Club Overclocker - The Original Overclocker's Club!

3/11/2010

Intel Core i7-980X 32nm LGA-1366 Six Core CPU
"In the current market our CPUs are multi-core. It is almost unheard of to have a CPU with a single core, unless you are buying a netbook or a very low-end system. Starting at the mainstream level the dual core is king. You find them in all shapes and sizes. Moving up, AMD has their tri cores. From there both AMD and Intel have quads and finally Intel has the quad with Hyper Threading; the 8 thread monster called the Core i7.

Well, Intel is looking to add a new level at the very top. This is a 6 core, 12 thread behemoth called Gulftown. Once it hits the retail channels it will be the Core i7-980X. But Gulftown is more than just 6 cores on a CPU die. Intel has moved to 32nm and also stuffed in some new instructions (including AES encryption)." Read about the new gulftown here

InWin Diva MITX Case
"Most cases today are aimed at males. In Win took up the challenge of creating a case that is mainly aimed at the female computer users. Will the pretty colors loose out to functionality?" Read on and find out.

3/09/2010

EVGA 270-WS-W555 Preview
Overclock3D is showing off a sneek preview of the new dual socket 1366 motherboard from EVGA. Head over to their site and check out the large number of features this board offers. Check it out here.

Kingston SSDNow V-Series 30GB Solid State Boot Drive Review
"Upgrading from a normal hard drive to a solid state drive can be quite expensive and for most people it really does not make that much sense. Solid state capacities are getting larger, but that just brings the price of the drives up even higher. Kingston wants to help people out who want to take advantage of the blazing speeds of solid state drives, but don’t want to break the bank. They have just released the SSDNow V-Series 30GB solid state boot drive. This drive will retail at around $100 and will allow you to load your operating system and applications on it for fast load times, and then you can just put all of your media on a normal SATA drive. This is a great upgrade option for people looking to get a solid state drive, but might not have that much extra money for one." Read the review here.

3/07/2010

Sapphire Radeon HD 5830 Video Card in CrossFire
"Having already looked at the HD 5830 in reference form, it was time to see what our retail card could do when combined with the reference model we've already looked at. Over the past few months and clearly the past few releases, we've had a look at all the models in Crossfire and have been extremely happy with the performance boost that the setups gave us.

Out of the box the Sapphire doesn't look like our reference card. How it really changes, however, is something we'll get into more detail on later. For now let's check out the package and see if Sapphire can wow us with the latest model from ATI." Read the rest of the review here

In Win Fanqua Mid Tower Chassis Review
“In Win isn’t a widely known company, but it is slowly starting to get to there. Their unique cases are a different from the norm and the In Win Fanqua Mid Tower Chassis that we have to review today is no exception. Supporting up to nine drives the Fanqua houses four fans: three 120mm and one 220mm blue LED fan which lights up the entire case. In Win has also developed many tool-free devices to help ensure a fast and easy installation. Read on further to find out more about this case." Check out the full review here

3/03/2010

Sceptre Unveils State-of-the-Art 27-inch High-Def LCD Monitor
City of Industry, Calif. - (March 3, 2010) – Sceptre, world class manufacturers of high-quality TV and PC monitors, has just released its 27-inch true 1080p LCD widescreen PC monitors featuring industry-impressive 60,000:1 contrast ratios and ultra-fast 2 ms response times for a more realistic and advanced PC gaming experience.

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Contrast ratio 1000:1 (Native) / 60,000:1 (DCR)
Response Time 2 ms (OD)
Aspect Ratio 16:9 Wide Screen
Resolution 1920 x 1080
Energy Star 5.0 complied
Brightness 400 cd/m2
16.7 million colors
50,000 hours lamp life
Viewing angle: 170° (horizontal) 160° (vertical)
Connections port: VGA, DVI, HDMI, Audio In
Built-in speakers: 3 watts per Channel

All for an MSRP of $399

To learn more visit Sceptre

Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue 256GB Solid State Drive
"When it comes to solid state drives the controller is the heart of the drive. There are SSDs on the market that are using bottom of the barrel, slow as molasses NAND flash, but their controller is able to make it all come together. Most of the time we are able to find out what controller is in a product and have a very good idea about the drives performance.

As it sits right now I have no idea what controller is in the Western Digital SiliconEdge Blue. To further aid to the confusion the cache is larger than anything we have tested before. The good thing is that when we buy SSDs we are rarely buying a name or the laser etches found on the controller. Pricing, performance, overall value between the two, length of warranty and a company’s reputation on standing behind their products is what we are breaking our wallets out for." Check out the review at Tweaktown

3/01/2010

OCZ Technology’s Vertex 2 Pro 100GB Solid State Disk
"As time goes on we are seeing what was once enterprise-only technology being weaved into consumer products. Dual core processors have eliminated the need for dual processor systems used for A/V production. In the storage field we have the adaption of 10K platter speeds and technological advances like Native Command Queuing.

Today we are looking at the OCZ Technology Vertex 2 Pro. What makes the Vertex 2 Pro so special is that it uses one of the first true enterprise grade solid state controllers and pairs it with low cost consumer grade Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash memory." Check out the review at Tweaktown

Jetway NC94-510-LF Mini-ITX Atom Motherboard
"Today we take a look at a low power high efficiency Intel Atom D510 based board from Jetway. This board offers the ability to have a Home media or backup server that wont break the bank. The NC94-510-LF from Jetway includes some surprising features for such a compact board with some possible issues which we explore in our review." read the full review here.

2/25/2010

OCZ Alchemy Series Elixir Gaming Keyboard
“The OCZ Elixir keyboard has been out for just about 2 years now. We were lucky enough to win one during CES at OCZ’s party. We normally would not review such an old keyboard, but looking around online we found this keyboard for $20 brand new, which for any keyboard is a great deal. So let’s take a look at the Alchemy Series Elixir Gaming keyboard and see if it’s the perfect keyboard for a gamer on a budget." Read it at Thinkcomputers

GIGABYTE M8000 Xtreme Gaming Mouse
"I'm reviewing a mouse! It's been a while since I've looked at a peripheral and when I say a while, I mean years. Since Chinese New Year was coming in fast and GIGABYTE wanted to get a sample of the M8000X out before the factories shut down, I said to send it over to me.

With the press document sitting in my inbox on the GIGABYTE M8000X, I took the time to really look through it. Damn, it looked oh so sweet. But features and software are only half the story; what really matters is how it feels. Something that most companies struggle to achieve is the greatness in a fantastic feeling mouse. Let's find out how GIGABYTE is traveling in this segment these days." Read the full review at Tweaktown.

Aerocool BX-500 PGS Series B Case
"If you haven't visited Aerocool's web site recently you should check it out and see some of the new items they have to offer such as the case we are reviewing today the RX-500 PGS Series B case. Come along as we check this bad boy out." Check out the review at Hi-techreviews

2/23/2010

Kingwin Dockmaster: 2.5 and 3.5" SATA Hard Drive Docking Station
Today we are introducing Kingwin's new line of docking stations; the Dock Master. The Dock Master comes in three flavors, a 2.5"/3.5" USB 3.0 Interface, a 2.5"/3.5" USB 2.0 Interface and a Dual Bay 2.5"/3.5" docking station with USB 2.0 Interface. Our sample happens to be the USB 3.0 version. Have a first look, right here at Club Overclocker!

2/19/2010

The "NEW" Club Overclocker Forums
The all new ClubOC forums are up and running. The new forums are running on phpBB and appear to be working very well. Join us and discuss your hardware issues or just brag about your system. If you are an old forum member, you will need to reregister here.

Daily tech news & reviews

PowerColor Radeon HD 5670 PCS+ Video Card Review @ Hi Tech Legion

Thermalright Venomous X CPU Cooler Review @ Legit Reviews

Kingston SSDNow V+ Series SNVP325-S2B 512GB Gen 2 Solid State Drive

Asus Xonar D1 @ Bjorn3D

OC3D: ASUS Maximus III Extreme 1156 Motherboard

Sapphire HD 5450 512 MB GDDR3 @ techPowerUp

Cooler Master CM Storm Sentinal Advance Gaming Mouse Review @ Tweaknews

2/17/2010

Corsair® launches Obsidian Series™ 700D Chassis
New chassis builds on success of the award-winning Obsidian Series 800D
FREMONT, California, February 17, 2010 — Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the Obsidian Series 700D High-Performance computer chassis, based on the award-winning Obsidian Series 800D chassis.

The new Obsidian Series 700D has been designed by Corsair to offer enthusiasts with a high-performance chassis that retains many of the key features and dimensions of the hugely popular Obsidian 800D. The Obsidian Series 700D replaces the four hot-swap SATA disk drive bays of the 800D with four fixed SATA bays. The total number of drives bays remains the same at six 3.5 inch (2.5 inch compatible) bays, and five 5.25 inch bays. The windowed side-panel of the 800D is also replaced by a solid side panel for the 700D.

“From the moment we announced the Obsidian Series 800D chassis, enthusiasts were captivated by its unique combination of features, looks and performance, and the fact that it is a true builders’ chassis,” said Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing at Corsair. “Our goal with the Obsidian Series 700D is to offer a chassis that retains the essence of what made the 800D so popular, but at a lower price point, allowing a wider range of consumers to build their own Corsair Dream PC.”

With the exception of the elimination of the hot-swap SATA bays and associated front panel changes, and the change to the windowed side-panel, the Obsidian Series 700D is identical to the 800D, boasting the same innovative multi-zone cooling system, removable CPU backplate for easy heatsink installation, tool-free 5.25 inch drive installation, and sophisticated cable-management system. Like the 800D, the 700D also features the capability to add a triple 120mm radiator, making it ideal for high-end, liquid-cooled Dream PCs. The 700D is built using the same high-quality, durable materials and retains 800D’s sleek, sophisticated looks.

The Obsidian Series 700D is supplied with a two year limited warranty and is backed up by Corsair’s legendary customer service and technical support. It will be available in April through Corsair’s worldwide network of authorized resellers.

2/16/2010

Daily tech news & reviews

Raidmax Skyline Mid Tower Chassis Review @ ThinkComputers.org

EVGA P55 FTW LGA 1156 ATX Motherboard Review @ PC Perspective

Sapphire Radeon HD5870 Video Card Review @ Ninjalane

NZXT Panzerbox Welded Aluminum Tower @ Pro-Clockers

Gigabyte X58A-UD7 Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews

ASRock X58 SuperComputer Motherboard Review @ EXTREME Overclocking!

Thermaltake Element V Full Tower Case Review @ Tweaknews

Core i3 takes on Athlon II @ Tech Report

2/14/2010

Happy Valentine's Day!

Say "I Love You!" With RAM
Forget the flowers and boxes of chocolate, what you really want is more memory, and our Crucial Ballistix Tracer modules in brilliant red are the perfect solution for the systems you love.

For the newest objects of your affection, get our high-performance DDR3-1333 (PC3-10600) and DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) modules. We have 3GB and 6GB kits available. For your old, sentimental love, the DDR2 PC2-6400 memory modules are perfect, and are available in a 4GB kit. Both feature those eye-catching Tracer LED lights to capture everyone's heart. Show your system how much you love it—get Ballistix Tracer modules in red. Check out Crucial.

2/13/2010

GIGABYTE Introduces First UD7 Motherboard for the P55 Platform
This press release is from a couple of days ago, but is still very news worthy.

City of Industry, February 10, 2010 - GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and other computing hardware solutions today proudly launched their new flagship motherboard for the P55 chipset platform, the GA-P55A-UD7.

Continuing in the UD7 tradition (after the launch of the GA-X58A-UD7), the GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD7 delivers awesome features for power users and gaming enthusiasts such as a 24 phase power design , NVIDIA® 3-Way SLI™/ATI® CrossFireX™, as well as support for USB 3.0, 3x USB Power Boost (unique to GIGABYTE), and SATA 3.0 (6Gbps).

For the entire press release click here.

2/12/2010

PCI-E x1 Graphics Card with DX10.1 Ready!
Albatron, Taipei, 2010/02/12 – As a professional motherboard and graphics card manufacturer, Albatron Technology is keeping developing key components for IPC clients. After announcement of the first PCIe x1 VGA - GeForce 9500GT PCIE-1X -in 2009, Albatron unveils the second PCIe x1 VGA to market in 2010 Feb. Albatron G210-512 PCIe x1 is the first graphics card with both PCIe x1 interface and DX 10.1 ready!

Albatron G210-512 PCIe x1 features NVidia GeForce 210 Graphics Processor Unit (GPU) and branded DDR2 memories and supports the latest multimedia output, such as HDMI and DVI. Equipped with hi-quality capacitors & large-sized heat sink, it performs well in both efficiency and stability. Furthermore, as far as the space of computer cabinet is concerned, Albatron G210-512 PCIe x1 is adapted in low-profile design. Compared to the standard graphics cards, it’s more suitable with small form factor mother boards.

The design idea of Albatron G210-512 PCIe x1 is focused on multi-display application to maximum the space and source of monitor display. With the high bandwidth of PCI-E x1 (512MB/s), users can enjoy Blue-ray video fluently. No mater for multi-monitoring in industry control area or screen extension in flight stimulation, Albatron G210-512 PCIe x1 can complete assignments successfully. In addition, purchasing a graphics card for servers, the interface of PCI-E 1X can satisfy the discrete graphics needs and provide better image, high-definition and 3D performance.

Albatron spares no effort in global environment, and all materials of products follow the standard of RoHS, the latest rule EU announced to reduce the damage toward human and animals. User can be relieved to purchase and use Albatron’s products. For more information, please visit: www.albatron.com.tw

Daily tech news & reviews

AMD Athlon II X2 255 Dual Core 3.1GHz Processor Review @ Legit Reviews

PowerColor Radeon HD 5870 1GB PCS+ OC Video Card @ TweakTown

McAfee Total Protection 2010 Review @ TechReviewSource.com

Asus BD-Combo (Blu-Ray Combo Optical Drive BC-08B1ST) @ Bjorn3D

OC3D: Asus P7H57D-V EVO Motherboard

Is Android Taking Over? @ ThinkComputers.org

Sapphire Radeon HD5450 Video Card Review @ Ninjalane

ECS A785GM-AD3 Black Series Motherboard Review @ OCIA.net

2/11/2010

Daily tech news & reviews

NVIDIA Optimus, AMD Radeon HD5570 and 5450, AMD's Llano CPU and more!

Razer DeathAdder 1800DPI @ Phoronix

Steelseries 9HD Review @ XSReviews

Review of the Qnap TS-219 Turbo NAS @ Cowcotland

LaCie Rikiki 500GB Portable USB Hard Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org

2/9/2010

Club Overclocker Is Back!!!

Unfortunately, unresolved technical problems with our server has prevented us from updating our website for the past serveral months. As of today, we appear to be back online with a new host. However, it will still be a few more days before everything is back to normal again. Thank you for your patience.

1/26/2010

AMD's January Budget Refresh: 5 New Processors from $74 and Up @ PC Perspective
While AMD is certainly behind Intel when it comes to the high end of the market, as well as introducing 32 nm processors, they do have a very strong position and following in the sub-$200 processor market. AMD has released
five new processors from $74 to $179, which they hope will help solidify their offerings in the face of Intel's i3 and i5 processors. URL: http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=861

Glacialtech Igloo 5710 Plus Silent Heatsink Review @ Frosty Tech
"Glacialtech's Igloo 5710 Plus Silent is an economical low noise heatsink for Intel socket 775/1366 and AMD socket 939/AM2/AM3 processors. Produced by Taiwanese heatsink manufacturer Glacialtech, the Igloo 5710 Plus Silent is a straightforward CPU cooler, weighing 425 grams and built around a thin copper base, three copper heatpipes and a small tower of aluminum fins." URL: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2478

Daily tech news & reviews

NZXT Tempest EVO Case Review @ Rbmods

MSI R5670-PMD1G Radeon HD 5670 1 GB @ techPowerUp

12/11/2009

Kingwin LZ-1000 Modular Power Supply Review
Tis the season for holiday gift giving and what better gift for yout favorite PC enthusiast? How about a hot new power supply from our friend sover at Kingwin? The Kingwin Laser 1000W modular power supply has an attractive list of specifications and looks fantastic. As the new flagship for Kingwin's Performance series power supplies the LZ-1000 is packed with all the bells and whistles. Lets take a closer look right here at the Club!

NZXT Unveils IU01 Internal USB Expansion System
PC Accessory installs easily, adds a total of 8 USB ports, and provides additional power to front-panel USBs for under $20
El Monte, CA – December 10 2009 – NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the IU01 Internal USB Expansion system. The IU01 addresses an issue common to most gaming PCs that is a lack of substantial power and expandability from the front-panel USBs. The IU01 enhances control and boosts power for front-panel USB devices by connecting them directly to the power supply as opposed to the motherboard, ensuring that there’s always enough power to control your accessories and peripherals. The IU01 also adds six internal USB ports that are great for powering items that you don’t need constant access too like a Bluetooth module or USB wireless router allowing you to free up the external ports for additional accessories.

“We strive to make products that provide enthusiasts options for enhanced expansion and control” said Johnny Hou, Chief Designer at NZXT. “Motherboards typically feature only 2 internal USB ports which tend to be occupied by a media card reader and the case’s USB cable. The IU01 provides a total of 8 additional USB ports expanding the users’ multimedia connectivity and ensures peripherals have sufficient power with the direct connection to the PSU.”

The IU01 is available now at an MSRP of $19.99. For more information on the NZXT IU01 visit www.nzxt.com/products/IU01

12/3/2009

Tyme Machines Sculpted USB Drive Review
Here at the Club we see a lot of pure performance parts, but sometimes its just nice to get to play with something that puts a smile on your face. Tyme Machines has provided just the right product with their Star Wars themed Sculpted USB drives. Out of the four currently available characters Tyme Machines has covered some of the most popular Star Wars Icons. But do they perform as good as they look? We put two of the legendary characters to the test right here.