*Quote:* Crucial have always been one of the more popular high-end memory manufacturers, with their Crucial Ballistix kits being an overclockers favourite. However, Crucial do another kit, known as the Ballistix Tracer sporting black heatspreaders and fancy LED lighting. Lets see if theyre as good as we hope.

The V8 from Cooler Master is a very unique looking cooler that pe rforms quite well. In the cooler world today it is getting harder to tell one tower cooler from another. This is not the case with the V8. With it s crazy heatpipe bends and the fan shroud it makes the cooler stand out. Combined with the fact it really can perform, to me this makes the V8 a v ery attractive cooler...

*Quote:* Crucial have always been one of the more popular high-end memory manufacturers, with their Crucial Ballistix kits being an overclockers favourite. However, Crucial do another kit, known as the Ballistix Tracer sporting black heatspreaders and fancy LED lighting. Lets see if theyre as good as we hope.

With the wide availability of high-definition camcorders, video enthusiasts are looking for tools that can help them create the kind of masterpieces they expect for their high-quality video content. PowerDirector 7 combines fantastic automated editing and video enhancements tools with more advanced editing options for experienced users. The improved interface provides faster access to features and resizable editing windows, in addition to easier management of media files, and the addition of DirectorZone is a dream for sharing your creativity with others. As far as were concerned, PowerDirector 7 is the easiest way to produce high-quality videos - and you dont even need to have prior knowledge of video editing because CyberLink has done a great job of guiding you through the whole process.

SNIP: Its that time of year again and Christmas is around the corner. The years hottest games are about to be released and its time to look at new Tech Toys to make your years gaming experience the best it can be. This year we decided to go with a price point comparison of two of the best GPUs out there, the Nvidia GTX-260 Core 216 vs the ATI 4870 1 GB edition in a head-to-head 5 game Hottest Title Shootout. Both of the selected GPUs are at the same price point roughly $300 (USD). The ATI card has 1GB of memory and the Nvidia card has 896MB of memory, and its going to matter. Were testing at uber resolutions for this shootout. The lowest resolution is 1920x1200 and the highest resolution is 2560x1600 with AA set at 4x and AF set by the game.

SNIP: Asus has always been one of the computer industrys leading innovators, being the first to field many new ideas and support new platforms. The introduction of Core i7 is no exception. Asus had initial offerings of X58 Core i7 motherboards in production before Core i7 even made market. Their early jump on the socket 1366 Core i7 platform shows heavily in the Asus P6T Deluxe. No features were overlooked, nothing was skimped on, and they fielded a fully functional, feature rich board capable of driving SLI and Crossfire on demand so that you dont have to be afraid that better motherboards will come out later. They might come out with other motherboards, but we seriously doubt any will come out better or stronger than the Asus P6T Deluxe.

Article Snippet: All in all, the BlacX is a fine piece of hardware. Solid construction, hot -swap capability, and good looks go a long way. Installation is a straight forward affair, with no surprises or hiccups. I was impressed by the speed over USB, though your mileage may vary.

One of my biggest issues with high performance is the high levels of heat generated and that often means loud cooling. Im completely surprised by how well the HD 4850 X2 cools itself, I was skeptical that the two tiny heatsinks would be able to do the trick, especially when theres probably more metal on the shroud than with the heatsink. However, with the latest BIOS flashed onto the card, Sapphire has managed to balance performance, heat and cooling noise. I was still able to achieve a modest overclock while staying at reasonable temperatures and quiet cooling.

Quote: One of the greatest things about fabrication processes is that they can be shrunk. Assuming that your architecture is forward-thinking enough, and it navigates issues with power plane-mapping and transistor leakage and all that, you can take your design, make it smaller, run it faster, and use less power. ATI has reaped great successes going from 65nm to 55nm, and NVIDIA is going the same way with their G92 parts. This process will take their 8800 GT, an excellent performer at the time of its release, rename it 9800 GT, and reap away. I mean, that would be the way to do it if you wanted to make any sense whatsoever. Because this is a regular ol 65nm part.

Just in time for the holidays, eStarling (www.eStarling.com ) has released their newest WiFi digital picture frame, the eStarling Impact7, priced at an incredibly affordable $99.99.
As we all suffer through this god-forsaken down economy, this is a great gift idea for gadget lovers, photo lovers and distant grandmothers who want to stay in touch with their loved ones. Comparable models from other vendors, with much, much less functionality, are much more expensive.

You can do all sorts of fun things with an eStarling Impact7 wifi photo frame.
For starters, eStarling's digital picture frames are unique in that they each have their own email address. That means you can email photos direct to the digital frame -- no more hassles getting pictures onto your frame. It's all done wirelessly!
Give an eStarling frame to your mom across the country, and you can take a picture of your daughter playing soccer with your cell phone camera and email it directly to mom's picture frame, even if you're in Chicago and she's in Seattle. When mom/grandma looks at the picture frame, she'll see whatever photos have been sent to her recently by authorized senders (you, your siblings, her siblings, etc.). In fact, she'll see that photo of your daughter scoring a goal just a few minutes after you hit the Send button.
Give one to your wife and logon to eStarling's portal site a few weeks before your anniversary. Schedule a dozen photos of roses to appear on your wife's frame, as if by magic, on your anniversary day. That's right. You can control what appears on your frame and when it appears on your frame...all via the Web.
If you've collected digital photos in a variety of online places (Flickr, Photobucket, etc.), eStarling provides a single website that you can login to and manage all those photo assets. You can decide which photos you want to show up on your picture frame and what day you want them to be there. Without a solution like eStarling, your vast collection of images will typically sit on a server somewhere, wasting away and never being viewed by anybody.
You can even subscribe your digital picture frame to a photo RSS feed, such as a National Geographic photo feed. eStarling's new WiFi frame supports all major RSS photo feeds and works seamlessly with Flickr, Picasa, AOL. The company also has a partnership with Photobucket, a subsidiary of Myspace, which allows subscribers to have full access to all of their public and private photos thru the frame.
Here's another fun trick you can do with the frame. Let's say you have a Facebook account. Put your Facebook credentials into your eStarling web account and photos from your Facebook friends will automatically start appearing on your eStarling photo frame. We know there are social websites, but now we've got social gadgets...social furniture that is networking with your web-based social contacts.
If you have an iPhone, things get even easier. There is an iPhone software application available, produced by eStarling, that adds a one-click, send-to-frame feature to your iPhone camera. You don't even have to email the photo to the frame. Just take the picture and if you like it, click the Send to eStarling button to get it on your frame...within seconds of taking the photo.
If you want to write "Happy Birthday" on a photo of a cake before you send it to a friend's eStarling frame. No problem. The eStarling photo management site includes a web-based picture editing tool that allows you to customize your images before you shoot them over to your eStarling frame.
Without a doubt, this frame is the most convenient and user friendly digital frame on the market currently.
With sleek lines and smooth textures the eStarling frame looks great in any home or office. And with simple one time set-up (use the remote or the frame's built-in touchscreen interface - no PC required) this makes a great gift for even the non-tech-savvy (although they do need WiFi connectivity).
Attention to detail has been a major theme in developing this product. For example, the back of the frame includes a handy remote holder. Aren't you tired of having to go through a drawer of remotes to find the right remote -- eStarling identified that problem and came up with a simple solution: build a remote holder into the device so the remote and its corresponding device are always close to each other.
This is eStarling's next-generation version of its WiFi digital frame and offers the latest in digital technology. The new version of this WiFi frame is easy for all users to enjoy. Just set up your digital frame to recognize your WiFi network once and you can start viewing almost instantly. Set your timers or play lists to enjoy your favorite pictures as often as you like.
This is an exciting development in the world of digital photography. There are zillions of good photos out there that are never viewed. Why? Because they are sitting on a web server, a hard drive, a cell phone or a digital camera gathering digital dust. eStarling unleashes the power to see your photos in the comfort of your own homes without the pain of annoying thumb drives, connectors and cables. It gives you control over something that is currently out of control...and that's a very good thing.
This is a superb holiday gift. The retail price for the 7-inch Impact7. It is available at eStarling.com and shipping is handled by Amazon.com's fulfillment service.

* Design for Intel socket 1366 Nehalem Core i7 Extreme/ Core i7 45nm processors
* Intel X58 / ICH10R Chipset
* 12 Phases Power Design
* Support 6-DIMM DDR3-1866(OC)/1600(OC)/1333 up to 24G maximum capacity
* Support ATI CrossfireX and nVidia SLI Technology
* 100% X.D.C Japanese solid capacitor
* BIOSTAR Space-Pipe with high efficiency copper heat-pipe
* BIOSTAR G.P.U (Green Power Utility) Technology for Energy Saving
* BIOSTAR TPower Utility
* On board Dual GbE
* 1394a, eSATA, S/PDIF Out (Optical/Coaxial)

After interesting HTC PDAs we got in our test lab one more device from the same category that weve been waiting with great impatience. With launching of Omnia, Samsung joined to, more and more, interesting race for the best PDA device on the market. How did Samsung done its homework you can find out very soon. Quite differently from HTC Touch models, Samsung Omnia has a bit bigger dimensions and weight, but not in such amount that would bother anyone. Amount of additional functional keys is reduced to minimum.

Its time to rekindle your passion for adventure with Treasure Seekers: Visions of Gold, a hidden object game with lavish environments and relatively challenging puzzles. Join Emily and Tommy in their quest to retrieve their pirate grandmothers hidden treasure. Test your skills with puzzles that will take you from strange laboratories to the dangerous depths of the ocean. Play at your own pace with no timers or penalties, just hours of brain-tickling hidden object fun.

Get this product! Though it requires a spot of its very own in the room, and tends to be quite on the heavy side, this case manages to move a LOT of air in near silence (if the sound of air moving doesnt bother you).

SNIP: A lot of enthusiasts set aback by the high cost of the current generation of GPUs are looking for GPUs that will still provide good FPS in demanding games, but are a little more pocket friendly. That usually means the last generation of GPUs which still provide plenty of punch, just not in the pocket. Were reviewing a single XFX 9800GTX+ Black Edition, but with the scaling improving on SLI a couple of these beauties on a 775 or 1366 socket board would yield pretty sweet results.

Like many enthusiast system manufacturers, Velocity Micro makes hand-built, high-end gaming rigs using the latest components, such as Intels Core i7 processors. Velocity Micro claims that they pride themselves on their extensive customization options, meticulous assembly procedures, a technically trained staff, and in-house US-based support. Each system is hand-assembled by expert engineers and run through extensive testing to ensure complete functionality. As youll see, Velocity Micros engineers are also appear to be very careful about how they route and tie cables to ensure optimal airflow within the chassis.

Considering how the XFX GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition already has a significant overclock I wasnt expecting much in the way of overclocki ng headroom. That being said, the results were incredible. I was able to get the core up to 739Mhz, the shaders up to 1557MHz, and the memory up t o 1285MHz. This was a 73MHz core overclock, 153MHz shader overclock, and a 286MHz memory overclock.

Back at the end of April, I took a look at the NorthQ Siberian Tiger water cooling kit. Today we are taking a look at the Siberian Tiger II water cooling kit, which is the bigger brother due to its use of a 240mm radiator compared to the little brothers 120mm radiator. Will the extra liquid capacity, increased radiator size, and dual 120mm fans give it the edge youre looking for? Well lets jump in and find out.

SNIP: In this age of computers, a power supply unit is often times an overlooked part of the computer, but if you decide to cheap out and your whole system gets fried you will be hating yourself because of that decision. Often times it is hard to decide on a PSU. You dont want to waste money on getting too much wattage if you dont need to use it. But then again, you also dont want to come up short and not have enough juice to run everything in your PC. Today, Corsair brings us a 1000 watt PSU that offers spectacular reliability and plenty of power to run whatever you please. Corsair backs this PSU with an almost unheard of 5 year warranty, so you can be pretty sure that this will most likely not be the component in your system to give out during an intense gaming session.

Are you looking for a budget graphic card for your HTPC with enough kick to really game with? A graphic card that is energy efficient but also has enough power to play the latest and greatest games. If thats not enough for you how about you throw in 320 stream processing units, up to 1GB of memory and support for Microsoft DirectXR10.1 games, the ability to watch Blu-Ray movies and play HD content. Well Sapphire Tech has done just that with the HD 4650 OC edition graphics card. Not possible you say?

Are you looking for a budget graphic card for your HTPC with enough kick to really game with? A graphic card that is energy efficient but also has enough power to play the latest and greatest games. If thats not enough for you how about you throw in 320 stream processing units, up to 1GB of memory and support for Microsoft DirectXR10.1 games, the ability to watch Blu-Ray movies and play HD content. Well Sapphire Tech has done just that with the HD 4650 OC edition graphics card. Not possible you say?

The most popular computer case designs get licensed out to other manufacturers all the time, so its not surprising that Cooler Master has re-launched the ATCS 840 after their own previously modeled design. The full-tower RC-840 chassis is built on the principal of cooling performance, which is where it receives its name. ATCS stands for Advanced Thermal Cooling Solution, and the RC-840 has more than enough room inside to accomplish this task in short order. In this articles, Benchmark Reviews tests the black aluminum-alloy RC-840-KKN1-GP model and explores the various configurations gamers and enthusiasts can expect from this enclosure.

When we first reviewed the GTX 260 with 216 SPs, we mentioned that every company would be calling their card something different and it turns out that we were spot on with that assessment. All of Nvidias major partners have their hands in this new 216 SP cookie jar so it is only natural that BFG would release their own overclocked versions of this card.

It was the HD 4870 that wowed gamers by being able to keep up with much more expensive GTX 280, and blew away even many more gamers with its impressive anti-aliasing ability. But released at the virtually the same time, the HD 4870s little brother -- the HD 4850 -- was the product that offered high-end performance at a price point that was affordable by most. It wasnt all that long ago at all that the second fastest card you could get in a new generation of GPUs would bust the bank -- but this wasnt the case with the HD 4850. For many, the deadly cost effectiveness made the HD 4850 the more memorable of the brother wonder-cards coming from ATI... but where does it stand today, four months later?

Sunnyvale, California — November 17, 2008 - Smoothcreations (www.Smoothcreations.com), a leading manufacturer of Custom PC gaming systems, desktop workstations, and Laptops, introduced today, in collaboration with Intel, are proud to announce the Smoothcreations "Prophet i7" series. Stop showing up to Lan parties with gaming rigs that look like some else's pc. Turn heads, and then shred them with the Prophet i7 series. The first portable performance PC from Smooth Creations. Configurable options available in price point category platform solutions. The Ultimate LAN party system: The Smooth Creations Prophet i7 series was designed to intimidate, perform and back up every piece of trash talk you fling at your gaming buddies. These custom painted gaming beasts deliver the graphics-shredding processing power you need to conquer your next LAN event. "The Prophet i7 Portable design makes it easy to go to those LAN parties without having to lug heavy pc equipment around", Mario Gastelum, Product Marketing. The "Prophet i7" models are stacked with Intel Core i7 CPU's and a tasty choice of Diamond Radeon HD 4870's or 2x 4870X2 H20 Special Edition graphics cards in Crossfire configurations. Or you can choose some ass kicking BFG Geforce 280 GTX's or 260 GTX's in SLI or TRI SLI configurations. Be rest assured that not only will you have a screaming looking case – but a serious war gaming machine that will get you the highest frame rates playing Crysis or Far Cry 2. "Every Prophet i7 system is custom painted", Mario Gastelum. We don't outsource our painted artwork like some of our competitors – by sending their customers pc cases to a car paint shop, Smoothcreations maintains inhouse our own design team. Smoothcreations teamed up with some of the best partners to deliver the best-breed Core i7 solutions Platform, like MSI, Corsair, Kingston, Patriot, Corsair, GSkill Memory, Intel, BFGtech, Diamond, Western Digital, Lite On, DFI, and Silverstone, Tagan, Epower, as well as Water Cooling Mavens Danger Den.. Systems start at an affordable price point of $1,995.00.

QUOTE: In this review I will be taking a look at a compact heat pipe direct touch cooler from Xigmatek. The HDT-SD964 is the little brother of Xigmateks successful HDT-S1283 and HDT-S1284 CPU heatsink coolers. The HDT-SD964 is marketed as a high performance cooler designed to fit in smaller cases. This unit is very similar in design to its larger siblings and sports four 6mm direct touch heatpipes and a 92mm PWM fan. How does this compact cooler perform and how does it stack up against larger coolers you ask? Well, lets find out.

Today we are reviewing the Microsoft Entertainment Desktop 8000 keyboard and mouse combo. This combo is specifically designed for use with any Home Theater PC. It provides all of the controls you will needed to operate Windows Media Center as well as the normal controls for all of Windows audio and visual functions. So come on along an take a look at this very nice combo that may be the very thing you ask your friend or spouse to give you for Christmas.