Archive for October, 2009

How to find the best Gaming LCD HD TV set

Each and every one of the current generation of console gaming systems will benefit from an HD TV set. Though both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 can utilise their High Definition capabilities and output images at full HD resolutions of 1080p, even Nintendo`s modestly powered Wii looks better when you use a composite video output rather than the component option. However, it is not simply a case of buying any HD TV set that you see for a low price and assuming it will do a good job of...
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AMD Sempron 140 2.70 GHz Review

AMD's Sempron 140 is here to seal the deal in the entry level market for $39. It offers all the features of the K10.5 architecture, but comes with only a single core at 2.70 GHz. Despite its single core it offers decent performance for every day office use, media PCs and casual gaming. If you get lucky you might even be able to unlock a second core. Read...
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Steelseries Siberia v2 Review

As all good companies do, SteelSeries have taken one of their existing products, and made a series of improvements, upgrades and enhancements. The original Siberia headset, already a success, did have a number of flaws; perhaps the most notable of all was the microphone. The V2 should be able to put all this right as well as a few other bits and pieces. So can the Siberia headset be transformed from a good headset to a great one? Let’s take a look... Read...
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Samsung UN55B8000 55 inch LED TV Review

After over a month and a half of daily use, the Samsung UN55B8000 can be summed up as a mixed bag of great and not so great characteristics. The first thing to mention and the distinguishing feature is the 1.2 inch depth profile. There is no consumer grade TV this side of perhaps an OLED display that at the time of this review is as thin as this model. The second is the color reproduction. This by a small margin has the best color reproduction I have seen to date. Couple these with the overall...
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Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive Desktop Upgrade Bundle

Kingston has just announced a new SSD drive, while that in itself isn’t that exciting as SSDs have been around for a while, the purpose of this particular drive though is different than others. The Kingston SSDNow V Series 40gb SSD is meant to be a boot drive only with the user putting their files, folders etc on a standard hard drive. The idea behind this is to speed up boot, shut down and the operating system overall, and I think everyone can appreciate that. What I got for review is the...
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Review of Zalman ZM-MFC3 fan controller

Fan controllers have been around for ages it seems. These are products intended for true PC hardware enthusiasts who enjoy optimizing their systems to the max. Zalman was one of the pioneers in this sector with its famous ZM-MFC1, a device that only allowed us to control fan rotating speed. The concept of a 5.25” panel from which you could control all your fans directly was very well received by modders and PC builders. The unit which I will be taking a closer look at today is a much more...
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XFX Radeon HD 5770 Video Card Review

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...
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Zaward Gyre Flow Heatsink Review

The Zaward Gyre (ZCJ010) is a box of a heatsink. There is of course adequate clearance around the CPU socket for memory and VRM heatsinks and such, but at first glance it's not exactly clear how the Gyre works. A 120mm fan rests on top of the heatsink, but all four sides of the 110mm tall cube are wrapped in smokey grey plastic. Making the heatsink even more perplexing, the 120mm fan blows perpendicular to the direction of the aluminum fins. Read...
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Thermaltake Element G Review

In order to achieve and become a “great” product, a case needs to succeed in a number of different areas. It not only has to keep the internals safe and secure, and with plenty of cooling but also look stunning too. Modders and enthusiasts pride themselves on the aesthetics of their enclosures and so the style, shape and even lighting of a chassis are hugely important. Thermaltake’s latest addition to their Element series, the Element G, aims to succeed at all these aspects as well as...
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OCZ Technology Agility 120GB 2.5-inch Solid State Drive

When it comes to solid state drives, most people tend to think of the technology in 2D terms, kind of like a sliding scale. The controllers come from just a few companies; JMicron, Samsung, Indilinx and Intel and the products brought to market from these controllers tend to line the scale in that order. OCZ plays the game differently, thinking in 3D, adding an additional slide to the scale. This 3D approach to the OCZ SSD product line means that you will need to become more involved during your...
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Installing a Waterblock on a nVidia GTX 275 Graphics Card

In this video, we demonstrate the installation of a Bitspower Black Freezer waterblock on a nVidia GTX 275 graphics card by Zotac. You also get to see Bitspower's new mounting system. Read...
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Belkin Flip 2-port DVI USB KVM Switch F1DG102D

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,...
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Thermaltake Element G Computer Case Review

Like the Element S the interior of the Element G is a pleasure to work in, (with the exception of the non-replaceable expansion slot covers, one of my pet peeves,) and the cable management features are really outstanding. Both chassis will particularly appeal to users who demand massive storage capacity in their machines. Read...
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Veho Mimi Qube Review

With media becoming far more portable and universally accessible than ever before, the tide of products that help us enjoy our music and video on the move and within our own homes seems unlikely to abate anytime soon. With this in mind, lets continue the trend with today's review, the Veho MiMi Qube, a miniature wireless speaker that plays whatever your PC happens to be playing thanks to a small dongle USB device. The question is though, does it sound good? Lets check it out. Read...
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How Stuff Works: A Computer CPU

So how does one tiny little chip control every aspect of your computer’s operation? How does it know what to do, and how does it process the data that goes through it? Well, I’m here to tell you, as simply stated as possible. Read...
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