ASUS Xonar Xense Gaming Soundcard Looks Promising

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: April 4, 2010 06:21PM
Author: Ben Grantham

The guys over at VR-Zone have had the opportunity to take a closer look at the Xonar Xense soundcard from ASUS, a joint venture between the company and Sennheiser that will come as part of a soundcard/headset (PC350) kit. The fact that Sennheiser have been involved with the project means will be the expectation of a certain quality of sound. If the hardware is anything to go by it could deliver something special for gamers.

The card takes a different approach from some previous ASUS cards (such as the Essence STX that impressed us so much when reviewed last year). Rather than RCA connectors, there is a DVI port that will drive multi-channel audio (7.1) via a dongle, though you still get 6.3mm audio jacks for headphones and microphones. The board boasts separate power for its analog circuitry and low ESR capacitors. Also present are Texas Instruments and Cirrus Logic DACs and a Texas Instruments headphone driver. There are two socketed DIP OPAMPs (JRC 24110s), which allows them to be easily swapped out for upgrades / user preference. As with the STX, relays are also employed and the whole thing is based on a C-Media Chipset (model not specified).

This is one card I am looking forward to hitting review benches. Pricing and release date are currently unknown.

Auzentech Launches X-Fi Forte Low Profile Sound Card

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: January 19, 2009 02:29PM
Author: Ben Grantham

Picking add-in boards for sleek HTPC systems can sometimes be a chore, as you are often limited to low-profile options that may compromise performance. Auzentech may be familiar to you as the only 3rd part company to make use of Creative's X-Fi audio processor, and the low profile X-Fi Forte card follows in those footsteps. Features include a PCIe interface and upgraded components and circuitry compared with the reference X-Fi design. The card offers digital and headphone outputs along with a 15pin D-SUB connector with I/O cable to handle all the analogue outputs you'd usually get on a full size card. You also get support for Dolby Digital Live, DTS Neo:PC and DTS Interactive. Sounds like it could have potential for those looking for a full featured card in a tight spot, as long as you don't mind the $149.99 asking price.

Asus Brings HDMI to Sound Cards

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: June 5, 2008 09:15PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

At Computex 2008, Asus announced that it is readying the world's first HDMI ready sound card for mass distribution, and it's going to be feature-packed for sure. The Xonar HDAV1.3 complies with the HDMI 1.3a standard, and will decode lossless HD audio from Blu-ray discs in Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio at 24-bit, 96-192KHz, delivering up to 7.1 channels of crystal clear audio. Connecting via a PCI-E x1 slot, the HDAV1.3 uses analog audio to produce a 120db signal-to-noise ratio with very little distortion. This card should be a hot-ticket item for people lacking a high-end video card or powerful CPU, as the Xonar HDAV1.3 can handle the video end of a Blu-ray disc also, thanks to an on-board Splendid HD video processor.

Daniel_K, Creative's Windows Vista saviour, speaks out about Creative

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: April 6, 2008 04:31AM
Author: kingdingeling

Creative claimed that many of their sound cards were Windows Vista compatible, however the drivers never really worked. The tech guys of Creative apparently still ignored the problem, probably to promote users to switch to more expensive cards, so eventually a skilled user took it upon to himself to help out users around the world with Windows Vista compatible drivers. His name is Daniel_K, a Brazilian, who has emailed the Wired Magazine his whole story. Creative posted publicly on the forums that they wanted Daniel_K to stop posting about his modded drivers in the official Creative forums, as he was "stealing their goods" and threatened legal action against him. The discussion in the Creative forums itself is over 240 pages (!!!) long, which is not counting posts on computer tech forums all around the world about this matter (see the OCC discussion). After a couple of days, the post on the Creative forum was changed, this time saying that they would work together with Daniel_K to help make the Creative User Experience in Windows Vista a better one, although it originally did not mention that option. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am very interested in how this will continue to unravel, as the legal base from Creative says that using modded drivers (which I have done myself a couple of times) is stealing their products.

Creative Labs to make software based audio products

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: March 28, 2008 05:22AM
Author: Andrew Robinson

Everyone knows Creative labs, they have been making sound cards with the "Sound Blaster" moniker since 1987. A few years ago all the new sound effects, aural enhancements and 3D surround features on their hardware based card had to be run separately from the cpu because of the amount of processing power needed produce those sounds. Now with todays current line up of incredibly powerful dual and quad core processors those tasks can be easily run through software without the need for an aftermarket hardware based sound card. Creative is planning to produce the X-Fi MB which is essentially a piece of software whose code emulates the underlying algorithms of the real time audio and 3D positional audio streams on a normal CPU.

Asus Getting Serious About Soundcards

Category: Sound Cards, Manufacturers
Posted: February 28, 2008 11:35AM
Author: Ben Grantham

TG Daily -

TG Daily has been sniffing around at Asus' North American HQ a few days before the CeBit trade show opens its doors. It seems that Asus has been working hard on its sound card product line-up and has some very interesting things in the pipeline. Firstly there is news that Asus are planning to release cards that can input and ouput HDMI and even have a card with three HDMI ports! Important features like Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect support will be there, as well as EAX 5.0. The product that will likely be of most interest to enthusiasts is the Xonar AV1, a card that can also feature a daugther board with extra connections. It features three HDMI ports (2 external, 1 internal) and gets a video processing chip which will be able to mix sound and video (presumably through that HDMI connection). All of this stuff is still in the works, so there is room for changes to be made, but it appears that the direction Asus is taking will be one that moves its sound cards into a competitive position with other high-end players in the market. With Creative still holding a majority market share, more options can only be a good thing. It will be interesting to see what Asus present during the upcoming CeBit show.

Hardware Roundup: Wednesday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, Cases, Optical Drives, Cooling, Sound Cards, Power Supplies, Mobile, Input Devices, CPU Cooling, Trade Shows/Conventions
Posted: January 16, 2008 05:00AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Looking around the web today we turned up an interesting article titled Limited Release Of NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS? at Tech ARP speculating on NVIDIA's move to position new products to stop some of AMD/ATI's success they're seeing with its HD 3850/3870 cards.  You can read about more fallout in the HD format wars in the Next-Generation Content War Continues to Ravage HD DVD from Madshrimps.  Many CPU cooling solutions make use of heatpipes these days.  One innovative twist on this approach can be seen in the Xigmatek HDT-S983 Exposed Heatpipe-Base Heatsink reviewed by FrostyTech where the design puts the heatpipes directly in contact with the CPU.  Keeping your investment future-proof is tough in the ever-changing world of computers.  The Foxconn DigitaLife X38A Intel X38 Express Motherboard at PCSTATS tries to address this by offering support for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory formats.  As sometimes happens, we ended up with a two-fer on this product as TweakTown also has a look at this motherboard today. 3dGameMan has a review of the all aluminum Thermaltake Xaser VI Case.  As home theater systems gain in popularity, people are finding out how difficult to operate them from the comfort of the couch.  One solution is a wireless keyboard and motherboards.org looks at the XGene Trackball Keyboard.  Corsair may be best known for its memory products, but they also offer some solid performing power supplies as RBMods reveals in their Corsair TX750W Power Supply review.  DarkVision Hardware brings us a look at the Vizo Ninja II Notebook Cooler.  PC Perspective gives us a chance to see what the ASUS Xonar D2 Sound Card and U1 USB Audio Station have to offer as an alternative to Creative's X-Fi products.  We end the roundup with continuing CES 2008 coverage from Thinkcomputers as the look at Targus, Dell and ASUS.

Hardware Roundup: Monday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Memory, Cooling, Sound Cards, Power Supplies, Mobile, Gaming, Input Devices, Storage / Hard Drives, Mouse Pad
Posted: December 30, 2007 10:20PM
Author: Dale Shuck

The last day of 2007 yields an interesting collection of items from around the web so while you're waiting for the final countdown 'til 2008 have a look at what we found.  There are several guides out there today beginning with the Formatting and Partitioning a Hard Drive at PCSTATS.  Next up is the Sound Card Buying Guide and the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB Overclocking Guide, both from Tech ARP.  Madshrimps has an interview with the president of Razer titled Razer Prez Shares His Thoughts On The Gaming Market.  Moving along to the hardware arena we have the Tuniq Miniplant 950w PSU reviewed by Overclocker Cafe.  For notebook owners looking for additional connectivity options, check out the APIOTEK Laptop Accessory Cards at Motherboards.org.  DDR2 memory is still alive and kicking and currently provides a price advantage over DDR3 modules and TweakTown has the OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 ReaperX HPC 4GB Kit up for review.  While the Reaper series comes with a heatpipe cooling design, your current memory may be in need of some additional cooling help and that's where the Scythe Kama Wing Memory Heatsink reviewed by 3dGameMan comes in.  Speaking of cooling, TweakTown brings us a look at the OCZ Freeze Thermal Interface Material and compares its performance against several other offerings on the market.  Overclocker Cafe has a look at the HIS Radeon HD3850 IceQ3 TurboX and Madshrimps has the Cyber Snipa Tracer Mouse Pad for your reading enjoyment.  In the mobile department, Tech ARP has an overview of the Samsung SGH-D880 Dual SIM Mobile Phone.  The Logitech Wave Keyboard is an ergonomic board designed for extended typing sessions and you can find a review at Motherboards.org.

Tuniq Miniplant 950w PSU @ Overclocker Cafe
APIOTEK Laptop Accessory Cards @ Motherboards.org
Beginners Guides: Formatting and Partitioning a Hard Drive @ PCSTATS
Sound Card Buying Guide @ Tech ARP
OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 ReaperX HPC 4GB Kit @ TweakTown
Scythe Kama Wing Memory Heatsink @ 3dGameMan
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB Overclocking Guide @ Tech ARP
HIS Radeon HD3850 IceQ3 TurboX @ Overclocker Cafe
Cyber Snipa Tracer Mouse Pad @ Madshrimps
Razer Prez Shares His Thoughts On The Gaming Market @ Madshrimps
Samsung SGH-D880 Dual SIM Mobile Phone @ Tech ARP
OCZ Freeze Thermal Interface Material @ TweakTown
Logitech Wave Keyboard @ ThinkComputers.org

Hardware Roundup: Wednesday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cases, Sound Cards, Operating Systems
Posted: December 19, 2007 04:42AM
Author: Dale Shuck

For our middle of the week roundup we begin with the ASUS Radeon EAH3850 TOP Graphics Card from TweakTown.  Madshrimps spends 9 1/2 weeks with Ubuntu.  Neoseeker brings us two reviews - first a look at the Asus X38 Formula Maximus motherboard and then a look at the Phenom 9900.  Overclockers Online serves up the Ultra m998 case.  If you want something a little different in cases, check out the In Win Allure Designer Computer Case over at Tweaknews.  Virtual-Hideout has a look at the ASUS Xonar U1 USB Audio Station for those looking for a audio upgrade solution for a notebook.

ASUS Radeon EAH3850 TOP Graphics Card @ TweakTown
9½ weeks with Ubuntu @ Madshrimps
Asus X38 Formula Maximus @ Neoseeker
Phenom 9900 @ Neoseeker
Ultra m998 @ Overclockers Online
In Win Allure Designer Computer Case @ Tweaknews
ASUS Xonar U1 USB Audio Station @ Virtual-Hideout

Hardware Roundup: Saturday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Memory, Sound Cards, Operating Systems, Monitors, Gadgets
Posted: December 15, 2007 07:26AM
Author: Dale Shuck

We have several items from around the web to keep your mind of those last-minute shopping items you're supposed to be taking care of, so let's get started.  TweakTown has another 8800GT up for review with the Palit GeForce 8800GT Sonic Graphics Card. 3dGameMan has a look at the Super Talent ProjectX PC3-14400 Memory. That makes a perfect segue for us to head over to Madshrimps for their DDR2 Memory Roundup Autumn 2007.  PCSTATS has published an updated version of its Beginners Guides: 99 Performance Tips for Windows.  If you're looking for a new wide screen monitor, then head over to Overclockers Online for their review of the Samsung SyncMaster 2232GW.  Tech ARP looks at the Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Sound Card and came away quite impressed with what they heard.  And now for something completely different - the Boyng ToastIt 7-in-1 USB Card Reader from OCModshop.  I'll let you figure out why a company would name a product 'ToastIt'.

Palit GeForce 8800GT Sonic Graphics Card @ TweakTown
Super Talent ProjectX PC3-14400 Memory @ 3dGameMan
DDR2 Memory Roundup Autumn 2007 @ Madshrimps
Beginners Guides: 99 Performance Tips for Windows @ PCSTATS
Samsung SyncMaster 2232GW @ Overclockers Online
Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Sound Card @ Tech ARP
Boynq ToastIt 7-in-1 USB Card Reader @ OCModShop

OCC Affiliate Reviews: Thursday Edition

Category: CPU's, Sound Cards, Cooling, Music / Video Players, CPU Cooling
Posted: September 27, 2007 11:44AM
Author: kingdingeling

Loads of reviews around the net today, I don't know where to start! Lets go from the MSI China Tour over at [H]ardOCP. We have the Samsung YP-K5 MP3 Player Review at ThinkComputers and the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Sound Card review at NVnews for the Audiophiles. For the overclockers, we have reviews of the Zalman VF-1000 LED and ZM-RHS88 VGA heatsinks from the OCModshop, and also from Zalman, the ZM-GWB 8800GTX/Ultra full-coverage waterblock review at Accelenation. TweakTown has the Asus BC-1205PT Blu-ray ROM Drive on the review bench. If that's not enough Blu-Ray for you, check out the Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-Ray Player reviewed by Tweaknews. Bjorn3D has some DDR3 up for reviewing again, this time it's the Dominator Twin3X2048-1800C7. Also, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 universal PC cooler is reviewed there. TechARP has two articles for us today, one talking about the release of NVIDIAs 7 series mobile GPUs, the other being the AMD Quad-Core Opteron (Barcelona) Technology Report part 2. PCApex has the Hiper HPU-5K770 770W PSU on the workbench, which should not only convince with it's mirror finish. 3dGameMan has a network storage device for two drives up for reviewing, the A.C. Ryan AluBoxDuo LAN. For the gamers, TweakTown is reviewing the Inno3D 8600GT iChill, which you could then directly test with Enemy Territory: Quake Wars reviewed by NVnews. Techgage also has some coverage for the DigitalLife 2007 from the pre-DigitalLife show.

- MSI China Tour 2007 @ [H]ardOCP
- Samsung YP-K5 MP3 Player Review @ ThinkComputers
- Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Sound Card Review @ NVnews
- ASUS BC-1205PT Blu-ray ROM Drive Review @ TweakTown
- Zalman VF-1000 LED and ZM-RHS88 VGA Heatsink Review @ OCModshop
- Corsair DOMINATOR TWIN3X2048-1800C7 DDR3 Review @ Bjorn3D
- Zalman ZM-GWB 8800 Ultra/GTX Water Block Review @ Accelenation
- NVIDIA Launches GeForce 7 mGPUs Article @ TechARP
- Hiper HPU-5K770 770W PSU Review @ PCApex
- A.C. Ryan AluBoxDuo LAN Review @ 3dGameMan
- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Gameplay Performance @ NVNews
- Inno3D GeForce 8600GT iChill Review @ TweakTown
- DigitalLife 2007: Showstoppers Coverage @ TechGage
- Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray Player Review @ TweakNews
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 universal PC cooler Review @ Bjorn3D
- AMD Quad-Core Opteron (Barcelona) Technology Report Part 2 @ TechARP

News: Creative ALchemy Audigy Now Available

Category: Sound Cards, Software
Posted: July 4, 2007 06:37AM
Author: Ben Grantham

DailyTech - Creative has now made the Creative ALchemy Audigy Edition software package available, but it will cost you $9.99. It will enable Audigy sound cards to use hardware DirectSound and EAX under Windows Vista. It also enables hardware audio mixing and sample rate conversion to be performed. X-Fi users get this support without having to pay of course.

OCC News: This Weeks News In Brief

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, Internet, Sound Cards, Power Supplies, Gaming, OCC News, Software, Storage / Hard Drives, Gadgets, General News, CPU Cooling
Posted: June 16, 2007 01:26PM
Author: Ben Grantham

OverclockersClub - Last week we had Computex 2007, and this week we had Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. One an industry wide hardware expo, the other people getting together to talk about well... Apple (ok, so maybe I'm playing that one down a little). News continued to trickle out about products that were spotted at Computex the week before. Click through for a round-up of this weeks stories.

OCC News: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook

Category: Sound Cards, OCC News
Posted: June 14, 2007 06:46PM
Author: Dale Shuck

OverclockersClub - Creative Labs recently announced its new Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook a next-generation add-in sound card for notebooks utilizing the newer ExpressCard format.  The new card features Creative's XFi Crystalizer which is supposed to restore vibrancy to compressed audio tracks such as MP3 DivX formats.  It also features X-Fi CMSS-3D which creates a simulated surround sound effect for headphone use that centers voices in front of the listener and ambient sounds all around.

News: Auzentech Releases Retail X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Details

Category: Sound Cards, General News
Posted: June 13, 2007 01:28PM
Author: Scott Madden

DailyTech - The first third-party X-Fi based sound card will have Dolby Digital Live and DTS:Interactive Auzentech has posted detailed specifications of the upcoming X-Fi Prelude 7.1 sound card. The Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 is the first third party sound card based on the Creative Labs X-Fi sound processor. Auzentech pairs the Creative Labs X-Fi CA20K audio processor with AKM digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital convertors. Auzentech employs four AKM AK4396VF DACs on X-Fi Prelude 7.1. The DACs boast 24-bit resolutions and 192 KHz sampling rates with a 120dB stereo signal-to-noise ratio. An AKM AK5394AVS ADC takes care of audio input duties. The ADC features 24-bit resolution and 192 KHz sampling rates.

News: More Auzentech Prelude 7.1 Details Revealed

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: May 30, 2007 03:05PM
Author: Ben Grantham

DailyTech - Auzentech is set to release the first third-party Creative Labs X-Fi based sound card – the Prelude 7.1. The Prelude 7.1, announced last month, allows users to enjoy multi-channel EAX 5.0 positional audio without connecting four sets of audio cables. Auzentech licenses Dolby Digital Live multi-channel audio encoding technology to provide users single-cable convenience over S/PDIF.

OCC Guide: How to Make a High-Quality Audio Interconnect for Your PC

Category: Sound Cards, Speakers/Headphones, OCC News, Modding
Posted: May 29, 2007 08:59PM
Author: Dale Shuck

OverclockersClub - Ok, so you've got a high-quality soundcard, and a decent amplifier/receiver and some nice speakers, but what do you use to connect your pc to your amp?  Most people use the cheapest, piece of crap cable that they picked up for pocket change because it does the job.  But what if you want something better and don't want to pay a stupid amount of money on an audio interconnect? The answer? Make your own!

Click HERE to discuss this article in the OCC Forums. - Nemo *News Editor*

Review: Scythe KamaMeter Multi Functional Panel

Category: Sound Cards, Cooling, Modding
Posted: May 4, 2007 10:21AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Madshrimps - The Scythe KamaMeter is a multi-functional 5.25inch device which acts as a fan controller, temperature monitor and master volume for your soundcard. It comes with different colored face plates as well as a wide array of LCD backlights to make sure it integrates will with your case.

News: Creative Labs Develops ALchemy for Audigy-series

Category: Sound Cards, Software
Posted: May 3, 2007 09:05AM
Author: Ben Grantham

DailyTech - Microsoft Windows Vista features a new audio stack, which completely revamps how the operating system communicates with audio devices. The new audio stack, dubbed Universal Audio Architecture, or UAA, requires companies to develop new drivers. Hardware accelerated audio devices are treated as an independent device, separate from the audio output capabilities of a sound card under Windows Vista. The way UAA handles hardware DSPs is a problem for Creative Labs when it comes to delivering hardware acceleration for DirectSound 3D and EAX algorithms. Earlier this year Creative Labs launched its ALchemy project that enabled hardware-accelerated audio on Sound Blaster X-Fi owners. ALchemy translates DirectSound 3D and EAX calls into OpenAL, which can still take advantage of the DSP hardware.

Guide: Kickass Gaming Rig Guide (Hardware Selection)

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cases, Memory, Networking, Cooling, Sound Cards, Power Supplies, Gaming, Input Devices, Monitors, Speakers/Headphones, CPU Cooling
Posted: April 17, 2007 06:12PM
Author: Dale Shuck

3dGameMan - The average computer user still purchases pre-built systems. The reason for this is that most find selecting the right components and installing them a very daunting task. This guide is intended to help you build your own high end gaming computer system. I will cover all the components needed to the build and some brief information on these components. This guide is intended for just about anyone to understand and should be very helpful in determining what parts work together best so you can build a stable high speed computer system.

Review: Razer Barracuda AC-1 Sound Card

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: April 6, 2007 03:40AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Techgage - With the anticipated release of the Razer Mako loudspeakers, we have a look at Razer’s Barracuda AC-1 audio card, and compare it to two other common audio solutions. The Barracuda AC-1 boasts an impressive feature set, and its audio chipset has an excellent reputation for sound quality. Will it be a fitting partner for the new Mako speakers?

Click HERE to compare this to the OCC review of the Razer Barracuda AC-1 - sdy284 *News Editor*

News: ASUS Prepares PCIe x1 Sound Card

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: March 24, 2007 06:49AM
Author: Scott Young

DailyTech - ASUS last week at CeBIT demonstrated its upcoming Xonar-series sound cards. The upcoming Xonar-series spawns two variants, the D2 and D2K in PCI and PCIe x1 interfaces. Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect multi-channel audio encoding technologies are available for digital multi-channel audio. The Xonar-series also features 7.1-channel analog outputs for those that prefer analog to digital. Early reports claim the ASUS Xonar-series feature an Analog Devices audio DSP, however, ADI denies any involvement in the sound card.

Click HERE to discuss this in the OCC forums. - sdy284 *News Editor*

Review: Auzentech X-Meridian 7.1

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: February 27, 2007 09:40PM
Author: Dale Shuck

Techgage - Looking for a new high end sound card that isn't a cookie cutter "me too" card? Want one that offers great sound with no compromises? Is gaming not very high on your list? Then you might take a look at the Auzentech X-Meridian.

Guide: Build the Perfect HTPC

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cases, Memory, Optical Drives, Sound Cards, Power Supplies, Operating Systems, Storage / Hard Drives, Small Form Factor, Modding
Posted: February 25, 2007 05:58PM
Author: Dale Shuck

ExtremeMhz - The interest in home theater PC's has grown tremendously over the past couple of years.  What many will quickly notice when they venture into it is not only what kind of benefits it offers, but just how much better it is to run such a system over standard A/V options.  However, the process of building one can indeed be quite overwhelming for many.  What many will quickly find is that there's much to learn in order to build a system that will not only work for you, but one that is designed to enhance your overall home theater experience.  That's the purpose of this new "Extreme Guide" here at ExtremeMHz.  We will help you with your build and cover everything from hardware to software, as well as provide some recommendations that will help you in the long run.”

Review: Razer Barracuda AC-1 Game Sound Card

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: February 22, 2007 04:33AM
Author: Dale Shuck

PC Apex - The card itself is a built on a nice black PCB that should look good installed on many motherboards. The Passive EMI shield™ has a nice graphic on it, not that you'll ever see it once it is installed. But if you do have a windowed case, Razer has a nice little surprise designed to add a little style. The familiar neon green usually associated with Razer, and missing with the HP-1 headset, is well represented here. A small piece of black plexi with green lettering is placed at the top of the card. Behind it is a double row of green LED's positioned to illuminate the Razer logo. Nice touch.

OCC Contest: Design a new OCC Logo!

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cases, Memory, Networking, Internet, Optical Drives, Cooling, Sound Cards, Power Supplies, Operating Systems, Mobile, Manufacturers, Gaming, Music / Video Players, Input Devices, Monitors, Speakers/Headphones, OCC News, Prebuilts, Software, Digital Photography/Video, Storage / Hard Drives, Small Form Factor, Open Source, Gadgets
Posted: February 15, 2007 11:22AM
Author: Dale Shuck

OverclockersClub - We are going to run a contest starting now and ending Feb 15th for any and all OCC members to design a new logo for OCC. We like our new one, but maybe there's something better that you guys can come up with. Rules are simple, design something...anything really... there are no limits but it is for the logo only. If you are picked as the winner, you will get a full version of Windows Vista Ultimate Edition!

Any submissions and questions can be posted in the OCC forums HERE. - sdy284 *News Editor*

Today is your last day to get your designs in! So don't miss the deadline! - Fried_Fry *News Editor*

Reveiw: Dell XPS 710 H2C Edition Desktop Computer

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cases, Memory, Networking, Internet, Sound Cards, Manufacturers, Gaming, Prebuilts
Posted: February 9, 2007 01:03PM
Author: Will French

c|net - Thanks to dual-graphics-card technologies and the expensive, high-wattage power supplies required to run them, the average price tag of a best-of-the-best PC has ballooned to well over the $7,000 mark. That's why, despite running a still-ridiculous $5,759, the Dell XPS 710 H2C looks like a downright bargain. Dell remains tied to a slightly older motherboard chipset than its competitors, which limits the system's memory bandwidth and gives you a small downtick in performance. Our testing didn't show that to be a dramatic loss, though, and considering Dell's price advantage and its new cooling technology, the XPS 710 H2C is our Editors' Choice winner for high-end gaming PCs.

Review: HT Omega CLARO 7.1 Channel Sound Card

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: February 9, 2007 04:08AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Bjorn3D - HT Omega, Inc. is among the first companies to offer authentic high-fidelity sound at a true 24-bit level of performance.  The world class Oxygen 8788 based audio processor by C-Media supports most all industry standards for 3D computer sound, including EAX™ 1.0 & 2.0, A3D™ 1.0 and DirectSound™.  Other very large companies abused consumer trust and have made claims to having this level of sound, only to wind up in court disputes or offer subsequent products that boast 24-bit processing but haplessly renders at 16-bit.  HT Omega has released the real deal: CLARO 24-bit/192KHz 8-channel high definition sound.

OCC Jobs: Reviewer Deadline is Up!

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cases, Memory, Networking, Internet, Optical Drives, Cooling, Sound Cards, Power Supplies, Operating Systems, Mobile, Manufacturers, Gaming, Music / Video Players, Input Devices, Monitors, Speakers/Headphones, OCC News, Prebuilts, Software, Digital Photography/Video, Storage / Hard Drives, Small Form Factor, Open Source, Gadgets
Posted: February 8, 2007 08:18PM
Author: Dale Shuck

OverclockersClub - Well it is now Thursday, Feb 8th and this means that we are no longer accepting any more resumes or applications for the OCC Reviewer positions. We were overwhelmed with the amount of applications that we received and are in the process of weeding through them all to find the right candidates. If you're being considered for a Reviewer position, then you will be contacted no later than the end of Sunday, Feb 11th. We here at OCC would like to thank all who applied and remind you not to be discouraged if you were not selected.

Review: AuzenTech HDA X-Plosion DTS Connect Sound Card

Category: Sound Cards
Posted: February 5, 2007 06:40PM
Author: Makaveli

ExtremeMHz - When it comes to sound cards, I've pretty much tested each and every alternative out there in search of the absolute best PC audio. However, what may be considered "best" is quite a loaded question. While I have found that the Creative X-Fi series cards are what I think are the best in terms of overall sound quality, there is always a company looking to target a different crowd. It all comes down to its primary use and what the system builder is after. With that said, few are designed to fall into a certain category targeted at a unique crowd. That's where the AuzenTech X-Plosion DTS Connect Sound Card comes in. Designed primarily to please the HTPC enthusiast, this card sports not only some unique features, but manages to provide a very high level of sound quality that will certainly impress.