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Gigabit Wireless? Five 802.11ac Routers, BenchmarkedJan 13, 2013 - in Reviews
Five years ago, we didn't have homes with a dozen wireless nodes and the need to run HD video to multiple screens. Today we do. Our 802.11n networks, especially on the 2.4 GHz band, are swamped. Can 802.11ac save the day? We test six routers to find out.
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2012: System Value ComparedDec 6, 2012 - in Reviews
This quarter is full of surprises, from a value-oriented $500 build that includes a Radeon HD 7850 to a $1,000 machine based on AMD's FX-8350 and a $2,000 box armed with a pair of Radeon HD 7970s. We mix it up by adding new benchmarks. It's anyone's game!
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2012: $1,000 Enthusiast PCDec 4, 2012 - in Reviews
Tired of seeing Intel CPUs dominate our System Builder Marathon? Finally, we have a processor from AMD able to go up against the fastest Core i5. We give its new FX-8350 a chance to distinguish itself in our final System Builder Marathon of 2012.
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System Builder Marathon, Q4 2012: $500 Gaming PCDec 3, 2012 - in Reviews
We were hoping to kick this quarter's System Builder Marathon off with AMD's new Athlon X4 750K. But a lack of availability compels us back into the arms of Intel's dual-core Pentium. Happily, an affordable Radeon HD 7850 promises great performance.
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Tom's Hardware's 2012 Gift Guide, Part 1: For System BuildersNov 20, 2012 - in Picture Story
Welcome to our most-anticipated event of the year, the 2012 Holiday Gift Guide! Today, in Part 1, we have three of our most stunning models ever displaying an arousing array of components for your system config consideration. Deep breath...and enjoy.
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The Final Five: Gaming Cases Between $80 And $120, Rounded-UpAug 28, 2012 - in Reviews
Our 15-way shootout of cases priced between $80 and $120 ends as we compare the last five models to the previous ten, yielding an overall winner. Which chassis offers the best balance of quality, cooling, and noise reduction, and which is the best buy?
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System Builder Marathon, June 2012: System Value ComparedJun 7, 2012 - in Reviews
Frugality returned in this quarter's System Builder Marathon, tipping the balance towards less-elaborate gaming rigs. Does cutting deep into the budgets end up hurting our lower-cost build too much for it to compete, or is its value enhanced instead?
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System Builder Marathon, June 2012: $500 Gaming PCJun 6, 2012 - in Reviews
After stripping $150 from his already frugal budget, Paul is forced to make a tough gamble in order to hit his build goals. Will the decision to spend big on graphics bite him in the rear when he has to cut back on everything else, or is the choice sound?
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System Builder Marathon Bonus: Newegg Customer Choice PCMar 29, 2012 - in Reviews
We've shown you our three System Builder Marathon picks. Now it's time for something new. Using Newegg's user ratings as a guide, we picked the site's most celebrated components, built a PC, and overclocked it. Can this "Customer Choice" setup compete?
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System Builder Marathon, March 2012: System Value ComparedMar 28, 2012 - in Reviews
Three different builders took two different approaches this quarter. Paul and Don struck out in search of more graphics performance, while Thomas gave up some GPU horsepower in favor of a stronger CPU. Whose strategy paid off? It's time to compare!
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System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $2600 Performance PCMar 27, 2012 - in Reviews
At four times the budget of our cheapest PC, today's build minimizes compromise in the name of delivering unparalleled quality, performance, and features. Thomas takes the opposite approach as Paul and Don, beefing up on his CPU. Was it the right call?
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System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $1250 Enthusiast PCMar 26, 2012 - in Reviews
Using the same sort of approach as Paul did yesterday, Don picks the parts for his System Builder Marathon machine with a bias toward gaming. How much performance can you expect from a mid-range PC sporting a $550 Radeon HD 7970? It's time to find out!
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System Builder Marathon, March 2012: $650 Gaming PCMar 25, 2012 - in Reviews
This quarter, we're starting our System Builder Marathon with a little experiment. Paul wanted to build a gaming PC for $650 that'd target smooth performance at 1920x1080. He had to make a couple of sacrifices in the process, but the result is compelling!
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Acer, Dell, LG, And Samsung: Four 23" LCD Monitors, Rounded-UpFeb 21, 2012 - in Reviews
In our first LCD round-up of the year, we put four monitors thorough our benchmark suite and find some surprising results. Even if you're an enthusiast with cash to spare, paying more doesn't guarantee a better display. Our tests explain why.
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Eight 5.1- And 7.1-Channel Gaming Headsets, ReviewedFeb 9, 2012 - in Reviews
Surround sound headsets are often more practical than a home theater system attached to your PC. We compare eight premium models from Arctic, Psyko, Cooler Master, Logitech, Creative, Thermaltake, Corsair, and Razer to figure out who sells the top option.
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Five Overclocked GeForce GTX 560 Cards, Rounded-UpJan 18, 2012 - in Reviews
We were foiled in our quest to find the best vendor-provided GPU cooler for Nvidia's GeForce GTX 560. But out of the ashes sprung a round-up of cards armed with those very same solutions. Which of these five GF114-based boards is right for you?
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System Builder Marathon, Dec. 2011: System Value ComparedDec 22, 2011 - in Reviews
A 20% budget boost for this quarter’s machines gave every builder room to fix former foibles, yet only the cheapest system showed big performance gains. What effect will those big and small changes have on price-per-performance proficiency?
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System Builder Marathon, Dec. 2011: $600 Gaming PCDec 20, 2011 - in Reviews
You've already seen our first two System Builder Marathon configurations, both of which are more expensive than last quarter's. Our entry-level build costs a bit more too, but we think it's a much more capable collection of parts.
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System Builder Marathon, Dec. 2011: $1200 Enthusiast PCDec 19, 2011 - in Reviews
We mix things up with a $1200 budget, a brutally powerful Radeon HD 6950 CrossFire combo, and AMD's new FX processor in the final mid-range System Builder Marathon PC of 2011. The results are predictable in some ways, but surprising in others.
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System Builder Marathon, Dec. 2011: $2400 Performance PCDec 18, 2011 - in Reviews
Lessons learned over the past two quarters have helped us build one of our fastest PCs yet. But is it really worth the extra $400 over the previous high-end System Builder Marathon PC? The benchmarks will answer that question.
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Tom's Hardware's 2011 Gift Guide: Part 2, Last-Minute ExtrasDec 15, 2011 - in Reviews
Welcome to Part 2 of Tom's Hardware's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. This second installment is geared toward the folks who want to buy components that stand alone as respectable gifts--call them the add-ons to go with the complete machines we built last week.
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Tom's Hardware's 2011 Gift Guide: Part 1, For System BuildersDec 12, 2011 - in Reviews
Welcome to Part 1 of Tom's Hardware's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. This first installment is geared toward system builders planning to pool some Christmas cash to build a new performance- or value-oriented system. We have something for everyone this year.
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Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: November 2011Nov 27, 2011 - in Reviews
November was a busy month in the CPU world, with the introduction of Intel's LGA 2011 platform and the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition CPU. The Core i7-3930K and Core i7-2700K processors also made it to online retailers, in addition to AMD's FX-4100.
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Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: October 2011Oct 25, 2011 - in Reviews
AMD's long-awaited FX-series CPUs arrived in October, and we discuss the impact that the company's Bulldozer architecture has on gaming. AMD also introduced other products into retail, including its Phenom II X4 960T, A4-3300, and Phenom II X2 270.
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The Radeon HD 6950 Sweet Spot: Five 1 GB Cards Rounded-UpOct 17, 2011 - in Reviews
AMD’s 1 GB Radeon HD 6950s are certainly cheaper than their 2 GB predecessors. But are they really a better value? In theory, the Cayman GPU runs out of steam before 2 GB is needed. So, we're comparing five custom 1 GB cards to the 2 GB part to find out.
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Nettop Round-Up: Four Tiny PCs, Benchmarked And ReviewedOct 9, 2011 - in Reviews
We're testing four nettops: Arctic Cooling’s MC001-BD, ASRock’s CoreHT 252B, Giada’s i50, and Zotac’s Zbox AD03BR-PLUS. All of these tiny, quiet systems take a very different approach to compact computing, and we fill you in on what makes them unique.
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Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: September 2011Sep 27, 2011 - in Reviews
AMD's Zambezi processor isn't here yet. But Intel is keeping us busy with 16 new Sandy Bridge-based CPUs, all of which are covered in this month's update. AMD shows us a couple of new Llano-based chips, and we get our hands on Intel's Core i7-3960X.
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System Builder Marathon, Sept. 2011: System Value ComparedSep 25, 2011 - in Reviews
Big changes to a few components radically alter the performance profile of every machine in this quarter's competition. We’ve already seen how these changes affect the value of each machine, but how will they compare to each other?
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System Builder Marathon, Sept. 2011: $500 Gaming PCSep 21, 2011 - in Reviews
A few months ago, we built our $500 gaming PC using Intel's Sandy Bridge-based Core i3 processor, and it was a real screamer. This time around we're switching back to an overclockable Phenom II X4 and hoping threaded performance helps our case.
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System Builder Marathon, Sept. 2011: $1000 Enthusiast PCSep 20, 2011 - in Reviews
This quarter's $1000 enthusiast-oriented PC gets a new lease on life with a 30 GB solid-state drive and a couple of GeForce GTX 460s. Does that make a difference over the last build and its conventional hard disk and Radeon HD 6850 CrossFire setup?