Affiliate reviews today [30-06-2009]

Periphery
Sungale ID800WT 8 Inch Wi-Fi Digital Touchscreen Photo Frame @ TestFreaks | Altec Lansing VS2421 Compact Speaker System @ Rbmods | Grace Digital Audio Pico GDI-VW00 Compact USB Turntable/Vinyl Archiver Reviewed @ TestFreaks |

Cooling
Noctua NF-S12B Cooling Fan @ Hardware Bistro | Coolermaster Hyper TX3 @ Rbmods | Noctua NF-S12B FLX 120mm Fan Reviewed @ DragonSteelMods | Noctua NF-S12B FLX @ Rbmods | Spire TherMax II @ techPowerUp | Kingston HyperX Fan Review @ DragonSteelMods.com | Thermaltake ISGC Fan 12 120MM Fan @ DragonSteelMods | Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme True Black CPU Cooler Review on Technic3D | GlacialTech UFO V51 Silent Review @ High Tech Reviews |

PSUs
Scythe Kamariki KMRK4-P-650W PSU Review on Technic3D | PC Power & Cooling Silencer 910W | CoolerMaster updates the UCP900 PSU to version 4: 80+ GOLD! @ Madshrimps |

Storage
NewerTech Voyager Q FireWire USB eSATA - SATA Hard Drive Docking Solution @ TestFreaks | Synology DS209+II 2-bay SATA NAS Server Reviewed @ TestFreaks | SSD-Roundup on Technic3D | Synology DS409slim NAS Station @ Hardware Bistro | Thermaltake BlacX eSATA and USB HDD Dock ST0005U @ DragonSteelMods | QNAP TS-119 Gigabit NAS Server @ Benchmark Reviews |

Motherboards
ZOTAC IONITX-A-U Atom N330 WiFi N Motherboard Kit @ Benchmark Reviews | ASUS Maximus II Gene mATX Motherboard Review @ Benchmark Reviews | Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3 Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews |

Videocards
Inno3D GeForce GTX 295 Platinum (Single PCB) @ techPowerUp | Galaxy GeForce GTX260+ Review @ Hardware Bistro |

Photo
Kodak EASYSHARE Z915 Digital Camera Review @ TestFreaks |

Games
Dawn of Discovery Game Review on Technic3D | Pathians iPhone Game Review @ TestFreaks | Ghostbusters Review Xbox360 @ TestFreaks | The Ultimate List: Best (And Worst) Retail & XBLA Games to Boost Your Gamerscore @ TestFreaks | Fallout 3: Broken Steel (Games for Windows) @ Barry's Review Blog | Blob Dash iPhone Game Review @ TestFreaks |

Cases
Gigabyte Sumo 4112 Case Review | NZXT Panzerbox @ techPowerUp | Thermaltake Element S Case Review @ High Tech Reviews | GMC X7 X-Station Gaming Case @ Hardware Bistro | Cooler Master Gladiator 600 @ techPowerUp |

Accessories
Xtand Reviewed @ TestFreaks | LeapFrog Text & Learn Reviewed @ TestFreaks | The Core Cord Organizer Reviewed @ DragonSteelMods |

Memory
G.Skill Trident 2000 MHz DDR3 CL9 6 GB Tri-Channel Kit @ techPowerUp |

Mobile
iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update -Taking a Look at What’s New @ TestFreaks | Asus Pro61s Laptop @ Rbmods |

Software
ChronoSync 4.0 Reviewed @ TestFreaks | CPU-Z Reviewed @ TestFreaks |

CPUs
AMD Phenom 2 955 @ Rbmods |

New Star Craft 2 Details Emerge

A new list of features surraunding the upcoming RTS franchise Star Craft 2 that might interest you were announced today. Starting with the big one, Blizzard has confirmed that Star Craft 2 will not support LAN multiplayer mode. The game will be entirely online based, multiplayer connections will go through Battle.net only, no LAN connections will be allowed. Blizzard today also posted a new 7 minute video footage of some ingame action. Units from all the three races are captured in the video, you can watch it in high quality here.

Report: Intel Launching Cheaper 34 nm SSDs in Two Weeks Time

Rumor has it that chip giant Intel will be launching new solid-state drives based on the company's 34 nm NAND chips in just a few weeks time. The report claims that these new SSDs will be faster and most importantly cheaper than what we're used to pay for a solid-state drive. Intel will manufacture the 34 nm drives in 320 GB, 160 GB and 80 GB capacities, and most probably in other capacities that are still unknown for one or another reason. The drives are said to be coming out in about two weeks so stay tuned.

Intel 32 nm Clarkdale Chip Brought Forward to Q4 2009

While the bulk of Intel's upcoming Nehalem and Westmere derived products include quad-core processors, the company hasn't left out dual-core processors just as yet. The dual-core Core i5 desktop processor will be based on the new Clarkdale core, built on the 32 nm Westmere architecture. Originally slated for a Q1 2010 launch, the new chip seems to have been pulled into the Q4 2009 launch schedule, deep enough to make for a significant amount of projected sales, according to sources in the Taiwanese motherboard industry.

The sales projections for Q4 look particularly interesting. Core i5 "Clarkdale" dual-core is projected to amount for 10% of Intel's sales, while Core i7 "Bloomfield" at 1%, Core i5 "Lynnfield" at 2% (Core i7 "Lynnfield" is slated for Q1 2010), Core 2 Quad at 9%, Core 2 Duo E7000/E8000 at 35%, Pentium E5000/E6000 at 31%, Celeron E3000 and Atom together at 9%, Pentium E2000 and Celeron 400 together at 4%. In the following quarter, Clarkdale's sales share is expected to rise to 20%. The numbers prove just how large the market for dual-core processors is, even four years into the introduction of quad-core chips.

Nexus Announces RX-1K 1000 W Modular PSU

Dutch PC casing, cooling, and power specialist Nexus announced the RX-1K modular PSU. This 1000 W PSU caters to the high-end PC market, at a relatively affordable price point. Its semi-modular connector desin makes sure the most important connectors are fixed, while additional ones are modular. Under the hood, it uses a single, powerful 75A +12V rail, which has a company rated efficiency of 85.6%. It is cooled by a single 1500 rpm fan which has a noise output of 15.3 dBA. On the connectors' front, the PSU provides two 6+2 pin PCI-E power connectors that are fixed, while two modular 6 pin PCI-E power connectors are included. Nine SATA power, ten Molex, and two Berg connectors. The cables are sleeved and compacted to help with the air-flow inside the case. The RX-1K is priced at 159 EUR.

Hard Rectangular Drive Could be the Hard Disk Answer to SSDs

A company called DataSlide has decided its not time for mechanical disk drives also known as hard disk drives (HDD) to roll over and die with SSDs beating them in just about every aspect other than price. The key aspect of the new technology is that it does not require the data platter to be spun like conventional hard disk drives do. For a start this provides savings in power consumption and due to the use of magnetic recording media as found in hard disk drives should allow the hard rectanguar drive (HRD) to be cheaper than an SSD or at least provide significantly more usable space for your money. A diagram explaining the technology and the manufacturers details and specifications follow.

Corsair Launches New 128GB and 64GB Performance Series Solid State Drives

Corsair, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer memory, power supplies and flash memory products, including solid-state drives, today announced two new products in its Performance Series SSD family: the P128 and P64 high-performance solid-state drives.

Building on the success of the award-winning P256 SSD, the Corsair P128 delivers the same 220MB/sec read speeds and 200MB/sec write speeds as its higher capacity cousin, at a lower cost. The P64 is one of the best-performing, lower-density SSDs available, with read speeds of up to 220MB/sec and write speeds of up to 120MB/sec. Both drives utilize the same cutting-edge technology as the P256, including a sophisticated Samsung controller IC with 128MB of cache memory and NCQ support to deliver class-leading, stutter-free performance.

Acer Aspire Revo R3600 NVIDIA ION Nettop Review @ ModReactor

There are no translations available for this review at the moment but very soon you can read it here.

Scythe Setsugen VGA Cooler Pictured

Scythe is designing a new VGA cooler aimed at broad compatibility and a relatively compact built. The Scythe Setsugen will be the first VGA cooler from Scythe to formally support NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2x0. It uses a slightly smaller, slimmer overall design, and makes use of the recently announced Slip Stream 120 mm fan, which enables the cooler to stay within the limits of two expansion slots.

Its construction involves a copper GPU contact block from which four heat-pipes arise. Two heatpipes make convey heat to an aluminum fin block each (two in all). The blocks make an enclosure for the Slip Stream fan to stay closest to the GPU, blowing air away from the PCB, rather than on it. The kit includes heatsink for the NVIO2 processor and a heatsink that matches the VRM area of the P651 PCB, along with heatsinks for the memory. The cooler will remain compatible with most other GPUs from NVIDIA and ATI. Scythe is expected to announce this soon.

Corsair HX750W and HX850W Bag Elusive 80 Plus Gold Efficiency Rating

Corsair's recently announced HX750W and HX850W modular power supply units have bagged the elusive 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating, a title enjoyed only by a few high-end enterprise-grade PSUs. To qualify for this rating, a PSU must provide an output efficiency of at least 87% at 20% load, 90% at 50% load, and 87% at 100% load. At these levels of load, the efficiency of HX750W was measured 88.04%, 90.02%, and 87.04% respectively, while those of the HX850W were 89.14%, 90.38%, and 87.06%. These are Corsair's first PSUs to get the 80 Plus Gold rating, above the 80 Plus Silver which were expected of them, when the two were announced.

Buffalo Packs 16 GB in Pint-Sized USB Drive

Buffalo announced a new USB flash drive that pushes the limits of how small these drives can get, giving similarly sized flash-storage cards a challenge. The Buffalo RUF2-PS packs up to 16 GB of data in 18 (W) x 18 (H) x 8 (D) mm, and comes in variants of 2, 4, 8, and 16 GB. It is truly feather-weight at 3 g. The drive is so compact that the a couple of these could stay latched on to a notebook even when carrying it around. It uses a standard USB 2.0 interface. Its transfer rates or availability haven't surfaced.

Zotac Announces GeForce GTX 275 1792 MB

ZOTAC International, a leading manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, today unleashes the latest addition to it’s award-winning GeForce GTX 275 graphics card lineup – the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 275 1792MB -- ushering in a new era of high-resolution gaming with its high-performance graphics processor and large amount of video memory. Packing 1792 MB of screaming-fast GDDR3 video memory, the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 275 1792 MB is ready to take on high-resolution gaming with resolutions up to 2560x1600. An ultra-wide 448-bit memory interface ensures communications between the video memory and graphics processor occur at lightning-fast speeds for vivid and realistic visuals.

“We try to deliver the best performance value for gamers. With the new ZOTAC GeForce GTX 275 1792 MB, we’ve managed to achieve a balance of performance and value for those that demand more video memory for gaming at extreme HD resolutions,” said Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International.

OCZ Announces Availability of the Affordable Sabre OLED Multimedia Keyboard

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and components, today announced the highly-anticipated Sabre OLED multimedia keyboard for advanced gaming and customization complete with intelligent management software. The Sabre’s unique combination of user-friendly functions, durability, and personalization features is the answer for serious gamers and professionals seeking improved productivity and competitiveness.

“The OCZ Sabre Keyboard offers the best of both worlds when it comes to OLED technology and a truly functional yet affordable gaming keyboard,” commented Eugene Chang, VP of Product Management at the OCZ Technology Group. “With nine dedicated OLED keys, the Sabre is able to leverage both the infinite customization benefits of the technology with the reliability and feel of a high-quality gaming keyboard, making for the ultimate all-in-one solution.”

ASRock Readying Affordable X58 Extreme Motherboard

ASRock has yet another socket LGA-1366 motherboard up its ranks: the X58 Extreme. This model is distinct from the X58 SuperComputer and X58 Deluxe, which shared the same PCB. It has three PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots, from which only two are routed to the X58 northbridge. The CPU is powered by an 8-phase circuit, similar to the other ASRock models. The blue PCI-E x16 slots are connected to the northbridge with full 16-lane bandwidth, while the third orange slot is wired to the southbridge with 4-lane bandwidth. The package bundles only the 2-way SLI bridge, and 3-way SLI is not advertised, although 3-way CrossFireX is. The ICH10R southbridge provides 6 SATA ports, while an additional controller provides IDE and eSATA connectors. ASRock's InstantBoot feature is supported. Looking at the features on offer, we expect this board to sell for a lower price than the X58 Deluxe, which is on the brink of entering the sub-$200 segment.

Zalman Intros ZM-RHS90 VRM Heatsink for Radeon HD 4890, HD 4870

Korean cooling specialist Zalman introduced the ZM-RHS90 heatsink specially designed for ATI Radeon HD 4890, and HD 4870 reference-design PCB. The heatsink is made of anodized aluminum. It measures 93.4 x 36.5 x 23 mm (LxWxH), and weighs 55 g. Due to the large number of Radeon HD 4890/HD 4870 graphics cards in the market using the reference AMD PCB design, Zalman expects a good compatibility range. The heatsink is mounted behind the VDDC chokes, and covers the most significant set of MOSFETs on the card. It uses push-pin retention mechanism. The use of this heatsink is recommended by Zalman, when users opt for their compatible GPU heatsinks that don't cover the card's VRM area. It will arrive at stores very soon.

NZXT Announces Immediate Availability of Cryo S High Performance Notebook Cooler

NZXT, a company built on realizing the dreams of gamers worldwide, is proud to announce the immediate availability of the Cryo S, a high performance notebook cooler built with thick, brushed aluminum, with two adjustable 120mm fans that provide powerful cooling to any notebook up to 15 inches. The Cryo S is available now in America from Newegg.com for $49.99.

The Cryo S features a rubber finish that lifts the notebook up slightly to remove heat pockets and enhance airflow. Just like its award-winning big brother, the Cryo LX, this cools not only the fan vents, but it removes heat from the entire notebook case which is crucial for high performance gaming making the Cryo S best in its class for effective notebook cooling. It can be powered via USB or the included AC adaptor and provides two additional USB ports to give users even more options for media, storage and input devices.

AMD ATI Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 review @ ModReactor

This is a review of ATI's new graphic card - Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 @ ModReactor.

Still the review isn't published in English but it will be available in matter of week here.

ModReactor: Hipro K1 580W - PSU Review

This is the last participant of our series of PSU reviews. Today we're checking out one rather unknown and strange brand - Hipro. Let's see if the K1 580W model will keep up with our standards.

Still the review isn't published in English but it will be available in matter of week here:

ModReactor: Hipro K1 580W - PSU Review

ModReactor: Seventeam V-Force ST-750P-AF - PSU Review

Lately we've gathered quite some interesting PSUs to compare and in series of articles we are taking detailed look at each of them. Today its all about Seventeam V-Force ST-750P-AF - 750W non-modular PSU. You might have already seen its results, now we'll comment them in context of every factor the user should consider when choosing a power supply unit for his system.

Still the review isn't published in English but it will be available in matter of week here:

ModReactor: Seventeam V-Force ST-750P-AF - PSU Review

ECS Readying GeForce GTS 250 with Highest Core Clock Speed

ECS is readying new custom-designed graphics accelerators based on the GeForce GTS 250 GPU, with the highest factory overclocked settings. There are 2 GB and 1 GB variants of the ECS GTS 250 Black Edition, which features a core clock speed of 815 MHz, and memory running at 2200 MHz (1100 MHz actual). While the shader clock speed isn't known at the moment, the core speed qualifies as the highest factory overclocked speed for the GTS 250. ECS uses an elaborate dual-fan cooler for the 2 GB variant, while a slightly simpler single-fan one cools the 1 GB variant. Interestingly, the cards rely on a single 8-pin PCI-E power connector, instead of the dual 6-pin power inputs used by many overclocked GTS 250 models. ECS is yet to announce the models. Production-grade cards may feature a black-colored PCB instead of the blue one pictured, to stay in tune with its name "Black Edition".