High-End Memory Prices - Week of October 13, 2008-October 15, 2008
The overall price of system memory is still dropping, but we are seeing areas that are picking up and others that seem to be slowing down. Nothing really stands out as a real trend this week, but there are some deals for those who want to take a closer look. If you want the inside scoop on the high-end memory market, then don't miss our detailed price list and commentary, and see who is offering the best values.
Corsair XMS3 PC3-12800 2x1GB Review-October 10, 2008
The transition from DDR2 to DDR3 is continuing to accelerate, and now that more vendors are offering low-latency DDR3 that doesn't induce sticker shock, expect demand to only grow. Corsair's XMS3 PC3-12800 2x1GB kit, complete with support for CL7 timings and Intel Extreme Memory Profiles, is a great enthusiast match for a high-end Intel platform.
Weekly CPU Prices - Week of October 6, 2008-October 9, 2008
We see a continuation of the stable pricing trend we've found over the last few weeks, and unfortunately, the only double-digit changes have resulted in higher prices on a few Intel and AMD processors. If you're looking for a new CPU or just want to see where the market is heading, be sure to check out the detailed price lists and commentary in our Weekly CPU Pricing Guide.
September Video Card Price Guide-September 29, 2008
The September edition of our Video Card Price Guide demonstrates that no matter your budget, our monthly price list can always find the right deal. We break down the trends and prices from the entry-level, mainstream and enthusiast-level cards, and find the best overall values. If you're looking for a new video card, or just want to see where the market is heading, then be sure to check out the detailed price lists and commentary.
September Hard Drive Price Guide-September 26, 2008
Welcome to the September edition of our Hard Drive Price Guide, which provides a monthly snapshot of the overall market. We break down the trends for both Parallel and Serial ATA desktop drives, and find the best overall values in each area. If you're looking for a new hard drive, or just want to see where the market is heading, then be sure to check out the detailed price lists and commentary.
On Hardware Central
Platform Trends: AMD's Entry-Entry-Level Graphics Processor-October 14, 2008
You've heard of sharing the wealth, but AMD is doing it with a vengeance: Even though its ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, 4870, and 4670 graphics processing units now rule the high-end, mainstream, and entry-level segments, the company has added two more members to the HD 4000 family at a lower-than-low $55 and $39. Is there a market for deliberately limited-performance PC graphics? Vince Freeman says yes indeed.
Samsung CLP-315W Color Laser Printer Review-October 7, 2008
Small on your desk (occupying less than 13 by 16 inches) and even smaller in your wallet (a street price as low as $200), Samsung's most compact color laser makes up for modest print speed with easy operation, high-quality output, and standard WiFi and Ethernet for office sharing as well as the usual USB interface for solo operators.
Platform Trends: Nehalem Set to Fly with the X58-September 29, 2008
After four years of LGA775 processors and motherboards, the socket-shufflers at Intel have struck again. But this time tossing your old platform is worth the cost. The Core i7 "Nehalem" CPU's all-new architecture promises a performance revolution. And the X58 desktop chipset may be even more impressive, combining colossal bandwidth with a three-channel memory controller, the return of Hyper-Threading, and a graphics-card surprise.
Elsewhere...
Android: One Mobile OS to Rule Them All?-October 10, 2008
Google's foray into mobile operating systems, courtesy of its Android software, could mean more than another challenger to the popular Apple iPhone: It could prove to be the ultimate game-changer in a market already undergoing tremendous upheaval, according to a new report.
Storage Vendors Brace for Economic Storm-October 9, 2008
Storage vendors haven't been able to completely escape the perfect financial storm threatening the global economy, according to a pair of surveys by financial analysts.
Memory Makers Grapple with Falling Prices-October 9, 2008
A string of potential deals between memory chip makers underscores the desperate need to consolidate as the global financial crisis threatens to squeeze an industry already struggling with plummeting demand and falling prices.
Recently on Sharky Extreme
Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick Review-September 19, 2008
Adding TV tuner functionality is both a popular and inexpensive way to watch and record TV on your computer. This is true for notebooks as well, and using an external USB tuner makes for a very simple upgrade. The PCTV HD Pro Stick from Pinnacle is one such product, with support for both SD and HD programming, as well as unencrypted ClearQAM digital channels.
September Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide-September 11, 2008
An extreme $4,000 budget is sure to put these Extreme Gaming PC Guide components on the top of everyone's shopping list—and make its builders the envy of those who can only afford to follow our $2,500 High-End Guide! If you're looking for the best combination of parts available for a little less than this hefty price limit, read on!
D-Link DWA-652 Xtreme N Notebook Adapter Review-August 20, 2008
The Wireless-N revolution is upon us, and although the IEEE 802.11n specification is still in Draft 2.0 format, it still offers a potential 300 Mbps wireless link, or almost 6X that of Wireless-G. The D-Link DWA-652 Xtreme N Notebook Adapter is an upgrade device that adds Wireless-N to an older notebook, getting it up to speed for faster online performance.
AMD 790GX Chipset Review-August 8, 2008
The AMD 780G represented the first wave of the HD 3000-based integrated chipsets, but the AMD 790GX is definitely second-generation. This improves on the 780G in almost every way, offering full Phenom X4 support, a faster graphics core, integrated display cache, and a higher-end architecture. If you've always wanted a performance platform with integrated graphics, look no further.
D-Link DGL-4500 Xtreme N Gaming Router Review-July 28, 2008
The IEEE 802.11n specification is in Draft 2.0 format, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the faster 300 Mbps wireless speeds, enhanced stability and greater range now. The D-Link DGL-4500 Xtreme N Gaming Router is a serious piece of hardware that not only uses the fastest Wireless-N and Gigabit LAN speeds, but also incorporates several gaming-oriented features to ensure your online games will get all the bandwidth they need.
Gigabyte GA-MA790FX-DS5 Motherboard Review-July 16, 2008
The AMD 7-series of chipsets offers everything from entry-level to ultra high-end platforms for the Socket AM2+ market. We're concentrating on the top of the line 790FX chipset, and the Gigabyte GA-MA790FX-DS5 motherboard that features it, so check out our review to see how it stacks up against some other AMD-based solutions.
July High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide-July 9, 2008
It is time for another edition of our High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide, where we take $2500 in cash and assemble feature-rich, high performance gaming systems using readily available parts. If you ever wanted to know exactly what $2500 could buy in today's PC market, look no further than our latest edition of this guide.
AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE & 9350e Review-July 2, 2008
AMD is taking the old "hit 'em high & hit 'em low" adage to heart with their latest set of product releases, offering up the unlocked 2.6 GHz Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition alongside the low-power 2.0 GHz Phenom X4 9350e. These two processors couldn't be more different in terms of clock speed and TDP rating, so check out our review for performance, overclocking and power usage results.
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution Review-June 27, 2008
If the selection of Logitech cordless desktops had one issue, it was the lack of a top-end mouse in the package. With the Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution, Logitech has solved that problem, and incorporated the popular MX Revolution into their latest desktop kit. Check out our review to see how it stacked up in terms of features, design and usability.
PNY XLR8 GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB Review-June 17, 2008
The latest trend in enthusiast graphics card is to produce a hot mainstream card, then double up for some multi-GPU goodness. ATI did it with the Radeon HD 3870 X2 and NVIDIA has followed up with a GeForce 9800 GX dual-GPU card of their own. The PNY model offers a great look at the technology and provides a serious dual-GPU performer for the enthusiast market.
OCZ PC2-8500 Titanium 2x1GB Review-June 4, 2008
The shift from DDR2 to DDR3 is still just beginning, and most performance users are still using low-cost DDR2. DDR2-800 remains the standard, but as both AMD and Intel now support higher-speed DDR2-1066, like the OCZ PC2-8500 Titanium 2x1GB kit, this is emerging as the new default clock speed.
May Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide-May 19, 2008
Our latest Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide is online, and we're taking $1,000 in cold, hard cash to build a powerhouse gaming PC for the budget crowd. If you're the type of gamer who counts your pennies before buying any new computer, then this is the system guide for you.
Gigabyte Radeon HD 3870 512MB Review-May 14, 2008
The Radeon HD 3870 512MB is positioned as ATI's answer to the mainstream performance question, and for the most part, it has done extremely well. After introducing a standard reference design, Gigabyte has put its own spin on the Radeon HD 3870, complete with a Zalman GPU cooler and Ultra Durable 2 design. Check out the review to see how it did in our performance and overclocking tests.
AMD Phenom X3 8750 Review-April 23, 2008
The multi-tiered Phenom lineup has had to wait a bit for the updated B3 core to make the rounds, but the new triple-core X3 is finally here. The 2.4 GHz Phenom X3 8750 is the flagship of the triple-core line, running at a full 2.4 GHz, but at a lower power envelope. Our review will determine how well a Phenom X3 handles our system and gaming benchmarks, and see how high it can overclock.
Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB Hard Drive Review-April 22, 2008
Samsung may have been the last company to join the 1TB hard drive club, but in this case, timing could be everything. The debut of the Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB coincided with a shift towards higher-density 334GB platters, allowing the use of a triple-platter design in a full 1TB data capacity. Check out our review and see how this enhanced design affects the physical specifications and performance results.
ASUS EN8800GT TOP 512MB Review-April 21, 2008
The 65nm GeForce 8800 GT was designed as an alternative to the mainstream GeForce 8600 GTS and high-end GeForce 8800 GTS models, but companies like ASUS decided to close the gap even further. Using custom designed, pre-overclocked cards like the EN8800GT TOP 512MB, ASUS has helped blur the lines between the mainstream and high-end markets.
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1TB Hard Drive Review-April 10, 2008
Seagate may have followed Hitachi to the 1TB disk party, but the Barracuda 7200.11 1TB hard drive offers a very compelling high-end solution. The full terabyte of disk capacity is a major selling point all on its own, but the flagship Barracuda drive also delivers on the performance end too. Check out our review and see how the 1TB behemoth stacks up.
