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Crucial Announced as Platinum Sponsor of Popular LANFest
Gaming Series
Fremont, CA , July 26, 2010 — Lexar
Media, a leading global provider of memory products for
digital media, today announced that Crucial is a
Platinum sponsor of LANFest Sponsored by Intel. The
sponsorship gives LANFest event attendees an opportunity
to win excellent prizes such as Crucial Ballistix memory
and Crucial solid-state drives, plus unique Crucial
swag, including Crucial “Memory Hawg” T-shirts and
limited-edition Crucial Snuggies™. Crucial is a longtime
supporter of the LAN (local area network) gaming
community, sponsoring PC gaming events across North
America, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
Link
Crucial RealSSD C300 256GB
"Slow secondary storage has been the biggest persistent
gripe about PC gaming for quite a while now. While CPUs,
RAM, graphics cards and system busses have all been
improving at a steady rate; hard drives have stayed more
or less stagnant for the past decade. Enter the solid
state drive. At its most basic level, a SSD has the same
basic structure as a USB flash drive: a bunch of NAND
flash memory chips, a controller to tie them together,
and an interface that talks to the outside world. Where
a SSD pulls ahead is, naturally enough, in the
performance of those three components. Today we'll be
looking at the RealSSD C300 256GB SSD from Crucial.
Taking advantage of the still-uncommon SATA 6.0 GBps
interface, this drive promises to deliver blisteringly
fast performance."
Link
Gigabyte X58A-UD9 review
"X58 motherboards are a dime a dozen nowadays, but it
takes a truly exceptional board to stand out from the
crowd, especially if you’re being asked $700 (AED 2,400)
for it! I mean, at that price this thing has to be a
monster, feature filled to the brim, allowing you almost
limitless overclocking possibilities and future proofed
for at least half a decade. Gigabyte’s latest flagship
motherboard, the X58A-UD9 is just that, except that it
won’t be the biggest and most expensive motherboard on
the planet in half a year."
Link
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula Motherboard
"ASUS Crosshair IV Formula is undoubtedly an original
and interesting product. Its features, like GameFirst
and ROG Connect, are actually useful and may come in
handy. The bundle includes everything you need, and then
a bit more."
Link
MSI 890FXA-GD70 AMD 890FX Motherboard Review
"Overall I am thoroughly impressed with the MSI
890FXA-GD70 motherboard. Why you may ask. It does
exactly what it is supposed to do with out complaining.
Sure the performance was slightly behind that of the
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula, but it isn't the kind of
performance difference you will notice on a day to day
basis. What you may notice on a day to day basis, is the
price difference. At the time of this writing the MSI
890FXA-GD70 is $179.99 after rebate. That puts the MSI
890FXA-GD70 thirty bucks below the ASUS Crosshair IV
Formula. That's an extra thirty bucks you can invest
into a better graphics card or processor..."
Link
Intel Core i5-655K Processor
"Many years ago, overclocking was not limited by
Intel/AMD like nowadays. As it is usual, when they see
they can make extra money from the consumers by limiting
their features to those who pay more, they don't
hesitate to take advantage of that. In the last years,
the Intel made it a little bit "impossible" for those
who want to buy a CPU with unlocked multiplier. Intel
was limiting that feature to the Extreme Edition CPUs.
AMD took this as an opportunity to approach consumers
with a feature their competition wouldn't give and so
the AMD Black Edition CPUs appeared. AMD has been kindly
enough to offer Black Edition products for each segment
in the market, and that means you can find a BE (Black
Edition) CPU for less than $100. Intel is striking back
with a pair of new processors which feature an unlocked
multiplier without the $999 tag. Today, Benchmark
Reviews will analyze the Intel Core i5 655K Unlocked CPU
which basically is a Clarkd! ale based 2-cores/4-threads
processor with Intel HD graphics and specially aimed at
overclockers. Is the unlocked multiplier good enough to
pay that little extra or isn't it worth it? Is it better
to overclock with multiplier or should I to raise the
BCLK? Those answers and more will be covered as
Benchmark Reviews tests the Intel Core i5-655K
Clarksdale processor, model BX80616I5655K."
Link
Aerocool VS-9 Case Review
"Today we are looking at the VS-9 case from Aerocool.
The VS-9 is part of Aerocool's Performance Gaming System
(PGS) line of cases. PGS lets you choose your case
based on 5 categories, Compact, Ultimate gaming,
Aluminum, Professional and Value. The VS-9 falls
into the Value category. We've all heard the old
saying, "You get what you pay for." Let's take a
look at the VS-9 and see what kind of quality and
features Aerocool can pack in a value case."
Check it out here at the Club
Corsair Professional Series Gold AX1200 Power Supply
Review
"Corsair is well known for producing some of the best PC
power supplies on the market today and the AX1200
continues that trend. The Corsair Professional Series
Gold AX1200 power supply delivers clean DC outputs, with
excellent efficiency and good voltage regulation. Under
normal operating conditions (below 600W load) the AX1200
is relatively quiet. The AX1200 comes with an excellent
assortment of all-modular cables that can support the
latest CPUs and multiple, high-end video cards. And
let’s not forget active PFC, universal AC input and
Corsair’s 7-year warranty! "
Link
Thermaltake Armor A90 Review
"Today HardwareLogic is looking at the Thermaltake Armor
A90, another new product in Thermaltake's Armor range of
midrange PC cases. It offers a stealth
fighter-esque exterior design, but does it have quality
and practicality to back up the looks?"
Link
MSI Big Bang XPOWER Motherboard
"Enthusiast motherboards are designed to squeeze every
bit of performance out of your hardware. MSI releases
their Big Bang XPOWER motherboard. Does it have the
power to impress us, or will it just be another flash in
the pan?"
Link
Aerocool PGS Vx-R Case
"The PGS Vx-R
represents the budget model from Aerocool's new lineup
of casings. Despite the cost-conscious market segment,
the company has implemented features that are more often
found in higher-end casings. There are certain areas
where the cost-cutting measures taken by the company
shows, however overall the case represents some of the
best bang-for-buck you can have from a cool casing such
as the Vx-R."
Link
G.Skill release DDR3 48GB at 1,900 MHz CL8
"Taipei, Taiwanー23th July 2010ーG.Skill International Co.
Ltd., manufacturer of extreme performance memory and
solid-state storage with solid quality, has today
released the world’s only hand-picked, hand-tested,
ultra-high capacity DDR3 memory kit for workstations:
48GB (4GBx12) of 1,900MHz CL8 1.65V with G.Skill's
popular Ripjaws series heatsink.
Designed
exclusively for EVGA’s best in class Super Record 2
(SR-2) motherboard, which features dual Intel Xeon
LGA1366 CPU sockets and 12 DDR3 memory slots, G.Skill
has been able to match its masterpiece of 48GB DDR3
precisely to this board, making it performance for
performance-hungry workstation users. Furthermore, based
on G.Skill lab’s internal test results, advanced users
capable of understanding sophisticated BIOS adjustments
will be able to reach 2,000MHz CL8 with the G.Skill
Ripjaws 48GB DDR3 kit..."
Link
ASUS Rampage III Gene (X58 Express) Motherboard
"There is no doubt that the ASUS Republic of Games
line-up is one of the best on the market. Sure, you can
get a good board from this company or that, but as far
as a single line goes, you would be hard pressed to find
better than the Republic of Gamers. We have had the
pleasure of testing out most of the current crop and are
now able to take a look at another one.
This time
on the bench is the Rampage III Gene. The RIIIG (as we
will call it moving forward) is the little brother to
the Rampage III Extreme. It is an X58 based Micro ATX
board with some of the same features of the much larger
RIIIE. You also get a few extras that are not found on
the RIIIE; these extras seem geared exactly towards the
LAN party crowd."
Link
Intel's Xeon 5600 processor
"As you may know, Intel has enjoyed a resurgence in its
server and workstation processor business over the past
several years, due in no small part to regular and
effective refinements to its core CPU technology. The
introduction of the "Nehalem" quad-core Xeons last year
was the biggest step forward the firm has taken in many
years, with a whole new system architecture nicely
complementing a revamped processor microarchitecture.
The results were major gains in scalability,
performance, and power efficiency compared to the prior
generation of Xeons—along with renewed strength for
Intel's competitive standing versus its main rival,
AMD."
Link
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula 890FX Chipset Motherboard
Review
"Without a doubt in my mind the ASUS Crosshair IV
Formula motherboard is a force to be reckoned with. The
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula is one of the best looking
motherboards I have tested, but looks always take a back
seat for me when it comes to computer components.
Performance is king, and the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula
easily takes the crown today! For the most part
performance across the board was above and beyond that
of either of the AMD 890GX chipset boards that were
compared today..."
Link
Foxconn H55MX-S Motherboard Review
"Foxconn H55MX-S is priced under the psychological
threshold of $100. Naturally, it has but basic
functionality and isn't meant to be overclocked. At the
same time, it has a few advantages you don't normally
find in products cheaper than a hundred bucks."
Link
Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6 Intel P55 Express Motherboard
Review
"Gigabyte's flagship GA-P55-UD6 motherboard has
just been ousted from its position as the company's top
Intel P55 Express-based platform! What could Gigabyte
possibly replace this motherboard with... but itself?
Meet the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6, a special revision of the
original P55-UD6 motherboard that adds next generation
features to Gigabyte's already double-stuffed flagship
motherboard."
Link
ASRock 890GM Pro3 (AMD 890GX) Motherboard Review
"We have had more than a few ASRock board in the
lab. We have even had the folks from ASRock stop by to
talk to us about their products. So it comes as no
surprise that ASRock has been one of the ones to send
out their IGP carrying AM3 boards that are claiming full
support for the Phenom II X6. As we have found out,
though, not all boards that support the X6 can do so
with style.
ASRock claims that their 890GM Pro3
can do so and lists some other nice features to boot.
Features like core unlocking, Turbo Core, Turbo
overclock setting (Turbo30, 50 and 60) and more. You get
all of this for only $117 from Newegg.com."
Link
Gigabyte H55N-USB3 ITX Motherboard Review
"Gigabyte introduced a new ITX mainboard based on the
H55 chipset that also features USB3.0 onboard. We tested
the board to see if ITX boards are finally grown up and
can be used to build an all-round system."
Link
ClubOverclocker welcomes everyone from the Wiregrass CompTIA class.
After reviewing hardware for the
last 13 years, I've decided to get my A+ and Security+
certifications. I've been putting them off for
years. If you get your certification after Dec 31,
2010 you will have to re-test every three years.
So, I thought this was a good time to do it. Now
on with the news.
Call of Duty Anyone?

Click for full screenshot 1920x1280
Just wanted to let you know I rock at
Call of Duty: World at War. I play just about
every night on the TBG server. Join up and try to
beat me.
Gigabyte GTX 465 1GB
"When
the GTX 400 series cards launched in March 2010,
consumers were greeted with a new architecture that met
our expectations, and Nvidia lovers finally had an
alternative to the ATi HD 5000 series. Nvidia stole back
the single GPU performance crown, also made their
footprint on tessellation with very impressive results.
CUDA cores were increased, overall performance was
increased, now Nvidia lovers finally had a DirectX 11
card to purchase. Aside from power draw and heat output,
the only real negative trait the GTX 400 series had was
pricing.
With the
GTX 470 going for $349 MSRP and the GTX 480 going for
$499 MSRP, Nvidia was lacking a Fermi powered card in
the mainstream $250 price range. ATi has a $239 MSRP HD
5830, and Nvidia had nothing to answer with. However,
things were looking great for Nvidia because hardcore
enthusiasts finally got the card they had waited over 6
months for and the performance crown was back in
Nvidia’s camp. Unfortunately for budget gamers, they
were left without any Fermi offering to purchase. Now, a
full two months after Fermi’s appearance, Nvidia
released the GTX 465, which has an unexpected launch
MSRP of $279."
Link
AMD Athlon II X4 640 CPU
"Today we will take a look at the AMD:s newest
consumer class quadcore cpu. AMD Athlon II X4 640 is a
3.0GHz processor and we will be taking a look at how
well it performs against AMD Phenom II X4 and the older
AMD Athlon II X4 635. Let's have a closer look at it."
Link
Zalman ZM-NC3000U Notebook Cooler
"Zalman is once again in the spotlight here at
Benchmark reviews, returning today with the ZM-NC3000U
notebook cooler. Regular visitors may remember the
ZM-NC2500 Plus notebook cooler from Zalman was reviewed
here not to long ago. While the function is the same,
the design is very different. The Zalman ZM-NC3000U
notebook cooler sports a big 220mm centre mounted fan
and has a sand blasted, anodized aluminium vented
surface surrounded by a glossy black outer bezel, which
makes for a very nice look indeed. We aim to see in this
review if this design difference will offer any more
performance over its younger brother, so join us now as
we examine the design and analyze the capabilities of
the Zalman ZM-NC3000U notebook cooler." Link
Thermaltake Armor A90 Computer Case review
"If you think us computer/electronic reviewers are
some kind of epic technogeeks with out-of-this-world
powers composed of a completely different set of DNA
than the general consumer, then you are only viewing a
small part of a big picture. Yes, we do work with many
different manufacturers to various extents in a wide
variety of such products -- but for the most part, we
are often no different than yourself in being (pretty
hardcore) computer enthusiasts. And when it comes to the
topic of being a computer enthusiast, to be honest I
have been pretty disappointed in the computer cases that
have been released in the past few years. Fundamentally,
I have a few guidelines when it comes to selecting my
chassis of choice (Other than the Thermaltake Level 10,
which is the only computer case in this market today
that is awesome enough to be the exception to everything
I am going to list). The product has to be a mid-tower
in classical motherboard configuration for a large
unobstructed left sided window, standard 120mm or 140mm
front and rear fans only, stylish but clean panel
designs, and excellent construction quality all around.
Preferred personal features that are not stringent
requirements come down to aspects such as aluminum
panels and decent sound-proofing. A few years ago,
computer cases that fit this bill were not hard to find.
Antec has them. Cooler Master has them. SilverStone has
them. Thermaltake has them. And so on. But lately, it
seems every manufacturer has jumped the boat to
exquisitely large enclosures combined with an obsession
with slapping on loud unorthodox sized cooling fans in
every corner, overdone face designs in the name of
'gaming', and so-called innovations that simply put me
off. If there is a manufacturer that held true to my
philosophy of case designs, it would be Lian-Li. But
other than clean conservative aluminum designs, is there
anything else that may also appeal to people like me?
Let's take a look at something that takes a shot at
being different in a good way: the Thermaltake Armor
A90."
Link
Sapphire HD5550 Overclock Edition
"A
few days ago we looked at the HD5670 Ultimate card from
Sapphire. Today we will be following that review up with
its little brother, the HD5550 overclock edition. This
card has 320 Stream Processors and 512GB of the latest
DDR5 memory. It has clock speeds of 650MHz core and
1000MHz (4GHz effective) for the memory. This is up from
the typical 550MHz core. The card sports a heatsink and
fan combo from Artic cooling to keep it cool and silent.
Let's check it out to see how well it performs."
Check it out here at the Club
Sapphire HD5670 Ultimate 1GB
"Today, we are looking at the HD5670
Ultimate Edition. This card has 400 Stream
Processors and sports 1GB of the latest DDR5 memory.
It has clock speeds of 775MHz core and 1000MHz (4GHz
effective) for the memory. What makes this card
special, is its massive passive cooling system. It
delivers the same performance as fan cooled models, but
with a totally silent heatpipe cooler, making it the
fastest silent cooled graphics card available today.
Let's check it out to see how well it performs."
Check it out right here at the club
Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7
"It has been a while since I played
with a top end AMD CPU. Sure I've played with a few AMD
CPUs here and there, but they were mainstream CPUs and
not AMD top end counter parts. Even then, I was limited
to what I could do because they were not my personal
CPU. Well, my dad picked himself up an AMD 1055T Thuban
six core CPU, and I happened to have one of Gigabyte’s
flagship motherboard, the 890FXA-UD7.
The 890FXA-UD7
has four unique features that I personally like to see
on a motherboard. One of these features is the use of
SATA 3 (SATA 6 Gb/s), USB 3 and USB Power 3 (Gigabyte’s
very own '333' design). This motherboard is one of the
few motherboards that can fully support AMD/ATI’s
four-way CrossfireX. You just have to make sure you have
a large enough chassis. Because the 890FXA-UD7 is so
huge, out of four different chassis I had floating
around here, the only chassis that could remotely fit
this motherboard was the Raven RV-02 from Silverstone
(review can be found HERE). But even then, it was a
tight fit."
Link
ASUS ARES 4GB Limited Edition Video Card Review
"The ASUS ARES is the fastest, most
expensive and heaviest graphics card that we have ever
benchmarked here at Legit Reviews. What is there not to
like about it? If you have $1200 burning a hole in your
pocket this right here is the ultimate video card in the
market today. This is one of those products that is
reserved for those that want the ultimate video card at
no matter what the cost is..."
Link
\Sapphire
HD 5550 Ultimate Edition Videocard Review
"Sapphire's Ultimate Edition HD 5550
is a videocard that has the structure and poise of a
good videocard, but is lacking in a couple fundamental
foundation elements to be deemed anything "Ultimate"."
Link