by Grace | 18/03/2010
Today we are going to test and review the Chill Innovation CP-450F, a product able to continuously output "only" 450W but designed to deliver excellent performance. On paper the CP-450F seems to be the perfect choice for the average home/gaming PC, but can it deliver the performance the company promises? Read on to find out.
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by Stuart Davidson | 23/02/2010
Today we have a product on our test bench which aims to fill the SATA3/USB3 gap in AMDs high end product line. We will be running the Gigabyte GA-790FXTA-UD5 through a selection of real world tests to find out whether this is the board that AMD users with a need for the latest features have been waiting on.
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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 Grace | 29/01/2010
Today we bring you a review of a power supply unit from a newly established company, Jersey. Jersey is a sister company to Acos GmbH who are a large German computer components distributor that offers computer power and cooling related products.
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by Grace | 23/12/2009
With a power output that seems to be ideal for the vast majority of gaming systems this product clearly aims towards mainstream gamers and enthusiasts. Ultra designed the X4 750W unit to combine high reliability, electrical performance and superior aesthetics all in one package.
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by Henry Butt | 15/12/2009
Today we are going to look at the Asus K50IN notebook that is kitted out for menial tasks and multimedia playback. So it provides more power than their netbook range, but significantly less than youll get with one of their gaming-orientated notebooks.
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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 Zardon | 05/12/2009
Our sister site Gamingheaven reviewed Dirt 2 a short while ago and today we have a look at the performance of the PC version in DX11 mode when paired up with the stunning new range of ATI Series 5 graphics cards. I have been playing the PC version of Dirt 2 for the last week or so and it really is a stunning racing game, with state of the art graphics combined with the same fantastic gameplay we experienced on the console version.
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by Zardon | 04/12/2009
We have reviewed many high end gaming systems in the past from both Alienware and parent company Dell, but today we take a look at something slightly different - the new Inspiron 13z. The Inspiron 13z has been designed by Dell to enter into the market just above the 'netbook' sector - for those wanting more versatility, higher quality screens and faster processing speed.
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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 Stuart Davidson | 29/11/2009
Today we have the latest model in the Sapphire Vapor-X family on our test bench, the 5750. We will be taking a look at how it compares to the reference model in areas such as thermal performance, overclocking, GPU computing and real world gameplay. Can the Vapor-X 5750 live up to the reputation of the previous models?
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by Grace | 24/11/2009
Today we are going to have a look at their latest high performance case, the Freedom Xone. Unlike the Omega and the Infinity Zor cases that we recently reviewed and which Akasa classes as full size tower cases, the Freedom Xone is classed as a midi tower case even though its physical size is marginally smaller than the Omegas.
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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 | 18/11/2009
Today we will be taking a look at the Powercolor Radeon HD 5970 2GB and putting it through its paces in a selection of real world gaming tests, including the recently released Modern Warfare 2. In addition to this we will cover GPU computing and high definition playback as well as having a play with the surprise inclusion of an official voltage tweaking tool. This little application may well make this product a favourite with enthusiasts who want to get the most from their purchase.
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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 Stuart Davidson | 04/11/2009
Today we look at the new AMD processors - the revised Phenom II 965 Black Edition and the Athlon II X3 435. We also look at the DFI DK-790FXB-M3H5 and the stunning new Sapphire Vapor X 5870 and watercooled Powercolor 5870 LCS.
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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 Stuart Davidson | 14/10/2009
Today we have a product on our review bench which is Corsairs latest foray into a new area. The Obsidian 800D is an enthusiast orientated PC chassis which at first glance has the makings of a fantastic product. Today we find out if Corsair has yet another success on their hands or if their latest product expansion is a step too far.
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by Stuart Davidson | 08/10/2009
Today we take a look at the AMD Athlon II X4 620, Gigabyte GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H, Gigabyte 4650 1GB OC, Gainward 4850 512MB Golden Sample and HIS 4890 1GB iCooler X4.
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by Stuart Davidson | 29/09/2009
Today we have two cards from either end of the price spectrum on our test bench to find out what each has to offer. For those who feel their onboard sound is has issues, or anyone with high quality headphones/speakers this article should assist in finding the ideal purchase.
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by Zardon | 24/09/2009
OCZ have just released their latest Agility EX drive which differs from anything we have reviewed in the past because it is the first SLC based SSD drive aimed at a price point to target the mass enthusiast market. While Single Level cell (SLC) and Multi Level Cell (MLC) are similar in design, MLC flash costs considerably less to produce and allow for higher storage density. The benefits with SLC flash drives are that they provide faster write performance and greater reliability ...
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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 Grace | 22/09/2009
At the time of this review the Everest series consists of no less than 11 products, with their power output ranging from a modest 400W all the way up to 1010W. FSP is also the only company who has two products of the same series sharing the exact same power output and base design, but of different electrical efficiency.
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by Grace | 09/09/2009
XFX's first PSU, the Black Edition 850W boasts features and specifications that could easily make it one of the best possible choices around its power range. Today we will find out if XFX successfully enter a traditionally tricky market sector with a competitive and capable power supply for the discerning enthusiast user. Success or flop? you can be assured we will get the answers today ...
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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 Danny Moorhead | 08/09/2009
Alienware proudly released their TactX keyboard and mouse into the US with the UK to shortly follow. DriverHeaven received a production pair and obviously, the TactX name implies a focus on cunning ingenuity and precision, designed to appeal to serious gamers and others who realize it takes great peripherals in addition to a great computer to make an awesome gaming ecosystem.
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by Zardon | 06/09/2009
SilverStone are well known in enthusiast circles as being one of the most exquisite designers of modern day computer chassis. Today we are taking a look at their Raven RV02 Chassis - the followup to the RV01 - which we reviewed way back in April of this year. Silverstone have taken onboard specific criticisms of the original case, such as the front door mechanism and the top panel design and have opted for something quite different, yet equally as radical.
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by Stuart Davidson | 24/08/2009
Alienware was formed in 1996 and in the first 10-years of their existence the company created a name for themselves in the enthusiast market. It did not matter if a consumer was looking for a high performance desktop, notebook or HTPC system because Alienware had something capable to offer. When combined with futuristic and distinctive styling they have always appealed to discerning users.
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by Zardon | 21/08/2009
Today not only are we testing three of the hottest new overclocked 4890 ATI graphics cards but we are building a high performance system with the focus on value for money. We base the system around the powerful, yet extremely affordable Phenom II 965 Black Edition and the very capable Asus Crosshair III Formula motherboard.
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by Zardon | 19/08/2009
It is quite incredible how many models QNAP release and how often they are updated but this is due to the relatively cheap prices of large mechanical hard drives and end user demand for ever growing storage space. QNAP were established in Taiwan in 2004 and are well known for their build quality and sophisicated software packages. The QNAP TS-639 Pro is based on the same platform as the TS 509 Pro which we reviewed a while ago and as such now supports iSCSI integration as standard.
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by Zardon | 14/08/2009
The drive we are looking at today is the long awaited Intel replacement which is built on the 34 nanometer manufacturing process - this has the long term benefit of helping to reduce the costs to manufacture therefore meaning less cost to the consumer - well thats the theory anyway.
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by Zardon | 08/08/2009
Does the combination of high end AMD X4 955 Processor with Coolit Domino, fast OCZ DDR3 memory and ATI 4890 graphics get you excited? If not, then check you have a pulse.
Today we will find out if the Slayer Elemental really is a kick ass gaming machine or if it is just another run of the mill system build hiding behind an attractive flash web site.
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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 Zardon | 02/08/2009
Many enthusiast users snigger at the mention of Dell, however at Driverheaven we know there are a percentage of users who either don't have the skillset to build their own computer or who just don't have the time. It is also worth mentioning that with this particular system Dell offer a 3-4 year in home service in the case of any major issues occuring.
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by Stuart Davidson | 31/07/2009
Today we have one product from each of the mainstream and high-end GeForce families on our test bench to see what performance each offers for its price point. Read on to find out what can be achieved through a simple upgrade as we test each in a selection of the latest games and GPU computing applications.
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by Nathan Marks | 30/07/2009
Today we are going to be looking at the Novatech X1 Pro, a desktop replacement packed with the most powerful laptop components on the market such as a quad core processor and GTX280M graphics cards in SLI.
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by Nathan Marks | 29/07/2009
Today were going to be testing the Novatech X80GTX Pro, a 17 inch desktop replacement containing a dual core processor and one of the most powerful single mobile GPU solutions on the market, the GTX260M from Nvidia.
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by Nathan Marks | 24/07/2009
Today we're going to be looking at the Asus W90Vp, a multimedia notebook full of features such as an 18.4' 1080p display, a Blu-Ray drive and a powerful dual core CPU with overclocking capabilities paired with two of ATIs mobile 4870 cards in a Crossfire configuration.
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by Stuart Davidson | 22/07/2009
As well as looking at the usual aspects such as build quality, features and thermal performance we will also be taking a look at how fast we can make a system in this chassis. Are two high spec graphics cards and the Core-I7 useable? Read on to find out.
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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 | 10/07/2009
Today we have two different approaches to the Ion platform on our test bench. The first is from ASRock and is a full prebuilt system and the second, from Zotac, is a motherboard/CPU combination which allows the end user to build a machine to their specifications.
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by Nathan Marks | 02/07/2009
Today were going to be taking a look at the Lenovo ThinkPad T500, a laptop which is said to withhold the qualities the industry has come to expect from the ThinkPad series.
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by Nathan Marks | 25/06/2009
A while back we looked at the MSI GT725, a stylish 17 inch notebook containing the powerful Radeon HD4850 and a 2.53GHz dual core processor. Today were going to be taking a look at the GX723, a similar laptop but slightly less ‘high octane with a 2.4GHz processor and Nvidia 130M GT.
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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 | 15/06/2009
Today well be looking at the Sony P series netbook computer. Weve reviewed a plethora of netbooks to date including offerings from Dell, Asus and MSI but the Sony P brings a little something special to the table.
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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 Stuart Davidson | 02/06/2009
Today, for the first time, Alienware are allowing an exclusive preview of a new product (only at Driverheaven) prior to it being available for consumers. Is this the laptop of your dreams? - read our preview to read all the juicy details.
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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 Nathan Marks | 21/05/2009
Today were going to be looking at the Asus ENGTX260 Matrix graphics card. The card is complete with a custom cooler and a comprehensive software application which allows for overvolting and overclocking of the card. The card is available for about £160 and these features could easily give it a strong advantage over competing products.
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by Nathan Marks | 13/05/2009
Today well be taking a look at the Asus F70 laptop, a basic Multimedia machine that slots in at the £750 mark making it a viable option for those who don't want to spend more on a Sony or Apple.
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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 Nathan Marks | 29/04/2009
Today were going to look at the Novatech X55MV Pro, a dual core laptop which promises to provide strong performance at an unbeatable price point.
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by Grace | 28/04/2009
Most American computer enthusiasts are familiar with Rosewill who are a sister company to one of the largest online retailers, Newegg. Rosewill's primary goal is to offer (through Newegg) a very wide variety of products, ranging from card readers to computer cases, all at very competitive prices.
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by Nathan Marks | 27/04/2009
High end graphics cards such as Nvidias GTX295 and ATIs 4870x2 are the stuff of dreams for most of us. With the current economic climate and tightening budgets it is important we focus on some of the more affordable solutions and today we are doing just that by looking at two cards available from the current Nvidia lineup, Gigabytes 1GB 9600 GT and a 9400 GT from PNY.
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by Grace | 24/04/2009
Today at DriverHeaven we have one of Enermax's latest mainstream products, the Liberty Eco 500W unit. The Liberty Eco is a modular PSU, designed to offer good overall performance and superior reliability at a competitive price.
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by Stuart Davidson | 17/04/2009
Today we take a look at several of the cards based on the GT200 core as well as a GTS 250 to see which offer the best value for gaming and GPU computing tasks. For anyone considering the purchase of a GeForce product in the next few months this article is essential reading.
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by Nathan Marks | 09/04/2009
Today we are going to look at the CyberPower Gamer Ultra Perseus, an AM3 Phenom II 720 powered rig complete with DDR3 RAM and the powerful ATI HD4870. Featuring their advanced watercooling system.
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by Nathan Marks | 07/04/2009
Novatech are a well known and reputable supplier of computer hardware and accessories in the UK and they sell a range of gadgets and electronics. They have a large offering of prebuilt desktop and laptop machines in their online store and today were going to look at the Novatech Zu, a desktop computer containing ATIs fastest single GPU available on the market today accompanied with a Hyundai W240D 24" LCD display.
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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 Nathan Marks | 31/03/2009
Asus are a household name among computer enthusiasts as they manufacturer some of the best equipment available on the market, the most notable products being their large range of motherboards and the famous Eee PC. Their range of portable machines is ever growing and today we are going to look at one of their laptops from the Asus Republic of Gamers line, the G71V, which as you can tell by the brand title puts heavy emphasis on catering for gamers.
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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 | 24/03/2009
Today were going to look at the Acer Aspire 8930G, an 18.4 inch desktop replacement which goes to market under the £1000 mark.
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by Nathan Marks | 09/03/2009
As our readers already know, XFX are new to the ATI game however we have already had the chance to look at a range of their new products and today we are going to take a look at their 4830 and 4350 alongside Sapphires 4670 Ultimate.
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by Zardon | 06/03/2009
Today we will take a look at a set of In ear headphones which have been receiving critical acclaim since they were released. Are these rather expensive phones set to redefine expectations of in ear entertainment?
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by Nathan Marks | 02/03/2009
MSI are a big player in the computer industry, manufacturing everything from high end motherboards and graphics cards to MP3 players and laptop computers. A couple of months ago we looked at their little Wind Netbook, an atom powered ultra portable laptop. Today we are going to look at an offering from MSI on the opposite end of the spectrum, a dual core 17 inch notebook set to facilitate a proficient workstation, portable gaming rig and media centre system.
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by Stuart Davidson | 24/02/2009
The one thing which was missing from the AMD line-up was support for DDR3 which Intel have been providing for quite some time, today we look at the first couple of CPUs which resolve that issue.
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by Asmoday | 23/02/2009
In September DriverHeaven had the pleasure to have a look at Antecs gaming enclosure flagship; the Antec Twelve Hundred. A few months have passed since then and during this time Antec decided it was about time that the Twelve Hundred got a younger sibling, which they decided to call the Nine Hundred Two.
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by Nathan Marks | 18/02/2009
Towards the latter half of 2008 we took a look at two high performance laptops from Alienware, the m15x and m17x. Both laptops offered phenomenal performance in an attractive package. Today we are going to look at the Alienware M17, a laptop which slips in next to the m17x, ditching Nvidias SLI for Crossfire and bringing quad core processing to the table on an updated platform.
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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 Grace | 29/01/2009
Today we will take a look the new flagship PSU, the Revolution 85+ 1250W. Enermax never fail to impress when releasing new products and once again their new Revolution85+ range boasts better performance figures than we've ever seen to date. We will find out today if new records are going to be set.
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by Nathan Marks | 21/01/2009
The Radeon HD 4870 was ATIs answer to the powerful GTX260, so after the release of the MaxCore GTX260 ATIs partners got to work on overclocked versions of their 1gb 4870s to compete in the market. Weve already looked at the Gainward and Sapphire overclocked variations and today were going to look at an offering from HIS, the HD4870 IceQ 4+ Turbo.
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by Zardon | 16/01/2009
Today we are releasing our newest version of the benchmark (Version 3) which is a higher overhead script for the continually improving computer systems making their impact throughout 2008 and now 2009. We will be making the changeover to this version in all forthcoming hardware reviews and articles and obviously the new results are in no way comparible to the older V1 or V2 script results. We have made it available to public for download and we also have an online comparison database.
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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 Zardon | 13/12/2008
The XL30 is undenably aimed at the less price conscious professional editing and design markets such as graphics bureaus, printers and publishers. It is in these markets that colour accuracy is paramount to the end product and this is where the sophisicated LED backlight plays a part. Samsung claim industry leading colour accuracy/range and looking at the statistics we would already assume this to be true.
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by Grace | 01/12/2008
G.Skill are a renowned memory manufacturer and they have released many high performance products during the past months. That said, they haven't forgotten about the mainstream market and they just released several new DDR2 kits for the mainstream market as well. Today we will have a look at a Pi Black series PC2-6400 4GB kit, which can operate at 800MHz while needing only 1.8-1.9V.
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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 Grace | 10/11/2008
Recently Antec have released a new PSU series dubbed Signature which don't come cheap, however Antec claims that they are implementing cutting-edge technology and quality currently available for consumer PSUs. We will examine if these claims are true in this review as we will be pushing the Signature 850W unit to its limits.
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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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by Nathan Marks | 21/10/2008
Today were going to look at the MSI Wind U100 Series, a smart looking subnotebook aimed directly at the successful EEE PC market.
After Asus revealed the Eee PC back in 2007, there were bound to be some who would follow suit and release their own ultra portable notebooks. With hotspots appearing throughout cities all over the world the market is becoming ripe for cheap, ultraportable, easy to use computers to perform basic tasks.
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by Stuart Davidson | 07/10/2008
On our test bench today is Gainwards Golden Sample version of the latest high end video card to be released by ATI, the Radeon HD 4870 1GB. Rumours and news about this particular model have been around since before the 512MB version made it to launch but it has taken some time for the 1GB model to reach the marketplace and it enters into a slightly more crowded segment than it would have three months ago.
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by Stuart Davidson | 03/10/2008
We previously reviewed two items, the Aurora keyboard and Jazz IDE enclosure and came away suitably impressed. Recently each received a revamp with the Jazz moving to the SATA interface and the Aurora receiving some design changes and the addition of enhanced audio functionality. Today we will be taking a look at both to find out if these changes are for the better.
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by Stuart Davidson | 25/09/2008
The new GeForce GTX 260 increases the number of shader processors and should provide a very competitive alternative to the Radeon 4870. Today we will be finding out how well it compares in a selection of the latest games, including Crysis Warhead as well as demonstrating how well it handles Blu-Ray acceleration and PhysX processing.
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by Asmoday | 24/09/2008
Almost two years ago we had a look at the 900 Ultimate gamer case which we liked very much. But things have changed a lot since December -06 and more powerful hardware has been released, emitting more heat than ever before. The 900 was called the Ultimate gamers case back then and now the 1200 is here to replace that mantle.
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by Stuart Davidson | 22/09/2008
Today we will be throwing a few of the latest and greatest gaming titles at the 9500 GT XXX as well as some PhysX processing and media playback to ascertain whether this product really is the card of dreams for a budget minded consumer.
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by Stuart Davidson | 16/09/2008
So what do R&D guys do to unwind and what do they get up to in those rare times when they do not have deadlines to meet? Well, they have some fun creating new products which are not necessarily aimed at being launched, just a test of what can be done... and that brings us to todays product.
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by Zardon | 03/09/2008
How does a watercooled, overclocked Q9550, ATI HD 4870 X2, 4GB of DDR2 ram, 750 GB Sata II HDD with a 780W PSU all running on an Asus P5Q Pro P45 motherboard sound? What if they sweetened the deal by throwing in the gorgeous Hiper Anubis Case?
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by Zardon | 24/08/2008
It is not often we review a Macintosh product on DriverHeaven and although we are late to the table we felt it would be an interesting novelty for our readers to have a look at probably the sexiest laptop ever made, the MacBook Air.
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by Stuart Davidson | 21/08/2008
Today we will be comparing eight motherboards for Intel processors and showing how each performs as well as looking at the features they have to offer. Tests include gaming, media playback, image manipulation and more, so by the end of the article we should be a bit better placed to know which chipset or board is ideal for consumers using Intel processors.
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by Zardon | 17/08/2008
Even though comparisons will be made, our intention is not to directly compare ATI against Nvidia in this article, but more to see how both leading ultimate solutions will run on a system which should in theory be less CPU bound than most. To further downplay the side effects of the two Quad processors affecting the results, we have watercooled both CPU's and overclocked them to 4.4ghz (400x11). This will let both graphics solutions stretch their legs at the highest resolutions.
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by Grace | 08/08/2008
Today we will have a look at the gaming performance of seven different budget graphics card products from various manufacturers. The products on test today are all priced between £20 and £70, yet the performance differences between them are vast, making some usable only for HTPC use and 2D gaming while others can be used to power a relatively decent gaming machine.
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by Stuart Davidson | 02/08/2008
XFX offered us the opportunity to review a number of their value segment motherboards with onboard graphics, they told us that their products were capable of taking on the best AMD and Intel had to offer. This is quite a claim so after tracking down some impressive AM2/Socket 775 boards we put XFX to their word.
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by Zardon | 25/07/2008
Alienware have always produced some of the sleekist sexiest laptops known to geekdom and with their latest M15x this tradition is set to continue. There is no doubt in my mind by looking at the sensual curves of the Alienware that they have crafted something rather special.
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by Grace | 18/07/2008
DDR3 RAM sales are slowly but steadily increasing, mainly of the aggressive price drops in the past few months but also because of the inability of DDR2 RAM to evolve much further. Despite that, DDR2 RAM modules are still very popular as they are still the most cost effective solution.
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by Stuart Davidson | 24/06/2008
The demand for four gigabytes of memory has risen with the release and adoption of Windows Vista amongst the enthusiast audience. Thankfully the prices have also dropped considerably since the days of XP. Vista changed the outlook for many people as it can make far better use of memory than XP, SuperFetch for example preloads the most used programs into memory for faster access.
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by Grace | 22/10/2007
We have reviewed many high quality power supply units from a wide array of manufacturers on DriverHeaven this year. Today we will put another power supply unit under the spotlight, one from High Performance Group (or Hipergroup). Hipergroup is a relatively new PC components manufacturer; however their highly competitive products have allowed them to grow very quickly in the market.
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by Grace | 31/07/2007
OCZ has released a great number of power supply units lately, each targeting a particular market. We had the chance to test several powerful units from their line-up here at DriverHeaven, most of which were top of the line products. Today we will take a look at a more versatile unit, the ModXstream 780W. It offers a little bit of everything; high efficiency and power output combined with good aesthetics and low noise operation. So in theory, the ModXstream unit is the perfect unit for everybody. Sounds a bit too good to be true, doesn’t it?
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by Stuart Davidson | 03/10/2006
It is amazing how fast things change in the world of PC components. Just 3 years ago I was quite happily running a 17inch screen with an Athlon XP 2600+, Geforce 5800 and 512mb (2x256mb) of memory and even using it as a review system here on DriverHeaven. Now this review system has a dual core CPU and 2Gb of ram, pretty much a standard configuration in the enthusiast community. It is fair to say that many users are still using a CRT with their system, so what exactly can a top of the range TFT bring to the table?
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by Kombatant | 15/03/2006
Fast-forward to today, PC modding has hit mainstream big time. Nowadays companies sell pre-modded cases, pre-modded PSUs, pre-modded pretty much everything, with impressive neon lights, UV-coated material and cool-looking fans becoming the norm these days. Today on DriverHeaven we’re going to take a look at a very cool set of fans for your PC, called the Turbine Card Cooler XT and manufactured by The Card Cooler, a company specializing in cooling solutions and based in Ohio, USA.
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by Stuart Davidson | 02/03/2006
It’s been a while since we had a look at some DDR2 memory here on DriverHeaven however the technology is growing in popularity as Intel users look to enhance the performance of their systems. Add to that the fact that AMD will be heading towards DDR2 later this year and you have a product which will become more and more popular as time goes on. Today’s review product comes from the memory experts at OCZ Technology and is their PC2-6400 (800MHz) memory.
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by Stuart Davidson | 20/02/2006
Arctic Cooling have been making enthusiast coolers for gpu’s and cpu for quite a while now. In fact one of the Driverheaven review systems has been using the freezer range of CPU coolers for a while now and we have been completely satisfied with the performance and even more impressed by the low noise they create. When building our media centre system noise was a consideration and with the AIW X800 cooler not being the best we replaced it with an Arctic Cooling Silencer 5 and this was a complete success though when we recently moved to the more advanced AIW X1800 series card we hit a brick wall as far as noise levels are concerned. You see the mounting holes on the X1k series of cards are completely different to those on the X8 series and you therefore can’t just use any cooler on your nice new shiny X1k product.
Luckily Arctic Cooling are on the ball and have recently launched a new line of GPU coolers – The “Accelero” series which features the X1 for Geforce cards and X2 for Radeon X1k cards.
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by Asmoday | 15/11/2005
We have reviewed several of XG's products before here on Driverheaven, two power supplies - the MGE Xtreme Gamer Vortec 500w and the XG Magnum 500w plus one case; the MGE XG Quantum.
Now we have had the opportunity to look at one of their newest case creations the XG Dragon aluminium.
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by Asmoday | 06/11/2005
We have reviewed many Asetek products on Driverheaven in the past, the last being the Vapochill Micro Ultra Low noise which received a glowing outcome a few months ago. Today we turn to another product from the same company in the shape of the Micro’s more extreme brother; the aptly named “Extreme Performance”.
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by Stuart Davidson | 16/10/2005
We’re always happy to look at Asus products at Driverheaven, time after time we receive things from them which really are top quality so when they offered us their 7800GTX we immediately accepted. Thinking back to excellent products such as the V9999 Gamer Edition or the Extreme AX800XT it was clear that this product had a lot to live up to, did it manage? Lets see…
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by Stuart Davidson | 22/08/2005
In the past, we’ve looked at some of Asetek’s enthusiast coolers here on Driverheaven. The Waterchill products have impressed us through both their first class performance with their high standard of components and build quality. Today, we have the newest of Asetek’s coolers in for review and it’s definitely a departure from the norm. Rather than being targeted at water-cooling enthusiasts, the new cooler is aimed solely at the mainstream market and it’s one that Asetek hopes will make them become leaders in performance in that segment as well as the enthusiast arena. Not only does the product aim to take the performance crown, it also claims to do it with a minimal amount of noise…
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by Stuart Davidson | 11/06/2005
It’s been quite a while since we looked at an AMD processor on Driverheaven and in that time AMD have been busy enhancing their range of CPU’s. The socket 939 Athlon64’s have begun moving to the Venice core and AMD have also launched the X2 brand of Dual Core Athlon64’s so let’s kill two birds with one stone and have a look at a processor of each type. The 3800+ and the 4800+, and see how they compare to one of Intel’s latest and greatest, the 3.46 GHz P4EE.
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by Stuart Davidson | 15/05/2005
If you ask any PC enthusiast what type of memory they have in their PC the likely response would be Corsair or OCZ. Both manufacturers make great performance memory and have done for some time. Recently though more manufacturers are branching out into the performance segment and today we have modules from two of these manufacturers up for review. The first is Crucial who have been synonymous with quality, stable memory for years. The second is Ultra. We’ve looked at Ultra products before on Driverheaven and found them to be generally excellent.
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by Stuart Davidson | 12/04/2005
MSI make great motherboards, we at Driverheaven love to use them as they are always completely stable and feature packed. On the graphics card front the MSI branded products are also top notch in terms of quality and performance so delving deeper into MSI’s product catalogue we expect similar attributes from their products… today’s review product is the MSI DR16-B2 DVD writer.
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by Stuart Davidson | 29/01/2005
Nearly two months ago ATI released their Radeon Xpress chipset for AMD cpu’s, it was one of the first boards to be with reviewers which featured PCI Express for the AMD platform. The Xpress chipset has yet to make it to market however the NForce 4 boards are beginning to trickle through; one of the first boards to do so is the Asus A8N-SLI. It’s no secret that we love Asus products here at Driverheaven, over the last 2 years every product we have received from them has been first class in terms of performance and build quality, so going into the review we hoped for the same from the A8N-SLI.
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by Zardon | 02/01/2005
Its not often on Driverheaven we review prebuilt desktops or laptops, but today we are going to throw a curveball into the works and look at one of Sony's sexiest computers available, the VGN-T1XP. This laptop is targetted squarely at those of you wanting long battery life, razor sharp screen quality, diminutive size with high speed wireless for maximum portability. Needless to say this wont be the ideal machine for portable gaming, so if you are on the lookout for a desktop replacement then look elsewhere. So how much does this super portable laptop cost? you can pick it up for around £1800 in UK stores at time of press, so its not for those on a budget.
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by Stuart Davidson | 28/08/2004
Over the past few months we’ve had a fair amount of 6800GT’s and Ultras come into Driverheaven however no 6800 non ultras, fortunately this has changed and we now have the chance to look at the Asus branded version of the 6800. This card is quite unique in its specification and comes with a massive amount of add-ins to the bundle. Its certainly no normal 6800 non ultra, more about that later. Around the same time the 6800 arrived we also received Sapphire’s take on the X800Pro, a competitively priced product to the Asus 6800 so it makes sense to look at them both in the same article.
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by Zardon | 28/03/2004
The search for the ultimate Driverheaven rig starts today , the aim to create a beast so powerful it will make grown men green with envy. This is the first part in a series of overclocking adventures with the top of the line hardware which will hopefully not only be educational and informative but fun.
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by WyreTheWolf | 26/07/2003
Today I am not reviewing new technology... Today I am going to review a card that is the low man on the totem pole. You may ask why... Well, most people have heard about modifying a Radeon 9500 non pro into a Radeon 9700 non pro by opening the other 4 pipelines that are disabled by default on the 9500. Today not only am I going to show you how to do this... but I am also going to show you the performance increases that you can gain from this.
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