Legit Reviews

Vigor iSurf II Hard Drive Cooler @ Legit Reviews

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:55:00 GMT

Vigor Gaming is known for providing custom built gaming systems, but they also have cooling components. Today, we are looking at Vigors newest hard drive cooler, the iSurf II. The iSurf II is a 5.25 bay active cooler for your 3.5 hard drive and is designed to reduce your hard drive temperature while increasing hard disk drive performance. Join us as we see how the iSurf does on our test bench. Quote: "The iSurf II from Vigor has an MSRP of $29.99 and a quick search on our shopping link shows that it can be found for less. For that price you get a solid attractive piece of hardware. Despite having two 40mm fans, it is rather quiet. Even with the test system sitting on top of the bench and the iSurf II at the same level as my head it was not noticeable over the rest of the system..." Article Title: Vigor iSurf II Hard Drive Cooler @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/article/751/1/">http://www.legitreviews.com/article/751/1/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

Corsair 4GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Memory Kit Review @ Legit Reviews

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:45:00 GMT

The TW3X2G1600C9DHXNV memory kit is the first and only Corsair memory kit that uses Samsung based memory ICs. That gives this kit a leg up over other companies as it is offering the latest in memory ICs. This specific memory kit has been verified to operate at 1600MHz at latencies of 9-9-9-24 at 1.8V VDIMM by Corsair, but as you will see later in our article you can pull off timings of 6-7-6-18 at 1600MHz with some extra voltage. Quote: "The Corsair TW3X4G1600C9DFNV memory kit was found to be a solid performing memory kit that was a joy to work with and overclock as it did nearly everything I wanted it to do. This was my first time trying out the Samsung ICs and I'm very impressed by what they can do when it comes to both frequency and timings. They do seem to like a ton of voltage, which might scare some off, but for others it won't be a big deal..." Article Title: Corsair 4GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Memory Kit Review @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://legitreviews.com/article/750/1/">http://legitreviews.com/article/750/1/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

BlueAnt Wireless Z9i Bluetooth Headset Review @ Legit Reviews

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:03:00 GMT

The Z9i Dual Microphone Headset is the latest in Bluetooth devices from BlueAnt as the company tries to combine cutting-edge technology with stylish design. The Z9i incorporates BlueAnts revolutionary world class Digital Signal Processing solution - Voice Isolation Technology. Voice Isolation Technology is critical for noise suppression, wind noise reduction and echo cancellation in both noisy and windy environments. Quote: "Overall, the BlueAnt Z9i is a very good headset. We found the noise cancellation to just slightly better than its older sibling the Z9. In a crowded and noisy room, the Z9i will definitely perform better than that of a normal everyday headset. The dual microphones that BlueAnt equipped it with will isolate your voice and suppress background noise. The Jawbone and Plantronics headsets will perform this function much better, but with a much higher list price. When it comes to noise cancellation we have found that you certainly get what you pay for..." Article Title: BlueAnt Wireless Z9i Bluetooth Headset Review @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/article/747/1/">http://www.legitreviews.com/article/747/1/</a> Image: <a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/747/BlueAnt_Z9i_iPhone.jpg">http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/747/BlueAnt_Z9i_iPhone.jpg</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

E3 2008: Day 1 & 2 Coverage @ Legit Reviews

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:21:00 GMT

Our troops are at this years E3 Summit and have posted up day 1 and day 2 coverage today! Day 1: The 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit hosted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) at the Los Angeles Convention Center July 15-17, 2008 has officially kicked off and Legit Reviews is there to bring you some show coverage. The 2008 E3 is an invitation-only event that offers you an inside view of the gaming industry, so read on as we show you what is going on at the event with this our initial coverage. Article Title: E3 2008: Opening Day Coverage @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/article/748/1/">http://www.legitreviews.com/article/748/1/</a> Day 2: The 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit is going well and we bring you some of our day two coverage. We stopped by and took a look at the newly released Toshiba Intel Centrino 2 based notebooks, some console coolers by the folks and Nyko and ended up having a Taco with Sony at King Taco down the street from the convention center. Article Title: E3 2008: Day 2 Coverage - Notebooks, Coolers and Tacos @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/article/749/1/">http://www.legitreviews.com/article/749/1/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

Intel Announces The Centrino 2 Platform @ Legit Reviews

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:07:00 GMT

Today is a special day for Intel as it is the 5th anniversary for the Centrino mobile platform and they are celebrating it with the launch of the Centrino 2 platform (Montevina). With Centrino 2, Intel is planning for the future with a platform that is able to adapt to what we need in todays marketplace. Read on to see exactly what is being updated! Quote: "Centrino 2 is made of of three major components, the processor, the wireless card and the chipset. Intel Centrino 2 processors are 45nm Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad processors with up to 6MB L2 cache and a 1066MHz FSB. Intel is introducing the Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile Processor X9100 is now the highest performing flagship processor for the Centrino 2 platform and operates at 3.06GHz. Just like other Extreme mobile processors the X9100 has 'Overspeed Protection' removed, so consumers will be able to overclock the processor if the notebook allows it. When it comes to TDP ratings the X9100 is mobile friendly at just 44W..." Article Title: Intel Announces The Centrino 2 Platform @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/article/746/1/">http://www.legitreviews.com/article/746/1/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Graphics Card Preview @ Legit Reviews

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:35:00 GMT

Only four short months ago AMD launched the Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card and it was the flagship ATI Radeon product, but the successor has arrived. AMD has taken two of the latest cores (RV770)and placed them on a single PCB to create the Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphics card. AMD kept the clock frequencies the same as the Radeon HD 4870 graphics card, so basically you have the power of a pair of those running CrossFire on a single PCB! Quote: "The ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphics card looks like it is going to be a great graphics card and it performed better than we expected for this preview. Once AMD gets the drivers perfected, enables PowerPlay in the BIOS and does some other minor changes this card will hit the street and be the fastest card available for less money than a GeForce GTX 280 graphics card..." Article Title: ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Graphics Card Preview @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/article/745/2/">http://www.legitreviews.com/article/745/2/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 on the Dell M1730 @ Legit Reviews

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:37:00 GMT

The Intel Core 2 Extreme processor X9000 is the flagship mobile processor and we got a chance to take it for a test drive in the Dell XPS M1730 notebook. We took the time to overclock the 2.8GHz processor in the notebook and was able to get 3.4GHz out of this killer 45nm processor. If you are looking for the ultimate gaming notebook processor look no further! Quote: "The Dell XPS M1730 was easy to overclock and it was able to run the Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 all the way up to 3.4GHz with full stability. With the system overclocked we were able to break 10,000 3DMarks in 3DMark 2006 and run faster than many of the desktops on the market today. Intel has done a great job with the Core 2 Extreme X9000 as they were able to deliver a fast part that has room for overclocking and efficient enough to drop power consumption levels..." Article Title: Intel Core 2 Extreme Mobile X9000 on the Dell M1730 @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://legitreviews.com/article/743/1/">http://legitreviews.com/article/743/1/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

Going Green? Which motherboard company is more efficient, ASUS or Gigabyte? @ Legit Reviews

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:33:00 GMT

Going Green? Which motherboard company is more efficient, ASUS or Gigabyte? ASUS and Gigabyte recently had a spat about power consumption a couple months back that got some people wondering which motherboard was really the most energy efficient. We took a look at the real numbers to see who comes out on top and the results might just shock you. Read on to see which motherboard maker comes out on top when we try out ASUS's EPU and Gigabyte's DES equivalent. Quote: "So, in the end, who is the winner? I would have to say first off that the winner is the consumer. Less power being used means less money flying out the door to the utility company, and that is a good thing for the pocketbook, especially with gas prices headed the direction they are. I would also say that the environment is a winner. I am not going to get all politically correct. In fact, no matter what your view is, you would have to admit that using less power is a good thing. Just the fact that we are even talking about this subject is a good thing. We have a responsibility to take care of the earth, and this certainly can help." Article Title: Going Green? Which motherboard company is more efficient, ASUS or Gigabyte? @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://legitreviews.com/article/736/1/">http://legitreviews.com/article/736/1/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

Mounting a CPU Cooler? The Heatpipe Direction Might Matter @ Legit Reviews

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:46:00 GMT

Today we will revisit a recently reviewed cooler, the NH-C12P from Noctua, to see how the mounting direction impacts the cooler's performance. Noctua thought are performance numbers were off since we installed the cooler with the bendings of the heat-pipes facing up. Noctua told us the cooler usually performs quite a few degrees better if you put it the other way round or turned by 90°. Which direction is best? Read on to find out. Quote: "We recently tested the newest cooler from Noctua, the NH-C12P. We received many e-mails questioning the way we, well I, had the cooler oriented. Noctua themselves emailed us as well with concerns on how we tested their product. So, due to the requests of the readers, and the manufacturer as well, we decided to re-visit the cooler to see how the CPU temperatures are affected by different mounting positions." Article Title: Mounting a CPU Cooler? The Heatpipe Direction Might Matter @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://legitreviews.com/article/741/1/">http://legitreviews.com/article/741/1/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

Thermaltake Armor+ MX Midtower ATX Computer Case @ Legit Reviews

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:38:00 GMT

The Thermaltake Armor+ MX we will be looking at today is different from the Armor cases of the past as it is not a full or super tower case, but a mid tower. The Thermaltake Armor+ MX VH8000BWS Mid Tower Case was designed to accommodate the Thermaltake Big Water line of water cooling kits, which makes it nice for those building a DIY gaming system. Read on as we take a closer look at the Thermaltake Armor+ MX and install a water cooler in it. Quote: "Thermaltake has tried to cram as many features from the larger super tower Armor case into this standard size mid tower, and did a good job of it. You have all the classic looks, the build quality, and you can still fit everything into the case. With shrinking space comes the 'snug factor'. The Thermaltake Armor+ case has close quarters, but you can still get most full length video card in this case. " Article Title: Thermaltake Armor+ MX Midtower ATX Computer Case @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://legitreviews.com/article/738/1/">http://legitreviews.com/article/738/1/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below:

Coolink GFXChilla VGA Cooler @ Legit Reviews

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:46:00 GMT

Coolink GFXChilla VGA Cooler - Cooling The Radeon HD 4850 A couple weeks ago when the ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card came out the card proved itself to be a price versus performance winner, but we couldn't ignore the high temperatures that it ran at. Our temperature testing showed that the Radeon HD 4850 ran at 85C at load, which was within specifications, but is too hot for us to ignore. We install a Coolink GFXChilla on a Radeon HD 4850 with the hopes of reducing temperatures and you'll be shocked to see the results! Quote: "The test results show that the Coolink GPUChilla dropped the idle temperatures by 49% and the load temperatures by an impressive 45%! Our only complaint on the Radeon HD 4850 was how hot the card ran and the Coolink GPUChilla took cooling to the next level. The 49% reduction at idle put the Radeon HD 4850 at 33C, which is better than we expected. The factory heat sink works, but it obviously leaves room for improvement... Article Title: Coolink GFXChilla VGA Cooler - Cooling The Radeon HD 4850 @ Legit Reviews Article URL: <a href="http://legitreviews.com/article/740/1/">http://legitreviews.com/article/740/1/</a>

Subscribe to Legit Reviews via email by entering your email address below: