Hardware

The card I am testing today, the HIS X1650XT IceQ Turbo, uses the relatively new graphic chipset, the x1650XT from ATI. While the name suggests it is nothing more than a slightly faster X1650 Pro, the truth is that it is much more than that.

I should first point out that the Foxconn 975X7AB-8EKRS2H is fully Core 2 Duo ready. Foxconn has a previous product titled, you guessed it, 975X7AA-8EKRS2H, that is not compatible with Core 2 Duo processors, so hence the “B” in the “975X7AB”. To recap, the board we have in this review …

  From our rather extensive experience doing XFX® product reviews we’ve seen this corporate philosophy transcend from merely words into a series of excellent, highly polished digital wonders that go a step beyond in not only performance but quality as well. We are highly anticipative that our review sample, the …

Aguila is another fine product from Tt’s stable. It’s one of the coolest looking PC cases I had reviewed so far. Although this product brings features found in Thermaltake Armor it comes with its own practical functions such as front panel that can be opened for easier access to your …

  We thought it would be fun to test and detail the similarities and differences of several products that fit in this genre of “flash drive” in one single review. Please join us as we explore the performance, intricacies, and issues with the: OCZ Rally2 2GB USB 2.0 Dual Channel …

  VIZO Technology Corp has created a product which many would consider past-due: a self-contained liquid cooled CPU heatsink and fan. That’s right, an all-in-one CPU cooler which has an integrated water-cooling pump, resoivoir, and fan, and manages to consume no more space then most aftermarket coolers.

In Just Cause, you take control of Rico Rodriguez, a Latin field operative and specialist in regime change. Silently backed up by the CIA, you are tasked to roam the huge island and make sure president Mendoza’s regime will end as soon as possible.

  I received the ETASIS ET850 850 Watt power supply a few days before Christmas and immediately began to wonder if part 2 of my daydream; “meets the needs of the needs of the greater majority of my readers at a price that everyone could afford”, would be affirmed. Please …

  Today that may all change and I may be procuring this reference sample as my new reference memory to use as I will be reviewing the Redline XP2-8000’s big brother, XP2-8500. This time we’ll testing the memory’s performance with an Intel Core 2 Duo based system whose components are …

The High Power 620W has an impressive features-list: three 12V rails, Active PFC, >80% efficiency and a extremely low noise level. With its 620W it should be sufficient for even demanding systems as long as it can manage to produce stable and clean power.

Since my current motherboard uses a heatpipe on the chipset, I decided that the cooling solution provided by Asus was sufficient. And since my XFX video card’s warranty would become null and void if I modified it by adding a gpu waterblock, I decided that its cooling solution on it …

For those enthusiasts waiting for the prices on the new G80 hardware to come down or those holding out to see what ATI (and NVIDIA) has to offer early next year, but who still need a graphics card that can power their games for the interim, cheaper but still powerful …

  The next generation of power supplies has arrived with Mushkin’s Enhanced series featuring RailFusion. The four 12V rails allow the PSU to distribute power more evenly, resulting in a more stable system. Available with 580 Watts, your power needs are met for even the most cutting edge components. Mushkins …

So, when I heard Dark Messiah was out there, I decided to put on my shining plate armor, place my magical sword in its curved heavy leather scabbard and go out to face my next dangerous quest to conquer my copy and bring it back safely into my DVD for …

  We are in the age of mobile data and removable media. You can see it all around us. Most industry professionals keep a portable computing device in close company, and nearly everyone carries a USB flash drive on them. Cell phones double as MP3 players, and MP3 players double …

Today we are going to take a close look at the WinDVD 8, the Platinum edition. Our primary goals will be to determine if this highly feature-laden software works as advertised. We want to take this task a step further and determine whether WinDVD 8 Platinum is the new “Swiss …

The abit SG-95 is a mATX board which targets budget segments. It features SiS 622 and 966L chipsets. It has some nice features such as 16x PCIe support for latest graphic cards, HD audio, DDR2 667 support, and SATA RAID support. It can support most of Pentium 4 processors as …

  Even with the best cooling available for your CPU, motherboard, and video card, there are still components which may suffer from thermal breakdown. Despite advances in design and architecture of computer cases, the hard disk drive still manages to show a weakness in passive cooling. This is why supplemental …

The test specs of my rig are about as extreme as is currently available today. Extreme systems of this type most certainly require desperate measures to meet their basic power demands, much less the requirements when I really push the system. Today I’ll outline my experience with the PC Power …

  The MobileSTOR Series MS2UT is a 2bay external RAID solution designed for video editing and data storage. With simplicity and flexibly in mind, the MS2UT is equipped with 2 Hot-Swappable 3.5” lockable drive trays and both USB 2.0 and eSATA host interfaces. Utilizing cutting edge Serial-ATA HDD technology, the …

Vantec has released a notebook cooler that does a lot more than just cool your notebook down. You will find both a 2.1 sound system and a 3 port USB2.0 hub on it. We’ve tested it to see if it is a worthile investment.

Today, we’ll be looking at the Reaper, Ideazon’s first gaming mouse. This Reaper is an optical mouse with buttons of which five of them are programmable. It has the maximum of 1600 DPIs. In a market of crowded gaming mouse, can Ideazon bring something new and unique to the market? …

  QNAP Systems, Inc. has developed a very diverse line of products which accommodate all NAS needs. Bjorn3d.com has recently released a great review of the single drive NAS solution dubbed the TS-101 from QNAP’s Turbo Station line of products. In this review I will dissect the larger and more …

The ASUS P5B-E is a very good motherboard. While not having all those extra bells and whistles you find on ASUS high-end motherboard it still manages to perform very well.

What is holding you back from your overclocking? Is the RAM, Chipset, or the processor running too hot? If so, you must check out our review on Antec’s SpotCool. This is a versatile cooling solution which can be mounted almost anywhere inside your PC to add cooling to the needed …

fter waiting for a long time, reading every piece of information on the net, it is finally available to the PC gamer. The fourth game in the Splinter Cell series is in my hands and you are welcome to take a seat and hang on tight because this is going …

Not veryone can afford one of the latest and greats video cards. We have tested the HIS X1950 Pro to see what it can offer for the price-consious gamer.

  It is an understatement that performance computer hardware gets a little warm. Even with the best cooling on your CPU, motherboard, and video card, there are still components which may suffer from thermal breakdown. Despite advances in design and architecture of computer cases, the hard disk drive still manages …

  Please join me at Bjorn3D’s Southeastern US test facility (my computer room) where we’ll take the ATI® X1950XTX CrossFire™ edition to its limits. It is our plan to test this card in comparison with the two fastest single GPU graphics cards currently on the market. Is it a fair …

QNAP TS-101 is an NAS enclosure which takes SATA hard drives. It supports both SATA 1 and SATA II. It functions as an 9-in-1 NAS Server Turbo Station as it does not only supports NAS, it also comes with a slew of other features and applications. If you need a …

The ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium is a compelling and feature-rich product. As with all ASUS high-end products you get a lot for your money.

  Well known to computer enthusiasts and gamers alike, Lian Li has built a name based on performance and quality above everything else. Every single product released by Lian Li has had meticulous attention paid to details which the competition usually ignores. Clearly, there is no equal to Lian Li, …

  The story doesn’t exactly end here, about ten days ago I received a call from Scott, one of my bosses at Bjorn3D, asking if I wanted to review the P5W64 WS Professional. Guess what I said? So here we are today ready to put this baby through its paces. …

  The Xpad’s innovative design shields user from laptop heat while improving laptop cooling without noisy fans or awkward straps. Its clever ABS composite structure design allows it to have a thin profile while providing an amazing structural stiffness. The Xpad is sized optimally to accommodate most laptop sizes while …

That game, ladies and gents, is called Company of Heroes. When it comes to strategy, Relic knows what it’s doing … Relic’s new strategy title is indeed the best RTS for 2006 in so many aspects. If you consider yourselves RTS gamers, you must battle your way to the nearest …

  We are in the age of mobile data and removable media. You can see it all around us. Most industry professionals keep a portable computing device in close company, and nearly everyone carries a USB flash drive on them. Cell phones double as MP3 players, and MP3 players double …

The Gamepad Precision Pro is a mouse pad aimed at the gamers. It has two different surfaces which are supposed to cater both those gamers who need fast movement (“low sense gamers”) and those who need high precision (“high sense gamers”).

Super Talent Mega Screen MP3 Player is a flash based MP3 player that is full of features. It plays music, records sounds, displays pictures and even comes with an FM tuner. It has colored screen and very easy to use buttons. In a market dominated by Apple’s iPod, can this …

The Freedom V Wireless is an excellent alternative to Red Octane’s official controllers. Without the constraints of the cable you are free to live out your fantasy of being Yngve Malmsteen.

  Well today’s launch day and we were graciously supplied the Winfast®PX8800 GTX TDH by Leadtek. Please join with me now as we put this card through its paces and determine in fact if it’s just a snack for the gamer to munch on, or an entire seven course meal …