werty316
07-13-2006, 08:00 PM
Memory
G.Skill DDR500 F1-4000USU2-2GBHZ 2x1GB Memory @ OCC (http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/gskill_2gb_ram.php)
With today’s games and programs becoming more memory hungry, two gigabytes of memory has become a more viable option than ever before. What about performance and price you might ask? This is where the G.Skill HZ steps in with its low price and high bandwidth for overclocking. It currently outclasses anything in its price range! This is no surprise, as G.Skill is known throughout the world for its jaw dropping products, including some 2x512mb kits that were rated for DDR600! G.Skill was first started back in 1989 by a group of enthusiasts and has since then grown into a very well known company still targeting enthusiasts and overclockers at a competitive price. Let’s see if the HZ lives up to the company’s reputation.
http://img134.imagevenue.com/loc600/th_02167_0_600lo.jpg (http://img134.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=02167_0_600lo.jpg)
OCZ PC2-7200 Platinum XTC 2GB DDR2 @ Virtual-Hideout (http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/OCZ_PC2-7200/index.shtml)
OCZ is a major player in the DDR/DDR2 memory market these days ranking up there with the best of the best. They continue to innovate and expand their market reach with top notch quality and unique product selections.
Recently I took at a look at the 2x1GB PC2-8000 Platinum XTC memory kit. That was rated for 1000mhz and performed very well. The Kit I have for you today is the 2x1GB PC2-7200 Platinum XTC w/ Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP) and rated for 900mhz at a tight 4-4-3 timing on a compatible motherboard such as those with the NVIDIA 590 SLI chipsets (ex. ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe).
http://img11.imagevenue.com/loc317/th_02172_1_317lo.jpg (http://img11.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=02172_1_317lo.jpg)
Cases
Lian Li PC-S80 Case @ Dan’s Data (http://www.dansdata.com/llpcs80.htm)
The S80 gets high marks in almost all of the usual Lian Li departments. It's nicely made, it looks good, it's easy to work on (those V1000-type side panels are really nice), and it's not terribly expensive for what you get. If you're pinching pennies then you can save the price of a perfectly good video card by buying a basic case instead of a fancy one like this, but the S80's target market is people who are willing to pay for quietness as well as style. And the thing still only costs about as much as the old Lian Li full towers; they've made some much more expensive cases.
http://img125.imagevenue.com/loc411/th_01316_0_411lo.jpg (http://img125.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=01316_0_411lo.jpg)
Silverstone LaScala LC20M @ Phoronix (http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=511&num=1)
Currently comprising SilverStone Technology's Lascala enclosure series are 25 media-center oriented cases. These HTPC cases range from nano-ITX to multimedia BTX enclosures. SilverStone's latest attempt at deriving an award-winning Lascala enclosure comes in form of the LC20 and LC20M. The Lascala 20 series boasts an aluminum front panel, geared for silent operation, excellent storage capacity, and superb multimedia capabilities. Like SilverStone's past Lascala products boasting an M-variant, the LC20M boasts a VFD panel on the front of the case as well as an IR receiver and remote control. The last time we had a SilverStone Lascala product in our labs was when we had first viewed the LC14, however, for your reading pleasure today we have up our thoughts from the SilverStone LC20M.
http://img43.imagevenue.com/loc406/th_01322_1_406lo.jpg (http://img43.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=01322_1_406lo.jpg)
CPUs
Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 35w and X2 4600+ 65w CPUs @ AMD Zone (http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=257&page=1)
Back in late May when AMD released Socket AM2 with the flagship FX62 it also released a number of CPUs from budget Semprons, as well as low power variants. Today we have in our possession two such CPUs. The Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 65 watt part, and the Athlon Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 35 watt part. These CPUs bring you dual core power with out as large a power bill. Certainly those who are energy conscience, and those looking for good overclockers should have their interest peaked. Today we will look at each CPUs power consumption, and their overclocking chops before we follow up with performance figures.
http://img40.imagevenue.com/loc447/th_00345_0_447lo.jpg (http://img40.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=00345_0_447lo.jpg)
http://img40.imagevenue.com/loc566/th_00352_1_566lo.jpg (http://img40.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=00352_1_566lo.jpg)
Video Cards
Multi-GPU World Tour Part II @ Bit-Tech (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2006/07/12/multi_gpu_world_tour_gpus/1.html)
Earlier this year, a group of websites from around the world decided to join forces and work together on a single article covering the state of multi-GPU, and how competing graphics solutions perform in a massive number of games. We think that it is fair to say that there are very few publications out there capable of covering the scope of the series of articles that we - as a group - have undertaken.
While we were out at this year's Game Developer Conference, the sites were approached by NVIDIA's Brian Burke with the idea to create a definitive guide to multi-GPU - the systems, platforms, cards, and game results from more than 60 games. When we returned to the UK, we spent a large amount of time discussing the scope of the article before we were happy for bit-tech to be a part of the project. The last thing that I wanted was for bit-tech to be involved in something controlled by one of the major players in the industry we were writing about.
Whenever we're approached by a company with an idea similar to this one, my natural skeptism kicks in. Afterall, most of the people that we deal with on a regular basis are experienced marketing specialists and many will try to butter journalists up. In this particular case, my initial worries were soon shot down once the outline of the article had been discussed by the group in conference call. Brian helped us to realise the concept, by getting the group together on conference call, organising a timeline and a couple of ideas on how to relay a massive amount of information effectively, but the execution of the project was down to us.
http://img150.imagevenue.com/loc476/th_99591_0_476lo.jpg (http://img150.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=99591_0_476lo.jpg)
Video Card Shootout: Battle Of The GTs @ Driver Heaven (http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/GTREVIEW/)
Since the release of the 7900 series Nvidia have impressed us with their card design, the recent cards have generally been quite compact, near silent and cool running. The MSI 7900 GT is all of these things and this makes it a very attractive purchase for media centre systems or small form factor PC’s. The performance achievable with the 7900 GT is also impressive and in those games favouring the ATI hardware the Geforce is not far behind. MSI’s version of the card holds up well to other brands and in fact in many cases the bundle exceeds that of many other manufacturers with the inclusion of a free game and media software.
ATI’s Radeon X1900GT provides a very solid base on which Powercolor and Connect3D have built their cards. On the hardware level each card is identical and it is only a couple of minor variances on each cards cooler that separate it from the other. Because of this the performance of each card is almost identical and there is no way to choose which between them on this attribute alone. This means that looking at the bundle which suits the needs of the PC it is being installed within is the best option. Comparing the Radeon to the 7900GT shows us that both cards compete well on 3D performance for outright FPS power. The X1900GT does allow you to use ATI’s Avivo video tools and in selected titles AntiAliasing and HDR lighting at the same time.
http://img11.imagevenue.com/loc478/th_99609_1_478lo.jpg (http://img11.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=99609_1_478lo.jpg)
Integrated vs Budget ATI and Nvidia Video Cards @ Legit Reviews (http://legitreviews.com/article/360/1/)
Today we want to look at the current state of the value line video cards and see just what kind performance you gain for just a little investment. This is far from comprehensive because let's face it, it's not likely that you're going from integrated video to a high end solution. In this review we've got just two add-in boards, one from ATI and one from NVIDIA, and of course a motherboard with integrated video.
http://img107.imagevenue.com/loc487/th_99749_3_487lo.jpg (http://img107.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=99749_3_487lo.jpg)
G.Skill DDR500 F1-4000USU2-2GBHZ 2x1GB Memory @ OCC (http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/gskill_2gb_ram.php)
With today’s games and programs becoming more memory hungry, two gigabytes of memory has become a more viable option than ever before. What about performance and price you might ask? This is where the G.Skill HZ steps in with its low price and high bandwidth for overclocking. It currently outclasses anything in its price range! This is no surprise, as G.Skill is known throughout the world for its jaw dropping products, including some 2x512mb kits that were rated for DDR600! G.Skill was first started back in 1989 by a group of enthusiasts and has since then grown into a very well known company still targeting enthusiasts and overclockers at a competitive price. Let’s see if the HZ lives up to the company’s reputation.
http://img134.imagevenue.com/loc600/th_02167_0_600lo.jpg (http://img134.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=02167_0_600lo.jpg)
OCZ PC2-7200 Platinum XTC 2GB DDR2 @ Virtual-Hideout (http://www.virtual-hideout.net/reviews/OCZ_PC2-7200/index.shtml)
OCZ is a major player in the DDR/DDR2 memory market these days ranking up there with the best of the best. They continue to innovate and expand their market reach with top notch quality and unique product selections.
Recently I took at a look at the 2x1GB PC2-8000 Platinum XTC memory kit. That was rated for 1000mhz and performed very well. The Kit I have for you today is the 2x1GB PC2-7200 Platinum XTC w/ Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP) and rated for 900mhz at a tight 4-4-3 timing on a compatible motherboard such as those with the NVIDIA 590 SLI chipsets (ex. ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe).
http://img11.imagevenue.com/loc317/th_02172_1_317lo.jpg (http://img11.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=02172_1_317lo.jpg)
Cases
Lian Li PC-S80 Case @ Dan’s Data (http://www.dansdata.com/llpcs80.htm)
The S80 gets high marks in almost all of the usual Lian Li departments. It's nicely made, it looks good, it's easy to work on (those V1000-type side panels are really nice), and it's not terribly expensive for what you get. If you're pinching pennies then you can save the price of a perfectly good video card by buying a basic case instead of a fancy one like this, but the S80's target market is people who are willing to pay for quietness as well as style. And the thing still only costs about as much as the old Lian Li full towers; they've made some much more expensive cases.
http://img125.imagevenue.com/loc411/th_01316_0_411lo.jpg (http://img125.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=01316_0_411lo.jpg)
Silverstone LaScala LC20M @ Phoronix (http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=511&num=1)
Currently comprising SilverStone Technology's Lascala enclosure series are 25 media-center oriented cases. These HTPC cases range from nano-ITX to multimedia BTX enclosures. SilverStone's latest attempt at deriving an award-winning Lascala enclosure comes in form of the LC20 and LC20M. The Lascala 20 series boasts an aluminum front panel, geared for silent operation, excellent storage capacity, and superb multimedia capabilities. Like SilverStone's past Lascala products boasting an M-variant, the LC20M boasts a VFD panel on the front of the case as well as an IR receiver and remote control. The last time we had a SilverStone Lascala product in our labs was when we had first viewed the LC14, however, for your reading pleasure today we have up our thoughts from the SilverStone LC20M.
http://img43.imagevenue.com/loc406/th_01322_1_406lo.jpg (http://img43.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=01322_1_406lo.jpg)
CPUs
Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 35w and X2 4600+ 65w CPUs @ AMD Zone (http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=257&page=1)
Back in late May when AMD released Socket AM2 with the flagship FX62 it also released a number of CPUs from budget Semprons, as well as low power variants. Today we have in our possession two such CPUs. The Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 65 watt part, and the Athlon Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 35 watt part. These CPUs bring you dual core power with out as large a power bill. Certainly those who are energy conscience, and those looking for good overclockers should have their interest peaked. Today we will look at each CPUs power consumption, and their overclocking chops before we follow up with performance figures.
http://img40.imagevenue.com/loc447/th_00345_0_447lo.jpg (http://img40.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=00345_0_447lo.jpg)
http://img40.imagevenue.com/loc566/th_00352_1_566lo.jpg (http://img40.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=00352_1_566lo.jpg)
Video Cards
Multi-GPU World Tour Part II @ Bit-Tech (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2006/07/12/multi_gpu_world_tour_gpus/1.html)
Earlier this year, a group of websites from around the world decided to join forces and work together on a single article covering the state of multi-GPU, and how competing graphics solutions perform in a massive number of games. We think that it is fair to say that there are very few publications out there capable of covering the scope of the series of articles that we - as a group - have undertaken.
While we were out at this year's Game Developer Conference, the sites were approached by NVIDIA's Brian Burke with the idea to create a definitive guide to multi-GPU - the systems, platforms, cards, and game results from more than 60 games. When we returned to the UK, we spent a large amount of time discussing the scope of the article before we were happy for bit-tech to be a part of the project. The last thing that I wanted was for bit-tech to be involved in something controlled by one of the major players in the industry we were writing about.
Whenever we're approached by a company with an idea similar to this one, my natural skeptism kicks in. Afterall, most of the people that we deal with on a regular basis are experienced marketing specialists and many will try to butter journalists up. In this particular case, my initial worries were soon shot down once the outline of the article had been discussed by the group in conference call. Brian helped us to realise the concept, by getting the group together on conference call, organising a timeline and a couple of ideas on how to relay a massive amount of information effectively, but the execution of the project was down to us.
http://img150.imagevenue.com/loc476/th_99591_0_476lo.jpg (http://img150.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=99591_0_476lo.jpg)
Video Card Shootout: Battle Of The GTs @ Driver Heaven (http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/GTREVIEW/)
Since the release of the 7900 series Nvidia have impressed us with their card design, the recent cards have generally been quite compact, near silent and cool running. The MSI 7900 GT is all of these things and this makes it a very attractive purchase for media centre systems or small form factor PC’s. The performance achievable with the 7900 GT is also impressive and in those games favouring the ATI hardware the Geforce is not far behind. MSI’s version of the card holds up well to other brands and in fact in many cases the bundle exceeds that of many other manufacturers with the inclusion of a free game and media software.
ATI’s Radeon X1900GT provides a very solid base on which Powercolor and Connect3D have built their cards. On the hardware level each card is identical and it is only a couple of minor variances on each cards cooler that separate it from the other. Because of this the performance of each card is almost identical and there is no way to choose which between them on this attribute alone. This means that looking at the bundle which suits the needs of the PC it is being installed within is the best option. Comparing the Radeon to the 7900GT shows us that both cards compete well on 3D performance for outright FPS power. The X1900GT does allow you to use ATI’s Avivo video tools and in selected titles AntiAliasing and HDR lighting at the same time.
http://img11.imagevenue.com/loc478/th_99609_1_478lo.jpg (http://img11.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=99609_1_478lo.jpg)
Integrated vs Budget ATI and Nvidia Video Cards @ Legit Reviews (http://legitreviews.com/article/360/1/)
Today we want to look at the current state of the value line video cards and see just what kind performance you gain for just a little investment. This is far from comprehensive because let's face it, it's not likely that you're going from integrated video to a high end solution. In this review we've got just two add-in boards, one from ATI and one from NVIDIA, and of course a motherboard with integrated video.
http://img107.imagevenue.com/loc487/th_99749_3_487lo.jpg (http://img107.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=99749_3_487lo.jpg)