models usually drop in price. AMD's first DirectX 10 card, the HD2900XT might no longer be the fastest card out there but it still packs a lot of punch. While it works well it has two faults: the card runs quite hot and the fan is pretty loud. Arctic Cooling has the solution for this problem. The Accelero Xtreme 2900 promises not only to cool the GPU more than 20C lower than the stock cooler but also make the card run much more silent.

<a href="http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=152&Itemid=1">Gigabyte GV-NX98X1GHI-B GeForce 9800 GX2 Video Card @ BmR</a>

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It seems like it was just yesterday that I bought my first discrete graphics card to outfit an overclocked Cyrix M2-300 6x86MX-based computer. Back in those Windows 98 (first edition) days of 1998 the term GeForce wasn't even in existence yet, and NVIDIA was called referred to as nVidia. So when I bought my first computer late that year, I would have never thought Quake II played on my RIVA TNT2 AGP video card would mark the last time I would spend money in an arcade. This was nearly ten years ago and since that time NVIDIA has developed several successful GeForce product lines, including the newly launched 9th generation.

<a href="http://www.thinkcomputers.org/index.php?x=reviews&id=736">Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 4GB USB Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org</a>

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Earlier this year Kingston released the DataTraveler HyperX series USB drives which are available in three different capacities: 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB. This is by far the fastest USB drive Kingston has produced with transfer rates of 30mb/s read and 20mb/s write. It not only has fast transfer rates, but fast access times as well. The HyperX is enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost and comes with a 5 year warranty. Read on further to see how well this USB drive puts out.

<a href="http://hardwarelogic.com/news/134/ARTICLE/2803/2008-03-25.html">OCZ Platinum PC3-12800 2GB Memory Kit Review @ HardwareLogic</a>

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Just as DDR2 went through a maturation process, DDR3 is finally beginning to realize its promise. And with kits from the top contenders already pushing the 2GHz barrier, those looking (and who can afford) to make the jump from DDR2 to DDR3 are taking notice. Up to this point, many scoffed at the idea of spending several hundred dollars upgrading to a DDR3 based system, and for good reason. DDR2 compatible motherboards based on INTEL's P35 or NVIDIA's 680i have, for the most part, served their masters well. Coupled with the retail pricing landslide that's grabbed hold of DDR2 chips in recent months, yesterday's builds have clung to life longer than many in the industry could have predicted, or hoped.

<a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/article/681/1/">XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 Quad SLI Video Card Testing @ Legit Reviews</a>

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Quote: NVIDIA has done a great job with Quad-SLI and with some driver improvements it should only get better. The XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics cards running in a quad-SLI showed increased performance in every application we tested versus a single GeForce 9800 GX2, which is something that can not be said about the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 as they had some driver issues on Tomb Raider: Anniversary. We almost didn't include Tomb Raider: Anniversary in our testing, but our two store-bought DVD versions of Bioshock say they have been installed too many times, so this game was a last minute addition...

<a href="http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1355/vvikoo_geforce_9600gt_turbo_512mb/index.html">VVIKOO GeForce 9600GT Turbo 512MB</a>

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This is the first card we've seen from VVIKOO, and what a card it is. Expecting nothing more than a reference design I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box to discover just how cool this 9600GT is. With the VVIKOO 9600GT in hand and its mammoth clocks, it's time to see how it fairs against the competition in this price bracket. The 8800GT sits slightly more expensive while the HD 3870 sits at around the same price.

<a href="http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/storage/OCZ-oz-rally2/">OCZ Rally 2 USB Drive @ TechwareLabs</a>

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Quote: With the current predictions that flash and Dram prices will stay low or go even lower there is no reason not to own several good sized flash drives. These devices are ultra portable and ultra useful. If you are a student, business owner, or office worker then you will surely find a use for flash memory. Jason Dumbaugh takes the OCZ Rally 2 drive for a plug and play experience and shares with you the real speed and value of this portable device.

<a href="http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlacX">Thermaltake BlacX HDD Docking Station @ techPowerUp</a>

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For those users out there that are constantly swapping around parts, Thermaltake introduces the BlacX HDD Docking Station. This USB 2.0 device is a variation of a hard drive enclosure that lets the user plug a bare drive into an opening on top, and then eject the drive with a push of a button. The BlacX is so simple and easy to use, anyone with extra drives laying around should think about picking one of these up.

<a href="http://www.tweaknews.net/reviews/zalman_fg1000/">Zalman FG1000 Gun Mouse FPS Controller Review @ Tweaknews.net</a>

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This product combines some the best features of gaming mice with a trigger attachment to give a new and unique experience to FPS games. I have to admit, using a trigger instead of a mouse button is a lot of fun and making the transition was not as awkward as I anticipated.

<a href="http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1354/noctua_nt_h1_thermal_interface_material/index.html">Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Interface Material</a>

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When you think of Noctua, you generally think of cooling. After all, these folks have been in the business of making cooling solutions for quite some time. Taking this into consideration, it should come as no surprise to see this Austrian company getting involved in the TIM race. After all, what good is a high-end cooler without a quality material to work as an intermediary? Of course, getting into the middle of a heated market of thermal interface material could prove a challenge. There have been many newcomers hitting the streets with their own special goop and most have sent the vaunted Arctic Silver compound to the curb, so we will need to see if the cooling specialists at Noctua can keep up, or even surpass, the other guys.

<a href="http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=landingpage&fn=Mail_LandingPage_Link&id=0says8gum8p1cd53xihvhhrp1vgfv&type=t&page=manage&sid=fwiblf1bs7owv9np5547b1g7k7fr5&ssid=7915">I4U: PNY 9800 GX2 Graphics Card Review</a>

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If you are in the market for a high-end graphics card and have the budget for the $600 price tag, the PNY 9800 GX2 is a great option. After all the testing was done, my second round with a PNY 9800 GX2 reaffirmed what I found the first time out with the XFX branded card. The 9800 GX2 is one beast of a graphics card. The PNY 9800 GX2 is able to play games at settings unobtainable with any two other video cards.

<a href="http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5409&Itemid=40">Zalman CNPS9700 NT HSF - Big, Bold and Quiet - BCCHardware</a>

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* *The CNPS9700 NT was easily able to keep up with some of the best Air-Coolers we've tested. At idle speeds it was able to be as cool as the best, but fell back a couple degrees on the full load scores. Still, this cooler is pretty much top's when comparing to the others and is a great choice for someone looking for a quiet cooler that performs very well.*

<a href="http://www.burnoutpc.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=287">CoolJag Mini LED Flash Fan reviewed at BurnOutPC.com</a>

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A few weeks ago I got this email with the request if I'd wanted to check out a programmable led fan. Sure I said, and a couple of days later it was in the mail ready to be checked out. As it's been a while since we've looked at anything really mod related, it was refreshing to see something like this. It's probably the most expensive fan you've ever seen, but is it worth the dough?. What we are looking at today is the CoolJag

<a href="http://www.bigbruin.com/2008/aeneon1066_1">Aeneon_XTUNE_1GB_DDR2-1066_Dual_Channel Memory_Kit_Review @ Bigbruin.com</a>

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Quote: While a 1GB dual channel DDR2 kit might be a tough sell considering the demands of operating systems like Windows Vista and the extremely low prices on 2GB and 4GB kits, the Aeneon XTUNE 1GB DDR2-1066 Dual Channel Memory Kit did perform well. The speeds and timings are competitive with many kits from other brands, and the performance was quite respectable.

<a href="http://www.digit-life.com/articles3/mainboard/ecs-a780gm-a-780g.html">Digit-Life Review: ECS A780GM-A Motherboard on the AMD 780G Chipset (Socket AM2+)</a>

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The first motherboard on AMD 780G to be tested in our lab is a full-size ATX motherboard, which reminds of the popular Gigabyte M55plus-S3G, Gigabyte MA69G-S3, and MSI K9AG Neo2-Digital. This product starts a new Black Series aimed for users in need of a functional and upgradeable basis for an all-purpose PC.

<a href="http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1353/zotac_geforce_9800_gx2_graphics_card/index.html">ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GX2 Graphics Card</a>

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It feels weird to have done four articles on the 9800 GX2 without having actually had a look at a single retail card yet. The first retail card to come out of the gates comes in the form of a ZOTAC offering. With the latest WHQL driver in hand, the 174.53, we're going to see how the GX2 holds up against the direct competition, the HD 3870 X2 from AMD.

<a href="http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=12094">AMD Radeon HD 3200 / 780G On Linux</a>

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Last year AMD introduced the flagship 790 Chipset series as part of their Spider Platform for use with the Phenom processors and Radeon HD 3800 graphics. Until earlier this month when AMD introduced the 780 Series, missing was any chipset with integrated graphics capabilities supporting these first AMD quad-core processors. Now we have AMD's 780G and 780V Chipsets, which are designed to be the mainstream solutions to the 790FX, but they pack the best integrated graphics processor (IGP) ever created by the combined ATI/AMD engineering talent. Since its launch at the CeBIT trade show, the AMD 780G has received rave reviews for its vehement performance due to its graphics core that's derived from the AMD RV610. The benchmarks available on launch day were only for Microsoft Windows operating systems, but this morning we have the Radeon HD 3200 Linux results from the AMD 780G. Is this IGP a crown jewel on Linux?

<a href="http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1240">XFX 8400GS Dual-Screen Graphics Card @ Bjorn3D</a>

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It may come as a surprise to some, but graphics cards aren't always just about getting the best frames per second. Home theater, fileserver, and other specialized PCs may never see a game but in most cases they still need a video card to operate. And of course that is leaving out the surprisingly large number of PC users that simply do not play videogames (I've been told such people do exist).

<a href="http://www.tbreak.com/reviews/article.php?id=593">Asus Striker II Extreme @ t-break</a>

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Last week we have reviewed a motherboard based on the Intels latest chipset for enthusiasts, X48. Nvidia closely monitored the launch of Intels new chipset and decided to take on it with its own high-end chipset for Intelss processors, nForce 790i Ultra SLI. New chipset brings support for DDR3 memory, 3-Way SLI, 1600FSB and all 45nm Penryn-based processors. Finally.

<a href="http://www.thinkcomputers.org/index.php?x=reviews&id=735">ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi-AP Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org</a>

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ASUS is one of the most well-known motherboard manufacturers. Its boards are known for consistent stability and awesome features, as well as excellent design. ThinkComputers reviewed the M3A32-MVP Deluxe/Wifi, a top-shelf, Crossfire-capable motherboard using the AMD 790X chipset and an on-board wireless module. This writer's first motherboard review, I load this board with everything I could throw at it: a top of the line power supply and graphics card, oodles of RAM, and three operating systems.

<a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/article/678/1/">Rosewill R6XR8-BK Black ATX Computer Case Review @ Legit Reviews</a>

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The Rosewill R6XR8-BK ATX mid tower computer case is one of the latest cases from Rosewill and features a screw-less design with dual 120mm fans for good airflow. Legit Reviews takes a look at this black case to see if the beauty is only skin deep. Read on as we crack this case open to see if no tools are really required and to see what we think about the case after we install a system into it.

<a href="http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=12088">ASUS GeForce 9600GT 512MB</a>

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In late February NVIDIA had introduced the GeForce 9 series with the introduction of the mid-range GeForce 9600GT 512MB graphics card. Earlier this week they then introduced the GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card, which consists of two NVIDIA GPUs bridged together with SLI support. We have been quiet on how the GeForce 9 series performs under Linux, but this morning we are providing our initial GeForce 9600GT results using an ASUS EN9600GT TOP HDMI and comparing its Linux desktop performance to its GeForce 8 sibling and the ATI Radeon HD 3850 and 3870. On Windows the GeForce 9600GT has been able to outperform the Radeon HD 3850/3870, but on Linux an entirely different story is rendered.

<a href="http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1247">Foxconn X38A Digital Life @ Bjorn3D</a>

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Upgrading your rig can be such a pain can't it? Trying to figure out where technology is headed so you don't waste your money on obsolete garbage. With the speed at which progress takes place it is no wonder that many people find themselves searching for answers. Take for example the new DDR3 standard. Right now DDR2 is so inexpensive you can get 4GB for under $100 USD and that is just an awesome price. But DDR2 days are numbered and DDR3 is so expensive right now it just doesn't make much sense. What is an enthusiast to do? Thankfully Foxconn has a solution. They have taken Intel's X38 high-end chipset and installed it on a board capable of supporting DDR2 or DDR3. Now you don't need to worry about which standard to choose. Better yet when the time comes to migrate over to DDR3 you won't have to throw away your motherboard. But are things as rosy as they appear? We have seen these hybrid motherboards before and what they bring in compatibility they usually lack in raw horse! power. Come with me as I take the X38A from Foxconn out for a spin and see if this board can deliver where it counts or does it end up dead on the side of the road.

Wed Reviews

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