http://www.monster-hardware.com/ Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:53:01 -0500 FeedCreator 1.8.0-nukeFEED (http://nukeSEO.com) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13464 Gigabyte Z68XP-UD4 Intel Z68 Motherboard

"Intel’s Z68 chipset has been out for sometime now and it brings together some of the best features of Intel’s P67 and H67 chipsets. Today we are taking a look at another Intel Z68 motherboard, this time it is the Z68XP-UD4 from Gigabyte. Gigabyte has loaded with motherboard with features like a 16 phase power design, Intel Quick Sync video, switchable graphics with LucidLogix Virtu GPU virtualization, and Gigabyte’s new touch BIOS."

Thermaltake Overseer RX-I Case

"If there is one thing many people know Thermaltake for it is their cases, especially the ones that have that futuristic look to them. Today we will be checking out a case that has this look, the Overseer RX-I. This style appeals to many people, especially gamers. Thermaltake even calls this design an “E-sports gaming style front bezel.” Besides the cool looks this case features a top-mounted hard drive dock, USB 3.0 and eSATA connectivity, support for 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch hard drives, 3 included fans and since it is a full tower case you can fit motherboards inside up to E-ATX!"]]> no_email@example.com (jimadkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13464 http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13463 "Micron CEO and chairman Steve Appleton died Friday morning in a small-plane crash in Boise. Micron, a maker of semiconductors and flash memory, confirmed Appleton's death at age 51 in a press release that praised his "passion and energy." Appleton was flying a Lancair fixed-wing single-engine plane that crashed at 8:58 a.m. local time at Boise Airport, a spokeswoman for the airport told CNN's John Fricke. She could not confirm whether the accident took place at takeoff, landing or during flight."]]> no_email@example.com (jimadkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13463 http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13462 Intel Core i7-3820 vs. Core i7-2700K & Core i7-3930K

"However, LGA 2011 solutions have several indisputable advantages that may make them increasingly popular in the enthusiast community. First, this platform supports PCI Express 3.0 bus today already, which may be very handy for the new AMD Radeon HD 7970 graphics cards. Second, it supports much more PCI Express lanes than LGA 1155, which allows building uncompromising high-speed multi-GPU systems. However, the problem is that these advantages will make most sense in the gaming systems, where six-core processors are usually not recommended because in most cases they will have lower frequency than the quad-core CPUs, and therefore will demonstrate lower performance in gaming applications."

Gold & Bronze NZXT Power Supply Roundup

"The PSU market is extremely competitive, yet new players are often to be seen there. Some of them, like Corsair, have already earned a good reputation although do not actually develop and manufacture PSUs they market under their brands. Today we want to introduce to you another new name. It is NZXT, a company known for its various computer accessories and, recently, CPU coolers and system cases. Now they want to make a try on a completely new field. We will discuss five products from both PSU series offered by NZXT. To be exact, we’ve got the complete HALE82 series with its three models of 650, 750 and 850 watts. The HALE90 series is comprised of more products, but we’ve got only two: the flagship 1-kilowatt model and a midrange 750-watt one."]]> no_email@example.com (jimadkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13462 http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13461 XFX Radeon HD 7950 Black Edition

"With AMD releasing the Radeon HD 7950 today, we all knew that things would go a bit differently from when the 7970 launched back in December. The 7970 saw a reference launch with partners bringing out refreshed cards later down the line. The 7950 however was destined to see specialist models being released at launch including custom coolers and overclocked editions. Today we take a look at the XFX Radeon HD 7950 Black Edition Overclocked 3GB graphics card which offers up a double dissipation cooler which XFX are famous for, as well as being overclocked past its stock speeds and being included in the Black Edition range of products."

QPad MK-80 Mechanical Keyboard

"What we have in for review today is the QPad MK-80 Mechanical Keyboard. The difference between a ‘normal’ keyboard and a mechanical one, is the type of switch that the keyboard uses for the keys. The different types of switches include membrane switches – the most popular type found in most keyboards, Scissor switches – found in laptops and then mechanical switches, which are the switch type we are looking at today. The MK-80 retail version has MX Cherry Blue switches, but QPad do also give you the option of, red, brown or. black (The MK-85 has Cherry Red switches)."]]> no_email@example.com (jimadkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13461 http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13460 Gigabyte X79-UD5 Motherboard

“We've seen Gigabyte make great strides in their latest X79 lineup, including the new BIOS and auto features designed with the enthusiast in mind. So let's take a closer look to see if the X79-UD5 board can continue that successful trend.”

Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 OC

“The Sapphire HD 7950 OC is the overclocked version of the AMD design, and also comes with a customized air cooler. Is it strong enough to fend off the GTX 580? Framerates tell some of the story, but what about temperatures? Power consumption? Gaming value? Let's take a closer look at the Sapphire HD 7950 OC and answer those questions for you.”]]> no_email@example.com (jimadkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13460 http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13459 Thermaltake Smart 630W Power Supply

"The Smart Series is a new entry-level power supply series from Thermaltake, with the standard 80 Plus certification. Coming to replace the old Purepower and TR2 "standard" series, this new series features 430 W, 530 W, 630 W, and 730 W models, all with the standard 80 Plus certification."

AMD Radeon HD 7950 Video Card

"The new Radeon HD 7950, which is being released today, is a more affordable version of the Radeon HD 7970. Let's check its performance and see if it is a good choice for users looking for a high-end video card."]]> no_email@example.com (jimadkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13459 http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13458 Thermaltake Smart Series 730W Power Supply

"Thermaltake is claiming that the new Smart series power supply is just that. The Smart series is only offered in a non-modular version for now. But the power range within the spectrum of anybody building a system from basic web browsing to gaming that reason is 430 to 730 watts."

Thermaltake Commander MS-I Case

"The new Commander MS-I is a new case aimed at the budget-minded DIYer. The case is priced at the lower price spectrum, retailing for about $40-$60. The pricing depends on where it is purchased from as well as if it comes with fans or out. But what do you get for this incredible low price?"]]> no_email@example.com (JimAdkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13458 http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13457 Corsair Carbide 500R Arctic White Case

"A while back we reviewed the Corsair 400R Carbide series case. The Carbide series being Corsairs entry level case lineup, is not the cheapest, yet still remaining affordable cases. However no cut backs on build quality, design and features are made. The 400R was a pretty solid case, but there's another, more advanced version in the Carbide series. The 500R is the bigger brother of the previously tested 400R. Sporting a beefy 200mm sidefan, 3 step fan controller, removable HDD bays and some little extra refinements on the case design. Retailing at about 20 euros more than the 400R, we try to figure out if the 500R is worth it's money."

Geil Enhance Corsa PC3-12800 1600MHz

"Not your average standard DDR3 memory. The Enhance CORSA Series, tested at much higher standards of 1500MHz CL9 and 1700MHz CL9 instead of the labeled 1333MHz CL9 and 1600MHz CL9. The extra guard-bands of an impressive 10% are to provide enhanced performance and more importantly, enhanced reliablity that defines the spirit of “GeIL Standard”. The Enhance CORSA Series are compatible with all of the latest platforms with the labeled speeds under standard settings, while the enhanced speeds are embedded in Intel XMP profiles. The Enhance CORSA Series provide users with performance, quality and compatiblity exceeding expectations."]]> no_email@example.com (JimAdkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13457 http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13456 Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler

"To sum it all up, Cooler Master's new Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler has great performance, yet leaves a relatively small acoustic footprint. The included mounting solution is very robust, if a bit fussy to install, and Cooler Master includes an extra pair of fan clips should the user wish to add another fan."

Thermaltake Dr. Power II ATX PS Tester

"Thermaltake's Dr. Power II works as advertised, is relatively accurate and has an easily used and intuitive interface. Two testing modes allow the user to make a quick pass or zero in on a suspect connector or rail. It's compact, lightweight and the large LCD screen is easy to read."]]> no_email@example.com (JimAdkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13456 http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13455 AMD Radeon HD 7950 3 GB

"Today AMD released their new Radeon HD 7950, the second card to be based on AMD's GCN shader architecture. Compared to its bigger brother, the HD 7970, the card comes with less shaders and reduced clock speeds. Other features have remained the same, like 3 GB memory, improved power consumption and support for EyeFinity."

AMD Radeon HD 7950 CrossFire

"In this review we put two Radeon HD 7950 graphics cards in a dual-GPU CrossFire configuration and test whether this $900 setup is worth its money and how it fares against other alternatives."]]> no_email@example.com (JimAdkins) http://www.monster-hardware.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=13455