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Review of USB 3.0 GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 PCI Express Card GA-USB3.0

KristoferB — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:58:05 +0000

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 is here and it’s going to eventually replace the again USB 2.0 specification just like USB 2.0 did with USB 1.1. If you want to get UBS 3.0 you’ve got limited choices right now, really only two ways to go. The first is finding a motherboard that is equipped with USB 3.0, they’re rather expensive right now and there aren’t really many to choose from. That route is costly in both time and money really. The second route you could take to adopt USB 3.0 is with something like I have for review today, a USB 3.0 PCIE card that will quickly and easily add USB 3.0 capabilities to your system. Today for review I’ve got the USB 3.0 Gigabyte Ultra Durable 3 PCI Express Card, model GA-USB3.0. This card utilizes the small PCIE slot or X1 slot on your motherboard and will give you two UBS 3.0 ports on the back of your computer. It’s easy easy to install, just a few minutes really and you’re ready to go. So the question of course is how much faster is it? Well read on to learn about it…

Specifications:

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 PCI Express Card (GA-USB3.0)

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 PCI Express Card boosts your USB 3.0 device performance to 5Gb/s and provide 3x USB power that delivery for greater compatibility and extra power for USB device.

Price: US$53.00

Feature:
-2 x USB 3.0 ports
-3x USB power delivery for greater compatibility and extra power for USB devices
-PCIE x 1 interface
-NEC USB 3.0 controller
-Ultra Durable 3 – Technology with 2oz copper PCB design
-4 pin power

Package Contents:
-GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 PCI Express Card GA-USB3.0
-4 Pin Convertor Cable
-Driver CD

Unboxing:
The box is bright and colorful with information all over it, opening it up you’re greeted with the PCIE card.

Inside you’ll find the card, driver disc, manual and a Molex power cable.

The card itself is rather plain really, it’s a blue PCB with a Molex power connection on the top or front edge.

This card uses the NEC chipset.

On the PCI slot side you’ll find the two blue USB 3.0 connections.

Installation, Performance, Comparison
Installation is easy, you just need a free small X1 PCEI slot and a free molex power connector. Plug it in, then just install the drivers, took just a couple minutes and I was up and running.

If you’ve got a nice new USB 3.0 card you’re going to need something that is USB 3.0 capable in order to take full advantage of it, and I’ve got a USB 3.0 enclosure on hand for just such things.

Inside the enclosure is a 500GB 2.5” 5400RPM Samsung drive.

For the testing I used Atto Disk Bench Mark and HD Tach RW.

My testing here is basic, we’re just comparing USB 2.0 to USB 3.0 to see the differences that one could expect. The card itself though seems well made, but let’s find out how it works.

First up is Atto:

As you can see we’ve almost tripled the speeds when going to the USB 3.0 interface from the USB 2.0. I’d say that’s a nice increase in speed.

The next test is HD Tach RW.

The Random Access Time is about the same, and we’ve slightly more than doubled the Average Read Speeds. The Burst Speed though went from 37.5 MB/s up to 130.5 MB/s. The Sequential Read speeds are similar to those that we saw using Atto.

Conclusion:

Obviously we see a nice increase over USB 2.0, but you’ve got to remember with this new interface you’ll have to also buy USB 3.0 specific products to fully take advantage of the speeds.

The Gigabyte card is smaller than other PCIE USB 3.0 cards I’ve got, which I don’t think makes that much of a difference. If you believe the specs of the card then it’s one of the better ones on the market today, but still it’s based on the same NEC USB 3.0 chipset that most every other one out there is.

Not many motherboards are USB 3.0 equipped and the ones that are seem to be on the expensive side. An add-in card like this is the inexpensive and quick way to get USB 3.0 on your system.

At this point in time you have to ask yourself if it’s worth it to move to USB 3.0 or not. I’m sure most of you out there don’t know many people with USB 3.0 capable computers, and if you’ve got more than one computer and plan to transfer stuff between them you’ll need to have two USB 3.0 computers to take advantage of it. If you have more computers you’ll of course need more of these add-in cards or USB 3.0 equipped motherboards.

The cost of the card is low when compared to the money, time and effort it would take to replace the motherboard in your computer, but you’ll need to buy enclosures like the one I have and they aren’t exactly inexpensive right now. Like all new technology though, USB 3.0 will drop in price as it is more widely adopted.

So are you going to make the move to USB 3.0 with a whole new system or is it just easier to grab an add-in card like this one? Is it worth it really though at this point in time?

Pros:
+Nicely made card
+Much faster than USB 2.0
+Easy installation

Cons:
-Not much is USB 3.0 just yet
-Must buy rather expensive enclosures etc to take advantage of speeds
-You might need more than one for multiple computers

Ratings
Overall: 4 out of 5
Performance: 5 out of 5
Aesthetic: 4 out of 5
Build Quality: 5 out of 5

Disclosure: This product was given to Bona Fide Reviews for review by the company for review purposes only, and is not considered by us as payment for the review, we do not, and never will, accept payment from companies to review their products.

News and Reviews for 1/2/10

KristoferB — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:53:49 +0000

Happy New Year!! It’s the start of a new year so let’s hope this year turns out to be very good!

Video Cards:

ASUS EAH5750 1GB FORMULA Graphics Card Review @ Vortez.co.uk

HIS Radeon HD 5770 1GB Video Card @ TweakTown

ECS GeForce GT240 512MB Video Card Review @ Motherboards.org

HIS Radeon HD5750 iCooler IV Video Card Benchmarking @ Legit Reviews

Adobe Flash HD-Video GPU Acceleration Guide @ Benchmark Reviews

Cooling, CPUs, and Related:

Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler @ DragonSteelMods

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev. 2 Review @ High Tech Reviews

Arctic Cooling NC @ Hardware Bistro

Enermax Apolish LED Case Fan Review @ [OC]ModShop

Swiftech Apogee XT High End CPU Water Block Review @ Madshrimps

Storage, Flash and Memory:

ANTEC MX-25 Aluminum Hard Drive Enclosure @ PCShopTalk

SanDisk 32GB Extreme III SDHC Memory Card Review @ Legit Reviews

Kingston 16GB DataTraveler Locker+ Flash Drive Review @ Bigbruin.com

WD Black 2TB @ InsideHW

Sound:

SteelSeries Siberia v2 USB Headset @ BCCHardware

Teufel Concept B 200 USB Speaker Review on Technic3D

Sony MDR-570LP Headphones @ hardwareZone

Hisoundaudio AMP3 Pro. 2 Review at CCE Reviews

PC Cases:

NZXT Lexa S Case @ Rbmods

LanCool PC-K56W Mid-Tower Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews

Motherboards:

Tyan S5502 Server/Workstation System Board Review @ TechwareLabs

GIGABYTE P55A-UD4P @ Bjorn3D

Gigabyte P55A-UD6 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Gaming, Games Etc:

GTA4: Ballad of Gay Tony Walkthrough @ [OC]ModShop

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (PC DVD) @ Barry’s Review Blog

Review: Xbox 360 Starter Pack @ Xbox360Digest

Cooler Master Storm Sentinel Advance Gaming Mouse @ techPowerUp

Left 4 Dead 2 @ LanOC Reviews

Logitech G27 Racing Wheel @ Techgage

SteelSeries XAI Laser Gaming Mouse @ PCShopTalk

FINAL FANTASY XIII Hands On Preview @ TweakTown

Power Supplies:

SilverStone Strider Plus 1000 Watt Power Supply @ TekArcade

Thermaltake Evo_Blue 750 watt PSU @ Bjorn3D

COOLER MASTER SNA 95 UNIVERSAL POWER ADAPTER REVIEW @ APH NETWORKS

Corsair HX750 Power Supply Review @ High Tech Reviews

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Xigmatek NRP-PC602 600 Watt

Ultra X4 600W and 1050W Power Supply Review @ Rbmods

Mobility Related:

Advent ADV800XM 4" Touchscreen Portable GPS Navigation System @ MobilityDigest

Archos 5 Internet Tablet@ hardwarezone
Nokia X6 – The Premium Music Phone @ Hardwarezone

Dell Alienware m15x: Aliens Beware! @ hardwarezone

HTC Touch2 Smartphone Review @ t-break

Assorted Stuffs:

SKYlasers 125mw Green Laser Review @ TechwareLabs

Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1 Digicam @ hardwarezone

2009: A Year in Review & Looking Ahead @ hardwarezone

Canon PowerShot G11 Review @ Digital Trends

Oppo BDP-83 Review @ Digital Trends

Digital Trends’ Best of 2009 Awards @ Digital Trends

Blu-ray Release Line-up for 2010 @ TweakTown

HotHardware’s Best Of 2009 Awards @ HotHardware.com

Win a Pentax Optio E80 10MP Digital Camera in the Bigbruin.com NFL Pool

ASUS RT-N13U SuperSpeed N Wireless Router @ TweakTown

Plextor PX-B320SA 8X Blu-ray Disc Drive @ LanOC Reviews

Ubuntu 32-bit, 32-bit PAE, 64-bit Benchmarks @ Phoronix

USB 3.0: What You Need To Know @ techspot

News and Reviews for 12-4-09

KristoferB — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:01:55 +0000

Happy Friday to you! We’ve got a ton of news so let’s just jump right on in..

Gaming and Games:

Dirt 2 CPU benchmarks with DirectX 9 and DirectX 11: Phenom doing well, quad-cores rule @ PCGamesHardware

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (PC) review @ Elite Bastards

Mionix Saiph 1800 Mouse Review @ High Tech Reviews

Need for Speed: Shift Patch 2 accelerates Radeon graphics cards @ PCGamesHardware

ROCCAT Sota Gaming Mouse Mat Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Roccat Kova Mouse @ Rbmods

DiRT2 DirectX 11 ATI Radeon HD 5000 Series Comparison @ TweakTown

CPUs, and Cooling:

iXBT Labs Review: Intel Xeon 3450 Processor

A Futurelooks News Flash – Thermaltake SpinQ Heatpipe CPU Cooler Review

AMD Athlon II X2 240e & X3 435 @ Techgage

Cooler Master Hyper N620 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

Xigmatek Thor’s Hammer CPU Cooler/Heatsink Review @ Tweaknews

Apack ZEROtherm Core92 CPU Cooler Review on Technic3D

Choiix Air-Through Notebook/Laptop Cooler Review @ TechwareLabs

Noctua NH-D14 140mm CPU Cooler @ TweakTown

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Titan Fenrir Christmas Edition Heatsink Review @ High Tech Reviews

Titan Fenrir & Skalli CPU Coolers Review @ Hardware Canucks

Enermax Twister Series Fan Review Roundup @ Vortez.co.uk

VIZO Ninja HS @ LanOC Reviews

EnerMax Aeolus Laptop Cooler Review @ TechwareLabs

Win a CoolIT Systems Domino A.L.C. CPU Cooler in the Bigbruin.com NFL Pool

GELID Tranquillo CPU Cooler @ TweakTown

Storage Related, Memory, Flash etc:

A-DATA SH93 Rugged Portable Hard Drive Review @ techSpot

iStorage Pro iT8SAE 8-bay SAS / SATA Expander @ TweakTown

Seagate Barracuda XT SATA-6G Hard Drive @ Benchmark Reviews

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Kingston SSDNow V+ 64GB

Gigabyte 333 Event – Details about SATA 6G and USB 3.0 @ Madshrimps

Seagate FreeAgent Go 1TB USB Hard Drive Review @ Bigbruin.com

Intel X25-M G2 34nm Firmware 2CV102HD Quick Test @ Madshrimps

Simpletech by Hitachi SimpleTOUGH 500GB USB 2.0 External Enclosure @ TweakTown

Spire Slide Pro @ techPowerUp

Thecus N0503 Combo NAS Review @ Tweaknews

Assorted Stuffs:

TweakTown Holiday Buyers Guide 2009

TR’s Christmas 2009 system guide

Public Enemies Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

Asus EeeTop PC ET2002 Review @ HotHardware.com

Linux Firewall Part 5: The GUI Interface @ [OC]ModShop

How To: Change the Windows 7 Logon Screen @ [OC]ModShop

Intel Unveils 48-Core Single-Chip Cloud Computer @ HotHardware

Canon PowerShot SX200 IS @ InsideHW

Nokia E75 Mobile Phone Review @ BayReviews.com

Beginners Guides: 99 Performance Tips and Tweaks for Windows Vista @ PCSTATS.com

Home Printer Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Printer for Your Needs @ Digital Trends

The Death of Free: Will Free Online Content Like Hulu Ever Dry Up? @ Digital Trends

I4U News published a review of the new Acer Aspire AS5738PG-6306 Touchscreen Notebook

Why Wait for Chrome OS? Our Review of iCloud, the "Free Online Computer" @ RealXtreme.net

The iPhone becomes a victim of its own popularity @ TweakTown

Experts Say Blu-ray Players are Here to Stay @ Digital Trends

War on Warranties: Are Extended Warranties Worth It? @ Digital Trends

Olympus E-600 Review @ Digital Trends

BlackBerry Bold 9700 Review @ Digital Trends

Speedlink Gravity Blaster Review @ XSReviews

Samsung X420 Notebook – X and Why @ HardwareZone

A HardwareZone Special: PlayTest November 2009

Fujitsu’s Winter Launch of Tiny Notebooks and More @ HardwareZone

Audio Technica ATH-ON300 Headphones @ HardwareZone

Video Cards and Video Stuffs:

GIGABYTE 275GTX Super Overclock @ Bjorn3D

ATI HD 5770 Review @ XSReviews

TRENDnet TV-M7 7-Inch Wireless IP Camera Monitor @ TweakTown

GIGABYTE Radeon HD 5970 2GB Video Card @ TweakTown

Xigmatek Bifrost VD1065 Video Card Cooler @ Benchmark Reviews

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Thermalright 4890/4870 VRM R1

nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ Hardware Secrets

SDC Megtron LC-Display @ techPowerUp

Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 Vapor-X Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews

Patriot Box Office HD Media Player Firmware P02 Update @ Legit Reviews

Galaxy GeForce GTX 260+ Razor Edition @ hardwareZone

Motherboards:

iXBT Labs Review: Intel DP55WG "Warrensburg" Motherboard

ECS A785GM-M @ Planted3dNow

iXBT Labs Review: ASRock P55M Pro Motherboard

Overclocking with MSI Afterburner @ Bjorn3D

ASUS P7P55D Evo Intel P55 Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Cases / Chassis:

Thermaltake Element G Gaming Case Review @ Legit Reviews

Antec Nine Hundred Two Mid Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

AZZA Solano 1000R Case Review @ TopReviewShop

SilverStone SUGO SG04-FH Case Review @ Motherboards.org

Cooler Master HAF 932 Full Tower Case Review @ PCSTATS.com

Cooler Master HAF 922 Midi-Tower @ Technic3d

Case In Point: Searching For the Perfect Mid-Tower @ HotHardware.com

NZXT Beta Review @ XSReviews

Silverstone Temjin TJ10B: Water Cooled with Silence @ Bjorn3D

NZXT LEXA-S Computer Chassis @ Benchmark Reviews

NZXT Lexa S Review at Overclockers Online

Thermaltake Element G Mid-Tower Case Review @ High Tech Reviews

Power Supplies:

Topower Tiger Series 1200W PSU @ Bjorn3D

Thermaltake Evo Blue 650Watt Power Supply Review @ Ninjalane

Amacrox Free Style 650 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

FSP NB S90 Universal Notebook Adapter @ LaNOC Reviews

News and Reviews for 11-21-09

KristoferB — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:23:06 +0000

Happy Saturday to you, We’ve got news and lots of it:

PC Cases:

NZXT M59 Mid-Tower Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews

Thermaltake SD100 mini ITX Home Theater Chassis @ Legit Reviews

SilverStone SG04B-H Computer Case Review @ TechwareLabs

CoolerMaster Sileo 500 Case Review @ Ninjalane

inWin Maelstrom Case @ Technic3d

Cooler Master CM Storm Scout Case @ Technic3d

CPUS, Cooling Related etc:

Cooler Master SNA95 Slim Universal Notebook Adapter Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Amd Athlon 2 X3 435 CPU @ Rbmods

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Alpenföhn Gletscherspalte

Antec Notebook Cooler 200 @ Benchmark Reviews

Ram, Memory, Storage:

Seagate Barracuda XT 2 TB Hard Disk Drive Review @ Hardware Secrets

Elixir 6 GB 1600 MHz CL9 Tri-Channel @ techPowerUp

Western Digital WD TV Media Player Review @ Bigbruin.com

OCZ Agility 60GB SSD (SLC) @ Bjorn3D

A-DATA SH93 Waterproof and Shock Resistant Portable HDD Video Review @TweakTown

Patriot Box Office HD Media Player Review @ Legit Reviews

AXUS FiT 500E Five-Bay RAID DAS Server @ TweakTown

QNAP TS-419P NAS 4-Bay Network Storage @ Benchmark Reviews

Thermaltake BlacX Duet eSATA/USB Docking Station Review @ BayReviews.com

A Futurelooks News Flash – Kingston HyperX 4GB 2133MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Kit Review

Sapphire 950w/1250w Pure PSU Unboxing Videos @ Motherboards.org

Bose Wave SoundLink Music System Review @ Digital Trends

Thecus N0503 ComboNAS Review @ High Tech Reviews

ASUS Maximus III Formula LGA1156 Motherboard Review @ Hardware Canucks

Keyboards, Mice, Gaming Etc:

efo Wireless Keyboard @ Hardware Bistro

Razer Sphex Gaming Mousepad Review @ [OC]ModShop

ZOWIE GEAR G-TF Mousepad @ BCCHardware

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 PC Review @ LGR Nexus

Review: Forza Motorsport 3 @ Xbox360Digest

Review: Left 4 Dead 2 @ Xbox360Digest

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 @ Techgage

Modern Warfare 2 Walkthrough and Guide @ [OC]ModShop

Logitech Harmony 700 review @ UKGamer

Nintendo Wii Fit Plus Review @ Hardware Secrets

Assorted Stuffs:

WindowBlinds 7 Review @ [OC]ModShop

Gone With The Wind 70th Anniversary Edition DVD Review @ Ascully.com

Google Chrome OS hands-on (Dev Build November 20, 2009) @ TweakTown

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Asus Sabertooth 55i TUF P55 Motherboard

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: ASUS HP-100U Dolby Headphone Set.

Unearth Region-Specific Windows 7 Themes @ TechSpot

Ultra X4 500 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

HTC Hero @ InsideHW

AeroCool V12XT-800 power-supply review @planet3dnow.de

HP DM3 Laptop/Netbook @ TechwareLabs

ASUS P7P55D Pro @ Techgage

Sharkoon Rush Power 600W power-supply review @planet3dnow.de

Lovely Charts @ BusinessComputingWorld

Gigabyte G41M-ES2L Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P Mainboard Review on Technic3D

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP8 Review @ Digital Trends

Samsung SyncMaster LD190G 19-inch Lapfit USB LCD Monitor Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Nokia N97 mini @ HardwareZone

Video Cards and Related:

ATI Catalyst 9.11 Windows 7 Driver Analysis @ TweakTown

Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 5970 2 GB Video Card Unboxing! @ Motherboards.org

Leadtek GT 220 @ Bjorn3D

Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 Review @ XSReviews

ATI Radeon HD 5970 2GB in CrossFireX @ TweakTown

NVIDIA Pushes 3D Vision Outside the Gaming Box @ TweakTown

nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ Hardware Secrets

AMD ATI Chips Comparison Table @ Hardware Secrets

Mushkin ATI 4850 512Mb UltimateFX Video Card @ hardwareslave.com

Palit GeForce GT 240 Sonic 1 GB @ techPowerUp

AMD’s Radeon HD 5970 graphics card @ TechReport

TrustedReviews Article Bulletin: AMD ATI Radeon HD 5970

News and Reviews for 11-3-09

KristoferB — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:01:16 +0000

Tons of news today!:

Video Cards:

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X Video Card @ Legit Reviews

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X reviewed @ PCGamesHardware

Sapphire Radeon HD5870 Vapor-X Video Card Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X 1GB video card review @ Elite Bastards

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X 1GB Review @ Hardware Canucks

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 CrossfireX

Last chance to win a HIS Radeon HD graphics card @ eTeknix.com

Unigine ‘Heaven’ – The First DirectX 11 Benchmark @ Legit Reviews

2009 Linux Graphics Survey @ Phoronix

AMD’s UVD2-based XvBA Finally Does Something On Linux @ Phoronix

CPUs, Cooling and Motherboards:

AMD Athlon II X4 620 & Sapphire PI-AM3RS785G @ Bjorn3D

AMD Athlon II X4 620 CPU Review @ XtremeComputing

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: AMD Athlon II 620 X4

Zalman CNPS10X Extreme Cpu Cooler @ Rbmods

iXBT Labs Review: MSI 785GM-E65 Motherboard

AMD Athlon II X2 240e Processor @ TechwareLabs

Gigabyte GA-P55 UD3R Review @ OCC

Arctic Cooling F Pro PWM & TC Case Fans @ DragonSteelMods

Storage Related Stuffs:

AXUS FiT 500 RAID box @ TechwareLabs

Corsair Flash Survivor 32GB USB Drive @ VelocityReviews.com

SSD + Full Disk Encryption = Slow/Slower as HDD @ Madshrimps

SATA 6G Implementation Preview – Ironing Out The Creases @ TweakTown

Thecus N7700 Ultimate NAS Server Review @ Virtual-Hideout

Super Talent Pico Mini 8GB USB Drive Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Western Digital WD TV Live HD Media Player @ Legit Reviews

QNAP TS-419P Four-Bay Turbo NAS Server @ TweakTown

Seagate Cheetah NS.2 and Cheetah 15K.7 tested @ LanOC Reviews

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Asus PCIe GEN2 SATA6G expansion card

A Futurelooks News Flash – Corsair Dominator 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Review

PC Cases/Chassis:

Antec Mini Skeleton-90 Open Air Mini-ITX Case @ TweakTown

NZXT Lexa S Mid-Tower Case – BCCHardware Review

Antec Two Hundred @ LanOC Reviews

Notebooks/Netbooks/Laptops:

I4U News published a review of the new Asus G51VX Gaming Notebook.

ASUS G51VX-A1 15.6-inch Gaming Notebook @ TweakTown

Acer Aspire 7738 @ InsideHW

Sony VAIO X – Xtraordinary Thinness @ HardwareZone

Power Supplies Etc:

Ultra X4 850W PSU Giveaway! – BCCHardware

Thermaltake EVO_BLUE 650W PSU @ BCCHardware

AeroCool E85-550 550W power-supply review @planet3dnow.de

Ultra X4 1050 watt PSU @ Bjorn3D

Thermaltake XT PSU Giveaway! @ JonnyGURU.com

Spire Blackmoon Series 550W @ Rbmods

be quiet! BQT TFX-300W PSU Review on Technic3D

Ultra X4 850w Thanksgiving Contest @ Bjorn3D

And here’s all the assorted stuffs:

Logitech 2009-2010 Product Showcase @ t-break

Managing Your Audio to Keep Neighbors Happy @ Techgage

Motorola Droid Review @ Digital Trends

Energy Sistem Xplosionn Review @ XSReviews

League of Legends Review on LGRNexus.com

MP4Nation Beta Brainwavz In-ears @ techPowerUp

Case In Point: Navigating The Upgrade Minefield @ HotHardware.com

Blackberry Curve 8520 Smartphone @ t-break

Cooler Master Sentinel Advance Gaming Mouse Review @ Modders-Inc.com

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Arctic Cooling Accelero L2 Pro

Samsung UN55B7100 55” 120Hz LED HDTV Review @ Hardware Canucks

Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Impressions @ [OC]ModShop

Windows 7 Part 2: Throwing the Switch @ eTeknix.com

EFO Wireless Handheld Keyboard and Touch Pad @ DragonSteelMods

News and Reviews for 10-31-09

KristoferB — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:12:14 +0000

Happy Halloween!! here’s the news:

Ram, Memory, Storage Etc:

OCZ XTC Cooler Rev 2 Memory Cooler Review @ XtremeComputing

Sandisk UltraBackup USB Flash Drive @ TechwareLabs

A quick look at Kanguru’s e-Flash eSATA/USB thumb drive @ TechReport

A Futurelooks News Flash – Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive Review

Seagate FreeAgent Go Dock+ Portable HDD Docking Station @ TweakTown

Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB SATA 6 Gbit/s Hard Drive Performance Review @ TweakTown

SanDisk Extreme Pro Compact Flash Memory card @ TechwareLabs

OCC has published a review on the Antec Easy SATA

CPUs and Cooling Stuffs:

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Phobya G-Changer 360

iXBT Labs Review: AMD Athlon II X3 425, 435 Processors

Xigmatek Balder SD1283 HDT CPU Cooler @ TweakTown

AMD Athlon II X4 630 Extreme Overclocking with LN2 by Deanzo @ Tweaktown

AMD Sempron 140 2.70 GHz @ techPowerUp

Cogage TRUE Spirit LGA1366 CPU Cooler @ Legit Reviews

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Xigmatek Balder SD1283

Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Secrets

AMD Athlon II X3 435 AM3 Processor Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Power Supplies:

ASUS U-75HA 750 W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

A Futurelooks News Flash – Ultra Products X4 1050W Modular ATX Power Supply Review

Sapphire FirePSU 625W power-supply review @planet3dnow.de

OCC has published a review on the Sapphire Pure 1250W Power Supply

BFG Tech EX-1000 1000W Modular Power Supply Review @ Bigbruin.com

be quiet! BQT SFX-350W PSU Review on Technic3D

PC Cases, Enclosures:

nMediaPC HTPC 8000 Wooden HTPC Case @ Legit Reviews

In-Win Maelstrom @ Bjorn3D

Antec Skeleton Open Air Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews

NZXT M59 Mid-Tower Steel Case Review at Overclockers Online

Thermaltake Element V Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

NZXT Lexa S @ Bjorn3D

Silverstone RV02 Raven 2 Case Review @ Ninjalane

OCC has published a review on the NZXT Lexa S

Lian Li PC-V351R @ techPowerUp

Audio/Video:

Sony Ericsson Satio & Samsung Pixon12 – 12-Megapixel Takeover! @ HardwareZone

SparkLAN CAS-673W Wireless Pan and Tilt MPEG4/MJPEG IP Camera @ TweakTown

LG W2486L @ InsideHW

How to find the best Gaming LCD HD TV set @ revHardware

Samsung 50" Plasma 1080p HDTV Review – BCCHardware

HIS Radeon HD 5770 1GB Video Card in CrossFire @ TweakTown

Gigabyte GTX 275 1792MB Super Overclock Review @ Hardware Canucks

Jabra BT2080 Bluetooth Headset Review @ Tech-Xtreme

LG Flatron W2230S – 22in Laptop Monitor @ TrustedReviews

Logitech Cordless Bluetooth Headset Reviewed @ MobilityDigest

Motherboards:

MSI P55-GD80 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets

ASUS Maximus II Gene Motherboard @ HotHardware.com

iXBT Labs Review: ASUS P7P55D Deluxe, EVO Motherboards

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R Intel P55 Motherboard Review @ PCSTATS.com

Assorted Stuffs:

I4U News published a review of the Asus Eee 1101HA Netbook

Army Of Darkness Screwhead Edition Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

AMD Loses Its Linux Core Engineering Manager @ Phoronix

How to install Windows Vista or Windows 7 from a USB drive @ eTeknix.com

Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch Tablet @ HardwareZone

FIRST LOOK – USB 3.0 in the PCSTATS Labs (ASUS U3S6) @ PCSTATS.com

Nokia 7705 Twist Cell Phone Review @ Hardware Secrets

Windows 7 Video Guides – HomeGroup, Streaming and Xbox Goodness! @ HardwareZone

ASUS K50IN @ InsideHW

Nvidia’s DX9 ION LE is DX10 after all @ eTeknix.com

Best Song Remixes of 2008 / 2009 @ Tech-Xtreme

Alienware Aurora ALX Gaming System Review @ HotHardware.com

Gaming and Games:

Steelseries 7G Review @ XSReviews

Resident Evil 5 Review @ LGRNexus

Left 4 Dead 2 hands-on test: Scenes from a real-life Zombie show @ PCGamesHardware

Borderlands technics test: Graphics cards benchmarks with Unreal Engine 3 – Geforces ahead @ PCGamesHardware

Saw: The PC Game: The Review @ [OC]ModShop

Logitech G27 Racing Wheel Review @ Rbmods

ROCCAT Kova Gaming Mouse Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Steelseries Siberia v2 Review @ XSReviews

I4U News published a review of the Storm Sentinel Advanced Gaming Mouse

AMD/Ati: Tech demos from 2001 until 2009 with DirectX 11 demo Ladybug/Mecha @ PCGamesHardware

QPad HeatoN Review @ XSReviews

Unigine Heaven Performance Scaling @ NGOHQ.com

News and Reviews for 10-28-09

KristoferB — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:30:47 +0000

Ok, I got a lot of news for you, been sick the last couple of days, stomach virus, flu or something… anyway, here’s the news:

We’ll start with the Assorted stuffs first:

20 Essential Outlook Tricks Every User Should Know @ Maximum PC

Running Ubuntu 9.10 With Older PC Hardware @ Phoronix

Toshiba Screws Windows 7 Upgrade Program in EMEA @ NGHQ

Cooler Master Storm Mouse Pad @ Bjorn3D

iPhone 3GS now available officially in the UAE @ t-break

NOVINT Falcon 3D Force Feedback Gaming Controller @ TweakTown

iXBT Labs Review: LGA1156 Plaform and DDR3 Memory

Windows 7 Part 1: Microsoft’s Liberation @ eTeknix.com

Our Own Worst Tech Nightmares @ Digital Trends

Epic Fail: The Top 10 Most Terrifying Technology Disasters @ Digital Trends

Otterbox 2600 Airtight PDA Case Review @ [OC]ModShop

Acer neoTouch @ HardwareZone

How-to: We build an AMD Home-Server with OpenSolaris @planet3dnow.de

Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Speakerphone Review @ Tech-Xtreme

Fusion-io ioXtreme SSD Sneak Peek & HH Video Podcast @ HotHardware.com

Fusion-io ioXtreme PCI Express SSD Sneak Peek:
http://hothardware.com/News/Fusionio-ioXtreme-PCI-Express-SSD-Sneak-Peek/

HotHardware and TechVi Video Podcast No. 1:
http://hothardware.com/News/HotHardware-and-TechVi-Video-Podcast-No-1/

Phoronix Test Suite 2.2 Enters Beta @ Phoronix

I4U News published a review of the Rocketfish Rapid Fire Wireless Controller for the Sony PS3

Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Headset Review @ Legit Reviews

A.C.Ryan PlayOn! DVR TV @ techPowerUp

Averatec N3400 13.3" Ultraportable Notebook Review @ TechSpot

Windows 7 Installation & Boot Comparison vs Vista (HD) @ Motherboards.org

Thermaltake Toughpower XT 750W PSU Review @ JonnyGURU.com

PC Cases:

NZXT Zero 2 Computer Chassis/Case @ TechwareLabs

Azza Solano Computer Case/Chassis @ TechwareLabs

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Enermax Staray

Thermaltake Element G Review @ XSReviews

Antec P193 Computer Case/Chassis @ TechwareLabs

In Win Maelstrom Full Tower Chassis Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Antec Mini Skeleton Review @ OCC

Lian Li PC-P50 Armorsuit review @planet3dnow.de

NZXT M59 Classic Series Mid Tower Gaming Chassis Review @ Modders-Inc.com

Video Cards:

Gigabyte GTX 260 Core 216 Super Overclock Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews

XFX Radeon HD 5770 Video Card Review @ Benchmark Reviews

OCC has published a review on the XFX HD 5850

Sibling Rivalry – ATI Radeon HD 5850 @ HardwareZone

How To Install A Graphics Card Video @ eTeknix.com

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Installing a Waterblock on a nVidia GTX 275 Graphics Card

Old games in maximum quality on Radeon HD 5870, Part 2 @ PCGamesHardware

LanOC’s 200th Review – Sparkle Calibre X265

Value Meets Performance: HD 4890 Cards from Gigabyte and MSI @ Hardware Canucks

HIS Radeon HD5770 Review @ High Tech Reviews

GIGABYTE HD 5850 Video Card Review @ Motherboards.org

Cooling Etc:

Thermalright T-Rad2 VGA cooler @ LanOC Reviews

Zaward Gyre Flow Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com

NZXT Sentry 2 Single-bay Touch Screen LCD Fan Controller @ TweakTown

CoolIt Systems Domino ALC Contest at Overclockers Online

3Rsystem Iceage 120 Boss II Dimpled-Fin Heatsink Review @ Frostytech.com

Ram, Memory, Storage:

OCZ AMD Black Edition 4GB Kit DDR3-1600/PC3-12800 OCZ3BE1600C8LV4GK Memory Review @ OCInside

OCZ Technology Agility 120GB 2.5-inch Solid State Drive @ TweakTown

Buffalo MiniStation Metro 250GB USB Hard Drive Review @ Bigbruin.com

OCZ Platinum 1866MHz DDR3 Memory @ Bjorn3D

Intel’s 34nm TRIM Firmware & SSD Toolbox @ Techgage

Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 SAS 15,000RPM Hard Drive Review @ Benchmark Reviews

Western Digital’s Caviar Black 2TB hard drive @ techReport

AMD Athlon II X2 240e 2.8 GHz Energy Efficient Processor Review @ PCSTATS.com

Seagate FreeAgent Go 320GB Portable Drive Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Intel 34nm X25-M Gen 2 SSD Performance Update @ Hothardware.com

Intel Launches TRIM Firmware For 34nm SSDs @ Legit Reviews

Motherboards:

ECS P55H-A Motherboard @ t-break

ASUS Maximus III Gene P55 Motherboard Review @ Vortez.co.uk

An Average Joe – MSI 785GM-E51 @ HardwareZone

Video preview of the GIGABYTE EX-58 EXTREME2 motherboard @ TweakTown

ASRock ION 330 NetTop - BCCHardware

News for 10-25-09

KristoferB — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:02:42 +0000

And we’ve got news:

HP Pavillion dv2 @ t-break

Video Cards etc:

Sapphire 5850 1GB GDDR5 1GB GPU Contest @ Bjorn3D

ATI Radeon HD 5750 – More Mainstream Goodness @ HardwareZone

Sapphire + Gigabyte ATI RADEON HD 5850 Crossfire Benchmarks @ Motherboards.org

OC3D: Gigabyte Radeon HD 5870 1GB Crossfire

Win a ATI Radeon HD 5770 @ XtremeComputing

Sapphire Radeon HD5750 1GB Graphics Card Review @ Bigbruin.com

Nvidia’s GT300 Series Cards to run DX11 @ TekArcade

Inno3D GeForce 210 512 MB @ techPowerUp

Unigine Heaven Offers Heavenly Graphics @ Phoronix

XFX Radeon HD 5770 Video Card Review @ Hardware Secrets

NVIDIA GTX 275 (Zotac) Graphic Card Review on Technic3D

CPUs, CPU Cooling, Motherboards:

AMD Athlon II X2 240 2.80 GHz @ techPowerUp

Gigabyte – GA-G41M-ES2H Micro ATX motherboard @ TechwareLabs

Video preview of GIGABYTE P55A mobos – SATA3, USB3 and 3x USB power @ TweakTown

AMD Athlon 2 X3 435 @ Bjorn3D

Neuigkeiten auf DeXgo | Noctua NH-U9B

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD6 Review @ OCC

Noctua NH-C12P CPU Cooler Review @ Bigbruin.com

AMD Athlon II X3 435 and AMD X4 Athlon II 630 @ InsideHW

Jetway Atom-GM1-330-LF Motherboard Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Military Grade – ASUS SABERTOOTH 55i @ HardwareZone

Gigabyte’s GA-P55M-UD4 and MSI’s P55M-GD45 motherboards compared @ TechReport

QNAP TS-219P Turbo NAS Review at CCER

Kingston 256GB SSDNow V+ Series SSD Review @ Legit Reviews

Cases:

SilverStone RV-02 Raven @ Bjorn3D

Antec Two Hundred Case Review @ Hardware Secrets

NZXT M59 Classic Series Mid Tower Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Power Supplies:

OC3D: HEC Compucase Cougar 1000CM Modular PSU

Corsair TX950W Power Supply Review @ Hardware Secrets

Xigmatek Nrp-Pc501 PSU @ Rbmods

Assorted Stuffs:

Windows 7 Unboxing Video (HD) @ Motherboards.org

Blu-ray Importing: Oct 2009 Buying Guide @ TweakTown

XTracPads Ripper XXL Mousepad Surface Video Review @ eTeknix.com

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

Choiix Netbook Sleeve Review @ High Tech Reviews

Ultimate Ears MetroFi 220 Earphones Review @ Top Review Shop

Side By Side With Windows 7 and Snow Leopard @ HardwareZone

Sena Premium iPod Touch Stand Case Review @ Tech-Xtreme

Land Of The Lost Blu-Ray Review @ Ascully.com

CHW interviews Jen Hsun Huang

Mionix Keid 20 Full Size Stereo Gaming Headset Review @ Vortez.co.uk

Ubuntu 9.10 Netbook Performance @ Phoronix

Touchscreen Devices: Smart Upgrade or Shameless Money Grab? @ Digital Trends

CM Storm CS-S Battle Pad H2 Review at Overclockers Online

Free Until You Get Caught: Calculating the Risks of Piracy @ Digital Trends

Access and Customize Windows 7’s Extended Context Menu @ TechSpot

TRENDnet TEW-654TR 300Mbps Wireless N Travel Router @ TweakTown

Buying Upgrades: When to Save or Spend on HDTVs, PCs, Digital Cameras and More @ Digital Trends

Motorola Cliq Review @ Digital Trends

HTC Touch2 @ HardwareZone

Logitech LX 8 Cordless Laser Mouse Review @ BayReviews.com

——-

AMD DirectX 11 Demos Released

AMD Mecha DirectX 11 Demo
The Mecha demo shows the results of a new approach to rendering semi-transparent objects without pre-sorting, known as order-independent transparency (OIT). It is made possible by the ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series of graphics processors and the new features of Microsoft DirectX 11 technology. Blending is an order-dependent operation that requires sorting objects before rendering them. Atomic operations and append buffers make it possible to construct per-pixel fragment lists and sort them on the GPU. The results are a significant increase in speed and accuracy over those possible with traditional techniques.
Download Link: http://www.ngohq.com/news/16642-amd-mecha-directx-11-demo.html
AMD Ladybug DirectX 11 Demo
The Ladybug demo shows the results of a new approach to simulating lens-accurate depth-of-field effects based on real-world parameters of focal length and focus distance. This technique is made possible by the ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series of graphics processors and the Microsoft DirectX 11 and Direct Compute 11 technologies. Depth-of-field is used in feature films by cinematographers to subtly guide a viewer’s attention through a shot or to heighten the emotion of a scene.
Download Link: http://www.ngohq.com/news/16640-amd-ladybug-directx-11-demo.html