arunjain.com

We put Blizzard Entertainment's long-awaited StarCraft sequel to the test in order to see how much CPU and graphics power it needs to run smoothly. Even though the game is in beta at this point, performance is fluid. However, there are a few surprises.



Blizzard Entertainment - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Game - Video Games - StarCraft

Aqua Computer has announced today its latest solution for keeping the Fermi fires at bay, enter the AquagraFX GTX480 edition.

Weighing in at around 850g the AquagraFX is made from one entire piece of machined copper giving it ample cooling capacity. The top plate is covered in stainless steel with their standard logo laser-etched on the bottom right corner. Designed with ease of installation in mind it comes pre-assembled, and allows the user to basically swap their stock cooler for this without any added steps.

Deigned to cool the GPU/RAM/VRM’s of the GTX480 the contact surfaces are polished to a mirror finish. As well a small backplate is included to aid in cooling the voltage regulators on the back side of the PCB. This latest unit from Aqua Computer is available now and should be priced around $101USD.

Muskin is a leader when it comes to performance memory. From their Ridgeback to Blackline kits they offer everything the system builder could want.

However it has been a long time since we have seen a Redline Kit available from them. This will no longer be the case as they have resurrected their Redline series.

The New DDR3-1600 CL6 kits will be made for both dual channel and triple channel requirements. As well due to popular demand the 8 Layer PCB has not been made in traditional green but rather given a more sinister black colour. Muskin Redlines are available now although pricing has not yet been determined.

Part Numbers for the Kits are:

996805Black – 4GB (2X2) PC3-12800 6-8-6-24 @ 1.65v

998805Black – 6GB (3X2) PC3-12800 6-8-6-24 @ 1.65v

Five high-capacity SD cards from Samsung, SanDisk, Silicon Power, and Transcend recently found their way into our lab. One of them was so fast that it required an upgraded reader in order to help realize its potential. Read on for more!



Memory card - SanDisk - Secure Digital - Samsung Group - Samsung

If you are impressionable and susceptible to depression, then you should probably skip this review. A mainboard with unsuccessful design and extremely limited functionality has a very oppressive effect and may seriously influence your state of mind and overall mood.

Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd Ltd, announces yet another Mini-Q series – PC-Q08, after the successful launch of PC-Q07 last year. With increased case depth and removable lower HDD cage, the PC-Q08 offers more room to fit full size graphics cards. For power users who require maximum video performance, Lian Li’s Mini-Q PC-Q08 is the solution.

The dimensions of PC-Q08 stand at 227mm x 272mm x 345mm (W.H.D) at only 2.73kg weight. This mini-tower chassis supports Mini-ITX or Mini-DTX motherboards. For future upgradability concern, the PC-Q08 is designed to use only standard PC components: standard 5.25″ optical drive, standard 3.5″ hard drives, standard ATX PS/2 power supply units and standard graphics cards. The Mini-Q PC-Q08 is available in red, black and silver colors.

User Friendly & Upgrading Design
Differently from the previous PC-Q07, the PC-Q08 is deeper in size with the modular lower HDD mounting cage being removable, allowing users to easily add in graphic cards up to maximum size of 300mm. Alternatively, the modular cage supports up to six 3.5″ HDDs for users requiring lot of storage space.

Complete Thermal Solutions
The power supply is mounted vertically using a back plate offering the option for using the PSU fan exhaust for improved passive cooling of the motherboard and processor or turning the fan outwards if the motherboard is installed with CPU cooler. There are 140mm and 120mm intake LED fans on the front and top of Mini-Q PC-Q08, respectively, to offer additional air flow with lower RPM to remove the systems heat fast. Furthermore, there are vent holes at the rear and bottom of the case, as well as next to the rear PCI slots for additional air flow.

Highlights for PC-Q08A / PC-Q08B / PC-Q08R:

* Supports Mini-ITX / Mini-DTX motherboards
* 300mm space for graphics cards
* Up to six standard 3.5″ hard drives
* USB 3.0 multi-media I/O ports
* Standard ATX PS/2 power supply units
* LED Cooling fans: 140mm on the front; 120mm on the top
* Availability: Arriving at local distributors end of May
* MSRP: US$149+local VAT for PC-Q08A/B (silver/black), and US$185+local VAT for PC-Q08R (red)

ATI has released a second preview of its 10.4 Catalyst drivers, this time that resolves Battlefield: Bad Company 2 load times for earlier generation cards.

Last week we saw the initial preview of the Catalyst 10.4 that resolve slow loading of BF:BC2 maps with ATI 5000 series cards, and now the 10.4 Preview fixes the same problem present with ATI Radeon HD 4000, 3000 and 2000 series cards.

ATI Owners can download the hotfix directly from ATI’s website: http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/ATI-Catalyst-10-4-a-Hotfix.aspx

Aliens vs. Predator is the latest DirectX 11-enabled first-person shooter/stalker. But whereas DirectX 11 cost us performance in DiRT2, this title is said to run faster in DX11 mode. We evaluate performance and image quality to answer: what gives?



aliens vs predator - DirectX - Video game - Games - Programming

The SSD market is currently cluttered with a massive number of companies who all seem to be peddling the same kit.  Corsair is trying to distinguish themselves from their competition by releasing the Nova series which is aimed directly at first-time SSD buyers who want a perfect combination of performance and value.  In this review we take a look at their 128GB version.

The H57M-ED65 is standard in many respects. It is a typical MicroStar product and a typical microATX mainboard based on the Intel H57 Express chipset. It has several minor shortcomings and no remarkably special features, but you can use it successfully even for overclocking.

NVIDIA has launched a new driver specifically for the 197.55 GTX 400 series of video cards. Unfortunately there really isn’t much to them.

The only changes listed in the notes is:

• This is a WHQL-certified driver update for 4-way SLI with GeForce GTX 480 or GeForce GTX 470 GPUs.

Those not intending to run 4-Way SLI likely won’t need to update. Why NVIDIA didn’t merely release this update as a patch or hotfix though is somewhat puzzling.

When space is limited but you need a power supply to squeeze into your SFF case, look no further than the latest for SilverStone. Enter its SFX 450W Power Supply.

Measuring in at 125mm (W) x 63.5mm (H) x 100mm (D) this little unit is sure to fit wherever you need it. Its design is based upon a single +12V rail capable of 36A. Giving the end user more than enough power for whatever is required. 80 Plus Bronze certification is also boasted which although not up to the Strider Plus level is still very good given this units purpose.

Connectors included are a single 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, 1 6+2 pin PCI-e, 1 6-pin PCI-e, 3 SATA as well as two Molex and a single floppy. All of them hard wired into the SFX.  Included as well is a bracket that will allow you to use this PSU as well on Cases meant to take an ATX/m-ATX power supply. Giving much more flexibility to the user than in previous SFF units on the market today.

With an estimated Pricing of 60EUR it will not be the cheapest SFF power supply available, however being a SilverStone unit it is sure to be a very reliable one. Availability in North America is yet to be determined.

NZXT has long since been aiming its chassis lineup at the gamer and enthusiast. Looking to enhance their standings in this lucrative market they have announced a revision to their tried and true Tempest. Look very closely , as this case is camouflaged.

As with the original Tempest EVO the new Camo will feature all the same internals that make it a very versatile chassis. Cooling remains the same with 6 included 120mm fans (3 of them LED) and provision for two 140mm on the top. The black interior is featured as well. The only thing NZXT has done different with this chassis is the application of Camouflage on the exterior. And one has to admit it does stand out for sure.

However we can be expected to pay a price premium for this paint job. Estimated price is said to be $150USD which is just a little over $40 more than the Original EVO.

Availability is yet to be determined.

Intel announced its Wireless Display technology at CES 2010. Best Buy is already selling three different notebooks with the feature, and Intel's Spring Peak platform supports it. We test WiDi's performance, quality, and capabilities in a home theater.



Intel Corporation - Best Buy - Intel - Technology - Consumer Electronics Show

MaxiVista is designed to let one PC commandeer another machine's display over a network to use as a secondary monitor. But how well does such a solution work? We took a look at the program and tested how it handles video playback, for example.



Video - Personal computer - Networks - Arts - Television

A while back we looked at the “original” TRUE Spirit from Cogage and came away with a positive impression since not only did it offer good performance but it also retailed for a downright incredible price.  Cogage has now released a slightly tweaked version this popular heatsink by adding a proper backplate for better mounting pressure.  Will this addition give it an edge against some newfound competition?

To facilitate the upgrade to AMD’s next-generation processors, world-renowned mainboard and graphics card manufacturer MSI has announced that all AMD series products will be compatible with the Phenom II X6 6-core processor. With a simple BIOS update, older MSI AM3 mainboards will be capable of supporting this processor.

The all-new Phenom II X6 processor features 45nm processing technology, a true six-core design which can execute 6 threads simultaneously and the AMD Turbo Core Technology. What’s more, with up to 9 MB cache, overall performance is significantly enhanced compared to the previous generation Phenom II X4 processor. The Phenom II X6 is the best option for the latest and most powerful MSI based AMD platform.

Check the table and webpage link below to download the corresponding BIOS update for your current MSI AM3 mainboard to support this all-new, next generation processor.
MSI mainboards support AMD Phenom II X6 webpage: http://event.msi.com/mb/amd/6core/

MSI mainboards for AMD Phenom II X6 processors

800 Series Bios Ver 890GXM-G65 A7642AMS.120 700 Series Bios Ver 740GTM-P21 A7302AMS.G40 740GTM-P25 v1.5 A7302AMS.S30 760GTM-P33 A7549AMS.760 770-C45 A7599AMS.170 770T-C45 A7388AMS.860 K9A2VM-FD A7501AMS.1B0 785G-E65 A7576AMS.350 785GM-E51 A7596AMS.250 785GTM-E45 A7549AMS.850 790FX-GD70 A7577AMS.1A0 790FX-GD70 Winki Edition A7577AMS.210 790GX-G65 A7576AMS.410 790GX-G65 Winki Edition A7576AMS.510 DKA790GX A7550AMS.1C0 DKA790GX Platinum A7550AMS.1C0 790X-G45 A7622AMS.140 790XT-G45 A7388AMS.240 K9A2 CF A7388AMS.1D0 K9A2 Neo2 A7388AMS.780 K9A2 Neo-F A7388AMS.1D0 NF980-G65 A7612NMS.130

Now that the 802.11n specification has been published, it's time to round up routers supporting the standard. We have products from Asus, Belkin, D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, Ruckus, TP-Link, TRENDnet, and ZyXEL vying for the best performance and features.



Linksys - Netgear - IEEE 802.11n-2009 - dlink - ZyXEL

By launching their Radeon HD 5830 Advanced Micro Devices closed the empty spot between Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon HD 5770. Today we are going to talk about one of the mass production solutions based on this GPU. It will be represented by XFX Radeon HD 5830.