Components

Afox sent us its rendition of the new GeForce GT 640, based on Nvidia's GK107 GPU. This one slots in under the existing GeForce GTS 450 to do battle with AMD's Radeon HD 6670. Does the Kepler architecture deliver, or is a $100 price target too high?

Rumor has it that fast DDR3 memory kits help uncork the performance of AMD's Bulldozer architecture. We grab four of the latest kits sporting data rates as high as 2800 MT/s with the goal of finding out. One contender rises to the top in this round-up.

We recently took our first look at Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture. Then, we evaluated its efficiency. Now, we turn to overclocking. Recently, each of Intel's die shrinks has helped increase frequency headroom. This time, however, we ran into some walls.

After recommending Sandy Bridge last year, we weren't particularly impressed by the new Ivy Bridge-based Core i7-3770K as an upgrade. But are Intel's more mainstream third-gen Core i5 processors any more attractive? We grab four models to find out.

AMD steps up to the plate with an all-new processor. Armed with the updated Piledriver CPU core and VLIW4 graphics architecture, the Trinity APU represents an impressive improvement over the Llano generation. But can it stand up to Intel's best efforts?

We've already seen that Ivy Bridge doesn't make much of a splash in the desktop space. But we collected notebooks based on Ivy Bridge, Sandy Bridge, Arrandale, and AMD's mobile Llano, and found that the new architecture's effect on mobility is profound.

Not like it was ever really widely available anyway, right? The GeForce GTX 670 offers most of GK104's on-chip resources, doesn't give up much performance, and costs $100 less. Now, let's see if Nvidia can make enough of them to satisfy demand.

Two months after the Radeon HD 7800-series cards first launched, they remain strong performers at attractive prices. We recap our coverage of the Radeon HD 7870 and 7850, discuss why we still like them, and cover one caveat for multi-GPU gamers.

Last week we reported that an engineering sample card with 768 shaders accidentally found its way into our lab instead of the HD 7850 we were expecting. This GPU may be meant for engineers, but it piqued our interest, since it happens to fill a large gap.

We already know that Nvidia's GeForce GTX 690 sports two GK104s and is priced at $1000. But hardware like this is fun to read about. Oh, you actually want to buy one? Expect performance just shy of two GTX 680s in SLI, and good luck tracking one down!

GeForce GTX 680 cards are nowhere to be found, and the Radeon HD 7970 recently dropped to a much more attractive price. We thought it was time to round up a handful of Tahiti-based cards to see how board partners are improving upon AMD's original recipe.

Combining the newest features with moderate expandability, Intel’s mainstream platforms provide high value to most gaming and overclocking enthusiasts. We compare six examples with Z77 Express to find the best features, overclocking, and efficiency.

Did you spend some time this week wondering what Nvidia was planning for today's announcement? Everyone who guessed GeForce GTX 690, you're right. Powered by two GK104 graphics processors, we have the scoop on Nvidia's soon-to-be flagship.

Have a peek at Intel's DZ77GA-70K motherboard, the platform that drove our Sandy Bridge- and Ivy Bridge-based processors in today's Core i7-3770K launch. We cover some of the board's physical features and our first experience with its new Visual BIOS.

Have you been following availability of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 680? There's a lot we like about the company's flagship graphics card, but it's tough not being able to find one even a month after launch. With Radeon HD 7970s at $479, the pressure is on!

Many companies claim to offer the best overclocking for your money, yet only two compete for the best overclocking at the very highest price point. Today we put those claims to the test, including a full set of benchmarks to analyze performance gains.

We discovered blurry textures when we reviewed the Radeon HD 7800s, so now we're performing an in-depth investigation. Why does the Radeon HD 6000 series demonstrate crisper image quality? Is performance affected? Does AMD know about the issue?

Integrated USB 3.0, advanced management features, reduced power consumption, and a new software package from Lucidlogix separate the Z77 Express motherboards from the Z68 chipset that preceded it. Were these capabilities worth waiting for?