The latest articles and reviews found at PC Perspective. http://www.pcper.com The ASUS Workstation line of motherboards offers a set of features that very few other motherboards can including up to 7 individual PCI Express x16 slots and even SAS storage support. If you need that kind of connectivity then you will likely be interested in what the P6T7 and P7P55 WS provide!... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=864 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=864 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:00:48 -0500 Now that AMD has stopped producing the HD 4870 and HD 4890 chips, the HD 5770 is quickly taking over the $149 to $199 marketplace. MSI decided to shake things up a bit in a market overflowing with reference designs from multiple manufacturers. The R5770 is a fully custom part with some unique features that set it above the rest. Stable 1 GHz+ operation is not a fantasy with this card...... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=882 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=882 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:37:40 -0500 This week we talk about NVDIA's Next-Generation ION 2, the new AMD 890GX Chipset, Newcomers in the SSD market, GF100 Rumors, Our Hardware/Software Picks of the Week and more!... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=411 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=411 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:00:12 -0500 The Intel Clarkdale processors were released in January to finally replace the aging Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors from the socket 775 generation. We already tested the Core i5-661 but the Core i3-530 offers much of the same performance with a 70% lower price tag. And the overclocking potential our sample demonstrated impresses as well!!... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=879 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=879 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:00:40 -0500 Yes, you heard us right, we put "Western Digital" and "SSD" in the same sentence! For a first-in-industry move, a Hard Disk manufacturer has taken the Solid State plunge. We'll put this new unit to the test and see how it stacks up against the fierce competition in this arena.... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=878 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=878 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0500 AMD's history of chipset releases have been bittersweet. Featuring cutting edge graphics and excellent performance, AMD's chipsets have often been held back by their mediocre southbridge and I/O performance. AMD is hoping to change that by introducing the new 890GX, which features a redesigned northbridge as well as a new southbridge featuring the first native SATA 6G support.... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=881 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=881 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:12:04 -0500 NVIDIA's ION technology was originally aimed at changing how consumer were able to utilize netbook and nettop computers and this second revision is no different. This "re-imagining" of the ION brand takes a discrete GPU, adds in support for Optimus technology, and basically calls it a day. But do you need to make sure your next netbook computer has ION inside?... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=880 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=880 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:33 -0500 Zalman's heatsinks have carved out their own path in the CPU cooling market and turned what used to be large chucks of aluminum and copper and into stylish, modern, and functional works of art. Their CNPS10X series has been very impressive and we saw low temps when we reviewed the original CNPS10X Extreme last year. When they informed us they were adding a new member to the group called the CNPS10X Flex, we had to get one for our LGA 1156 test bench to evaluate its heat dissipation capabilities.... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=844 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=844 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:00:24 -0500 The new AMD Radeon HD 5830 continues to add to the company's collection of DX11-ready graphics card hardware while we continue to wait and see what NVIDIA's answer will offer consumers. The HD 5830 rests between the HD 5850 and the HD 5770 in terms of price and performance, but is it a better option than either? Also, we have some extra details on the upcoming HD 5870 Eyefinity Edition with 6 DisplayPort outputs!... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=875 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=875 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:34 -0500 AMD gave the midrange market a thorough refresh with their HD 5600 and 5700 series of cards. Asus is attempting to capitalize on this new technology shift by introducing a somewhat unique and interesting product based on the HD 5750 graphics processor. Is the card as zippy as the psuedo-Formula 1 fan shroud promises it to be?... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=876 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=876 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:46 -0500 Gigabyte's micro ATX motherboards have become a staple in the industry for providing the speed and power usually reserved for full ATX motherboards. The GA-P55M-UD4 is one of their latest creations for the LGA 1156 platform and it includes a couple unique features like CrossfireX and SLI graphics support (x16 and x8), DDR3 2200, and 7.1 high definition audio.... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=846 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=846 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:00:48 -0500 The MSI Big Bang Fuzion motherboard combines a lot of features into a single motherboard including support for Intel's Lynnfield and Clarkdale processors and a lot of headroom and options for overclocking. Of course the stand out feature of the board is support for Lucid's HYDRA multi-GPU technology but can it possibly live up to the hype that has been building for years?... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=852 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=852 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:00:32 -0500 OCZ worked tirelessly to bring their new Vertex LE to market, so we worked tirelessly to bring you the first full review of a retail unit. How does this slightly pared-down unit stack up against the Vertex 2 Pro we evaluated after CES? Read our full evaluation to find out!... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=874 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=874 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:00:04 -0500 Our storage guru takes a look at the revived SSDNow V Series (second generation) line. These drives sport Toshiba flash and a new controller from JMicron. We size up a 128GB model to see how it stacks up against the competition, as well as taking a look at the available Notebook Upgrade Kit.... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=872 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=872 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:00:00 -0500 AMD is releasing a new Catalyst 10.2 driver today with some very notable changes in both architecture and features. They are also sharing details on the upcoming 10.3 driver that will dramatically change how the world of Eyefinity works for users lucky enough to be sitting in front of a set of monitors.... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=871 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=871 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 The oft-desired EVGA P55 FTW includes the rock-solid P55 chipset, a 12+2 phase power design, and support for dual channel DDR3 2600MHz memory. The board also showcases a black and grey color scheme and includes onboard clear CMOS, power, and reset buttons. This board also has a host of other features unique to higher-end EVGA boards like EVbot and triple BIOS support.... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=847 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=847 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:13 -0500 Today we look at Western Digital's first entry into the SATA 6Gb/sec arena with their new Caviar Black 1TB. This new drive borrows some features previously available in their enterprise offerings and hopes to be a worthy contender. How will the doubling of interface throughput impact performance? Satisfy your curiosity inside!... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=870 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=870 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:00:21 -0500 Tired of waiting to dump that old CRT based TV and get a shiny, new widescreen LCD panel? Well, the time may finally be here to do that for a large portion of consumers. With LCD panel prices dropping, and old models being phased out for new. I was able to get my hands on the LG 47LH30 widescreen high definition TV for a very attractive price, and thought that I would share my experiences with our readers.... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=869 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=869 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:00:41 -0500 AMD has released a pair of new low cost GPUs that support DX11 and Eyefinity while offering a robust feature set for home theater PCs including loss-less Blu-ray audio and half-height card designs. Can the new Radeon HD 5570 and HD 5450 best the currently available GeForce 210/220/240 cards and complete the DX11 sweep that AMD has been gunning for?... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=866 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=866 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:00:23 -0500 We have been playing with NVIDIA Optimus Technology for a couple of weeks now and I have been nothing but impressed by this new mobility offering that promises the performance of discrete graphics solutions with the battery life of integrated graphics. Can NVIDIA really pull it off? We think they have, so stop in and read (or watch!) our review of the future of mobile computing!... http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=868 http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=868 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:00:20 -0500