ECS Z77H2-AX Black Extreme Motherboard Review

Motherboards/Intel S1155 by stefan @ 2012-05-15 read/post comments(0)

The Z77H2-AX Motherboard from ECS has gold accents all over the place, comes with a clean design and the offered hardware bundle should be enough for most users; regarding the software which ships with it, most is in trial version mode and we would have preferred to see more which could have added value to the product like THX TruStudio Pro. The UEFI interface can be used with ease, except the RAM section, which is more difficult to use compared to the one found on ASRock motherboards. read more

Tones OC Academy IV

Tradeshow & OC events by leeghoofd @ 2012-05-06 read/post comments(0)

On the 5th of May, Tones joined forces with ASUS again, and invited the Madshrimps crew to assist the fourth edition of Overclock Academy. This time no trip into the dark woods of Netherlands, but a return to the roots of the first two Academy editions. Keep it small, cozy and limit the amount of invites to a minimum. Thus maximizing the teaching process and maybe doubling the fun. This event had to be rapidly organized. Aim was to keep it as close as possible to the launch date of Intel's Ivy Bridge processors (29th of April). Time to head off to Heist on the Hill (free English translation of Heist op den Berg) for another day overclocking fun. read more

Kingston HyperX Event Antwerp

Tradeshow & OC events by leeghoofd @ 2012-05-04 read/post comments(0)

On the 2nd of May, Madshrimps was invited to attend a small event where Kingston wanted to show their HyperX product line. Due to the fact an overclocking demo was announced, made us very eager to go. Kingston's own Jean Baptiste aka Marmott, renown amongst the memory overclockers, was there to provide the present press and invitees a demonstration of his knowledge and skills. Time to hit the road, pack the camera and our filled LN2 dewar. read more

HIS Multi-View+Sound Adapter Review

Others/Miscelleneous by stefan @ 2012-05-03 read/post comments(0)

The Multi-View + Sound Adapter from HIS is a device suited for the USB 3.0 bus, meant to connect an additional monitor to our system, on the HDMI interface; the product does not need extra power and functions with the help of the DisplayLink technology. The manufacturer also mentions that we can connect up to 6 displays to a single system, each with its own adapter. read more

Gigabyte X79-UD3 Motherboard Review

Motherboards/Intel S2011 by leeghoofd @ 2012-05-01 read/post comments(0)

Even though main focus is lately on Ivy Bridge, let's not forget about Intel's High End range based on the X79 chipset. One of the main drawbacks of Socket 2011 is the total platform cost. Besides the quad core i7-3820, the hexacores versions cost a pretty penny. On top of that, most of the X79 mainstream boards are far from cheap. Prices of 250 euros and more are pretty common. Luckily for us Gigabyte and ASRock have got 'let's call them a more" budget friendly motherboard in their X79 lineup. Gigabyte's type numbering has always been kept pretty simple. Today's UD3 board is the entry board for their limited socket 2011 series. Limited, because Gigabyte only has got 3 boards… read more

Antec Three Hundred Two Mid-Tower Case Review

Cases & PSU/Cases by leeghoofd @ 2012-05-01 read/post comments(0)

Antec, one of the biggest case manufacturers on our humble blue planet, has recently upgraded their cheap entry level gamers case, the Antec Three Hundred. The new version is simply baptised as the Three Hundred Two. The predecessor was one of Antec's best selling chassis, but Antec had to bring their little 300 up to 2012 standards. No quickly removable HDD bays, no tool-less optical drive bays and cable management was close to non existent. Logic design flaws as the original Three Hundred enclosure already dates back from 2009. Let's open the box and see what the Antec engineers came up with. read more
CPU AMD A8-3870K Black Edition APU Review by stefan @ 2012-04-30
Others/Miscelleneous Otterbox Samsung Galaxy S II Commuter Series Case Review by stefan @ 2012-04-26
CPU Intel Ivy Bridge i5-3570K & i7-3770K Review by leeghoofd @ 2012-04-24
Memory GeIL Black Dragon PC3-17000 2133MHz C10 16GB Memory Kit Review by stefan @ 2012-04-20
Others/Mice & Keyboards RAZER Naga Hex Expert MOBA/Action RPG Gaming Mouse Review by stefan @ 2012-04-16

Hardware or Gadgets/Multimedia news

Thermaltake Level 10 GTS Snow Edition Review @ OCC

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Well shame on me, and so much for forming preconceived notions. I somewhat discounted this case at first because it is so far removed from the ideals of the original case. What I should have done was look at this… Go To Full Article

Inno3D iChill GEFORCE GTX 670 2GB OC Video Card Review

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Another non-reference GTX 670 arrives in the form of the Inno3D iChill. Let's see what it brings to the party. Go To Full Article

Ballmer is world's worse CEO

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
The shy and retiring Microsoft CEO Steve "There's a kind of hush" Ballmer has been named one of the world's worst CEOs by the business rag Forbes. Forbes hack Adam Hartung said that Ballmer was the "… Go To Full Article

Gainward Launches its GeForce GT 600 Series Products

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
As a world-renowned market leader, Gainward officially introduces Gainward GeForce GT 600 series graphics accelerators for the mainstream discrete VGA market -- Gainward GeForce GT 630, GeForce GT 620 & GeForce GT 610. The new GeForce GT 600 series offer… Go To Full Article

STEC CellCare Technology Delivers Big Boost in 24 nm MLC NAND Flash Memory Endurance

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
STEC, Inc., a leading global provider of solid-state drive (SSD) technologies and products, today announced that the company has validated its proprietary CellCare Technology's ability to extend the endurance of 24 nm consumer-grade multi-level cell (cMLC) NAND flash memory to… Go To Full Article

Palit Releases New GeForce Series: GeForce GT 630, GT 620 and GT 610

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Palit Microsystems Ltd, the leading graphics card manufacturer, today announced the latest addition to its Fermi architecture of GeForce GT 600 series, the Palit GeForce GT 630, GeForce GT 620 and GeForce GT 610, which are specifically designed to provide… Go To Full Article

EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Superclocked Review @ Hardware Canucks

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
As the GTX 670 launched, many wondered what kinds of changes NVIDIA's board partners would make with the final retail cards. While Gigabyte, ASUS, Galaxy and some others went the route of fully customized versions, EVGA stuck with the reference… Go To Full Article

NZXT Switch 810 Full-Tower Chassis Review @ Techgage

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
From cases to cooling, NZXT has something for everyone - and for every budget. With this review, we're taking a look at the company's Switch 810 full-tower chassis, designed for those who want solid design, big space, effective cooling, and… Go To Full Article

Plinko Poetry hands-on

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Don't lie, you love The Price is Right. There's no shame in it. Maybe you don't watch it religiously, but you get a thrill every time you see them break out the Plinko game. Now, what if you could combine… Go To Full Article

Toshiba Canvio 3.0 external drives bump up to 1.5TB, give Mac users some love

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Toshiba's Canvio external drives have just gotten a hefty boost, most of all for data swappers that play both the Mac and PC sides of the computing fence. Both the regular Canvio 3.0 and the Canvio Basics 3.0 have made… Go To Full Article

NZXT Phantom 410 Special Edition Mid-tower Case Review @ Hi Tech Legion

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
With the NZXT Phantom 410 Special Edition, NZXT went directly to the fans and asked them what colors they wanted their cases. Voting took place, and the top four color combinations have come to life as the NZXT Phantom 410… Go To Full Article

Diamond Radeon HD 7870 2GB Double Black Diamond Review @ circuitREMIX

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Shortly after the launch of the Radeon HD 7870, the only video cards available were clones of the reference design. Now that we're past the initial launch period, new models of the 7870 are now available which deviate from the… Go To Full Article

Eyefinity/Surround Analysis of Rayman Origins by WSGF

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Rayman Origins is a superb platformer with a wonderful art style. It is a the type of game that is tailor-made for multi-monitor configurations such as AMD Eyeifnity and NVIDIA Surround. By and large Rayman Origins offers great multi-monitor support.… Go To Full Article

Etch-a-Sketch 3.0 hands-on

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
The Etch-a-Sketch. A standard bearer for childhood, and one that most of us never really mastered. While Yelizaveta Lokshina can't help you create awe-inspiring portraits from aluminum powder, she has managed to update the toy for the digital age. Using… Go To Full Article

Dell Apologizes For Hiring Sexist Summit Moderator

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Damn, we miss out on all the cool shows. Last week, I wrote about a Dell summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, where the moderator of the event, Mads Christensen, "entertained" the crowd of IT professionals with a barrage of sexist jokes,… Go To Full Article

Corsair Accelerator 30GB & 60GB Review @ Neoseeker

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
The Corsair Accelerator series of "solid-state cache drives" work alongside an existing mechanical hard drive in your rig to provide all the benefits of SSDs, without actually requiring you to replace your HDD and reinstalling your OS. Just install the… Go To Full Article

Google reportedly planning stable of Nexus devices with Android 5.0

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Hand firmly grasping hat? Good. The Wall Street Journal is reporting on quite the bombshell today, noting that Google is about to cause its carrier partners in the States all sorts of grief -- indirectly, of course. Just weeks after… Go To Full Article

Sony gives VAIO S and VAIO Z lines Ivy Bridge upgrade, outs two new VAIO E models

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Sony began introducing its new Ivy Bridge lineup last month with the VAIO E Series 14P, a multimedia laptop complete with gesture controls. Today, the company announced two larger models to round out that family, the VAIO E Series 15… Go To Full Article

Honda's UNI-CUB mobility device is the butt of ASIMO's jokes

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Our humanoid friend ASIMO had better start counting his blessings. If fate had dealt him another hand, he could have ended up as the behind-wearing UNI-CUB. Honda's latest personal mobility device appears to be a robotic stool with an omnidirectional… Go To Full Article

Ivy Bridge-based Windows 8 Ultrabook reference design shown off at IDF 2012 in Brazil

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Intel's been playing the slow tease with its Haswell microarchitecture as far back as 2008. But today, we finally have a glimpse at what devices running that 22nm core might look like. Shown off at IDF 2012 down in Sao… Go To Full Article

Corsair Enhances GS Series Power Supplies

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced major upgrades to the GS Series line of high-performance power supply units (PSUs). A new improved design boosts energy efficiency, enabling the new… Go To Full Article

PNY Launches New Range of Verto GeForce GT 600-Series Mainstream Graphics Cards

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
PNY Technologies, Inc. today introduced the NVIDIA Verto GeForce GT 600-Series which includes the GeForce GT 630 2048 MB, GT 620 1024 MB, and GT 610 1024 MB graphics cards. The PNY GeForce GT 600-series graphics cards… Go To Full Article

SGI Expands Rackable Server Line to Support New NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPUs

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
SGI, the trusted leader in technical computing, today announced the availability of a complete, managed GPU solution of its SGI Rackable servers with the new high-performance NVIDIA Tesla K10 GPU Computing Accelerator. Coupled with SGI Management and Performance Suite software,… Go To Full Article

NVIDIA GeForce Kepler 110 (GK110) Specs Detailed

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
NVIDIA surprised everyone by introducing the biggest GPU in history, codenamed "GK110", first as a mission-critical Tesla HPC GPU accelerator part, instead of a GeForce consumer graphics part. The GK110 is driving NVIDIA's Tesla K20 HPC GPU accelerator, which was… Go To Full Article

KRK Systems KNS 6400 Headphones @ techPowerUp

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
KRK Systems is well on their way to becoming a big name in the headphone business. Today we will be taking a look at yet another interesting set of closed back headphones, namely the KNS 6400s which feature the same… Go To Full Article

NVIDIA Pioneers New Standard for HPC With Tesla GPUs Built on Kepler Architecture

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
NVIDIA today unveiled a new family of Tesla GPUs based on the revolutionary NVIDIA Kepler GPU computing architecture, which makes GPU-accelerated computing easier and more accessible for a broader range of high performance computing (HPC) scientific and technical applications.… Go To Full Article

Netgear Announces 2-stream 802.11ac R6200 router and A6200 USB 2.0 adapter

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
We're at Broadcom and Netgear's joint press event today, where both are announcing the commercial availability of the R6300 three spatial stream 802.11ac router which was announced at CES, and two new products: the two stream R6200 router and A6200… Go To Full Article

NYC's Made in New York Digital Map lets you see who's hiring in the tech field

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
You can't deny Mike Bloomberg's often coming up with different ways to involve New Yorkers in tech-related bits. On this occasion, Mayor Bloomberg & Co. have introduced a novel way for citizens of The Big Apple -- and others who… Go To Full Article

Infinity Ward Gets $42M in Royalties From Activision

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
I hate to say it but I am actually siding with the attorney on this one. I think Activision is trying to "look good" by paying out $42 million in royalties, especially considering that amount is millions less than they… Go To Full Article

NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announces cloud-based, virtualized Kepler GPU technology

@ 2012/05/16 read/post comments(0)
We're here at NVIDIA's GPU technology conference here in San Jose, California and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang just let loose that his company plans to put Kepler in the cloud. To make it happen, the company has created a virtualized Kepler… Go To Full Article

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