AMD Radeon HD 6870 & 6850

    AMD solely launched its third-generation 40nm GPU, but here is very little extra in stipulations of architecture compared to the 5000 Series. To add to the confusion, the extra cards are in fact closer in performance to the Radeon HD 5830 and 5770 than the Cypress cards with which these cards share a suffix. You read aptly: The Radeon HD 5850 and 5870 will go one better than the wet-behind-the-ears Radeon HD 6870 and 6850, correspondingly....

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Xigmatek Utgard

    If you look at the Xigmatek Utgard’s features and specifications, they read like those of an expensive chassis from a Tier 1 manufacturer. The Utgard has an abundance of front-panel I/O connectors, a built-in fan controller, mesh front and top bezels, and a mostly tool-less design. The interior of the case is even painted black to match the exterior. But the Utgard is actually tied for the least expensive offering in the group...

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Rosewill Armor

  Despite being one of the more affordable cases in this roundup, the Rosewill Armor is fully loaded and actually packs an uncommon feature found in one other case in this roundup. The Armor is a midtower design, with roughly 80% of its panels made from a metal mesh that allows for easy airflow into the case. Its lighted, red cooling fans, including a large 200mm side-panel fan, are relatively quiet, and the Armor is a mostly tool-less...

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Silverstone FT02

      Silverstone has been making first-class PC enclosures since the company was founded back in 2003, and the FT02 is no exception. Borrowing an interesting design element from Silverstone’s unique Raven RV01, the Silverstone FT02 is the only case in the roundup to feature a 90-degree motherboard mounting design that literally turns the internals of a system on its side. With the FT02, the motherboard mounts to the chassis...

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Panasonic’s Powerful Fixed-Lens Camera

    IF you are next to edge using guide controls pro photos and videotape, you’ll love pana sonic’s 10 megapixel Lumix dMC LX5 ($500). Equipped with a greater (1/1.63 inch) CCd sensor and an F2.0 ultra varied slant zoom lens (3.8X optical zoom, 24mm to 95mm), this statement and film camera is a versatile player formerly you dive into its far ahead controls. Fe LX5 ofiers guide controls pro both stills and videotape, raW shooting,...

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iPod Touch to Sprint’s 3G Network

  Do You oWn an iPod Touch? Te pipe dream of having a contract uninhibited, data no more than iPhone is flnally real, recognition To Sprint’s latest Peel device.Tough iPod Touch owners still possibly will not be able to tie to AT&T’s 3G clear Labor, they will be able to plug the device into Sprint’s. Fashionable standard november, Sprint began promotion a gizmo called the Peel on behalf of $80. Te Peel, manufactured by ZTe, is a rationale...

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Memory Viper Xtreme 4GB (PX534G2000ELK)

  The highest attraction of Patriot Memory’s Recently released line of Viper Xtreme Remembrance kits is its further heatsink design. The further Viper Extreme kits undergo much Heavier and thicker aluminum heatsinks, Multipart with copper reheat plates with the aim of introduce Wavy fins along the top. The put an end to consequence is A better-performing heatsink that’s able to More quickly absorb and dissipate reheat. Patriot’s Viper Xtreme...

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OCZ IBIS HSDL SSD (240GB)

  OCZ has been crafty innovative Offerings with cutting-edge SSD Technologies designed for particular period at present, and as of Behind schedule, the company has really been pushing The envelope. With the IBIS drive, OCZ has In fact pioneered a inexperienced SSD interface.OCZ’s HSDL (High-Speed Data Link) Interface makes exercise of optimized PCI-Ebased Relations with an x8 connection terminated a Standard SAS connector. The solution...

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Nvidia GeForce GTX 580

  “With this strikingly quiet-running License, Nvidia extremely trounces AMD’s top-end single-GPU graphics license And even comes close to dethroning the Dual-GPU Radeon HD 5970.” We might Own held to facilitate six months previously if Nvidia had Released Fermi as it at this time exists in the Disguise of the GeForce GTX 580. Instead, the GF100 in the flagship of the 400 cycle was Stormy, noisy, and ran on solitary SM shy of a chock-full...

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Gigabyte GeForce GTX 480 SOC

A handful of overclocked GeForce GTX 480s are now on the sell, But the minority are as extreme as the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 480 Super Overclocked Edition. What makes the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 480 SOC so motivating Are its ultra-high clocks and custom cooler (dubbed Windforce 3X). In vogue addition to being closer, the Ge- Force GTX 480 SOC is and quieter Than reference cards, recognition to its custom Triple-fan cooling setup. And, somewhat...

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Gigabyte Aivia K8100

  Gamers demand much from a baby grand: Appropriate fundamental sensitivity, a usable macro competence, and the knack to press multiple keys next to after, in support of illustration. The K8100 delivers all of these and adds an desirable housing plus several further skin tone. All keys are not bent equal, and the K8100’s designers important the information with the purpose of a number of keys persuade more—and harder— employment than others....

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Gigabyte GeForce GTS 450 (GV-N450-1GI)

  Gigabyte recently sent us its entrylevel take on the GF106-based GeForce GTS 450. Like Nvidia’s reference Design, this certificate has a $129 consequences tag, but unlike with the purpose of certificate, the underlying and recollection clocks are bumped vaguely, from 783MHz and 900MHz to 810MHz and 902MHz, in that order. Gigabyte’s GTS 450 is a dual-slot certificate with the purpose of sports an rectangle plastic heatsink shroud,...

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Verbatim Shrinks Its MediaShare NAS Server

      “Would you like to facilitate NAS media wine waiter With or with no cargo space, sir?” That’s the Question you’ll need to mull over if shopping Used for a NAS media wine waiter next to Verbatim. With The recently released MediaShare Mini ($90), the company is without hesitation given that a Non-storage alternative to its previously Released MediaShare building block. The MediaShare, Meanwhile, comes with up to 1TB...

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Two Entirely Different miniature PCs / PeeWee PC

PeeWee PC   For example parents, we cringe all point our kids treatment our laptop. PeeWee PC’s PeeWee Pivot 2.0 Can help tame our nerves. Not merely does the $599 netbook-looking Pivot 2.0 Mark Windows 7, 15 learning titles, and an Intel Atom N450, but it as well sports such skin As a 180-degree rotating touchscreen, water-resistant upright, non-slip grips, relentlessly plastic outside, and two Security suites. Taking the “peewee” theme...

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LaCie d2 USB 3.0

What we open out our collection of media, which at present includes HD cassette, climax bit-rate MP3’s, and high-resolution images, shift fly must be single of the source concerns as soon as looking designed for outer luggage compartment. USB 2.0 provides a speculative limit shift fly of 60MBps, with real-world speeds often settling around 30 to 40MBps.The LaCie d2 USB 3.0 is an outer remorselessly drive with the intention of skin texture a...

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Creative Joins The 1080p Web Cam Party

    If you brain wave Microsoft and Logitech were the merely gunslingers in Town firing 1080p bullets away from home of their Web cams, think again. Creative Has entered the dispute with its fresh Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 ($89.99), Which in addition to responsibility rightful 1080p tape captures on up to 30fps, sports Integrated dual adaptive array mics with noise-cancellation and Live! Scan scanning Software with touchscreen...

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Microsoft Arc Touch

  The Arc Touch Mouse is a fully functional fashion statement for traveling professionals. There are no side buttons because, more or less, there are no sides. When flat, the mouse measures 5.14 inches long, 2.3 inches wide, and just over half an inch at its thickest depth. This flat bar bows up into an arc designed to conform to the inside of your hand. The BlueTrack sensing technology works flawlessly on practically every surface, even...

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Panasonic AG-AF101

  Exotic tech exorbitantly priced—that’s our manna here in dreamland. Ever and anon, however, there’s a populist innovation we can’t help but celebrate. This new HD flash camcorder could make a lot of indie filmmakers very, very smiley. The AGAF101 (www.panasonic-broadcast.com) blends pro cam features such as HD-SDI output and timecode stamping with DSLR perks such as a low price (about $6,400) and micro Four Thirds interchangeable lenses....

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Thermaltake Armor A60

Thermaltake has expanded its midtower Armor series with the Armor A60, a practical and durable case with USB 3.0 connectivity. What makes the Armor A60 a builder-friendly enclosure is the externally accessible SideClick EasySwap 3.5 HDD bay and support for up to seven fans. The left side panel includes a 3.5-inch HDD bay with a spring-loaded cover that houses one of six 3.5-inch HDD drawers (these are also compatible with 2.5-inch drives) and...

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Patriot Inferno 120GB

Any power user contemplating an SSD upgrade should be familiar with SandForce by now. The company makes the controllers at the heart of many of today’s most sought-after SSDs, such as the Patriot    nferno 120GB. Like other SandForce SF-1222-based SSDs, the Inferno 120GB is rated for 285MBps and 275MBps maximum sequential reads and writes, respectively. The Inferno offers only 119GB of available storage space when formatted,...

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NZXT Hale90 850W

NZXT has been expanding its product offerings beyond cases, with the latest being a lineup of efficient power supplies, dubbed Hale90. The Hale90 series of PSUs consists of models ranging from 550 to 1,000 watts.We had the opportunity to evaluate the Hale90 850W. The NZXT Hale90 850W sports a mostly modular design and a unique aesthetic, at least in the power supply space. Hardwired to the Hale90 850W unit are its 24-pin ATX power connector, 8-pin...

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Crosley Spins A Revolution

Call us old-fashioned, but we still buy new music on LP. Thus, it always does our analog heart good to see new digital-flavored turntables make the scene, including Crosley’s belt-driven Revolution (CR6002A), a $149.95 spinner (45rpm and 33 1/3 rpm) that takes “the record player out of the box.” Beyond being Crosley’s first battery-powered model (six AAs), the company claims the Revolution is its first with a “platter smaller than a teacup saucer”...

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LaCie Enters Wireless Space Impressively

  September was a busy month for LaCie. In addition to announcing the impish MosKeyto ($17.99 and up), a roughly 20mm USB thumb drive offering up to 16GB storage, the company detailed the new, intriguing, and handsome Wireless Space (starts at $229.99), LaCie’s first Wi-Fi-packing NAS for Mac and PC users. Wireless Space can function as a media server, Wi- Fi b/g/n access point, and full-fledged router. It’s compatible with UPnP/DLNA,...

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Crazy About Video? Then Take A Looxcie

If you think Bluetooth headsets are obnoxious, stop reading. The Looxcie ($199) isn’t for you. If, however, you don’t mind small devices dangling from your ear and video is your bag, by all means give the Looxcie a long, er, look. In addition to functioning as a hands-free Bluetooth headset, this bullet-shaped video wonder stores up to five hours (or as much as 4GB) of HVGA video. But that’s not all. Download an accompanying app to your Android...

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Shuttle XS35GT-804

  It’s easy to bash nettops in a power user magazine. Nettops like this XS35GT still can’t complete a default 3DMark Vantage run. (We had to drop into the Entry profile, yielding a score of E1792.) That said, no one buys a nettop for 3D gaming. These are the low-power, ultraquiet cloud clients meant to be power users’ second (or third) PC. In our June issue, we looked at View- Sonic’s VOT132 nettop. (See page 34.) Half a year later,...

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Gigabyte X58-USB3

  Jumping into one of Intel’s six-core Core i7s can be an expensive proposition, but with the X58-USB3, Gigabyte scales down the X58 features (no 6Gbps SATA or eSATA ports) to offer an affordable motherboard that can still handle the Core i7-970 or 980X. The X58-USB3’s layout is fairly well thought-out, but we didn’t like the placement of the front-panel audio connector, which was located above the expansion slots. On the plus side, Gigabyte...

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AMD Radeon HD 6870 & 6850

  AMD just launched its third-generation 40nm GPU, but there is very little new in terms of architecture compared to the 5000 Series. To add to the confusion, the new cards are actually closer in performance to the Radeon HD 5830 and 5770 than the Cypress cards with which these cards share a suffix. You read right: The Radeon HD 5850 and 5870 will outperform the wet-behind-the-ears Radeon HD 6870 and 6850, respectively. Read on to find out...

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Sony Puts The Walkman Out To Pasture

    Although early rumors stemming from a Microsoft Netherlands press release surfacing in mid-October point toward a Windows 8 release in 2012, Microsoft has plenty to celebrateright now with Windows 7. According to an Oct. 21 release fromMicrosoft commemorating Windows 7’s first birthday, Microsoft has sold 240 million-plus copies of Windows 7 in the OS’ first year. Reportedly, 65 million sales came in the last 90 days. Microsoft...

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Enermax MODU87 + (600W)

Enermax's new line of desktop PSUs indudes the natively cabled PROB7+ and the modular MODUB7+ series, both of which are available in 500-, 600-, and 700-watt models. In this review, we looked at the 600W MODUB7+. The MODUB7+ has an attractive gold and black casing with a prominent 140mm Twister-bearing fan covering the rop. The integrated SpeedGuard &n control ranges from 330 to 1,000rpm ro ensure the perfect balance between...

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Lenovo IdeaPad S 12

  A 1O-inch nerbook may be fine for occasional use, but for prolonged typing or a lot less browser scrolling, you wan t at least a 12-inch screen. The 12.1- inch, 1,280 x 800 LCD in Lenovo's IdeaPad SI2 is a vast improvement over the more cramped 1 O-inch competition. The netbook's fuller keyboard is more usable, and it ships with the common specs you'd expeCt for Windows XP Home. At $449, it's a good deal for a functional...

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SpeakerCom 360

    We're all for hardware mat takes an outside-the-box approach. Wim mat in mind, meet ykos SpeakerCom 360 ($19.99), a mic/earbud combo for the Xbox 360 mat also integrates a speakerphone so everyone in proximiry can hear yom online opponent's angst. Technocel's upcoming Ear Vibe ($29.99), meanwhile, is hailed as "the first stereo headset [hat vibrates to the beat of your music." Whemer the ability to "literally...

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ViewSonic Seeks Your PMP Biz

  We'll reserve judgment on ViewSonic's upcoming MovieBook VPD550T until it's officially released this spring, but if it flJ­fills its promise, we'll certainly throw an "attaboy" ViewSonic's way--especially considering the 8GB, 5-inch touchscreen (800 x 400) MovieBook will COSt JUSt $199.99 and include HDMI output at up to l080p. Throw in an impressive array of NV format sUppOrt (reportedly covering MPEG-4, VOB, AVI,...

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ViewSonic VOT 1 32

in the '90s, the term "book PC" was a euphemism for a small form-factor PC that was about the same size as a book ... if the book happened ro be an unabridged Webster's dictionary. The View onic VOT 132 is a "nettop PC" based on the L.6GHz dual-core Atom 330 CPU and vidia MCP7A-ION graphics processor, and it's literally smaller than my kid's paperback copy of "Percy Jackson & The Olympians." The VOT 132 ai ms [0 put media...

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Alienware M 11 x

The AJienware M IIx isn't your typical gaming notebook. Whereas most so­called mobile gaming machines are rela­tively large and heavy and packed with battery-crushing hardware, the Alienware Mllx has an ultraportable form factor, weighs in at only 4.5 pounds, and is Out­fitted with a balanced mix of components that offers not only strong performance but also excellent mobility. The machine is built around an...

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AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition

If there was any doubt in your mind that the core race hasn't cooled off, then the temporal proximity of AlvID's Thuban-based hexa-core launch and that of Intel's Core i7- 980X Extreme Edition should settle me matter. Based on the price of the Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition, you might deduce mat AlvID minks a six-core processor is for everyone. It's a noble position, for sure, but you'll have to read on to determine...

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Trendnet High-Speed PC-To-PC Share Cable (TU2-PUNK)

Say you have a notebook. You're trav­eling, and somebody hits your screen with a 2x4. (It could happen.) The system still works, kind of, but you need a new unit ASAP before your old one dies. So, you rush to the store, grab a new machine, and now have to deal with transferring all of your data. Doing this over a LAN-if you have one available--is slow and cum­bersome at best. Ditto that for using USB Bash drive or (shudder) optical...

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Aerocool Ox - 2000

Compacr cases are sweet. Thanks ro some tasty microATX boards, we know that a small form-factor chassis won't limit us on performance. And if said chassis likewise doesn't limit us to low-pro­file graphics adapters and HTPC-style power supplies, that's like having our cake and eating it, too. Aerocool's debut cube case is the Qx- 2000, part of the company's PGS Q Series. It features four full-heighr expansion slots, about 11.8...

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Nvidia GeForce GTX 480

Nvidia's long anticipated enthusiast graphics card, the GeForce GTX 480, has finally arrived at [he DirecrX II ball. Read on to see whether vidia's darling is fashionably late or wearing last year's dress. bigger, bur the GTX 480's 40nm die is far denser. GF 100 features 16 streaming multipro­cessors, each of which contains 32 CUDA cores, for a total of 512 CUDA cores. At least...

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Toshiba Brings Mini HD Camcorder Stateside

      As of mid-April, U.S. ED camcorder buyers can now purchase what most of the world already could with Toshiba's Camileo line of mini camcorders. Initially, Toshiba is releasing the 5MP S20 ($179.99), 10MP H30 ($249.99), and I OMP XI 00 ($399.99). All models include HDMI and USB 2.0 connections, but the S20 with its full 1080p resolution, 3-inch swiveling display, 4X digital zoom, maxi­mum 32GB storage...

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Stowaway Resurfaces In Time For Tablets

Back when PDAs ruled the mobile space, iGo's full-sized, foldable Stowaway Keyboard was the accessory for typists with a strong aversion to tiny keypads.      Despite iGo discontinuing the Stowaway and selling its intellectual property years ago, it appears the portable keyboard is making a comeback in the form of the Foldable Mini USB Keyboard (about $53) via new owner Thanko....

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Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7,1

  whether you're building the ultimate gaming machine or configuring the best movie-viewing setup, graphics capa­bility is likely at the forefront of your mind. But getting the most out of your media requires a sound card with the best in audio fidelity, and Auzentech's X- Fi Forte 7.1 is just that. The Forte 7.1 builds on Auzentech's previous sound card, the Prelude 7.1. The major difference between the two cards lies...

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Sapphire Vapor-X Radeon HO 4870

t's evident from the box that the Sap­phire Radeon HD 4870's Vapor-X feature is a big deal. Vapor-Xis a newer feature from Sapphire that gives the Radeon HD 4870 superior cooling and quieter operation. Without delving into specifics, Vapor-X technology is similar to a heatpipe, using a hot, flat surface over which a liquid coolant is vaporized and then condensed, all within a small cham­ber mounted on the card. The Radeon HD...

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Solid-State Showdown

Two RAM Leaders' SSDs Square Off   The solid-state storage market has really been heating up as oflate, with a con­stant influx of faster-and sometimes more affordable-drives, in addition to firmware updates that enhance the performance of existing products. For example, fierce memory rivals Corsair and ocz recently began offering new products designed to compete in a few performance...

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Logisys Two Color (Blue/Red) Character-Illuminated Keyboard

The combination of the illuminat­ed keyboard and the hotkeys on the Logisys Two Color (Blue/Red) Character- Illuminated Keyboard (Model KB208BK) makes this an appealing keyboard for those looking to control music on a PC and pull all­nighters in a poorly lit office or dorm room. The slim, black design gives it a sophisticated look, and it has a palm rest with tall legs, which makes the key­board comfortable to use. The keys are...

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Asus N 1 OJC-A 1

we don't care if you call it a net­book or a notebook. The Asus NIO, with a IO.2-inch screen (800 x 480), 1.46-inch maximum thickness, and 3.I-pound weight, is a slick ultra-portable with a sweet surprise. Yes, like other net­books, this one uses the I.6GHz Intel Atom Processor N270 paired with the Intel 945GSE chipset. This means that the Intel GMA 950 graphics engine is built in. However, flip a little switch on the left edge...

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