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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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