News for August 14th 2010

My son got me up at 6:30 am, I’m tired.. it’s too early for me too come up with something creative to say here, so just read the news..

Storage Related:

Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB Kit 1600MHz (KHX1600C9D3B1K2).
SNIP:Kingston’s HyperX Blu kits aim to offer HyperX performance without asking the typical HyperX price. For the first time ever, gamers and PC enthusiast can have HyperX performance at a very affordable price. From what we’ve experienced first hand, there isn’t much different between HyperX and HyperX Blu, except the price. If you’ve always wanted Kingston’s HyperX memory but couldn’t justify the cost, HyperX Blu might just be the right kit for you.
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1909

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A-DATA Plus Series PC3-15000 (1866MHz) 6GB Kit
QUOTE: "The last few kits of memory we’ve looked at from A-DATA have been a part of the Gaming Series. While impressed with what the kits offered, one of my favorite kits of RAM that I’ve looked at from A-DATA this year was the Plus Series 4GB PC3-17600 kit.

 

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Super Talent SuperCrypt Secure USB 3.0 Flash Drive.

When it comes to portable drives, especially "flash drives" some people have a need for speed while others value security above all else. Then there is the third class of people who want it all; they want speed, security, portability AND ease of use that only a flash drive can offer. For this elite clientele, Super Talent has you covered with their SuperCrypt USB 3.0 flash drive. Is this a drive that can really be all things to all people? Read on for my full review.

Super Talent SuperCrypt Review

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Asus U3S6 Controller SATA 6GB and USB 3.0 @ Hardwareoverclock.com

Link: http://www.hardwareoverclock.com/Asus_U3S6_SATA-3_USB-3_Controller.htm

Hardwareoverclock.com has posted another review. Last week we have taken a look at the Asus U3S6 Controller. This is a cheap SATA 6GB and USB 3.0 Upgrade for your motherboard. But what about the handling and praxis tests? Is the controller really so fast and so easy to handle? We have test it on a Crucial Real SSD 256 GB.

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G.Skill Phoenix Pro 120GB SSD @ PureOverclock

Review URL:  http://www.pureoverclock.com/article1042.html

“The new SandForce drives offer killer performance, even leaving the Indilinx drives in the dust. Normally such performance boosts come with a very hefty premium, but that’s not happening for the most part, but especially with the G.Skill Phoenix Pro 120GB. We have a drive here that is crazy fast and a pretty darn good deal when you look at the competition; frankly, it’s a standout.”

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Super Talent USB 3.0 SuperCrypt Drive @ TechwareLabs

Quote: While many users still do not have USB 3.0, those that do get to enjoy its amazing speeds. Super Talent promises to add encryption and speeds of up to 240 MB/s! Does the drive stand up to our tests? Read on and find out.
LINK: http://www.techwarelabs.com/super-talent-usb-3-0-supercrypt-drive/

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iStar BPU-124V2-SS Hot-Swap Backplane RAID Cage Review

Link: http://www.dragonsteelmods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16707&Itemid=1

Today for review iStar has sent me over the BPU-124V2-SS which allows you to put four 2.5” drives into the space of one 5.25” PC bay. The setup can be used for raid, or you can just use it as a hot swap rack to quickly and easily switch drives and transfer data to and from places. The cage itself is very nicely made, each bay locks individually and there’s even two 40mm cooling fans built right in to keep things nice and cool.

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Intel X25-V SSD 40Gb – QUAD Raid 0 performance @ KitGuru

This week has been an ‘SSD-fest’ on KitGuru and today we are going to take another look at the excellent Intel X25-V SSD 40GB units which we reviewed last month in both single and dual Raid 0 configurations.

Why revisit them? A handful of our readers have asked me how they ‘scale’ when more than two are placed into a Raid 0 system. Intel kindly sent us four X25-V SSD drives to try in a ‘Quad’ Raid 0 configuration and as we use an inexpensive (but effective) Intel DP55WG for all our SSD tests we thought this would be interesting to try.

Read the review over here: http://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/zardon/intel-x25-v-ssd-40gb-%E2%80%93-quad-raid-0-performance/

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INDYLAB Touch USB 2.0 500GB Touch Sensitive Portable HDD
QUOTE: "It isn’t everyday that something completely new comes across our desks these days. Sure, really cool things like the OCZ RevoDrive come in every week, but they are rarely the first in their category. When INDYLAB announced their latest product called Touch, we knew it was something new and exciting and we wanted to give it a run through our labs.
As the name implies, the INDYLAB Touch is a touch sensitive USB 2.0 portable hard drive. To our knowledge, this is the world’s first touch enabled portable storage device. You might be wondering what functions could possibly be controlled on a portable storage device other than power. What makes the Touch cool is that the button is hidden. Without knowing where to touch the drive to turn it on, you will not be able to use the drive. Think of it as security without needing to remember a password or encryption key."

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: OCZ Agility-2 SandForce-Driven SSD @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: OCZ Technology has once again brought cutting-edge high-speed SSDs into the value storage segment with their Agility 2 series. Based on the SandForce SF1200 controller, the OCZ Agility 2 SSD delivers up to 20,000 IOPS with incredible bandwidth speed. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the 120GB OCZ Agility 2 Extended OCZSSD2-2AGTE120G against some of the fastest storage solutions on the market. Just when PCs were starting to seem irrelevant in this fast-paced world of mobile gadgets and smart phones, along comes a new product that changes the entire landscape. SSDs, or more formally Solid State Drives, have finally lifted computers beyond the age of spinning metal magnetic platters. Delivering a boost in speed that no memory upgrade or new processor could ever dream of, solid state drive technology has sent hard disk drives packing.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=579&Itemid=60

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Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/crucial-ballistix-ddr3-1600-4gb-dual-channel-memory-kit-review/

Quote: “We have seen so many different Speeds of DDR3 ram on the market, ranging anywhere from 1066 Mhz to 2400 Mhz. The mid range ram used by most people is the DDR3 1600 Mhz. Crucial graced us with their new and upcoming ram and having seen the speeds of the ram we previously tested, we were eager to see what we could achieve. This new 4GB DDR3 kit features Crucial’s new Ballisitx heatspreaders and onboard temperature sensors and monitoring software, let’s take a look…"

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G.Skill Phoenix Pro 60GB Solid State Drive Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Review URL: http://www.thinkcomputers.org/g-skill-phoenix-pro-60gb-solid-state-drive-review/

Quote: “We reviewed our first SandForce-based solid state drive about a month ago and since then the SandForce drives we have checked out have either been 120 or 128GB drives. While these are nice drives many people still cannot afford them. Today we will be looking at a 60GB drive that is based on the SandForce controller. The 60GB size is perfect for most systems as you can fit most of your programs and operating system on the drive then just use a regular SATA drive for all your media and other things. The 60GB size is also great for upgrading your laptop’s hard drive. Let’s check out the G.Skill Phoenix Pro 60GB Solid State Drive."

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OCZ Vertex 2 @ LanOC Reviews
DESCRIPTION: Even with the price of SSD’s still out of range of some users we see an amazing variety of models giving the most hardcore and wealthy enthusiasts a great selection to pick from. OCZ itself manufactures a model for any price or performance range. We already took a look at their budget/mainstream focused Agility; today we have a chance to put their new Vertex 2 to the test. Will the added cost equal better performance?

ARTICLE URL: http://lanoc.org/review/hardware/storage/4039-ocz-vertex-2

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Audio / Video:

Blue Yeti USB Microphone Review @ GeekInvaders.com

DESCRIPTION: “The Yeti is the most advanced and versatile multi-pattern USB microphone available anywhere. Combining three capsules and four different pattern settings, the Yeti is the ultimate tool for creating amazing recordings, directly to your computer. THX Certified for exceptional sound and performance, the Yeti can capture anything with a clarity & ease unheard of in a USB microphone.”
ARTICLE URL: http://www.geekinvaders.com/?p=1944

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Sapphire HD5770 Flex with 3 Monitors Review (5760×1080) @ KitGuru

Today however we have something special in mind for our readers. The new Sapphire HD5770 Flex Edition which can support up to four monitors via ATI Eyefinity. Sapphire have managed to achieve this by using three DVI connections – one being an HDMI to DVI adapter. The card itself operates at 850 mhz core and 1200mhz (4800mhz effective) on the GDDR5 memory.

Read the review over here: http://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/zardon/sapphire-hd5770-flex-review-on-3-monitors/

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ASUS Cine5 5-Channel PC Speaker
Link: http://www.bigbruin.com/content/asuscine5_1
Quote:  The ASUS Cine5 has quite a few things going for it. First and foremost, it’s footprint is significantly smaller than a traditional 5.1 speaker system so you don’t need to plan out where you are going to fit all the pieces. If you are using it at your desk it should fit nicely right under your widescreen LCD monitor, and the sleek style will have it looking right at home at the same time.

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ATEN VM0404H HDMI Matrix Switch Review at CCE Reviews
Link: http://www.ccereviews.com/reviews/aten-vm0404h-hdmi-matrix-switch/
Quote: While it is incredibly easy to use, the ATEN VM0404H is definitely not for your average Joe.  However, for anyone who is an entertainment enthusiast, it would definitely be something to consider.  While I really wish ATEN polished off the front a bit more for those who don’t have a rack to hide the unit in and will be relying on the IR remote, function over fashion is apparent and the ATEN VM0404H does exactly what it is meant to do.  There’s no fuss and with a little bit of cable management, you’ll have one networked entertainment system.

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Diamond MP1000 Media Wonder Full 1080P HD Player Review @ Legit Reviews
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1385/1/

"The Diamond MP1000 Media Wonder HD is a solid addition to the group of players using the Realtek 1073 chipset. The features that it provides is very similar to both the Patriot Box Office and ASUS O!Play. It was very easy to setup on my home wired network. The OS was very similar to the Patriot Box Office with the most obvious difference being the Diamond branding. However, the OS seemed a bit more responsive on the Diamond Media Wonder HD…"

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Patriot Box Office Media Player Review
http://www.techspot.com/review/302-patriot-box-office-media-player/
The digital age has brought about a new breed of media players designed to handle all your music, movies and television shows in a small compact package. With the growing popularity of Internet-based broadcasts, as well as the legal (and not so legal) distribution of movies, television shows and other multimedia content, traditional players are no longer cutting it.

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Samson Go Mic @ LanOC Reviews
DESCRIPTION: The pinhole-sized microphone input on your laptop is obviously not going to give the highest quality audio. For podcasters and some business people you just can’t accept anything but the best quality. Samson has a product for that core group of people called the Samson Go Mic. A USB powered high quality microphone that uses the high quality components of a studio microphone, but designed to be packed up with your notebook.

ARTICLE URL: http://lanoc.org/review/hardware/sound/3776-samson-go-mic

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Mobile Related:

Best iPhone Jailbreak Apps and Games
"Now that jailbreaking an iPhone is as simple as visiting the right website, it’s hard not to want to tread into the exotic, somewhat sketchy seeming world of jailbreak apps. But what can you get from the grey market that you can’t get from Apple’s bright and shiny App Store? Just plenty."
Link to the article:http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-iphone-jailbreak-apps-and-games/

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Asus 14" U43F Bamboo Core i5 Notebook Review:
http://hothardware.com/Reviews/Asus-14-U43F-Core-i5-Notebook-Review/

There was a significant influx of CULV based notebooks earlier in the year, due in part to their excellent balance between power, performance, and price. While CULV based machines were a good fit for many users who didn’t want to sacrifice much performance for longer battery life, CULV notebooks are being introduced at a less rapid pace these days. Sure, Intel has low-voltage versions of the mobile Core 2010 processor lineup, but the Core i3 and Core i5 have proven that they don’t consume an insane amount of energy as-is, and the performance bump from using a standard mobile chip is definitely noticeable.

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Creative Labs ZiiSound D5 Bluetooth SoundBar
QUOTE: "Creative Labs have been amongst the biggest producers of multimedia audio equipment for the best part of the last fifteen years. Their well known presence in the industry has also seen them being several award winning products and a long line of gamer based support which has consistently grown over the years; this thanks in no small part to Creative labs’ proprietary environmental audio system, EAX. Lending from that vast track record of experience building audio equipment, Creative have now begun to develop systems based on Bluetooth which are oriented towards iPhone and iPod use.

 

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Gateway SX 2311-03 Small Form Factor PC Review
http://www.techspot.com/review/301-gateway-sx-2311-small-form-factor/
The Small Form Factor system that we’ll be reviewing today, part of Gateway’s SX desktop series, is nearly identical in form and fit to the Acer Aspire X1200 we looked at nearly two years ago. Of course, the internals have been beefed up to meet today’s standards, but the layout and styling cues are very similar.
The SX series from Gateway is one-third the size of a traditional desktop tower yet it still packs a sizable punch for its small footprint. Exact dimensions are 10.43" x 3.93" x 12.4" with a weight of only 12 pounds (5.44 kg). Pricing starts at $520 with both Intel and AMD processor options that can scale up to $600 for a quad-core system like the one in our hands.

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Mobility Digest Review – BB 6.0 Desktop

Earlier this week RIM released Blackberry Desktop Manager 6.0 for Windows users.  The screenshots of it actually made it look kinda cool so I decided to try it out.  Plus I have never used the Desktop Manager before so that was another reason to try this out.

http://blackberry.mobilitydigest.com/mobility-digest-review-bb-6-0-desktop/

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Zalman ZM-NC3000U Notebook Cooler @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Zalman is once again in the spotlight here at Benchmark reviews, returning today with the ZM-NC3000U notebook cooler. Regular visitors may remember the ZM-NC2500 Plus notebook cooler from Zalman was reviewed here not to long ago. While the function is the same, the design is very different. The Zalman ZM-NC3000U notebook cooler sports a big 220mm centre mounted fan and has a sand blasted, anodized aluminium vented surface surrounded by a glossy black outer bezel, which makes for a very nice look indeed. We aim to see in this review if this design difference will offer any more performance over its younger brother, so join us now as we examine the design and analyze the capabilities of the Zalman ZM-NC3000U notebook cooler.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=568&Itemid=66

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Airlink Skyipcam777w @ LanOC Reviews
DESCRIPTION: Being a geek you tend to collect interesting gadgets and toys, and being into gaming that collection of toys turns into a high dollar collection of games, equipment, TV’s, PC’s, and computer parts. If you were to lose everything it would be almost irrecoverable. Our friends over at Geeks.com not only have a solution to help you keep an eye on everything, it’s also another toy to play with. In fact they carry an entire selection of Wireless Infrared Motion Cameras. Today we are going to take a closer look at their Airlink Skyipcam777w, a wireless IP camera with full motion capabilities.

ARTICLE URL: http://lanoc.org/review/hardware/network/3630-airlink-skyipcam777w

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Assorted Stuffs:

Interactive AMD Phenom product ID guide v1.1
Link: http://www.ocinside.de/html/workshop/amd_phenom_product_id.html

A so called product ID or OPN description is on each AMD Phenom, Phenom II and Athlon II CPU, but the product ID is not really easy to understand without studying several datasheets. On the new AMD Phenom product ID guide v1.1 simply select the description of your processor over the drop-down fields or type it directly into the new OPN field. Then you will see the technical data and processor description below in the virtual CPU. The service is of course free available over the web and it is also possible to control this interactive guide directly with OPN data over online shops, forums, or web pages.

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GO OC 2010 North American Final @ Techgage

Link: http://techgage.com/article/go_oc_2010_north_american_final/

Quote: This past weekend, Gigabyte held its third GO OC NA final in Industry, California, and put fourteen of the best overclockers together in the same room and let them loose on Intel’s Core i7-980X processor and Kingston’s HyperX memory. We were there and have all the info, and more pictures than you can shake a memory stick at.

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NZXT Sentry LXE Fan Controller Contest @ Techgage

Link: http://techgage.com/news/contest_win_an_nzxt_sentry_lxe_fan_controller/

Quote: Entering couldn’t be easier. You simply need to be a member of Twitter, and then follow both @Techgage and @NZXTCorp and then re-tweet this one little tweet. Do this, and you’ll be automatically entered!

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Abbee Commercial-Free FM Radio Review
Link: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Abbee-Commercial-Free-FM-Radio-Review/1067
Summary: Review of the Abbee commercial-free music system, a device that records your favorite FM stations and automatically cuts off commercials and D.J. announcements.

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Skydigital nKeyboard Review  @ XSReviews

Review Link: http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/peripherals/skydigital-nkeyboard/
Quote: "Skydigital are well known for their PSUs and peripheral devices, especially their range of keyboards.With the nKEYBOARD, Skydigital have aimed to design a peripheral that works for both gaming and in a normal desktop/office setting without the expansiveness of the average gaming board. Let’s see if it lives up these aims. "

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Desktop PC Platform: Killed By Overclocking @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Enthusiasts have lost sight of the original purpose behind overclocking, which was made popular because it could make something slow become fast, thereby getting something more for your money. Then at some point the computer industry went from asking consumers to pay more for the faster products, to demanding you pay more for products you might be able to make faster. This article will focus on one of the lesser-known threats to the desktop PC platform: overclocking.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11307&Itemid=8

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Desktop PC Platform: Fears and Predictions @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Benchmark Reviews is a consumer technology website that tests gadgets of all types, but maintains a focus on desktop computer components. To this end, we collectively follow certain market trends more than others. Over the past few years, I’ve personally watched certain technologies such as mobile devices grow ripe on the vine while others like cellular broadband have withered. Yet, regardless of focus, one particular concept has continually ruled the industry: more for less. To some degree this moniker shaped the birth of desktop PCs, but may also very well become the death of it…

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11296&Itemid=8

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Herman Miller Embody Chair Review @ Benchmark Reviews

DESCRIPTION: Herman Miller is a company that engineers function, and architects fashion. Their Aeron chair has dominated the industry, and influenced our perception of what a good chair should be. Welcome the Herman Miller Embody chair. Designed specifically for people who work for hours at their computer, Embody is the first work chair that benefits both mind and body. More than just a solution towards minimizing the negative effects of sitting, Herman Miller’s Embody chair was also designed to deliver positive effects on the body. In this article Benchmark Reviews takes you on a tour of the Herman Miller Embody ergonomic office chair, and demonstrates how much better sitting all day can feel.

ARTICLE URL: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=562&Itemid=58

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Quick Links:

AMD Phenom 2 X6 1090T CPU @ Rbmods

id Software Demos Never-Before-Seen RAGE Levels and Vehicles at QuakeCon

Shuttle XPC SH55J2 Barebone PC Review @ Madshrimps

World of Tanks (PC) Preview @ GamingHeaven.com

Seasonic X-Series 400W Fanless PSU Review on Technic3D

NZXT Phantom Full-Tower Case PHAN-001BK @ Benchmark Reviews

Prolimatech Samuel 17 Small Form Factor CPU Cooler Review @ Hardware Canucks

Sapphire HD5770 Flex @ LanOC Reviews

Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 Flex Video Card Review @ Ninjalane

GTX470 Vs 5770 CrossFire: Get in the ring special

Overclock3D have just published a new article titled: Intel i7 970 Review

Sapphire ATI 5770 1gig Flex Edition Video Card @ GeekInvaders.com

Machinarium Review @ FusionMods.Net

Seasonic X-Series Fanless 400W Power Supply Review @ HardwareHeaven.com

Funky Kit Article: Visit to Sapphire’s HQ in Hong Kong

Nexus RX-1.1K 1100 Watt Gold Modular Power Supply

Intel Core i7-970 Processor Review, Lower Cost 6-Core:

SilverStone Sugo SG-04-FH Case Review @ BURNED iN

AeroCool V12XT-1000 1000W power-supply review @planet3dnow.de

ASRock X58 Extreme3 S1366 Motherboard Review @ Madshrimps

NZXT Phantom Case Review @ KitGuru

Sapphire Radeon 5770 FleX @ PureOverclock

MSI N460GTX Cyclone 1GD5/OC Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews

SilverStone SST-AP181 Air Penetrator Fan @ Benchmark Reviews

ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/1GD5 @ Benchmark Reviews

Antec DF-30 Dark Fleet Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews

Cooler Master Elite 430 Computer Case @ Benchmark Reviews

ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews

IN WIN Griffin Case Review @ ThinkComputers.org

Choiix Cruiser @ LanOC Reviews

Thermaltake Frio @ LanOC Reviews

Gigabyte HD5770 SOC @ LanOC Reviews

Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775W Cable Management @ LanOC Reviews

Thermaltake Armor A90 @ LanOC Reviews