Sometimes Intel's tick-tock plans don't coincide with the technical improvements made to other areas, such as SuperSpeed USB-3.0 or SATA-III 6.0-Gbps controllers. Most hardware enthusiasts agree that it's awkward to see Intel's "Enthusiast" branded X58-Express chipset paired to older standards while "Mainstream" P55 motherboards enjoy the better and faster new ones. Gigabyte agrees, too, and has re-launched the X58A-series as a refresh for their flagship platform. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 motherboard against the ASUS P6X58D Premium in heat-to-head performance, and compares to the original X58 platform.

The recent switch from analog to digital television was mainly driven by the benefits of digital technology over its analog predecessor. Though digital television has become ubiquitous the conversion cannot be instantaneous, nor will analog technology simply vanish. During this transitional period of converting analog infrastructures into a digital foundation, hybrid devices like the My Cinema PHC3-150 Combo TV-Tuner Card will be essential. These hybrid devices work with both signal types allowing for a smoother transition. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the performance of the PHC3-150. Even if you've already made the transition to digital systems you may want to check out some tricks to extract even more utility from the hybrid features of this card.

NVIDIA and ATI dominate the market for gaming-oriented video cards. But neither company sells video cards directly to the consumer; rather, they produce "reference designs" that are manufactured by a number of "partners". Most partners simply produce the reference design and slap an identifying sticker on the card's cooler; although some might replace the reference design cooler with a quieter or more powerful solution, with few exceptions there's little to distinguish one partner's version of a specific card from another partner's version of the same card. EVGA breaks out of this rut with their EVGA GTX 275 CO-OP PhysX Edition, model 012-P3-1178-TR, which combines NVIDIA GTS250 and GTX275 GPUs on the same card, and Benchmark Reviews takes it around the block to see what it's got.

OCZ introduced their latest Fatal1ty Edition Memory kit in early 2010. The difference between this DDR3 system memory kit and the previous Fatal1ty kits is that the OCZ3F1600LV6GK model supports triple-channel bandwidth and works with a relatively low voltage. DDR3 memory prices are going down and 6GB kits are very affordable now. What happens when you mix a professional video-game player with the design of a memory kit, and is the OCZ 1600MHz Low-Voltage DDR3 kit "fatal" enough to surpass Benchmark Review's performance tests? In this article the OCZ Fatal1ty 1600MHz DDR3 memory kit is stressed to the point of failure.

AZZA have taken a few steps away from what is considered conventional with the Solano 1000R (model: CSAZ-1000R) and gave it an extreme bright red interior. The AZZA Solano also boasts "maximum thermal management with fans installed everywhere" to keep your high end hardware cool. In sum, a total of two 230mm fans, two 140mm fans and one 120mm fan work in harmony to provide you maximum airflow. This full tower case supports E-ATX, ATX, and Micro ATX motherboards and the thumb screw design allows for easy installation of seven PCI expansion cards. A plethora of drive bays, including up to ten 5.25" and eight 3.5" bays, allow you to grow your system over time. All the bays have a thumb screw design for easy assembly as well. Are you looking for a new case? Join Benchmark Reviews as we examine the Solano 1000R ATX full-tower ATX case.

MSI has taken their portable Wind-series netbook computer system and combined it with the functionality of a full-featured desktop computer system to create a stylish and compact NVIDIA ION-based Wind-Top AE2220-25SUS computer system that fits in the same space as a 21.5-inch widescreen monitor. The small footprint doesn't just shelter a 1080p HDTV LCD display, it also incorporates touch-screen functionality along with an integrated HD web cam and high-fidelity 5.1-channel SRS Premium Sound. Blu-ray Discs can be played back from the MSI Wind Top AE2220, and a digital tuner is also built-in for receiving over-the-air HD broadcasts allowing the DVR functionality within Microsoft Windows 7. Ideal for every workspace conceivable, the dual-core 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor handles compute tasks and 4GB of DDR2 system memory ensure there's no delay in program responsiveness, while a 500GB hard drive offers high-capacity storage space for saved data and recorded audio or video multimedia. Both 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet give users the flexibility to connect the MSI AE2220 to a LAN or wireless network. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tested the MSI Wind Top AE2220 1080p All-In-One PC.

Cooler Master is a brand name that constantly strives to offer the enthusiast community fresh new products with a proven track record. Although the original CM-690 was launched back in August 2007, that chassis still remains a popular choice for do-it-yourself computer system builders even today. Skip to 2010, and Cooler Master launches the CM690-II Advanced mid-tower case to compliment the CM-series enthusiast product line. The new RC-692-KKN2 model improves upon the original design with an updated look, and adds a new list of features fitting of the modern technology landscape. In this article, Benchmark Reviews inspects the Cooler Master CM690-II Advanced Edition performance enclosure and determines just how much has really changed in this sequel.

Webcams are rapidly becoming a very popular item. In fact, webcams were one of the most popular electronic items purchased for the 2009 holiday season. Microsoft has long been a competitor when it comes to webcams and with the release of the Microsoft LifeCam Cinema 720p HD Webcam H5D-00001 they may have placed themselves on top of the market. With Skype, Windows Live Messenger, and even Google Video Chat becoming communications tools that are an easy and fun way to stay in contact with our friends and families, people are beginning to expect more from their webcams. The blurry, choppy video that doesn't match up with the audio is a thing of the past. Now Microsoft is introducing HD Video to the mix, offering high definition resolutions up to 720p with their new LifeCam Cinema. In this article Benchmark Reviews takes a detailed look at the Microsoft LifeCam Cinema in order to bring you the latest information on the newest webcam technologies.