When it launched last year, the Core i7 platform redefined Intel's high-end processor segment. Unfortunately, the platform was also accompanied by high-end prices. As such, it has seen only a minimal share of the desktop market. However, Intel has released a new platform that it claims will bring the performance of Nehalem to mainstream price points. Referred to as Lynnfield, the new platform shares its core microarchitecture with the i7-900 series, but introduces a completely new chipset and socket design. This means that not only will we see new processors, but new motherboards as well. Benchmark Reviews has been testing several of these new items and will be covering the launch in detail over the next few days. In this article, we examine the Intel Core i7-870 Quad Core Processor model BX80605I7870.

The LifeCam VX-5500 sits near the top of Microsoft's web cam offerings yet the E4C-00001 kit checks in at a very reasonable price point. It has some great features including noise cancelling, echo cancelling, 1.3MP HD picture quality, and auto-adjustment for low light conditions -all in a compact package clearly directed toward the mobile user. Benchmark Reviews took a look at the VX-5000 a few months ago, now we'll check out the VX-5500 and see if it performs as well as this mobile warrior hopes.

In this article, Benchmark Reviews will examine the Norco RPC-4020 4U rack mount server case. This case supports twenty data drives, plus a separate OS drive, and slim floppy and optical drives. With the density of hard drives available today that means you can stuff 42 Terabytes worth of data into a case roughly the size of a full-tower desktop case. If you're looking for a high density storage case, you'll be doing yourself a disservice not to check out this case.

If you have ever looked into buying a powerful gaming or performance computer case, you have heard of Cooler Master. They are a household name in the power computing world. Now they are making a name for themselves with a new division focused on gaming. CM Storm has built up a lot of hype over their new mouse, the CM Storm Sentinel Advance Laser Gaming Mouse. It rocks the gaming mouse arena with a twin Doppler laser and up to 5600 dpi. Benchmark Reviews is bringing you the latest information about the CM Storm Sentinel Advance SGM-6000-KLLW1-GP. A lot of gaming mice have been hitting the market recently, and CM Storm is looking to pull into the forefront with a completely customizable eight button laser mouse.

The mouse has become the standard method of navigating graphical user interfaces, but it leaves something to be desired when you want more free-form control of your cursor. The pen tablet provides the the control that a regular mouse lacks. The Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet is meant to be an introductory foray into the world of pen tablets, featuring a 5.8" x 3.7" active area, 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, battery-less pen and mouse, 4 function buttons and a scroll pad. In this article Benchmark Reviews will test how well the Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet CTE450K holds up in Photoshop Elements.

Last month, we took a look at AMD's new mainstream processor: the Athlon II 250. We were impressed with both performance and cost. Today, Benchmark Reviews looks at an equally impressive motherboard: the Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P. Based on AMD's 770 series chipset, the MA770T-UD3P is one of the first mainstream motherboards to offer full support for AM3 processors and DDR3 memory. Throw in Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 manufacturing process and price tag of only $80, and it's easy to see why this board is quickly becoming a budget-build favorite.

Boasting sound-dampening foam, anti-vibration HDD mounts, and two silent-running 800RPM 120mm fans, the Sileo 500 is an interesting break from Cooler Master's usual chassis design. A long-time manufacturer of high-end gaming cases, it appears Cooler Master is now adding silent computing to their arsenal. Benchmark Review will take a closer look at the RC-500-KKR3-GP model and finds out if the Sileo 500 worthy of the name and your money.

NVIDIA Recently unveiled their ION platform, which combines a GeForce 9400m GPU to the Intel Atom mobile processor. The synergistic effect of GeForce and Atom processors have combined to deliver true high-definition performance beyond any mobile platform before it, allowing more range from 'Netbook' and 'Nettop' products. A dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom N330 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU are packaged onto a Mini-ITX DDR2 AMCP7A-ION motherboard to create the ASRock ION, and ultra-efficient Nettop system. Delivering an compact HTPC or desktop computer alternative with native HDMI high-definition playback capability and powerful computing power isn't easy, and Benchmark Reviews discovers how well the ASRock Nettop ION 330 performs against mobile competitors using the Windows 7 Operating System.