Promise has revamped its NS4300N network storage device. Among the changes, its new NS4600 comes with a new engine--namely, Intel’s new x86-based EP80579 (code named Tolapai). Read on for a feature comparison...
Retail processors usually come with a bundled cooler, which will serve you well—at least until you try to overclock. We replaced the heat sink that Intel includes with its Core i7-920 with a higher-end model...
In this, our second installment of the Best Gaming CPUs For The Money, we roll out another batch of recommendations, plus add a couple of other attributes readers wanted to see last time, such as platform...
Our initial hardcore RAID setup (with 16 Intel X25-E SSD drives) reached 2.3 GB/s on 3 Gb/s controllers. But we wanted more speed. Intel and LSI provided the latest 6 Gb/s, PCI 2.0 HBAs, which allowed us to...
You've likely already seen coverage of Intel's C0-based Core i7s compared to the latest stepping, D0. We wanted to do something different, so we compared the Core i7-965 Extreme to the 975 using base...
Modern southbridges support multiple RAID levels via software, but do they deliver decent performance? We used six Intel SSDs and tortured the top three by AMD, Intel and Nvidia. As if that weren't cruel...
Intrigued by a video on 24 Samsung SSDs jammed into an ultra-fast RAID array, we set out to beat its 2 GB/s performance. Our recipe: 16 Intel X25-E Flash SSDs and two Adaptec 5805 RAID controllers. I/O...
We're building on the popularity of our monthly Best Graphics Cards for the Money article by branching out into CPUs; specifically, the Best Gaming CPUs for the Money. In our first installment, we explain our...
Once the territory of savvy enthusiasts, overclocking is now easy enough to entice even first-time builders. We walk through the process with four high-value dual- and quad-core CPUs from AMD and Intel: two...
Did you know that PC power consumption can be reduced by as much as 35 W just by cutting back on CPU voltage? We looked for the best stable undervolt settings for Core 2 Quad and Phenom II X4 processors without...
The debate over whether to go entry-level Core i7 or flagship Phenom II rages on. After his most recent Phenom II system review, Don Woligroski revisits the performance of these two platforms with more tests...
The Core i5/P55 hardware has slowly started arriving. Today's preview covers Asus' P55-based P7P55D Evo, the company's first platform that'll support Core i5 in a couple of months. We can't talk performance...
Performance notebooks with desktop processors are nothing new, but Core i7’s thermal challenges are new. With thermal management potentially slamming the brakes, can Eurocom’s D900F Panther outpace current...
This is our third RAM scaling story in a series that will conclude next week. In this piece, we're comparing a number of different DDR3 memory speeds using both tight and relaxed timings. Which memory setting...
We compare the latest 500 GB notebook drives from Fujitsu, Hitachi, Samsung, Seagate, Toshiba and WD. Seagate is first manufacturer to reach 500 GB at 7,200 RPM, but which is really the best drive? We loaded up...
Do you want a quick Core i7 system, but don’t feel confident sticking to Intel's spec and using the DDR3-1066 memory supported by the processor? We benchmark the most relevant memory speed and timing...
Dead Space is an excellent sci-fi survival horror title, and one of the few games that Nvidia supports with its new driver's ambient occlusion feature. We put the game through our usual image-quality and...
Intel's fastest Core 2 Duo, the E8600, runs at 3.33 GHz. But if you're a performance-hungry power user, we found that you can actually increase the chip's efficiency by overclocking it, thanks to 45 nm...
Today Intel launches two high-end processors that take the place of its i7-965 and i7-940 CPUs. More speed? Same price points? We’ll take it! But are the new chips compelling enough to warrant spending more...
Our recent SBM series featured three Intel/Nvidia-based builds, independently chosen by each of our authors. Understandably, AMD fans felt a little left out. Paul is here with a literal compendium of benchmark...
Our builders have assembled, tested, and overclocked three reduced-size performance systems, and now we’re ready to compare their efforts. Which machine will be the ultimate winner in performance, efficiency,...
You've already seen our $2,500 and $1,300 Core i7-based builds. Now we're going to try to put together a miniaturized gaming system on a $600 budget (which is no easy feat). Remember that this system, like the...
As you know, we’ve changed things up for this System Builder Marathon, squeezing the best components we can into portable Micro-ATX cases. Sure, there were compromises, but the $1,300 enthusiast system turned...
This month we take the challenge you put to us last time around: to fit top-performance parts into a portable enclosure. Then we had the audacity to hope for a successful overclock. Did we mention that, this...
Last week, the EU fined Intel $1.45 billion dollars, citing abuse of its position in the market by giving rebates to manufacturers in exchange for exclusive use of Intel CPUs. System builder Jon Bach weighs in...