Foxconn Offers Three Year Video Card Warranty

Category: Video Cards
Posted: May 16, 2008 01:25PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

In the ultra-competitive enthusiast graphics card market, manufacturers are going all-out in an effort to lure customers to their product. This is especially true of Foxconn, a perennial OEM component favorite, who is now trying to insert itself fully in the hardcore user's mind as a top component option for gaming rigs. Foxconn's MARS and BlackOps motherboards have drawn critical acclaim and enthusiast approval for their overclockability and toughness, and the company hopes to do the same with its newest graphics card offerings, like the 9800 GTX that was just on the OCC test bench. In addition to features like overclockability and custom cooling solutions, Foxconn is now offering a three year warranty on all video cards purchased after May 1, 2008. That's the kind of value that enthusiasts crave.

Emerging Details of Nvidia's Next-Gen GT200 Video Cards

Category: Video Cards
Posted: May 13, 2008 02:03PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

As we edge closer to the release of brand new GPU architecture from ATI and Nvidia, we're starting to hear some interesting bits of info about the latter's GT200 design. Set to hit e-tail/retail shelves at around $500 U.S. sometime in June, Nvidia's GT200 will be fabricated using both 65nm and 55nm processes in an effort to ensure product availability from the start. It's probably fair to assume that once market saturation has been achieved, Team Green will switch to an exclusively 55nm process. The GT200 will be a single-chip card, and is said to feature a 512-bit memory bus; like the G92-based 8800 GTS, we can expect GT200 to be quite a large card that will employ a double-slot cooling solution.

Update - some reportedly accurate drawings of GT200 have hit the Net. These renderings suggest that GT200 will have Tri-SLI capability, sport 1GB RAM, and will need 6- and 8-pin supplemental power leads.

EVGA Launches USB Display Adapter

Category: Video Cards
Posted: May 12, 2008 03:56PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

If you've ever been in a situation where you'd give anything to be able to add another monitor to your rig without needing to buy and install another video card, EVGA has an attractive solution. The self-powered UV Plus+ needs only a free USB 2.0 port to provide an additional display output, allowing you to mirror, expand, and even rotate your virtual desktop. The small, stackable UV Plus+ units come in two flavors - the UV Plus+ 12 is capable of resolutions up to 1440 x 900, and the UV Plus+ 16 can output at 1680 x 1050, and both models have a 60Hz refresh rate at maximum resolution. These Vista "Aero"-capable devices feature a GPU-less design, and are based on DisplayLink chips; both UV Plus+ models take advantage of a special virtual driver, some high-performance DDR memory, and Lossless Compression that allows them to transfer a crystal clear video signal to either a VGA or DVI output.

Gigabyte 8800GT Contest Has Begun

Category: Video Cards
Posted: May 8, 2008 03:37PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

Alright, here we go - up for grabs are five Gigabyte 8800GT's. That's right, we're giving away five video cards!

You can see the card and a review here

The rules are pretty simple, and are as follows:

Send an email to contest@overclockersclub.com with a pic of your current video card, and in the message box, just type your name and email address - that's it.

Contest starts right now and ends June 1st.

If you have any questions, let us know.

Good Luck everyone!

EVGA Set to Launch Overclocking Tool

Category: Video Cards
Posted: May 1, 2008 11:00PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

Mammoth graphics card manufacturer EVGA is very close to officially unveiling its stand-alone video card overclocking tool, dubbed Precision.  The latest in an already crowded Windows-based overclocking field, Precision does offer some neat attributes that should set itself apart from the pack, while also sporting standard features like GPU Core, Shader, and Memory Clock adjustments, and a fan speed controller.  One really cool feature will enable users to be able to view FPS, GPU temps, and GPU speeds in-game.  Precision will also come with support for Logitech keyboard LCD screens, which will display temperatures for up to four video cards, and GPU speeds.  The rumor mill indicates that EVGA seems set to unleash Precision in the very near future.

AMD Says Language Behind Folding@Home Usable for Game Physics

Category: Video Cards
Posted: April 30, 2008 07:17PM
Author: Dale Shuck

It looks as if all the work AMD/ATI provided in support of the development of the GPU Folding@Home client can be used in other ways. Brook for GPUs is a highly parallel language developed by Stanford for use on stream processors and is the driving force behind the GPU Folding@Home client. Currently it is only supported on ATI graphics cards, but professor Vijay Pande, director of Stanford's highly successful Folding@Home project, said it could be extended to NVIDIA cards as well. AMD has taken the open source language and developed an extended version called Brook Plus for use in handling gaming physics. As Brook Plus is still hardware independent, it could be used by other manufacturers as well. With NVIDIA having bought PhysX and Havok now owned by Intel, AMD has been looking at alternative ways of handling gaming physics on a GPU.

Asus Demos Tri-Core ES Video Card

Category: Video Cards
Posted: April 24, 2008 05:48PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

Before anyone starts pitching a tent, it needs to be said that this video card is not going into production, and is strictly an engineering sample.  With that out of the way, let's meet the Asus Trinity: an amazingly potent graphics card based on the combined power of three HD 3850 chips, sporting 1.5 GB GDDR3 video memory and a specially designed liquid-cooling solution needed to disappear the enormous amount of heat this monster pushes out.  The Trinity boasts an almost 140% speed improvement over single GPU solutions, and is capable of raising the 3DMark06 score of a PC running the aforementioned single GPU solution from 4880 3DMarks to an unbelievable 11662 3DMarks.  The Asus Trinity's particulars are as follows - GPU's @ 660 MHz, video RAM @ 1.7 GHz with a 256-bit per core memory bus, all putting out a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600 to no fewer than four DVI ports.  Wow...

Nvidia has 1.5 Million 8600 GT Video Cards to Spare

Category: Video Cards
Posted: April 23, 2008 05:10PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

In its rush to flood the video card market with a new mid-range card aimed at nullifying any new AMD/ATI release, Nvidia seems to have unintentionally dug itself a very expensive hole.  Team Green is allegedly sitting on a stockpile of around 1.5 million 8600 GT cards, and is determined to move the outdated technology as quickly as possible.  Nvidia's newest mid-range card, the 9600 GT, is selling very well; plus, the company needs to clear shelf space for the soon-to-be released 9500 cards - so Nvidia's problem may be the beginning of a perfect storm for consumers looking for a solid HTPC card or a budget SLI gaming setup.  Keep your eyes on e-tailers in the coming weeks for potentially stunning price drops.

Nvidia to Release Another Mid-Range 9-Series Graphics Card

Category: Video Cards
Posted: April 22, 2008 07:38PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

If a company could ever be accused of not being able to "take their foot off the gas", Nvidia would be it; in an unrelenting effort to minimize the launch of all AMD/ATI video card launches - in this case, the Radeon HD 3830 - Nvidia has announced the addition of the GeForce 9600 GSO card to its stable.  Officially scheduled for release in May - at a retail price around $130 - the GeForce 9600 GSO is actually a rebranded 8800 GS.  Built on the G92 core, the 9600 GSO will be a PCI-E 2.0 compliant display adapter, featuring 384 MB DDR3 video RAM on a 192-bit memory bus and 96 stream processors, and offering performance similar to that of the 9600 GT.

ATI Catalyst 8.4 Driver Released

Category: Video Cards
Posted: April 17, 2008 11:49AM
Author: Chris Benjamin

Yesterday, AMD debuted the Catalyst 8.4 video driver for Radeon 9500, X1800, and X1900 series video cards, as well as all HD 2000 and HD 3000 series cards.  The driver release is primarily aimed at fixing bugs in a number of popular games - Hellgate: London, Crysis, Company of Heroes, and Doom 3 to name a few - and also includes support for the new HD 3850x2 enthusiast display solution.  It has also been reported in our Discussion Forums that the 8.4 Cats may help enable Crossfire in systems that historically have had trouble with the double GPU solution.  You can get the Catalyst 8.4 driver here for all flavors of Windows XP and Vista.

ECS Launches 8800 GT With A Twist

Category: Video Cards
Posted: April 15, 2008 09:47PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

Respected motherboard and video card maker ECS Elitegroup has announced their unique - in a good way - GeForce 8800 GT graphics card.  Like other GeForce 8800 GT graphics solutions, the ECS 8800 GT is a PCI-E 2.0 compliant, G92-based solution that sports a 256-bit memory bus in a low profile design featuring an Arctic Cooling Accelero L1 cooler.  Things get interesting when the card's frame buffer is brought up - the ECS 8800 GT ships with 256 MB of RAM, but a simple firmware update will double the card's memory.  That's right - a simple update is all that's needed to bring the total amount of GDDR3 RAM to 512 MB, which is enough to more than double frame rates in Crysis at higher resolutions.  A twist, indeed.  For more details and pictures of the ECS GeForce 8800 GT video card, you should check out the OCC review here.

Thanks to kingdingeling for the tip on this story.

First dual GPU HD3850X2 card launched by Asus

Category: Video Cards
Posted: April 6, 2008 05:13AM
Author: kingdingeling

The HD3870X2 has been out for a while already as AMD/ATIs current top video card, but rumour had it that there would be a smaller dual GPU brother coming out. The HD3850X2 is now out, the first one as the Asus EAH3850X2/HTDI/1G. Compared to a single HD3850, the card has a performance increase of around 34%, but it's also supposed to be faster than two single cards in CrossFire. Asus claims a 5% performance increase compared to normal CrossFire, although it features the same 1GB of memory and 2x 256-bit memory interface as single cards would have. The large dual-slot cooler should keep the card cool, even if clocked at 688MHz core frequency and 1658MHz memory frequency. AS this is the OverclockersClub, you'll be pleased to know that Asus has equipped this card with something called the ASUS GamerOSD, which is a program that allows for on-the-fly overclocking adjustments for extra performance.

Hardware Roundup: Wednesday Afternoon Edition

Category: Video Cards, Affiliate News
Posted: April 2, 2008 03:37PM
Author: kingdingeling

After yesterday's release of the 9800GTX video card from NVIDIA, there is another review of one at motherboards.org. If you need a screent to go with that card, PCStats is reviewing a Samsung 17" monitor, which would leave the 9800GTX bored to death though. The 3dGameMan has some OCZ ReaperX DDR3 in the test bed, this time a 4GB kit. Madshrimps have a MSI gaming notebook on the review bench, which is one of the new models that was shown off a this years CeBit in Hannover, Germany. [H]ardOCP reviews the Noctua NH-U12P CPU cooler, which OCC did a review of here. Speaking of coolers, TechARP posted an article about the use of fake Intel Retail coolers with CPUs being sold. The Viperlair has a budget Coolermaster case in testing, which has a lot of features that you would only expect in more expensive cases. To finish off todays roundup, we have Frontlines: Fuel of War for PC and Xbox360 being reviewed at the [OC]ModShop.

Cooling:
Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler Review @ [H]ardOCP

CPUs:
Counterfeit Intel Boxed Processors @ TechARP

Gaming:
Frontlines: Fuel of War (PC, Xbox 360) Review @ [OC]ModShop

Laptops:
MSI GX600 Performance Laptop Review @ Madshrimps

Memory:
OCZ PC3-10666 ReaperX 4GB Memory Kit Review @ 3dGameMan

Monitors:
Samsung Syncmaster 743B 17-inch LCD Display Review @ PCStats

Video Cards:
XFX GeForce 9800GTX Review @ Motherboards.org

NVIDIA Releases Forceware 174.74

Category: Video Cards
Posted: April 1, 2008 05:01PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

To coincide with the release of the 9800 GTX graphics card, NVIDIA has a new driver available.  Forceware driver 174.74 was launched today, and is WHQL certified for a number of products - including the 9800 GX2, 9800 GTX, and integrated graphics solutions nForce 730a and 720a.  The new driver also supports NVIDIA SLI and Tri-SLI when used with compatible video cards, and also adds support for NVIDIA GeForce 3D Stereo Technology - which allows the user to see games in an entirely new way when used in conjunction with approved passive polarized stereo displays or an Anaglyph display with red/blue stereo glasses.  Forceware driver 174.74 is available for download here - and supports 32 and 64-bit flavors of XP (including Media Center Edition), 32 and 64-bit flavors of Vista, and 64-bit Server 2003.

NVIDIA 9800GTX Launched by ZOGIS

Category: Video Cards
Posted: March 31, 2008 09:57PM
Author: Dale Shuck

Today ZOGIS, one of NVIDIA's OEM partners, announced the release of the 9800GTX, the latest addition to the GeForce 9x00 series of graphics cards. The new card features the latest HybridPower technology that automatically enables the onboard GPU when the processing power of a discrete graphics card isn't needed. With the right nForce SLI-enabled motherboard you can now have 3-way SLI at a much more affordable price point. The 9800GTX also comes with PureVideo HD for enhanced video quality and clarity. For a limited time, ZOGIS has decided to sweeten the pot by offering a free t-shirt to all who purchase the 9800GTX through Newegg.com and will automatically enter everyone into a drawing for a chance to win a second 9800GTX free of charge for that killer SLI setup.

Sapphire Launches HD 3870 Ultimate

Category: Video Cards
Posted: March 29, 2008 11:13PM
Author: Chris Benjamin

Video card maker Sapphire has announced the addition of the HD 3870 Ultimate to its lineup.  Like the Sapphire HD 3850 Ultimate, the 3870 has a silent, fanless cooling system - albeit with a slightly more effective design.  The 3870's passive cooler takes advantage of 4 heatpipes - instead of two found on the 3850 - which connect the GPU block to a large, finned heatsink on the card's backside.  The HD 3870 Ultimate's particulars are a GPU core clocked at 775MHz, and 512MB GDDR4 memory that operates at 1125MHz.  As with all HD 3870 video cards, the HD 3870 Ultimate is DirectX 10.1 and Shader Model 4.1 compliant.

Hardware Roundup: Quad-SLI Edition

Category: Video Cards
Posted: March 26, 2008 04:55AM
Author: Dale Shuck

In this special roundup we have several reviews of NVIDIA's quad-SLI using the new 9800 GX2 video cards. NVIDIA released the 9800 GX2 last week, but due to commitments made to some of its OEM partners, the quad-SLI setups here were held under wraps. Yesterday that non-disclosure agreement was lifted and our affiliates have four reviews using cards from XFX and ASUS.
 
NVIDIA Quad SLI Take Two - 9800 GX2 up to bat @ PC Perspective
NVIDIA Quad-SLI with the ASUS EN9800GX2 @ HotHardware
XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 Quad SLI @ Legit Reviews
XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 Quad SLI @ [H]ardocp

S3 releases their latest video card

Category: Video Cards, Small Form Factor
Posted: March 21, 2008 12:05AM
Author: Andrew Robinson

S3's new video card the Chrome 430 GT 256MB is their latest venture into the video card market. The GPU is designed to run against the Nvidia 8400GS and the Radeon HD 3450. This low power design card is DX10.1 compatible and HDCP compliant, the card has a maximum resolution of 2048x1536 and is built on a 65nm manufacturing process. The card will retail at $59 which keeps it on par with its competitors.

Hardware Roundup: NVIDIA 9800GX2 Edition

Category: Video Cards, Manufacturers, General News
Posted: March 18, 2008 03:10PM
Author: kingdingeling

The end of an NDA is probably one of the most anticipated days for hardware enthusiasts. March 18th was one of these, as the NDA for the NVIDIA 9800GX2 ended today (see OCCs review here), and there's a LOT on the web about them! Foxconn is launching their card today, which will however not be an ordinary 9800GX2. They will be using only Japanese solid capacitors, which have a up to 6.25x long life as normal capacitors. Foxconn also added a dual input power filter, which leads to more stability and reliablity, especially interesting to us overclockers. Moving to the software side of things, Foxconn released the FOXWARE (does it sound familiar?!) for advanced overclocking and monitoring.

With the launch of the card, there are also a ton of reviews available online. We'll kick it off with HotHardware, which have a review of the 9800GX2 combined with the 790i Ultra SLI chipset posted. These guys also seem to be the only review site up to now that have used an Asus 9800GX2. Reviews for the XFX 9800GX2 can be found at NVNews, Legit Reviews, Bjorn3D, [H]ardOCP and NeoSeeker.


- Foxconn 9800GX2-1024 Press Release
- NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI and the 9800GX2 Review @ HotHardware
- GeForce 9800GX2 Review @ NVNews
- XFX GeForce 9800GX2 Review @ Legit Reviews
- XFX 9800GX2 Review @ Bjorn3D
- XFX GeForce 9800GX2 Review @ [H]ardOCP
- XFX 9800GX2 Review @ NeoSeeker

TechARP compiles a Workstation Graphics Card Comparison Guide

Category: Video Cards, Affiliate News
Posted: March 13, 2008 03:19PM
Author: kingdingeling

Many people have read or at least heard of TechARP's Desktop CPU, Mobile CPU, Desktop Graphics Card and Mobile Graphics Card comparion guides. There are of course others as well, but all of these guides and the comprehensive tables have proven to be a great resource when researching new or old hardware. The newest installment in the series is the Workstation Graphics Card guide, featuring 103 cards right now.

XFX Lowers Prices on Certain Models

Category: Video Cards, Manufacturers
Posted: March 7, 2008 08:24PM
Author: Carl Dunham

Deep down inside we all want to upgrade our PC's at least a little bit (if not, you should, so start thinking about it). XFX, a leading manufacturer of Nvidia based graphics cards has lowered prices on a few of there mid-range graphics cards today by way of very tempting rebates. That new upgrade isn't so far off now is it? Price reductions for the 8800GT series will include the 8800GT 512MB Standard down to $189.99, the 8800GT 512MB XT down to $199.99 and the 8800GT 512MB XXX down to $209.99. Price reductions for the 9600GT series will include the 9600GT 512MB Standard for $149.99, the 9600GT 512MB XT for $164.99 and the 9600GT 512MB XXX for $179.99. The budget lineup reductions will include the 8800GS series with the 8800GS 384MB Standard down to $119.99 and the 8800GS 384MB XXX down to $139.99. Now if your not thinking about picking up one of these fine cards at either Newegg, Tiger Direct or ZipZoomFly where these prices are being offered, you should be!

AMD 780G Chipset Launched

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards
Posted: March 4, 2008 10:06PM
Author: Dale Shuck

AMD -

In further news from CeBit 2008, AMD today announced its 780 series of integrated graphics processors designed for casual gamers and multimedia processing.  Expected to be available on motherboards from AMD's partners beginning in the second quarter of this year, the chip is an integral component of AMD's Cartwheel desktop and Puma notebook platforms.  This will enable users to attain high-def and 3D graphics capabilities at mainstream prices.  When paired with an ATI Radeon videocard, users can also make use of the new ATI Hybrid Graphics technology that pairs the onboard and discrete GPU in a Crossfire-like configuration, resulting in a boost in 3D processing performance. This setup will be supported beginning with ATI Catalyst 8.3 available on March 5.  Based on a 55nm manufacturing process, the 780G will offer greater performance while drawing less energy at idle. More information including tech specs and a launch video is available by clicking on the link above.

ATI Catalyst 8.3 Officially Announced

Category: Video Cards
Posted: March 4, 2008 09:47PM
Author: Dale Shuck

AMD -

AMD used CeBIT 2008 as an opportunity to formally announce the release of its ATI Catalyst 8.3 set of drivers for its line of Radeon graphics cards.  While this release has long been expected and is no surprise, AMD said the drivers will be available for download beginning March 5.  What is significant about this release beyond the usual bug fixes and enhancements is support for CrossfireX and ATI Hybrid Graphics.  CrossfireX is ATI's new technology allowing the use of three or four GPUs in a single system.  That can translate up to 3.2 times the performance over a single graphics processor under certain scenarios. CrossfireX allows the mixing and matching of ATI's 3850, 3870 or 3870 X2 cards in any combination. ATI Hybrid Graphics allows the use of a single discrete videocard in combination with an onboard graphics processor to achieve up to 70% performance boost without having to purchase a second card. In addition ATI Catalyst 8.3 will offer DirectX 10.1 support for the ATI Radeon HD 3000 series, various anti-aliasing enhancements, HydraVision support for Windows Vista and GPU scaling for widescreen monitors.

New HD3870 Toxic Edition from Sapphire

Category: Video Cards, General News, VGA Cooling
Posted: February 22, 2008 08:39AM
Author: kingdingeling

Sapphire - After releasing the HD3870 Atomic Edition (you can find OCC's review of it here), Sapphire is once again providing an alternative cooling solution for their enthusiast line-up. The all-new Toxic Edition features the Vapor-X cooler, a single slot solution that cools through the Vapour Chamber Technology (VCT). As you might have noticed, the Sapphire Atomic and Toxic Edition cards are probably the only single-slot HD3870's around, indicating that the VCT technology cools very efficiently. The single slot cooler could even allow for CrossFire configurations on boards that don't have much space in between the PCI-Express slots, such as Shuttles XPCs. The Toxic Edition has it's core pre-overclocked at 800MHz and the 512MB GDDR4 memory has a clock of 1152MHz (2304 MHz effectively).

Hardware Roundup: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT Edition

Category: Video Cards
Posted: February 21, 2008 05:49PM
Author: Dale Shuck

Release days always bring of flurry of initial reviews of new products as sites are freed from their non-disclosure agreements and today is no different as NVIDIA officially launched it GeForce 9 series of video cards with the release of the GeForce 9600 GT.  The new cards are designed for the PCIe 2.0 standard and represent a way to get improved performance at a price point that would normally classify it as a midrange or budget card.  Targeted to sell below $200US you should expect to see cards in the $169-$189US range depending on the included bundles.  A quick look at the specifications shows the GPU to have 64 stream processors, a core clock speed of 650MHz with a memory clock of 900MHz.  The reference cards will sport a 512MB frame buffer with a 256-bit memory interface.  OCC was quick off the mark with its own review of the XFX 9600 GT 512MB.  Additional reviews by our affiliate sites include: ZOTAC GeForce 9600GT 512MB AMP! Edition at TweakTown, EVGA e-GeForce 9600 GT SSC at NVNews, NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT - G94 Launched at HotHardware, EVGA, Palit and XFX GeForce 9600 GT Video Card Review at Legit Reviews, Palit 9600GT Sonic at Neoseeker,  BFGTech GeForce 9600 GT OC at [H]ardocp, Zotac 9600 GT G94 at Fudzilla and BFG GeForce 9600 GT 512MB at PC Perspective.  Enjoy!

Hardware Roundup: Monday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, CPU's, Cases, Memory, Power Supplies, Mobile, Monitors, Prebuilts, Storage / Hard Drives
Posted: February 18, 2008 06:29AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Monday rolls around again and we have quite a few reviews in tour roundup this morning.  For the video card section Fudzilla dissects the PowerColor HD 3850 1GB complete with a factory overclock and a ZEROTherm after market cooler.  Also from the ATI camp Techgage reviews the ASUS EAH3870 X2 1GB.   Moving over to the NVIDIA side, there is the Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GT ZL 512Mb Video Card from Madshrimps.  This card also features a factory overclock and an after market cooler, but this one is from Zalman.  If you're curious to find out how the upcoming 9600 series of cards from NVIDIA will perform you need to check out the NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT 512MB G94 review from TweakTown.  We'll have to wait to see about NVIDIA's pricing and ability to deliver sufficient stock levels on this new card.  PC Perspective returns with its latest news with the release of Podcast #22 - Skulltrail, NVIDIA buying AGEIA, AMD merger talk and more!.  You've been treated to several articles in our roundup regarding Intel's new Skulltrail platform.  Some of Intel's partners are also scheduled to release boards based on the the dual socket LGA771 configuration and HotHardware has the Asus Z7S WS Skulltrail Motherboard Exclusive Sneak Peek for your perusal.  So where does that leave you if you want a single processor setup based on the LGA775 socket?  Check out the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Quad Core Processor at Tech ARP.  They also updated their Intel Core 2 Performance Comparison Guide to include the QX9650 numbers.  For the latest in DDR3 memory, Overclockers Online evaluates the Patriot Viper Extreme 2x1024MB PC3-15000.  Acrylic and home theater PCs are both segments of the specialty  case market.  Combine the two and you get the Sunbeam Acrylic HTPC Case and Overclocker Cafe checks it out.  RBMods has a look at the Ultra X2 Extreme Edition 750W Power Supply.  HotHardware also treats us to a look at a prebuilt performance system in their Maingear Ephex 3-Way SLI Gaming System review.  ThinkComputers offers up a look at a pair of notebooks today with its Lenovo ThinkPad T61p 14.1-inch & 15.4-inch Laptops.  With terabyte hard drives seeming to rule the roost in terms of size the sweet spot in terms of cost per gigabyte is in the 500GB-750GB models and ExtremeMHz has the Seagate 750GB SATA II Hard Drive up for review.  With drive prices falling and storage requirements increasing perhaps its time to invest in a nice RAID array.  The HighPoint RocketRAID 3120 at Bjorn3D is one way to achieve that goal without breaking the bank.  PCSTATS has a look at the Samsung Syncmaster 275T 27-inch LCD Display, a sweet-looking display offering good ergonomic features and HDCP support.

Hardware Roundup: Friday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, Cases, Memory, Operating Systems, Digital Photography/Video, Storage / Hard Drives, Mouse Pad
Posted: February 15, 2008 06:10AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Looking around the web today revealed several video card card articles.  We begin with a look at the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 from motherboards.org (also reviewed by OCC HERE).  ATI is certainly back in the game with their new 3800 series of cards, but how does it stack up against the green team?  Bjorn3D  has a look at the factory-overclocked Gigabyte 8800GT TurboForce which features a Zalman after-market cooler.  If you're in the hunt for a new video card, how do you decide which one to get amongst all the ones out there.  Take a moment to read the Sweet 16 Mid-range Graphics Cards Compared article at The Tech Report for more insight.  The 790FX is AMD's latest chipset designed to support their Phenom line of processors.  By now you're most likely aware of the issues the current processors are having with the TLB and the microcode fix available.  Viper Lair evaluates the MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX Motherboard and has a look at performance and the impact the fix has by toggling the fix on and off.  While AMD is still using DDR2 memory, Intel-based boards are moving towards the faster, yet still pricier, DDR3 format.  The Aeneon Xtune DDR3-1333 2GB Memory Kit from ThinkComputers is one such offering (see the OCC review HERE).  PC Perspective takes the Ultra m998 Mid-Tower ATX Case out for a spin and comes away liking what they saw (OCC review).  For something on the fun side, you can read about the Cyberlink YouCam at OCModShop.  Vitual-Hideout likes the Razer Destructor Gaming Surface (also reviewed by OCC HERE).  Tech ARP has just published its Hard Drive Performance Comparison Guide.  Finally, OCModShop shows us how to Solve File Copy Problems: Tweak Vista's Auto-tuning Network.

Hardware Roundup: Thursday Edition

Category: Video Cards, Motherboards, Cases, Power Supplies, Gaming, Storage / Hard Drives, CPU Cooling
Posted: February 14, 2008 06:53AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Our Valentine's Day roundup kicks off with a look at the Thermaltake Armor + Case from RBMods.  The Foxconn G33M-S Micro-ATX Motherboard  would easily get swallowed up by a case that huge, but Virtual-Hideout finds it a great mATX board in the $100 price range.  FrostyTech evaluates Scythe Zipang SCZP-1000 Ultra Low Noise Heatsink which is as near as you can get to a true silent active cooling option thanks to its 138mm fan.  Next up are a pair of articles on AMD/ATI video cards.  3dGameMan has a review of the HIS HD 3450 & 3650 Video Cards.  Combining different cards in SLI/Crossfire can be a dicey proposition.  Today Legit Reviews tries just that in their article on ATI Radeon HD 3870 + 3850 CrossFire - Mixing Video Cards.  For power supplies, we have two top end units both offering single +12V rails.  Leading off is the SilverStone Decathlon DA800 800W Modular Power Supply at ThinkComputers.  Next, TweakTown looks at the Corsair TX750W 750watt Power Supply.  For truly portable storage, legit Reviews has a look at the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 8GB USB Flash Drive.  ASUS is truly a recognized name in the computer world, but it might not be the first name you associate with notebook computers.  That may well change after you check out the ASUS U6S Ultraportable Notebook at HotHardware.  Techgage has the TRENDnet TEW-631BRP Wireless N Router up for review and tells us what you can get in this reasonably priced Draft N router.  We close out today with the Bjorn3D review of the PS3 game title Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

Tutorial: HD 3870 X2 volt mod

Category: Video Cards, Modding
Posted: February 13, 2008 02:29PM
Author: Andrew Robinson

Quantum-Force - Want to squeeze the last Mhz from your HD 3870 X2? Do you find yourself wondering just how much more you would be able to push your card if only it had a bit more voltage? Well wonder no more because Foxconn's own "Quantum-Force.net" has a nice tutorial with step by step instructions for you adventurous modders. In this short but informative tutorial they show and tell you how to direct more voltage to the GPU Core and the memory as well. With nothing but a little common sense, a soldering iron, 2 50ohm resistors and one 5K ohm resistor you can turn your already potent card into a fire breathing beast. Just be careful to keep the card within its operating temperature and don't go extreme with the voltage without some sort of "aftermarket" cooling solution.

Hardware Roundup: Wednesday Edition

Category: Video Cards, CPU's, Cases, Input Devices, CPU Cooling
Posted: February 13, 2008 06:07AM
Author: Dale Shuck

Our middle of the week wanderings turned up some goodies from our affiliate sites so let's get started by visiting a couple of videocard reviews.  First in line is Neoseeker and their look at the VisionTek HD 3870 which differs from the reference design with the inclusion of an oversized heatsink and a more powerful fan.  For double the GPU fun on a single card, TechSpot has the ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2.  For a comprehensive look at over 336 graphics cards you can check out the Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide from Tech ARP which has updated to include several Intel integrated graphic processors.  Speaking of TechSpot, did you know they have a sister site written in Spanish?  They've just published  Prueba de desempeño AMD Phenom.  Next up we have a couple of CPU cooling products.  The Asus Triton 77 Heatsink that comes equipped with a "Sunon MagLev 92mm vapo-bearing PWM fan".  Sounds impressive, but how well does it perform?  Head on over to FrostyTech to find out.  Bjorn3D evaluates the Thermaltake Bigwater 760i and finds it somewhat lacking.  Can the SteelSeries Ikari Laser Mouse make you a better gamer?  Head on over to ThinkComputers to find out.  If you're looking to tame the noise from your rig, Virtual-Hideout has a look at the Nexus Caterpillar ATX Quiet Case to see if it can do the job.