by Stuart Davidson | 30/04/2013
Today sees the release of a new GTX Titan from ZOTAC, the AMP! Edition. This is the highest clocked air cooled Titan we have seen so far and we will be putting it up against the 7990 as well as the GTX 690 in a selection of the latest games which include Bioshock: Infinite, Crysis 3 and Tomb Raider. Of course as always we will look at GPU Computing, Media Playback, power, thermal, and acoustics as well as overclocking.
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by Stuart Davidson | 18/03/2013
Today we are going to look at GPU reviews specifically (and may venture back into other categories in the future as motherboard reviews for example are also a mess in the review industry), taking a look at what WE feel makes for a quality review and why.
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by Stuart Davidson | 08/02/2013
The Razer Blade (or New Razer Blade as we are now on a second revision) is a high end Ultrabook aimed at gamers. With a mobile i7 CPU, GeForce GTX 600 series graphics and a unique touch screen track pad it offers something that little bit different to the norm. Today we put it through a selection of real world tests including Crysis 3 and StarCraft 2 Heart of the Swarm.
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by Stuart Davidson | 31/01/2013
Recently Dell updated their all-in-one range to include the XPS One 27 inch (with optional touch screen). Providing a resolution of 2560x1440, i7 CPU and GeForce 600 series graphics on Windows 8 this could be the ideal home and office solution for those wanting to save space with a stylish chassis.
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by Stuart Davidson | 10/01/2013
With their Ballistix Sport VLP (Very Low Profile) modules Crucial are looking to offer a value packed product which appeals to consumers who need low voltage, compact memory in high capacities.
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by Stuart Davidson | 28/12/2012
Today we have another set of extreme modules from Kingston in our test system and with the "Beast" model name this 32GB kit had better impress. We will be putting the Beast sticks through a selection of synthetic and real world tests to find out how these 2400MHz modules perform.
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by Stuart Davidson | 27/12/2012
The focus of today's review is the Macho Rev.A (BW) a chunky tower cooler which looks to balance price and performance. With support for Intel and AMD sockets we will be pushing our i7 to 5.0GHz to see how the Macho handles extreme conditions.
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by Stuart Davidson | 13/12/2012
MSI's latest foray into the gaming/enthusiast laptop marketplace is the GT70 Dragon Edition. With components including the latest Ivy Bridge i7 CPU, SSDs in RAID, GTX 675MX Graphics and 16GB of memory in a 17" chassis... and some great extra specifications, today we find out whether the system can play the likes of Far Cry 3 and Hitman: Absolution.
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by Stuart Davidson | 05/12/2012
So what happens when ThinkPad meets UltraBook? Well we get a system like the X1 Carbon from Lenovo with rapid charging, premium carbon fibre construction (with roll cage) and the latest Core CPUs from Intel... and today that is the focus of our review.
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by Stuart Davidson | 12/11/2012
With a 17inch form factor, the latest i7 CPU, SSD and dual GPUs the P722 looks to pack as much performance in a desktop replacement system as possible. Today we will be putting one through its paces in a selection of synthetic and real world tests, including the Crysis 3 Alpha to find out if it is an attractive purchase.
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by Stuart Davidson | 21/09/2012
One company out to match and maybe even exceed Alienware in offering a compact alternative to Ultrabooks is Eurocom. Their Monster system manages to pack in an i7 CPU and impressive GeForce 600 series GPU into an 11" form factor and today we have one on our test bench.
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by Stuart Davidson | 06/09/2012
In the mainstream arena one of the key products of the moment is the Radeon HD 7770, a card designed to offer an excellent price to performance ratio. For those who are on a limited budget keeping costs to a minimum can mean money spent elsewhere and with their FleX Edition Sapphire look to facilitate multi-screen gaming at minimal cost. Today we have their new Radeon 7770 FleX Edition (GHz Edition) on our test bench, but is 5760x1080 gaming achievable with it?
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by Stuart Davidson | 30/08/2012
Recently AMDs partners were given the ability to design and release their own 7990 products (or 7970 X2 if you like). This would see two 7900 series GPUs on one PCB and every design would be different, PCB layouts, power spec, outputs, coolers... the works. One of the first to market with a 7990 is PowerColor with their Devil 13 card. This is as Extreme as Radeons currently get and today we put it head to head with the GTX 690 to find out which is best in the latest games.
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by Stuart Davidson | 20/08/2012
The success of Corsair's more recent products hasn't meant they are neglecting their memory range and recently they announced some new enthusiast sticks. Called Dominator Platinum the new range see's Corsair head to 3000MHz modules and today we have the 2666MHz rated 16GB kit in our test system.
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by Stuart Davidson | 17/08/2012
First up today is the Z77 FTW, a high end board for socket 1155 CPUs. With plenty of enthusiast features. We will also be taking a look at EVGA's factory overclocked GTX 670, two in fact, in the latest games including Max Payne 3 and Counter Strike Global Operations.
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by Stuart Davidson | 02/08/2012
One of the first manufacturers to get a 7970 GHz Edition to market is Sapphire and they haven't held back on their Toxic version. With 6GB of memory, custom cooler, redesigned PCB, improved build quality and a heavy overclock this is about as extreme as a 7970 gets.
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by Stuart Davidson | 07/07/2012
On our test bench today is the latest product from the ASUS RoG brand, their Maximus V Formula motherboard. We will be comparing it to another Z77 board in a selection of real world and synthetic tests to find out how ASUS look to improve on the base design and how far they have pushed the enthusiast feature set... watercooled heatsinks anyone?
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by Stuart Davidson | 18/06/2012
Recently AMD announced their next generation of APUs with Trinity branding heavily featured. This new range of chips enhances performance and features and first to market is the mobile range, followed later in the year by desktop parts. Today we have AMDs reference mobile platform on our test bench to find out how the new A10 range performs in a selection of real world tests.
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by Stuart Davidson | 30/05/2012
Now featuring Ivy Bridge CPUs and NVIDIA 600 series GPUs the M14x is back and today we will be putting it through a selection of real world tests which include media encoding and playback as well as gaming. We'll be putting this i7 based laptop up against the original model in a selection of those tests to find out how much extra performance we can get and whether the system can game satisfactorily a its native resolution.
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by Stuart Davidson | 18/05/2012
It seems each manufacturer is going to take its own unique approach to building a card around the GTX 670 GPU with some going for compact models and others heading for larger PCBs with significant cooling solutions and overclocks. Inno3D fall into the second category and it is their custom GTX 670 which we have on our test bench today.
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by Stuart Davidson | 10/05/2012
The GTX 670 takes the features of the GTX 680 and tweaks the configuration to hit a lower price point while still being competitive. We have two custom, factory overclocked GTX 670 cards on our test bench and will be putting them up against overlocked versions of the GTX 680, GTX 570, 7970 and 7950 to find out how each enhanced model performs when paired with an i7 CPU at 5.0GHz.
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by Stuart Davidson | 09/05/2012
Today we will be putting the MSI GTX 680 Twin Frozr through a selection of real world media, computing and gaming tests with titles such as Mass Effect 3 and Skyrim to see how it compares to an overclocked Radeon 7970.
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by Stuart Davidson | 03/05/2012
Today we get to look at the GTX 690, NVIDIAs dual GPU Kepler part, and will be putting it up against some of the best custom GTX 680 and Radeon 7970 cards along with CF and SLI configurations in the latest games such as Battlefield 3, Mass Effect 3 and Skyrim. GPU computing and HD playback will of course make an appearance and to top it off a card like this needs to run on a beefy CPU, so it's time to take the i7-3960X to 5.0GHz...
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by Stuart Davidson | 02/05/2012
Today we update the battle between the 680 and 7970 by taking two of the most impressive models, both custom factory overclocked, and put them head to head in real world gameplay which includes Battlefield 3, Mass Effect 3 and Skyrim as well as media playback and GPU computing... enter the PowerColor HD 7970 PCS+ (Vortex 2) and Gainward GTX 680 Phantom.
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by Stuart Davidson | 23/04/2012
Today Intel launch their CPU range and we are combining the i7-3770K with Gigabytes rather impressive looking G1.Sniper 3 and G1.Sniper M3 to find out if these components can make the ultimate Ivy Bridge System. Testing will of course include synthetic and real world, with the likes of 3DMark 11 and Battlefield 3 making an appearance with the GeForce GTX 680.
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by Stuart Davidson | 19/04/2012
Based on a familiar chassis the GT683DXR offers high end mobile speakers, a full HD screen and powerful CPU/GPU combination. Did we mention the dual hard drives in Raid 0 or 8GB of DDR3-1333, upgradable to 32GB? No. Well read on to find out what MSI can offer for the mobile enthusiast.
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by Stuart Davidson | 16/04/2012
Dell were one of the first manufacturers to release an Ultrabook with up to date specification and today we have that model on our test bench. The XPS 13 mixes premium materials with some impressive specifications to try and tempt users away from more restrictive devices and into the world of performance mobile computing.
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by Stuart Davidson | 13/04/2012
One manufacturer pushing DDR3 to ever higher specifications is GeIL and their latest range, called Black Dragon, features some rather attractive styling and LEDs as well as speeds well in excess of 2000MHz. We have the quad channel kit in our test system today and will find out what it offers in a selection of real world and synthetic tests.
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by Stuart Davidson | 29/02/2012
G.Skill have recently released their latest enthusiast modules in the form of RipjawsZ and today we have the 2133MHz, 16GB kit on our test bench. Let's take a look at them...
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by Stuart Davidson | 23/02/2012
On our test bench today we have the high end Alienware X51 configuration. It boasts an i7 CPU and GTX GPU in its specifications and we will be putting it through a selection of synthetic and real world tests, including Mass Effect 3, before taking a look at what the performance could be should the user upgrade to an SSD and Radeon 7900 card.
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by Stuart Davidson | 18/02/2012
Today on our test bench we have the latest performance desktop from Alienware. The Aurora R4 features many of the impressive design aspects from the previous version such as motorised top vents and liquid cooling mixed with an updated X79 chipset and the latest i7 socket 2011 CPUs. We will be taking a detailed look at the system as well as performance in synthetic and real world testing.
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by Stuart Davidson | 30/01/2012
The Core i7-3820 will be released soon and already available to buy is the i7-3930K. We will be taking a look at both to determine where they sit in comparison to the older i7-990X, AMD FX-8150 and Intel i7-2700k in a selection of real world and synthetic tests.
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by Stuart Davidson | 15/12/2011
One of the manufacturers taking advantage of the new Intel architecture is Patriot with their latest Division 4 Viper Xtreme kit. This quad channel product has high quality heatsinks and tight timings aims to appeal to those looking to kit out their new high end system with 16GB of memory.
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by Stuart Davidson | 09/12/2011
The EUROCOM Panther 3.0 desktop replacement is available with components such as the X58 chipset, Core i7-990X hex core CPU, dual HD6900 series or GTX 580 graphics, triple channel memory... And that's before we even consider three fast SSD's in RAID0.
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by Stuart Davidson | 06/12/2011
Today we are looking at two memory kits from GeIL which are designed for the Sandy Bridge platform. The Evo kit offers speeds above 2100MHz for the high end user and the Enhance modules are more mainstream, though guaranteed to overclock.
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by Stuart Davidson | 01/12/2011
Today's review product comes from the high end of the performance spectrum and is a kit designed for Intels X79 platform, though it will also work on dual channel boards. With an advertised speed of 2400MHz we put the latest Kingston HyperX modules through a selection of real world and synthetic tests.
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by Niall Coleman | 25/11/2011
Batman: Arkham City, developed by Rocksteady Studios, is the tense sequel to the 2009 release Batman: Arkham Asylum. Set inside a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, which functions as a new maximum security prison for all of Gotham's criminals.
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by Stuart Davidson | 17/11/2011
Sapphire today announced their low profile compatible, single slot Radeon 6670. We have one on our test bench and will be looking at its performance in the latest titles, including Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3 and Skyrim as well as video tasks to find out how well it fits the needs of gamers and media enthusiasts.
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by Stuart Davidson | 14/11/2011
Updated: ASRock Extreme4 results added. Intel Core i7-3960X Processor and X79 Chipset featuring: ASUS Rampage IV Extreme, ASRock X79 Extreme4, MSI X79A-GD68 8D, ECS X79R-AX and Intel DX79SI Extreme Series Motherboards.
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by Niall Coleman | 02/11/2011
Today we are taking our first look, an overview, of OnLive which is an on-demand service that streams games to your computer, TV or tablet PC. Requiring no discs, no hard-drive space, no downloads and no high-end components.
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by Stuart Davidson | 12/10/2011
Today we get to see for the first time how the top model in AMDs new FX range of CPUs, previously known as Bulldozer, performs against the existing Intel equivalent as we put the two CPUs head to head. Not only that though we will test their entire platform, testing gaming, USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s and PCIe performance.
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by Stuart Davidson | 06/10/2011
The H100 is the new high end model in Corsairs Hydro range of liquid coolers and today we put it head to head with the H80 and Antec 920 to see how each compare.
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by Stuart Davidson | 04/10/2011
The G74Sx is a 17.3" enthusiast machine featuring Core i7 CPU and GTX 500 Series graphics along with a long list of other impressive features. Today we have a sample on our test bench to find out whether ASUS can compete in this area of the market.
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by Stuart Davidson | 18/07/2011
Today we will be putting the M14x through a selection of real world tests which include media encoding and playback as well as gaming. We'll be putting this i7 based laptop up against an i5 model in a selection of those tests to find out how much extra performance we can get and whether the system can game satisfactorily a its native resolution.
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by Stuart Davidson | 15/07/2011
Today we have the latest and greatest from Corsair and Antec connected to our test system as we put the H80 and Kuhler 920 head to head in order to find out which is best. Can Corsair (and CoolIT's) latest design beat the critically acclaimed Asetek/Antec model?
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by Stuart Davidson | 14/07/2011
HIS are bucking the trend for custom 6950s today with a new version of the 6970, the IceQ Mix. While it has a name which could make people think of a cold drink it is actually a rather interesting take on the 6970 featuring a large, low noise custom cooler and the first real attempt we have seen at implementing Lucids HydraLogix 200 controller on a graphics card.
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by Stuart Davidson | 13/07/2011
Today we will be putting the 6950 PCS+ Vortex 2 and its unique cooler through a selection of real world gaming, multimedia and GPU computing tasks to see how it stacks up against some of the best competitor cards on the market.
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by Stuart Davidson | 08/07/2011
Today we are going to look at Intel's mainstream chipset and put 5 different memory kits through their paces in a selection of real world and synthetic tests on Z68.
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by Stuart Davidson | 04/07/2011
Taking the foundations of their DirectCU II GTX 580 ASUS have further enhanced the design, aiming it at enthusiasts with the addition of voltage read points, on-board buttons for fan and power adjustments and making it part of the Republic of Gamers brand. So today we have the Matrix GTX 580 Platinum on our test bench and will be finding out in a selection of real world gaming tests, including Crysis 2 with DX11 and high res textures and GPU computing, whether this is now the ultimate GTX 580... or maybe even the best single GPU product ever released...
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by Stuart Davidson | 01/07/2011
Today we are going to look at building a compact, stylish system based on Intel's Z68 chipset in ITX form (The Zotac Z68-ITX) and the Core i3-2100.
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by Stuart Davidson | 25/06/2011
The AMD Radeon 6950 is a card which has been available for nearly 7 months but that doesn't seem to be stopping manufacturers from tweaking the design to suit their needs and one of the latest to do so (again) is Sapphire. In the form of a custom PCB, custom cooler model with a bundle designed to please even the most demanding consumers we have the Sapphire Radeon 6950 DiRT 3 Edition.
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by Stuart Davidson | 15/06/2011
Every so often though we like to take a look at what the major manufacturers have to offer, something which will be particularly relevant for those building a new system or wondering how they can get some extra zip from an existing build and today is one of those days. We'll be using our high end X58 build to look at kits which each have their own unique selling points to find out what Corsair, Crucial, G.Skill, Kingston and Patriot have to offer in the triple channel DDR3 market.
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by Stuart Davidson | 02/06/2011
Today we take a look at one of Noctua's most recent coolers, the NH-C14, pairing it with Intel's high end i7-990X CPU to find out how high we can take the CPU on air cooling.
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by Stuart Davidson | 26/05/2011
Today on our test bench we have the GTX 560 iChill from their Freezer X Series. What does that mean? It means a triple slot cooler, custom PCB and factory overclock and we will look at how the card performs in some of the latest games, such as DiRT 3, The Witcher 2 and Portal 2. The tests don't stop there though as we will, as always, take a look at media playback, 3D Vision performance and GPU computing.
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by Stuart Davidson | 25/05/2011
Now Sapphire are expanding their 6670 range with the introduction of the (silent) Ultimate Edition and today we have that version of the card on our test bench. We will be running it through a selection of real world tests which include DiRT 3 and The Witcher 2 as well as HD playback with GPU computing rounding things off.
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by Stuart Davidson | 19/04/2011
UPDATE: SLI Testing has now been added to our coverage.
The M18x as the name suggests is an 18" model and we have been putting one of the first samples through its paces over the last few days. Join us as we find out through a selection of real world tests what Alienware can do when they have an 18" chassis to play with.
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by Stuart Davidson | 14/04/2011
With new 4 cards launched from £80 to £250 we have a bunch of products which are ideal for a roundup to see what we, the consumers, get at each price point. Which of the latest games can each play and are any of them suitable for gaming at 5760x1080. We will answer those questions today as well as looking at media playback and GPU computing performance.
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by Stuart Davidson | 04/04/2011
Today we have one of the B3 revision motherboards on our test bench, a mini-ITX model from Gigabyte, which packs a whole load of features into a tiny PCB. We'll be putting that model through its paces, along with the low energy 2100/2500T CPUs, in a selection of synthetic and real world tests to find out how they perform with a mini-ITX Fusion system included as a performance baseline.
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by Stuart Davidson | 31/03/2011
It would be fair to say that the AX and TX2 ranges are premium products with great performance but a price which might be a little too high for some budgets. Enter the new GS range of PSUs from Corsair which are designed to provide over 80% efficiency and solid voltages for a more mainstream price. Let's see if the 800w model can meet the high expectations we have of Corsair products.
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by Stuart Davidson | 18/03/2011
The GX660R is available in various flavours, including Core-i7 based builds and comes with the same high-end Dynaudio speakers that were used in the GT660 with the graphics also receiving an upgrade to AMD's DX11 enabled Mobility 5870... That "R" in the model name, that's for RAID. In theory that all sounds like a system with a high end price tag but MSI have decent spec builds starting at a little under £999 which seems too good to be true. Let's find out if it is...
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by Stuart Davidson | 02/03/2011
Today we take a look at a product which a year ago we wouldn't have thought possible, a cooler which is co-produced by CoolIT and Corsair... the H60.
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by Stuart Davidson | 09/02/2011
We will be running this enhanced version of the 6970 through a selection of real world tests to find out how it compares to the GTX 570 and will include maximum overclock results in each case... all on an i7 CPU running at 4.4GHz.
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by Stuart Davidson | 02/02/2011
Today we will be putting the M17x R3 with its Sandy Bridge components, 120Hz screen and 3D Vision kit through a selection of real world tests to find out how it compares to a desktop P67 system, the original 2009 model M17x and the R2 from 2010.
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by Stuart Davidson | 13/01/2011
Today we have one of the first high end P67 based boards on our test bench. With their Maximus IV Extreme ASUS hope to deliver a board which exceeds anything else on the market and we will be testing it in a selection of synthetic and real world tests to establish how good it is.
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by Stuart Davidson | 03/01/2011
On our test bench today we have an evolution of the Core architecture in the form of Intels “Sandy Bridge” components. These Include the P67 and H67 chipsets and two CPUs, one from the i5 range and the other from the i7.
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by Stuart Davidson | 14/12/2010
As DDR3 has evolved the opportunity for manufacturers to create high performance 12GB kits has drawn closer and today one of the major players in this industry, Corsair, have sent us their new DDR3-1600 12GB triple channel kit to test. In fact we have two of these and thanks to a very aggressive price they should be within reach of most consumers building (or upgrading) an X58/i7 based system. Are they worth buying? Let's find out.
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by Stuart Davidson | 07/12/2010
Today AMD are launching the latest version of their X6 CPU in the form of the Phenom 2 X6 1100T Black Edition. This new CPU is the fastest 6-core AMD chip to be released and comes in at a price which is almost identical to Intels quad core i7-950. For that reason we will be putting the two head to head in order to find out which performs best in a selection of tests from Gaming to media playback and encoding.
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by Stuart Davidson | 01/12/2010
On our test bench today we have one of the latest products from ASUS, the P7H55-M/USB3. Based on Intel's Socket 1156 and the H55 chipset this Micro-ATX board includes the latest features such as SATA 6GB/s and USB 3.0. We will be putting it through a selection of real world tests to find out how well it performs against a comparable H57 model when using the Core i5-655K.
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by Stuart Davidson | 17/11/2010
In this article we have decided to take a look at how one of the more desirable 5770s on the market performs in 5 of the most recent games (Black Ops, Fallout New Vegas, Medal of Honor, Civilization V and F1 2010). Our aim is to see how it plays at the highest "normal" resolution of 1920x1080 with maximum in-game detail. Can the 5770 be the ideal solution for serious gamers on a budget?
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by Stuart Davidson | 01/10/2010
In addition to the ASRock Extreme6 we also have Intel's latest i7-970 CPU to test. So join us as we put some ultra-high end kit through its paces in real world testing which includes SATA3 and USB 3 performance, CrossFire Eyefinity and 3-Way SLI 3D Vision Surround gameplay in addition to our standard tests which include encoding and media playback.
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by Stuart Davidson | 21/08/2010
There is one CPU from Intel which has remained at its price point without a refresh for some time now. That CPU is the Core i5-750 originally released in September 2009 it was long due a refresh and just a few weeks ago Intel made that move, releasing the Core i5-760. Today we have that very CPU on our test bench to find out how it compares with the older model and the direct competition from AMD at $200, the 1055T.
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by Stuart Davidson | 19/08/2010
Today on our test bench we have the latest model in Corsair's PSU range, the Professional Series Gold AX850. This is Corsair's new flagship product and considering how well their previous PSU's have performed it has a lot of expectation placed on it.
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by Stuart Davidson | 06/08/2010
On our test bench today is Alienwares new M11x, an 11.6 inch laptop featuring Core i5 CPU and Nvidia Optimus technology. We will be putting it through a selection of real world tests including StarCraft 2, media transcoding and HD playback to establish how good it really is.
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by Stuart Davidson | 29/07/2010
Todays roundup features the ASRock Extreme 3, ASUS Rampage 3 Extreme, ASUS Rampage 3 Gene, Gigabyte X58A-UD9, MSI Big Bang Xpower and ASUS P6X58D-E boards. We look at media performance, memory performance and more.
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by Stuart Davidson | 02/07/2010
In June 2009 Alienware/Dell launched the M17x, their first co-developed machine. On launch day we provided a world-exclusive preview of the new machine and today it is time to take a more in-depth look at the features and performance of the latest version of the M17x which contains Intel Core i7 technology.
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by Stuart Davidson | 20/06/2010
Todays review includes SandForce, Indilinx and Toshiba based SSDs mixed in with the Seagate 6GB/s and VelociRaptor mechanical models then just for good measure a high spec 2.5" mechanical drive is added to ensure we have a complete picture of the real world performance available at each market segment.
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by Stuart Davidson | 29/05/2010
Today Intel aims to satisfy the needs of enthusiasts on a budget with the release of the Core i7-875K and Core i5-655K, two processors on Socket 1156 which feature unlocked multipliers.
We will be running each through a selection of real world tests to establish how they compare to the latest offerings from AMD, and finding out how well they overclock using the unlocked multiplier.
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by Stuart Davidson | 24/05/2010
Today we have Kingstons HyperX DDR3-2400 which give huge potential memory bandwidth.
Kingston dont just do extreme speed though, they also produce a very interesting product further down their catalogue. Their LoVo sticks offer some very competitive performance at settings far below the reference 1.65v.
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by Henry Butt | 19/04/2010
AMD is well known for producing a range of good value for money processors which often excel in different areas such as thermal performance and low power draw. Today we are going to look at three of AMDs latest Athlon II CPUs: the X2 255, X3 440 and X4 635 as well as the Phenom II X2 555 CPU on an ECS A785GM-AD3 motherboard to find out what performance AMD offer in the sub $120/£99 market segment.
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by Henry Butt | 16/03/2010
Today we are going to look at Novatech's latest gaming laptop, the X1 CA, which boasts a massive specification alongside a number of other exciting features. It is very similar in design to the X1 Pro that we reviewed a while back but has been updated with an Intel Core i7 Mobile CPU and DDR3 RAM.
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by Stuart Davidson | 11/03/2010
Today sees the release of Intels latest CPU, the Core i7-980X Processor Extreme Edition. While the model number may be similar to the existing i7-975 this release is more than "just another speed-bump". Today we take Intels new high end processor through a selection of real world productivity, media and gaming tests to establish how much of a step forward it is from the existing product range.
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by Grace | 16/02/2010
Today we will have a look at Antec's new flagship model in the TruePower Quattro series, the Quattro 1200W. Antec claims that their latest Quattro model offers cutting edge electrical performance while still operating quietly and this unit provides a unique feature, Powercache, which we will look at in detail.
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by Stuart Davidson | 05/02/2010
Today we have two sets of memory from G.Skill on our test bench, the high performane Pi series DDR3-2200 and a 1.35v set from the Eco series running at DDR3-1600.
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by Stuart Davidson | 04/01/2010
Today we're taking a look at the Core i5-661 processor along with the new H55/57 chipsets which feature Intel's new onboard graphics chip.
Roundup: Intel DH55TC, Gigabyte P55A-UD3R, ECS H55H-M, Asus P7H57D-V Evo and MSI H57M-ED65.
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by Stuart Davidson | 11/12/2009
On our test bench today we have Tuniq's latest CPU cooler, the Tower 120 Extreme which sits at the top of their product catalogue and offers enhanced performance and CPU compatibility.
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by Stuart Davidson | 10/12/2009
Today we take a look at the latest in Alienware/Dells desktop range, the Aurora ALX and run it though a selection of real world tests including gaming at 2560x1600, Photoshop, media encoding and overclocking to find out if their impressive run of form continues.
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by Stuart Davidson | 09/12/2009
Today we have one of Thermaltake's latest coolers on our test bench. The Contac 29 is a hugely flexible CPU cooler which is aimed at the mainstream market, let's find out how it compares to the standard Intel box cooler.
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by Stuart Davidson | 03/12/2009
Back in September Intel released the Core i5-750 and i7-870 along with their latest midrange chipset, the P55. At launch we were very impressed by the excellent value for money offered by the i5-750, especially when Turbo Boost is enabled and there was no shortage of P55 boards to combine with it. Since then Gigabyte and Asus have been expanding their P55 range and between them they have now 36 different models for users to choose from.
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by Henry Butt | 20/11/2009
Today we are going to look at the Novatech X16 HD Pro notebook which is designed with multimedia and light gaming in mind. It makes use of the somewhat basic nVidia G105M GPU which is based on the 9300M G, but with a few new features.
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by Zardon | 20/11/2009
Today we will be taking a look at the new HIS and Sapphire 5970's and as they sent us two of the cards apiece we felt it would be a good time to to cover Crossfire X configurations - for those of you rich enough to be able to afford two of these monster graphics cards. We also overclock our watercooled Core i7 processor to 4.1 ghz and the memory to 1800mhz to mirror a real life environment for a potential customer of two of these high end boards - we want CPU limiting at a minimum.
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by Stuart Davidson | 12/11/2009
The first XPC was released in 2001 and since then Shuttle have continually been upgrading the range to utilise as many desktop features as possible into a compact chassis. One of the latest models to be released is their Core-i7/X58 based system the SX58H7 and today we have one on our test bench to find out if Intels latest architecture is a viable option in a small form factor.
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by Zardon | 29/10/2009
Do you like small PC's but don't want to compromise? Then look no further because we have one of the finest systems in our labs today. How does a watercooled Core i7 with a 1.6ghz overclock inside a custom made carbon fibre Lian Li chassis sound?
Now we have you salivating .. make sure you check this out ...
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by Grace | 18/10/2009
Enermax are one of the world's most reputable PSU manufacturers and their products are considered to be some of the best that money can buy, so much so in fact that the new, highly rated Sapphire range use designs based on Enermax products.
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by Stuart Davidson | 23/09/2009
In order to take full advantage of Microsofts latest DirectX we require hardware which supports features such as Shader Model 5 and today we bring you the launch of the worlds first publically available DX 11 hardware, the Radeon 5870.
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by Stuart Davidson | 23/09/2009
Today we look at the new M15x from Alienware - they are one of the first companies to introduce Intels Core-i7 architecture in the mobile marketplace. Back that up with an impressive graphics processor from Nvidia and the new Intel PM55 chipset and we have a very interesting and theoretically capable product.
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by Stuart Davidson | 08/09/2009
Today Intel are releasing CPUs based on the Nehalem architecture but with prices and specifications designed to appeal to mainstream consumers. Today we will be putting two of these models through their paces and comparing them to existing i7 CPUs as well as AMDs top Phenom 2 model and the best Core 2 CPU. In addition to that we will cover various memory configurations and throw a handful of the more interesting P55 based motherboards into the mix with two aftermarket coolers.
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by Nathan Marks | 18/08/2009
Today were going to be looking at the FT01 chassis which is a return to a more traditional design implementation, simple yet elegant. This mid-tower chassis incorporates design cues from the immensely popular TJ07 chassis and is home to a number of quality features such as sound proofing, dust filters and tool-less mechanisms.
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by Stuart Davidson | 13/08/2009
Today is AMD day! We take a look at the new 965 BE which replaces the fantastic 955BE. We also look at a plethora of AMD based motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte, ASRock and ECS as well as the brilliant Sapphire 2GB 4890 graphics card which is aimed at enthusiast users who need a lot of memory for high resolution gaming. Are you looking for a new system? then be sure to check out this review.
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by Nathan Marks | 10/08/2009
In such a crowded market it can be difficult for first time buyers to know what best fits their needs and today we are going to look at a number of different products from a variety of manufacturers, most of which you may have not heard of before now with Cooler Master being the only well known name in our line-up today. However, the Megahalems will be the product to watch as Prolimatech aim to take a chunk out of the Thermalright TRUEs market share.
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by Stuart Davidson | 06/08/2009
Despite the number of reviews we have published on this site in the last few years we occasionally come across a company whose products we have never used or tested. Evercool are one such company and when they offered two of their very reasonably priced air coolers for review we were more than happy to see what this company could offer.
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by Grace | 20/07/2009
Today we will take a look at the (currently) least powerful Enermax product, the Eco 80+ 350W. The units of the Eco 80+ series are designed to offer great overall quality and performance for regular home and office users.
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by Nathan Marks | 17/07/2009
Today were going to be looking at the Wired2Fire Hellspawn ALC, a system packed with overclocked components such as the i7 920 D0 processor cooled by a Coolit Domino, ATIs blisteringly fast HD 4890 and a price tag of only £1099
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by Stuart Davidson | 15/07/2009
First up on the review bench is the top model in the Asus P6T desktop family, the P6T Deluxe V2, it competes against two high performance boards from Foxconn, the FlamingBlade and BloodRage GTI. Read on to find out which best meets your requirements in regards to performance and functionality.
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by Stuart Davidson | 16/06/2009
In the past few months it has been clear that memory manufacturers have mastered high specification triple channel kits with those like Corsairs Dominator-GT really impressing us. So today we have two more kits on our test bench from OCZ and G.Skill, both of which are capable of running at 2000MHz. Added to this we have a set of memory from Kingston which is one of the few that favours volume over extreme speed, their product gives us three 4GB sticks in one kit for a total of 12GB.
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by Nathan Marks | 04/06/2009
Today well be taking a look at the Breed Evo, a high performance gaming rig which is wrapped up in the stylish SilverStone TJ07 chassis. The system comes equipped with a highly clocked i7 920 processor and a GTX295, both watercooled with some of the finest high end enthusiast equipment on the market.
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by Stuart Davidson | 03/06/2009
Nehalem EP used the same D0 core as that found in the new 920 which left the top performing 965 processor on the older C0 revision. Rather than change the CPU to bring it up to date Intel are once again pushing the market forward with the release of the Core-i7 975 Extreme Edition and we will be putting it through its paces in a selection of mainly real world tests to establish how much of an improvement it is over the existing models in the range.
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by Nathan Marks | 29/05/2009
Purchasing a new computer is never an easy task with countless manufacturers offering systems of various configurations. It takes a little something special to stand out among such a crowded theatre and today were going to take a look at a system from Kobalt Computers.
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by Stuart Davidson | 22/05/2009
Since the release of Core-i7 there has been a steady release of performance motherboards which allow consumers the opportunity to create a great high specification system. In the past getting the best performance always meant using ATX boards even though technology in just about every other area has been getting more compact.
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by Stuart Davidson | 08/05/2009
The Corsair Cooling ICE T30 is the most extreme memory cooler available, but just how high will it allow us to push modules? today we find out.
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by Stuart Davidson | 07/05/2009
There has been a steady stream of processor releases from AMD in recent times. Whether it is revisions of triple and quad core models or the addition of DDR3 parts to the product line there has always been something new to look at regularly. Two weeks ago we took a look at the latest high end Phenom 2, the 955 and now AMD have another release for us to cover. The Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition.
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by Stuart Davidson | 23/04/2009
Today AMD release the latest AM3 processor, the 955 Black Edition, the first to have a real chance of competing with the 940 in that all important enthusiast market. Combined with a high specification 790FX based motherboard and ATI GPU it creates what could be AMDs most powerful system ever. Today we take a look at the latest performance figures from the AM3 (Dragon) platform using the 955, MSIs new 790FX-GD70 and XFXs 4870 X2. Is it finally time for AMD users to make the switch to DDR3?
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by Zardon | 05/04/2009
Today we look at Intel's new highest specification W5580 processors running on the new S5520SC motherboard. Just how smoking fast is this platform and are we about to break a bunch of records in our testing today?
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by Stuart Davidson | 02/04/2009
Today we will be putting a selection of 4890s up against the GTX 275 in the latest games at resolutions up to 2560x1600. We will also run each of the cards through a selection of GPU computing tasks as well as completing our test suite with some CrossFire tests and overclocking/thermal performance.
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by Stuart Davidson | 27/03/2009
In October last year Intel released processors based on the socket 1366 architecture and with these came a requirement for redesigned heatsink install methods. Essentially the distance between corners of the heatsink increased (as did the processor footprint) and existing high end coolers were no longer compatible with new motherboards.
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by Nathan Marks | 23/03/2009
Today we are going to look at the Thors Hammer cooler from Xigmatek - is this finally a challenger for the awesome Thermalright True Black?
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by Stuart Davidson | 17/02/2009
As our i7 launch article demonstrated there were some massive increases to be had from the new triple channel memory architecture in both theoretical and real world tests. Since the release of i7 and X58 motherboards a large number of triple channel kits have hit the market and today we have three of the more impressive versions on our test bench. Each will be put through a selection of real world tests to find out which of them is worthy of your hard earned cash.
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by Stuart Davidson | 10/02/2009
Not content with being known for great Nvidia based products XFX recently announced a range of Radeon graphics cards and Intel motherboards, all of which are designed to take on the best products in their marketplace. Today we have the first of their cards on our test bench, the Radeon HD 4870 1 GB XXX which is a factory overclocked model.
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by Nathan Marks | 02/02/2009
Thermaltake are a company who are well known in the community for providing the market with all sorts of components, most notably cases, cooling solutions and power supplies. Today we are going to look at the Thermaltake Spedo Advance, a full tower case packed with features such as their Cable Routing Management and Advanced Thermal Chamber systems.
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by Stuart Davidson | 28/01/2009
During CES 2009 Nvidia launched the latest cards in their GeForce range, the GTX 285 and 295. The 285 is essentially a refresh of the existing GTX 280 with a reduction in the core size and reduced power requirements. The GTX 295 is their latest dual GPU design, the first card since the 9800 GX2 to support Quad SLI. Rather than rush out a half assed review to meet Nvidias tight timescales for this launch, we opted to delay our article and ensure it was as informative as we could make it.
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by Grace | 15/01/2009
Today we will have a look at their latest PowerBird 1100W PSU, a high performance modular unit. The PowerBird 1100W is designed to compete in the most demanding category of the computer industry market and appeal to the most hardcore of enthusiasts. The big question remains however, is it able to compete with other high end offerings such as the Corsair HX1000W?
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by Stuart Davidson | 09/01/2009
Last month we took a look at a selection of boards which were released around i7 launch time, some of which were very impressive. Today we have four more X58 based boards from MSI, ECS and Foxconn and we will run each of the boards through a selection of real world tests including media encoding, Photoshop and gaming as well as some overclocking. By the end of this review you should be in no doubt which board best suits your needs when building a new Core i7 system.
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by Nathan Marks | 21/12/2008
Today we're going to look at the Cyberpower Gamer Infinity i7 Poseidon, a pre-overclocked, watercooled i7 system. With a promising spec sheet this system looks like it will pack an impressive punch. If you like the system after reading our review then we have a special offer, just for DriverHeaven members!
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by Stuart Davidson | 12/12/2008
We have to admit to being a little surprised a few weeks ago when AMD emailed us to say our review sample of the new high-end Athlon CPU was on its way. 2006 was the last time we had such an email and since then the Phenom line of processors has been AMDs focus, with a limited number of Sempron models released into the budget marketplace. Today we are looking at the 7750 Black Edition, quite a jump from the current highest model, the 6400+.
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by Stuart Davidson | 11/12/2008
Today we have three boards (Intel, Gigabyte & Asus)on our review bench and we will be running them through a selection of tests, mainly in real world scenarios, to establish which deserves to be the basis for your new Core i7 system. Whether you are an overclocker, video editor, Photoshop professional or gamer... this is the article to read.
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by Stuart Davidson | 21/11/2008
Unless someone wants to spend considerable money there are really only two options for gaming enthusiasts, two cards which provide performance high enough to play the latest games at high detail without requiring a bank loan, the GeForce GTX 260 and Radeon HD 4870 1Gb. The question is, which is the fastest now that many driver revisions have passed since release?
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by Stuart Davidson | 20/11/2008
In our latest Socket 775 roundup we have a collection of Socket 775 motherboards which are aimed at enthusiasts and surprisingly not all come with a huge price tag.
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by Stuart Davidson | 13/11/2008
Today we are taking a look at two high specification DDR3 kits from Patriot and Super Talent to find out if either should be considered for consumers moving to DDR3.
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by Stuart Davidson | 01/11/2008
Join us for our review as we cover why the Core i7 is such a great improvement over Core 2 as we put it though numerous tests against the best of the socket 775 CPUs, the X9770. In addition to this we will also look at the best motherboard you are likely to see in some time and if that is not enough, how about some overclocking of the new platform thrown in for fun, can we hit 4ghz on air? Time to find out...
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