The word vendetta makes me think of the recent movie, V for Vendetta. It makes me think of a challenge and rebellious behaviour against the establishment. So what does this mean in regards to OCZ's Vendetta CPU Cooler? I'm guessing it refers to OCZ's fight against the heat eminated within from processors: OCZ's Vendetta against heat! Sounds corny? Yes it does. BUT did OCZ win the bitter feud? Let's find out.
OCZ's Vendetta CPU cooler is a heatsink with the tried and effective heat pipe and fin design. The fins are aluminum, the heat pipe is copper, and the fan is 92mm. Together, this creates a light weight cooling package.
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 1TB External Hard Drive Review @ Bigbruin
Maxtor has a line of full-featured external hard drives, the OneTouch 4 Plus series, that offer a massive amount of external storage space and a suite of utilities to simplify the backup and recovery of your files. They have sent over the latest and largest unit for us to review, the Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 1TB External Hard Drive.
Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GT ZL 512Mb Video Card Review @ Madshrimps
Leadtek ups the ante in the continuous struggle to deliver the best price/performance products to the end users. Their latest WinFast PX8800 GT ZL sets itself apart by a custom dual slot Zalman GPU cooler and improved specifications.
Ultra m998 ATX Mid-Tower Case Review @ ClubOC
For the longest time, if you wanted to have room to work with then you pretty much had to go with a full tower enclosure. However, many of those full-towers only provided extra room in the form of more 5.25" drive bays. Since most of the real work on a PC is done on and around the motherboard, that doesn't help us a whole lot. The m988 from Ultra may be a mid-tower enclosure but it's not just another cookie-cutter mid-tower chassis. Ultra has made the m998 slightly larger than a typical mid-tower and packed in a few extras along the way.
NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT 512MB G94 Tested @ Tweaktown
The latest graphics card to make its way to the labs at TweakTown (and the public very soon) is the 9600GT. Generally speaking, any x600 form of card has never been that exciting really; sure the 8600GT and 8600GTS weren’t bad, but far from what you’d call exciting. What makes this one any more interesting you say? Well, word floating around the interweb is that the card is supposed to be quite the performer. How much of a performer is it? It doesn’t really matter at this second because we’re only a few pages away from finding out exactly that
Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Quad Core Processor Review @ TechARP
The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 quad-core processor is no mere upgrade of the Kentsfield-based Core 2 Extreme processors. Underneath the heatspreader lies a radically-different processor, built not only using the smaller 45 nm process technology but also Intel's new high-k dielectric and metal gate technology. The result? A smaller, cooler and more efficient processor. Oh, let's not forget... a 50% larger L2 cache! The Core 2 Extreme QX9650 sports a massive 12MB L2 cache. All with the same TDP of 130 W. Amazing, isn't it?
Tagan 900Watt BZ900 Power Supply Review @ TechwareLabs
Today TechwareLabs takes a look at the Tagan 900W power supply which includes some unique features we have not seen elsewhere. If you like lights and adding not only a powerful, reliable power supply to your case but also a components which will attract attention then the Tagan BZ900 may be just what your looking for.
RAZER Piranha Gaming Communicator Headset Review @ Futurelooks
RAZER is a company that develops and manufactures gaming peripherals that can give gamers the competitive edge. They specialize in headsets, keyboards and mice to give gamers ultimate control over their competitors but at the same time making it more comfortable for them to endure long hours of fragging or raiding. Let’s see how this philosphy translates to the RAZER Piranha!
QNAP TS-209 Pro 2-Bay NAS Device Review @ OzHardware
A new NAS (Network Attached Storage) device from the folks at QNAP Systems comes with 2 bays for Serial-ATA hard drives, RAID capability and enough built-in services to make many big servers totally obsolete. Here at OzHardware we take a closer look.
Kingston is a market leader in the memory market, and it wasn't luck that got it to that point. As we've seen in our past reviews, Kingston has good quality products that perform well. It's HyperX line of products exemplifies this, as the HyperX portfolio contains some of Kingston's highest performing products. In our series of upcoming DDR3 memory kit reviews, I thought I would start off first with our Kingston 1375MHz rated kit. Its rated speed of DDR3-1375 is the lowest of the kits we have lined up to review, so we'll if it has anything up its sleeve.
For those familiar with Kingston's HyperX memory series, the sight of the blue anodized aluminum heatspreaders on this model should not be a surprise. Both sides of the heatspreaders are held together with a combination of silver colour clips and adhesive thermal pads.

Samsung Syncmaster 275T 27-inch LCD Display Review @ PCSTATS
Samsung's Syncmaster 275T LCD/TFT display is a 27" wide screen (16:10 aspect ratio) monitor with a native resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. The LCD panel has an anti-reflective non-glossy coating and features a brightness rating of 500 cd/m2, contrast ratio of 1000:1 (dynamic contrast of 3000:1). The LCD panel boasts a 6ms G-to-G pixel refresh time and a moderately tight pixel pitch of 0.303mm. In our experience, brightness and contrast ratio take a back seat to viewing angles, and in the Syncmaster 275T's case it has the best you can hope for - 178° / 178° horizontal / vertical.
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 45nm Wolfdale CPU Review @ Madshrimps
We take a closer look at the fastest dual core CPU from Intel, the E8500, dubbed Wolfdale, is manufactured at 45nm which translates in low power usage and excellent potential for overclocking. We compare the performance of this newcomer to a 65nm Core 2 Duo and overclock past the limit using LN2. Read on to find out if we froze the Wolf!
Tagan BZ 800 Watt Power Supply Review @ ClubOC
Tagan is back in the Club with their new BZ 800 Watt modular Power Supply. This unit promises six +12V rails and one of the most feature rich packages I have ever seen in a power supply. The Tagan BZ 800W is a intriguing mix of innovative features, packaging and color, but will the performance live up to all the promise?
Scythe Ninja and Ninja Mini CPU Coolers @ TechwareLabs
Recently we tested the Scythe Ninja and Ninja Mini heatsinks for performance, design, and installation. We present to you our results may surprise you. Scythe has taken an unusual approach to heatsink design and combined outside the cube thinking with traditional design to come up with a heatsink that performs well but has issues. Read our review to find out more.
Corsair TX750W 750watt Power Supply @ Tweaktown
We had the chance a while back to review the Corsair HX series 620 watt power supply and it managed to be one of the most stable we have yet to come across. The power levels were incredibly clean and showed no stability issues at all. While this was a sure winner in our labs, past performance won't help out in today's testing. When it comes to power supplies, the days of picking up whatever happens to be on the shelf are long gone. With the advent of more powerful processors, graphics and cooling solutions, power is just too important to take shortcuts with.
ATI Radeon HD 3870 + 3850 CrossFire - Mixing Video Cards @ Legit Reviews
Having a mixed up CrossFire configuration performed better than expected and was able to near the performance level of other high end ATI CrossFire setups. This goes to show that ATI has made great improvements to their CATALYST drivers as taking an ATI Radeon HD 3870 and running it in CrossFire mode with an ATI Radeon HD 3850 was found to be stable and offered great improvements over a single card of either model. How many people will actually try this has yet to be seen, but this is an easy way to cut costs and improve performance.
Scythe Shuriken SCSK-1000 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech
The Japanese manufacturer Scythe has introduced a low profile, sub-70mm tall heatsink for Intel and AMD processors tailor made for low profile computers. If you've got a low profile PC and are looking for that extra cooling edge, this might be just what the doctor ordered. The Scythe Shuriken (SCSK-1000) heatsink features copper heatpipes, high density stacked aluminum fins, a copper base and a low profile 12mm thick 100mm Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) fan.
DisplayLink's USB-to-DVI Adapter @ Tech Report
Last year, Samsung released a 19" LCD monitor capable of being hooked up via a simple USB connection. To work its magic, the display uses an embedded video chip made by a company called DisplayLink that works like a sort of self-contained graphics processor. That's neat, but what if you already have a spare monitor you'd like to use via USB? Is there a cheaper alternative to coughing up the $300 or so for a USB display? As it turns out, yes there is. DisplayLink's video chip is also available in standalone USB-to-DVI adapters, which allow one to connect any monitor with a resolution up to 1600 x 1200 via USB.
GlacialTech Igloo 5750 Silent CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Canucks
Today we will be looking at an aftermarket cooler that will be released shortly and is marketed as a not only a budget cooler but a “silent budget” CPU cooling solution. GlacialTech may be a newcomer to the marketplace, as they only opened for business in April 2006, but the founders of the company are anything but inexperienced.
Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler - The Sound of Silence @ Legit Reviews
Noctua derived its name from the Greek mythology. The little owl, Athene Noctua, is the symbol of the Greek goddess Athene, who represents wisdom, science and strategy. She has a marked preference for the most clever among the Greek heroes, like Odysseus, who endure their adventures by the use of savvy consideration instead of mere force. It is the owl’s silent flight that Noctua keeps in mind with their fan design.
Corsair Dominator 4GB PC2-1066 Review @ 3DXtreme
Corsair’s latest high performance heatsink uses something called Dual-Path Heat Xchange. This combined with the additional cooling provided by the Corsair Dominator Airflow Fan allow these parts to run at 1066 MHz at 2.2v VDIMM and remain cool. While most manufacturers have settled on putting out 2 x 2GB kits of PC2-6400 Corsair is determined to take over the high end of the market with this 4GB kit of PC2-1066.
Scythe Zipang SCZP-1000 Ultra Low Noise Heatsink Review @ Frostytech
The number one question Frostytech readers ask us is "what's the best silent heatsink?" Much of the time, readers find themselves asking us this question after they've built a media center PC using the standard type of heatsink one normally finds in local computer stores. If you need a silent heatsink, and I do mean silent, the Scythe Zipang (SCZP-1000) is the next best thing to a passive block of aluminum (the only truly silent option). What makes the Zipang quiet is a 138mm wide fan that spins at a lazy 1000RPM.
AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition @ TechwareLabs
With the release of the Phenom, AMD has introduced the world to native quad core computing at a consumer level. We test the Phenom 9600 Black Edition for its performance and overclocking results. Will the Phenom 9600 Black Edition please consumers and provide results as well as overclocking? Read our review to see our "Mixed" results.
Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 8GB USB Flash Drive @ Legit Reviews
The Kingston DataTraveler HyperX USB Flash Drives have a read speed of 30MB/s and write speed of 20MB/sec so they certainly deserve the HyperX name as it is hands-down the fastest USB Flash drive that Kingston offers. The Kingston DataTravler HyperX USB Flash drive that we are looking at today is the 8GB version, but Kingston offers the drive with different capacities at various price points, so if you want a HyperX USB Flash drive you can pick from a 2GB ($54.99), 4GB ($99.99) or 8GB (189.99) capacity.
Eagle Tech ET-CS2LSU2-BK 2.5 Inch USB Drive Enclosure Review @ Bigbruin
With a built in USB connector and leather trim, the Eagle Tech ET-CS2LSU2-BK 2.5 Inch USB Drive Enclosure has an interesting appearance that instantly sets it apart from a typical drive enclosure. This review will take a closer look to see what else it offers that might differentiate it from other similar devices on the market.
Thermaltake Blac-X Hard Drive Pod @ Pro-Clockers
Well, Thermaltake has a solution for people like me and maybe someone like you as well. The Blac X is an external way of linking any SATA drive, 2.5 or 3.5, to your computer. But unlike the traditional method of opening up an enclosure, mounting a drive and then closing it all back up, the Blac X doesn’t use an enclosure. Confused? Yeah, I would be too. But read the review and we will clear it all up for you.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 CPU Cooler Review @ Futurelooks
Today we’re looking at the Hyper 212 CPU cooler; a cooler that bridges the gap between the subtle and the ostentatious. The cooler is a tower design that has multiple heat pipes running from a block on the CPU to two towers of cooling fins. These fins are then cooled by a large 120mm fan. That means this cooler is by no means subtle or small in stature, but may just turn out to be acoustically quiet.
Tweaking the Phenom 9600 Black Edition @ Tech Report
The Phenom 9600 Black Edition is a veritable enthusiast's playground if you know how to tweak it. We turned the knobs and dials on the Black Edition to see what we could get--assisted by a cooler the size of your head.
Asus Triton 77 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech
The ASUS Triton 77 heatsink is one of the latest processor thermal solutions to come from motherboard manufacturing giant ASUS. The heatsink is equipped with a Sunon MagLev 92mm vapo-bearing PWM fan which runs at a very quiet 2300RPM. Standing a moderate 125mm tall, the Triton 77 heatsink has five copper heatpipes spread across its curved array of nickel-plated aluminum fins, and weighs 505 grams. The bulk of this heatsink is elevated 55mm above the CPU socket for good component clearance.
Moneual Labs M775 Mid Tower Professional Series Case Review @ Bigbruin
The Moneaul Labs M775 Mid Tower Professional Series Case is what you would expect to find on the lower end of the spectrum. It includes only the basics of a computer case, lacking the innovative features that we like to see. While it doesn’t manage to pack in things like tool-less drive bays or removable cages, the M775 does have its only little nifty qualities.
Eight Power Supply Units Encounter The Beast @ Tech Report
There was a time when the power supply was the most neglected component inside the PC. The PSU was an afterthought for most, usually a generic unit that came bundled with a case. And there it would sit, often not-so-quietly, entrusted with the important task of supplying power to other components that were usually chosen with far more consideration and deliberation. Over time, the odds that a generic PSU's voltage lines would start sagging were pretty good. If you were lucky, this would only cause system instability. However, in more serious cases, other system components could be damaged. Thankfully, the enthusiast community has taken power supply units more seriously as it has matured. We know there's much more to the equation than simply a wattage rating; we're looking for consistent DC voltages, minimal AC ripple content, high efficiency, low noise levels, and effective cooling—and those are just the basics. Manufacturers have picked up on enthusiast, er, enthusiasm for quality power supply units, promising to deliver cleaner and quieter power more efficiently as wattage ratings scale skyward. Some have even developed unique features, including monitoring and control software, adjustable voltage lines, integrated USB hubs, and modular cabling solutions in attempts to differentiate their products in an increasingly crowded market. To help make sense of the wide selection of power supply units available, we've rounded up eight contenders between 700 and 1000 watts from Antec, Corsair, Gigabyte, Hiper, PC Power & Cooling, Super Talent, Tagan, and Ultra. Keep reading to see how they compare in the real world and when pushed to their limits by our beastly test rig.
Sunbeamtech Tuniq 3 Mid Tower ATX Case Review @ Bigbruin
Sunbeamtech is a manufacturer of computer components that has been around for a while, and they have sent a large number of items to Bigbruin.com for review over the years. They are also the parent company of a line of higher performance components that they have decided to brand under a different name... Tuniq. This review will be focused on a chassis from Sunbeamtech's Tuniq series, the Tuniq 3 Mid Tower ATX case.
Asus Triton 75 Heatsink Review @ Frostytech
The fangs at each corner of the Triton 75 bring a smile to our intrepid engineers' face; pointy strips of aluminum dangle like a canines teeth over each Intel retention clip and lie in wait for unsuspecting fingers! Should we really expect anything different from the Asus Triton 75 heatsink though? With errant design elements that hamper the user experience and do nothing to improve thermal performance, the Asus Triton 75 is an example of what not to do. On top of that, the Triton 75 fails as a heatsink for processors with a 150W power rating. And yet, the Triton 75 is not a complete write off.
VIZO Ninja II Notebook Cooling Stand Review @ Futurelooks
As you may already know, keeping your notebook computer cool has several key benefits, including the extended longevity and the improved performance of the components housed within. As laptops have continued to increase in popularity in recent years, so have the options for keeping our notebooks nice and cool. In terms of cooling performance, active solutions — those that include fans — typically outperform passive solutions. I’ve reviewed several cooling pads in the past and I’ve found that the Ninja II notebook cooler from VIZO implements a series of features that are lacking in other solutions.
Auras SMF-660 TwinW Intel Heatsink Review @ Frostytech
The Auras SMF-660 heatsink is a compact Intel heatsink that weighs just over 400 grams, stands 108mm tall, and hides its lone fan quietly away. If you've been faced with the problem of an ill-fitting processor heatsink for a compact PC chassis, take comfort that sub-150mm tall CPU coolers do indeed exist. Auras ship the SMF-660 heatsink with a 92mm PWM fan that scales in speed from 1200-2100RPM with compatible motherboards.
UniBlue ProcessScanner Software Review @ Tweaknews
This free utility is a good starting point for troubleshooting a slow system or one that is suspected of being infected with a virus or spyware. A quick scan results in a well organized list of all processes running and their associated security threat level. Knowledge is power, and being aware of malicious processes is the first step in preventing future infections and keeping a PC running smoothly.
Thermalright IFX-14 CPU Cooler Review @ Madshrimps
CPU coolers keep growing in size, this monster from Thermalright is proof of that. The Inferno Fire eXtinguisher is a heatsink large enough to accommodate up to three 140mm fans! Furthermore it comes with a separate smaller heatsink which sole purpose is to keep the backside of the CPU socket cool. Will this powerhouse CPU cooler grab first spot in our performance charts?
Cooler Master Hyper 212 CPU Cooler Review @ Tweaktown
While the design isn’t unique, it does follow a pattern set forth by some very efficient CPU Coolers. From a distance it would be difficult to tell the 212 from our current performance leader and award winner, the Noctua NH-12P; the designs are so close. Cooler Master does have a vast distribution system and getting your hands on a Hyper 212 is going to be a lot easier than finding the Rosewill Z5. A big plus for consumers is that they can walk into many retail locations and pull a Cooler Master product right off of the shelf.
Thermaltake BlacX USB Hard Drive Docking Station Review @ OCIA
Thermaltake took note of this and created a product that really stood out at the show, a hard drive docking station known as the BlacX. The idea behind this product is so simple and yet, so ingenious that I am shocked that nobody else has thought of it yet. Simply put, the BlacX is a USB 2.0 hot-swappable 2.5" and 3.5" SATA docking station that accepts all hard drives up to 1TB in size.
Western Digital Scorpio 320GB SATA-II 2.5inch Hard Drive Review @ OzHardware
Western Digital have once again pushed the boundaries of size with their latest notebook drive coming in at a massive (for a notebook) 320GB. Coupled with a Serial-ATA-II interface an 8MB cache, it’s sure to be a good performer. We find out.