Thermaltake Level 10 Chassis Review

On December 9th, I received my long-awaited Level 10 computer case! This case was originally announced way back in March of 2009, with an anticipated street date in mid October. As the initial ship date of October passed, I grew skeptical that such a unique case would ever actually ship. I’m glad to say, I was wrong. This case rocks! Let me repeat that again, this case rocks! I’ve spent the last 48 hours pouring over this case; top to bottom, inside and out. Clearly, this case was very well thought-out and bears the markings of a serious industrial design firm. Rather than a standard aluminum and plastic case, the Thermaltake Level 10 utilizes a central pillar, with individual compartments hanging from it for the power supply, motherboard, optical drives, and hard drives.

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Asus M4A785TD-V EVO & M4A785TD-M EVO AM3 Motherboards Review

Despite the success and popularity of Intel’s new P55 platform and i5 and i7 processors, buyers continue to keep a keen eye on the green team. Let’s face it – not everyone needs all of the processing horsepower that the i7 has on tap and even fewer are willing to pay for it. Although many of our enthusiast readers may scoff at that statement, it can’t be denied that the overwhelming majority of PC users fall into the “budget” bucket. As the struggling economy continues to drag it’s feet, buyers are more and more weary of what they are spending their hard earned loonies on - and AMD has certainly taken notice. It is no secret that the Phenom II can’t really compete with Intel’s high end offerings, but AMD has recently taken quite a handle on budget market. Instead of competing in the performance department, they have instead focused their attention on value. With their very low priced Athlon II series processors, affordable quad-cores have never been more within reach to the average consumer. At around the $100 mark, they may not be as quick as Phenom II clock-for-clock, but they still bring a fair bit of multi-threaded power to the table and provide a solid computing experience. As great as $100 quad core processors are, they need to have a fitting platform to match. What good is a $100 processor if it has to be stuck in a $200 motherboard? AMD has undoubtedly invested a great deal in their integrated platforms, and no one can dispute the success of the 790GX/SB750. Although the 790GX was an integrated platform – a great one too - it was still more of a mid-range platform with quite a few PCI-Express lanes and a slightly higher price tag to go along. AMD has trimmed down and updated the platform to further increase it’s value proposition and make the platform a perfect mate for their new Athlon II series. Enter AMD’s new 785G/SB710 chipset with integrated Radeon 4200 series graphics – AMD’s latest integrated socket AM3 chipset platform. Today we’ll be taking a look at a pair of new boards from ASUS based on the 785G/SB710 chipset combination dubbed the “M4A785TD-V EVO” and the “M4A785TD-M EVO”. Both boards are outfitted very similarly, but the “V” model is a full-ATX form factor, while the “M” is a more compact mATX model. Both are priced very competitively given their rather generous suite of features in the $100 range. How about a $100 board to match with a $100 quad? It makes a lot of sense to us! Without further ado, let’s see just how much bang the EVO “V” and EVO “M” bring to the table.

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Titan Fenrir & Skalli CPU Coolers Review

Today we are going to look at another new comer to HWC: Titan Technology Ltd. While Titan Tech is not exactly a well known company they do have over 20 years of manufacturing experience under their belts. Way back in 1989, a small Taipei based company called “Sogic Computer Co.” was founded and out of this small seed grew Titan Technology Ltd since back in 1992 the Sogic name was changed to Titan and the rest as they say is history. Titan is now a multinational company offering not only CPU cooling solutions but also a myriad of other cooling related items such as fans and GPU coolers. They even have their own factories to build their designs (located in China) which ensures higher quality standards are met throughout the production process. In this review, we will be looking at a pair of Titans: the Fenrir and the Skalli. The Fenrir really needs no introduction as it has been making the rounds as one of the premier (if not THE premier) H.D.T cooler out there and we are really looking forward to putting this beastly product through the wringer. The Skalli on the other hand is another matter all together, and is aimed at a completely different market niche. While the Fenrir is aimed at high overclocking enthusiasts (or the silent PC enthusiast), the Skalli caters to those with smaller case environments or who will delve into moderate overclocking which requires a low noise, budget friendly cooling solution. This philosophy is accentuated by it’s used of “only” two 8mm heatpipes in its HDT base and a smaller, slower 100mm case-less fan. Even though both products represent totally different target markets, they will surely provide an excellent comparison to one another and show exactly what both budget minded and enthusiast consumers can expect. We should also note that we just recently introduced our new and improved testing methodology in the all-encompassing “7 Cooler Roundup”. However while we felt that this methodology did make for “apples to apples” comparison we also acknowledge that improvements can always be made and have done just that. As with most enthusiasts we spend a lot of time, effort and money actively looking for the coolest running CPU we can find. This may be will and fine for a end user it does make reviewing air coolers more difficult and can skew the potential of a given after market cooling solution. To this end we have found an older, hotter running “C0” stepping 920 which will really weed out the pretenders from the pack.

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EVGA P55 FTW LGA1156 Motherboard Review

In the last few years there has been a revolution of sorts in motherboard manufacturer attitudes and products. As recent as three years ago manufacturers did not want users overclocking their hardware and would not comment about overclocking whatsoever to the point where the response you would get was the usual “overclocking voids your warranty”. Back then enthusiasts and overclockers had to use their soldering skills to modify boards to overclock to their liking (yes, some of us actually miss those times). Today, nearly every motherboard manufacturer –including EVGA- has made a huge push to cater to an expanding enthusiast market. Now boards are made by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. You don’t have to volt mod to get the voltages you need, you don’t need a degree in electrical engineering to figure out where to probe with your multi-meter and PWMs are more powerful and durable than ever. Indeed, EVGA’s latest series of boards are what enthusiasts have been waiting for and it seems EVGA did a great job in adding everything that has been missing from boards for the last few years. This review will be of a recent release by EVGA: the P55 FTW. If you are a geek like us (and you probably are) then you know that FTW is geek speak for “for the win” and is quite an amusing moniker for describing a product. Unlike many other more budget-friendly P55 boards, this one caters to a high end user or extreme enthusiast who not only overclocks, but overclocks to extreme levels in sub zero conditions. The FTW features 12 Phase PWM, 2x8pin CPU connectors that can provide up to 600w of power for the CPU and high quality LICC capacitors in the CPU cavity. Mess up a BIOS flash or corrupt a BIOS? No problem, there are three accessible BIOSes on the FTW which are all accessible by the simple flick of a switch. There are even voltage measure points and jumpers on the board for sub-zero conditions. Even though all of the extreme features are a huge bonus for discerning enthusiasts, the EVGA P55 FTW will also suit the needs of a gamer or builder who does not plan to overclock at all. Using LGA 1156 i5 and i7 processors, the P55 chipset provides up to 8-threads of performance to handle massive throughput and Hyper-Threading Technology to optimize performance on highly-threaded applications. This means even at their stock speeds, these processors can pile on the performance. Meanwhile, the FTW can run both CrossFire and SLI and dual channel DDR3 memory which not only offers higher bandwidth than DDR2 but its lower voltages means increased efficiency as well. Also unlike some first generation i7 boards (socket 1366), P55 boards are actually affordable. We should also mention that EVGA’s warranty for motherboards is among the top in the industry at 3 years if you register the product online. But that’s enough talk already, let’s take a closer look at the P55 FTW and see if it lives up to its reputation!

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Sapphire HD 5750 Vapor-X 1GB Video Card Review

I know I am probably sounding like a broken record already but by now it should go without saying that ATI is making one hell of a run at nearly every single price point in the GPU market. In the past weeks we have seen the release of their high-end HD 5870, the surprisingly affordable HD 5850 and the mid-range market leaders: the HD 5750 and HD 5770. Luckily, the lower end cards of the DX11 generation haven’t been met with the abysmal availability of the HD 5800-series but that could be the result of much lower popularity as well. To anyone watching the graphics card market right now, it really does seem like NVIDIA is indeed pulling back from the high end segment in preparation for the debut of their upcoming Fermi architecture. However, the HD 5750 was released into a market is swimming in options for the budget conscious buyers among you which means it is competing against both older ATI cards and current NVIDIA products as well. In this kind of situation, every dollar of saving counts so when Sapphire approached me with their HD 5750 1GB Vapor-X, I was understandably a bit confused as to why they decided to give the coolest-running, most efficient 5000-series card a heatsink makeover. As I already mentioned, the HD 5750 1GB was launched into a highly competitive market segment and believe it or not, Sapphire isn’t asking for too much of a premium for their Vapor-X version. However, we noticed some interesting goings on as of late with the price of this card in relation to its reference-based brethren. It seems like many sites south of the border are currently selling it for about the same price as a bone stock HD 5750 which makes it a surprisingly good value. Here in Canada though, we are looking at a price premium of around $20 which does tend to indicate that equal pricing at US retailers is only temporary. Granted, the addition of a custom heatsink and the fact that Sapphire’s Vapor-X also sports some minor overclocks should go a ways to alleviating any buyer’s remorse here in Canada but it is still like to see our pricing structure mirroring that of the US. Even though the HD 5800-series has been experiencing some serious availability issues as of late, HD 5700-series cards have been in stock since day one. Whether this is due to a lack of popularity or simply more cards being available is anyone’s guess but what we do know is that the HD 5750 Vapor-X is widely available here in North America and in other areas of the world as well. All in all, the Sapphire HD 5750 Vapor-X could be exactly what the doctor ordered for those of you looking for an efficient, quiet and well-priced card. Let’s hope it lives up to our expectations.

To view the complete review click here

Sapphire Radeon HD 5970 2GB OC Review

ATI is on a roll. There is no doubting it or denying the fact that the boys in red have managed to hammer a successive number of nails into NVIDIA’s DX11 aspirations by being first to market with not one but a whole series of brand new, segment-leading DX11 cards. The HD 5800-series was first on the scene and proved that these new cards could compete with the best of the best from the previous generation and then some. However, in many people’s opinions, there was one thing missing: ATI firmly marking their turf by laying claim to the fastest graphics card in the world. That’s where the HD 5970 2GB comes into the picture. At its most basic, the new HD 5970 is a dual GPU card that makes use of an on-board PLX bridge chip to handle the communication between the two cores. Each GPU core is able to address a whopping 1GB of GDDR5 memory which will hopefully make the bandwidth issues of the HD5800-series of cards a thing of the past. From a pure performance standpoint, this card’s potential is simply out of this world. We all remember the HD 4870 X2 and the older yet no less significant HD 3870 X2 dual GPU cards so some of you may be wondering where the “X2” moniker went. Well, ATI has decided to do away with old naming conventions for one reason or another and believe it or not, we welcome this change. It cements the HD 5900-series as the current high performance cards in ATI’s lineup while keeping a clear distinction between all of their product ranges. In this review we will be looking something unique: a pre-overclocked ATI card being released right alongside the reference-clocked version. That’s right, at launch there will be two different HD 5970 cards being released by the likes of Sapphire, XFX and other ATI board partners: one with standard speeds and another with some increased performance potential. Along with this somewhat shocking revelation, there are several other things that make the HD 5970 a cut above but we will go into those a bit later in this review. Our introduction wouldn’t be complete without some speculation about the HD 5970’s pricing and availability and on both fronts, it isn’t pretty. We should be looking at an initial “launch” price of about $600USD or $675CAD which will make it the most expensive card on the market by a long shot. However, this price is likely to skyrocket in the days following launch since we hear it will be be next to impossible to find. The retailers we have spoken to are all expecting less than 10 cards in total at launch which makes this a paper launch that we are sure will be passed off as a hard launch. With NVIDIA’s Fermi cards firmly behind the iron curtain somewhere in Santa Clara, ATI has a clear path to complete market domination with their HD 5970. Let’s hope they make the most out of it.

To view the complete review click here

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 1GB Vapor-X Review

If you have been living under a rock or have been taking a hiking trip through the Himalayas for the last few weeks, you would be forgiven if the ATI HD 5000-series release didn’t register on your radar. Otherwise, you better know about these cards because they are currently kicking ass and taking names across nearly every price point in the GPU marketplace. Unfortunately, much like that ultra-hot girl you remember from high school who was popular for all the right reasons, the HD 5870 and to a greater extent the HD 5850 seems to be all but unattainable for many people. This isn’t due to sky high prices but rather the fact that the cards have been very hard to find due to a combination of popularity and insufficient supply to meet demand. Even though availability of the HD 5870 hasn’t been what anyone was hoping it would be, ATI’s board partners are still forging ahead with plans to release custom cooled and overclocked versions in a mad dash to differentiate themselves from the competition. While many manufactures we have spoken to in the past few weeks have stated their custom cards will be available closer to the end of November, Sapphire is bucking that trend. Today marks the release of their overclocked, custom cooled and eagerly-anticipated HD 5870 1GB Vapor-X. We all remember those telltale leaked images of this card from when the HD 5870 was initially launched and to be honest with you, not much has changed since then. Its main claim to fame is Sapphire’s Vapor-X heatsink technology that supposedly allows it to cool off the core better than the already-large reference cooler while having a smaller acoustical footprint. This is actually a pretty bold goal considering (according to us) the stock HD 5870’s cooling setup is anything but loud and it actually does a fairly good job of shunting the heat away from the efficient 40nm core. Sapphire can talk all they want about the merits of their flagship card but hard part of this equation is getting the cards into people’s hands and at a fair price to boot. From what we hear, the HD 5870 Vapor-X should be listed at a few retailers on launch day but actual availability may take a few weeks to sort itself out. You can also expect to pay a premium of around $10 for this card when compared to reference HD 5870 units which would put it into the $400USD / $450CAD bracket. Even though $450 may be a hefty amount to pay for a GPU these days, Sapphire is hoping that this card’s advanced cooling, slight overclocks and stunning good looks are enough to draw people’s attention.

To view the complete review click here

Value Meets Performance: HD 4890 Cards from Gigabyte and MSI

With ATI’s 5000-series releases coming fast and furious as of late, it seems like everyone is more than anxious to totally forget about the venerable 4800-series. Believe it or not, even amidst the dizzying number of 5800 and 5700 cards on the market the HD 4890 1GB has fit perfectly into ATI’s new lineup at a price of around $200. We all know by now that it doesn’t have the latest compatibility for DX11 but there won’t be any worthwhile next-generation games on the market for the next few months at least. It is also worthwhile remembering that DX11 games will be backwards compatible with DX10 hardware which means the purchase of a HD 4890 now won’t mean you will be totally shut out of playing upcoming games either. So, while everyone is drooling over the latest, greatest and expensive cards, we’re going towards a different end of the spectrum because we believe that there is still a strong and healthy market out there for a $200 DX10 / DX10.1 card. ATI and their board partners must be thinking the same thing since the HD 4890 won’t be discontinued until at least the second quarter of 2010 and supposedly the boards are selling better than ever. This is why we have decided to feature a pair of custom cooled, mildly overclocked yet highly affordable HD 4890 1GB cards in this review. Even though it has been out for a while, the MSI HD 4890 1GB Cyclone OC (yes, it’s a mouthful) looks like a product that everyone has been asking for: a high performance ATI card that doesn’t pump out noise akin to a dust buster. There are other HD 4890 cards in the MSI Cyclone stable as well, namely a stock-clocked card that retails for about $200 and one that has its core overclocked to a stratospheric 1GHz. The latter is nearly impossible to find in North America but our OC edition sporting a mostly pointless 30Mhz overclock is readily available at a number of retailers throughout Canada and the US. Gigabyte on the other hand sent us a HD 4890 OC card which carries their Ultra Durable VGA moniker as well as slightly increased clock speeds. Supposedly, Ultra Durable series of cards carry higher quality components than their reference brethren meaning longer component life, decreased power consumption and increased overclocking capabilities. This card also carries Gigabyte’s custom cooling solution. Interestingly enough, all of these features don’t carry with them a huge price premium since the GV-R489OC-1GD commands a mere $15 price premium over a reference-based card. Even though we won’t be considering this a head-to-head competition, these cards share remarkably similar clock speeds, prices and features. If anything, it should be apparent that the $200 price bracket is now even more hotly contested than it was a month ago and the competition between board partners is translating into some great deals for potential customers.

To view the complete review click here

Gigabyte GA-P55-UD6 Review

The Intel socket 1156 processors have been out for about a month and a half now and have proven to be capable performers with some pretty decent overclocking credentials. Both the Core i5 750 and the Core i7 8 series processors have seen the far side of 4GHz with regularity when overclocked. Sure, the socket 1366 processors can do this, but there is a cost to enter that hardware level with not as many breaking that 4GHz clock speed stably. Cost is a big concern in our still troubled economy, so the option to go with a socket 1156 system offers a way to get comparable performance at a lower price. Cost for the i7 860 is roughly the same as the socket 1366 i7 920, and with the 860 offering a higher operating clock speed, processor cost is comparable, therefore savings savings can be found primarily on the motherboard and memory. You can find a great 4GB set of memory for around $100 and a motherboard from $110 to $250 for a full featured board. The range of prices for the X58 Socket 1366 chips and motherboards start and end noticeably higher. So there is the cost savings!

While Gigabyte offers boards for both socket types, the fact is that they have a full line of motherboards (eleven total) based on Intel's P55 Express chipset to fit just any price or performance point. The GA-P55-UD6 is at the top of the food chain and is the full featured board in the line up. This board is built using Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 construction that all starts with the PCB that uses 2-oz copper ground and power layers for lower impedance, better efficiency and lower operating temperatures. Add lower RDS(on) MOSFETs, Japanese solid capacitors and a 24-phase VRM circuit and it looks like the enthusiasts are well taken care of. But there are others that can use the features this board has, such as the Smart Dual BIOS, Smart Dual LAN, High Definition sound, a combination of eSATA and USB I/O panel connections, and Smart TPM so you can protect your data. Couple that with comprehensive list of software utilities, such as Easy Tune 6, Smart 6, and DES2 and you really do have a full featured board for the masses. The question is whether the 24-phase VRM design will offer any increase in clock speed over designs with fewer phases when not on the edge with LN₂ or a cascade! Let's see what she's got!

To view the complete review click here

Intel Core i7 / LGA1366 CPU Cooler Roundup

After a small hiatus from our CPU cooling reviews, we are back with a vengeance and a brand new testing methodology to boot. In keeping with our new methodologies, we’ve decided to go for broke and do a roundup of no less than seven of the latest CPU coolers. By now you should all know that the CPU heatsink market is as cut-throat as they come with new technologies or methods being few and far between. There are plenty of people out there who have claimed again and again that air cooling just can’t get any better. However, it seems that as every year passes, we see air coolers taking new strides towards thermal efficiency. If anything, this roundup will be divided into two separate categories: the high end air coolers that cost more than a budget CPU and the products that don’t cost and arm and a testicle but nonetheless promise performance that is equal to or better than their big brothers. First up in the heavy weight division and looking to take the crown away from ProlimaTech we have the ZALMAN CNPS10X Extreme cooler. Not to be outdone or be accused of sitting back on their laurels we have ANOTHER Prolimatech cooler with the Mega Shadow Deluxe Edition which looks to be even more impressive than its predecessor. If that isn’t interesting enough for you, the Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme is also looking for the crown. Rounding out the big boys is our dark horse contender: the ZeroTherm Nirvana 120. With the top of the fight card filled with uncompromising behemoths, we are going to set our sights on the other crown (and the one that many people think is more interesting AND important): the best bang for your buck cooling. In this arena, we feel the Cooler Master 212+ already reigns supreme with its combination of a kick ass stock fan, awesome base finish and its amazing ability to cool hot systems. Challenging this cooler we have the Cogage TRUE Spirit, the Kingwin XT-1264, and the Spire TherMax 2. If you are a fan of mixed fighting styles this head to head should be right up your alley. We not only have a “lite” version of the venerable TRUE 120 (with its solid base design) but two HDT coolers both with their own unique take on what a HDT cooler should look like. As with the big boys we have questions about the noise of the fan each of these companies have selected and their cooling ability, but to us the really important question with these CPU cooling solution is: are they not only worth their asking price? This is certainly going to be one heck of a ride. While this is a major undertaking, we promise that we will give you a clear and concise picture of these coolers and that this will NOT be the case of “too much of a good thing”. If all this is not enough of a challenge we will also be introducing noise measurements to the fan section so you can get an even more accurate idea of a given product’s true colours long before spending any of your hard earned money. So without further ado lets get things rolling by introducing in a bit more detail the seven coolers that comprise this round-up.

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MSI P55-GD80 LGA1156 Motherboard Review‏

Back in July we reviewed our very first MSI motherboard, the 790FX-GD70, and we were quite impressed with it. That motherboard represented a new direction for MSI. No more gaudy bright red PCB, pink memory slots, or acid-trip inspired chipset coolers (*cough* P45 Platinum). Instead we had a conservative black & blue theme, a low-key but capable cooling system, terrific features, and solid overclocking capabilities. MSI had finally figured how to tug at our enthusiast heart strings. Thankfully, that same philosophy applies to the motherboard that we are reviewing today, except they have kicked things up a few notches. As the Top of the Line model in MSI's LGA1156 roster, the P55-GD80 has been designed to surpass the best that the competition has to offer, and it's got one heck of specs list. It supports all current Lynnfield LGA1156 processors, has an advanced DrMOS 8+2 phase power design, four DDR3 memory slots with frequency support up to DDR3-2133 (O.C), three mechanical PCI-E x16 slots, CrossFire and SLI support, dual Gigabit LAN ports and a host of other features. It also comes with MSI's new OC Genie real-time overclocking processor with accompanying OC Genie & DirectOC buttons and even touch-sensitive onboard power/reset switches. For that bit of added "bling" MSI uses phase LEDs for every major component, a post code debug display and quite a bit more. Our Canuck readers will also be glad to know that all Canadian RMAs are processed through MSI's facility in Ontario, which should mean quick replacements and no customs worries. Even though the P55 lineup was only brought into the limelight a few short months ago, manufacturers have been extremely quick to jump onto the bandwagon and release full board lineups. Even though the P55-GD80 represents the pinnacle of their current offerings, MSI has priced this board extremely well considering the current market climate. It caters to enthusiasts with a bucket load of features and some great overclocking potential but retails for far under that of Gigabyte's flagship P55-UD6 or ASUS' own P7P55D Premium and Maximus III. Indeed, its primary competition is the ASUS P7P55D Deluxe and the Gigabyte P55-UD5 which are in the same price bracket and offer similar features. Now it's time to see whether the P55-GD80 lives up to its promise, and surprise us the way the 790FX-GD70 did. Let's find out!

To view the complete review click here

Sapphire HD 5850 Review

ATI dropped a bomb on the graphics card world with the Sapphire HD 5870 so it would only be a short while before the follow-up came out in the form of the Sapphire HD 5850. Based on the same "Cypress" RV870 core the HD 5850 should offer performance that scales well in games and some much needed shoring up of the performance in the $250 price range. The Sapphire HD 5850 is built using the same 40nm process and comes equipped with the same 2.15 Billion transistors and 1GB of GDDR5 memory as the HD 5870. Clock speeds come in at a reasonable 1000MHz on the memory and 725MHz on the core giving up a hefty amount of speed to the 5870 in the clock speed department. As the second DX 11 video card to market ATI is ramping up a full DX 11 lineup for the future of gaming even though the DX 11 titles have not made it to market yet. The HD 5850 has more in store as ATI is making the move to compete with Nvidia in the GPU compute market while offering improved graphics performance in DX9/10/10.1 titles.

Let's find out if the Sapphire HD 5850 has the same thoroughbred heritage as the HD 5870 and how well it competes against the latest video cards from Nvidia and the last generation of ATI video cards. If performance is close to that delivered by the 5870, then ATI and its partners including the biggest of them all, Sapphire, has delivered a one / two punch that currently puts the cards at the top of the performance ladder! Let's get to it!

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Sapphire HD 5770 and 5750 Review

ATI had just dropped a bomb on the boys in green with the release of the HD 5870 that usurped the single GPU performance crown that nVidia has had a stranglehold on for the last few years and the company has now quickly followed up with the Juniper based HD 5770 and HD 5750 to fill a gap in the price/performance wars. The latest cards form Sapphire are DirectX 11 ready, support Windows 7 and are built on a 40nm fabrication process to both reduce costs and provide lower energy consumption. The HD 5770 features exactly half the stream processors (800), texture units (40) and ROPs(16) that its big brother, the HD 5870, carries into battle. The HD 5750 is built much the same way but the card itself has half the parts of the HD 5850. So just where will these cards fall when it comes time to start fraggin zombies or beginning the move to using your GPU as a computing tool? Based on the specifications, the HD 5770 and HD 5750 should offer up either half the performance of the HD 5870 and HD 5850, respectively. Let's hop to it and find out!

To view the complete review click here

Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 Review

Let’s all take a journey back in time to November of 2006 where a card called the 8800 GTX was released. Not only was it’s G80 core the first DX10-capable graphics processor on the market but it also beat ATI’s own DX10 product –the R600- to market by a good six months. Fast forwarding back to the present time, the situation has now turned on its head. ATI, the perennial underdog has built on the success of their R700 series (or HD 4000 series as we have come to know it) to be the first to market with a number of next-generation DX11 compatible cards and Nvidia’s response is nowhere in sight. So, here we are, potentially months ahead of Nvidia’s answering salvo and ATI is looking to be the first to market with not one but a pair of DX11 cards. The first of these will be the HD 5870 1GB that so many of you have already heard about through leaked slides and quick previews. This will be ATI’s flagship single chip card for the foreseeable future and is supposedly able to put the screws to Nvidia’s GTX 295 while retailing for about $100 less. It is billed as the fastest card on the market today and with its 1600 stream processors, the HD 5870 seems to be exactly that. Sure, these are lofty expectations, but anyone who doubts the veracity of ATI’s claims should take a back seat right now. The card that hasn’t been talked about much is the one that is being launched right alongside ATI’s flagship: the HD 5850. While not as drool-worthy as its big brother, it is aimed directly at the GTX 285 with a price of about $300USD but sporting some impressive claims of high performance. With GDDR5 memory, 1440 stream processors and based on the same architecture as the HD 5870, it is this card that the majority of people will be taking a very close look at. All in all, this looks like a win / win situation for ATI’s new cards. They are effectively first to market with a whole series of working DX11 cards and the competition doesn’t have anything they can respond with in a timely manner. However, being the first to market can turn out to be a double edged sword as evidenced by Nvidia’s second generation DX10 architecture which found itself in a dog fight against ATI’s 4-series. At the time, Nvidia was forced to make some drastic price cuts to remain competitive. Will the situation now reverse itself at the onset of the DX11 generation? We will have to see. We all have to remember that within the last few years, graphics cards have become much more than just rendering machines. There are a whole slew of other applications –from video decoding to protein crunching- they can be used for and the upcoming release of Windows 7 will expand that repertoire by leaps and bounds. As such, we will be focusing on everything from DirectCompute performance to Folding as the release of Windows 7 approaches. But for now, let’s get on with this review.

To view the complete review click here

ASUS ROG Maximus III Formula Review

A motherboard is a motherboard. Right or wrong? What sets one apart from the other? Feature set, potential, reputation, build quality? All of these things play a part in helping us determine which motherboard we use on our high performance systems. ASUS' Republic of Gamers series motherboards have been the pinnacle of each series and offered that extra something that was not found with regularity on the non ROG models. The knock on X58 based systems was the cost of entry into the club of ownership. Intel has realized it left a significant portion of the public to its competitor so the company has now rectified this mistake with the introduction of the P55 Express chipset and socket 1156 i5 and i7 processors to bring the cost of an Intel high performance system down to a comfortable purchase point. Along with this introduction ASUS has released a large number of P55 based motherboards to fit every price point from mild to extreme. The Maximus III Formula is ASUS' latest ROG motherboard that is built upon the P55 chipset. The Maximus III Formula is built using the latest design philosophy from ASUS called Extreme design. This concept is meant to provide all the benefits that you may or may not see such as diodes used to prevent static discharges when plugging in an external device from killing your hardware. Solid capacitors for long life, Stack Cool 3+ technology to reduce the operating temperature of critical components, dual 2oz copper layers to help with efficiency and board cooling. All things that fall within the three design goals of Safety, Reliability and Performance. As if that's enough, ASUS has included a large suite of software tools that bring added functionality. Let's see if the Maximus III Formula is worthy of earning its ROG status.

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Gigabyte GTX 260 (216SP) 896MB Super Overclock Review

With several evolutions under its belt, Nvidia’s GTX 200-series cards have gradually moved from being expensive, overly power hungry products to more affordable and slightly more efficient through manufacturing revisions. While some people may call these cards a bit long in the tooth at this point, anyone will tell you that as an architecture matures and companies get a better handle on it, more and more variations of it are released. We have seen overclocked GTX 280, GTX 285 and GTX 260 cards aplenty in the past but that has all changed of late with more intricate cards being released. In the last few months new products like the ASUS GTX 285 Matrix and the more recent EVGA GTX 285 Classified have shown just how far companies have come in their customization of the 200-series. Today, Gigabyte adds their name to the growing list of companies that are pushing the limits of this current architecture. Even though the name GTX 260 won’t exactly inspire awe in most jaded hardware enthusiasts, Gigabyte is endeavouring to keep the Nvidia fires burning with a new take on a tried, tested and true platform. Its name? The GTX 260 Super Overclock. Gigabyte’s Super Overclock is the card that blows away all the stops when it comes to designing what is hoped will be the torch carrier for the entire GTX 260 lineup. Like many other current Gigabyte GPUs, this one makes use of the high quality components from the Ultra Durable Video initiative along with another interesting addition: a highly binned GPU. We will be going into more detail about Gigabyte’s custom binning process a little later but for now lets just say that it allows them to hand pick the GPU cores which are best suited for high clocks and better efficiency. This allows their Super Overclock card to sport the highest out of the box clock seeds of any GTX 260 currently on the market. Naturally, you are all wondering about pricing and whether this card will ever become available at retail. According to Gigabyte, we should see the Super Overclock hit the same price point as the lowest-priced GTX 275 cards which are around $200USD or $220CAD. That isn’t a huge premium to pay when you remember most other GTX 260s go for around $175USD. Considering the binning process weeds out the majority of cores, the number of cards in the retail channel will never reach that of a stock card. That being said, we expect that retailers will receive their first batches at the beginning of October. Granted, it is a little late in the game for this product but as a wise man once said: better late than never. If anything, the Gigabyte GTX 260 Super Overclock will add a new option for everyone in the market for a sub-$250 Nvidia card.

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Gigabyte AMD Motherboard Roundup Review

With new processors usually come new motherboards. AMD has been releasing many new CPUs lately – dual, triple, and quad core – and thus new motherboards are necessary to take advantage of the faster and better technology. There have been several new chipsets released recently, which are aimed at the mid range market. Some use integrated graphics, while others are geared to the budget-minded enthusiast. Today we are going to be taking a look at four new boards from Gigabyte, which include the 770 chipset, the 785G chipset, and the 790X chipset. These boards represent the main chipsets being used by the mid range market today, so the combination of the four boards will give you a good idea of where each one sits based on the chipset design to help you make an informed decision on the chipset that is right for you.

The particular boards that we will be taking a look at are the Gigabyte MA790XT-UD4P (790X board), the Gigabyte MA770T-UD3P (770 board), the Gigabyte MA785GMT-US2H (785G board), and the Gigabyte MA785G-UD3H (785G board). All the boards support AM3 processors, including the Phenom II and Athlon II CPUs up to 140 watts. However, the MA785G-UD3H is an AM2+ board, which will support both AM2+ and AM3 processors up to 140 watts, as well as only DDR2 memory. All these chipsets are designed for the mainstream user who wants performance without breaking the bank. This review will put each chipset and version up against each other to show you the better sector to choose for your needs.

To view the complete review click here

Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 2GB Vapor-X Video Card Review

It has been a while since we last looked at a video card here on Hardware Canucks but let’s be honest; there really hasn’t been much going on in the GPU industry as of late as the major players gear up for their next generation products. In the interim both ATI’s and Nvidia’s board partners have released a successive number of products which improve upon the original designs by catering to certain markets. Some carry insanely high clocks while others use passive cooling for all those HTPC enthusiasts out there but one thing has remained constant: companies always want to one-up each other. In the end it is the consumer that reaps the benefits from this competition as prices are driven down while performance, cooling potential and efficiency increase. Sapphire is one company that has waded into this competitive marketplace with all guns blazing and has released some of the best ATI-based cards on the market. Once having been known for rigidly sticking to the ATI reference design and indeed being used as an OEM for ATI’s “white box” cards, Sapphire has really turned things around as of late. Not only are they releasing highly overclocked versions of their cards but they have also begun to explore the finer points of advanced cooling technologies. These cooling technologies are at the heart of the card that we are reviewing here today: the HD 4890 2GB Vapor-X. The last time we saw the Vapor-X technology, it was used on a heatsink strapped to a decidedly underperforming HD 3870 but this time we get to see what it’s all about when paired up with a HD 4890. Not only is this the most powerful single-chip ATI card on the market but it also produces a significant amount of heat so this new heatsink may be sorely pressed to keep up with the temperatures. One way or another, Sapphire has found yet another way to add some spice to their lineup. While Sapphire has been near the forefront of the ATI crowd lately, their higher-end cards have been a bit lacking when it comes to availability. The HD 4890 1GB Atomic we so highly regarded in our last roundup never had widespread availability in North America even though customers were literally lined up around the block waiting for it. This card on the other hand is already available from retailers for around $275CAD / $250USD but at the time of writing this review, it seems the first shipment has already sold out. All in all it seems the with the Vapor-X version of the HD 4890 2GB, Sapphire has come to the table ready to play. Let’s see how it performs.

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Kingston HyperX KHX1600C8D3K2/4GX 2x2GB Review

Intel's Nehalem cores launched last year to much fanfare and striking levels of performance over past generation processors. One new feature was the use of a tri-channel memory configuration that offered huge memory bandwidth and excellent memory performance. Now that the latest iteration of the Nehalam architecture has been released to the masses, the fact is that this new generation is meant for the mainstream users and not simply the uber elite, high end user. To keep the costs in line with the mainstream mantra, Intel chose to go back to a dual-channel memory configuration. This, of course, presents the opportunity to bring out new sets of memory designed to work with the Intel Corei5/i7 Lynnfied processors and P55 chipset motherboards. If the performance delivered by the last set of Kingston HyperX modules is indicative of what I can expect from this set of modules, then I can't wait to get to testing them out to see just where they perform.

This set of Kingston HyperX modules includes two 2GB modules rated to run at latencies of 8-8-8-24 at 1600MHz, using no more than the Intel specified 1.65 volts. Why only 1.65v? So you do not cause irreparable harm to your new Core i5 baby as it is based on the same architecture as the 9 series Core i7 processors. If you have been around long enough to remember the early Athlon 64 chips suddenly dying because of running the vdimm brutally high while keeping the CPU core voltage low, Intel is giving guidance so that they do not have the same issue. Since the memory specification on the i5 caps out at 1333MHz, how do you run these modules at 1600MHz? Well, since we are an enthusiast community, you have to overclock the Corei5 processor to reach the 1600MHz mark; something that is easily achievable with a moderate clock increase. This set of modules does not carry the T1 heatspreader design, so will heat be an issue for this kit? Only one way to tell! Now let's look at the modules and see just what they are made of and if they deliver on the promise of performance.

To view the complete review click here

Corsair Obsidian 800D Video Review

From the first moment the Corsair Obsidian 800D was rumoured, the internet has been abound with speculation on just how great this case could be. Well the day is finally here where Hardware Canucks gets to show you. In their first ever release of a chassis product, Corsair has made headlines with a case that delivers not only their renowned quality and design, but incorporates features that are tailored from feedback received from enthusiasts like you! The company has gone to great length's to ensure that this case it up to the highest standards. The body is constructed of a solid steel and boasts an immaculate paint job inside and out, keeping a uniformed appearance. The brushed aluminum front panel accentuates the the simple yet powerful design, that make this case jaw dropping. The have overlooked nothing, every minutiae has been addressed. The cable routing utilizes grommeted holes throughout the case, allowing for wires to be run up the back and come out right where they are required, giving the case a virtually cable-less look. This cable cleanliness allows for uninhibited airflow throughout the 3 primary chambers for a flawless cooling design. Corsair has also chosen to go a step further - beyond making just a gorgeous case - and included some practical additions. The front of the case includes 4 hot swappable drive bays, seamlessly hidden behind a front accessible panel. Additional, the Obsidian 800D was designed for watercooling, in fact it begs for it. There is spacing at the top of the chassis to internally mount a triple 1200MM radiator. Along with this, they have included tubing holes in the middle of the case for routing any components that are in the bottom. Now, this all comes with a little higher price tag, but the chassis is far above anything else in its budget category, it really is in a league of its own. The Corsair Obsidian 800D is on track to be the case of the year, and make its mark in the "must have" cases of all-time.

To watch the video showcase click here

Intel Lynnfield Core i5-750 & Core i7-870 Processor Review

Over the past year, we have seen several monolithic advances in the world of the processors we all use for our personal computers. First, the Nehalem architecture finally saw the light of day in the guise of the high-end Bloomfield i7 series of CPUs and despite those processors being priced relatively high, they found a footing among enthusiasts and professionals alike. In answer to this widening gap between Intel’s processors and their own, AMD released their revamped Phenom II processors which have taken the market by storm. Now, as this year draws to a close, we have another release to contend with: that of the Lynnfield series mainstream processors from Intel. More than literally any single year over the last decade of personal computer advances, this year has truly has all the makings of the beginning of a CPU renaissance. So what is Lynnfield? Actually, that question should rather be “what’s in a name?” Lynnfield processors are part of the Nehalem architectural family and as such will carry both the i5 and the i7 designations depending on where they land on both the performance scale and the list of features they include. The i7 800-series will naturally include higher clock speeds and features while others won’t. However, one thing will be constant: even though some Lynnfield processors will be branded as i7, they will only be compatible with P55 (and upcoming lower end) / LGA 1156 motherboards. Bloomfield’s X58 is essentially off-limits for this new family of processors. Other than that, you will see in this review that Lynnfield in general could also be considered the industry’s worst-kept secret with early sales, leaked benchmarks and P55 motherboard previews galore marring what would have been an otherwise smooth launch. In this review, we will take a somewhat long-winded look at both the i7 870 and the i5 750 processors along with a glance inside of the new P55 platform and everything this pairing will bring to the table. The best part about all of this for you the consumers is the fact that both the CPUs and the accompanying motherboards will be widely available from literally the moment you read this. There are also some pretty strong indications that the platform itself is already quite mature in the eyes of motherboard manufacturers and as such, you will see not only price-conscious products but also high-end, enthusiast-centric units as well. With all these leaks over the past few months, people are naturally excited about Lynnfield and let us tell you right now: there is plenty of reason to be excited. As a mainstream processor family, everything points to this being a strong product but can the new i5 and i7 products make themselves a viable alternative for consumers looking for a budget-conscious entry into the Nehalem family? Let’s find out.

To view the complete review click here

ASUS RoG Maximus III Formula Lynnfield Motherboard Preview

Rumor has it that the official release of Intel’s new Lynnfield processors is right around the corner and from consumers to motherboard makers, everyone is eager to be part of the action. As it stands, we have been previewing Lynnfield-supporting P55 motherboards for some time now and manufacturers just keep on announcing more. Come the officially launch date, the selection of available motherboards will be the most complete we have ever seen; with pricing from around $100 to above $200 and everywhere in between. What surprises us the most is that nearly every motherboard manufacturer will be releasing their high-performance enthusiast boards right alongside their mainstream products on launch date. This will give the consumer an unparalleled selection from the very outset of the Lynnfield release. ASUS has always been at the forefront of motherboard innovation and their track record certainly speaks for itself. While they are just as well known for affordable solutions, their high-end Republic of Gamers (RoG) series of enthusiast boards have been making waves in the industry since the first one was released. Basically, these RoG boards are designed to be the best of the best in their respective categories and will more often than not carry with them an eye-watering price point. In today’s preview we will be taking a quick look at the newest board to be graced with the RoG name: the Maximus III Formula. When it came to designing this board, ASUS took many of the lessons learned with the successful X58-based Rampage II series and improved upon a number of aspects. Not only is the P55 / Lynnfield combination quite different technology-wise from the X58 / Bloomfield pairing but ASUS has added some BIOS refinements and unique features to this board as well. Somewhat surprisingly though, the Maximus doesn’t include an nForce 200 chipset for some triple GPU action. Maybe we’ll see an Extreme version somewhere down the line? As is becoming a usual occurrence with these previews, we aren’t able to show you any performance numbers or BIOS screenshots. With this board however, we are even more limited with what we can show you as there are a number of things that ASUS wants to keep under wraps until it is ready to officially launch it.

To view the complete preview click here

ASUS MATRIX GTX285 Review

When a performance video card series comes out, the performance is great for the masses and is something that will not be upgraded before the computer is obsolete. On the other hand, the reference releases only serve as an appetizer for the main course of custom cooled and built cards that always follow the reference card's launch. Sometimes these cards show up right away and other times they come out a short while after the technology and yields are good enough to get cores that will run at higher levels. I have seen TOP models from ASUS include higher clock speeds and better cooling as well as just higher clock speeds. Going back to the ENGTX260 MATRIX, you had a card delivered with stock clocks and enhanced cooling that overclocked like mad. The MATRIX GTX285 is the next card to get the MATRIX moniker and is part of ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) series of products designed specifically for the needs of the gaming community

. The MATRIX comes with a clock speed bump of 663MHz, a 15MHz bump over the reference clocks while maintaining the default 1242MHz on the memory and 1476MHz on the shaders. The card has rugged post apocalyptic looks that would mesh well with any of the myriad of industrial cases out on the market. Based on the performance of its little brother, I have a heightened set of expectations for this go around. Let's see if the MATRIX GTX285 delivers.

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X58 Motherboard Roundup Review

So you're finally ready to upgrade from your old Commodore 64, but what are you going to upgrade to? Obviously you're gonna want something powerful to make up for the antique you've been using for the past 26 years. Intel's Core i7 CPUs are the current cream of the crop, but a powerful processor isn't all that makes up a great computer. You'll need to find a motherboard that is worthy of your new beast of a CPU. Sure, you can go all out and spend $600 on the most expensive board you can find, but is it worth it? In this X58 motherboard roundup I'll help you find the best board for your money. If you're looking to get into the overclocking scene, a different type of board might suit you. For this reason, I'll also be looking at which board offers the best overclocking price for performance.

The motherboards will be judged in two different categories, so there will be two different winners. Unless, of course, one board kicks butt in both categories, in which case there will only be one winner. Each of the motherboards in this roundup have been put through OCC's benchmarking suite. However, the scores will be presented in a slightly different manner. For each benchmark there will be two graphs. One of these graphs will feature each motherboard's stock scores, while the second graph will represent the motherboards' overclocked scores. This will allow us to see which board is the best at overclocking, or at least the best at offering a performance boost after an overclock.

Enough talk already, lets find out which boards will be put to the test.

To view the complete Roundup click here

ASUS Crosshair III Formula AM3 Motherboard Review

The motherboard marketplace is littered with contenders and for many system builders, settling on a motherboard can be a difficult task, given the often dozens of iterations of the same chipset. For the enthusiast, that task is even more daunting. The choice is more crucial than just a simple system backbone, the motherboard is the conductor that orchestrates the computer in perfect rhythm and it must lead the components to perform to their full potential. Asus has produced the Republic of Gamers line for this very purpose. The Republic of Gamers (RoG) title has been used by Asus to denote its premier product offerings. It is only awarded to the most prestigious of hardware that is specifically focused on gaming and overclocking. The components are fitted with ROG exclusive bells and whistles that are at the forefront of current technology and are intended to maximize your computer's potential. These boards are also incredibly user friendly, allowing those who are just starting the pursuit of ultimate performance to slowly build their confidence with the board taking control and offering a mix of manual and automatic settings. It is fitting then, that the 3rd generation of the Asus Crosshair AMD motherboard lineup be built under the ROG banner with all its accompanying features and BIOS intricacies. For the first time since the Crosshair took form, Asus has opted to go with an AMD based chipset, rather than an NVIDIA as found on the previous two generations. The company is looking to harness the power of the 790FX chipset to achieve world records and make it the most desired board amongst the elite of the computer world. The Crosshair III Formula is a full sized AM3 board set to utilized the power of DDR3 and the potential for stunning graphics with CrossfireX support. It is as fully loaded as them come, with the ROG extra's making for one of these most feature packed products on the market. It's advanced cooling makes it comfortable inside a stuffy case, or easily run on an open air bench with all controls easily accesble on the PCB. This motherboard is shaping up to be at the top of the heap for AMD based systems so let's hope it can live up to its potential.

To view the complete review click here

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Asus ROG Maximus III Formula P55 Preview

As the launch of Intel's Core i5 and 800 series Core i7 processors creeps ever closer, the hardware for this next generation is quickly starting to see the light of day. All the major manufacturers have pulled out the stops to see who has the biggest and baddest board on the block. Gigabyte is claiming a 24 phase power circuit for its top end UD6 version of the company's P55 board while ASUS is taking a different tack with the use of an intelligent design strategy called Extreme Design. Realizing that just one feature does not the motherboard make, it takes a whole package to be successful. With that said, the ROG Maximus III Formula gets a load of features that are aimed squarely at the gamer and hardcore enthusiast. Let's take a quick jaunt around this board and see what it has to offer before it goes under the gun.

To view the complete review click here

MSI P55-GD80 Lynnfield Motherboard Preview‏

As we mentioned in our preview of the ASUS P7P55D and EVGA P55 FTW motherboards, the official launch date for the Lynnfield series is quickly approaching and with them a veritable swarm of P55 motherboards is going to hit the market. The sheer scope of new models available at launch is going to surprise and shock many consumers. That is why smart manufacturers like MSI have wisely chosen to preview their new P55 models to help their motherboards stand out from the crowd as early as possible. Today, we will be showing off MSI's most fully-featured new model: the P55-GD80. As the Top of the Line model in MSI's roster, the P55-GD80 has been designed to surpass the best that the competition has to offer. It supports all upcoming Lynnfield LGA1156 processors, has a formidable DrMOS 8+2 phase power design, four DDR3 memory slots with frequency support up to DDR3-2133 (O.C), three mechanical PCI-E x16 slots, CrossFireX and SLI support, dual Gigabit LAN ports, an 8-channel HD audio CODEC, 8 SATA II ports, 9 USB 2.0 ports, 1 FireWire ports, 3 eSATA ports, a new OC Genie real-time overclocking processor with accompanying OC Genie & DirectOC buttons, touch-sensitive onboard power/reset switches, phase LEDs for every major component, a post code debug display and quite a bit more. In this our third P55 motherboard preview, we will give you a quick rundown of all the features this model has to offer in order to whet your appetite until the actual review hits our front page. Unfortunately, due to NDAs we can't show you performance or BIOS screens but don't worry, you won't have to wait too long before we put this board through our torture tests.

To view the complete preview click here

EVGA P55 FTW Lynnfield Motherboard Preview + EVGA's P55 Lineup Revealed

With the release of Intel’s new Lynnfield processors rapidly approaching, our testing room is filling with P55 motherboards at an alarming pace. It is more than evident that every motherboard manufacturer wants to get the jump on their competition by literally flooding the market with Lynnfield-supporting products from the moment the chips are officially released. Among our stack of retail boxed P55 boards there stands a lone nondescript white box that holds the board we are previewing here today: an early production version of the EVGA P55 FTW. This is board is going to be in the higher-end range of their P55 line-up and has features a-plenty. This preview will be a bit different from the other ones we will be doing over the course of the next few weeks. Naturally, we can’t show you any BIOS screenshots, performance numbers or overclocking results but what we can do is give you a quick picture tour around the motherboard. We can’t post detailed specifications or features for the time being either as EVGA would like to keep some of their game-changing additions under wraps until they are ready to fully unveil the board alongside Lynnfield processors. In such a highly competitive market, we can totally understand this decision on their part. Speaking of EVGA’s line-up, we can promise you that once everything is said and done there will be no fewer than seven P55 boards available ranging in price from under $200 for the P55 LE to quite a bit higher for the upcoming P55 Classified. Anything more than $250 may seem a lot to pay for a Lynnfield-supporting motherboard but both the P55 FTW 200 and the Classified 200 will use Nvidia’s nForce 200 chip. Depending on the layout, we have seen boards where nForce 200 effectively adds the capability to run up to 40 PCI-E lanes when combined with the 16 from the Lynnfield CPU. There is an additional four already provided by the P55 PCH. After we are done putting the P55 FTW under the microscope, we’ll give the rest of the EVGA P55 line-up a look by showing everything from an mATX board to some tantalizing details about the upcoming (and still under cover) P55 Classified. All in all, this should be an interesting little article so let’s get the show on the road.

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Asus Rampage II GENE Review

Whenever a new chipset is released there is always a rush to be the first on the market and take advantage of the high prices that invariably come with almost every new hardware release. Unfortunately this rush to the market causes premature releases meaning unstable drivers, a performance hogging BIOS and many other unfortunate shortcomings remedied by later editions. One fairly standard rule though is that if you want all the features, then you have to have all of the board. This means that if you want to play with things like SLI, Crossfire, Overclocking, and pretty much every other enthusiast feature available, then your sights are narrowed immediately to just the ATX style and the gigantic eATX style motherboards. Far from perfect for the mobile gamers out there forced to lug a huge case around simply for lack of a smaller motherboard that doesn't skimp on the features. Enter the Asus Republic of Gamers branded Rampage II GENE motherboard.

The RIIG is the first uATX style motherboard to join the ROG family, and it is as deserving of the title as every other product in the ROG line! With features like full 24GB 2000MHz RAM support, SLI/Crossfire abilities, support for 12 USB 2.0 Ports (6 built-in, 6 on-board headers), Fuzion waterblock compatibility, and integrated X-Fi sound, the RIIG is as packed on paper as it is in real life but with all of these capabilities is it just the jack of all trades or does truly perform with the big boys? Let's find out!

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G.Skill Trident 6GB PC3-16000 CL9 DDR3 Memory Kit Review

G.Skill International Enterprise was founded in 1989 in Taipei, Taiwan by a group of devoted computer enthusiasts, origins which would eventually shine through. While the company originally manufactured mainstream PC memory, flash cards and USB flash drives, in 2003 they sowed the seeds to their own success by debuting a line of high-quality, high-end overclocking-friendly memory kits. Since then, in a short 5-6 year span G.Skill has leapt to the forefront of the memory industry by catering to the needs and wants of the enthusiasts community while bolstering consumer confidence with their popular lifetime warranty. Building upon the success of their memory kits and wisely seeking to diversify, the company announced its first SATA II 2.5" solid state drives (SSDs) in May 2008, which we had the exclusive pleasure of reviewing. This was then followed up by a bigger, bolder and better model that won us over with its excellent performance and value. When the Core i7 processors were launched in November, DDR3 memory prices were still very much out of the price range of your average consumer. This is one of the reasons that we were so taken aback when we received the G.Skill F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ memory kit in January. Here we had a triple-channel 6GB DDR3-1600 product for $200CDN flat. This was not only the cheapest 6GB DDR3-1600 kit on the market, but it was cheaper then most 4GB DDR3-1066/1333 memory kits at the time. Heck, it was half the price and three times the size of most DDR3 kits available a mere one year prior. All this to say that the increasing standardization of DDR3 was slowly beginning to benefit consumers. With the better than expected adoption of the Core i7 platform, the surprising popularity of AMD's AM3 processors and the imminent arrival of Lynnfield / P55, DDR3 choices have expanded while priced have dropped and continue to do so. With this in mind, we have seen some new products hit the market that would not have been feasible a mere 3-4 months ago. Case in point: the G.Skill Trident F3-16000CL9T-6GBTD model that we will be reviewing today. This is a triple-channel 6GB DDR3-2000 9-9-9-24 memory kit, featuring a low 1.65V default voltage and a price that will make you do a double-take: $160CDN. Want to know more? Keep reading.

To view the complete review click here

G.Skill F3-12800CL8T-6GBHK Review

With the release of i7 processors, DDR3's popularity greatly increased. Also, due to the triple channel nature of the CPU architecture, memory has been bundled in groups of three. The average speed of memory targeting the i7 is generally 1600MHz, with value memory at 1333MHz and performance memory above 1866+MHz. Intel suggests a maximum of 1.65V for operation with JEDEC voltage at 1.5. Most kits are using intricately designed heat spreaders nowadays since DDR3 runs fairly cool. Being reviewed today is a triplet of blue and silver memory from GSkill that operates at 1600Mhz with tight 8-8-8-21 timings at 1.6V. These modules are labeled F3-12800CL8T-6GBHK. They should provide great performance at 1600MHz and will most likely overclock well since there is some head room on the voltage and timings. This 6GB of memory also comes in handy with 64-bit operating systems!

To view the complete review click here

Corsair Professional HX850 850W Power Supply Review

By now we all know that a quality power supply will not only help with system stability but it can also save you money on your electricity bill. As power supply reviews continue here at Hardware Canucks, it is becoming more and more evident that the powers that be are pushing efficiency above all else. The 80Plus designation has allowed manufacturers to give potential customers a tangible certification so they can better determine their power savings and many have embraced it. While we hope that overall build quality will not be sacrificed to eke out the best possible efficiency numbers, some companies have made sure their old “high quality, high efficiency” mentality stays is place. As you may have already guessed, Corsair has been fighting with all hands on deck to ensure output quality remains top notch while efficiency numbers increase. One of their latest creations is the HX850; a power supply that promises to take this merry bunch of buccaneers to the pinnacle of power supply supremacy. Even though this power supply is part of their new “Professional” series, many of you are probably thinking that the HX850 is nothing more than a modular TX850 that sports an accordingly inflated price point. Fortunately, there is much more lurking below the surface of this product and its sibling the HX750 than just a fancy paint job and a modular interface. These units use a completely different platform from anything that has been previously put in play by Corsair and the HX850 in particular is graced with an 80Plus Silver rating as a consequence. There must be plenty of you who are saying “that sounds great, but what’s it cost?” Fortunately, a lot less than you may think. While many high quality competing 850W power supplies from the likes of Silverstone, Thermaltake and Cooler Master retail for above $200, the HX850 normally goes for about $210CAD and has been seen for $180CAD after mail in rebates are taken into account. With Corsair’s longstanding tradition of great customer support and one of the best warranties in the business at 7 years, customers have been shown to be more than willing to pay a slight price premium for their products. This review will be particularly interesting since we will be comparing the HX850 directly to its less expensive, non-modular predecessor: the TX850. Will the newcomer have the performance necessary to make the price difference immaterial? We intend to find out.

To view the complete review click here